Chapter 3137: Shaoyang Like a Mountain
"Don't do anything foolish. I'll figure this out. Go now!" Zhang Ruochen really couldn't bear to face Xia Yu's resentful eyes any longer.
After Xia Yu withdrew, Xue Tu unfolded his Divine Realm World, his eyes dark and deep, and said in a low voice: "Senior brother, just say the word, and I'll find a way to take out Xue Chen."
"Have you lost your mind?" Zhang Ruochen said coldly.
Xue Tu said: "Then we'll have to use the second strategy. Senior brother goes directly to the Great Clan Elder and lays his cards on the table, saying that Xia Yu is your woman, and no one can touch her."
"Actually, I have a third strategy. Just cook the rice first, make it a done deal." Xiao Hei let out a sinister laugh.
Zhang Ruochen said: "Both of you, get out of here. Let me have some peace and quiet."
This matter was difficult to handle, yet also simple to resolve.
In truth, it was just a single word from Zhang Ruochen.
But was it really just a matter of one word?
Zhang Ruochen propped open the window and looked out at the starry sky beyond the divine ship.
In the starry sky, brownish-yellow star mist stretched like a river running from east to west. Countless stars flickered within this misty river.
Among them, some of the brightest stars were actually arranged in a straight line, positioned at the center of the star river, appearing both eerie and awe-inspiring, evoking boundless imagination.
He wondered whether this was a coincidence of celestial movement or the deliberate work of some force.
Zhang Ruochen's heart gradually calmed.
Compared to the vast starry sky, what were these trivial matters of romance?
Millions of years from now, everyone in this era would turn to dust, all events would vanish like smoke, and only the stars would remain eternal. As he thought this, Zhang Ruochen's mood broadened, and he decided to face all his present troubles with equanimity.
"So this is the Thousand Star Conjunction? Truly a rare spectacle that occurs once in a million years."
Zhang Ruochen sensed that the rules of heaven and earth throughout the entire universe had become active.
In the starry sky, yin energy pervaded everything. All yin-attribute rules completely suppressed the yang-attribute rules, giving a sense of the Dao declining and the demonic rising, as if heralding the arrival of a brand-new era.
His eyes brightened, and he murmured to himself: "This might just be a heaven-sent opportunity!"
"Swoosh!"
The Taiji Yin-Yang Diagram Seal manifested behind him, with yin and yang energies flowing endlessly and billions of rules operating in orderly fashion.
Unlike usual, the yin and yang within the Taiji Yin-Yang Diagram Seal were imbalanced.
Yin energy overpowered yang energy.
Under Zhang Ruochen's command, Sword Dao Rules and Truth Rules surged into the yin energy, beginning to condense Shaoyang.
Borrowing the momentum of heaven, breaking through to the True Realm.
...
On the foremost Luoyun Divine Ship, the Old Clan Elder furrowed his brows and said: "I heard you're going to betroth Xia Yu to Xue Chen?"
Xue Jue War God, clad in armor and draped in a battle robe, looked heroic and extraordinary. He smiled: "Xue Chen's talent is not bad, but he's still not worthy of Xia Yu."
"Heh heh!"
The Old Clan Elder let out a malicious laugh: "I knew you were scheming against that boy Zhang Ruochen. That kid has extraordinary talent and powerful bloodline; he really should leave behind a seed for the Undying Blood Clan. But you're being a bit too good to him."
"Everything is mutual. If you give him your whole heart, he'll give you his whole heart in return. Zhang Ruochen values relationships greatly—that is truly rare and precious." Xue Jue War God said.
The Old Clan Elder said: "But that old ghost Ni Xuan supports you, wanting to push you to the heights of Fengdu Dadi, to be the spokesman of the Lower Three Clans, not Zhang Ruochen."
"Are you referring to the matter of Beishi earlier?" Xue Jue War God asked.
The Old Clan Elder chuckled: "Isn't that little lioness a better match for you?"
Xue Jue War God shook his head and said: "In this world, no one can marry Ni Xuan Beishi. She is the first heir to the position of Shura Divine Temple Hall Master. My last visit was purely to fight her, to see how far apart we still are."
