Chapter 3227: Xue Changjin, Come Out and Die
"How infuriating!"
Golden Jade Heavenly God glanced back and, seeing Yan Ju charging fiercely, immediately activated a forbidden technique.
His divine body ignited, greatly increasing his speed.
Under the influence of the bone talisman's power, most of the cultivators in the Ghost Emperor's Mansion had already turned to bone. With no one to activate the formations, their power sharply decreased.
In the blink of an eye, Golden Jade Heavenly God rushed out of the Ghost Emperor's Mansion, heading straight for the starry sky beyond.
"Boom!"
A storm wheel disc, a thousand zhang in diameter, flew out from somewhere in the city, forming a massive vortex. It collided with the divine chains unleashed by Yan Ju, preventing him from pursuing Golden Jade Heavenly God.
"Another member of the Quantity Organization has made a move."
Hai Shang You Ruo's gaze was cold as she prepared to chase after Golden Jade Heavenly God.
"Be careful not to be lured away. You stay here."
Zhang Ruochen activated the Earth Cauldron, and the gray-white deathly mist permeating the Ghost Emperor's Mansion was all drawn into the cauldron. The next moment, he shot out of the mansion, chasing after Golden Jade Heavenly God, who had fled into the outer cosmos.
While flying through the air, Zhang Ruochen glanced toward a certain part of the city.
He had sensed the location of the deity who had unleashed the storm wheel disc. Their cultivation was quite formidable, and they carried a heavy treasure that could conceal their aura.
Yet, Zhang Ruochen still detected a familiar presence.
Fleeing Fengdu Ghost City, Golden Jade Heavenly God immediately shattered space and vanished into the Void World.
Flames of divine power blazed around his body. The forbidden divine technique allowed him to move faster than the Divine Spirit Step. In a single breath, he had already traveled hundreds of thousands of miles away.
The unique environment of the Void World continuously erased residual traces.
Even a distance of just a few thousand miles would be enough to escape completely, let alone tens of thousands.
Before long, Golden Jade Heavenly God had flown over a hundred million miles. Believing himself to be perfectly safe and untraceable, he stopped using the forbidden technique, which consumed both lifespan and divine matter.
Still, he continued flying at his maximum speed.
"Golden Jade, where do you think you're going?"
The world wall was shattered.
A mass of white Origin Divine Light burst from the Real World into the Void World, appearing ahead of Golden Jade Heavenly God and blocking his path.
The white Origin Divine Light emanated from the Earth Cauldron.
He had been caught after all.
"Gong Shang, you've been dead for a hundred thousand years. Why didn't you just fully perish? Why return to the Hell Realm? You've ruined our plans time and again—you're destined for a miserable end."
Golden Jade Heavenly God cursed inwardly but didn't overthink it. He simply assumed Zhang Ruochen had used the Earth Cauldron's mysterious power to track him.
The Nine Cauldrons were legendary treasures sought even by the Twenty Heavens, so they couldn't be judged by ordinary standards.
Zhang Ruochen wasted no words. He directly struck with the Earth Cauldron, condensing it into a sea of Origin Light.
Golden Jade Heavenly God activated the forbidden technique again. His divine body burned, erupting with flowing light as he fled in another direction.
"Boom!"
A quarter of an hour later, Zhang Ruochen once again burst from the Real World into the Void World, intercepting Golden Jade Heavenly God.
He threw a punch, and chaotic light shimmered on his fist.
"Pfft!"
Golden Jade Heavenly God's divine body was crushed into a large, shattered mass, sending him flying hundreds of miles away.
"Huh? Why have you shrunk?" Zhang Ruochen asked in surprise.
Golden Jade Heavenly God quickly reformed his body, feeling deeply frustrated. After using the forbidden technique for so long and burning a vast amount of divine matter, how could he not shrink?
"It seems I can't escape today. Then let's fight!"
Golden Jade Heavenly God's eyes turned fierce. Divine Qi and Rule Divine Marks surged wildly from his body. Using his Profound Meaning, he continuously drew the Heaven and Earth Rules from the Real World into the Void World.
A sea of bones enveloped Zhang Ruochen.
