# Chapter 3048: Sword Twenty-Four
After the Heaven Hunting Battle a thousand years ago, Que's reputation had soared, and the identity of his master had subsequently spread, no longer being any secret.
He was the Void Divine Venerable of the Void Divine Palace, one of the twelve palaces of the Destiny Temple.
Of course, now he should be addressed as "Void Heaven."
After the Medieval Era, Void Divine Venerable had long resided in the Great Calamity Palace, no longer concerning himself with worldly affairs.
The most recent time he had appeared was during the previous Hell Divine Tide, when he had crossed the Starry Sky Defense Line alone and fought the Truth Hall Master until heaven and earth were turned upside down. It was said that an ancient demon god from the Truth Temple had arrived and joined forces with the Truth Hall Master, yet still could not do anything to him.
And that ancient demon god...
There were rumors that he had been unearthed from the Dark Demon Well of the Divine Seal Platform, a demon god born in the Chaotic Ancient Era, bearing an extremely close resemblance to one of the seventy-two pillar demon gods under the Great Demon God's command, possibly the same person.
There were also rumors that that demon god was an ancient divine demon who had been buried at the bottom of the Dark Demon Well after death and was now living a second life.
Various opinions differed, each rumor more bizarre than the last.
This matter had once caused a sensation in both the Heavenly Court and Hell. Later, it was the Truth Hall Master himself who came forward to refute the rumors, allowing the matter to die down.
Being able to join forces with the Truth Hall Master to contend against Void Heaven clearly indicated that this ancient demon god was also an extraordinary existence. His intervention this time caused various factions to once again bring up the rumors from ten thousand years ago.
In short, Void Heaven could ignore the Starry Sky Defense Line, enter the Heavenly Court Universe, fight alone against the Truth Hall Master and the ancient demon god, and still retreat calmly. Throughout the entire Hell Realm, one could not find more than a few figures of the same caliber.
Don't look at figures like Wu Yue, Xuan Yi, Xue Jue, Desolate Heaven, Jue Miao, Famous Sword God, Fengyun Ba, and the like—each with illustrious reputations, laughing proudly across the universe—but before a figure like Void Heaven, they were completely juniors.
Back during the battle in the outer starry sky, the Truth Hall Master stood still, and Desolate Heaven swung his axe, only to send himself flying hundreds of miles.
Why was Zhang Ruochen fearful upon hearing that Void Heaven had summoned him?
Not because Void Heaven's cultivation was so terrifying, but because Zhang Ruochen knew that Void Heaven had once been defeated by Xumi Saint Monk, and the two had formed a grudge. If the grudge were not deep, why would Void Heaven create the Void Heaven Sword Technique, solely to counter Xumi Saint Monk's Time Sword Art?
As the heir of Xumi Saint Monk, he was clearly meant to bear this karmic consequence.
But soon, Zhang Ruochen's expression recovered, and he thought to himself, "If Void Heaven truly wanted to make a move, he would have already crushed me to death. How could he have sent Que to summon me?"
However, he could not let his guard down.
Who knew what was going on in the mind of such a heaven-level figure?
If he truly deemed Zhang Ruochen a threat, killing him would be the only logical course.
Watching Zhang Ruochen and Que fly away together, Blood Butcher, carefree and unconcerned, laughed, "Why do you all look so grim? The Heavenly Mother is here, what is there to worry about? Didn't you see that Void Heaven, out of respect for the Heavenly Mother, didn't make a move at all? He only called him over for a meeting."
Amuer's expression relaxed slightly, and he said, "Yes, if the Heavenly Mother were not here, today would have been dangerous!"
The assembled gods became even more convinced that the White Feather Peacock Sacred Chariot must contain the Heavenly Mother.
Xiao Hei snorted coldly, "It seems Void Heaven and the Heavenly Mother have some friction. Since they've both come, the two haven't even exchanged a word."
Jade Spirit God looked at him with contempt, "How could an exchange at their level be something we can see or hear?"
"This is called 'king does not meet king'!" Blood Butcher said, looking very knowledgeable.
