# Chapter 3068: Ancient Secrets
Xiu Chen stared at him.
"What kind of look is that?" Zhang Ruochen said with some displeasure.
The space inside the carriage was very spacious. Xiu Chen stood with hands clasped behind his back, wearing an arrogant expression, and said: "How much do you know about Wu Yue? Do you dare to take her? Let me tell you the truth—if she were at her peak, even Xue Jue wouldn't be able to match her."
Zhang Ruochen sat behind the table and said: "Isn't she just at Spiritual Power eighty-fourth rank, just a Three Paths Divine Master, just a disciple of Jiusi Yitianhuang?"
A hint of surprise appeared on Xiu Chen's face, and he said: "You're not afraid, are you? Thinking of letting her go?"
The successive appearances of Xuanyuan Lian, Famous Sword God, and Xue Jue War God made Xiu Chen realize that his earlier battle to suppress Wu Yue had definitely been observed by quite a few gods hiding in the shadows.
Perhaps some people would mistake her for the Moon Goddess.
But for some ancient gods who had lived for hundreds of thousands of years and had extraordinary backgrounds, how could they not know the truth?
Xiu Chen continued: "Letting her go might not resolve this grudge. Moreover, Wu Yue's soul consciousness has been severely damaged, and she has lost her memory. Abandoning her in the Dark Great Triangle Star Domain would be very dangerous. If she ends up dying at the hands of people like Xuanyuan Lian and Famous Sword God, the Darkness Temple will still hold this account against this god. When that happens, the one who suffers will only be you."
"Therefore, the best approach is to keep her here and find a way to win her favor. After leaving the Dark Great Triangle Star Domain, we can call Xue Jue and escort her back to the Darkness Temple together. That should resolve this grudge."
Having suffered multiple setbacks and humiliations, Xiu Chen had gradually come to know himself, realizing that he could not afford to offend the Darkness Temple and Jiusi Yitianhuang.
There was another reason—it saw hope for the future and naturally wouldn't continue to court death.
Zhang Ruochen's expression turned strange, and he said: "Win her favor? Did I hear that correctly? Are those words coming from you, Xiu Chen?"
Xiu Chen snorted lightly: "If a grudge can be resolved, why must one stubbornly endure it? And this is like throwing an egg against a rock. Of course, the task of winning favor should fall to you. This god is merely an artifact spirit."
"Now you know you're just an artifact spirit?"
Zhang Ruochen's voice suddenly turned heavy. He slammed the table and said: "Sit down, this master commands you."
Zhang Ruochen was sitting, but Xiu Chen was standing.
This really didn't look like proper communication between master and artifact spirit!
Xiu Chen's gaze turned cold and sharp. He stared at Zhang Ruochen for a long time, knowing that continuing to be stubborn would not end well. Finally, he pulled over a chair and sat down, but still looked down at Zhang Ruochen from a superior position.
Zhang Ruochen stood up, his eyes as sharp as an eagle's, and said: "Let me tell you the truth—this master has an irreconcilable enmity with the Darkness Temple. Resolving the grudge... Hmph, what are you thinking?"
"With your abilities, how great a grudge could you possibly have with the Darkness Temple? Just because you killed a few Great Saints in the Heaven Hunting Battlefield?" Xiu Chen said disdainfully.
Zhang Ruochen said: "I'm not afraid to tell you—since arriving in the Dark Great Triangle Star Domain, this master has already killed two Great Gods of the Darkness Temple in succession. I had you release Wu Yue so I could refine and kill her. Release her? Win her favor? So you, Xiu Chen, are just a bully who fears the strong!"
Xiu Chen's expression changed several times, but he didn't grasp the key point. He became angry from embarrassment and said: "Who are you calling a bully who fears the strong? This god just didn't want you to... Did you really kill a Great God of the Darkness Temple?"
Zhang Ruochen took out Li Xiao Great God's Divine Source and held it in his palm.
On Xiu Chen's cold, sharp, snow-white face, the expression was extremely vivid—shock, astonishment, confusion, and even a hint of excitement.
But it really couldn't understand where this brat got the confidence to challenge the Darkness Temple?
This was more than just challenging—it was practically declaring war!
Could Blood Absolute War God alone withstand it?