Rule Divine Marks, like chains, coiled toward him.
Zhang Ruochen held the Earth Cauldron with both hands, and the cauldron's body shook violently.
"Clang!"
A deep, resonant metallic sound echoed from the cauldron, as if it could reach across past and future, spanning time and space.
The bone sea world collapsed, turning to bone dust.
The world wall also caved in, forming a chaotic spatial fragment region hundreds of thousands of miles long in the real universe. The spatial shockwaves spread further, rippling through the Boundless Forest.
Golden Jade Heavenly God's eyes were filled with terror as he flew backward, his bones disintegrating and scattering.
Too strong!
With the Earth Cauldron in hand, Gong Shang was simply unstoppable.
In the distance, great deities from the Destiny Temple, Fengdu Ghost City, and Yama Heaven Beyond Heaven were closing in, forming an encirclement.
The terror in Golden Jade Heavenly God's eyes vanished, replaced by a fierce, maddened resolve.
Zhang Ruochen pursued halfway but sensed danger. Before he could release his Spiritual Power to suppress Golden Jade Heavenly God's will, it was too late. Who would have thought a Tai Xu Great Deity would be so decisive as to self-destruct his Divine Source?
"Boom!"
In the starry sky, a light a thousand or ten thousand times brighter than a star erupted.
The radiance was so intense it swallowed even the three World Trees.
The cultivators guarding the Boundless Forest briefly lost their sight. Then, all the planets in the forest shook violently, deviating from their orbits.
The great deities who had been pursuing were struck by the devastating storm of divine power and all retreated.
Among them, two Tai Bai Great Deities were injured, divine blood dripping from the corners of their mouths.
A massive black hole appeared in the starry sky. Space collapsed and was destroyed on a large scale, turning all matter to ash.
"Thank goodness we kept our distance. If we'd been any closer, it would have been dangerous!"
"Gong Shang is so ferocious? He chased Golden Jade Heavenly God until he self-destructed his Divine Source."
"Golden Jade Heavenly God's self-destruction was likely to destroy the evidence. That way, no one could prove he was a member of the Quantity Organization."
"Gong Shang is powerful, but in the end, he perished alongside Golden Jade Heavenly God. Who would have thought that after returning a hundred thousand years later, he'd meet such a dismal end... the Earth Cauldron..."
The great deities from various factions who had caught up were secretly relieved. But when they heard the words "Earth Cauldron," they immediately released their divine senses to probe the distant void black hole.
Some of them instinctively took the Divine Spirit Step and rushed forward.
The Earth Cauldron hovered in the void black hole, its body shimmering with light, its patterns mysterious and ancient.
Before they even reached it, some great deities had already begun to clash.
With the Nine Cauldrons in sight, who cared about divine virtue?
Zhang Ruochen leaped out of the cauldron, covered in blood and filth. Looking at the great deities fighting among themselves, he said, "Everyone, stop fighting. I, this deity, am not dead yet!"
"Gong Heavenly Son truly is the favored son of heaven. To survive the core of a Tai Xu Great Deity's self-destruction is remarkable. The Earth Cauldron is indeed a legendary supreme treasure," said a ghost clan great deity, staring at the Earth Cauldron with gleaming eyes.
Zhang Ruochen's expression was strange. So, was this praise for him or for the Earth Cauldron?
Zhang Ruochen retracted the divine blood into his body, healed his injuries, and quickly stowed the Earth Cauldron into his sleeve.
The great deities who arrived later all showed looks of disappointment.
No one dared to forcefully seize it. Not to mention the might of the Gong Heaven and the Underworld Clan, Gong Shang's own cultivation was formidable enough—he had chased Golden Jade Heavenly God until the latter self-destructed his Divine Source.
This was a feat to boast about for a lifetime!
This was a record that could intimidate all Tai Xu Great Deities under heaven!
Great deities from various major powers arrived one after another, exchanging pleasantries and flattery. Among them were several Underworld Clan great deities who claimed to be old acquaintances of Gong Shang, offering to hold a blood feast to welcome him back.
With Gong Shang's status and cultivation, his return after a hundred thousand years was a major event that could reshape the Underworld Clan's power structure.
