Chapter 3423: Heavenly Fox Tomb Realm
Within an Ancestor Realm, no other Ancestor's power can be accommodated.
Entering the Night Soil, the Ancestor power within the Heavenly Demon Overlord Spear and the Swallow Boots was difficult to activate, only leaking out in wisps and strands. This showed that the Night Soil was extremely extraordinary; even if it was not an Ancestor Realm, it was at least a Half-Ancestor Realm.
Zhang Ruochen quickly grasped the rule changes within the Night Soil, pursuing Xuan Yi relentlessly, employing every means at his disposal.
Xuan Yi's divine body was shattered six times, and a vast amount of divine substance was annihilated. However, his unique Second-Rank Divine Path of the Heart of Heaven and Earth allowed him to rapidly digest the Ancestor blood he carried, replenishing the consumed divine substance.
At the same time, the divine robe he wore was covered in talisman inscriptions. When activated, his speed was by no means slow.
The Heavenly Fox Tomb Realm was filled with floating, luminous purple mist. Deep within the mist layer, half of an ancient and mystical high tower was visible, appearing distant and ethereal.
Before their deaths, the six supreme powerhouses of the Demon Clan had constructed six great tombs to bury themselves and eternally suppress the Night Soil.
The Heavenly Fox Tomb Realm was one of them, burying the Twelve-Tailed Heavenly Fox.
The Night Soil was located in a remote border universe, but it was also quite famous in the Heavenly Court and Hell Realms. All gods knew it was a forbidden land, extremely dangerous.
Throughout the pursuit, Zhang Ruochen did sense some foreign entities, but they were all killed by the residual waves of his divine power. He had flattened a vast territory of the Night Soil.
Only upon arriving outside this expanse of luminous purple mist did Zhang Ruochen truly sense a dangerous aura.
The purple mist was boundless, stretching to the end of the sky. Deep within, even his Wuji Divine Dao and Heart of Truth could not sense it. A power far exceeding his current cultivation level shrouded that place.
"The Twelve-Tailed Heavenly Fox must have possessed peerless cultivation in life! The White Fox Night Demon Clan must have produced many powerhouses throughout its history."
This thought flashed through Zhang Ruochen's mind as he pursued into the luminous purple mist.
Even if there were unpredictable dangers, he absolutely could not let Xuan Yi escape.
Shortly after entering the purple mist, Zhang Ruochen sensed fluctuations from a formation. The mist began to flow, and some parts of it grew even brighter.
"I am here to slay a mortal enemy and have no intention of becoming an enemy of the White Fox Clan."
Whether or not the Fox Clan gods guarding the Heavenly Fox Tomb Realm heard him, Zhang Ruochen continued forward, following the residual aura of Xuan Yi.
Before long, in a stone forest, Zhang Ruochen saw Xuan Yi standing at the base of a hundred-zhang-tall stone mountain.
Xuan Yi's divine robe flickered with talisman light. His figure was outstanding and coolly handsome, but his face was slightly pale. In one hand, he held the divine artifact "Earth Thunder Pearl," and in the other, he gripped the back of the neck of a child of eight or nine years old.
Blood dripped from the corner of the child's mouth. His eyes were red and dazed, his face filled with fear and unease.
Zhang Ruochen's heart ached intensely. His gaze was cold and heavy. "I thought you were a heroic figure of your generation, with the potential to be the ancestor of the God of Slaughter. I never expected you to use a child as a shield. This only reveals your weak nature."
"The result matters, not the process. Hand over the Earth Cauldron, the God-Defying Stele, and one-tenth of your Slaughter Dao Essence, and I will give him to you," Xuan Yi said.
Zhang Ruochen said, "Even if I give you the Earth Cauldron, the God-Defying Stele, and the Slaughter Dao Essence, can you escape?"
"So, you must also swear an oath by the reputation of Yunshen Daozhu, granting me half an hour to get away. How about that? Fair enough, right?" Xuan Yi said.
