# Chapter 3446: A Perception Across Time and Space
Sword Grave, Nether Prison.
The jailer guarding the Nether Prison was a bald-headed old man, his face covered in age spots, wearing a gray-white official robe with a large character "zu" (prisoner) embroidered on his chest.
But Zhang Ruochen did not underestimate this jailer. He cupped his hands in salute and said, "Senior Kong, we meet again. This junior has come to request entry into the Eighteenth Layer Prison."
Since Tai Shang suspected that the Second Confucian Ancestor's Ancestor Realm might be located in the Eighteenth Layer Prison, Zhang Ruochen had to go there no matter what.
"Go back. With your current cultivation level, you are not qualified to enter."
Kong Lao looked as if he were half-asleep, waving his hand to directly refuse him.
Zhang Ruochen frowned. His spiritual will stirred.
Instantly, the entire Sword Grave erupted with the sound of sword cries. All the broken swords buried in the earth were stirred by that sword intent and flew up into the air.
Zhang Ruochen said, "Am I qualified now?"
Kong Lao finally raised his eyelids. "Are you stronger, or is that old fellow Jie from your family stronger?"
"Senior Jie is naturally stronger," Zhang Ruochen said.
Kong Lao said, "Then isn't that the answer? Even he came and I persuaded him to leave. Why do you think you are qualified?"
"What dangers lie in the Eighteenth Layer of the Nether Prison?" Zhang Ruochen asked.
Kong Lao said, "The Great Venerable once left an Ancestral Dharma Decree: all cultivators from the Kunlun Realm are forbidden from entering the Eighteenth Layer of the Nether Prison."
"Have you ever entered the Eighteenth Layer, Senior?" Zhang Ruochen said.
Kong Lao shook his head. "I have never even entered the Seventeenth Layer. There is an extreme wall there that cuts across time and space, and an eternal, undispersable demonic qi that can drive people mad."
Zhang Ruochen abandoned the idea of forcefully breaking into the Nether Prison and asked one final question: "Senior, are you Kong Chengzi?"
"Just a remnant soul. When the Eon Calamity arrives, I will dissipate. That time is coming soon," Kong Lao said.
Zhang Ruochen nodded. "I found your physical body in the Endless Abyss, Senior, and brought it back."
Zhang Ruochen took out a stone coffin and placed it on the ground.
Inside the stone coffin was a body that had been shattered into pieces by the Earth Cauldron, now reassembled.
Kong Lao walked to the side of the stone coffin and looked at himself inside. His state of mind did not fluctuate much. But the thought of entering the Nether Prison to hide from the Eon Calamity instantly dissipated.
After guarding the prison for a hundred thousand years, his heart had long been eroded by fatigue, loneliness, and desolation.
If there is no beauty in the world, no path ahead in one's eyes, and no obsession in one's heart, then what is there worth clinging to?
Ten thousand thoughts returned to emptiness.
He sighed, "What has passed will eventually pass. Too much attachment, and one cannot end well."
Zhang Ruochen seemed to sense his emotions. "The rules of heaven and earth have changed. If you can find a suitable vessel for possession, Senior, you might be able to leave the Nether Prison and return to the world."
"The requirements for a successful possession vessel are extremely high. Moreover, one must possess one's own descendant or disciple. The probability of success is only fifty-fifty. I disdain to do such a thing!"
Kong Lao laughed uproariously at the sky: "The rules of heaven and earth have changed. Remnant souls can avoid the Eon Calamity through possession, as if living a second life. But who knows if this is a trap?"
"If heaven and earth want you to live, you live."
"If heaven and earth want you to die, can you struggle?"
"Those ancient powerhouses who lived a second life through possession are merely pawns of heaven and earth!"
"The rules of heaven and earth can become what they are now, and they can change back. One's life is in the hands of heaven and earth. Those ancient powerhouses have no choice but to obey!"
"When there is no hope, one can die peacefully."
"But when hope is given, and you taste the sweetness of living a second life, who would still be willing to die?"
"Zhang Ruochen, find a new jailer for me. The Nether Prison must not be lost. Can you do that?"
Zhang Ruochen pondered Kong Lao's words carefully. "Is there truly nothing left to cling to in this world?"
