Chapter 3353: Changes in Attitudes from All Sides
Witch God Civilization.
Yan Yang Heavenly Lord knelt before the golden chariot.
He possessed the pride of preferring death to kneeling, but his divine source had been taken, his divine soul sealed, and his spiritual thoughts suppressed. He had no choice but to kneel.
This was the most tragic end for a renowned, high-ranking god.
Self-destructing his divine source and fighting the enemy to the death would have been far more glorious.
This was precisely why Ming Jian Shen had initially refused to submit to Zhang Ruochen, and also one of the reasons he later chose to submit.
Yan Yang Heavenly Lord, disheveled and weak, looked utterly wretched. All his dignity, glory, and honor had been shattered by this single kneel. Only shame and a desire for death remained.
Shen Ba Princess, Chi Cha Luo, Qing Yu Sheng, Qian Qian, Mandala Flower God, Feng Yan, and Xiang Chunan were all present.
"At the start of the war, all the ancient civilizations, including your Yan Yang Clan, promised to fight the Hell Realm to the death. No one forced you then, did they? No, the Hell Realm forced you to fight."
From within the golden chariot, the voice continued: "The entire Heavenly Court came to help your ancient civilization faction resist the Hell Realm, yet you betrayed everyone. You caused the death of the old Heavenly Lord of the Heavenly Beginning Civilization, the destruction of the Giant Spirit Civilization's great world, heavy losses in the Hidden Ruins Civilization, and also the Whale Fall Civilization, the Yalan'er Civilization... and countless soldiers from all realms of the Heavenly Court. Your Yan Yang Civilization deserves death, and the Four Yang Heavenly Lord deserves it even more."
Qing Yu Sheng said, "I propose cutting off his head and limbs and hanging them at the war city gates of all ancient civilization worlds along the Starry Sky Defense Line, to deter others with treacherous intentions."
Xuan Yuan Lian said, "Take him away for now. Wait a little longer. Shen Ba, are Ming Jian Shen and the others dead or alive?"
Inside the chariot, Xuan Yuan Lian sat beside a desk, still handling various documents, multitasking.
Shen Ba Princess said, "Ming Jian Shen, the Second Elder of the Array Destruction Palace, Huang Dao Zi, and Li Hen Ancient God tried to take my life, so they deserved death. But Zhang Ruochen said that Star Huan Tian is an ally of the Heavenly Court, and he and Lian Gongzi are close friends, so your face must be spared."
Anyone could see the coldness in Shen Ba Princess's eyes.
Indeed, having just escaped the cage of the Paradise Realm, only to be attacked by several ancient gods from the Paradise Realm faction, even the most composed person would be enraged.
Shen Ba Princess did not explicitly answer whether Ming Jian Shen and the others were dead or alive, but Xuan Yuan Lian already had a clue. He put down the documents in his hands and smiled slightly: "Ruochen Jie Zun is indeed one of this young master's rare close friends!"
These words were deliberately spoken for the gods present.
Feng Yan and Xiang Chunan, upon hearing this, looked again at the golden chariot and suddenly felt that this Son of the Heavenly Venerable had become much closer to them.
Shen Ba Princess had no trust in this Son of the Heavenly Venerable at all, but because Zhang Ruochen's attitude toward Xuan Yuan Lian was quite friendly, she had not erupted until now.
Xuan Yuan Lian said, "When they return, this young master will surely give the Princess a fair resolution."
Addressing Shen Ba as "Princess" as the Son of the Heavenly Venerable was already a great show of respect, and it also carried the intention of calming her anger.
"This Princess will await Lian Gongzi's justice," Shen Ba Princess said.
Xuan Yuan Lian said, "Qian Qian, now that you're back, you won't leave again, will you?"
Qian Qian, full of youthful vitality, still seemed like the bride from that wedding night. She said, "I originally wanted to follow Ruochen Jie Zun to cultivate and learn for a while, but Jie Zun believes that with the current chaotic times and the many affairs of the Heavenly Court, the young master needs me more by his side."
Inside the chariot, Xuan Yuan Lian couldn't help but chuckle softly.
The laughter naturally did not escape the space within the chariot.
She knew that Zhang Ruochen must be worried about exposing the spatial coordinates of the Sword Realm, which was why he dared not keep Qian Qian by his side. It seemed ordinary beauty traps were useless against him.
The Sword Realm...
Xuan Yuan Lian had already received news that Star Huan Tian and the Hundred Clans Royal City realms had retreated into the Dark Great Triangle Star Domain. If she couldn't deduce the emergence of the Sword Realm from this, she wouldn't be fit to sit in her current position.
If the Sword Realm could truly become a third-party force, it would certainly serve as a greater check on the Hell Realm.
For the Heavenly Court, this was a good thing.
"From now on, you will enter the golden chariot and assist me in handling affairs across the Heavenly Court realms!"
Afterward, Xuan Yuan Lian exchanged words with Mandala Flower God, Qing Yu Sheng, and Chi Cha Luo, praising their achievements in the Hundred Clans Royal City Star Domain battle and bestowing merit treasures, and so on.
Finally, Xuan Yuan Lian kept Feng Yan and Xiang Chunan behind.
Xuan Yuan Lian said, "This young master and Zhang Ruochen share a bond forged through life-and-death trials, far surpassing ordinary friends and relatives. You two are his sworn brothers. By that logic, we can also address each other as brothers."
Xiang Chunan was overjoyed and said, "Then I'll call you Lian Xiongdi from now on? Being brothers with the Son of the Heavenly Venerable, I can walk sideways in the Heavenly Court from now on, right?"
