Chapter 3396: The Confucian Ancestor Mystery
With the Dragon Lord and Tai Shang in the Kunlun Realm, and the Heavenly Court now needing to ally with the Sword Realm, even if Zhang Ruochen appeared openly on the Starry Sky Defense Line, those old fellows couldn't do anything to him.
Zhang Ruochen wasn't afraid of them.
What he feared was that if his whereabouts were exposed, the Quantity Organization, the Thunder Clan, and the Primordial Demon Gods would be drawn out.
He also feared that someone might covet the Earth Cauldron and the God-Defying Stele, making a dark move against him.
"Swoosh!"
Within the Thousand Star Civilization Great World, a divine mountain shrouded in clouds and mist erupted with transcendent aura. A brilliant light illuminated billions of miles of land, shooting straight into the universe.
Beyond the endless void, a golden divine dragon soared, its aura shaking the heavens and causing the starry sky to tremble, vanishing into the darkness at extreme speed.
In the Witch God Civilization Great World, the atmosphere stretched endlessly like a white ocean. Suddenly, the center of the sea of clouds parted. A war god wielding a bronze coin sword, riding a black tiger, followed the direction where the golden dragon had disappeared.
...
Zhang Ruochen sensed the fluctuations of power radiating from these experts. They were all heading in the same direction.
Could they really have sensed the aura of the Three Calamities Emperor?
Controlling two Angel Clan Great Saints and infusing them with the Three Calamities Corpse Poison was far too simple for the Three Calamities Emperor. He didn't even need to appear in person.
Could the Three Calamities Emperor really have come?
Zhang Ruochen didn't go to join the commotion. Instead, he looked at the blood-stained Confucian robe and the chess pieces in his hand.
The blood on the robe contained dense Three Calamities Corpse Poison, but a layer of golden Buddha light wrapped around Zhang Ruochen's palm, isolating it completely. He had no fear.
Chi Xingtian stood in the distance, a sense of foreboding in his heart. He asked, "What exactly is going on? That Confucian robe in your hand... could it be..."
"There's no conclusion yet. We'll have to wait until the Dragon Lord returns. There was nothing else in the coffin," Zhang Ruochen said.
Outside Kongya City.
The goddess king of the Thousand Star Civilization took out a purple bag and activated it.
Before long, the Three Calamities Corpse Poison and blood energy covering this region were absorbed into the bag.
Zhang Ruochen closed the coffin lid, hoisted the coffin onto his shoulder, and quickly jogged back to hide in the divine mansion, not wanting to be discovered by the goddess king.
Being noticed by the top old-timers of the Heavenly Court wasn't a big deal.
Even if those old fellows had ulterior motives, they would have to restrain themselves at this moment. They might even be wondering if Zhang Ruochen's unexpected appearance was part of a scheme set by Tai Shang and Hao Tian to catch a big fish.
...
Before long, the Dragon Lord returned.
He exchanged a few words with the goddess king outside the city, then teleported and appeared in the divine mansion.
The goddess king drifted away.
"Greetings, Dragon Lord!"
All the cultivators in the divine mansion bowed in unison.
Some young cultivators couldn't help but kneel.
This was the legendary supreme divine venerable, whose prestige was immense. Everyone respected him, everyone worshipped him.
The Dragon Lord entered the main hall, followed by Zhang Ruochen, Chi Xingtian, Luo Xu, and Xuanji Sword God, who entered one after another. All the saints had to wait outside.
Luo Xu and Xuanji Sword God walked at the back.
From the order of entry, one could discern the level of their cultivation and status.
Many were speculating about Zhang Ruochen's identity. He followed closely behind the Dragon Lord, with even Chi Xingtian half a step slower.
Some had already guessed it was Zhang Ruochen, but they weren't sure.
"Could it really be him?"
Wan Huayu was quite excited, recalling past events. She looked at Wan Canglan, guessing that her aunt might know some inside information.
Beigong Lan pondered, her gaze shifting to Qingxiao.
When she first saw that Saint King, he had been traveling with Qingxiao. That made the possibility very high.
"Stop discussing. With such a major event happening, even the Dragon Lord has been disturbed. Everyone, wait quietly for news. Even if you have guesses, keep them within this divine mansion. If anyone speaks a word outside, they will be killed without mercy!"
Beigong Lan released her aura, pressing down on the saints present like a thousand mountains. Instantly, the crowd fell silent.
