Chapter 3090: We Are Allies
According to the Yasha Clan Chief’s estimation, the Darkness Temple’s most likely course of action would be to kill him and the Ancestral Realm Realm Lord—the two culprits—imprison Yu Ling Shen, and then install a god willing to submit to them as the new clan chief.
In this way, by controlling the Yasha Clan, they could dominate the entire Hundred Clans Royal City.
But the deaths of Renpi Denglong and Shidi in the Yasha Clan’s Ancestral Realm were nothing short of a sky-shattering event, causing the Darkness Temple to lose all face.
Even if the Darkness Temple had no desire to destroy the Yasha Clan, they now had no choice but to go to war.
The Yasha Clan Chief asked, “Who made this reckless decision? Was it Yu Ling Shen?”
Ai Lianjun shook his head and said, “It seems a third party has intervened, with immensely powerful cultivators capable of killing two great gods in an instant. Moreover, even Master couldn’t sense how they were killed.”
“Where is your master?” the Yasha Clan Chief asked.
“At the Yasha Ancestral God Temple.”
Ai Lianjun and the Yasha Clan Chief transformed into two beams of divine light and shot through the air. The uneasy gods in the Ancestral Realm, seeing the clan chief return, converged toward the Yasha Ancestral God Temple.
The Yasha Ancestral God Temple had existed since the ancient era when the Yasha Clan was one of the ten great clans of the Hell Realm. The temple was magnificent, like a towering mountain, no less grand than the Truth Temple or Merit Temple that Zhang Ruochen had seen.
The surrounding territory, spanning hundreds of thousands of miles, was wrapped in countless divine patterns, brimming with divine qi and dense with formations.
This was the foundation of the Yasha Clan as an ancient great clan!
Relying on this temple, the Yasha Clan had weathered no fewer than ten life-and-death calamities over countless eons, yet they had never been wiped out.
Yu Ling Shen sat alone at the highest seat of the temple, elegant and noble, her bearing graceful, but her face was unusually haggard. Only when Ai Lianjun and the Yasha Clan Chief entered did she straighten her delicate body and release her aura.
Her starry eyes, shimmering with spiritual light, flashed with cold brilliance. “Zhang Ruochen, you still have the face to come see me?”
Ai Lianjun was bewildered and looked behind him.
Zhang Ruochen stepped out from concealment and said, “Miss Han’s perception is truly remarkable. As expected of a Tai Xu realm great god.”
Yu Ling Shen, however, marveled inwardly at the subtlety of Zhang Ruochen’s concealment. If not for being inside the Yasha Ancestral God Temple, she might not have sensed his aura so quickly.
Yu Ling Shen said coldly, “Speak. Were Renpi Denglong and Shidi killed by you?”
“Wrongful accusation! A grave injustice! The clan chief and I had just left the Dark Great Triangle Star Domain; we knew nothing of what happened outside. Coming to the Ancestral Realm was solely to gather information.”
Zhang Ruochen found a seat and sat down directly, then added, “When we joined forces against the Darkness Temple, there were inherent risks. I thought Miss Han, having lived for four hundred thousand years, would have foreseen the consequences of failure. Yet now, it seems you intend to shift all the blame onto me.”
“I killed Li Xiao the great god, I killed Zhao Wuyan, and I killed Shuangcheng Mo—I admit to all of that. But I will not take responsibility for the Yasha Clan’s share.”
Ai Lianjun was utterly shocked, never imagining that the fall of three great gods of the Darkness Temple in recent years had all been Zhang Ruochen’s doing.
A flicker of surprise crossed Yu Ling Shen’s flawless face. “Shuangcheng Mo died by your hand? He was a Tai Bai realm peak expert, wielding the Darkness Divine Sword.”
Zhang Ruochen showed no modesty, his gaze arrogant. “So what? If this Realm Lord wants him dead by the third watch, he won’t live to see the fifth.”
Since ancient times, no man had ever refrained from boasting in front of a woman.
If Shuangcheng Mo hadn’t been severely injured, and if Zhang Ruochen hadn’t possessed both the Universe Cauldron and the Earth Cauldron at the same time, killing a Tai Bai realm peak great god would have been far from easy.