"Only at the early stage of Taixu Realm, and you want to fight that little lioness? No wonder you ended up spitting blood... Eh!"
The Old Clan Elder reached his arm into the void, half his hand disappearing, then pulled a talisman out from the Void World. After reading its contents, his murky old eyes suddenly sharpened, becoming piercingly fierce.
"What happened?" Xue Jue War God asked.
The Old Clan Elder's wrinkled face scrunched up, and he said: "Fengdu Dadi has returned. At Wuding Divine Sea, he has challenged Hao Tian."
Like a thunderclap, Xue Jue War God's entire body jolted.
Fengdu Dadi returning at this very moment—anyone would inevitably associate it with Zhang Ruochen and Wu Yue's marriage, even if his challenge was against Hao Tian.
The might of a Heavenly Venerable—who would not fear it?
Xue Jue War God stood up, his expression shifting between dark and bright, and said: "Should we cancel the wedding?"
"If Fengdu Dadi truly has that intention, would canceling the wedding save Zhang Ruochen?" The Old Clan Elder shook his head and said: "Wait a little longer."
The news of Fengdu Dadi's return spread rapidly across all corners of the universe. Truly, every move he made caused the entire world to tremble in fear.
All cultivators of the Hell Realm seemed drawn by some invisible force, rushing toward Wuding Divine Sea through various means, as if on a pilgrimage.
The gods of the Ghost Clan were most excited, agreeing to go together to witness the battle of the Heavenly Venerables.
Destiny Temple, however, fell into a terrifying silence. Many gods who had been invited to attend the wedding hastily found excuses to leave in a flurry.
Fengdu Dadi had returned precisely on the day of Zhang Ruochen and Wu Yue's wedding.
How could this be a coincidence?
"Shua! Shua! Shua..."
One divine inscription after another, transmitted from who knows how far away, manifested directly before the Old Clan Elder in some mysterious manner.
Words materialized directly in the air.
"The wedding proceeds as planned."
Xu Tian's divine inscription was as sharp as a sword.
"No need to worry."
Feng Tian's divine inscription was like flames.
"Marry her."
Jiusi Yitianhuang's divine inscription was like dark, eerie patterns.
"Fear not, retreat not."
These four words were sent by Nutian Shenzun.
Xue Jue War God looked at these divine inscriptions before him, feeling a powerful tremor in his heart, but the worry on his face dissipated. He laughed: "It seems this wedding between Zhang Ruochen and Wu Yue is more complicated than I imagined! I didn't expect even Jiusi Yitianhuang to speak up!"
The Old Clan Elder also relaxed and said: "Actually, what surprised me most was Nutian Shenzun. He actually took a stand!"
Xue Jue War God said: "It's actually very simple. This is a power struggle between Destiny Temple and Fengdu Dadi, vying for dominance over the Hell Realm. Does the Hell Realm obey Destiny Temple, or does it obey the Heavenly Venerable? There has to be a hierarchy, right?"
"If we cancel Zhang Ruochen and Wu Yue's wedding just because Fengdu Dadi has returned, who will listen to Destiny Temple's commands in the future?"
"With the Heavenly Venerables locked in their own contest, why should we meddle so much? Let's just keep drinking the wedding wine." The Old Clan Elder picked up his wine cup, squinted his eyes, and downed it in one gulp.
"Tsk, it's all because you, old man, couldn't make it to the Heavenly Venerable rank. If you had sealed the heavens, why would we have been so frightened earlier?" Xue Jue War God said.
"Pfft!"
The Old Clan Elder spat a mouthful of wine at Xue Jue War God and roared: "Who was frightened? I didn't seal the heavens not because I lacked the strength, but because I didn't want to compete with the younger generation."
"Can you even rank in the top three of the Undying Blood Clan?" Xue Jue War God said.
"Are you the only one who can? I once dominated the scene, covered the sky with one hand, fought side by side with the Heavenly Mother Goddess! It's just that I'm old now, my blood energy has declined, not what it used to be!"
"The goddess is still a goddess, but unfortunately, someone's teeth are about to fall out!" Xue Jue War God said.