"Haha, back then, I left behind this remnant soul solely out of concern that something might happen to the Nether Prison. Now, seeing the Kunlun Realm rise from extinction and gradually regain its vitality and glory, I am already very gratified. What, you, the current God Venerable, want me to continue working as a laborer after death, guarding the Nether Prison? Forget it. What if one day I am captured and turned into a tonic? That would be truly miserable!"
Kong Lao's smile faded, and he said solemnly, "Are you ready?"
"Yes," Zhang Ruochen said.
"The remnant souls I left behind back then are numerous, containing countless insights into the Infinite Realm. Now, I will give them to you, young man. Remember what you promised me, and protect Kunlun well."
Kong Lao's body began to burn from the feet upward, turning into specks of light.
The specks of light converged into a stream and surged into Zhang Ruochen's body.
"Whoosh!"
Each speck of light was like a voice, explaining the supreme principles of heaven and earth to Zhang Ruochen.
Regarding the Infinite Realm, Zhang Ruochen had been completely lost, as if walking in a fog.
Now, the fog was illuminated.
Divine abilities were also being rehearsed in his mind, imprinted into his divine soul.
Although Kong Chengzi was not one of the ancient Twenty Heavens, the amount of divine soul he had left behind was enormous, far surpassing the remnant souls left behind by the Twenty Heavens in Lihentian.
If swallowing divine pills could enhance divine qi, strengthen the physical body and divine soul, and improve one's own foundation, then Kong Chengzi's inheritance was elevating Zhang Ruochen's comprehension of the Heavenly Dao and his mastery of divine abilities and techniques. It was worth tens of thousands of years of bitter cultivation—an elevation of realm.
His future enlightenment of higher realms would also be faster.
The four prison wardens all knelt on the ground, weeping uncontrollably.
Half a day later, Zhang Ruochen had digested most of Kong Chengzi's inheritance. The rest would require long-term contemplation and practical application in battle to fully comprehend and transform into something of his own.
Zhang Ruochen looked at the divine corpse in the stone coffin, filled with reverence, and bowed deeply.
Everything was cause and effect!
Because Zhang Ruochen had treated Kong Chengzi's corpse well and returned it, Kong Chengzi had left his inheritance to him.
Plant a good cause, reap a good result.
Zhang Ruochen, together with the four wardens, buried Kong Chengzi, built a magnificent tomb, and erected a stele: "Tomb of the Virtuous Ancestor Kong Chengzi."
Every character on the stele contained Zhang Ruochen's Sword Dao will, meant to deter grave robbers.
Before leaving, Zhang Ruochen used the Wuji Divine Dao to help the four wardens improve their physiques.
These four plant-type beings could be considered Kong Chengzi's four disciples, and Zhang Ruochen was repaying a kindness.
"I will arrange for a new jailer as soon as possible. If you need help, you can go to the Zhenyu Ancient Clan and seek out Shi Ren."
Zhang Ruochen walked out of the Sword Grave, feeling that his cultivation had reached another level. Although he had not yet reached the middle stage of Qiankun Infinite, he was not far off.
Once he fully digested the divine pills in his body and Kong Chengzi's inheritance, he should reach that level.
But his heart was filled with countless emotions, and there was little joy.
Just as he stepped out of the Sword Grave and touched the outside world, Zhang Ruochen looked up at the clear sky.
Suddenly, a violent tremor stirred deep within his consciousness.
His perception crossed time and space.
An image appeared in his mind:
In a deep and dark prison, a beautiful figure in green sat on a stone platform. Around her were translucent threads that pierced through her body—from her brow, chest, wrists, and legs.
Drops of blood flowed along the threads.
The image was clear. He could see her frowning in pain, her lips pale, and her body stiff and unable to move.
Zhang Ruochen's expression changed drastically.
Such a perception could not appear without reason, nor could it be an illusion.
It must be because his cultivation had improved, and his divine consciousness had crossed the barriers of space. In that subtle moment, he perceived the danger of someone he cared about.
"How is this possible? What upheaval has occurred in the Rakshasa Clan? Why is Luo Sha imprisoned?"
