Chapter 3404: Time Slow Flow Zone
Lihentian had no visible top above, no visible bottom below, and was boundless in all directions.
Because it was boundless, it provided opportunities for the remnant souls of ancient beings to hide.
Furthermore, the time rules and space rules of Lihentian were completely different from those of the real world. In some special places, the ratio of time flow compared to the outside world could reach one to a thousand, one to ten thousand, or even more. These places were called "Time Slow Flow Zones."
The flow of time slowed down, approaching stillness.
Staying in those special places for a year meant ten thousand years had passed in the real world.
It was precisely because of this that ruthless ancient figures like A Fuya and Qiangshake could preserve their remnant souls even now.
While flying, Chi Xingtian told Zhang Ruochen all about Lihentian and made his own guesses about the situation of the ancient remnant souls.
Zhang Ruochen said, "If some powerful beings from the real world were to hide in these Time Slow Flow Zones you mentioned, wouldn't that be equivalent to leaping into the future?"
If a hundred million years passed in the outside world, only ten thousand years would pass in the Time Slow Flow Zone. Theoretically, as long as one was a god, their lifespan could sustain it.
Chi Xingtian was stunned for a moment, then said, "Why would anyone do that?"
Yes, without a specific purpose, why use a Time Slow Flow Zone to go to the future?
When one reached the future, the rules of heaven and earth would inevitably undergo tremendous changes, and cultivators from the past would not be allowed to descend into the real world.
Zhang Ruochen said, "I was thinking, could it be that the so-called Immortals came about this way? In reality, immortality is nothing but a lie; it has never truly existed."
Chi Xingtian said, "The time rules in Lihentian are indeed very unstable, but the time flow rate is almost always within ten times the normal rate. I was just making a random guess earlier. In reality, those Time Slow Flow Zones that slow time by thousands or tens of thousands of times exist only in legends. No one has ever actually found one."
"Besides, Time Slow Flow Zones are formed by time rules. If one's cultivation is strong enough, the time rules can no longer sustain them, and the slow flow zone will inevitably collapse. It's like time-space treasures such as the Sundial, the Sword Pavilion, and the Heavenly Wheel Seal. Once a cultivator's cultivation reaches a certain level, they can no longer use these treasures to cultivate."
"Don't think too much about it. We've arrived!"
Zhang Ruochen looked ahead and, above a patch of cyan clouds and mist, saw the figures of Huang Tian and Yuyao.
The Radiant Pure Mountain had been destroyed, and the Taixu peak-level great gods of the Heavenly Court and Hell could only find their own places to comprehend the Dao.
For those Taixu peak-level great gods without a God Venerable to protect their path, the cultivation environment had actually become harsher.
The cyan clouds and mist stretched for hundreds of miles, like a continent floating in the void.
Within the clouds and mist, there was indeed a piece of land, formed by divine soil that had not been broken down by the special environment of Lihentian.
Zhang Ruochen and Chi Xingtian turned into two streaks of light and landed on the land.
Chi Xingtian said, "Huang Tian, you little brat sure know how to enjoy yourself. Did you come to Lihentian for bitter cultivation or to live it up?"
Chi Xingtian had already learned about Huang Tian's situation and bore no hostility toward him.
Moreover, in Chi Xingtian's view, when he was invincible among great gods, Huang Tian had just become a god, a proper junior.
Huang Tian's cultivation environment was indeed not bad. Not far away stood a stone hall, surrounded by exotic flowers and rare plants, as well as lush sacred trees that emitted a faint fruity fragrance.
Huang Tian ignored Chi Xingtian and fixed his gaze on Zhang Ruochen. "Your cultivation speed is unmatched by few since ancient times."
Zhang Ruochen said, "I merely borrowed the advantage of time. In reality, I have already cultivated for tens of thousands of years. It is Huang Tian's cultivation speed that truly impresses this junior."
"If you factor in the enhancements from the Sundial, Time Divine Arrays, and the like, the time I have spent cultivating is nearly two hundred thousand years," Huang Tian said.
