Chapter 3296: The Tree Desires Stillness, but the Wind Never Ceases
Zhang Ruochen’s expression improved slightly. “Since it’s a misunderstanding, it’s fine as long as it’s cleared up! The gods of the Darkness Temple are all excellent, and Red Abyss Ghost Lord is an especially rare sensible person. Once they were all persuaded, they were willing to follow this Realm Venerable.”
Zhenyun Great God’s face instantly turned ugly.
All of them had defected?
At that time, the true gods stationed at the Great Heart Ape Ancestor Realm numbered six, with false god divine generals totaling over ten, and Saint realm cultivators beyond count.
This was a massive force, capable of establishing a powerful realm that would not lose to the top five hundred of the Heavenly Court’s myriad realms.
With Red Abyss Ghost Lord as the leading figure, combined with the identity of Wu Yue’s husband, subduing the gods of the Darkness Temple had not required much effort.
Zhang Ruochen looked at the pursuing Source Heaven Monarch. “Source Heaven, you’ve arrived just in time. Quickly take Zhenyun Great God to Xinghuantian. This is a distinguished guest of this Realm Venerable, and he must not be slighted.”
Source Heaven Monarch was stunned for a moment, then transmitted, “The true body?”
Zhang Ruochen scolded, “Of course it’s the true body! With this Realm Venerable’s relationship with the Darkness Temple, could Zhenyun Great God possibly worry about encountering misfortune in Xinghuantian?”
Zhenyun Great God’s heart pounded violently, caught in a dilemma.
If all the gods of the Darkness Temple had submitted to Zhang Ruochen, was it still necessary for him to go to Xinghuantian?
If he entered, would he still be able to come out?
Zhang Ruochen’s eyes held a smile, fixed on Zhenyun Great God, then gradually turned cold, as if he was about to say, “Are you not giving this Realm Venerable face?”
Zhenyun Great God knew the gravity of the situation and could only steel himself, allowing his true body to follow Source Heaven Monarch to Xinghuantian.
In the void, the atmosphere grew increasingly tense.
Especially Zhang Ruochen, who bore a heavy hostility toward the gods of the Hell Realm, showing no intention of negotiating, ready at any moment to use the Thousand Star Xinghuantian Formation to annihilate the Hell Realm gods.
Cang Jue, Yu Yao, and Chi Yao appeared one after another, each hovering above a sixth-level great star.
Kong Can Great God quickly said, “Realm Venerable Ruochen, please remain calm. There are no absolute enemies in this world. If both sides fight to the death, it will surely be mutual destruction, ultimately benefiting the Heavenly Court. Only by shaking hands and making peace is the way to mutual gain.”
“The Death Clan is willing to return all the captured Hundred Clans beings from these years, in exchange for the Realm Venerable’s prisoners. At the same time, the Death Clan will withdraw their army and will not set foot in the star domain of the Hundred Clans Royal City for an entire eon.”
Zhang Ruochen said, “Do you Death Clan think it’s that easy? Is this a peace negotiation? And you still want prisoners? Let me tell you plainly, withdrawing the army and returning all the captured Hundred Clans beings are only the most basic conditions.”
“Miss Han, calculate carefully how many wealth and resources the Hell Realm has plundered from this star domain over the years. They must return all of it. For destroying one realm, how many divine stones must they compensate? For slaughtering one clan, how much more?”
“Only after the compensation is delivered will they have the qualification to negotiate.”
Yu Ling Shen smiled seductively. “Good, this god will certainly calculate carefully!”
Yanyang Heavenly Lord, who had never approved of the peace talks, could no longer hold back and angrily said, “Zhang Ruochen, are you dreaming? This Heavenly Lord absolutely does not believe you dare to completely break with the Hell Realm. If it truly comes to that, you, Zhang Ruochen, including Xinghuantian and the Hundred Clans Royal City, will all turn into bloody sand grains in the universe. You don’t really think the Hell Realm is afraid of you, do you?”
“Throughout the entire Hell Realm, you, Yanyang Heavenly Lord, have the most guts. Fine, you don’t believe it, right?”
