Chapter 3111: Seizing the Profound Meaning
The old corpse’s body loomed like a humanoid celestial body in the starry sky, ferocious and terrifying, its aura overwhelming. Above its head stretched an endless ocean of gray death qi.
Every deity in this star domain felt oppressed, struggling to breathe.
…
Heavenly God Li Yuan, retreating swiftly with Divine Spirit Steps, widened the distance by hundreds of thousands of miles. Simultaneously, he released divine qi, manipulated pattern divine runes, condensed divine abilities, and struck at the old corpse in an attempt to rescue Xu Liao.
This wasn’t because his bond with Xu Liao had reached a point of life-or-death loyalty, but because this was the prosperous heartland of the Hell Realm’s universe.
What did that mean?
It meant that no matter how great the danger or how powerful the enemy, he wouldn’t fall. Since there was no risk of death, why not intervene and make Xu Liao owe him a favor?
For Zhang Ruochen, this was a life-or-death battle.
For them, it was merely a game. Even if they lost, Boundless Realm experts would step in to rescue them.
If Zhang Ruochen lost, he could only die.
Unless Heavenly Mother intervened again, but that possibility was too slim.
How unfair was this?
Who told Zhang Ruochen to barge into the Hell Realm?
If they had ventured to the Hell Realm’s border regions, the rules of the game would naturally differ. Just like the losers before—Fire Marsh Divine Lord and Xuan Qi Ancestor—had paid with their lives.
Different home ground meant different rules.
Divine Master Qian Qian, pure as a young girl with a face white as porcelain, remained expressionless. Her spiritual power radiated outward like billions of light rays, condensing into a grand formation in the void.
The formation landed on the forearm of the hand with which the old corpse was grabbing Xu Liao, preventing it from devouring him.
In the starry sky, gray death qi spread, highly corrosive.
Li Yuan Heavenly God’s “Bone God Venerable Heaven Art” dimmed within the gray death qi before even reaching the old corpse.
The divine formation condensed by Divine Master Qian Qian lasted only five breaths before collapsing into a web of formation inscriptions, exploding into a ball of light.
Deities witnessing this scene felt their scalps go numb.
This divine corpse, once sealed on a pillar of flame, had appeared in Xinghuantian, also controlled by Zhang Ruochen. Some had seen it firsthand; others had heard of its fearsome might.
At that time, the corpse hadn’t revealed its full form, with much of it buried underground.
That was why most deities in the Hell Realm believed the corpse couldn’t leave Xinghuantian. They thought it was likely a guardian war venerable refined by Nine Heavens, born to protect Xinghuantian.
During the battle at Xinghuantian, Zhang Ruochen’s spiritual power was only at the seventy-fourth rank. Though he could control the old corpse, it was a struggle. His spiritual power was quickly drained, and he only made a few moves.
One could say that the deities of both the Heavenly Court and Hell Realm had never witnessed the old corpse’s true combat power.
Their understanding of it was minimal.
Only now did the gods of the Hell Realm realize in terror that even the combined efforts of Li Yuan Heavenly God and Divine Master Qian Qian could barely harm the corpse.
“This young man came prepared. No wonder he’s so confident,” said an ancient god who had been in seclusion in this star domain, awakened to appear among the deities.
He had been in seclusion for ten thousand years and had no idea who Zhang Ruochen was or how the world had changed.
“Some ancient gods have analyzed that this divine corpse might be Rain Soul, the third disciple of Xinghuan Heavenly Venerable—a being of the All Heavens level from a bygone era.”
“Is Zhang Ruochen not using a corpse-refining secret art? I can sense a powerful resentment within the corpse, even a consciousness that seems capable of devouring the starry sky.”
“Is it a Corpse Clan deity?”
…
In the distant starry sky, the gods debated.
Whether the old corpse was a divine corpse or a Corpse God made a world of difference.
If it truly was a Corpse God, the entire Corpse God Temple would be alarmed, drawing out beings of the All Heavens level.
An aged, Supreme White Realm great god arrived, landing on a small planet. Watching Xu Liao gripped in the old corpse’s hand, he frowned. “If Zhang Ruochen dares to kill Xu Liao, it’s far from wise. It proves he’s nothing but a reckless fool.”
Yes, many great figures must be watching this battle from the shadows.
When Zhang Ruochen shot and killed the Ghost Clan mid-rank god, the God Kings and God Venerables hadn’t shown themselves because his strength was still weak. With Ghost Lord overseeing things, there was no need for God Kings or God Venerables to act.
But if a Supreme Void Realm great god faced a life-or-death crisis, how could a God King or God Venerable stand by?
This was the Hell Realm!
“Whoosh!”
Just as Xu Liao was about to be swallowed into the old corpse’s belly, a deep, resonant bell sound echoed through the star domain. It seemed to come from the depths of the universe, yet also right beside the ear.
A white bell rose from the Ghost Lord’s divine temple.
On the bell’s four sides were carved four different ghostly faces. Each had a great origin, representing a powerful figure from the Earthly Evil Ghost City since ancient times.
Ghost fire surged from the bell, burning and distorting space.
The bell’s toll seemed to spread across the entire Hell Realm, audible in many distant star domains. The overwhelming might of the divine artifact caused every deity present to feel inner turmoil, see illusions, and have their will affected.
“It’s the divine artifact Earthly Evil Bell, the ancestral artifact guarding Earthly Evil Ancient City,” Li Yuan Heavenly God said, his voice dry but filled with joy.
He hadn’t expected Ghost Lord to be so well-prepared.
Clearly, the Earthly Evil Bell wasn’t prepared for Zhang Ruochen but for the possible appearance of Blood Absolute War God. Only with this artifact could Ghost Lord have a chance of victory against Blood Absolute War God.
