# Chapter 3271: Serving Feng Tian with One's Body
The massive creature resembling water plants lay horizontally in the Void World, motionless, not attacking Yuqing or Qiangu Nüdi, as if refining the Shide Divine King it had swallowed into its body.
Lightning light flickered within its body from time to time, emitting deep, rumbling sounds.
Clearly, refining a Divine King was no easy task; the Shide Divine King was still struggling against it.
Zhang Ruochen saw that Yuqing and Qiangu Nüdi both had expectant looks in their eyes, as if waiting to hear some big gossip, and couldn't help but feel embarrassed. He said, "It's not what you imagine. This matter is a long story. The important thing is to leave here quickly."
"What about you?" Qiangu Nüdi asked.
Zhang Ruochen pondered for a moment, then said, "I have to stay."
Yuqing's eyes burned with intensity, deeply moved inwardly. He said, "Ruochen, are you staying to serve the demon with your body?"
"Serve Feng Tian?" Qiangu Nüdi said.
"..."
Zhang Ruochen was speechless for a long time before being forced to explain, "Feng Tian acts decisively. If I leave, she will definitely destroy the Hundred Clans Royal City and Xinghuantian."
Yuqing sighed deeply. "Ruochen, the Patriarch didn't misjudge you. To protect the living beings of one side, you dare to sacrifice your small self. This is great righteousness, fearless with great responsibility."
"Feng Caiyi's killing intent is too heavy. Now that the Infinite have marched north, almost no one can restrain her. If you can serve the demon with your body and temporarily contain her, it will be enough to save many lives."
"If you can guide her toward goodness and seal away her killing intent, that would be an immeasurable merit."
Zhang Ruochen felt there was a misunderstanding here. Patriarch Yuqing was encouraging him to become the man of a Heavenly Lord?
The misunderstanding was too great!
Could reforming a Heavenly Lord be something even the Buddha could accomplish?
Not only did it overestimate his charm, but it also underestimated Feng Tian's will.
Qiangu Nüdi's figure was ethereal, her tone serious. "To gain the favor of a Heavenly Lord is also a kind of strength in itself. If you can change Feng Tian through this, the Hundred Clans Royal City, Xinghuantian, including the Sword Realm and the Heavenly Court, will all owe you a great debt. Although it's a grievance for you, we can compensate you in other ways."
Hearing the word "compensation," Zhang Ruochen very much wanted to just admit it and then ask the Nüdi for the Time Source Pearl and borrow Time Esoterica. But in the end, he still had principles. He was unwilling to deceive the people he trusted for immediate gain.
Trust was mutual. Once lost, it could never be picked up again.
With no time to explain further, Zhang Ruochen said, "Patriarch, Nüdi, you should leave quickly. Don't leave any traces behind. Don't worry about me; I have the confidence to protect myself."
Patriarch Yuqing only transmitted a few words of advice to Zhang Ruochen before smiling and leaving, not worried about his safety at all.
What a joke. Feng Caiyi had abandoned the entire Heavenly Court to come save him. How could she possibly harm him?
The four Taixu old Daoists from the Heavenly Beginning Civilization flew out from the Sundial and disappeared into the Void World.
In the end, Zhang Ruochen did bring up the matter of borrowing Time Esoterica to the Nüdi, directly under the pretext of cultivation.
The Nüdi was heroic and spirited. She extended her jade-bright right index finger, the tip touching Zhang Ruochen's brow, and gave him one-tenth of her Time Esoterica.
It wasn't a loan; it was a gift.
In the void, Time Imprint light specks filled the air. Qiangu Nüdi was transcendent like an immortal, stepping across a sea of light as she departed, reciting, "River of Time, Xumi Temple. Sixth Patriarch's Golden Body, planting causes to reap results."
Zhang Ruochen watched her gradually disappearing, exquisite figure, revealing a hint of a smile.
It was very clear now. Qiangu Nüdi already knew that the person who helped her seize the Time Source Pearl and Time Esoterica back in the Xumi Temple was him.
"Zhang Ruochen, the Time Source Pearl!"
Xiuchen Heavenly God's furious voice came from within the Sundial.
"Don't rush."