Zhang Ruochen’s gaze swept over the Hell Realm gods. “This Realm Venerable’s conditions are already quite fair. I haven’t even demanded blood for blood, so don’t be ungrateful.”
“Take your time to consider. This Realm Venerable will execute one god each day until you’ve thought it through clearly.”
“By the time all the gods are killed, there will be no point in peace talks. Then, this Realm Venerable will personally act to reclaim everything the Hundred Clans Royal City has lost.”
“Shua!”
Zhang Ruochen and Yu Ling Shen transformed into two streaks of light, flying back to Xinghuantian.
Entering the Divine Maiden Tower of the World, Zhang Ruochen immediately instructed Yu Qiancheng, “Quietly spread the news that the Heavenly Court’s envoy delegation has already arrived.”
Yu Ling Shen quickly followed Zhang Ruochen. “The Hundred Clans Royal City…”
“Let’s not discuss the internal matters of the Hundred Clans Royal City for now. No major trouble will happen there for the time being,” Zhang Ruochen said.
Yu Ling Shen said, “Do you really intend to make the Hell Realm pay compensation? If this is calculated, it will surely be a number that even a God Venerable cannot afford! The Hell Realm will never agree.”
“They must agree, even if they don’t want to. They want to use a delaying tactic to temporarily stabilize me, even to make me deal with the Heavenly Court, so they must pay the price. We need these resources to rapidly increase our strength!” Zhang Ruochen said.
Yu Ling Shen showed a strange expression. “Deal with the Heavenly Court?”
Chi Yao caught up, sensing Zhang Ruochen’s urgency, and asked, “What happened?”
Yu Yao and Cang Jue walked alongside her.
Zhang Ruochen had already sent out a message, a hint of worry on his brow. “Wait until the Empress arrives, and I’ll speak of it together.”
Moments later, Qiangu Nüdi and four Taixu ancient gods from the Heavenly Beginning Civilization arrived.
At the same time, a false god from the Goddess Twelve Pavilions presented a secret letter divine talisman into Zhang Ruochen’s hands.
After reading the secret letter, Zhang Ruochen’s expression grew even heavier. “Earlier, outside the heavens, Kong Can Great God transmitted to me that Xuan Yi is indeed not dead, and not long ago, he erupted into a divine battle with Huang Tian Great God. The location of the battle was in a stretch of starry sky near the Kunlun Realm.”
Yu Yao immediately said, “Could it be a scheme of the Hell Realm, deliberately trying to lure us to aid Huang Tian? Otherwise, why mention both Huang Tian and the Kunlun Realm at the same time? The person and the location are too sensitive, forcing us to rush there.”
Zhang Ruochen sent the secret letter divine talisman out, handing it to her. “This is the latest intelligence gathered by the Goddess Twelve Pavilions. Outside the Kunlun Realm, an extraordinary divine battle has indeed erupted, possibly even reaching the Boundless level. In the current world, only Huang Tian Great God and Xuan Yi possess such strength!”
Chi Yao said, “For such a major event, the Heavenly Court should have more precise information. But the envoy delegation said nothing at all. The more they conceal it, the more it proves this matter is true.”
Zhang Ruochen nodded. “I think so too.”
“I will return to the Kunlun Realm. The rest of you should not move.”
Qiangu Nüdi looked at Zhang Ruochen and continued, “I take issue with what you said earlier. What do you mean only the two of them have such strength? Xuan Yi is rated by the ‘Treatise on Great Gods’ as the number one below the Boundless, and Huang Tian is also touted by many cultivators as the number one among great gods. I want to contend for that number one position too!”
“I will go as well!” Yu Yao said.
Qiangu Nüdi carefully examined Yu Yao, clearly questioning her strength.
Zhang Ruochen said, “Empress, it would be good for Divine Teacher Yu Yao to accompany you, lest Huang Tian Great God ends up fighting with you first. Xuan Yi is very fearsome, Empress, you must not underestimate him.”
“I have long experienced his fearsomeness,” Qiangu Nüdi said, her gaze deep, clearly never having underestimated Xuan Yi.
Chi Yao also wanted to return to the Kunlun Realm, but Zhang Ruochen stopped her.
After Qiangu Nüdi and Yu Yao left, Chi Yao asked, “Is there something else?”
