Chapter 3056: Eternal, Xiu Chen
The lost ones were clearly cultivators who had ventured into the Dark Great Triangle Star Domain to explore but had become stranded in this void. Since ancient times, countless cultivators had explored the Dark Great Triangle Star Domain, and many of them, like Zhang Ruochen, had followed the spiritual energy belts and spatial veins in search of the Sword Realm or a way out.
The so-called "Lost Paradise" was a convergence point of spiritual energy belts and spatial veins, where many lost ones had gathered and even produced descendants. According to that Rakshasa Saint King, the Lost Paradise was a star domain with over a thousand life-bearing planets, and at its very center lay a continent of gods—a starry continent formed from the divine realm worlds of gods who had lost their way in the Dark Great Triangle Star Domain over the ages, far vaster than an ordinary great world.
On the Continent of Gods, divine temples stood in abundance, and multiple true gods resided there. The most powerful among them was the "Eternal Heavenly God," who had arrived at the Lost Paradise only a thousand years ago. His divine abilities were immense, and even all the gods of the Continent of Gods combined could not match him. Now, the Eternal Heavenly God ruled over the entire Lost Paradise.
These cultivators were merely peripheral forces under the Eternal Divine Temple, tasked with cultivating, guarding, and harvesting the Anluoye Pear Blossoms.
"What arrogance! Even the master god of the Way of Time wouldn't dare call himself eternal," Old Yellow Ox snorted, withdrawing its hoof. "Let's go. We'll go meet this Eternal Heavenly God!"
Zhang Ruochen waved a hand. "Go ahead. I'll wait here."
Old Yellow Ox's bovine face froze for a moment, then it chuckled. "He's a god, after all!"
Zhang Ruochen ignored it, retracting his divine might. His gaze pierced toward the deepest heart of the Lost Paradise, where he faintly glimpsed a continent the size of a fist. It was far too distant. He didn't use his spiritual power to probe, because he had some guesses about the Eternal Heavenly God's identity. If it really was that person, his spiritual probe would surely be detected.
Kong Lanyou, perceptive as always, asked, "Cousin seems quite wary of that Eternal Heavenly God?"
Zhang Ruochen's solemn expression softened into a smile. "He should be a formidable figure, but with my current strength, I have no reason to fear him. I'll have to visit the Continent of Gods regardless!"
The kneeling Rakshasa women stared in astonishment at the young man. Who was he, to still dare go to the Continent of Gods after learning of the Eternal Heavenly God's power?
Kong Lanyou said, "Is it because of the two gods captured by the Eternal Heavenly God?"
Zhang Ruochen nodded slightly, worried that the captives might be Underworld King and Que. After all, when the spiritual power storm erupted that day, Underworld King and Que would have been swept along in the same direction. However, they were farther away and had suffered a weaker impact. He couldn't care less about Que's fate, but he had to save Underworld King.
Back then, to help Zhang Ruochen rescue Chi Kongle, Underworld King had joined Blood Queen in storming the Time Sea of the Shura Star Pillar Realm, facing a divine realm giant like Xiu Chen Heavenly God head-on. A mere lower-level god wouldn't even be worth a finger-snap from Xiu Chen Heavenly God. Of course, Underworld King and Blood Queen had dared to go to the Time Sea only because they knew Xue Jue War God was backing them, leaving them without fear. Fortunately, Xiu Chen Heavenly God had been wounded by Moon God's Jade Emperor Cauldron at the time and was in a critical period of possession, suppressed by the power left in the Swallow Token by the Immovable Bright King Great Venerable, making him utterly frustrated. Otherwise, that day would have been extremely perilous.
In short, Zhang Ruochen had acknowledged Underworld King as his uncle that day.
Kong Lanyou said, "The Continent of Gods must be heavily fortified with powerful formations. The Eternal Divine Domain, where the Eternal Divine Temple is located, is even more dangerous to enter in person. It's best to first identify the identities of the two captured gods and plan carefully before acting."
Zhang Ruochen smiled. "Do you think your cousin is that impulsive?"
"I'm just worried about your safety. I don't want anything to go wrong... Fine, I won't say such things anymore," Kong Lanyou said softly.
A warmth rose in Zhang Ruochen's heart. He put on a grave expression and said, "If I die on the Continent of Gods, I'll use my last strength to send you away. When you return to the Kunlun Realm, remember to go to the Zhang Family ancestral land on Wang Mountain and build a cenotaph for me. Burn some paper money for me every year..."
Before Zhang Ruochen could finish, Kong Lanyou's face had turned pale, thinking he knew the Eternal Heavenly God's identity and was certain he wouldn't return, thus giving his final instructions.
"Don't go. If it's that dangerous, let's just bypass this place. Even if we need to rescue someone, we have to act within our means..."
Before she could finish, Zhang Ruochen burst out laughing.
Kong Lanyou realized she had been tricked and grew annoyed. "You're already a great god, so why do you still like teasing people like before? And I actually believed you."