Only cultivators from the Kunlun Realm were here.
The outsiders had been invited into the formation in the rear courtyard when the incident occurred.
Inside the hall.
Zhang Ruochen reverted to his original appearance. Without unnecessary pleasantries, he merely exchanged nods with Xuanji Sword God and Luo Xu. Everything was understood without words.
The Dragon Lord said, "The Three Calamities Emperor didn't appear in person. What came was a corpse robe doppelganger."
Chi Xingtian laughed, "Even though the Three Calamities Emperor was once one of the Hell Realm's Heavenly Venerables, he probably doesn't have the guts to enter the Starry Sky Defense Line in person and cause trouble."
"That still tells us a lot. At the very least, it proves he's still alive." Speaking of the former Heavenly Venerable, Xuanji Sword God's expression turned serious.
After Huang'e Divine Lord's identity as a Quantity Envoy was confirmed, the Three Calamities Emperor's identity as a Quantity Emperor was exposed.
Rumors had it that during the time at the North Marsh Great Wall, before Fengdu Dadi could find the Three Calamities Emperor, the latter had already disappeared.
The Hell Realm officially declared him missing, but no one in the Heavenly Court knew the truth. It was entirely possible that Fengdu Dadi had suppressed him, or that he had died at the hands of the Primordial Demon Gods. However, these possibilities were slim.
What happened today was enough to confirm certain things for the Heavenly Court gods.
Zhang Ruochen took out the coffin and placed it in the center of the hall.
Inside the coffin were the blood-stained Confucian robe and scattered black-and-white chess pieces.
"Is this... is this the Confucian Ancestor's robe?"
"Are these the chess pieces from the Heaven and Earth Chess Platform?"
Luo Xu and Xuanji Sword God couldn't remain calm. Their hearts heaved violently, followed by a sense of oppression.
The Fourth Confucian Ancestor was a being whose spiritual power had reached the ninetieth rank. Although he had gone missing, no one wanted to believe he had fallen.
The Dragon Lord picked up the Confucian robe and examined it. In his mind, he recalled the image of that long-bearded elder holding a feather fan from years past.
He then picked up one black and one white chess piece.
Both were extraordinary items, forged by the Second Confucian Ancestor, containing a vast number of heaven and earth rules within them. The number of heaven and earth rules within a single chess piece exceeded that of a star.
With the Heaven and Earth Chess Platform and these chess pieces, one could deduce the cosmic structure and calculate everything in the world.
The Dragon Lord nodded to Zhang Ruochen and the others, confirming their suspicions.
Everyone's heart sank heavily.
The appearance of the Confucian Ancestor's blood-stained robe and the Heaven and Earth Chess Platform chess pieces, while not proving that the Fourth Confucian Ancestor had fallen, was enough to indicate that he had encountered a calamity.
Zhang Ruochen was puzzled. "The Heaven and Earth Chess Platform is one of the rarest heavy treasures in the world. If I remember correctly, it's listed in the first chapter of the 'Tai Bai Divine Artifact Canon.' The chess platform and the pieces together form a complete divine artifact. Why did the Three Calamities Emperor do this? Why send us the chess pieces?"
Xuanji Sword God said, "This is too abnormal! If the goal was to kill, there was no need to send the blood-stained robe and chess pieces. What are the Three Calamities Emperor and the Quantity Organization trying to achieve?"
Luo Xu added, "Could it be that he's telling us the Fourth Confucian Ancestor is in their hands, and they want to negotiate with us?"
Zhang Ruochen examined the coffin, the Confucian robe, and the chess pieces again but found nothing else.
The Dragon Lord mused, "There's some information you might not know yet. A mysterious expert used the 'Fate Heavenly Book' to deduce some details about the Fourth Confucian Ancestor. Before he disappeared, the Fourth Confucian Ancestor went to the Heavenly Court."
Many thoughts flashed through Zhang Ruochen's mind. He immediately asked, "Have the Quantity Emperors behind Xuan Yi and Jiuze been found?"
Such high-level secrets were likely known only to the Dragon Lord.
Since everyone present was a god, the Dragon Lord didn't hide it from them. He said, "The Quantity Emperor behind Jiuze should be the Ancestral God Qiwada of the Demon Clan. Because when we received the news at the North Marsh Great Wall, the Ancestral God Qiwada had already disappeared."
"As for the Quantity Emperor behind Xuan Yi, some suspect it's Shang Tian or Hall Master Ke of the Radiant Divine Temple. But more people believe it should be a powerful figure from the Thunder Clan."
