Chapter 3116: Zhang Ruochen's Belonging
From all directions within the Qilin Star Domain, countless eyes were fixed on Zhang Ruochen, who stood atop the pillar of flame.
Zhang Ruochen swayed weakly, supporting his body with a divine sword as his consciousness began to blur.
Heavenly Sound Divine Mother looked into the distance, where dozens of streaks of light raced across the starry sky, flickering among the stars.
It was the gods of the Destiny Temple rushing over.
She withdrew the Fate Divine Light that had been suppressing Luo Sha.
Luo Sha transformed into a streak of light, flew to the top of the flame pillar, placed a healing pill into Zhang Ruochen's mouth, and pressed her palm against his heart. A gentle force surged into his Sacred Heart, helping him refine the pill and counter the backlash from the old corpse ghost's invasion of his spiritual will.
Zhang Ruochen was indescribably exhausted. He forced a faint smile and glanced at Luo Sha. Then, mustering his last strength, he re-sealed the old corpse ghost into the temple.
He had long noticed Heavenly Sound Divine Mother, Luo Sha, and Guye Jing, and he understood why they had not stepped in to help.
This battle was fought for the Hundred Clans Royal City, for Xinghuantian, and for Xue Jue War God—but certainly not for the Rakshasa Clan. The fact that they had appeared here at all moved Zhang Ruochen deeply.
In the depths of the cosmic void, a figure carrying a divine bow drew back the string.
Arrow Dao rule divine patterns flowed from his fingertips, condensing into a divine arrow aimed at Zhang Ruochen.
But upon seeing the Yin-Yang Divine Master, Ting Yunsheng, Kong Daohai, and Jin Jue Heavenly God of the Destiny Temple appear one after another, hesitation flickered in his eyes, and he dispersed the arrow.
Then, carrying his bow, he vanished into the darkness.
"Senior Brother!"
The Blood-Colored Divine Centipede Ship flew over.
Blood Butcher stood at the bow, calling out to Zhang Ruochen.
By the time the gods of the Destiny Temple arrived, Zhang Ruochen and Luo Sha had already boarded the Blood-Colored Divine Centipede Ship. They gathered around Bore, examining her injuries.
Pu Chuanqi primarily cultivated the Great Witch Heavenly Dao of the Yama Clan.
Bore had been struck by witch Dao power. Her blood qi had withered, and she had lost tens of thousands of years of lifespan. Like Kong Lanyou, her hair had turned white, and her vitality was severely depleted.
Zhang Ruochen's gaze turned icy cold, murderous intent radiating from him.
Blood Butcher, his hair disheveled and his body covered in blood, looked utterly wretched. He flew toward the gods of the Destiny Temple and stood in the void, wailing: "The Destiny Temple has finally arrived! If you hadn't come, I, the Emperor, would have been killed! Fengdu Ghost City and the Darkness Temple have joined forces to destroy the Destiny Temple and seize control of the Hell Realm. Cough!"
Blood Butcher coughed up a mouthful of blood.
Though he was heavily injured, that mouthful of blood wasn't really his—it was from absorbing too much of Pu Chuanqi's power. He had spoken too quickly and accidentally forced it back up.
Yin-Yang Divine Master: "..."
Ting Yunsheng: "..."
Jin Jue Heavenly God: "..."
...
Fengdu Ghost City and the Darkness Temple joining forces to destroy the Destiny Temple?
Could he make up a lie that was at least somewhat believable?
Blood Butcher looked at Kong Daohai among the gods and said, "Senior Daohai, Bore was first harmed by Huo Ze Divine Lord in the Hundred Clans Royal City, and now she's been ambushed by Ghost Lord and Muto War God. She's about to die! These deranged lunatics don't even respect Nutian Shenzun. The Nutian Divine Palace is nothing but a fart in their eyes! Wah..."
Another mouthful of divine blood spewed from his lips.
Kong Daohai looked like an elderly human but was actually born from the Underworld Clan.
He was Nutian Shenzun's second disciple, a figure who had cultivated for nearly seven hundred thousand years and had long been stationed at the Nutian Divine Palace.