Zhang Ruochen had done this precisely to ease Kong Lanyou's anxiety. It had worked—after this prank, she knew he had no fear of the Eternal Heavenly God and that the Continent of Gods wasn't a dragon's den or tiger's lair.
After putting Kong Lanyou and Old Yellow Ox into the *Sixth Patriarch's Zen Illustration*, Zhang Ruochen's smile vanished, and his expression turned extremely heavy. Ignoring the still-kneeling Rakshasa cultivators, he soared into the cosmic void, flying straight toward the Continent of Gods.
At the same time, Zhang Ruochen took out a face painted by the Fourth Confucian Ancestor and transformed into the likeness of Shu Qianchi. Shu Qianchi had indeed caused a stir at the Mortal World Assembly, but in the world of gods, few knew of his existence or appearance. There was little risk of exposure.
The Continent of Gods lay at the heart of the Lost Paradise, a vast realm encased in thick atmospheric layers. Above the atmosphere, hundreds of millions of miles up, ten stars hung suspended, like ten suns revolving in cycles, illuminating the land below. These stars were certainly not natural; they were likely related to the lost gods who had come here.
Stopping millions of miles from the Continent of Gods' atmosphere, Zhang Ruochen moved his spiritual power, drawing one of the stars—three million miles in diameter—and altering its trajectory, sending it flying toward the Continent of Gods.
Moments later, the gods on the Continent of Gods were alarmed. Dozens of divine lights shot out—six true gods, the rest false gods. Ghost Clan, Rakshasa Clan, Underworld Clan, humans, angels, demon clan... gods from over a dozen races appeared simultaneously, united against an external threat. Such a sight could probably only be seen in the Dark Great Triangle Star Domain.
"Who is it? Show yourself!"
"Stop manipulating the Duxu Divine Sun immediately, or face death!"
A Ghost Clan mid-level god struck, spewing ghostly qi that clashed with the star hurtling toward the Continent of Gods. But it couldn't stop it. The gods all changed color, realizing the hidden god's cultivation was profound.
An upper-level god of the demon clan roared, "The Continent of Gods is the Eternal Heavenly God's territory. If you dare cause trouble here, beware of dying without a burial place!"
Zhang Ruochen's form materialized, hands clasped behind his back. "Then summon the Eternal Heavenly God. None of you are worthy to speak with me."
A great god-level divine might erupted from Zhang Ruochen, its brilliance outshining the star's light. The sheer force made the stars tremble.
"A great god!"
"Quick, send word to the Eternal Divine Temple!"
"The Eternal Heavenly God must have sensed it already. No need to send word!"
The gods opposite him all changed expression. The false gods immediately retreated back to the continent, leaving only the six trembling true gods, who relied on their strong spiritual will to face Zhang Ruochen.
A human true god bowed and said, "Great god, you must be a lost one too. Have you heard of Xiu Chen Heavenly God?"
Zhang Ruochen raised an eyebrow. "What if I have?"
The human true god's eyes filled with reverence. "Xiu Chen Heavenly God is the Eternal Heavenly God."
Zhang Ruochen had already suspected as much, so he wasn't surprised. "So it's him. Just a wandering soul without a divine source or divine body, yet he's become a king here in the Dark Great Triangle Star Domain."
Back when the Origin Divine Temple emerged, Xiu Chen Heavenly God had entered the Dark Great Triangle Star Domain to claim a share of the benefits, even attacking Zhang Ruochen to possess him. It was Dragon Lord, disguised as Ice Emperor, who scared him off. He hadn't expected Xiu Chen to be so afraid of Ice Emperor that he fled deep into the Dark Great Triangle Star Domain. Lucky for him, he found the Lost Paradise and became its ruler.
The human true god had intended to use Xiu Chen Heavenly God's name to intimidate the opponent, but instead, the opponent not only showed no fear but even dared to insult Xiu Chen Heavenly God. This was no simple character.
"Boom!"
From the Eternal Divine Domain at the heart of the Continent of Gods, a dense Shura battle qi surged forth, flying beyond the atmosphere to condense into an eight-armed Shura ten thousand zhang tall. Beneath its feet, a sea of divine qi materialized, its killing intent soaring. "Who dares insult a heavenly god? Report your name at once!"
This eight-armed Shura was the Shura God Battle Soul cultivated by Xiu Chen Heavenly God. Its divine might was even stronger than Zhang Ruochen's, with surging battle qi and fierce killing intent.
"So it really is Xiu Chen," Zhang Ruochen muttered to himself, then said, "Since you're Xiu Chen's Shura God Battle Soul, asking you is the same. Tell me, who are the two gods you've captured?"
"Who do you think you are, daring to speak to me in such a tone?"
The eight-armed Shura saw through Zhang Ruochen's cultivation level and dismissed him. It hurled two battle axes, which shot forth like sharp divine mountains, cleaving toward Zhang Ruochen.
Zhang Ruochen used his spiritual power to form a handprint hundreds of thousands of miles long, striking out with the three-million-mile star. The star's speed increased tenfold, like a flaming meteor with a long tail, colliding with the two axes.