Zhang Ruochen wanted to know more specific information about the Thunder Clan and asked, "Is Thunder Punishment Heavenly Venerable really still alive?"
"Only the Temple Master and a few Heavenly Venerables of the Heavenly Court know the specifics of that matter," the Dragon Lord said.
Zhang Ruochen was shocked. What exactly had the Temple Master, Feng Tian, and the Undying War God encountered in the Thunder Realm? Even someone of the Dragon Lord's cultivation and status couldn't know the truth?
Chi Xingtian said, "Among the Quantity Organization, the only one with the strength to threaten the Fourth Confucian Ancestor and who once belonged to the Heavenly Court camp is the Ancestral God Qiwada. Could she be involved in what happened back then?"
The Dragon Lord said, "By the end of the Middle Ages, the Fourth Confucian Ancestor's spiritual power had already reached the ninetieth rank, earning him the title of Ancestor. With the Ancestral God Qiwada's strength, she might not have been his match."
"Tai Shang and I have analyzed this and agree that before the Fourth Confucian Ancestor went to the Heavenly Court, he must have realized the danger of this journey. That's why he left some things behind, like those two chess pieces."
"There are three possibilities for someone to silently take down a being with spiritual power at the ninetieth rank."
"First, the attacker's spiritual power surpasses that of the Fourth Confucian Ancestor."
"Second, the attacker was extremely close to the Fourth Confucian Ancestor, someone he trusted deeply."
"Third, the attacker's cultivation was far higher than the Fourth Confucian Ancestor's, reaching an extremely terrifying level."
"It could be one of these three possibilities. But the probability is higher that two or even all three conditions were met simultaneously. The Fourth Confucian Ancestor's disappearance likely involved more than one person."
"Tai Shang has suspected this for a long time but didn't dare tell you, afraid that you would recklessly investigate and bring disaster upon yourselves."
As he said this, the Dragon Lord's gaze fell on Zhang Ruochen.
Zhang Ruochen smiled. "Even if I had the guts, I wouldn't dare touch this matter. At least for now, I can only pretend to know nothing."
"But they've already come to you and laid their cards on the table. You can't pretend anymore," the Dragon Lord said.
"Could this really be the work of the Quantity Organization?" Luo Xu asked.
Zhang Ruochen said, "Even if it isn't, it must be related to them."
Xuanji Sword God asked, "What exactly are they trying to achieve by doing this?"
"Perhaps they were forced into it, or perhaps they're trying to divert our attention to protect some giant crocodile within the Heavenly Court," the Dragon Lord suddenly said.
Zhang Ruochen and Chi Xingtian were both stunned.
Luo Xu and Xuanji Sword God were so shocked they could barely breathe. They felt they shouldn't be here anymore. Was this a secret that two Heaven-Repairing Realm gods were supposed to know?
The Dragon Lord wasn't guessing randomly. He knew that Master Indra had asked that mysterious monk to investigate the mystery of the Fourth Confucian Ancestor's disappearance.
That mysterious monk had been able to break into the Fate Divine Mountain and take the Fate Heavenly Book.
Such ability impressed the Dragon Lord greatly.
Perhaps it was that mysterious monk who had the divine power to trace the matter back to that giant crocodile, forcing it to take action and divert attention.
Zhang Ruochen brought Han Qiu and Luo Shuihan into the hall to discuss the matter of the Chaos Brush.
The Dragon Lord took the Chaos Brush, played with it for a moment, and shook his head. "The Chaos Brush was forged by the Fourth Confucian Ancestor using Chaos Divine Bamboo and a strand of hair left by the Third Confucian Ancestor. That was three hundred thousand years ago. The Ancestral Realm left by the Second Confucian Ancestor disappeared in the early ancient times, a million years ago. How could the Chaos Brush be the key to opening the Ancestral Realm? This is nonsense. It must have been deliberately orchestrated by the hidden giant crocodile to muddy the waters."
Zhang Ruochen agreed with the Dragon Lord's view but still raised his own question. "Is it certain that the strand of hair left by the Third Confucian Ancestor was truly his own?"
The Dragon Lord thought carefully, then extended two fingers and pressed them against the bristles of the bamboo brush.
After a moment, he withdrew his fingers and gently shook his head. "No, no."
"What's wrong?" Chi Xingtian asked.
