Chapter 3439: Encountering Feima Wang Again
The Dragon Lord naturally had concerns. After all, the universe had undergone a cataclysmic change, with the Heavenly Court and Hell in a decisive battle. Yet, the Five Dragon Divine Emperor, the number one expert of the Heavenly Dragon Realm, had gone to Lihentian.
With this delay, who knew if something might happen to the Heavenly Dragon Realm?
Zhang Ruochen and Chi Xingtian, after "careful consideration," immediately responded, arguing that the Kunlun Realm was closer to the Yellow Spring Star River, making it more likely for an incident to occur. They had to return as quickly as possible. They would visit the Heavenly Dragon Realm another time!
The Southern Universe was a vast starry domain where the demon race gathered.
The Demon God Realm, as the ruling world, possessed the greatest power.
However, the Ten Clans and Ten Demon Realms, led by the Heavenly Dragon Realm, still possessed formidable strength, capable of contending with the Demon God Realm, ranking as the first echelon among the thousands of great worlds in the Southern Universe.
The Dragon Lord stood at the ship's bow, gazing at the brilliant sea of stars, closing his eyes to sense the changes in the Heavenly Court Universe.
Unfortunately, the universe was vast and boundless. "Trillions of miles" was merely an infinitesimally small scale. Even a Great Unbound Infinite could only sense some subtle changes.
Zhang Ruochen, meanwhile, took out the Earth Cauldron and continued refining Xuan Yi and Su Yun.
At the same time, he carefully studied the "Qilin Fist Gloves" he had seized from Red-Eye God King and the "Spirit-Settling Needle" he had taken from Su Yun.
As for the White Robe Divine Garment stripped from Bai Zun, he had already given it to Qiangu Nüdi.
He felt it was better not to keep such an item, lest people misunderstand and think he, Zhang Ruochen, was truly a lecherous glutton who wouldn't even spare Bai Zun.
Of course, this matter still earned him Chi Xingtian's contempt for a long time, who accused him of having ulterior motives.
Zhang Ruochen couldn't be bothered to explain. The pure are self-purifying!
All were divine artifacts, but clearly, the Spirit-Settling Needle was far more precious than the Qilin Fist Gloves, worthy of being called half a god-killing weapon.
It could break the Divine Sea, shatter the Divine Source, and fix the Divine Soul.
It only lacked the ability to sever spirit, cut off vitality, and grind away divine matter.
As for the other treasures on Xuan Yi, aside from the Earth Thunder Pearl, they had all been annihilated in the battle. After all, there were not many artifacts in this world that could withstand a battle between God Venerables.
Even many Supreme Sacred Artifacts made of insufficiently tough materials could not endure!
This was also why, in the Night Soil, when Feng Tian and the Starry Sea Angler were dueling, they hadn't taken Zhang Ruochen and the others into their Divine Realm Worlds.
Inside the Earth Cauldron, Xuan Yi and Su Yun were completely refined into particles, losing all spiritual consciousness and returning to the origin of heaven and earth.
Soon, divine pills of various colors poured out from the cauldron.
Their pill radiance was bright, crystalline like gems.
Zhang Ruochen gave all the divine pills that enhanced spiritual power to Yu Yao.
It wasn't that he didn't need them, but he believed Yu Yao needed them more.
The remaining pills, which enhanced divine Qi, blood Qi, and divine soul, were split equally with Qiangu Nüdi.
Zhang Ruochen's generosity made even the usually heroic Qiangu Nüdi feel a bit embarrassed. The more benefits she received, the greater the debt of gratitude she owed.
But these divine pills, refined by the Earth Cauldron, were extremely easy to absorb and had no side effects. They were enough for her to recover from her injuries, consolidate her realm, and enhance her cultivation foundation in a short time, equivalent to ten thousand years of cultivation.
Zhang Ruochen smiled and said, "Why hesitate, Empress? If not for your desperate protection, I might not have safely broken through my realm. Besides, didn't you also contribute to killing Xuan Yi?"
