# Chapter 384: The Human Heart Is Hard to Fathom
"After Blood Yao Divine Lord's betrayal, the people Grandfather can trust are few and far between. Asking Divine Mother for help was definitely a last resort."
Zhang Ruochen's heart was still filled with doubt. He said, "Ruochen has one thing he doesn't understand! Since it was about casting a long line to catch a big fish, why suddenly abolish Blood Yao Divine Lord's cultivation?"
"Hmph!"
A hoarse voice sounded from within the divine ship: "What casting a long line to catch a big fish? Blood Jue is too merciful! Because of his mistaken strategy, the son of Zhou Qi Ghost Emperor fell, and I couldn't even save him in time."
"If we continue like this, how many gods must die? Better to abolish his cultivation, directly search his soul, and still get everything we want to know."
Zhang Ruochen had long sensed the presence of another deity on the divine ship, and their cultivation was very strong, like a sharp sword hidden in its sheath, extremely dangerous.
Xue Changjin, the Grand Void Great God of Fengdu Ghost City, walked out from inside.
His hair was white as snow, his form like a withered pine, his skin shriveled, and his eyes as sharp as a hawk's. Though his divine might was restrained and his ghostly aura concealed, his presence was still powerful.
Heavenly Sound Divine Mother introduced, "Ruochen, this is Senior Xue Changjin, the strongest under Shen Tu Ghost Emperor. He has already survived five Eon Calamities. In the 'Great God Treatise' compiled by Flying Immortal Valley, Old Xue's name is on the list. This time, coming to the Santu River region, thanks to his assistance, we didn't lose track of Blood Yao."
Zhang Ruochen had certainly heard of Xue Changjin's name.
The entire Hell Realm knew that the Xue Clan was Shen Tu Ghost Emperor's trusted family.
Although the Ghost Clan could not directly reproduce, they could use some special secret methods to bear offspring. These offspring could inherit part of the talent and power of the Ghost Clan's strong ones.
Legend had it that the Xue Clan had a unique method of reproduction. With the strong support of Shen Tu Ghost Emperor, they had nurtured many True Gods, becoming a famous great clan in the Hell Realm.
Xue Changjin was the strongest of the Xue Clan!
Xue Li, who died at the hands of Yu Ling Shen, was only of his grandson generation.
The matter of Zhang Ruochen offending Shen Tu Ghost Emperor had long spread far and wide. As the clan ancestor of the Xue Clan, how could he give Zhang Ruochen a good face?
The two sides only refrained from fighting because of Heavenly Sound Divine Mother's face.
"Since Grandfather and Divine Mother are investigating, Ruochen will not meddle further!"
Zhang Ruochen was about to take his leave, but glanced at Blood Yao Divine Lord's corpse on the ground and said, "Can you give me his black robe and mask?"
Heavenly Sound Divine Mother sighed deeply, "Now that Blood Yao is dead, all clues are severed! Even if there is Wen He Ghost Emperor's death ghost qi inside his body, it's hard to prove anything."
"Take his corpse with you, bring it back to the Blood Heaven Tribe, give it to Blood Tu, and let him bury it properly. Your grandfather and Blood Yao had over a hundred thousand years of friendship. Who would have thought it would end like this? Sigh!"
Zhang Ruochen pressed his palm out, freezing the space, sealing Blood Yao Divine Lord's corpse, then slightly cupped his hands toward Heavenly Sound Divine Mother and Yu Ying Ancient God, performed a spatial displacement, and left the divine ship.
He did not follow the Santu River downstream but instead hid himself in the Corpse Sea Wasteland.
Although Heavenly Sound Divine Mother and Yu Ying Ancient God had cleared themselves of suspicion, with nothing seemingly unreasonable, Zhang Ruochen had carefully observed Blood Yao Divine Lord's eyes at the moment of death.
They were eyes of shock, containing disbelief.
Of course, a single look didn't prove anything. Even if Zhang Ruochen were killed by Yu Ying Ancient God's spear, at the moment of death, he would most likely show the same expression.
Because of Luo Sha's relationship, Zhang Ruochen didn't want to suspect Heavenly Sound Divine Mother and Yu Ying Ancient God — this was emotional. But rationally, the Quantity Organization could not possibly not have laid plans in the Heavenly Luo Divine Kingdom.
Zhang Ruochen restrained his aura, transformed into a bone bird, and flew back, watching until Heavenly Sound Divine Mother's divine ship disappeared over the river surface before leaving.
No cultivator had come to kill him and silence him.
Could it be that he was truly too suspicious, seeing threats everywhere?
Zhang Ruochen unfroze the space, took the black robe and mask from Blood Yao Divine Lord's corpse, and studied them carefully with his spiritual power.
The black robe was very strange, covered with countless secret patterns. It could wrap around a cultivator, unleashing unparalleled speed.
The "Machine" character mask was made of special material, with extremely profound inscriptions carved inside. Even with Zhang Ruochen's eightieth-level spiritual power, he could not penetrate it.
These two items might come in handy in the future, so Zhang Ruochen stored them away properly.
Zhang Ruochen was very cautious, flying along the Santu River in the form of a bone bird.
After flying for several days, he finally entered the true Santu River region.
The Santu River region was astonishingly vast, more than a thousand great worlds combined in size, seemingly boundless. But it was too desolate, with corpse mountains and foul waters everywhere, tombstones and great graves, black mud swamps, and vegetation was rarely seen.
The sky was gray, without sunlight, stars, or moon, lifeless and dead.
"Shua!"
A dark red arrow light, dragging a tail dozens of miles long, flew out from the wasteland, shooting toward Zhang Ruochen.
The arrow's speed was astonishing, causing the world's rules to become chaotic.