The Dragon Lord said, "The spiritual power fluctuation contained within the bristles is extraordinary!"
"What does that mean?" Zhang Ruochen asked.
The Dragon Lord explained, "You need to understand that in the Confucian path, the First Confucian Ancestor entered the Dao through the zither, established benevolence as his teaching, and reached a spiritual power level of 'Heaven Round and Without Flaw.' Because he was the founder of the path, later generations called him Ancestor."
"The Second Confucian Ancestor inherited the First Confucian Ancestor's spiritual power cultivation method but took a different path, entering the Dao through chess, with righteousness as his priority. His spiritual power reached an extreme level. Some say he even achieved the Ancestor Dao through spiritual power. He single-handedly elevated the Confucian path to its peak, rivaling the Daoist and Buddhist paths. Thus, later generations also praised him and called him Ancestor."
"The Third Confucian Ancestor also cultivated spiritual power, entering the Dao through calligraphy, with character as his standard, emphasizing moral integrity. But his talent in spiritual power was far inferior to that of the First and Second Confucian Ancestors. So, he also cultivated martial arts, combining the artistic conception of calligraphy with his own unyielding spirit. He managed to cultivate a mouthful of righteous qi, and his martial arts realm surpassed his spiritual power. He opened the path of martial arts cultivation for later Confucian scholars. This was also a great merit, establishing his qualification to be called Ancestor."
"The Fourth Confucian Ancestor was a student of the Third Confucian Ancestor. His talent was unparalleled in ancient and modern times. He entered the Dao through painting and spread virtue throughout the world. His cultivation talent surpassed even mine. He combined the strengths of the Second and Third Confucian Ancestors, cultivating both spiritual power and righteous qi. Although he was less than a million years old, during the time the sundial was activated, his spiritual power broke into the ninetieth rank. He was the youngest 'Heaven Round and Without Flaw' cultivator in history. If not for the calamity that followed, the Fourth Confucian Ancestor could have become an Ancestor through his own strength."
Clearly, the Dragon Lord believed that at the time of the Fourth Confucian Ancestor's disappearance, his achievements—founding the painting path, spreading virtue throughout the world, and reaching the ninetieth rank of spiritual power—were still a step behind those of the previous three Confucian Ancestors.
In the Confucian path, becoming an Ancestor emphasized creation and moral character.
In the Buddhist path, becoming an Ancestor emphasized understanding of Buddhist teachings and accumulation of merit.
Zhang Ruochen said, "I understand now. The Third Confucian Ancestor's spiritual power wasn't particularly strong. Yet the bristles of the Chaos Brush contain spiritual power fluctuations that even Uncle Dragon can't fully probe. Clearly, they weren't forged from the Third Confucian Ancestor's hair."
"If it's not the Third Confucian Ancestor's hair, could it be the Second Confucian Ancestor's?"
Chi Xingtian said this casually. Seeing everyone look at him, he widened his eyes and said, "I... damn, could the Chaos Brush really be related to the Second Confucian Ancestor's Ancestral Realm? Is the Kunlun Realm about to witness a historic event?"
The Dragon Lord said, "It's only a possibility. I don't know much about the Confucian Ancestors. I didn't have much contact with the Third and Fourth Confucian Ancestors either. You should take the Chaos Brush back to the Kunlun Realm and let Tai Shang analyze it."
The Dragon Lord looked at Han Qiu and said, "Tell me in detail how you learned about the Chaos Brush and the Fourth Confucian Ancestor's inheritance."
Zhang Ruochen understood the Dragon Lord's intention and said, "That trail has definitely been cut off."
"There will always be traces left behind," the Dragon Lord said.
Han Qiu began to recount the details.
After listening, the Dragon Lord had some ideas. He said, "Ruochen, take Luo Shuihan, the Chaos Brush, and this coffin back to the Kunlun Realm immediately. I need to go to the Heavenly Court."
Chi Xingtian said, "I also need to return to the Kunlun Realm. Who will hold the Starry Sky Defense Line?"
"Chi Yao has returned. She can hold the line here. It should be enough to handle any changes. For now, there won't be any major incidents on the Starry Sky Defense Line," the Dragon Lord said.
Zhang Ruochen felt as if he had fallen into some strange, grand scheme. He said, "Uncle Dragon, why don't you escort us back to the Kunlun Realm first?"
"Handle such a small matter yourself."
With a flash of divine light, the Dragon Lord vanished from the divine mansion.