Chapter 3105: Meeting Feng Tian
His hand was raised halfway, already in an empty embrace, but had not yet touched her slender waist.
He could neither embrace her nor withdraw his hand.
Since she had already recovered and did not seem to need comfort or reassurance,
Zhang Ruochen curled his five fingers into a fist, withdrew it, and naturally placed it behind his back. "War always involves sacrifice. You, Yu Ling Shen, have cultivated for four hundred thousand years—can you still not see through life and death? As long as the Yecha Clan is not exterminated, the future is worth hoping for."
"You're too close!" Yu Ling Shen's gaze remained icy.
Zhang Ruochen ignored her and said, "I must go to the Destiny Temple immediately to seek support from Void Heaven and resolve this war, or at least delay its outbreak. You must hold the line at Hundred Clans Royal City."
Zhang Ruochen dared to meet Void Heaven?
Although Yu Ling Shen's cultivation far surpassed Zhang Ruochen's, at this moment, she felt a powerful aura emanating from him—a fearless spirit, an unstoppable momentum.
She, a dignified Grand Ultimate Realm Great God, felt slightly overshadowed by this aura.
"What about that Sixth Master from Tiannan?" Yu Ling Shen asked.
"Send him to Xinghuantian! When I return, I'll take you to retrieve the divine medicine to help you survive the Eon Calamity."
With these words, Zhang Ruochen tore through the air and vanished.
In truth, reneging on the promised divine medicine to Yu Ling Shen would have been simple. But Hundred Clans Royal City needed Yu Ling Shen to stabilize the various small clans.
If she fell, many unforeseen changes would arise.
Yu Ling Shen stared at the spot where Zhang Ruochen had departed for a long time, then her delicate frame slumped, and she let out a long breath. But soon, she forced herself to rally.
If Zhang Ruochen died at the Destiny Temple, she would need a backup plan.
She could not place all her hopes in another's hands.
...
To travel from Hundred Clans Royal City to the Blood Heaven Tribe's Wing World, Ice King Star was a necessary stop.
Ice King Star was an eighth-level planet located in the desolate region of the universe, thousands of light-years from both the heart of the Yellow Spring Star River and Hundred Clans Royal City—distances even gods could not cross.
The Hell Realm was vast beyond measure. The core territories of the Ten Clans occupied only the most fertile heartlands, less than half the star domains of the entire Yellow Spring Star River.
The other half consisted mostly of starry deserts or barren lands like the starry sky where Hundred Clans Royal City lay.
At the edges of the Hell Realm, there were multiple places similar to Hundred Clans Royal City, home to thousands of small clans. The starry domain of Hundred Clans Royal City was merely the intersection of the Hell Realm's border and the Heavenly Court's starry border, located south of the Dark Great Triangle Star Domain and north of the Wuding Divine Sea.
Beyond the edges lay the cosmic wilderness.
Zhang Ruochen traveled to Ice King Star via a wormhole, acting cautiously, fearing a divine war might be erupting there, shattering the starry sky.
But when he emerged from the wormhole, he found Ice King Star peaceful and serene.
"How can this be? Did I guess wrong?"
Zhang Ruochen gazed at the vast white snowy landscape before him and released his spiritual power.
He had originally guessed that the Drunkard had taken Wubian Shenzun and brought him to Ice King Star. Given the enmity between Ice King and Wubian Shenzun, it would have been normal for not only Ice King Star but the entire surrounding star domain to be shattered.
Two beams of divine light descended from the sky, landing before Zhang Ruochen, coalescing into the figures of Xiao Hei and Xue Tu.
"You two are quite carefree, hiding out on Ice King Star to avoid trouble?" Zhang Ruochen said.
Xue Tu put on a bitter face. "Wronged! To clear your name, Senior Brother, this Emperor has been running around everywhere, even fighting several battles with gods of the Darkness Temple. My divine soul was injured and hasn't healed yet."
Xiao Hei snorted lightly. "What exactly is going on between you and that old witch of the Darkness Temple? Because of this, the Goddess Twelve Pavilions and the Blood Absolute Family have paid a heavy price. It was Blood Absolute War God who saw the situation spiraling out of control and the enemy running rampant, so he told me to return to Ice King Star first, to avoid being ambushed and killed."
Zhang Ruochen could see that Xue Tu's divine soul was indeed injured. Thinking of Xue Hou, Bore, Qi Shou, Yu Huang, Xue Qingsheng, and the others who had successively fallen, he naturally understood their predicament.
Zhang Ruochen's voice turned icy. "Since I'm back, I will personally resolve this matter. Those who destroyed the Divine Maiden Tower and harmed you must pay the price."
Xue Tu and Xiao Hei had already heard about the events at Hundred Clans Royal City and knew how terrifying Zhang Ruochen's combat power had become—even slaying two Great Gods in succession. Their spirits lifted.
It wasn't about revenge; it was about seizing the opportunity to make a huge profit.
"Almost forgot the important matter!"
Xue Tu slapped his forehead and said seriously, "Master wants to see you."
"Feng Tian is on Ice King Star?" Zhang Ruochen's expression changed.
...
The Ice Imperial Palace was nestled among snow-covered mountain ranges. Here, divine qi surged, the sky was blood-red, sacred springs flowed from the mountains, flood dragons coiled around peaks, rocs spread their wings, and every plant and tree had developed spirituality.
With a peerless divine being like Ice King residing here, even ordinary land could be transformed into divine soil.
Ice King and Feng Tian sat beneath a crimson divine tree. The rules around them were chaotic, and space was active, as they discussed something important, unwilling to be overheard by other transcendent beings in the universe—especially that Drunkard.
