Chapter 3236: Lesser Yin Reaches Great Perfection
Watching Zhang Ruochen's aura grow stronger and stronger, Hai Shang Youyou extinguished the last trace of thought of fighting him.
His cultivation had improved again—how could she still fight him?
If they truly fought, she would definitely be humiliated by him, and he would surely take the opportunity to retaliate.
She wouldn't give him that chance!
Hai Shang Youyou flew out of the spiritual power field constructed by Huang Huang and Xue Mu, intercepting the pursuing gods of the Hell Realm who had caught up.
The battle between Zhang Ruochen and Xue Changjin had alarmed quite a few Hell Realm deities, but because they were too far away, they weren't clear on exactly what had happened.
Moreover, Xue Changjin had never managed to escape Zhang Ruochen's Taiji Cloud Diagram, so his aura hadn't leaked out.
Bore walked out and asked, "Great God Hai Shang, how goes the battle?"
Hai Shang Youyou was as cold and pure as jade, icy as a mountain, saying, "Xue Ying has been suppressed."
There weren't that many iceberg beauties in the world. If you thought she was cold and emotionless, it was only because you weren't familiar enough with her. Or perhaps you simply weren't qualified to see her when she wasn't cold.
Just like the gods before her—in their eyes, Hai Shang Youyou's might was formidable, a lofty main god of the Destiny Temple, her young girl-like face both stunning and chilling.
She was absolutely a woman without any emotion, as cold as a sharp sword!
Blazing Sun Heavenly Lord said, "Xue Ying? But this Heavenly Lord sensed the battle fluctuations of a Tai Xu peak-level, and not just an ordinary Tai Xu peak."
Hai Shang Youyou said, "Xue Ying had been hiding his cultivation all along. His true strength isn't much less than Xue Changjin's. In Fengdu Ghost City, everyone was fooled by him!"
Although Blazing Sun Heavenly Lord had doubts, he didn't ask further.
Since Hai Shang Youyou had said so, continuing to question would undoubtedly offend her.
"Xue Ying has a big problem; he might be a spy planted by the Heavenly Court into the Hell Realm," Hai Shang Youyou added. "Everyone understands that for the Heavenly Court to plant spies, the Shura Clan and Ghost Clan are the easiest. But lurking in the Shura Clan is easily exposed, while hiding in the Ghost Clan is much safer."
"Many Heavenly Court deities willingly abandon their physical bodies, using their divine souls to cultivate the ghost path, allowing them to easily infiltrate the Ghost Clan. Over the past hundred thousand years, the Ghost Clan has been deeply penetrated!"
"You don't need to worry about matters here. Everyone, hurry back to Fengdu Ghost City and be careful that the Quantity Organization and the Heavenly Court don't take this opportunity to create more chaos."
The gods left one after another, with only Bore remaining.
Hai Shang Youyou knew that Bore and Zhang Ruochen had a very close relationship, so she didn't drive her away. But inwardly, she sighed—Bore was undoubtedly the most outstanding proud daughter of heaven in this era of the Destiny Temple, yet knowing that Zhang Ruochen had married Wu Yue, was betrothed to Bai Qinger and Luo Sha, and had countless confidantes on the Heavenly Court side, she still sank into it.
As a senior of the Destiny Temple, Hai Shang Youyou felt it was necessary to advise her.
She said, "You and Zhang Ruochen will never have a result. If he truly cared about you, he would have gone to propose to Nutian Shenzun long ago and taken you to Xinghuantian. Don't be foolish. For a woman, rather than placing her feelings on such a romantic and unrestrained man, it's better to entrust them to the Heavenly Dao and pursue supreme power."
Bore didn't understand why Hai Shang Youyou had suddenly said such a thing. She said calmly, "He once wanted to take me away, but I refused."
Hai Shang Youyou was puzzled. "Why?"
"Ask, and you ask again. Why do you have so many questions?"
Zhang Ruochen came face to face, looking at Hai Shang Youyou with somewhat unfriendly eyes. He walked up to Bore, took her soft little hands, and said, "Don't listen to her nonsense. Cultivation is important, but you can't lose your emotions. Once the Boundless Ones return from the Northern Expedition and the situation stabilizes, I will definitely go to Nutian Shenzun to propose."
Bore's eyes grew misty. The words "propose" made her think of many things, recalling countless memories of Huang Yanchen.
She had abandoned all her past lives and entered the Destiny Temple to cultivate, all because of the scenes she had seen in the Pool of Fate. Knowing that what happened in those scenes was determined by fate.
To know more, she could only cultivate fate.
To change what happened in those scenes, she could only cultivate fate.
She didn't know if doing this had any meaning, but she had to do it. She couldn't just sit and wait, could she?
Even if fate was already predetermined, she had to have the determination to fight it, right?
That was the answer she hadn't given when Hai Shang Youyou asked.
She hadn't listened to Zhang Ruochen and left the Destiny Temple because she had to cultivate fate in order to change it. That was the meaning of her life and cultivation.
But hearing Zhang Ruochen say he would go to Nutian Shenzun to propose, her conviction still wavered.