Inside the White Feather Peacock Sacred Chariot, Luo Ji, wearing the Heavenly Venerable Treasure Gauze, was so anxious her brows were tightly knitted. She knew that Zhang Ruochen's trip would surely be fraught with danger, and she very much wanted to drive the chariot and chase after him immediately.
But she realized that before an existence like Void Heaven, she could not even help, let alone get close.
Going would only add to Zhang Ruochen's troubles.
The Heavenly Venerable Treasure Gauze might be able to intimidate Wu Yue, but before Void Heaven, it was nothing more than a petty trick, unworthy of the stage.
"Since Void Heaven didn't make a move directly, he probably hasn't decided whether to kill him yet. Ruochen should be able to handle this, he definitely can..." Luo Ji's delicate brows were tightly furrowed, her heart filled with both worry and self-blame.
This trip to the Dark Great Triangle Star Domain had been far more dangerous than she had imagined.
All for the sake of Heavenly Beginning Civilization.
If Zhang Ruochen were killed by Void Divine Venerable, she would live forever in guilt.
...
Void Heaven was not as ferocious and terrifying as Zhang Ruochen had imagined. Instead, he had a certain immortal-like bearing—white beard, white hair, kind eyes and benevolent brows, his gaze not particularly sharp. His physique was extremely robust, which diluted much of that immortal-like quality.
What surprised Zhang Ruochen was that the Underworld King was also present.
"Zhang Ruochen pays respects to Void Heaven!" Zhang Ruochen bowed respectfully.
"Your Sword Gall is still passable, but too much time has passed, and it has severely deteriorated. It cannot compare to the courage and sword momentum of the Sword Ancestor when he was alive."
Void Heaven stood in the void, the entire space-time seeming to be frozen, yet no divine power fluctuations leaked from him, no different from an ordinary robust old man. After making this comment, he no longer paid attention to the Underworld King and looked at Zhang Ruochen, saying, "Release your Sword Soul and let this old man have a look."
Zhang Ruochen dared not disobey and released the seven soul swords of the Sword Ancestor.
The Sword Gall represented sword momentum.
The Sword Soul represented the spirit of the sword.
Void Heaven stared at the seven soul swords for a moment, then clenched his five fingers, causing the seven soul swords to merge into one, transforming into a three-foot light sword as solid as substance. Around the sword body were countless sword dao rules, dense as a spider web.
The sword hummed loudly, piercingly harsh.
Void Heaven shook his head, waved his arm, and the soul swords dispersed back into seven. He said, "Same as the Sword Gall—severely deteriorated, completely worthless. Put them away!"
Zhang Ruochen put away the seven soul swords, feeling deeply embarrassed.
These seven soul swords, even with Zhang Ruochen's current cultivation, he could not fully unleash their power. They could be called supreme sword dao treasures, and even Famous Sword God coveted them greatly.
But in Void Heaven's eyes, they were deemed completely worthless.
"Shua!"
The Green Duckweed Sword flew out from Zhang Ruochen's control and fell into Void Heaven's hands.
Seeing the Green Duckweed Sword forcibly taken, Zhang Ruochen frowned slightly but could only restrain himself.
At the same time, he was extremely curious—why was Void Heaven interested in a sub-divine-grade sword? He clearly had six divine swords on him.
Void Heaven held the sword in his right hand and stroked the sword body with his left. His originally cloudy eyes grew increasingly bright, and in his left and right pupils appeared two completely different scenes: a starry ocean and endless darkness.
"Good lad, you've even erased the traces of the sword and its artifact spirit. It seems there's no shortcut to take!" Void Heaven suddenly laughed.
Que and the Underworld King looked toward Zhang Ruochen, thinking that the "good lad" Void Heaven referred to was him.
But Zhang Ruochen knew it was definitely not him.
The "good lad" Void Heaven referred to should be Shangqing.
Could it be that Void Heaven wanted to use the Green Duckweed Sword as a guide to find the Sword Realm?
Void Heaven was not just a martial arts supreme of the Infinite Realm; his spiritual power had also reached Heaven Round No Gap.