Qiangu Nüdi was not one to be pretentious. She lifted her fragrant sleeve, swept away the divine pills, thought for a moment, pointed at Zhang Ruochen, and exuded an imperial and domineering aura. "Consider this a debt I owe you. If you ever encounter trouble in the future and can't extricate yourself, just send me a message."
Qiangu Nüdi's snow-white fingers closed together, and all the divine pills exploded, turning into a misty pill fog.
Strands of pill Qi were drawn into her body.
Beneath her skin, it was as if a bright lamp had been lit, radiating dazzling rosy light.
Chi Xingtian, sitting on the ship's railing, muttered, "Ambition hidden in a wolf's heart."
Zhang Ruochen said, "You are the one with a petty man's heart; how can you know the mind of a gentleman? If you had reached the Infinite Realm, the divine pills would certainly have a share for you. Giving them to you now would be a pure waste."
This time, Zhang Ruochen and Chi Xingtian had truly forged a deep friendship. To protect them during their breakthrough, Chi Xingtian had used up all his ancestral relics, truly risking his life.
Zhang Ruochen always remembered this debt of gratitude.
Therefore, even if Chi Xingtian refused to become the Heavenly Dragon's live-in son-in-law, Zhang Ruochen would do his utmost to help him repair his foundation and assist him in breaking through to the Infinite Realm.
Zhang Ruochen treated Yu Yao, Qiangu Nüdi, and Chi Xingtian equally. It was precisely because of this selflessness that the three of them had accepted him from the depths of their hearts.
This acceptance meant they were willing to set aside their pride and follow his lead.
The Dragon Lord and the Starry Sea Angler silently observed this.
In terms of talent, potential, cultivation, and character, only Zhang Ruochen was worthy of being the leader of the new generation, someone who could make everyone submit to him and trust him.
Huang Tian and Bai Qinger were too cold towards those around them; they could only be rulers of a single clan. Chi Yao and the Empress were too self-centered; they could only be sovereigns of a single realm. Chi Xingtian had both courage and strategy but lacked patience; at most, he could be the master of a single sect or school.
Other cultivators fell too far behind in talent.
Zhang Ruochen could mingle with his own side's cultivators, and towards enemies, he could be decisive in killing or merciful in accepting them. Only then could he be the master of myriad realms and myriad clans!
In the future, when the older generation faded away, the Sword Realm would not be like the current Heavenly Court and Hell. Zhang Ruochen, as the Heavenly Venerable, would undoubtedly have absolute control.
Like the Empress, Zhang Ruochen swallowed all the divine pills, slowly refining and absorbing them to enhance his own foundation. Of course, this wouldn't improve his cultivation insights!
Afterwards, he picked up the Earth Thunder Pearl to study.
The artifact spirit of the Earth Thunder Pearl was very stubborn and had not been tamed, so Zhang Ruochen could only temporarily seal it.
Even so, its power was still extraordinary. Even without using divine Qi to activate it, merely exposing it to the void would cause thunder to roar in heaven and earth and bright lightning to flash.
The Dragon Lord said, "The four thunder pearls—Heaven, Earth, Wind, and Fire—are all divine artifacts. If all four are gathered, their power would definitely not lose to the divine artifacts listed in the first chapter of the 'Tai Bai Divine Artifact Chapter.' The fact that Xuan Yi could wield one shows that the Thunder Clan had great expectations for him, treating him as a future clan leader."
"So, the Thunder Clan's experts will definitely come looking for me?" Zhang Ruochen smiled. "It doesn't matter. I've already forged a deep hatred with the Thunder Clan anyway... Huh!"
Zhang Ruochen suddenly looked up, his calm and profound eyes fixed on a certain direction in the universe.
The Dragon Lord also sensed it!
The wooden boat suddenly accelerated, leaping through space and speeding away.
...
The Mandala Flower God burned her lifespan, her humanoid body becoming alternately solid and ethereal as she fled rapidly through the boundless void, like a flaming meteor cutting through the darkness.
