Chapter 3045: Lanterns Filling the Sky
Zhang Ruochen continued, "Such a perfect opportunity to strike a heavy blow against the Darkness Temple, yet you choose to concede? They say the longer one lives, the more afraid of death one becomes, losing all sharpness and spirit. Now I believe it!"
Yu Ling Shen's eyes were already wide as pearls.
This was far too audacious. She showed no reverence or fear toward Tai Xu Da Shen at all.
If Zhang Ruochen had not already stepped into the Da Shen level, even with A Mu Er present, she would have taught him a lesson.
Standing to the side, A Mu Er's expression shifted slightly. He was carefully calculating and weighing the matter, clearly somewhat tempted.
Zhang Ruochen did not yield an inch, locking eyes with Yu Ling Shen as his Da Shen divine might erupted. "I am doing this all for the Yaksha Clan. What do I have to fear myself? At worst, I return to Xinghuantian and become the City Lord of First Divine Maiden City, surrounded by beauties in a land of comfort. Would the Darkness Temple dare to destroy Xinghuantian?"
Yu Ling Shen quickly regained control of her emotions, staring at Zhang Ruochen. "For the Yaksha Clan? Do you think I cannot see through your intentions? You want me to fight the Darkness Temple until both sides are crippled, so you can reap the benefits and take us all down. After all, I know you are Qing Ping Zi. That secret is fatal to you."
Zhang Ruochen laughed. "So Miss Yu is worried about that. Haha, you overestimate me. With my current cultivation, even if a Tai Xu realm Da Shen has only a single breath left, I would not dare to offend them. Besides, if you cannot trust me, can you not trust Uncle Wolf? The Yaksha Clan and the Demon Wolf Clan are bound together, sharing honor and disgrace. He would never act against you."
"Moreover, since you hold leverage over me, you should be even more at ease."
With that, Zhang Ruochen released the Zu Realm Jie Zun. "To save the Jie Zun, I took enormous risks. Does this count as sincerity?"
The Zu Realm Jie Zun had been imprisoned in the Divine Prison the entire time, unaware of what had happened or who had saved him. Believing it was truly Zhang Ruochen's doing, he bowed to Zhang Ruochen and repeatedly expressed his thanks.
The chill in Yu Ling Shen's eyes softened slightly, but she remained icy. "I am surnamed Han, not Yu."
"Apologies, Miss Han." Zhang Ruochen smiled.
The Zu Realm Jie Zun's mouth twitched. No cultivator had ever dared address Yu Ling Shen like this.
Was this an offense?
Flirtation?
Yu Ling Shen's eternally unchanging icy mountain face revealed a lively smile, as if she had returned to her youth when she toyed with the world's heroes at her fingertips. She looked toward the White Feather Peacock Sacred Carriage. "Why not ask the senior inside the carriage to make a move?"
Zhang Ruochen, seeing Yu Ling Shen's sly smile, was unsure if she had already figured out the truth. He laughed along. "The senior inside the carriage is in a special state and may not be awakened. How about returning to the Yaksha Clan's ancestral realm and inviting the two ancestors of the Yaksha Clan?"
A Mu Er shook his head. "Ruochen, do you think we hadn't considered this strategy before? Once the two Yaksha Clan ancestors awaken, how could the Destiny Temple and Darkness Temple not detect it? Their entry into the Dark Great Triangle Star Domain would only make the situation more uncontrollable."
"Do you think everyone is like you, with a Tian Yuan Wu Que level spiritual power expert shielding your heavenly secrets?" Yu Ling Shen's smile vanished, her face turning frosty again, as if Zhang Ruochen owed her a huge debt of divine stones.
Zhang Ruochen said, "There is no such thing as a sure thing in this world. Even with only a one-in-ten chance of victory, we must fight for it. I refuse to believe Miss Han lacks this spirit."
Older women always prefer being called younger—a truth Zhang Ruochen understood.
Of course, not everyone had the right to address her that way.
If it were Xue Tu, calling her "Miss Han" would have earned him a slap flying away.
Zhang Ruochen's own cultivation had reached the Da Shen level, and he had the backing of Zhu Shen level powerhouses. This backing was not like Xue Tu's, who only had a nominal master.
The battle at Xinghuantian had made it clear to all cultivators in the world how much weight Zhang Ruochen carried with Tian Lao.
And naturally, they understood how great a debt the Tian Yuan Wu Que spiritual power giant of Xinghuantian owed Zhang Ruochen.
Yu Ling Shen was clearly wavering, her eyes alternating between coldness and hesitation.
This matter was too significant. Continuing to fight the Darkness Temple would make them mortal enemies. If they failed, the entire Yaksha Clan would face a death calamity.
If it were only her own life or death, she would have decided long ago.
She knew very well that Zhang Ruochen could speak so passionately because he bore less pressure than she did.
Zhang Ruochen said, "I heard that Miss Han has spent much of this eon in slumber. It seems you know you cannot survive the next eon calamity, so you used some secret method to evade the perception of heaven and earth's rules, hoping to delay its arrival?"
Yu Ling Shen stared at him.
"It seems I hit the mark," Zhang Ruochen said. "A Tai Xu realm Da Shen cannot even be sure of surviving the fourth eon calamity. It appears you suffered severe injuries in the past, losing much of your lifespan. How about this: I will give you a divine medicine to help you through the eon calamity, in exchange for our sincere cooperation this time?"