Yu Ling Shen naturally wouldn’t believe Zhang Ruochen’s arrogant words, given that even with her cultivation, killing Shuangcheng Mo would be no simple task.
Yu Ling Shen said, “Was it the Dragon Lord who made the move?”
Earlier, the clash between the Dragon Lord and Fei Ma Wang had sent powerful divine might rippling across the starry sky—how could Yu Ling Shen not have sensed it?
The Dragon Lord had just appeared, and now Zhang Ruochen arrived at the Yasha Clan—how could the two not be connected?
Zhang Ruochen said, “Miss Han still has the leisure to care about such things? Your Yasha Clan is on the brink of disaster. Have you thought about how to break this deadlock?”
“Breaking this deadlock is simple. All I need to do is capture you and deliver you to the Darkness Temple, and half the crisis will be resolved.” Yu Ling Shen stood up, her curvaceous, voluptuous figure on full display, and a dark, oppressive aura of killing intent enveloped the entire temple.
Ai Lianjun and the Yasha Clan Chief’s faces changed color, fearing that Yu Ling Shen might actually attack Zhang Ruochen.
Zhang Ruochen remained calm and composed, a Taiji circle appearing around him, dissolving Yu Ling Shen’s divine might and killing intent. He laughed, “Yu Ling Shen, if you dare do that, the Yasha Clan will truly be beyond saving.”
“Sending me to the Darkness Temple? Even if you offer me up in exchange for a sliver of hope for the Yasha Clan, the Darkness Temple will bleed you dry, reducing you to slaves as lowly as beasts. Moreover, the clan chief and the Ancestral Realm Realm Lord will never have their lives spared. You, Yu Ling Shen, might keep your life, but you will pay a price heavier than death.”
“And that’s not all. You’d better understand: who truly rules the borderlands of the Hell Realm? Can the Darkness Temple really have the final say?”
“Are you disregarding our Xinghuantian and Star Heaven Cliff?”
“By the way, you asked if Uncle Dragon killed Shuangcheng Mo? Let me tell you the truth: Shuangcheng Mo wasn’t even qualified to die by Uncle Dragon’s hand. You, Yu Ling Shen, barely make the cut.”
With a snort, Zhang Ruochen turned to Ai Lianjun and said, “Brother Ai Lian, this Realm Lord comes calling, and there’s not even a cup of tea? Is this the Yasha Clan’s way of treating guests?”
Ai Lianjun smiled bitterly and looked toward Yu Ling Shen.
How could Yu Ling Shen not have considered the consequences of capturing Zhang Ruochen? The killing intent she had just released was merely to test Zhang Ruochen’s strength.
To her surprise, in just a few short years, this young man’s cultivation had grown so profound that he could casually break her momentum.
How could his cultivation speed be so fast?
The Yasha Clan Chief quickly came to his senses and said hurriedly, “If Ruochen Realm Lord has come to the Ancestral Realm, it must be to lend the Yasha Clan a hand. We are allies advancing and retreating together. Elder Yu Ling Shen was just joking, right?”
Although he was the clan chief, he was a junior to Yu Ling Shen, and there was a vast gap in their cultivation and strength.
Yu Ling Shen smiled charmingly, reverting to her youthful demeanor like a mischievous enchantress. “You, Zhang Ruochen, may be a junior who has only emerged for a thousand or two thousand years, but your boldness exceeds my expectations.”
“You guessed right. The Darkness Temple has made exorbitant demands, wanting the Yasha Clan to offer ten great worlds, a thousand mineral planets and a thousand life planets each, and thirty million divine stones. They want to suck the Yasha Clan dry, marrow and all.”
“Now that Shidi and Renpi Denglong have died in the Ancestral Realm, even if I hand you over, their terms will only become harsher.”
“You, Zhang Ruochen, coming to the Ancestral Realm—are you truly here to help the Yasha Clan?”
Zhang Ruochen said, “I hate betrayal more than anything in this life, so naturally, I won’t betray my allies. How could I ignore the Yasha Clan’s plight?”