Zhang Ruochen kept his distance from those "old acquaintances," afraid of being exposed. Suddenly, he snorted coldly: "Before he died, Golden Jade Heavenly God revealed a great secret. I must return to Fengdu Ghost City immediately."
"What secret?" asked an Underworld Clan old acquaintance.
Zhang Ruochen exuded an overbearing aura, his gaze sharp. "It concerns the Quantity Organization."
Without further explanation, Zhang Ruochen transformed into a beam of divine light and flew toward the location of the three World Trees.
The great deities from various factions, knowing that something major was about to happen, immediately followed.
Back in Fengdu Ghost City, Zhang Ruochen met with Hai Shang You Ruo to learn about the aftermath in the Western Ghost Emperor's Mansion. The deities who had turned to bone had been rescued and hadn't perished.
The mysterious powerhouse who had intercepted Yan Ju had yet to reveal himself, remaining deeply hidden.
There was also bad news: Tang Lan had gone missing.
"Missing? Where did she disappear? In the Array Hall? Or was she taken by Golden Jade Heavenly God and perished in his self-destruction?" Zhang Ruochen asked.
Hai Shang You Ruo shook her head. "I'm not sure. The situation was very chaotic at the time."
Zhang Ruochen hadn't sensed Tang Lan's aura on Golden Jade Heavenly God, so she likely wasn't dead. A sense of alertness immediately rose in his heart. "If that mysterious powerhouse who intercepted Yan Ju captured Tang Lan, it must be related to Chi Cha Luo. You and Yan Ju should hurry to the Divine Prison. The Quantity Organization might have other schemes."
"I'm afraid I won't be able to convince him," Hai Shang You Ruo said helplessly.
Zhang Ruochen headed toward the Eastern Ghost Emperor's Mansion, fully embracing his identity as a Heavenly Son. He didn't suppress his divine might. Wherever he passed, cultivators knelt in fear, trembling.
"Greetings, Gong Heavenly Son. I am a minor deity of the Ghost Clan, Wu Sheng."
"Paying respects to Gong Heavenly Son. I am a minor deity of the Underworld Clan, Yun Shang Tuo."
...
By the time Zhang Ruochen arrived outside the Eastern Ghost Emperor's Mansion, besides the great deities from various factions, a crowd of True Gods and False Gods had gathered around him. He truly had the air of a leader like Xuan Yuan Lian in his prime, with all deities paying homage.
Although Fengdu Ghost City was not peaceful, the Eastern Ghost Emperor's Mansion remained lively. Many deities who had come to offer birthday congratulations were still gathered there, refusing to leave. They firmly believed that the sky wouldn't fall.
Some deities had already sensed the commotion outside and came out to greet him.
Zhang Ruochen stomped his foot on the ground, shaking the surrounding city district. He raised his voice: "Xue Changjin, come out and die."
A Shang-rank deity from the Xue Clan walked out of the Ghost Emperor's Mansion and bowed deeply to Zhang Ruochen, showing considerable respect. "Today, many major events have occurred in Fengdu Ghost City. We have received the news and have already formulated various countermeasures. However, today is also my ancestor's seven hundred thousandth birthday. Please, Gong Heavenly Son, grant us this face."
"Bang!"
Zhang Ruochen slapped him, sending the Shang-rank deity's head flying with blood and flesh splattering. His body spun through the air, crashing through a building's wall.
"You want face? Isn't a Quantity Envoy enough face? What are you, to think you're worthy of speaking to me, the Heavenly Son?"
Zhang Ruochen's momentum was overwhelming, carrying the authority of a killer. He intimidated many deities, and no one dared to step forward.
When the great deities heard the words "Quantity Envoy," their expressions changed drastically.
Could it be that the secret Golden Jade Heavenly God had revealed before his death involved Xue Changjin?
The Blazing Sun Heavenly Lord walked out of the Ghost Emperor's Mansion, trying to ease the tension. He cupped his hands and smiled: "I am the Heavenly Lord of the Blazing Sun Clan, paying respects to Gong Heavenly Son. Since today is Elder Xue's birthday, could you grant me this face? Whatever the matter, let's discuss it after today."
(Chapter End)