Divine light flickered and pulsed around Zhang Ruochen. His gaze was like lightning, fixed on Xuan Yi.
"How about this: you gamble. Will you kill me first, or will I kill him first?"
Xuan Yi's fingers tightened. The child's neck bones snapped, and a large amount of blood flowed from his mouth.
"His time has stopped. Your time is also running out," Xuan Yi said.
"Hua!"
The Taiji Four Symbols Diagram instantly manifested, and the strange scene of the Jade Tree and Ink Moon appeared above Xuan Yi's head.
Especially the Jade Tree, which erupted with a dense array of Time Imprint light spots, drastically slowing the flow of time.
Zhang Ruochen appeared before Xuan Yi almost instantaneously, his finger tracing a sword light that slashed across Xuan Yi's wrist.
Against such time power and speed, even Xuan Yi could not react in time.
Blood sprayed through the air. The hand gripping the child's neck was cleanly severed.
Xuan Yi was also remarkable. Seeming to feel no pain at all, his other hand activated the Earth Thunder Pearl. From the gaps between his five fingers, dozens of electric lights surged forth.
Each one was a Calamity Divine Thunder!
Zhang Ruochen reached out to grab the child, shielding him with his divine light. He struck out with a fist. A Qilin phantom emerged from the fist glove, shattering all the incoming Calamity Divine Thunders.
Zhang Ruochen and Xuan Yi both flew backward simultaneously. The ground was torn apart, creating a wide canyon.
Suddenly, Zhang Ruochen felt a sharp pain at the location of his Mysterious Womb. He looked down at the child in his hands.
The child held a foot-long silver needle, which he had stabbed into Zhang Ruochen's Mysterious Womb. Then, he formed his five fingers into a claw and struck at Zhang Ruochen's heart.
How could Zhang Ruochen give him another chance?
He struck the child's abdomen with a palm, sending him flying far away.
Surprisingly, the full-force palm strike Zhang Ruochen had unleashed did not shatter the child's body.
The child spun several times in mid-air. Countless Rule Divine Marks emerged on his body, dissipating Zhang Ruochen's palm force.
When he landed on the ground, the child's appearance had completely changed. He transformed into a charming, seductive woman, with several fluffy white fox tails swaying behind her.
It was the White Fox Clan leader, Su Yun.
Su Yun's temperament was stunningly beautiful. Her eyes were captivating, her skin fair with a rosy tint, exuding a mature charm. She gracefully moved to stand beside Xuan Yi, her voice soft and laced with laughter: "If the Realm Lord's cultivation is transcendent, I must admit I am inferior. But in the end, you are still too young. Did you not realize you had already fallen into an illusion formation? Hehe, I suppose you couldn't see through it. The illusion formation here was laid down by the Twelve-Tailed Heavenly Fox."
Xuan Yi had never underestimated Zhang Ruochen. "If he had been more cautious, how could such a trick have fooled him? But in the end, he was blinded by hatred and fell into the trap."
Zhang Ruochen retreated repeatedly. The silver needle stuck in his abdomen at the Mysterious Womb location sometimes felt like a red-hot iron wire, sometimes like a bolt of lightning. His expression became extremely ugly.
Su Yun's soft, delicate body leaned lightly against Xuan Yi. "Don't struggle in vain. This is the White Fox Clan's number one treasure, the Spirit-Calming Needle. It can break the Divine Sea, shatter the Divine Source, and fix the Divine Soul."
Xuan Yi watched Zhang Ruochen's pained expression. "Your Divine Sea and Divine Source were both shattered by Qingtian. When we fought in Xinghuantian, I sensed that your Mysterious Womb was very problematic. The Spirit-Calming Needle breaking the Mysterious Womb should be correct, shouldn't it?"
Zhang Ruochen closed his eyes, as if resigned to his fate. He sighed. "Impressive! You never underestimated me, but I underestimated you. I deserve this loss. But there is one thing I don't understand. How did the two of you become so intimate?"