“But you can’t even protect yourself. If news of your appearance leaks, do you know how many will come to kill you? Do you realize that because of your affair with Wu Yue, the Blood Absolute Family and the Goddess Twelve Pavilions have already paid a terrible price?” Yu Ling Shen said.
A flicker of worry passed through Zhang Ruochen’s eyes, but this was the perfect moment to win over the Yasha Clan. He could not show any weakness. “So what? The more they revel now, the heavier the price they will pay later. Since I dared to step out of the Dark Great Triangle Star Domain, I am not afraid of them. At worst, I’ll have a good slaughter.”
Zhang Ruochen continued, “You must think I’m just spouting arrogant nonsense, but let me tell you the truth: with the Heavenly Mother’s protection, no one in the Hell Realm can touch me.”
“What about the Darkness Temple’s hall master? He’s in the Hundred Clans Royal City right now, staying at the Seven Peaks Linked Mountain,” Yu Ling Shen said.
Zhang Ruochen sneered, “If Wubian had stayed hidden in the Darkness Temple, he might have kept his life. Coming to the Hundred Clans Royal City is nothing but seeking death. The Ice Emperor has wanted to kill him for a long time.”
Wubian was one of the culprits behind the death of Xiao Hei’s mother.
Not only did the Ice Emperor want him dead, but the Dragon Lord also longed to kill him.
It was only because the Sword Realm was of great importance that the Dragon Lord had held back in the Dark Great Triangle Star Domain.
“What about Void Heaven? You’ve made Void Heaven lose all face this time,” Yu Ling Shen said.
Zhang Ruochen looked at her, staring until Yu Ling Shen felt uncomfortable, then said, “Who says Void Heaven has lost face?”
Yu Ling Shen laughed. “Void Heaven appointed Wu Yue as Heavenly Concubine, but Wu Yue coupled with you. Whether she ravaged you or you ravaged her, in Void Heaven’s eyes, you deserve death.”
Zhang Ruochen smiled. “At the time, besides Void Heaven, only four people knew: me, the Underworld King, Que, and Wu Yue. Wu Yue has lost her memory, and even if she suddenly regains it, her words won’t be credible.”
“So, in truth, there was no Heavenly Concubine appointment that day. It’s all just rumors.”
Zhang Ruochen could guess how the news had leaked.
It must have been after the Underworld King informed the gods of the Undying Blood Clan that some god from the clan spread the news.
As long as he could convince Void Heaven, turning this around would not be difficult.
Yu Ling Shen had asked so many questions precisely to confirm whether Zhang Ruochen could protect himself. If he couldn’t even save himself, why would the Yasha Clan continue to cooperate with him?
Yu Ling Shen’s red lips curled into a charming smile. “Go fetch a pot of my treasured Rain Night Yu Ling Tea for Ruochen Realm Lord.”
“Rain Night Yu Ling—truly an endless realm of artistic conception,” Zhang Ruochen remarked.
Yu Ling Shen ignored Zhang Ruochen’s impertinence. However, this young man’s talent was terrifying, and his cultivation speed was astonishing. Even though he had a reputation for being romantic, if he could resolve the Yasha Clan’s crisis, yielding herself to him was not out of the question.
Yu Ling Shen saw Zhang Ruochen’s terrifying potential and the vast power and background behind him.
An ancient god who had lived for four hundred thousand years could feign any personality if willing.
Yu Ling Shen’s voice softened, becoming sweet and alluring. “How does Ruochen Realm Lord plan to help the Yasha Clan through this crisis? The Darkness Temple has already issued an ultimatum, ordering the Yasha Clan to shut down the realm-protecting formation within twelve hours and for me to bring the Ancestral Realm Realm Lord and the Yasha Clan Chief to the Hundred Clans Royal City to confess. Otherwise, they will first destroy the Rain Night Sea, then the thirty-seven great worlds of the Yasha Clan besides the Ancestral Realm.”
Zhang Ruochen’s spirit soared to the heavens. “What other way is there? We’ll march straight to the Hundred Clans Royal City and fight.”