Chapter 3185: Life and Death Escape
The endless black soil wilderness was littered with white bones wherever one looked.
Black corpse-shaking trees, as hard as stone, stood bare, with evil crows sporting blood-red eyes perched atop them.
Zhang Ruochen, utterly exhausted, lay amidst a pile of graves. Over a dozen wounds on his body oozed blood continuously.
Earlier, he had residual Three Corpse Poison within him, and after being hunted by over a dozen Taixu Great Gods from the Hell Realm for five consecutive months, his Divine King Talismans and Divine Venerable Talismans were all depleted. He had narrowly escaped death several times.
Some Taixu Great Gods had forcefully invaded his physical body with their formidable divine power, preventing his wounds from healing.
No matter how strong one's recovery ability, there is a limit.
Zhang Ruochen had burned a massive amount of divine blood within him, losing countless years of his lifespan. He lay resting among the scattered rocks while contemplating.
For him, the greatest threat was none other than the Yin-Yang Divine Master, who held the Celestial Pivot Needle. With him around, no matter how Zhang Ruochen hid, his location would be calculated.
After all, Jiu Tian, Grand Master, and the Starry Sea Angler had all gone to the North Marsh Great Wall. No one was left to obscure his heavenly secrets for him. Now, he had to rely on himself.
Although the Wuji Divine Dao was profound, it could only evade the Celestial Pivot Needle's calculations from a certain distance.
Moreover, even if Zhang Ruochen used the Divine Spirit Step to traverse space, he would still leave traces. Ordinary Great Gods could not calculate these traces, but the Yin-Yang Divine Master could.
"To break this deadlock, I must either seize the Celestial Pivot Needle or escape the Santu River region. Otherwise, my situation will only grow more dangerous."
Zhang Ruochen struggled to sit up from the rubble and released the Space Chaos Worm. The seven-colored worm wriggled in his palm, its aura having already reached the level of a Supreme Realm Great Saint.
Once it reached the Divine Realm level, it could gnaw out wormholes that spanned star domains.
Currently, the lower reaches of the Santu River were heavily guarded by the Hell Realm's army. Breaking through would be as difficult as ascending to heaven. Going upstream, the Santu River had many tributaries, but each major tributary was guarded by a Taixu Realm Great God.
Now, he could only place his hopes on the Space Chaos Worm.
Zhang Ruochen took out a divine pill to enhance physical constitution and another to enhance divine soul, feeding them to the Space Chaos Worm. Regardless of whether it could withstand it, he had to force its growth.
After swallowing the two divine pills, the Space Chaos Worm's body suddenly expanded, transforming from a worm into a snake, from a snake into a python... growing increasingly massive. Wisps of divine flame emerged on its body surface.
"Oh? They've caught up again!"
Zhang Ruochen gritted his teeth, summoned six divine swords, and formed a sword formation. He did not flee immediately because he sensed that this time, only the Yin-Yang Divine Master's aura was present.
Moments later, a divine light descended from the sky, landing a hundred zhang away from Zhang Ruochen.
The Yin-Yang Divine Master's male face turned toward Zhang Ruochen, handsome and striking. His gaze swept over the Space Chaos Worm before he sighed, "Realm Master Ruochen, return with me to the Destiny Temple. If you are being wronged, the Destiny Temple can help clear your suspicions."
Zhang Ruochen said, "I do have a favorable impression of you, Divine Master. If the Destiny Temple were under your control, I wouldn't mind going. But is it under your control?"
"I will do my utmost to protect your life. The Fortune Divine Palace, the Fury Divine Palace, and You Ruo will all help you," said the Yin-Yang Divine Master.
Zhang Ruochen replied, "In the end, Divine Master, you lack confidence in yourself. If you aren't even confident you can protect me, why should I trust you? I have too many enemies in the Destiny Temple. They will surely follow the principle of 'better to kill the wrong person than let them go' and seek my death. So, Divine Master, do not persuade me further."
"If you continue to resist like this, even if you are not a member of the Quantity Organization, who will believe you?"
The Yin-Yang Divine Master spoke again, "I actually don't believe you are some Quantity Agent, but since such rumors are spreading throughout the Hell Realm, as a Divine Master of the Destiny Temple, I must apprehend you. Can you understand?"
Zhang Ruochen laughed, "If I were in your position, Divine Master, I would do the same. But, Divine Master, you primarily cultivate spiritual power, don't you? A spiritual power cultivator standing so close to me—isn't that a bit careless?"