Around her, countless flower petals accompanied her.
Within the petals, divine rules and patterns interwove, enveloping a great world. Vaguely, one could see the mountains, rivers, oceans, and majestic divine halls within that world.
Behind her, hundreds of thousands of miles away, a pink demonic shadow pursued.
The shadow had long, fiery red hair, burning like flames. Its two slender, snow-white arms were raised above its head, condensing a millstone of demonic Qi that vibrated space and pressed down towards the Mandala Flower God.
"Can't escape?"
The Mandala Flower God looked up at the seemingly boundless millstone, despair filling her eyes.
She had truly reached the end of her strength. Her lifespan had been burning for an entire eon, and her body was gradually weakening, unable to maintain its peak state.
She certainly had the resolve to fight to the death with Feima Wang, but the Thousand Stamen Realm was still on her.
How could she bear to watch the Thousand Stamen Realm be destroyed and billions of living beings turned to ashes?
But if captured by Feima Wang, she and the creatures of the Thousand Stamen Realm would only suffer a worse fate, becoming Feima Wang's blood food.
She had to make a choice!
"You're too late! If you want to devour the Thousand Stamen Realm, I won't give you that chance."
A bitter smile appeared on the Mandala Flower God's face, and her gaze gradually hardened as she decided to self-destruct her Divine Source.
The pity was that she knew she didn't even have the qualifications to die together with Feima Wang. At best, she could only self-destruct after creating some distance, perishing along with the Thousand Stamen Realm in the empty universe.
If the distance was too close, she might not even be able to self-destruct her Divine Source.
"Flower God, wait! Ruochen is here."
Zhang Ruochen's voice suddenly appeared in the Mandala Flower God's mind, causing a look of surprise to appear on her bright and delicate face.
"Ruochen... Zhang Ruochen..."
"Boom!"
The space for hundreds of thousands of miles shook violently.
Zhang Ruochen stepped out from across space, the divine light radiating from his body brighter than a star.
The roar of a Qilin sounded.
Zhang Ruochen had already thrown a punch. A massive Qilin shadow materialized in the starry sky, lunging forward, shattering the demonic Qi millstone into pieces.
It was truly the might of a God Venerable, a peerless bearing, with Qi waves sweeping across the entire star domain.
The wooden boat then appeared, stopping in the distance.
The Mandala Flower God looked at Zhang Ruochen, then at the Dragon Lord and Qiangu Nüdi on the distant wooden boat, and finally breathed a sigh of relief. She had escaped death by a hair's breadth.
Feima Wang glanced at the wooden boat and immediately fled without any hesitation.
But Zhang Ruochen took just one step and caught up to her. He raised his arm, condensing a thousand-mile hand seal, and struck down from above.
"Bang!"
Feima Wang's divine body exploded, turning into a cloud of blood mist.
Zhang Ruochen collected the blood mist and found a pink rib inside.
The rib was crystal clear, heavy with demonic Qi, and astonishingly fierce.
"Zhang Ruochen, we will meet again!" The voice of Feima Wang's divine soul sounded from within the rib.
"Is that so? I'm waiting."
Zhang Ruochen held the rib and returned to the wooden boat.
The Mandala Flower God had already been guided onto the boat by Qiangu Nüdi.
Zhang Ruochen said, "It was a clone formed by Feima Wang using a rib, blood Qi, and divine soul thoughts. However, its strength was already formidable. I suspect her true body's cultivation has likely recovered to the level of Great Unbound Infinite. Senior Yu, is Feima Wang's true body nearby?"
From within the wooden boat, the Starry Sea Angler's voice sounded, "Too far away! The probability of catching up to her is less than ten percent."
If the Starry Sea Angler were truly determined to hunt down Feima Wang, relying on the rib in Zhang Ruochen's hand, Feima Wang's chance of escape would be minimal. However, this process would inevitably be lengthy.
