# Chapter 3421: Murderous Intent Reaching the Heavens
The white jade carriage stopped in the void, less than ten zhang away from Zhang Ruochen and the others.
Countless eyes fell upon Shi Fu Jun.
They all wanted to see what gave a Great God the confidence to face four Infinite realm cultivators head-on.
Shi Fu Jun stepped down from the carriage and bowed respectfully to the four Infinite realm cultivators before him. His face, as firm as if carved by knives and axes, was filled with helplessness. "Forced to come here, delivering a coffin. I beg the four Divine Venerables and Divine Kings not to blame me."
Originally the master of Lan Chen Sea, Shi Fu Jun had once commanded wind and rain among the Stone Clan. But now, he appeared extremely desolate.
His gaze fell upon Zhang Ruochen, his heart heavy, just as he was about to speak.
Zhang Ruochen, carrying a body of cold aura, had already walked to the side of the black coffin. He hesitated for a moment, then reached out and opened the coffin lid. The entire world instantly became cold and murderous.
Inside the coffin lay a corpse weathered by time.
The once peerlessly charming First Assassin Tao Hua, who had laughed as she cut down the heroes of the world, had become white-haired and withered as dry wood, no different from a skin-covered skeleton.
All life force had vanished!
Zhang Ruochen's five fingers gripped the coffin wall tightly. Even though he had sensed it long ago, he still found it difficult to accept this reality. His teeth were clenched, his gaze filled with pain and boundless killing intent.
"Creak... bang..."
Unable to control himself, a large piece of the coffin wall was crushed to pieces in his grip.
Zhang Ruochen used all his rationality to suppress the rage in his heart. But his divine thought still condensed into an invisible hand, lifting Shi Fu Jun by the neck, suspending him in the air.
It was as if he wanted to crush Shi Fu Jun's neck just like the coffin wall.
Shi Fu Jun had long anticipated this outcome and immediately said, "This matter has nothing to do with me. I was also forced..."
"Bang!"
Shi Fu Jun's neck was crushed by that invisible hand, his head and body separated.
His head and body re-formed, and Shi Fu Jun continued, "I am merely a coffin deliverer! If I did not come, I would also face certain death. Does the Realm Lord not want to know why Xuan Yi did this?"
"Xuan Yi!"
Chi Xingtian, upon hearing this name, had veins bulging on his forehead. He immediately walked to the coffin to examine it.
Inside the coffin lay a withered corpse. It was indeed Xuan Yi's handiwork.
"So you really are a member of the Quantity Organization! Tell me, where is Xuan Yi?"
Chi Xingtian slapped Shi Fu Jun, sending him tumbling through the void. Cracks appeared on his stone face.
Shi Fu Jun was so frustrated he wanted to go berserk, but he restrained himself, knowing that now was not the time to provoke them. "I have no relationship with Xuan Yi whatsoever! Back then, I was falsely accused of being a member of the Quantity Organization and was brutally attacked by the Stone Clan's gods. Forced by circumstances, I could only flee to the border universes to avoid the troubles of the Quantity Organization. But unexpectedly, not long ago, I ran straight into Xuan Yi and became his prisoner."
"If it weren't for that, would I be crazy enough to act on Xuan Yi's behalf and provoke all of you?"
Zhang Ruochen sat down on the wheel of the white jade carriage, his gaze cold and deep. "I don't care whether you were forced or if you were always working for Xuan Yi. I'll give you one chance. Tell me, where is Xuan Yi?"
His tone was calm, but every word carried an unyielding will that could not be defied.
Shi Fu Jun felt Zhang Ruochen's killing intent and quickly said, "Earlier, Xuan Yi was in White Fox City when he gave me this coffin to deliver to you. Whether he's still in White Fox City now, I cannot say."
"Besides that? Did he have any other message?" Zhang Ruochen asked.
Shi Fu Jun said, "Xuan Yi said that Tao Hua has withered and A Le has died. Both of them met this calamity because of you! But he told you not to feel too guilty or sad, because the child is still alive, and you still have a chance to make up for your mistakes. You only need to give me the Earth Cauldron and the God-Defying Stele to take back, and he will release the child."