"Swish!"
Zhang Ruochen burst forth at extreme speed, with numerous Time Imprint light points appearing around him, enveloping the Yin-Yang Divine Master. The flow of time slowed down, nearly coming to a halt.
A distance of a hundred zhang was negligible for a Great God.
But in that brief moment, a series of formation light seals emerged beneath the Yin-Yang Divine Master's feet, isolating the Time Imprint light points.
The formation light seals expanded outward, colliding with the Sword Seventeen that Zhang Ruochen thrust forward.
"Boom!"
It was like striking a divine wall with a single sword strike. Zhang Ruochen's tiger's mouth split open, and his body trembled violently.
Logically, having failed in his one and only chance, Zhang Ruochen should have fled immediately. But he knew very well that only by seizing the Celestial Pivot Needle and preventing his pursuers from calculating his location could he turn the tables from passive to active.
Then, Zhang Ruochen could boldly seek revenge, and no one would be able to hunt him down again.
Seizing the Celestial Pivot Needle from the Yin-Yang Divine Master was nearly impossible, but he had to give it his all.
"Bang!"
"Bang!"
...
The six divine swords flew in one after another, striking the formation light seals, eventually piercing through the divine formation set up by the Yin-Yang Divine Master.
One of the swords even grazed past the Yin-Yang Divine Master's neck, but was blocked by the formation light patterns on his body, failing to harm him in the slightest.
A flicker of surprise appeared in the Yin-Yang Divine Master's calm eyes. He looked down and saw the God-Defying Stele on the ground, weakening the divine formation.
"Realm Master Ruochen, the gap in our cultivation and strength is too great, and you are severely injured. Do you really want to fight? Once the gods of the Destiny Temple hear the commotion of battle, they will arrive immediately, and you won't even be able to escape."
The Yin-Yang Divine Master said, "If you stop now and return with me to the Destiny Temple, I will risk my life to protect yours."
"Surrendering means losing all bargaining chips. How is that any different from crippling my own cultivation?"
Zhang Ruochen sensed powerful divine energy fluctuations rapidly approaching. Knowing that his last chance was gone, he immediately turned and fled.
"Your actions make me suspect you are indeed a member of the Quantity Organization. Fine, today I will have to suppress you by force." The Yin-Yang Divine Master's female face turned around, her ten fingers forming seals as her powerful spiritual power erupted.
"Rumble!"
Within three steps, it became her formation domain.
Three steps were the Three Divine Spirit Steps, covering hundreds of thousands of miles of land.
From the ground rose towering peaks, densely covered with formation inscriptions, blocking Zhang Ruochen's escape route.
"Zhang Ruochen, you are at the end of your rope. Where do you think you can run?"
Jin Jue Heavenly God of the Fierce Terror Divine Palace landed with a boom on the peak of a mountain before Zhang Ruochen. A Fate Divine Gate appeared behind him, radiating brilliant light.
Ting Yunsheng, clad in a Qilin Divine Cloud Robe, flew through the air, saying, "I have long suspected you, Zhang Ruochen, of being a member of the Quantity Organization. It turns out I was right. Only members of the Quantity Organization would stir up wars and internal strife like you do."
"Boom!"
"Boom!"
...
A giant of divine flame, covered in chains, strode forward.
The mountains here were like mounds of earth before this giant of divine flame. The gray sky was burned red by the flames emanating from his head.
He was named Yan Ju, a Taixu Great God of the Death Divine Palace, even more powerful than the Yin-Yang Divine Master. Among those below the Infinite Realm in the entire Destiny Temple, his combat power ranked in the top three.
In the "Treatise on Great Gods," he was ranked first in the path of fire.
The Yin-Yang Divine Master had only cultivated for two eons and was not particularly skilled in combat.
Yan Ju, like an angry Vajra, spoke with a voice louder than thunder, "I am here. Zhang Ruochen, surrender immediately and let the Divine Master conduct a soul search."
Faced with such a lineup, Zhang Ruochen remained unflinching, letting out a long laugh, "Just because of a rumor, the Destiny Temple has mobilized such a force. Aren't you afraid the rumor is false and will become a huge joke?"
Jin Jue Heavenly God laughed, "You killed Zhou Fang, witnessed by Xue Changjin himself. When he made his move, he identified you as a member of the Quantity Organization, but he didn't expect you to have a Divine Venerable Talisman on you, allowing you to escape. It is said that you possess the 'Ji' character mask and the Quantity Envoy Divine Robe, making you a high-ranking member of the Quantity Organization. That truly surprised this Heavenly God."