Xue Tu and Xiao Hei stood in the distance as Zhang Ruochen walked over step by step, a hint of nervousness stirring within him.
Meeting the legendary God Venerable known by the title "Death," now one of the twenty strongest giants of the Hell Realm—how could he not be nervous? After all, one hundred thousand years ago, Death God Venerable had been among the strong who besieged Xumi Saint Monk.
Would Death God Venerable make the same ruthless decision as Qingtian, eliminating future trouble?
"Greetings, Feng Tian, Ice King!"
Zhang Ruochen took a deep breath and gradually calmed himself.
Death God Venerable wore a red robe and a veil, her figure hazy and graceful. From her silhouette alone, she did not appear terrifying or ferocious. But she seemed completely unable to see Zhang Ruochen or hear his voice, ignoring him entirely.
After an unknown amount of time, Death God Venerable and Ice King finished their discussion.
Though Zhang Ruochen could not hear what they were discussing, it was clear the conversation had not been pleasant. This was evident from Death God Venerable's tone when she finally spoke.
"Zhang Ruochen, you have quite the nerve, daring to kill a Great God of the Destiny Temple. Do you know that is a capital offense?" Her voice was pleasant to hear but chilling to the bone.
Zhang Ruochen felt as if his bones had frozen numb. "Feng Tian, please investigate clearly. Huoze Shenjun struck first, intending to kill this Realm Lord. Was this Realm Lord supposed to let him kill me?"
"You dare to call yourself 'Lord' in front of two God Venerables?" Death God Venerable's gaze fixed on him.
Zhang Ruochen met her eyes, but his vision went dark, seeing only endless darkness. It felt as if countless particles were passing through his body. A single glance seemed capable of killing him.
Zhang Ruochen did not panic. If Death God Venerable truly intended to kill him, she would not have chosen Ice King Star, nor would she have spoken a single extra word to him.
Just as Zhang Ruochen was pondering Death God Venerable's specific intentions,
the chill in Death God Venerable's tone vanished, replaced by calm indifference. "Your mental fortitude is not weak, no wonder you've reached this point. If it were another Great God, they would have knelt and confessed their fault after my shout."
In the distance, Xue Tu and Xiao Hei were already kneeling in perfect unison. Hearing this, they cursed inwardly.
It wasn't that their mental fortitude was weak, but that Death God Venerable's shout had contained a "Death"-attribute mental deterrence, like a blade at the throat or a spear at the heart.
Even Great Gods found it hard to withstand such mental pressure.
Death God Venerable said, "Killing a Great God of the Destiny Temple, no matter how many reasons you have, is a death sentence. Xionghai Shenzun will never let you go. Unless you join the Destiny Temple and become one of its members."
"In that case, killing Huoze becomes an internal grudge within the Destiny Temple, not an affront to the temple's dignity."
"I intend to spare your life, Zhang Ruochen. Are you willing to join the Death God Palace? When you reach the Grand Ultimate Realm in the future, you will not lack a War God title."
Ice King looked at Zhang Ruochen.
Zhang Ruochen knew well that an outsider killing a Great God of the Destiny Temple was a sky-shattering offense. Even if Xue Zhi Gushen was willing to testify, it could not suppress the outcry of the Destiny Temple's gods.
Even if Huoze Shenjun had committed a capital crime, the Judgment Department should have handled it, not an outsider.
Death God Venerable continued, "Don't refuse so quickly! You were probably planning to seek Fulü Shenzun, weren't you? It's useless. Fulü Shenzun had some goodwill toward you because of Blood Absolute War God, seeing you as one of his own."
"But now you've become the master of Xinghuantian and killed a Great God of the Destiny Temple. That will not leave a good impression with Fulü Shenzun."
"Moreover, among the Destiny Temple, only two or three can make Xionghai Shenzun wary. Fulü Shenzun is certainly not one of them."
"If you submit to the Death God Palace, I will handle Xionghai Shenzun's side. I can also take on Void Heaven's wrath. As for your father, his crime is unforgivable, but I can make his time in the Destiny Temple more bearable."
"I am different from Qingtian. He sees you as a threat, believing you will one day avenge Xumi Saint Monk, so he won't let you grow."
"But I believe Xumi's death was not entirely caused by the Hell Realm. Moreover, having reached the Buddha Realm, if he had wanted to leave, no one could have stopped him. He died for the Kunlun Realm, for the righteousness in his heart, or perhaps to make way for you."
"Saying this is meaningless. If you truly reach the height where you can kill me one day, it will prove that Xumi's choice was correct, that you indeed have the potential to stop the Calamity of Quantities. Then, what does it matter if I die by your hand?"
"But do I take you seriously? If a junior like you can surpass me, even reach the point of killing me, what face would I have to live in this world?"
Those who became figures among the Heavens were all unparalleled prodigies in their youth.
Having become one of the strongest in the universe, how could they fear a mere genius? Zhang Ruochen was advancing, but so was she.
Zhang Ruochen would forever remain beneath her.
Without this spirit, Death God Venerable would not have the heart to recruit Zhang Ruochen.
...
Last night, I went out to play mahjong with friends. Since I had only written four thousand words in the afternoon, I brought my laptop along and finished the last two thousand words at the mahjong parlor before playing.
And then...
Then this afternoon, when I was about to write, I realized I had left my laptop at the mahjong parlor! I'm screwed!
This directly led to me starting to write only in the evening. Looks like I'll have to try writing three chapters tomorrow!
(This chapter ends)