Chi Xingtian immediately left the place to find Qiangu Nüdi, unwilling to listen to the two of them praising themselves while pretending their cultivation speed was slow. Too shameless!
Huang Tian's skin instantly petrified, and his aura surged dramatically, a sign that his physical strength had been pushed to its limit.
When encountering a powerhouse of the same realm, how could one not compete?
Huang Tian was always steady in his actions, but his inner pride was no less than that of Xue Jue War God.
"Boom!"
He threw a punch, as fast as lightning, with the force of a star colliding.
Xuan Yi could blow up a Taixu great god with a single move, and Huang Tian could do the same now.
Even stronger!
But his punch struck as if hitting an indestructible iron wall, his fist caught by Zhang Ruochen's five fingers and held still.
Zhang Ruochen channeled all the fist force into the space, causing a deafening spatial air explosion behind him, dispersing the hundreds of miles of cyan clouds and mist.
Although Huang Tian remained very calm, a flicker of surprise passed deep in his eyes.
Slowly, he withdrew his fist and did not strike again.
Although he had only used his physical strength just now, the fact that Zhang Ruochen had neutralized it so easily showed that the gap in combat power was far more than a single step or half a step. There was no need to continue.
The space beside Huang Tian trembled, and the Dark Divine Sword and the Bright Mirror Platform appeared, flying toward Zhang Ruochen.
Then, he returned one-tenth of the Killing Dao Essence to Zhang Ruochen.
"From now on, Blood Absolute's days won't be easy!"
Leaving behind this remark, Huang Tian continued his cultivation.
Huang Tian had experienced many ups and downs in life, falling into the abyss time and again and climbing back up. He believed his mindset could be flexible.
But Xue Jue War God had always been used to being high-profile, always claiming to be invincible at the same realm and even invincible across realms. Being surpassed by his own grandson would definitely sting.
Zhang Ruochen went to see Yuyao and told her about some of the situations on Xinghuantian.
Yuyao also told Zhang Ruochen about their experiences. Back then, they had chased Xuan Yi all the way into Lihentian and fought many battles.
But Xuan Yi not only had terrifying cultivation but also an endless array of life-saving techniques—concealing his aura, speed, hiding, and so on. Even with Huang Tian and Nüdi joining forces, they could not kill him.
In the Boundless Radiance Heavenly Realm, they had been ambushed by a large number of remnant souls of already-dead gods from the Quantity Organization, as well as remnant souls of ancient powerhouses who set up a terrifying formation. The three of them were nearly killed in a counterattack.
After escaping, they were chased by remnant souls of ancient powerhouses, including the remnant souls of deceased Heavenly Venerables.
In the end, it was Tai Shang who returned from the North Marsh Great Wall, entered Lihentian in person, dealt with all the ancient powerhouses, and brought them here.
"Could it be that the remnant souls of those ancient powerhouses are connected to the Quantity Organization?"
After thinking for a moment, Zhang Ruochen cleared his mind of distracting thoughts.
These matters were for figures like Tai Shang to handle. For now, it was not his concern.
Zhang Ruochen went to find Nüdi but saw Chi Xingtian looking dejected. He asked, "Got hit by another blow?"
"Haha! What blow would I be hit by? I have no idea what you're talking about." Chi Xingtian laughed loudly, clasped his hands behind his back, and walked toward Yuyao, intending to chat with her.
Qiangu Nüdi was as enchanting and unparalleled as ever, her divine realm world spreading outward like a calm lake.
She held a sword with both hands, sitting cross-legged at the center of the lake, her black hair falling, as still as an orchid.
Zhang Ruochen walked across the water surface, stopping ten zhang away from her. With a flick of his finger, he sent the Time Essence flying out.
The Time Essence flew to Qiangu Nüdi's side, circled around, and directly drilled into her body.
Qiangu Nüdi opened her eyes and said, "Didn't I tell you? I've given you this Time Essence. Back then, at the Xumi Temple, obtaining the Time Source Bead and Time Essence was thanks to your help. You can accept this karmic connection without hesitation."