"Xue Changjin's one-sided words can be used as evidence?" Zhang Ruochen said.
Jin Jue Heavenly God replied, "That's why Yan Ju suggested that the Divine Master conduct a soul search on you to prove your innocence. Zhang Ruochen, stop your futile resistance. Accept your fate. It's just a soul search. Once your innocence is proven, we will naturally know that Xue Changjin was framing you."
"What if I refuse to accept my fate?" Zhang Ruochen said.
Ting Yunsheng's eyes turned cold. He released his divine energy externally, forming a palm technique divine ability.
A massive palm, with a black vortex in its center, had countless rules flowing within it, fierce storms raging, and it came crashing down toward Zhang Ruochen.
Zhang Ruochen used the six divine swords to clear a path, attempting to evade the palm strike.
"Where do you think you're going?"
Jin Jue Heavenly God let out a strange laugh and struck out with a shuttle-shaped Monarch Sacred Artifact, like an electric snake or a swimming dragon, rapidly stabbing toward Zhang Ruochen's heart.
"Bang!"
The God-Defying Stele flew out, colliding with the shuttle-shaped Monarch Sacred Artifact.
Although the crisis was averted, Ting Yunsheng's powerful palm technique divine ability had already descended.
With no way to avoid it, Zhang Ruochen could only use the six divine swords to form a sword formation and hold up the palm.
Ting Yunsheng hovered in midair, his right hand pressing down in a virtual gesture, yet he could not crush Zhang Ruochen. He was greatly shocked. His cultivation was close to the peak of Taixu, so why couldn't his attack power overwhelm Zhang Ruochen?
Beneath the palm, the wounds on Zhang Ruochen's body kept splitting open, blood gushing like a torrent.
The Yin-Yang Divine Master listened to the words of the Celestial Pivot Needle, then advised again, "Zhang Ruochen, you have no chance. Surrender and come with me to the Destiny Temple."
"Useless trash, get out of the way."
Yan Ju swatted Ting Yunsheng away like a scarecrow and punched down at Zhang Ruochen below.
His fist was massive, burning with rolling divine flame, like a meteor falling from the sky.
Just as Zhang Ruochen was about to be crushed into meat paste by this punch, a black shadow, as if emerging from space itself, appeared before him like a specter.
She pointed a finger, unleashing powerful spiritual power, forming an arc-shaped light shield that clashed with Yan Ju's fierce punch.
"Boom!"
The shockwave of divine power spread outward.
The formation peaks, as if made of sand, scattered with the wind, annihilated entirely.
Yan Ju's punch was no small matter, sinking tens of thousands of miles of land, yet it could not break her spiritual power shield.
The nearby Taixu Realm Great God, Jin Jue Heavenly God, was directly blasted tens of thousands of miles away by the shockwave of divine power.
Yan Ju was about to throw a second punch when he found the woman in black robes had vanished. Turning around, he saw her pulling Zhang Ruochen with one hand while drawing talisman patterns with the other, clashing with the Yin-Yang Divine Master.
The Yin-Yang Divine Master used all four hands, continuously drawing formation inscriptions and forming divine formations, but was forced into a steady retreat.
The two engaged in a spiritual power duel at close range.
One talisman, one formation—they exchanged and countered over a hundred times in the blink of an eye.
"Pfft!"
The black-robed woman finally, with overwhelming force, pierced through the Yin-Yang Divine Master's protective formation inscriptions with a single finger, striking her female face's chest, creating a bowl-sized bloody hole. Her divine body was sent flying.
Seizing the Celestial Pivot Needle, the black-robed woman vanished with Zhang Ruochen, disappearing instantly.
Yes, they simply vanished.
There was no divine power fluctuation, nor any spatial fluctuation.
Yan Ju, who had charged forward with a roar, was left stunned, his fist unsure where to land.
"What are you two standing around for? Chase them!" Yan Ju said.
Jin Jue Heavenly God and Ting Yunsheng released their divine thoughts, searching everywhere, but could not find even a trace of their aura. Where were they supposed to chase?
The Yin-Yang Divine Master got up from the ground, pale-faced, and said, "Don't bother chasing. It's an illusion technique! In this world, only one person possesses such mastery in spiritual power, talisman path, and illusion techniques. Even if you catch up, you are no match for her."