The Old Clan Elder was provoked and was about to teach Xue Jue War God a lesson, but at that moment, a powerful surge of divine energy came from the Blood Color Divine Centipede Ship.
Xue Jue War God was the first to push open the door and step out onto the deck. He saw that the entire starry sky had transformed into a yin-yang taiji diagram, spanning trillions of miles, like the imprint of the Heavenly Dao upon the mortal world.
"Haha! This kid actually broke through his realm today. Truly a double blessing!" Xue Jue War God laughed heartily.
The Old Clan Elder looked at the yin-yang taiji diagram before him, then cast a peculiar glance toward the Blood Color Divine Centipede Ship, a faint smile curling at the corner of his mouth, as if he had glimpsed some truth.
"Laugh all you want. Keep laughing. When your grandson surpasses you, you won't be laughing anymore!" The Old Clan Elder returned to the divine ship, and with a bang, closed the wooden door.
The Taiji Yin-Yang Diagram Seal rapidly contracted, returning to a position eighteen zhang around Zhang Ruochen.
Within the black yin energy, a white divine mountain manifested, shaped like a sword, towering and majestic, radiating the light of truth.
This white divine mountain was formed from Truth Rules, Sword Dao Rules, and yang energy, a concrete manifestation of Shaoyang.
As for why it took the form of a "mountain," Zhang Ruochen felt it must be because his cultivation of the Sword Dao and the Way of Truth were both inseparable from mountains.
Thus, Shaoyang naturally took "mountain" as its image.
Zhang Ruochen sat cross-legged, consolidating Shaoyang, inhaling and exhaling yin and yang energies.
Divine Qi, Saint Qi, and spiritual energy from heaven and earth converged continuously. With every moment, his aura grew significantly stronger.
They arrived at the Qiyuan Ferry Crossing of the Life-and-Death Star.
The wedding procession fleet was intercepted on the Santu River by a vast expanse of ghost clouds.
Xue Jue War God's explosive roar rang out: "Ghost Lord, if you dare cause trouble today, I will make you pay a heavy price."
"Great Clan Elder, don't be angry. Zhang Ruochen and Wu Yue were betrothed by Xu Tian. Who would dare stop them? We're only here to ask for some wedding money." The Ghost Lord's voice carried a laugh, stirring up towering waves.
Another divine voice drifted over: "Since ancient times, wedding processions stopped on the Santu River are not unique to you. The Blood Absolute Family is a noble ancestral family, and Zhang Ruochen is wealthier than a God Venerable. Won't you even spare us some wedding money?"
On the river, ten thousand ghosts clamored.
Zhang Ruochen pushed open the door and stepped out, looking at the dark, oppressive ghost clouds in the distance. Divine ships loomed within the clouds, with over a dozen Great God-level divine auras emanating.
"Senior brother, they come with ill intent!" Xue Tu said.
Xiao Hei's expression was heavy: "Fengdu Dadi has returned. The Ghost Lord and his ilk have no more scruples. Crossing the Santu River today will not be easy."
The joy of just breaking through his realm was swept away by this shocking news. Zhang Ruochen's brow tightened: "Fengdu Dadi has returned?"
Xue Tu grimaced and said: "Yes! We just received the news. Fengdu Dadi has returned and challenged Hao Tian at Wuding Divine Sea. This is truly a fight for the number one under heaven! But senior brother, don't worry. The Great Clan Elder sent word that Xu Tian and Jiusi Yitianhuang have both spoken. This marriage cannot be broken!"
Zhang Ruochen muttered to himself: "Xu Tian is indeed tough enough to stand up to a Heavenly Venerable. But what does Jiusi Yitianhuang mean by this?"
...
Last night, I dreamed that Zhang Ruochen's spiritual power had already reached the eighty-ninth rank, and the story was about to end. I actually felt a little reluctant. When I woke up, I breathed a long sigh of relief. Calming down, I realized I can still pad it out for a few hundred more chapters.
This was a real dream. Asking for monthly votes for the sake of being able to pad it out for a few hundred more chapters!
(End of this chapter)