Zhang Ruochen had already become alert. The bone bird's form dove sharply downward.
But that arrow seemed to have intelligence. It turned around and flew toward him again.
Its speed was even faster!
"What a formidable rules divine arrow. The ambusher's cultivation is at least at the White Extreme Peak."
Zhang Ruochen revealed his original form, becoming human, and took the Divine Spirit Step, crossing one hundred twenty-nine thousand six hundred miles in a single step.
"Zhang Ruochen, where do you think you're running?"
Before Zhang Ruochen could stabilize his form, a divine voice sounded over the Santu River.
On the river surface, a powerful purple divine light erupted, turning into a purple qi ocean covering hundreds of thousands of miles. Strands of purple qi, like divine chains, locked down this space.
A thousand-zhang-long blade light rose from the purple sea, slashing toward him.
The figure within the purple sea had terrifying cultivation, locking onto Zhang Ruochen with blade intent, making the entire world feel as narrow as a blade's edge.
Zhang Ruochen released six divine swords, breaking the blade intent lock, dodging the blade light, and rapidly retreating, saying, "I have long heard of the great name of Mixed Yuan Purple Corpse. May I ask what grievance this Realm Venerable has with you, senior?"
Mixed Yuan Purple Corpse was extremely famous among the Corpse Clan's Great Gods. He had reached the Grand Void Peak an entire Eon ago. Even Blood Jue and Desolate Heaven would have to address him as senior when meeting him.
"No grievance needed. Any member of the Quantity Organization deserves death at anyone's hands." Mixed Yuan Purple Corpse said.
Zhang Ruochen frowned deeply, "How did this Realm Venerable become a member of the Quantity Organization?"
In the eastern sky, a white sun rose.
From within the white sun, a thunderous divine voice sounded: "Zhang Ruochen, you killed Fengdu Ghost City's god Zhou Fang, trying to frame the Paradise Realm, thinking you were being secretive. But you didn't know that powerful experts had already seen through it. You are a member of the Quantity Organization — this is now known throughout the world! Surrender!"
Fengdu Ghost City's Grand Void Great God Zhao Wu, riding a white sun the size of a star, with ghost fire spreading like a prairie blaze, pressed down toward Zhang Ruochen.
In the western sky, hundreds of billions of ghost soldiers and ghost generals appeared, forming black clouds.
Fengdu Ghost City's Grand Void Great God Wu Yin, wearing a white Daoist robe, a ghost-face mask, and holding a horsetail whisk, raised his voice: "Quantity Machine, your identity can no longer be hidden!"
He swung his whisk, turning it into a ten-thousand-mile-long white waterfall.
Every white thread was as sharp as a divine sword.
Zhang Ruochen felt as if struck by lightning, shockwaves surging in his heart. But in this situation, how could he afford to explain?
Among these Great Gods present, there might be a real member of the Quantity Organization, wanting to put him to death.
Zhang Ruochen broke through the suppression of the purple divine chains on space, performed a spatial displacement, dodging Zhao Wu and Wu Yin's attacks, his form shifting dozens of times in succession.
Circling around the white great sun, Zhang Ruochen flew eastward.
"Shua!"
The bright rules divine pattern arrow flew out from the wasteland again, its speed approaching light, making time itself seem to slow down.
Zhang Ruochen turned sharply in the void, swinging the Abyssal Ancient Sword.
With a "bang," the rules divine pattern arrow was shattered.
In this brief delay, Mixed Yuan Purple Corpse's true form appeared before Zhang Ruochen. A purple jade heavy blade was raised above his head, slashing straight down at Zhang Ruochen.
How could Zhang Ruochen withstand a strike from such a powerful expert?
Zhang Ruochen stomped, shattering the void, his body falling toward the Void World. His left hand pressed out, raising the Divine King Talisman.
The talisman imprint was like a blood-colored shield.
The purple mist-filled blade slashed into the Void World, colliding with the Divine King Talisman.
Before Zhang Ruochen could stabilize his form, Zhao Wu and Wu Yin successively broke into the Void World. One struck with a Supreme Sacred Artifact flame ball like a white sun, the other swung his whisk, forming a cage.
Zhang Ruochen knew very well that he absolutely could not linger in battle. Just these three Grand Void Great Gods before him had the power to take his life, and there were surely stronger ones hidden in the shadows.
The God-Defying Stele flew out, colliding with the white sun-like flame ball struck by Zhao Wu, forming a powerful storm of force.
Six divine swords shot out together, sword light scattering, severing the cage formed by the whisk's white threads.
Without waiting for Mixed Yuan Purple Corpse to pursue, Zhang Ruochen immediately burned his divine blood, his speed skyrocketing, and he fled rapidly into the depths of the void.
"Slash!"
Mixed Yuan Purple Corpse roared, madly circulating his divine qi, hurling the purple jade heavy blade in his hand.
The heavy blade spun rapidly, forming a blade qi vortex, catching up to Zhang Ruochen who was fleeing ahead.
Zhang Ruochen dared not stop for a moment. He could only raise the Divine King Talisman and endure this strike head-on.
"Boom!"
The blade light and Divine King Talisman collided, the resulting light and energy illuminating the Void World. At the same time, it forced Zhao Wu and Wu Yin, who wanted to pursue, to retreat.
By the time the energy dissipated, Zhang Ruochen had long since vanished.
"Damn it, that kid actually has a Divine King Talisman on him!" Zhao Wu snorted angrily, very unwilling.
Wu Yin put away his whisk, his voice calm, "Don't worry. Yin Yang Divine Master is carrying the divine artifact Celestial Pivot Needle and will arrive today. He won't escape!"
(Chapter End)