One of the four great spiritual power giants of Hell Realm, "Void Sky Great Calamity Palace," referred to him.
Void Heaven put away his smile and said, "That's right! If the Sword Realm could be found using the Green Duckweed Sword, that old man Huaying would have gone himself long ago! Zhang Ruochen, you seem quite dissatisfied?"
Zhang Ruochen knew his thoughts had been seen through and said, "Senior is a sky of the Hell Realm, yet you forcibly take a junior's sword. Is it not allowed for this junior to feel dissatisfied?"
"Ruochen, do not be presumptuous before Void Heaven." The Underworld King scolded.
Though it was a scolding, it was actually out of concern that Zhang Ruochen might anger the temperamental Void Heaven.
Que was secretly shocked. Before Void Heaven, even he, the sole direct disciple, dared not speak so boldly.
Zhang Ruochen said, "I am dissatisfied in my heart, but I am also convinced. Senior is a sky; even if you wanted a divine artifact, it would be easily obtained."
Void Heaven's gaze turned cold, "Junior, do not be dissatisfied. Do you know that this Green Duckweed Sword was originally forged by this old man himself? If we're really talking about it, I am its true master."
Zhang Ruochen was secretly shocked and looked at Void Heaven.
He had forged the Green Duckweed Sword?
Holding the Green Duckweed Sword, Void Heaven spoke coldly and sharply, "When Xumi was young, he was astonishingly brilliant, and he had a Heavenly Venerable father. Wherever he went, he was the center of attention, with all living beings coming to pay homage. Many of the women I liked back then had their souls stolen away by him, making me quite jealous. But this fellow didn't cherish it at all and later abandoned his family to become a monk. Tell me, isn't that infuriating?"
Zhang Ruochen knew Void Heaven was not asking him, so he remained silent.
Void Heaven continued, "When he was young, he stole my women, that's one thing. But after becoming a monk, he specifically opposed the Hell Realm, saying things like 'If Hell is not empty, I vow not to become a Buddha.' If Immovable Bright King Great Venerable and Lingyanzi were still alive, I might not dare to provoke him, but he was all alone—what was there to fear?"
"Unfortunately, this fellow still had some skill. Although he always said he cultivated Buddhism and was unwilling to fight me, he always managed to beat me black and blue every time."
"Later, he fused the sword dao with the way of time, creating the Time Sword Art, and became even more extraordinary. I was no longer his match. Tell me, he was a monk—why did he still cultivate the sword? Isn't that shameless?"
"No one has ever stipulated that a Buddhist cultivator cannot cultivate the sword dao. Perhaps the Saint Monk was forced by you!" Zhang Ruochen said.
Void Heaven's gaze became profound, "You've hit the mark with that! Since Buddhist cultivators can cultivate the sword dao, why can't I? To cultivate the sword, I once sent an incarnation to join the Liangyi Sect, cultivating for three thousand years, comprehending the 'Wordless Sword Manual' up to Sword Twenty. Such sword dao talent—even Xumi could not match."
"In my life, I have never owed anyone a favor. After comprehending the sword, I threw the Green Duckweed Sword I had forged to that little bastard Shangqing! Then I fought Xumi again—damn it, I lost again!"
Zhang Ruochen and the Underworld King had grown accustomed to Void Heaven's foul language, even cursing himself, so they remained unperturbed.
Que's face twitched continuously, as if only today seeing his master's true face.
When one's cultivation reached Void Heaven's level, there was no need to pretend. He spoke as he thought—this was true returning to simplicity.
"Another hundred thousand years passed, and I comprehended Sword Twenty-One and Sword Twenty-Two, and with my Void Dao reaching great perfection, I thought victory was assured. But alas, I lost by a single sword!"
Void Heaven laughed darkly, "Although I lost this time, it was by a narrow margin. Moreover, by then I had already grasped the outline of Sword Twenty-Three in my mind, believing that once I mastered Sword Twenty-Three, I would surely be able to defeat him and wash away the shame."
(This chapter ends)