"One-tenth of the Time Essence isn't particularly useful to me right now. But to you, it must hold a different significance," Zhang Ruochen said.
Qiangu Nüdi was silent for a moment, then smiled. "Your reputation as the Romantic Sword God isn't undeserved. With such actions, how could any woman not be moved?"
She added, "Is your Wuji Divine Dao really that strong? Can you even disregard main god-level Essence?"
"Nüdi wants to give it a try?" Zhang Ruochen said.
Qiangu Nüdi said, "Forget it. Even Huang Tian chose to avoid battle, so why would I seek trouble? But with the amount of Time Essence I now possess, once I enter the Infinite Realm, my combat power will undoubtedly see an extraordinary leap. When that time comes, it's hard to say who will be stronger or weaker!"
A figure like Qiangu Nüdi, once she broke through to the Infinite Realm, would immediately possess extremely strong combat power, far beyond ordinary God Kings and God Venerables.
Moreover, she controlled three-tenths of the Time Essence!
"I look forward to the day when Nüdi and I can compare swords and discuss the Dao in the Infinite Realm."
Zhang Ruochen's gaze fell on the sword in Qiangu Nüdi's hand. "May I ask, Nüdi, is this the Non-Interference Divine Sword, one of the ten great divine artifacts of the Kunlun Realm?"
"Indeed."
Zhang Ruochen pressed further. "Was it this sword that entered the Kunlun Realm back then and cut off the Abyssal Depths?"
Qiangu Nüdi said, "In the past hundred thousand years, the Non-Interference Divine Sword has never left my side."
"I understand."
Zhang Ruochen took his leave.
Since the Abyssal Ancient Sword was not cut by the Non-Interference Divine Sword, it could only have been cut by the Blood Drop Sword. However, the Blood Drop Sword had disguised itself as the Non-Interference Divine Sword to deceive the sword spirit.
In fact, Zhang Ruochen had already suspected this, so he was not surprised by the answer.
How could the Abyssal Ancient Sword have coincidentally appeared in the Yunwu Commandery?
It was clearly arranged by Chi Yao.
Zhang Ruochen seemed to feel the sword spirit's sorrow. His divine thought entered the body of the Abyssal Ancient Sword, comforting it. "The master of the Blood Drop is Yao Yao. It had no choice! Yao Yao wanted it to come to the Yunwu Commandery to accompany me, and the Blood Drop Sword had no way around it."
Qiangu Nüdi stared at Zhang Ruochen's back and suddenly said, "Xiu Chen willingly became the spirit of the Sundial. Didn't she negotiate terms with you?"
Zhang Ruochen stopped his communication with the sword spirit and had to admit that Nüdi was indeed a fascinating person. Her personality was completely different from other women—not at all coy, but quite magnanimous.
No wonder she was called Nüdi.
"That's right, she did negotiate terms. But I was too embarrassed to bring it up," Zhang Ruochen said.
Qiangu Nüdi said, "I've already said that obtaining the Source Bead and Essence at the Xumi Temple was partly thanks to you. I won't take back the Time Essence, but you can take the Time Source Bead!"
A brilliant radiance flew out from Qiangu Nüdi's hand.
Zhang Ruochen caught the Time Source Bead and held it in his palm.
This was a divine artifact! How many people would abandon their kin and even kill their closest relatives for a divine artifact?
"I regret not being born a hundred thousand years earlier, to live in the same era as Nüdi..." Zhang Ruochen said.
Qiangu Nüdi said, "Are you trying to court me? What a pity. As you said, not being born in the same era means missing the age of blooming emotions. Over a hundred thousand years old, my Dao heart has long been as firm as a rock. Not everyone is like Feng Tian. Tell me, was Feng Tian in a stage of nirvana and rebirth, with her emotions being reshaped, and you took advantage of that?"
Zhang Ruochen dared not say anything more that was touching or sentimental. He turned and left.
Bringing up Feng Tian was no fun at all. It was a baseless rumor, and now one more person knew about it. Yuyao's gaze was fixed on him.
There was no helping it. This matter was too shocking.
(Chapter End)