Xiu Chen said: "Did Xu Fengjin instruct you to do this? No, no matter how reckless Xu Fengjin is, he couldn't possibly provoke a conflict between the Destiny Temple and the Darkness Temple before the Heavenly Court is destroyed."
"You've been hiding in the Dark Great Triangle Star Domain for a thousand years, unaware that earth-shattering changes have occurred outside. Some things, you will gradually learn later." Zhang Ruochen put away the Divine Source, not hiding the killing intent in his eyes, and said: "In short, all cultivators of the Darkness Temple who enter the Dark Great Triangle Star Domain must die."
Although Xiu Chen had countless doubts in his heart, he could see that Zhang Ruochen was by no means a reckless person who acted without considering consequences. If he dared to do this, he must have something to rely on.
Xiu Chen's expression turned strange, and he said: "Do you really want to kill Wu Yue?"
Zhang Ruochen said: "Given my enmity with the Darkness Temple, even if the whole world knows I killed Wu Yue, so what? If the Darkness Temple Hall Master comes, someone will naturally fight him back. If Jiusi Yitianhuang makes a move, even if he kills me, the Darkness Temple will at least have one Infinite Realm to accompany me in death."
Xiu Chen sneered, thinking Zhang Ruochen was too arrogant, and couldn't be bothered to question whether anyone would stand up for him.
He just felt that with the status of the Darkness Temple Hall Master and Jiusi Yitianhuang, they wouldn't even bother to take a Taiyi Realm Great God like him seriously.
Zhang Ruochen knew Xiu Chen didn't believe him, but he couldn't be bothered to explain.
Xiu Chen said: "Fine, fine, this god believes you have a very big face, that the Darkness Temple Hall Master Wubian and Jiusi Yitianhuang don't dare to kill you. But with your cultivation, you can't kill Wu Yue either! Her Spiritual Power is at the eighty-fourth rank—even if an Infinite Realm makes a move, it wouldn't be easy to refine and kill her in a short time."
Zhang Ruochen naturally knew the power of Spiritual Power eighty-fourth rank, but using the Earth Cauldron should be able to slowly grind her down.
The Universe Cauldron had already been exposed, causing earth-shattering waves.
Would he really risk exposing the Earth Cauldron as well?
What if it still couldn't refine Wu Yue?
Xiu Chen's cold and beautiful face, paired with a sneer, had a kind of eerie beauty. He continued: "Moreover, you probably don't know that behind Wu Yue isn't just the Darkness Temple, but also Fengdu Great Emperor. If you kill her, you'll offend the entire Hell Realm. Who can protect you? Not even the clan leader of the Undying Blood Clan could protect you, let alone Xue Jue."
Zhang Ruochen was shaken, and said: "How could Wu Yue have a connection with Fengdu Great Emperor?"
Before becoming Heavenly Venerable, Fengdu Great Emperor was known as the number one expert of the Hell Realm. Not only did he have absolute authority among the Ghost Clan, but if he issued an order, few in the entire Middle Three Clans would dare to disobey.
Now that he had become Heavenly Venerable, his influence was naturally even greater!
Xiu Chen saw that Zhang Ruochen, who had been so arrogant before, was now intimidated, and felt pleased. He deliberately said: "In short, just remember not to be an enemy of Wu Yue!"
"Are you going to tell me or not?"
Zhang Ruochen took out the Soul-Severing Whip.
Xiu Chen's gaze turned cold, and he glared over.
"Snap!"
Mobilizing divine Qi, Zhang Ruochen lashed out with the whip, which flew past Xiu Chen's cheek.
Xiu Chen stepped back several paces, very displeased, but still spoke: "Only Jiusi Yitianhuang knows the specific situation. This god only knows that Wu Yue has an extraordinary connection with the Moon Goddess, the wife of the ancient Xinghuantian Heavenly Venerable. Don't think this god is afraid of your Soul-Severing Whip. I fear neither death, so why would I fear it?"
Of course, Xiu Chen wasn't afraid of the Soul-Severing Whip, but if Zhang Ruochen really whipped him like that, what humiliation would that be?
What Zhang Ruochen was thinking was that he needed to find time to give Xiu Chen a good beating. Otherwise, Xiu Chen would always think he was just bluffing and making gestures.
Having an artifact spirit like a spoiled young lady—who could tolerate that?
Moreover, if he didn't completely subdue it, it might cause trouble in the future.