Zhang Ruochen closed his eyes, released the Taiji Yin-Yang Diagram, and carefully experienced the Time Esoterica.
How could Xiuchen Heavenly God not be anxious? Hadn't she seen that Zhang Ruochen only borrowed Time Esoterica, and Qiangu Nüdi directly gave him one-tenth? There was no need to think about it—this pretty boy definitely had something going on with Qiangu Nüdi.
Getting the Time Source Pearl back for her would be as easy as saying a word.
It was truly infuriating. What was wrong with the women of this world? Did Zhang Ruochen's cultivated First-rank Divine Path possess some special ability?
Could it make a heartless woman fall in love at first sight?
Could it break through the state of mind of a Heavenly Lord who had cultivated the Path of Death for a million years?
Xiuchen Heavenly God didn't flare up. She restrained her anger and said weakly, "This time, I'm hurt badly. The Shide Divine King's lightning can refine and kill artifact spirits. I feel like my divine soul is about to dissipate."
Zhang Ruochen was inwardly surprised. Was Xiuchen Heavenly God actually learning to play the sympathy card?
Xiuchen Heavenly God's voice came from the Sundial again, gentle yet tinged with pain: "I have been proud and aloof all my life, almost never asking anyone for anything. Zhang Ruochen, you have never trusted me, which is why you deliberately suppressed my cultivation. I know this. But this time, I'm afraid I really can't hold on. What is a mere remnant soul, to withstand injury after injury?"
Zhang Ruochen sighed emotionally. "It's not that I don't want to help you. Think about it—how precious are Time Esoterica and the Time Source Pearl? Being able to borrow one-tenth is already difficult enough. If I also ask for the Time Source Pearl, do you think my face is that valuable?"
"The Time Esoterica was a gift from her," Xiuchen Heavenly God reminded him.
Zhang Ruochen said, "This is where you don't understand human relationships. One-tenth of Time Esoterica, given away just like that? That's just polite talk! Who is her grandfather? Tai Shang himself. Would I dare not return the Time Esoterica?"
Zhang Ruochen was certain that Xiuchen Heavenly God had no idea what had happened back in the Xumi Temple, which was why he said this to shut her up.
In truth, Zhang Ruochen hadn't asked for the Time Source Pearl earlier because he didn't want to be greedy and leave a bad impression with Qiangu Nüdi.
Perhaps because of the karmic connection from back then, the Nüdi might give him the Time Source Pearl.
But if he got the Time Source Pearl, he would inevitably lose the friendship he had built with Qiangu Nüdi.
Zhang Ruochen had helped Qiangu Nüdi rescue Tai Shang, and she had helped him kill Feng Hou. Zhang Ruochen had covered her retreat in the Xumi Temple, blocking the pursuers. Today, she had gifted him Time Esoterica.
These exchanges of mutual help, transforming from transactions into friendship, were hard-won.
If he turned the friendship back into a transaction, they would inevitably become strangers in the future.
Zhang Ruochen sighed. "I'm just too soft-hearted, especially when a woman is in trouble. I can't help but want to help her. Take this Divine Soul Divine Pill and consume it! As for the Time Source Pearl, I'll find a way later."
"Swoosh!"
Xiuchen Heavenly God manifested above the Sundial, very much wanting to take that Divine Pill.
But if she took the Divine Pill, wouldn't that be admitting she was a woman?
"I knew you had misunderstandings and resentment toward me, and I also knew you had your own pride. Fine, I'm also badly injured. I'll swallow this Divine Soul Divine Pill myself!" Zhang Ruochen said.
"Give it to me!"
Xiuchen Heavenly God floated over, snatched the Divine Soul Divine Pill, and put it into her mouth.
Powerful divine soul radiance bloomed from her body.
Zhang Ruochen smiled slightly, then pulled out another Divine Soul Divine Pill, stood in the void, and began to refine it, healing his injuries.
From the Quantity God Hall to the Dark Great Triangle Star Domain, Zhang Ruochen's physical body, divine soul, and spirit had been successively wounded. His lifespan and blood qi had been burned in large quantities. No matter how strong his recovery ability, the injuries were still difficult to heal.
Even after swallowing a large number of divine pills, he was still very weak.