As he spoke, Shi Fu Jun took out a wooden box and handed it to Zhang Ruochen.
Zhang Ruochen opened the wooden box and saw what was inside. He had already suppressed his anger and killing intent deep in his heart, maintaining absolute calm. But at this moment, he collapsed. All his toughness and restraint were shattered.
Half a tongue...
A bloody tongue!
Shi Fu Jun said, "Xuan Yi said that the child was frightened and kept crying, too noisy, so he cut off the tongue. Consider it a token of proof, so you wouldn't disbelieve him."
Zhang Ruochen's eyes turned red, as if thousands of knives were cutting his heart. He could no longer conceal the emotions within.
"Xuan Yi..."
Zhang Ruochen held the wooden box in his palm, countless sword qi erupting from his body. Never had he wanted to tear someone apart limb from limb as much as he did at this moment.
"Bang!"
Chi Xingtian punched Shi Fu Jun to the ground, his rage uncontrollable. "How can you people be so cruel?"
"It was Xuan Yi! I'm just a messenger." Shi Fu Jun was indignant. What kind of bad luck had he been having these past years, falling from a regional overlord in the Hell Realm to this state?
Qiangu Nüdi pointed her sword at Shi Fu Jun's brow. "If you get the Earth Cauldron and the God-Defying Stele, where will you go to find Xuan Yi?"
Shi Fu Jun said, "Xuan Yi said I don't need to find him. He will appear and find me at the appropriate time."
Qiangu Nüdi said, "Do you know that at that time, it will be your death?"
"Of course I understand that principle. But what can I do?" Shi Fu Jun said.
Qiangu Nüdi said, "There is a way! Cooperate with us to lure Xuan Yi out and kill him."
Shi Fu Jun pondered, his gaze falling on Zhang Ruochen. "I am naturally willing to cooperate with you, but Xuan Yi left another message for Zhang Ruochen."
"Speak!" Zhang Ruochen said.
Shi Fu Jun said, "He said that you should understand him. If you do not produce the real Earth Cauldron and God-Defying Stele, or if you have any other retaliatory plans, he will kill the child immediately, making you regret it for life. So he told you to think thrice before acting!"
Chi Xingtian slapped Shi Fu Jun down again. "Don't listen to him. If you hand over the Earth Cauldron and the God-Defying Stele, will Xuan Yi really release the child? That's impossible."
Qiangu Nüdi said, "The Earth Cauldron and the God-Defying Stele absolutely cannot fall into the hands of Xuan Yi and the Quantity Organization. I am proficient in a secret art that can create a perfect fake. I can strip a wisp of aura and heavenly mechanism from the Earth Cauldron and the God-Defying Stele to forge false artifacts. I guarantee there will be no problems."
Zhang Ruochen's gaze fell upon Su Yun and Wu Dao. "Two Clan Leaders, this Realm Lord has a personal matter to handle. Are you interested in assisting?"
Since he called it a "personal matter," it was clearly not a genuine request for their help, but rather a dismissal.
Su Yun and Wu Dao were both perceptive. After exchanging a few pleasantries, they led their respective clans' divine-level beings away. They were deeply worried, realizing that the battle among Divine Venerables was far from over, and that the Phantom Extinction Star Sea would inevitably be thrown into turmoil.
After distancing themselves, Su Yun transmitted his voice, "Do you think Zhang Ruochen will really hand over the Earth Cauldron and the God-Defying Stele?"
"Impossible. No one would do such a thing." Wu Dao said with certainty, then a strange look appeared in his eyes. "Clan Leader Su, are you also interested in the Earth Cauldron and the God-Defying Stele?"
Su Yun shook his head and laughed. "Even if I am interested, I wouldn't dare have any thoughts. How could ordinary people possess these two items?"
...
Zhang Ruochen took out the Earth Cauldron and the God-Defying Stele and handed them to Shi Fu Jun.
Chi Xingtian's eyes were filled with astonishment, his voice rising to his throat, but in the end, he did not speak. This was the real Zhang Ruochen. No one would give up two supreme treasures for a child, but he could take them out without hesitation.