The Earthly Evil Bell was renowned even in the “Supreme White Divine Artifact Chapter.”
Under Ghost Lord’s activation, hundreds or thousands of stars in the star domain trembled incessantly. Even major stars like Hao Bai Star and Xin Jia Star swayed with the qi patterns emanating from the Earthly Evil Bell.
The Earthly Evil Bell shot out, crossing the gray death qi ocean, and struck the old corpse.
“Boom!”
Space collapsed on a massive scale, with countless cracks spreading across the outer regions.
The old corpse, along with the Blood Color Divine Centipede Ship flying beneath its palm, plunged into the Void World.
Ghost Lord, having gained the upper hand with one strike, immediately drove his divine temple into the Void World, declaring, “This divine corpse is controlled by Zhang Ruochen’s spiritual power. Don’t attack it; attack Zhang Ruochen’s spiritual power and divine soul.”
What status did Ghost Lord hold?
Having even used the ancestral artifact guarding his city, if he failed to capture Zhang Ruochen, he would lose all face and never lift his head in the Hell Realm again.
Li Yuan Heavenly God and Divine Master Qian Qian understood. They kept a distance of hundreds of thousands of miles from the old corpse. One manifested his divine soul, the other released spiritual power.
This distance, though vast for Supreme Void Realm great gods, could be crossed in a few steps.
But it was a safe distance—close enough to attack, far enough to retreat.
Zhang Ruochen, like scattering beans to form soldiers, summoned the five deities of the Lost Paradise, ordering them to assist Bore in controlling the divine ship and Xiao Hei in sustaining the Yin Yang Eighteen Formations.
Xiu Chen had already requested to fight but was refused by Zhang Ruochen.
Xiu Chen’s cultivation was strong, and his methods were clever; he could certainly take Zhang Ruochen and escape.
But if that happened, wouldn’t everyone deduce that it was already the artifact spirit of the Sundial?
Although Zhang Ruochen and Xiu Chen had cooperated in the Dark Great Triangle Star Domain, and some deities might suspect the Sundial, they would rather believe that their cooperation was forced by circumstances—a matter of mutual survival.
They would rather believe that Xiu Chen, with his pride, would rather die than become an artifact spirit.
“Shua!”
After arranging matters on the Blood Color Divine Centipede Ship, Zhang Ruochen crossed space, landing on the old corpse’s shoulder. He glanced at Xu Liao, still gripped in the old corpse’s hand.
Xu Liao’s body was nearly crushed into pulp, green corpse blood spilling continuously.
The old corpse had failed to swallow Xu Liao due to interference from Li Yuan Heavenly God, Divine Master Qian Qian, and Ghost Lord, as well as Zhang Ruochen’s suppression.
If Xu Liao faced a life-or-death crisis, a Boundless Realm expert from the Corpse God Temple would surely intervene, even if they feared Heavenly Mother.
Zhang Ruochen kept reminding himself not to forget his goal: not to fight or kill gods, but to break free from the encirclement and rush to Fate Divine Domain.
Getting bogged down in battle and forgetting the objective was dangerous.
Ghost Lord, worthy of being a rival to Blood Absolute War God, made space as fragile as paper with the Earthly Evil Bell, erasing all rules. Fortunately, the old corpse took the hit; if it had been another Supreme Void Realm great god, their physical body would have been crushed into bloody mud.
“Blood Butcher, do you want the Fire Dao Profound Meaning?”
Before Blood Butcher could respond, Zhang Ruochen’s spiritual power erupted, controlling the old corpse to crush Xu Liao’s body into a mist of blood and divine rain, scattering it toward the Blood Color Divine Centipede Ship.
“Fire Dao Profound Meaning!”
Blood Butcher, seated on the ship, was overjoyed. Instantly revitalized, he soared up, charging into the blood rain mist. He released all the Fire Dao pattern divine runes within him, plundering the Profound Meaning.
Indeed, great rewards come from great risks.
He had bet correctly. Following his senior brother was dangerous, but it always brought immense opportunities.
Such opportunities were often once-in-a-lifetime.
“Fire Dao Profound Meaning—this emperor wants it too!”
Xiao Hei’s blood boiled, his eyes burning with desire.
He also cultivated the Fire Dao and coveted the Fire Dao Profound Meaning. Thus, he controlled the Yin Yang Eighteen Formations, using the formation’s power to compete with Blood Butcher for the Profound Meaning.
After crushing Xu Liao, the old corpse freed its hand and charged straight at Ghost Lord.
The Earthly Evil Bell was no ordinary bell; it was the size of a planet. As it spun, it formed a divine power ring a hundred thousand miles in diameter, purple-red like a nebula.
The divine power ring’s coverage matched the death qi mist around the old corpse.
The force the old corpse unleashed clashed with the Earthly Evil Bell, like two nebulae colliding.
This was nothing like a battle below the Boundless Realm!
In such clashes, the divine soul attacks launched by Li Yuan Heavenly God and the spiritual power techniques of Divine Master Qian Qian were scattered before reaching Zhang Ruochen.
They were forced to retreat even farther.
After the blood rain mist passed through the Blood Color Divine Centipede Ship, Xu Liao, with his strong spiritual will, re-condensed his body, but he was extremely weak.
What was taken from him wasn’t just the Fire Dao Profound Meaning but also the Death Dao Profound Meaning and the Decaying World Dao Profound Meaning.
These were stripped away by Zhang Ruochen.
Xu Liao couldn’t understand at all. Zhang Ruochen didn’t primarily cultivate the Death Dao or the Decaying World Dao—how had he forcibly seized both Profound Meanings?
Having lost decades of accumulated Profound Meaning, Xu Liao was nearly driven mad, roaring repeatedly.