Su Yun's beautiful eyes shimmered as she looked at Xuan Yi's handsome profile. "I might as well tell you. Actually, we have known each other for a hundred thousand years."
Zhang Ruochen understood. It seemed Xuan Yi was also worried that Wen Tianjun might still be alive, which was why he had come to the Extinction Star Sea to investigate a hundred thousand years ago.
A proud son of heaven like him was naturally outstanding enough to make any woman in the world fall for him.
Moreover, he had sufficiently clever methods. He could win over Princess Shen Ba, deceive Wen Tianjun, so dealing with a Su Yun was presumably not a problem.
Zhang Ruochen said, "Do you know what happened to his previous wife?"
"Are you stalling for time?" Xuan Yi's eyes turned cold and stern, then he continued, "Three Boundless cultivators from the Hell Realm have already made their move. Hua Ying Qing Chan can barely protect herself; I'm afraid she won't be able to save you."
Xuan Yi raised the Earth Thunder Pearl, fully mobilizing the divine Qi within his body, pouring it continuously into the pearl.
A pearl the size of a thumb erupted with light as bright as a star, drawing forth bolts of Calamity Divine Thunder to suppress Zhang Ruochen.
Su Yun's smile grew even more enchanting, as if she could already see Zhang Ruochen being refined to ashes.
But Zhang Ruochen, who should have been waiting in place for death, suddenly erupted with surging, vast divine power. He struck out with the Earth Cauldron, absorbing the incoming Earth Thunder Pearl into the cauldron.
Su Yun was shocked.
Xuan Yi narrowed his eyes.
"Boom!"
"Boom!"
Two divine artifacts, the Bright Mirror Platform and the Celestial Pivot Needle, flew out.
The Bright Mirror Platform emitted vast Buddhist sounds, its golden light illuminating the Heavenly Fox Tomb Realm, once again blasting Xuan Yi's divine body apart. The blood mist and divine robe were all suppressed beneath the platform.
Su Yun's chest was pierced by the Celestial Pivot Needle. All her defensive measures were useless. As her bloody, mutilated body fell to the ground, it was immediately suppressed by the Shaoyang Divine Mountain.
Zhang Ruochen grabbed the silver needle stuck in his Mysterious Womb and slowly pulled it out, examining it. "The White Fox Clan's number one treasure, the Spirit-Calming Needle, and the Thunder Clan's inherited treasure, the Earth Thunder Pearl—both are fine items. Everyone says I am a scatterer of wealth, but I need generous benefactors like you two to deliver it, so I have wealth to scatter."
"Impossible! You were clearly pierced through the Mysterious Womb by the Spirit-Calming Needle... Could it be that your Divine Sea is not located in the Mysterious Womb?"
Su Yun lay on the ground, unable to move. A pair of snow-white, slender legs extended from her skirt, half-hidden and half-exposed, quite alluring. But blood was gushing from her chest, and the divine light around her body trembled continuously. Unfortunately, she could not break free from Zhang Ruochen's Taiji Four Symbols Diagram or escape the suppression of the Shaoyang Divine Mountain.
She was too badly injured, very weak.
Zhang Ruochen said, "I possess the Heart of Truth, capable of seeing through all illusions in the world. Did you really think you could so easily scheme against me? Besides, you yourselves had a huge flaw."
"What flaw?" Su Yun asked.
Zhang Ruochen walked towards her step by step. "The Heavenly Fox Tomb Realm has existed for many years without being destroyed, which is enough to show its danger. How could Xuan Yi enter it so easily?"
Zhang Ruochen took out a hollow golden sphere. Opening the golden cover, a purple gemstone inside was revealed.
Instantly, the entire Heavenly Fox Tomb Realm shook violently, and a ten-billion-fold spatial gravity erupted.
This was the Blunt Void Stone that Zhang Ruochen had taken from the neck of the Great Venerable's mount, the Golden Lion.
