Chapter 3398: The Formidable Green Deer Divine King
Zhang Ruochen used divine qi to lift Fangcun and placed him beneath the peach tree.
Tai Shang examined him for a moment, then sighed. "Such a formidable Asura Soul-Sealing Seal. Green Deer Divine King is no simple figure! In the future, when you encounter him, you must be extremely cautious."
Zhang Ruochen was surprised. Even with Tai Shang's cultivation, he used the words "formidable" to describe Green Deer Divine King. Had he discerned something from the Asura Soul-Sealing Seal?
Chi Xingtian didn't overthink it. "Even with Tai Shang's spiritual power, you can't break this seal?"
Tai Shang said, "It's not just the Asura Soul-Sealing Seal that's the issue. Fangcun's divine body appears to have been soaked in some kind of secret liquid for many years. His flesh, blood, divine soul, spirit, and even his rule divine patterns have all been eroded, then tightly fused with the Asura Soul-Sealing Seal. To break the seal, it would be very difficult to preserve Fangcun's cultivation."
"If I were at the peak of my spiritual power, I would have full confidence. But now, I only have a sixty to seventy percent chance."
"For a cultivator to lose all their cultivation—how painful would that be?" Chi Xingtian glanced at Zhang Ruochen and lowered his voice. "The Dragon Lord said that if we invite the Five-Clawed Golden Dragon of the Heavenly Dragon Realm to act, it would be foolproof."
Zhang Ruochen didn't say much, as he too hoped to preserve Fangcun's cultivation.
Besides, who knew who would end up as the Heavenly Dragon's son-in-law in the end?
Tai Shang stroked his beard and smiled. "Indeed, the dragon race's souls are all very powerful. If we can move the Five-Clawed Golden Dragon, with his peerless dragon soul and my spiritual power, breaking the Asura Soul-Sealing Seal would be no difficult task. Ruochen, what are you thinking? Do you think your grandmaster's assessment of Green Deer Divine King is too high?"
Tai Shang saw through Zhang Ruochen's thoughts at a glance.
Zhang Ruochen, who had been deep in thought, said, "I just find it strange. As a Divine King, Green Deer Divine King's methods are far too sophisticated, aren't they? It would take both Grandmaster and the Five-Clawed Golden Dragon working together to break the seal."
Chi Xingtian laughed. "You don't understand! Imposing a seal and breaking it are two completely different levels of difficulty. Besides, the Asura Soul-Sealing Seal is a technique created by the Shura clan's progenitor!"
Zhang Ruochen understood this, but he still found it hard to believe.
Tai Shang looked at Zhang Ruochen with a satisfied smile. "In the past, I did know that Green Deer Divine King had some issues, but I had never faced him directly, so many things couldn't be confirmed. However, based on the power and methods within Fangcun's body, I can already deduce a great deal."
Zhang Ruochen thought to himself that there were indeed few things in this world that Tai Shang, a spiritual power master of perfect roundness, didn't know. Even if he didn't know, he could infer a hundred from one, seeing the truth in the smallest details.
"Is Green Deer really that formidable? Could he have truly broken through his shackles as a Divine King and historically entered the Great Unbound Infinite realm?" Chi Xingtian asked.
"The truth may be far more terrifying than you imagine."
Tai Shang said, "I heard from Shen Ba that Beixi and A Fuya succeeded in their possession in Lihentian and intend to defy the rules of heaven and earth to descend into this era?"
Zhang Ruochen nodded. "I saw this with my own eyes."
"The Heavenly Realm Faction should be pushing hard for this! Although the Heavenly Palace and other realms of the Heavenly Court oppose it, not wanting the dead to descend into the present, the majority still support it."
Tai Shang's tone carried no emotional fluctuation, but there was a hint of helplessness. "This Northern Expedition has cost the Heavenly Court heavily. New strong ones are needed to step up and maintain the situation. The rules of heaven and earth have undergone great changes, and we face more and more challenges. Many believe that the return of the departed, to face the crisis alongside the living, is a good thing."
Zhang Ruochen asked, "Does Grandmaster think this is a good thing, or are there hidden uncertainties?"
Tai Shang smiled without answering. "To achieve the Four Symbols' Great Perfection, you still need a long period of accumulation. Once you have enough, go to Lihentian. In short, before breaking through, no matter what happens in the universe, you must not leave! Grandmaster is being strict with you for once—can you promise me this?"
Zhang Ruochen instinctively felt that something related to him had already happened in the universe, and it was no small matter.
But breaking through to the Four Symbols' Great Perfection was indeed the top priority.
Without sufficient cultivation to support him, he could do nothing.
"I promise you, Grandmaster." Zhang Ruochen then asked, "So, can Grandmaster now tell me what has happened in the universe?"
Tai Shang said, "You are a man of stature, and also the sovereign of a realm. A promise must be kept. Don't dwell on other matters—focus on your cultivation."
Tai Shang left with Luo Shuihan to inspect the place where Luo Shuihan had obtained the Fourth Confucian Ancestor's inheritance.
Since the Fourth Confucian Ancestor had left behind his inheritance and the Hunyuan Brush when he departed from the Kunlun Realm, it was very likely he had also left clues about the Ancestor Realm.
Chi Xingtian stretched his bear-like back, like an ape reaching for the sky. "If we can find the Second Confucian Ancestor's Ancestor Realm, that would be wonderful. The Kunlun Realm would then have its own Vairocana World, and in the field of spiritual power, we could rise another level."