Zhang Ruochen said: "Even if Wu Yue has a very deep connection with the ancient Moon Goddess, what does that have to do with Fengdu Great Emperor?"
"To think you're the envoy of that Moon Goddess from the Guanghan Realm, yet you don't even know this?"
Xiu Chen didn't drag it out any longer and said: "Legend has it that the Earth Soul of Xinghuantian Heavenly Venerable, ten Eons ago, gave birth to a new consciousness, transformed into a ghost soul, and later became a generation of powerful experts who dominated the Hell Realm. Guess who?"
"Legend?" Zhang Ruochen said.
Xiu Chen couldn't help but snort coldly: "What kind of existence is this god? When this god speaks of legends, even if it's not the complete truth, it's at least eighty to ninety percent accurate."
Zhang Ruochen fell into deep thought. The Earth Soul was usually together with the body, being the shadow of the body.
After Xinghuantian Heavenly Venerable was dismembered by his four disciples, the Heavenly Venerable's body was taken by the third disciple, Rain Soul, who used a Corpse Dissolving Forbidden Art to refine the Heavenly Venerable's body into his own—that is, the old corpse ghost later trapped beneath the Yuchen Temple!
In other words, Xinghuantian Heavenly Venerable's Earth Soul should have been with the old corpse ghost, as the shadow of the old corpse ghost.
However...
The old corpse ghost had no shadow!
Suddenly, Zhang Ruochen thought of something and asked: "Ten Eons ago?"
"Roughly, I suppose!" Xiu Chen said.
Wasn't it ten Eons ago that the Immovable Bright King Great Venerable went to the underground of Yuchen Temple?
Suddenly, Zhang Ruochen also remembered Xu Wenzhi's analysis that behind Rain Soul, there might be the shadow of Jiusi Yitianhuang. Analyzing it this way, Wu Yue might indeed have some connection with the ancient Moon Goddess.
But what was the relationship between that Moon Goddess of the Guanghan Realm and them?
The more he thought about it, the more confused he became. When he asked Xiu Chen, it only had a partial understanding.
Zhang Ruochen could only sigh—Heavenly Venerable-level experts were truly formidable. Even after death, they could influence later generations for millions of years.
As for an ancient monster like Jiusi Yitianhuang, why hadn't the Great Venerable killed him back then?
Zhang Ruochen said coldly: "Even if Fengdu Great Emperor is the Earth Soul of Xinghuantian Heavenly Venerable who cultivated into his second life, he has an independent and completely new consciousness. Even if the ancient Moon Goddess were resurrected, he might not give her a second glance, let alone a Wu Yue?"
If Fengdu Great Emperor were still Xinghuantian Heavenly Venerable, how could he have ignored the fate of Xinghuantian?
Xiu Chen said: "Yes, that's what everyone in the world thought. But one hundred thousand years ago, when the Moon Goddess was besieged by the gods of the Hell Realm and her divine power was exhausted, Fengdu Great Emperor's aura appeared, scaring those Hell Realm gods into fleeing in panic. How do you explain that?"
Given Xiu Chen's status and cultivation back then, it clearly knew quite a few secrets unknown to others.
"The Moon Goddess was like an immortal fairy or divine consort, her beauty unmatched in the world. No matter how strong Fengdu Great Emperor is, he is still a man. Wouldn't he feel pity for a beautiful woman?" Although Zhang Ruochen said this, even he didn't believe this explanation.
Could Wu Yue really not be killed?
Zhang Ruochen was not afraid of the Darkness Temple because, as long as he didn't expose his martial arts cultivation, the Infinite Realm experts of the Darkness Temple wouldn't personally deal with him.
As for those below the Infinite Realm—if he couldn't defeat them, couldn't he still escape?
It was precisely because of this that when facing mortal enemies like the Darkness Temple, Tiannan Life-Death Ruins, Disha Ghost City, and the Heavenly Realm Faction, Zhang Ruochen was truly fearless. He would kill them as they came.
But Fengdu Great Emperor was the current Heavenly Venerable.
If he offended Fengdu Great Emperor, unless Zhang Ruochen could win over Xuanyuan Qing and hide in the Heavenly Palace to become Hao Tian's son-in-law, or flee to the Ancient Desolate Ruins City to seek the Heavenly Mother's protection and never emerge from that desolate and dead place again.