No one was willing to only give without seeking anything in return. She also longed to gain something, to be closer to happiness.
Soon, she steadied her mind again and remained silent.
Seeing her eyes quickly return to calm and depth, Zhang Ruochen already knew her choice. For some reason, he felt very guilty and pained.
He gently placed his hand on her head and pulled her into his embrace.
The warm atmosphere was broken by Hai Shang Youyou. She said, "Now is not the time for romance. The members of the Quantity Organization who caused the chaos in Fengdu Ghost City haven't all been wiped out yet."
Zhang Ruochen found her somewhat annoying. Without letting go of Bore, he said, "You said it yourself—on Jue Miao Chan Nu's side, we can't help. Don't cause trouble here. Go do what you need to do."
Hai Shang Youyou gritted her teeth in anger. "I'm talking about Yan Ju! Do you still remember that mysterious strongman who intercepted Yan Ju at the Western Ghost Emperor's Mansion and helped Jin Jue Heavenly God escape? It was him who captured Tang Lan and killed her in the Divine Prison."
"By the time Yan Ju and I arrived, we were still too late. But Yan Ju has already chased after him. That person won't escape."
Seeing her chattering endlessly, Zhang Ruochen finally lost patience. "Have you never had a man?"
Hai Shang Youyou's expression darkened.
Zhang Ruochen was a bit surprised. "No way? You've cultivated for so many years and never married or liked someone? Never fallen in love? Never experienced the seven emotions and six desires? No wonder you're so clueless about human affairs. Feng Tian and Xu Tian probably never taught you either. When others are being affectionate, you should know to withdraw."
Bore gently pushed Zhang Ruochen away, feeling he was deliberately provoking Hai Shang Youyou. That wasn't good, after all, Hai Shang Youyou had immense backing and was destined to become a palace master of the Destiny Temple in the future.
"Let's handle the business first!" Bore gave Zhang Ruochen a cold look, thinking he was going too far.
"This old senior of your Destiny Temple was far more excessive than me. Earlier, she even fooled me, saying you told her about my secrets in Fengdu Ghost City."
Seeing that Bore didn't seem to care, Zhang Ruochen didn't dwell on it and said seriously, "The mysterious strongman you mentioned is Mo Luo Ancient God."
Hai Shang Youyou knew Zhang Ruochen must be holding a grudge, which was why he was targeting and mocking her at every turn. But she had already calmed down. "Did you get that answer by searching Xue Changjin's soul?"
Zhang Ruochen nodded. "This old fellow had a strong divine soul and burned many of his soul thoughts and memories, but I sealed off the part about Mo Luo Ancient God. Unfortunately, I couldn't find the answer I most wanted to know."
Zhang Ruochen took out a mass of soul light, holding it in his palm. "Since Mo Luo Ancient God is a deity of the Rakshasa Clan, the Rakshasa Clan should clean up their own mess. Send this soul light of Xue Changjin's to the Tian Luo Divine Kingdom!"
Hai Shang Youyou caught the flying soul light and asked in confusion, "Although the Tian Luo Divine Kingdom is the first divine kingdom of the Rakshasa Clan, Mo Luo Ancient God is after all a deity of the Di Shang Divine Kingdom. Wouldn't it be better to send the soul light to the Di Shang Divine Kingdom?"
Zhang Ruochen asked, "Should we hand it over to the Judgment Department of your Destiny Temple instead?"
Could they not talk properly anymore?
Was it never going to end?
Fine, next time I won't deceive you, alright?
Seeing Hai Shang Youyou's cheeks puffed up in anger like an enraged hen, Zhang Ruochen spoke earnestly again, "Does the Di Shang Divine Kingdom have a deity capable of dealing with Mo Luo Ancient God? Letting them act would just cause more trouble."
"What you say makes some sense. I'll go handle it." Hai Shang Youyou said.
Zhang Ruochen said, "Give me Xue Ying."
"No, Xue Ying is after all a great god of Fengdu Ghost City. Many deities know he fell into our hands, so he must be taken back to Fengdu Ghost City for judgment. You have no use for him; he knows very little."
Hai Shang Youyou took a divine step and immediately left, walking very quickly, as if afraid of something.
Zhang Ruochen said, "We haven't fought yet. Isn't this you avoiding the battle out of guilt? How about you just admit defeat?"
"Another day! When that time comes, I'll definitely show you my power." Hai Shang Youyou left this harsh remark and disappeared into the starry sky.
"Then another day it is."
Zhang Ruochen shook his head and smiled.
"Greetings, Young Lord. Greetings, Miss Bore."
Xue Mu and Huang Huang flew over, both bowing to Zhang Ruochen.
Xue Mu took out a divine hall, holding it in both hands. "This is the divine hall Xue Changjin built on Wu Yun Realm. Inside, there are massive amounts of cultivation resources and divine stones. Please inspect them, Young Lord."
Huang Huang took out seven divine halls, holding them in the void. "These are the divine halls of the other seven deities of Wu Yun Realm. The Xue clan deity Xue Qingling, who was left behind in Wu Yun Realm, has been suppressed in Qing Ling Hall!"