Zhang Ruochen's gaze held both concern and bone-chilling coldness.
"Shua!"
Chi Xingtian descended from the sky. "Something else has happened! The Five Dragon Divine Emperor has brought Ao Linglong to the Kunlun Realm, wanting to discuss a marriage alliance with you. It is said that Jie Zunzhe has already accepted the betrothal gifts in advance. This is troublesome now. You will have to become the Heavenly Dragon son-in-law!"
"Whoever accepted the betrothal gifts can go form the marriage alliance," Zhang Ruochen said.
Chi Xingtian could tell that Zhang Ruochen was different today, cold and somewhat frightening. He dared not joke anymore. "What's wrong?"
"What exactly happened in the Rakshasa Clan? What have you been hiding from me?" Zhang Ruochen said.
Chi Xingtian was forced back a step by the divine authority and piercing gaze emanating from him. "This has nothing to do with me! It was Tai Shang's idea. He was worried that you would act on emotion, so he told us all not to tell you."
Zhang Ruochen stared sharply at him.
Chi Xingtian said, "Two hundred years ago, during the Infinite Northern Expedition, Emperor Luo Yan fell! On top of that, Feng Tian had issued an order to capture Tianyin Shenmu and everyone associated with her... Hey, where are you going? I haven't finished yet! Emperor Luo Yan fell, and the Tianluo Divine Kingdom is without a leader. With such enormous interests and the position of Divine Kingdom Master at stake, internal strife is inevitable. You hadn't broken through to the Infinite Realm back then. Going there would have been no different from seeking death!"
...
On the eighteenth floor of the Sword Pavilion, beneath the silver pine tree.
Tai Shang held a teacup, lost in thought for a long time. He set the cup down and sighed. "He has finally sensed it. With his current cultivation, I can no longer seal off his perception. He has grown up!"
The clone of the Thousand Star Divine Ancestor sat across from him. "Xumi helped him cultivate a First-Rank Divine Path. Kong Chengzi left him his inheritance. The Dragon Lord fought with his life to help him break through. You will probably pass on your last light and heat to him as well, won't you? Your Kunlun Realm has already given its hardest scales. If he still can't grow up, when will he?"
The clone of the Five Dragon Divine Emperor stood ten steps away, hands behind his back, gazing at the misty Ancestor Realm. "He will definitely go to the Rakshasa Clan to wade through this muddy water. Aren't you going to stop him?"
Tai Shang shook his head and smiled. "In today's Kunlun Realm, who can still stop him?"
The Thousand Star Divine Ancestor drained his teacup in one gulp. "When the seas surge and the rivers overflow, a hero's true colors are revealed. This kid may act on emotion, but I like him. No matter how dangerous the road ahead, if I want to go, I go! If he didn't have this external fierceness and internal tenderness, I wouldn't feel at ease tying the Thousand Star Civilization to the Sword Realm's war chariot!"
The fact that the Thousand Star Divine Ancestor and the Five Dragon Divine Emperor could appear in the Ancestor Realm already showed how closely they were cooperating with the Kunlun Realm.
But Yunshen Daozhu's time was running out. If the bond could not be deepened before then, who would maintain this alliance in the future?
That was precisely why the Five Dragon Divine Emperor was willing to go to any lengths to arrange a marriage alliance between the Heavenly Dragon Realm and Zhang Ruochen.
The Five Dragon Divine Emperor said, "Zhang Ruochen has the identity of a Divine Envoy of the Heavenly Mother. Not many in the Rakshasa Clan would dare to touch him. In the Hell Realm, the only ones who would dare to move against him are Qingtian and a few others, but they are all tied up on the Starry Sky Battlefield. This trip shouldn't be too dangerous!"
The Thousand Star Divine Ancestor seemed to be pondering something. "If this matter can draw the Heavenly Mother out of seclusion, it might bring new changes to the current situation. At the very least, those Chaos Ancient Demons won't be able to stir up any waves!"
The Thousand Star Divine Ancestor had a deep understanding of the Heavenly Mother, so he held an optimistic view. He believed that if she emerged, she could not only deal with the Chaos Ancient Demons and unify the demonic path but also check the power of Fengdu Dadi and Lei Fa Tianzun.