Ignoring the truth of Blood Butcher's words, Kong Daohai glanced at the approaching Ghost Lord and the others, let out a cold snort, then boarded the Blood-Colored Divine Centipede Ship to examine Bore's injuries. If anything truly happened to Bore, he would ensure that every god who had acted today paid the price.
The Yin-Yang Divine Master was androgynous, with one side of the body male and the other female. He was the second-in-command of the Heavenly Fate Department.
Among those present, Kong Daohai of the Nutian Divine Palace, Ting Yunsheng of the Huoze Divine Palace, and Jin Jue Heavenly God of the Xionghai Divine Palace were all at the Tai Xu realm, each a figure of great renown. Yet, they still deferred to the Yin-Yang Divine Master.
This was because, during the battle at the Origin Divine Temple, the Yin-Yang Divine Master had single-handedly held off eight Tai Xu realm great gods of the Heavenly Court for a short time. Among them were powerful Tai Xu realm experts like Jia Tianxia, the Soul Realm Lord, and the Sea Lord of Zhouhai.
That battle had made the Yin-Yang Divine Master, who had only endured two Eon Calamities, famous across the world.
The male side of the Yin-Yang Divine Master faced Ghost Lord, Muto War God, and the others. He flew forward, standing within a swirling Yin-Yang seal vortex, and said, "If you all wish to move against Zhang Ruochen, I, the Divine Master, have no objection. But Blood Butcher and Bore are gods of the Destiny Temple, disciples of Feng Tian and Nutian Shenzun."
Ghost Lord knew the Yin-Yang Divine Master was not to be trifled with. Suppressing the anger and urgency in his heart, he said, "All of this was the doing of Pu Chuanqi alone. He lost the divine artifact, then his head, and then his esoterica—he has gone mad!"
Li Yuantianfu chimed in, "Indeed, that is the case. Even if Blood Butcher and Bore were not disciples of Feng Tian and Nutian Shenzun, we Tai Xu realm great gods would not stoop to their level."
Muto War God's bone arms had regrown, but it would take centuries or millennia of refinement for the new arms to regain their former strength.
His anger toward Zhang Ruochen burned even hotter. He said in a deep voice, "Let us take Zhang Ruochen! As for the injuries to Bore and Blood Butcher, even if the Green Deer Divine Temple refuses to take responsibility, my Darkness Temple will."
Jin Jue Heavenly God appeared beside the Yin-Yang Divine Master and sneered, "Zhang Ruochen killed a great god of my Xionghai Divine Palace. Do you think you can just take him away? I will bring him back to the Xionghai Divine Palace and let the Divine Venerable decide his fate."
Ghost Lord understood now—the Destiny Temple was trying to claim the spoils.
There was no helping it. Zhang Ruochen possessed too many treasures. The six divine swords, the God-Defying Stele, and the divine corpse he had revealed earlier were all things that even Infinite realm gods coveted.
If the Destiny Temple had come in such force without any intention of seizing the treasures, that would be the real surprise.
They had expended tremendous effort and paid a heavy price to finally render Zhang Ruochen powerless. How could they hand over the fruits of their hard-won victory?
Ghost Lord sent a telepathic message to Xue Li and Muto War God. Only Fengdu Ghost City and the Darkness Temple could contend with the Destiny Temple.
"Zhang Ruochen must die," Xue Li said.
Jin Jue Heavenly God laughed. "Rest assured, Zhang Ruochen's life belongs to the Xionghai Divine Palace. When he is sent to the God-Slaying Platform, we will certainly invite the gods of Fengdu Ghost City to witness it."
Xue Li's purpose here was not to seize Zhang Ruochen's treasures but to represent Fengdu Ghost City and make clear that "no one may insult a Heavenly Venerable." Thus, where Zhang Ruochen died did not matter to him.
He did not want to be used by Ghost Lord, so he said no more.
Muto War God said, "Your Destiny Temple only lost one Huo Ze Divine Lord. How many great gods and gods has my Darkness Temple lost? Even a Divine Venerable died indirectly on the Starry Sky Battlefield. Zhang Ruochen must be handed over to the Darkness Temple for judgment."