Feng Yan remained calm.
Xuan Yuan Lian smiled and said, "You are a disciple of the Truth Temple Hall Master, so you could walk sideways in the Heavenly Court anytime. What do you two think of the Sword Realm?"
"The Sword Realm... Lian Xiongdi, what do you mean by that?"
Xiang Chunan almost let it slip.
Xuan Yuan Lian said, "The emergence of the Sword Realm is no longer a secret, Xiang Xiongdi need not deliberately hide it."
"Lian Gongzi, if you have something to say, just say it directly," Feng Yan said.
Xuan Yuan Lian said, "Good, straightforward, worthy of being the wielder of the Pure Yang Divine Sword. Actually, I just want to know, if Zhang Ruochen invites you two to cultivate in the Sword Realm in the future, will you go?"
Xiang Chunan dared not speak and secretly glanced at Feng Yan.
Feng Yan knew that many things could not be hidden from Xuan Yuan Lian, and he also knew what she was worried about. He said, "The Feng Clan and the Heavenly Court have plenty of cultivation holy lands. Why go far away to cultivate in the Sword Realm? Of course, if Big Brother truly invites me, I will definitely go, as a journey to a foreign land."
Xuan Yuan Lian said, "What if he invites the Feng Clan?"
The air seemed to freeze.
Feng Yan said, "I am merely a Heaven-Replenishing Realm god. I cannot answer that question for Lian Gongzi."
Xiang Chunan also caught on and, before Xuan Yuan Lian could ask, immediately said, "Although I am a disciple of the Truth Temple Hall Master, my master's wife has never liked me. And my cultivation is low. As for matters of the Truth Temple, Lian Gongzi should ask my master's wife directly in the future."
"Haha! You two don't need to be so nervous. This young master was just asking casually. Someone, bring wine! Today, this young master will drink heartily with my two sworn brothers."
Xuan Yuan Lian gave the order, and immediately, maidservants brought divine brew.
Feng Yan and Xiang Chunan exchanged a glance, knowing they couldn't leave, so they sat down outside the golden chariot.
They understood very well that Xuan Yuan Lian's sudden attention to them was because Zhang Ruochen had brought tremendous pressure to the Heavenly Court. With their current cultivation, how could they be worthy of being brothers with Xuan Yuan Lian?
Zhang Ruochen had not yet broken through to the Infinite Realm. Once he did, the chain reaction would be unimaginable.
...
Shen Ba Princess walked out of the Witch God Temple and saw a ten-zhang-tall vermilion palace hovering before her.
Eighteen snow-white tiger clan sacred beasts stood side by side, pulling the palace.
It was quite imposing.
Hu Jun, the strongest below the Infinite Realm of the Big Dipper Civilization, opened a vermilion window of the palace, showed a smile, and said, "Shen Ba, Brother Hu has been waiting for you outside for a long time! You left in such a hurry last time. This time, you absolutely must come to the Big Dipper Civilization to stay for a while. Get in the carriage quickly."
"Princess, please!"
The Big Dipper Civilization great god who had previously offended Shen Ba Princess sat outside the palace like a coachman, stood up, and respectfully bowed to Shen Ba Princess, saying in a low voice, "Today, this god personally sets up a feast of apology, hoping the Princess will grace us with your presence."
How could Shen Ba Princess not know the reason for this change?
Presumably, the news and secrets of the Hundred Clans Royal City Star Domain battle had already reached the Big Dipper Civilization.
More importantly, it was likely the impact of the Sword Realm's emergence.
As long as the gods of the Big Dipper Civilization were not fools, they would surely know where the Heavenly Beginning Civilization had retreated to.
With the other party lowering their stance so much, coupled with past friendships, Shen Ba Princess boarded the palace. She was always too sentimental.
...
The Thousand Star Civilization convened a council of gods. The impact of the Hundred Clans Royal City Star Domain battle was truly too great.
Among the discussions, the Sword Realm was the most talked about.
"Our Thousand Star Civilization vows to fight the Hell Realm to the end, but the Starry Sky Defense Line being breached is only a matter of time. By then, the civilization's heritage cannot rely solely on a single spark. We must have a second plan!"
"Zhang Ruochen was born in the Kunlun Realm after all. Our relationship with the Kunlun Realm is still decent. This matter should be negotiable."
"Zhang Ruochen is probably closer to the Undying Blood Clan. There will be considerable resistance to this."
"The Heavenly Beginning Civilization has surely already gone to the Sword Realm first. How about going through Yu Shen Wang's connections? After all, just a single spark, asking the Heavenly Beginning Civilization to help protect it should be feasible."
...
After much discussion, each god had different ideas, and in the end, no conclusion was reached.
The idea of a second spark had to be shelved for now.
Bai Zhan Xing Jun, the strongest below the Infinite Realm of the Thousand Star Civilization, said, "Jing'er, Tai Zhen, Cang Sheng, don't leave yet!"
Yu Chen Jing and Yu Tai Zhen were merely juniors, sitting in their seats without saying a word.
Yu Cang Sheng, at the peak of the Grand Void, was Yu Tai Zhen's father and Yu Chen Jing's grandfather. With no Infinite Realm present, he held a status equal to Bai Zhan Xing Jun.
Yu Cang Sheng's attitude was very firm. He said, "We cannot place all our hopes on the Heavenly Court side. If the Sword Realm has truly emerged, whether through the Heavenly Beginning Civilization route or by finding gods from the Kunlun Realm, we must move the second civilization spark there, even if the cost is greater."