The martial arts of the Kunlun Realm all evolved from the Three Paths of Taiji, the Ten Thousand Buddha Path, and the Confucian Path. These three paths had always emphasized spiritual power cultivation. That was why, compared to places like the Ten Thousand Ruins Realm, the Undying Blood Clan, and the Demon God Realm, the Kunlun Realm's spiritual power inheritance was far stronger.
As for races like the Death Clan and the Underworld Clan, which were naturally gifted in spiritual power, they were suppressed by the Heavenly Court's myriad realms before the Middle Ages and could never compare to the Kunlun Realm.
Most importantly, the Second Confucian Ancestor, born in ancient times, had led the Kunlun Realm's spiritual power cultivation to its peak and spread it outward, evolving into various spiritual power cultivation methods.
The Starry Sky Cliff's chess technique, a thousand million years ago, had its origins in the Second Confucian Ancestor.
As for Void Heaven, he had directly infiltrated the Four Confucian Sects.
It could be said that many of today's spiritual power experts bore traces of the Second Confucian Ancestor's inheritance.
In ancient times, other transcendent spiritual power beings, like the "Kashyapa Progenitor" of the Western Buddha Realm and the "Yama" of the Yama clan, were figures from countless eons ago. In terms of influence on the present, they naturally couldn't compare to the Second Confucian Ancestor.
One person attains the Dao, and an entire realm ascends.
Just like Zhang Ruochen now, with his own strength, he could elevate the overall power of the Kunlun Realm. In the future, this influence and ability would only grow stronger.
Zhang Ruochen said, "If we find the Second Confucian Ancestor's Ancestor Realm, perhaps Grandmaster has a chance to heal his injuries."
Even if they couldn't find the Ancestor Realm, Zhang Ruochen would do everything possible to find a supreme divine medicine to heal spiritual power wounds.
Zhang Ruochen looked at Chi Xingtian. "What major event has happened in the universe?"
Chi Xingtian paused for a moment, then widened his eyes. "You ask me, and I ask who?"
Did he think that with just a glaring act, he could fool Zhang Ruochen?
"Not telling me?" Zhang Ruochen said.
"I have nothing to say."
Chi Xingtian said, "Don't threaten me again. I really don't know anything. Besides, even if you did know something, with your current cultivation, could you escape from Tai Shang's five-finger mountain?"
So something had indeed happened!
Chi Xingtian changed the subject. "There was a subtle point earlier that you might have missed. After you asked about Green Deer Divine King, Tai Shang didn't answer but immediately brought up A Fuya and Beixi. Do you think it's possible that Tai Shang was hinting that Green Deer Divine King has also been possessed by some old monster?"
Chi Xingtian suddenly becoming so sharp made Zhang Ruochen a bit uncomfortable.
Chi Xingtian lowered his voice. "Do you think it's possible that it's the Shura clan's progenitor, Asura himself?"
"Don't make wild guesses. Anyway, from now on, if you encounter Green Deer Divine King, just stay out of his way! Send a message to Shen Ba and have her come over."
Zhang Ruochen brought the cultivators of the Kunlun Realm down from the divine ship one by one, intending to help them refine their foundations and elevate their potential beneath the peach tree.
The peach tree had become the Kunlun Realm's heavenly spiritual root, making this sea region rich in spiritual qi, saint qi, and divine qi, with active heavenly and earthly rules—an excellent place for cultivation.
Many of the Saint realm cultivators present were visiting for the first time. Seeing the majestic divine tree, they were all deeply shocked and bowed in unison.
"Zhang Ruochen, do you still remember Wan Huayu?"
Wan Huayu smiled charmingly, looking at the peerlessly heroic man standing beneath the tree, her memories returning to a thousand years ago.
But that peerlessly heroic man let out a cold, stern voice: "How dare you! You address me by name?"
Wan Huayu was truly frightened, her face turning pale. Even though there was no divine might, she felt an overwhelming pressure bearing down on her.
Zhang Ruochen's cold expression faded, and he smiled. "Princess, back then, you used to call me Young Master Ruochen."
Wan Huayu's complexion recovered, realizing she had just been intimidated by Zhang Ruochen.
Wan Canglan walked over to Wan Huayu and shot Zhang Ruochen a glare. She had never been afraid of him anyway.
With that little interlude, everyone realized that Zhang Ruochen hadn't become unapproachable just because he had become a Great God. He was still the same person he had always been.
Xue Wuye brushed his long hair back. "That's not right, is it? Back then, it was Young Master Ruochen? What I heard was that Wan Zhaoyi almost took you as his son-in-law, but you couldn't withstand his three moves, so you fled to the Guanghan Realm. After seeing too many fairies and goddesses out there, when you returned to the Kunlun Realm, you no longer recognized the Wan family's daughter."
"Isn't that rumor a bit too outrageous?" Zhang Ruochen said.
Shi Ren stepped out and laughed. "That legend does circulate in the Kunlun Realm! But I've also heard another version—that you molested Canglan Martial Saint, so Wan Zhaoyi chased you all the way to the Guanghan Realm."
"How did I get to the Guanghan Realm? Don't you all know?" Zhang Ruochen said.
Xue Wuye and Shi Ren said in unison, "Rumors, of course—the more sensational, the better. Who cares about the truth? Who dares to care?"
Xue Wuye pointed upward but didn't dare to speak, as if to say, in the Kunlun Realm, who dares to criticize Empress Chi Yao?
...
The publishing house told me that they have already reported to the online supervision, internet information, and cultural law enforcement teams. The money the readers were cheated out of will be fully refunded. Please don't worry. I feel really guilty. Xiaoyu apologizes again here—I've truly caused everyone trouble!