Before he finished speaking, Muto War God shifted his form, crossing space to charge at the Blood-Colored Divine Centipede Ship.
The Yin-Yang Divine Master formed hand seals, causing the surrounding heaven and earth rules to shift. He reversed Yin and Yang, swapped Qian and Kun, and teleported Muto War God back to his original position.
Muto War God's face darkened as he stared at the Yin-Yang Divine Master. "The Divine Master has impressive skills. But are we really going to tear apart all pretense today?"
The Yin-Yang Divine Master smiled faintly. "A mere parlor trick. The War God could shatter it with a single hammer blow. We are all gods of the Hell Realm. There is no need to go so far over a Zhang Ruochen."
"The Darkness Temple has indeed suffered heavy losses, and I sympathize. But behind all this turmoil, the figure most deeply implicated is the elder, Void Heaven."
"I say this as a Divine Envoy: Zhang Ruochen should be handed over to Void Heaven for judgment. Does anyone here object?"
Whether it was Ghost Lord, Xue Li, Muto War God, or the gods of the Destiny Temple, all fell silent.
When a Heavenly Venerable was involved, who dared to speak?
After all, Void Heaven was the greatest victim.
He had not emerged from seclusion for a hundred thousand years. The moment he did, he took a Heavenly Concubine—and before he could even touch her, a junior had defiled her.
Was this merely a loss of face?
This would be recorded in history, mocked by countless generations of cultivators to come.
As for Fengdu Dadi, the relationship between Wu Yue and the ancient Moon God remained unclear to this day. So far, it was still at the level of legend.
Xue Li had acted only because of the fear of public opinion.
As for Void Heaven's offense against Fengdu Dadi, that was not their place to address. If the Great Emperor truly cared, he would act himself.
Jin Jue Heavenly God glanced at the Yin-Yang Divine Master, his eyes growing deeper. If Zhang Ruochen were handed over to Void Heaven, wouldn't that bypass the Xionghai Divine Palace?
What was the Yin-Yang Divine Master's true intention?
Was this Void Heaven's instruction, or was the Heavenly Fate Department trying to curry favor with Void Heaven?
Seeing that Muto War God still seemed unwilling and ready to fight, the Yin-Yang Divine Master asked, "Senior Daohai, how severe are Bore's injuries?"
"Her lifespan has been greatly diminished, and her vitality is exhausted. Even if she recovers, her cultivation will inevitably be delayed. She may not be able to survive the Eon Calamity in the future." Kong Daohai's tone was filled with coldness.
The Yin-Yang Divine Master said, "Bore is Nutian Shenzun's beloved disciple, on whom he placed great hopes. This has damaged her very foundation. How can a god of my Destiny Temple be so bullied in the Hell Realm? Pu Chuanqi is already a cripple. Without the support of a major force, would he dare to offend the Destiny Temple? Would he dare to challenge Nutian Shenzun's authority?"
Ghost Lord's brow twitched, and he quickly said, "I believe Zhang Ruochen should indeed be handed over to Void Heaven. However, the ancestral artifact of the Earthly Evil Ghost City was taken by Zhang Ruochen..."
The Yin-Yang Divine Master's expression softened. "Ghost Lord, rest assured. This matter has nothing to do with the Earthly Evil Ghost City. The Earthly Evil Bell is the ancestral artifact of the Earthly Evil Ghost City. I will certainly report this to Void Heaven and ensure it is returned to its rightful owner."
Subsequently, Qianqian Divine Master, Xu Liao, and Li Yuan Heavenly God also spoke up, agreeing to hand Zhang Ruochen over to Void Heaven.
There was no choice. Given the current situation, they were destined to fail in seizing Zhang Ruochen's treasures.
Thus, they could only settle for the next best thing: wait for Void Heaven to kill Zhang Ruochen, then reclaim their own divine artifacts and esoterica, along with the divine sources of Snow Wood Hall Master and Yi Huang.
Faced with the overwhelming trend of events, Muto War God was also helpless.
But handing Zhang Ruochen over to Void Heaven meant that this time, he was truly doomed. Who could save someone from Void Heaven's sword?
Even if Heavenly Mother's true body came personally, it might not be possible.