If he didn't recuperate, he feared it would damage his foundation and origin.
Under the Sundial, Zhang Ruochen spent a great deal of time refining the Divine King lightning that had invaded his body. After his injuries stabilized, he began to think.
The recent events were each more significant than the last.
The Quantity Organization was like a ghost in the night. Although many had been rooted out, it had also caused turmoil everywhere.
The Thunder Clan had reemerged after a million years. No one knew how powerful they were now. Were they connected to the Quantity Organization?
Zhang Ruochen picked up the Black Water Divine Staff in his hand.
This staff was one of the five great divine staves of the God-Defying Clan. Why had it been in the hands of Lei Suling?
Could it be that the destruction of the God-Defying Clan a hundred thousand years ago had the Thunder Clan's involvement behind it?
Of course, what worried Zhang Ruochen the most was the Starry Sky Defense Line.
From what Lei Zu had said, Feng Tian and Bian Zhuang War God had already erupted in divine battle at the Starry Sky Defense Line. Had the defense line been breached? Where would the Heavenly Court, Hell Realm, Xinghuantian, and those forces lurking in the shadows, ready to stir, head in the future?
And what could he do in this great era?
Zhang Ruochen's sense of urgency to improve his cultivation grew stronger and stronger. No matter what, he had to condense the Third Image as soon as possible, then go on to charge toward the Four Images Perfection. Only then could he seize a trace of initiative in this turbulent era.
The advice Patriarch Yuqing had given him when leaving had provided him with a path.
Perhaps... it could work!
Zhang Ruochen ignored that water-plant creature, took out the Earth Cauldron, and walked into the Void World.
Calling it the Void World, it wasn't really void.
This place was filled with all kinds of chaotic and powerful divine power: Lei Suling's spiritual power mist, the lightning left by Lei Zu, the Death Qi and Phoenix Divine Fire left by Feng Tian.
These divine powers were too strong. Even the Void World couldn't completely void them in a hundred thousand years.
For Saint Realm cultivators, even for Heaven-Replenishing Realm gods, this place was like a forbidden zone. Once they broke in, they would likely be pierced by a single bolt of lightning left by Lei Zu, or refined into ashes by the Phoenix Divine Fire.
But Zhang Ruochen regarded this place as a treasure trove. He walked into the center of the chaotic divine power, activated the Earth Cauldron, raised it above his head, and chanted, "Collect!"
A vortex appeared above the Earth Cauldron, continuously absorbing the various divine powers from the Void World.
In an instant, hundreds of millions of miles of void were collected into the cauldron by Zhang Ruochen.
A large amount of Origin Divine Light appeared around the Earth Cauldron. The various divine power energies inside the cauldron rapidly condensed, turning into crystalline stones of different attributes.
Some were mountain-sized divine crystals, filled with fierce lightning, emitting ear-splitting thunder.
Some were refined from spiritual power mist, both like pills and like crystals, shrouded in mist. For spiritual power cultivators, they could be called rare treasures.
There were pills refined from divine soul fragments, glowing brightly, twinkling like stars.
...
Xiuchen Heavenly God silently floated behind Zhang Ruochen, a strange light flowing in her eyes. She realized that Zhang Ruochen's claim that he would help her restore her divine soul was not an exaggeration.
With a treasure like the Earth Cauldron, a single refinement produced a cauldron full of heavenly wonders.
Not to mention restoring to the Infinite level, even restoring to the peak state of a hundred thousand years ago was entirely possible.
"Zhang Ruochen, possessing a treasure is a crime. Even if Feng Caiyi has some feelings for you, she will definitely take your Earth Cauldron. I know her too well. At most, she just wants to possess you, to have you, not that she's truly fallen for you!"
Xiuchen Heavenly God had been led astray by Yuqing, also thinking that Zhang Ruochen and Feng Tian had an unusual relationship, which was why she sighed like this.
Suddenly feeling a chill, Xiuchen Heavenly God turned her head and saw that, at some point, Feng Caiyi had returned. Her long dress swayed, her veil fluttered, and her eyes were very calm, but a cold aura swept through Xiuchen Heavenly God's entire body.
...
Another chapter coming soon.