Chapter 3392: A Wealth of Talent, Thriving and Prosperous
Chi Xingtian lowered his voice and said, "Just how many romantic debts have you racked up? I can see that this female assassin is usually as cold as stone, yet she defends you fiercely. I dare say, if a god dared to speak a single word against you, she would draw her sword and face them. Ah, tsk tsk!"
"If you had even one-tenth of your ancestor Heavenly Demon's cultivation, I dare say Eighth Aunt would treat you the same way," Zhang Ruochen said.
Chi Xingtian's schadenfreude immediately vanished, replaced by a face full of worry.
Zhang Ruochen naturally wouldn't care about the drunkard's offense, nor did he even find it offensive.
But to Zhang Hongchen and Han Qiu, it was intolerable.
If anyone dared to casually say in public that they could beat ten Hao Tians, gods like Xuanyuan Lian, Bian Zhuang, and Zhuang Tai'a, who revered Hao Tian, would definitely teach them a lesson.
"Everyone, could you grant this old man some face and each take a step back? Let this matter rest here?"
A streak of white sword light descended from the sky.
The ground trembled as an old man with white hair, white beard, and white robes stood at the center of the sword light.
Divine radiance flowed over his body, dense rules and divine patterns radiating outward, suppressing everyone present with formless divine power.
It was Xuanji the Elder!
Qingxiao exchanged a glance with Zhang Ruochen, then led Beigong Jingting and Qingjing forward to pay their respects.
"We pay our respects to Master!"
"Qingjing pays respects to Grandmaster!"
The other cultivators present, including the Female War God Beigong Lan, the Brahma Heavenly Dao Lord Monk Lidi, and the Ten Thousand Fragrance City Lord Xue Wuye—the most renowned secular powerhouses of the Kunlun Realm—all bowed slightly.
Xuanji the Elder had already stepped into the divine realm, titled "Sword God," and was also the master of that taboo figure from the Zhang Clan.
Which saint among the Kunlun Realm's secular world would dare not show respect?
Zhang Ruochen was not surprised that his master had reached the divine realm in such a short time. After all, the old man had consumed a divine medicine and also obtained the divine origin of the Sky-Connecting Divine Tree.
These two great fortunes were things even ordinary great gods could hardly come by.
With Xuanji Sword God's cultivation and status, his aura was profound. Even Han Qiu restrained her killing intent and sheathed her sword.
Zhang Hongchen stepped forward to pay her respects, not daring to act recklessly before this grandmaster.
Xuanji Sword God patiently instructed, "Hongchen, your father has a broad mind, values friendship and loyalty, and was once a close friend with those two. Even if his true body were here, he would only laugh it off. You must learn from your father to be tolerant. We cultivators of the Kunlun Realm must never start internal disputes."
"Hongchen will remember!"
Zhang Hongchen secretly glanced at the drunkard, still somewhat unconvinced, and said in a low voice, "Father might not care, but he is now the Lord of the Sword Realm, a hegemon among the gods. As cultivators of the Kunlun Realm, shouldn't we at least respect him? If even we don't show respect, how can cultivators from other great worlds respect him?"
Xuanji Sword God nodded and said, "Drunkard, did you hear that?"
The wound on the drunkard's neck had already healed; his injury was not severe. He said, "I had a few too many jugs of wine, so I spoke nonsense."
The Void God Mansion was a temporary lodging purchased by Luo Xu in the Thousand Star Civilization Great World. It was grand and magnificent, with numerous maids, servants, and saint guards. The walls were tall, divine mist drifted, and outside the mansion, tall sacred trees were planted and majestic exotic beasts were raised.
"Let this matter end here. Let's go. Void God has been urging us to enter quickly! The Kunlun Realm gaining a new god is absolutely a great joy. It's a perfect opportunity for everyone to gather properly."
Xuanji Sword God stroked his white beard, divine light flashed, and he vanished from the spot.
Beigong Jingting's face beamed with a smile as she said, "Today, only Master's presence could settle this. With a true god here, who dares to act recklessly?"
She did not deliberately lower her voice, wanting everyone present to know that Xuanji Sword God was Qingxiao the Great Saint's master.
After all, in terms of cultivation and status, Qingxiao was far from matching Monk Lidi, Xue Wuye, and others. He needed another identity to elevate his standing.
But by doing so, she was undoubtedly stepping on Han Qiu to elevate herself.
Han Qiu coldly glanced at Beigong Jingting, her pupils as dark as an abyss. Then, smiling, she walked through the Void God Mansion's gate with Zhang Hongchen.
Just one glance, and Beigong Jingting felt a sharp pain in her mind, as if her saint soul had been struck by a sword. Her face turned deathly pale, and she stumbled back three steps.
"Mother, what's wrong?"
Qingjing supported her, preventing her from falling.
Beigong Jingting felt humiliated and ashamed. Seeing everyone's gazes fixed on her, she felt even more disgraced. "She's gone too far! How can she be so domineering? Can't I even say a single word?"