Yu Ling Shen glanced sideways. "You have a divine medicine?"
Divine medicines were rare in the world, encountered only by chance, requiring great fortune to find.
Back then, when Yue Shen faced her fifth eon calamity, she succeeded without fail thanks to Hei Xin Mo Zhu's divine medicine, the "Calamity-Crossing Divine Lotus."
Zhang Ruochen said, "Xinghuantian is the former residence of a Heavenly Venerable. Would I dare make such a promise without some confidence?"
Yu Ling Shen finally made her decision. "If you dare deceive me, beware that I will storm Xinghuantian. Then you would be in the wrong, and I believe Senior Jiu Tian would uphold justice."
She had initially thought to threaten him by exposing his martial cultivation, but ultimately did not.
This leverage she held would only be useful outside the Dark Great Triangle Star Domain, where it could be maximized.
"Could she have already decided to kill all the gods of the Darkness Temple? Was she just putting on an act with me to seize the initiative and extract more benefits?" Zhang Ruochen looked at Yu Ling Shen with suspicion, feeling he might have been played.
No matter. The Yaksha Clan's leverage was also in his hands.
No one could betray anyone!
Zhang Ruochen looked at A Mu Er. "What does Uncle Wolf say?"
A Mu Er glanced at Yu Ling Shen and transmitted, "The Dragon Lord instructed me to fully assist you."
(Recommendation: I've been using a new app lately, available for both Android and Apple phones!)
...
The Radiant Divine Temple, Wind Clan, and Darkness Temple—these three major forces had previously entered the Dark Great Triangle Star Domain aboard divine ships, leaving spatial markers at intervals along the way.
Only by relying on these spatial markers could they find their way back out.
Zhang Ruochen, using his senses, located a rock the size of a mountain that the Radiant Divine Temple had placed in the void. On the rock were inscribed secret codes and numbers.
A Saint realm cultivator from the Radiant Divine Temple sat cross-legged on the rock, with concealment formations arranged around its perimeter.
He was responsible for guarding ten spatial markers within ten thousand steps.
It was precisely because of the need to leave spatial markers that any force exploring the Dark Great Triangle Star Domain had to mobilize massive manpower and resources.
Although the formations hiding these spatial markers had limited effect against gods, as long as the distance was vast enough in the boundless darkness, they could evade a god's divine sense.
Moreover, the placement of these markers was meticulously calculated, far from being a simple straight line.
After killing that Radiant Divine Temple Saint, Zhang Ruochen waited on the rock.
If Shang Hong wanted to leave the Dark Great Triangle Star Domain, he would have to retrace his original path.
Once Xiao Hei was released, he immediately asked Zhang Ruochen what had happened on the Xu Feng Divine Ship, but Zhang Ruochen said nothing. Xiao Hei then walked over to Xue Tu and whispered with him.
Soon, they began arguing.
"I don't know! I know nothing! I was planning to leave the Dark Great Triangle Star Domain!" Xue Tu had repeated this over a dozen times.
Zhang Ruochen harbored some doubts that remained unresolved.
Earlier, after the War God erupted, Xuan Yuan Lian had arrived within a quarter-hour, which was utterly baffling. Had he been following behind the Xu Feng Divine Ship all along?
Why would he do that?
How had he kept up?
Zhang Ruochen racked his brain but found no answer. Suddenly, he noticed Yu Ling Shen staring at the White Feather Peacock Sacred Carriage. When she saw him looking, she gave a strange smile and turned away.
It seemed Yu Ling Shen had grown suspicious.
Right. For an ancient god like her, not being suspicious would be strange.
Zhang Ruochen still felt some concern. His relationship with the Yaksha Clan was too fragile; they were not allies who could trust each other. If he lost the deterrent of the White Feather Peacock Sacred Carriage, he might well be sold out by Yu Ling Shen.
Unknowingly, half a day passed.
Zhang Ruochen stood up, laughing. "It seems I underestimated Shang Hong. He has no intention of leaving the Dark Great Triangle Star Domain. Instead, he's pressing forward! Quite bold."
"Maybe he knows Senior Brother is blocking him and is hiding somewhere?" Xue Tu said.
Zhang Ruochen shook his head. "I left the Xu Feng Divine Ship first. The Darkness Temple's experts would surely come after me, giving him the perfect chance to slip away from the Dark Great Triangle Star Domain. Yet half a day has passed, and he hasn't come. So he must be continuing forward. When life and death are at stake, he's gotten clever."
Xiao Hei suddenly exclaimed, "Hey! Where did all these lanterns come from?"
From the darkness drifted countless human-shaped lanterns, heads down, feet up, like glowing jellyfish. They came in vast numbers from all six directions—above, below, east, south, west, and north—countless beyond measure.
Zhang Ruochen showed no surprise, looking at Yu Ling Shen. "I told you, we don't need to go looking for them. They'll come to us!"
"Wu Yue, I've been waiting for you to show yourself!"
"Shua!"
Six divine swords flew out from Zhang Ruochen's body, hovering above his head like six stars, instantly illuminating the entire world. Countless lanterns burst into flames, emitting screeching screams.