“How did you know there was something else?” Zhang Ruochen asked.
Chi Yao said, “If there weren’t something important, why would you have kept me here? Xuan Yi’s cultivation is formidable. Under normal circumstances, not only I, but even you should have set off immediately, rather than sending only the Empress and Divine Teacher Yu Yao to provide support.”
Zhang Ruochen looked toward the starry sky where the Heavenly Court lay. “Earlier, outside the heavens, Qianzu Great God told me that the Fengdu Ghost City has secret intelligence. The breach of the second starry sky defense line was not solely the achievement of Jia Tianxia alone; there were also traces of the Space Divine Temple’s Grand Elder. That Grand Elder is very likely a member of the Quantity Organization.”
Chi Yao said, “The Hell Realm is sparing no effort to divert the trouble, wanting you to deal with the Heavenly Court. At the same time, they are trying to disrupt us, worried that we will continue attacking the Hell Realm army.”
“This matter has nothing to do with us. If the Fengdu Ghost City truly wants to deal with the Quantity Organization, they can directly leak the identity of the Space Divine Temple’s Grand Elder, and Xuan Yuan Lian will naturally act personally.”
Zhang Ruochen shook his head. “It’s useless. The Hell Realm has used this tactic many times to disrupt the Heavenly Court. A strong wind blowing once is shocking. But when it blows every day, people become accustomed to it. This is no longer an era where simply calling someone a member of the Quantity Organization can bring them down; evidence is necessary.”
Chi Yao said, “Do you think Qianzu Great God’s words are trustworthy?”
“It’s a secret letter from Hun Qi, detailing the entire process and sworn by the reputation of Fengdu Dadi. Hun Qi does have his schemes, but he wouldn’t use a lie to deceive me—it’s too low-level and would offend me to death,” Zhang Ruochen said.
Chi Yao said, “Send a message to Xuan Yuan Lian. Your words should carry weight with him. Or reveal it to the Heavenly Court envoy delegation and let them inform Xuan Yuan Lian.”
Zhang Ruochen shook his head. “Can Xuan Yuan Lian leave the second starry sky defense line now? Besides, the situation is very critical now. Hun Qi said that the Space Divine Temple’s Grand Elder and Jia Tianxia have gone to the Paradise Realm, likely on a secret order from Xuan Yi to kill Chi Xingtian, who is under Xuan Yuan Lian’s protection. At the same time, they might take the opportunity to take away Princess Shen Yao, or even kill her along with him!”
Chi Yao fell into thought. “Hun Qi is scheming well, forcing you to go to the Paradise Realm.”
“But this possibility is very high! With Xuan Yi’s identity as a member of the Quantity Organization exposed, he can no longer return to the Paradise Realm, but he absolutely cannot allow Chi Xingtian and Princess Shen Yao, these two formidable enemies, to escape captivity alive,” Zhang Ruochen said.
Chi Yao said, “This matter has nothing to do with you. Chi Xingtian and Princess Shen Yao are gods of the Kunlun Realm. I will go. If you worry that my cultivation is insufficient, I can invite several ancient gods from the Divine Ancient Nest to accompany me.”
Zhang Ruochen grabbed Chi Yao’s wrist, paused for a moment, and came up with a reason. “The gods of the Divine Ancient Nest cannot go to the Paradise Realm; it would harm them. This matter should not involve them either.”
Chi Yao lowered her head in thought. “What you say makes sense; I was careless. But now, Xinghuantian is in a critical moment and cannot do without you.”
Zhang Ruochen smiled. “It can do without me! After I intimidate them tonight and make proper arrangements, you will transform into my appearance and take my place in guarding Xinghuantian, handling all matters here. With the assistance of the ancient gods from the Divine Ancient Nest and the Heavenly Beginning Civilization, and with Wen Tianjun being a top-tier spiritual power expert, it should not be exposed.”
“Go, bring me all the information and data regarding the Space Divine Temple’s Grand Elder as quickly as possible. Also… send over all the intelligence from the day the second starry sky defense line was breached.”
Zhang Ruochen issued the order to that false god from the Goddess Twelve Pavilions.
(Chapter End)