Beigong Lan approached, her white robes like snow, exuding a transcendent aura like a generation's empress. "Jingting, take my advice. Don't provoke her!"
Beigong Jingting was momentarily dazed. "With your status and cultivation, you're afraid of her too?"
Beigong Lan was not only the Female War God but also the empress of the First Central Empire.
Beigong Lan said, "I'm not afraid, but you must be."
With that, Beigong Lan and the great saints of the War God Mountain filed through the gate into the divine mansion.
Beigong Jingting's greatest support was her sister, the Female War God. Now that even her sister couldn't stand up for her, the blow to her proud heart was immense.
"I'll go find Master and ask him to do justice for us."
Unable to swallow this bitter pill, Beigong Jingting hurried ahead.
Zhang Ruochen patted Qingxiao on the shoulder and said, "I'll properly discipline Han Qiu and Hongchen."
Qingxiao let out a long sigh. "Don't blame her! It's only that Jingting's personality is too ostentatious and vain; she can't see the situation clearly. Given Han Qiu's temperament, if it weren't for your sake, she would have killed her outright."
"When our own people fight, there's always some restraint. But with cultivators from all worlds on the Starry Sky Defense Line, the undercurrents are turbulent and dangers lurk everywhere. If she offends a powerhouse from another world, she'll lose her life. After the Ascension God Banquet, I'll send her back to the Kunlun Realm!"
Standing behind, Qingjing couldn't hear Qingxiao and Zhang Ruochen's conversation but could see their gestures.
She knew her father well. He was very tolerant toward her mother, but toward her and the soldiers under his command, he was extremely strict, even cold and ruthless.
Given his status as a great saint, why would he put his arm around a saint king's shoulder as if they were equals?
Thinking back to her father's earlier behavior on the sacred ship—first cautious, then immediately opening the defensive formation—she was deeply puzzled.
She was sharp and perceptive, sensing something subtle, and her curiosity grew immensely.
...
The Void God Mansion covered a thousand acres, with sacred lakes connected in stretches and pavilions standing in rows.
It was winter in the Thousand Star Civilization Great World, the air cold, and snowflakes began to fall. Soon, the shores of the sacred lake were blanketed in white.
Many cultivators came to offer congratulations, with over half from the Kunlun Realm. Representatives from other great worlds and ancient civilizations friendly with the Kunlun Realm also attended.
Great saints were the mainstream, each renowned in the secular world.
There were also younger juniors, all prominent figures of this era—handsome youths and talented, beautiful women in groups. They lacked some steadiness but were full of youthful vitality.
Zhang Ruochen spotted Chen Wutian and Pei Yutian from the former *Heroes Ode*. Both had reached the demigod level, with imposing figures. When they communicated via sound transmission, they still exuded a commanding presence.
Those who could be called heroes in that era were undoubtedly outstanding talents among millions.
Years had passed, and they had not faded into obscurity. Instead, they had advanced vigorously, all with the potential to become gods, accumulating their foundations.
It was a pity for Wan Zhaoyi, who had ranked first on the *Heroes Ode*.
Just as this thought crossed his mind, Zhang Ruochen caught a familiar fragrance and followed it.
There, a pair of snow-white, jade-like long legs strode forward. Her armor was like flames, a war sword hung at her waist, and her figure was explosive, attracting the gazes of countless cultivators.
It was Wan Zhaoyi's younger sister, one of the Nine Heavens Mysterious Maidens, Wan Canglan.
Beside her was Wan Zhaoyi's daughter, Wan Huayu.
Over a thousand years had passed, and Wan Huayu was still beautiful and moving, but her eyes held a deep, profound expression—the sedimentation of time.
At another end, in a pavilion built with green jade tiles, the Talisman Heavenly Master Shi Ren of the Town Prison Ancient Clan, the Nine Nether Sword Saint of the Black Market, and several beast clan great saints from the wilderness gathered together, discussing something unknown.
It had to be said that the Kunlun Realm was now teeming with talent. Here alone, there were hundreds of great saints. Among them, dozens had the potential to become gods.
It was a scene of thriving prosperity. In terms of secular power alone, the Kunlun Realm had become quite transcendent.
This was the result of early layout, not achieved overnight.
No wonder the Dragon Lord had sent Chi Xingtian to oversee things. If something went wrong and a false god broke in to self-detonate their divine source, the Kunlun Realm would suffer heavy losses.
Seeing many old acquaintances and how they had achieved great things, becoming pillars of the Kunlun Realm's secular world, Zhang Ruochen was in an excellent mood.
But he did not forget the main matter. Zhang Ruochen transmitted his voice and asked, "You're worried about retaliation from the Paradise Realm, aren't you?"
Chi Xingtian said, "When Shen Po escaped, the Paradise Realm suffered such heavy losses. How could they let it go? Additionally, the Quantity Organization wants nothing more than to kill you and all Kunlun Realm cultivators."