Zhang Ruochen put away the eight divine halls and probed them with his divine thoughts. "What about the living beings inside Wu Yun Realm?"
"According to the Young Lord's instructions, they have all been taken into our divine realm worlds." Xue Mu smiled.
To nurture living souls, one naturally had to raise them within living beings.
Zhang Ruochen nodded. "The wealth and resources of Wu Yun Realm are astonishing. You've already looted them clean, haven't you?"
Huang Huang and Xue Mu were terrified and were about to take out those wealth and resources from their divine realm worlds.
"No need. Keep them for yourselves. After all, you took risks this time and deserve a share of the reward. The prerequisite for following me is not to cross my bottom line. But what is rightfully yours, I will never be stingy with." Zhang Ruochen said.
"Thank you, Young Lord."
The two deities quickly bowed.
Xue Mu said with a pleased smile, "Having lived to our age, how could we not know the Young Lord's bottom line? Like this time, although we were to destroy Wu Yun Realm, we couldn't harm the innocent living beings within. We understand."
"Don't be too clever. If I find out you've deceived me anywhere or paid lip service, don't blame me for being ruthless."
Zhang Ruochen looked at Bore. "I have several important matters to attend to next, very dangerous. Why don't you return to the Destiny Temple first?"
Bore knew the gap in cultivation between herself and Zhang Ruochen. If he thought something was dangerous, she certainly couldn't help and didn't need to force her way in.
"Be careful. Keep this talisman on you, just in case."
She took out a talisman and placed it in Zhang Ruochen's hand.
"This is... a Divine King Talisman..."
Zhang Ruochen looked at the Divine King Talisman in his hand. There were several cracks on it, clearly already used. It could probably be used once or twice more.
But this was already the most precious thing she could offer.
Bore said, "It's a Divine King Talisman condensed by Wolf Ancestor. I hope it can be of use to you."
Zhang Ruochen felt a warm current flow through his heart. Without refusing, he put away the Divine King Talisman. Then, from his sleeve, he took out two divine talismans and handed them to her.
"These two divine talismans were refined by me. They're not as good as the Divine King Talisman, but if you encounter Tai Yi or Tai Bai Great Gods, they can save your life and help you escape."
After thinking for a moment, Zhang Ruochen took out several divine pills and handed them to her.
Huang Huang and Xue Mu saw this, their eyes showing a strange light. It seemed the Young Lord had deep feelings for Bore.
Since that was the case, they would have to put some effort into Bore in the future.
Huang Huang immediately volunteered, "Young Lord, the situation in the Hell Realm is still turbulent. Let me escort Miss Bore back to the Destiny Temple."
"Go ahead."
After Huang Huang and Bore left, Zhang Ruochen and Xue Mu immediately set off, intending to go directly after Jue Miao Chan Nu. But halfway there, they sensed a powerful collision of divine power.
Zhang Ruochen gazed into the starry sky. In a nebula near the Santu River, he saw a nine-colored light spot burst out, and a blade light split the nebula like a Ganges River.
It was quite shocking, the divine power fluctuations piercing through the nebula and breaking a tributary of the Santu River.
"How is this possible? It's Xuanyuan Lian's aura. How did he come to the Hell Realm, and he's already fighting Hun Qi?" Xue Mu exclaimed in shock.
"Let's go take a look."
After thinking, Zhang Ruochen shook his head again. "Forget it. Those two fighting won't result in life or death. Barring accidents, Xuanyuan Lian will retreat soon. Let's go to Chan Nu's side instead."
On the way to find Jue Miao Chan Nu, Zhang Ruochen encountered wave after wave of Hell Realm deities rushing toward the direction where Xuanyuan Lian and Hun Qi were fighting.
Clearly, the entire Hell Realm was in an uproar. The leader of the Heavenly Court, the son of the Heavenly Venerable, had actually come to the Hell Realm—how arrogant! If they didn't leave him behind, wouldn't the Heavenly Court think the Hell Realm was a place they could come and go as they pleased?
Zhang Ruochen was quite speechless, suspecting that Chi Cha Luo really was a spy for the Heavenly Court.
Because in the end, Hun Qi had chased after Chi Cha Luo and left.
Zhang Ruochen even suspected that Xuanyuan Lian had been in Fengdu Ghost City earlier. The chaos in Fengdu Ghost City definitely had a share from the Heavenly Court. This guy had considerable courage, daring to break into the most heavily guarded divine city of the Hell Realm alone.
Compared to the heart-stirring battle between Xuanyuan Lian and Hun Qi that shook the universe, Jue Miao Chan Nu's side of the magical contest was extremely eerie. The entire starry sky was eerily quiet, with no figures visible.
Zhang Ruochen had kept a wisp of pure Buddhist qi from Jue Miao Chan Nu in advance and used it to find this place, certain she was in the nearby star domain.
...
Today's two chapters total over seven thousand words. Continuing tomorrow. Later, I'll find time to code live-streaming again—it's more efficient that way.