Qiangu Nüdi was moved. She also understood that this son Zhang Ruochen was truly different from other cultivators. He could be called the epitome of emotion and righteousness. To befriend him would surely be the most praiseworthy thing in the world.
Zhang Ruochen waved his hand. "Go!"
Shi Fu Jun held the Earth Cauldron and the God-Defying Stele, looking at Zhang Ruochen. The impact on his heart was enormous. He had never seen someone who valued a child's life above all else.
Every three divine steps Shi Fu Jun took, he would look back once, confirming that Zhang Ruochen was still standing in place, not following.
He made his way toward the edge of the Phantom Extinction Star Sea, and the thought of taking the Earth Cauldron and the God-Defying Stele for himself gradually grew in his heart.
"Since Xuan Yi has targeted me, I'm as good as dead anyway. Why not take the Earth Cauldron and the God-Defying Stele and flee to the outer realms? When my cultivation is complete, I can return."
Thinking this, Shi Fu Jun immediately concealed his aura, shrinking his body to the size of a particle, and headed toward the Night Soil.
Once he passed through the Night Soil, he would leave the Phantom Extinction Star Sea and enter the cosmic wasteland.
Then, the sky would be high and the sea vast—where could he not go?
Half a month passed, the journey was uneventful, and Shi Fu Jun was inwardly delighted, feeling that he had escaped the perception of both Zhang Ruochen and Xuan Yi. In another half day's journey, he would leave the Phantom Extinction Star Sea.
"Zhang Ruochen doesn't dare to track me, afraid that Xuan Yi will sense it. Xuan Yi also doesn't dare to set any means on me, afraid that Zhang Ruochen will detect it. This way, it gives me an opportunity!"
Shi Fu Jun gazed ahead. The cosmic void was pitch black, releasing an invisible cold aura that gave an extreme sense of oppression.
Nothing could be seen!
But Shi Fu Jun knew that this was an important forbidden zone in the universe—the Night Soil!
Here, the rules of heaven and earth had become somewhat different. The night curtain covered everything. Any cultivator, including gods, would stop here, feeling fear toward the night.
"Shi Fu Jun, enter the Night Soil to see me!"
Xuan Yi's voice came from within the Night Soil, echoing in Shi Fu Jun's mind.
Shi Fu Jun's entire body trembled, as if struck by a bolt of lightning from a clear sky. He cursed Xuan Yi's ancestors for eighteen generations in his heart. How despicable! Xuan Yi had been waiting in the Night Soil all along.
Had Xuan Yi already guessed that he would definitely get the Earth Cauldron and the God-Defying Stele and would pass through the Night Soil to flee to the outer realms?
Shi Fu Jun certainly did not want to obediently hand over the Earth Cauldron and the God-Defying Stele. He was thinking about how to escape...
"Whoosh!"
The energy of heaven and earth erupted in chaos, and the sound of sword cries was piercing.
A brilliant beam of light streaked past above his head, like a peerless divine sword slashing into the Night Soil.
Shi Fu Jun's pupils blazed with divine light. Above, he saw a peerless figure. His heart grew even more furious. So Zhang Ruochen had been following him all along, and he had been completely unaware.
Zhang Ruochen wore the Ancestral Divine Traveling Cloak. Not to mention him, even Xuan Yi could not sense any heavenly mechanism.
Sensing Xuan Yi's aura, Zhang Ruochen did not hesitate at all and attacked directly.
Killing intent poured out, battle might covering heaven and earth.
"Whoosh!"
The One-Word Sword Dao seemed to split the universe itself, dividing the starry sky in two. The sword light plunged straight into the Night Soil.
The night curtain was torn open. Xuan Yi stood on an eternally tranquil black earth, wild grass growing at his feet, and ink-like spring water flowing.
Looking at the descending sword edge from the sky, his gaze was deep and steady. On the black earth beneath his feet, dense formation patterns emerged. A circular altar broke through the ground, towering like a majestic mountain.
Countless lightning bolts surged out from the altar, meeting the descending sword light.
"Boom!"
Sword qi and lightning clashed, illuminating the night curtain, making the outline of the eternally dark Night Soil much clearer.