Feima Wang would not sit idly by, and the other Chaos Ancient Demons would not stand by and do nothing.
The final result of such an action would inevitably be that the Starry Sea Angler would delay truly important matters. At the same time, it would cause the Chaos Ancient Demons to turn their spearhead directly towards the Sword Realm, allowing the Heavenly Court and Hell's heavens to watch from the sidelines and reap the benefits.
Many things in this world are not impossible to do, but one must first consider the pros and cons.
The mutual checks and balances among various forces are formed in this way.
The probability of catching up that the Starry Sea Angler mentioned, less than ten percent, referred to the probability of subduing Feima Wang in a very short time, keeping all subsequent developments under control.
Back then, when Qingtian made a move against Zhang Ruochen, it wasn't that he hadn't anticipated the subsequent developments. Rather, he had misjudged Xue Jue War God's determination and Heavenly Mother's regard for Zhang Ruochen, resulting in heavy losses for Tiannan, a complete loss of face, and becoming a laughingstock.
Many things are like pulling one hair and affecting the whole body.
The Mandala Flower God's humanoid divine body gradually solidified, but her face was deathly pale, as weak as someone terminally ill. She said, "Hell has launched a full-scale attack on the Starry Sky Defense Line. The Shura Star Pillar Realm, the World Tree, the Undying Blood Clan's Winged World, the Six Great Stone God Stars, the Seven Bone Seas... all have entered the Starry Sky Battlefield. Three days, just three days, and the Starry Sky Defense Line was breached. Many ancient civilizations were subsequently destroyed!"
"These Chaos Ancient Demons appeared at this most critical moment, behind the Heavenly Court Universe, killing, plundering, and devouring everywhere."
"They devour an entire world's living beings, swallow billions of cultivators, and are even more ruthless than the various clans of Hell."
"During this time, in the Southern Universe, Feima Wang has already devoured two great worlds, destroyed three great worlds, and taken away all the living beings from those three worlds! The reason she used a clone to pursue me and seize the Thousand Stamen Realm is likely due to her fear of the Five Dragon Divine Emperor. Not long ago, I sensed the Divine Emperor's aura; he has returned to the Southern Universe. However, he should be dealing with another Chaos Ancient Demon!"
The Mandala Flower God did not know that the one pursuing her was merely Feima Wang's clone.
This was because the protective formation outside the Thousand Stamen Realm had been breached by Feima Wang's true body. Midway, Feima Wang hid her true body and released a clone, which was beyond her expectations.
In the end, it was a gap in cultivation realm that made it difficult to discern truth from falsehood.
Zhang Ruochen had long learned from Feng Tian about the outbreak of the all-out war between Heavenly Court and Hell, so he had some psychological preparation. But upon hearing the Mandala Flower God's account, he was still shaken inside and unable to remain calm.
Chi Xingtian's head went numb, buzzing, as he said, "How is this possible? The Starry Sky Defense Line was jointly established by the Heavenly Court gods, with Hao Tian sitting in command. How could it be breached in just three days?"
The Mandala Flower God said, "Being able to hold out for three days was largely thanks to the Truth Hall Master. She discovered Qingtian and the Four Yang Heavenly Lord, who had infiltrated the defense line in time. Otherwise, the losses of the armies from the various ancient civilizations and Heavenly Court realms would have been even more severe."
The Dragon Lord remained very calm. Hell had mobilized all its forces, a scale far exceeding that of one hundred thousand years ago, with the intention of fighting all the way to the Heavenly Court at all costs and ending the war quickly. It was not surprising that the Starry Sky Defense Line could not hold.
The Dragon Lord asked, "What about the Heavenly Dragon Realm and the Kunlun Realm?"
The Mandala Flower God said, "In the starry domain surrounding the Heavenly Dragon Realm, there are countless protective divine formations. These Chaos Ancient Demons, who have not yet recovered their strength, cannot break through them. But the Kunlun Realm..."
"What happened to the Kunlun Realm?" Chi Xingtian roared.