Zhang Ruochen placed the Blunt Void Stone on Su Yun's brow. "Stop pretending. Even if you are injured, it would be very difficult for a single Shaoyang Divine Mountain to suppress you to the point of being unable to move. This should be enough now!"
Su Yun's eyes held both shock and intense hatred, as well as a trace of fear.
This young man was too terrifying. Not only did he possess rare and unparalleled cultivation talent, but his mind was also exceptionally brilliant.
They were supposed to be the ones setting the trap, yet now they had been outsmarted.
If she and Xuan Yi had not been deceived by Zhang Ruochen, they would not have lost so badly even in a direct confrontation. Moreover, the Heavenly Fox Tomb Realm was her home ground, and she had many methods at her disposal.
This fall was too severe!
Xuan Yi's shattered divine body found it difficult to reform. The divine robe under the Bright Mirror Platform continuously emitted talisman light, struggling against the Buddhist radiance. His voice came from within the blood Qi: "I still have one card to play!"
Zhang Ruochen walked over. "Many people want you dead, and even more want you to wish you were dead. Tell me now the whereabouts of A Le and Tao Hua's child, and I will grant you a quick death. Otherwise, I will hand you over to Huang Tian, or Chi Xingtian and Yu Yao."
"This is not a fair... deal..." Xuan Yi said.
"Chi chi!"
Zhang Ruochen moved his fingers, summoning divine fire to directly refine the blood mist under the Bright Mirror Platform.
Zhang Ruochen did not rashly break into Xuan Yi's Divine Sea, worried that the power of the Thunder Punishment Heavenly Venerable might still be inside. As long as he refined all the blood mist, he could still damage Xuan Yi's origin, preventing him from ever pursuing a higher realm.
Su Yun's voice came from the other side. "If we both self-detonate our Divine Sources, who can you stop? In the end, it will be a mutual destruction. Do you still think you have already won?"
Zhang Ruochen said, "This tactic was taught to you by Xuan Yi through a message, wasn't it? Let me tell you, this person is extremely selfish. Your self-detonation would be your final use to him. The divine robe he wears is extraordinary, and within his Divine Sea lies the power of a great figure. He has a chance to survive your self-detonation."
"Clan Leader Su, let's talk properly. What Xuan Yi can give you, I can give you. What Xuan Yi cannot give you, I can also give you."
Zhang Ruochen did not believe that an old-school god-venerable like Su Yun would so easily fall in love.
Perhaps she had feelings for Xuan Yi, but more than that, it must have been a union of interests.
Of course, the main reason was that Zhang Ruochen discovered that Su Yun's divine soul was closely linked to the Heavenly Fox Tomb Realm, as if intertwined.
If he killed her, he was unsure what greater danger might be triggered.
Su Yun laughed. "You are truly excellent, and very handsome. If I had met you a hundred thousand years ago, perhaps I would have been more tempted. But I am not a heartless woman. Realm Lord, you have miscalculated this time. Are you not aware that besides my true body, I have a large number of divine soul thoughts left in the Heavenly Fox Tower?"
Deep within the luminous purple mist.
From the top of the Heavenly Fox Tower, a bright beam of light shot out.
The beam, as if reflected by a mirror in the sky, crossed over a hundred thousand miles and struck down at Zhang Ruochen below.
Zhang Ruochen's gaze turned heavy. He no longer hesitated. His actions were decisive. The Blunt Void Stone pressed down, crushing Su Yun's charming, exquisite face, splitting her entire head open.
The Spirit-Calming Needle stabbed straight through, piercing Su Yun's Divine Sea.
"Bang!"
Without giving Su Yun any chance to self-detonate her Divine Source, the Divine Source was shattered by the Spirit-Calming Needle, breaking into pieces.
Like the destruction of a great world, a massive amount of Rule Divine Marks and divine Qi erupted from the center of Su Yun's head, forcing Zhang Ruochen back several steps.
Zhang Ruochen raised his other hand. Above his palm, the Taiji Four Symbols Diagram condensed, clashing head-on with the descending beam of light.