Chapter 3481: Qiankun Infinite Middle Stage
Fate Divine Mountain, Five Realms Heaven.
The so-called Five Realms Heaven refers to a small world where five forms—Real, Void, Past, Present, and Future—coexist.
Back then, when Zhang Ruochen was placed under house arrest by Void Heaven here, he spent seven thousand years in seclusion, defeated Hai Shang You Ruo, and only then was allowed to leave Fate Divine Mountain.
Unexpectedly, after all these years of wandering, he was sent here again by Feng Tian.
The "Past Divine Palace" and "Future Divine Palace" among the twelve divine palaces of the Destiny Temple are located here.
Influenced by these two divine palaces, the time rules in Five Realms Heaven are dense, and the River of Time is concretely manifested. The river channel is wide, flowing through chaos, with misty vapors—a truly magnificent sight on earth.
The reason for coming here was, of course, to refine divine pills at a faster pace.
The time divine formation here could be put to great use.
However, the higher a cultivator's cultivation, the stronger their energy, and the higher the requirements for the time divine formation.
Even with the vast power and ancient heritage of the Destiny Temple, they only have two time divine formations capable of supporting divine-level cultivation.
To support the cultivation of Infinite Realm gods, the requirements for the time divine formation would increase tenfold or a hundredfold. At the same time, it would require a time-type divine artifact or a time main god of the Infinite Realm to personally maintain it.
The Sundial could barely support the cultivation of Qiankun Infinite Realm gods only after Xiu Chen Heavenly God's divine soul recovered to the Infinite level.
To support Great Unbound Infinite cultivation, Xiu Chen Heavenly God's cultivation would need to recover to the Great Unbound Infinite level.
In the current world, the only time secret realm capable of supporting cultivation for gods above Great Unbound Infinite is the Time Divine Temple of the Heavenly Court.
Lihentian might have time rapids that could support Great Unbound Infinite cultivation, but at least none have been discovered yet. Or perhaps someone has found them but kept them hidden, making them exclusive cultivation grounds.
Over the years, the gods of the Destiny Temple have collected quite a bit of Time Esoterica, all gathered in the Past Divine Palace.
This Time Esoterica already exceeds ten percent!
Clearly, the Destiny Temple intends to develop and strengthen the Past Divine Palace to counter the Time Divine Temple.
It is precisely because of this ten percent Time Esoterica, combined with Void Heaven's arrangements, that the Past Divine Palace has the conditions to support Qiankun Infinite Realm gods in cultivation.
In truth, with Zhang Ruochen's time mastery and the subtlety of the Wuji Divine Dao, he could set up a time divine formation to support his own cultivation. However, such a formation would require him to operate it.
Continuously running the formation would naturally affect his cultivation.
That's right.
The reason Zhang Ruochen didn't set up his own time divine formation was that he planned to cultivate while helping Feng Tian refine divine pills.
With Zhang Ruochen's current cultivation, the time ratio in the Past Divine Palace could only reach twenty to one.
If his cultivation advanced further, the time ratio would become even smaller.
In the blink of an eye, he had already spent three years in the Past Divine Palace.
"Whoosh!"
A white light descended upon Five Realms Heaven, condensing into the form of Hai Shang You Ruo.
She had grown quite a bit, looking like a fifteen or sixteen-year-old, wearing a blue-and-white plain fairy dress, with her chest slightly rising.
Despite her cute, youthful appearance, her gaze was as cold as frost, rivaling Feng Tian's.
Hai Shang You Ruo arrived outside the Past Divine Palace and sensed a divine formation guarding it. She parted her lips lightly and said, "Shenzun Ruochen, I have come on Feng Tian's orders to collect the pills."
"Come in!"
The divine formation and palace gates opened in succession.
Hai Shang You Ruo stepped through the gates and saw that the interior was filled with thick Origin Divine Light, a vast white expanse like being shrouded in heavy fog.
Beneath the towering Earth Cauldron, Zhang Ruochen had set up a small cauldron and was cooking delicacies. The aroma was rich, making one salivate at the scent.
The cauldron contained the meat of some divine beast, bubbling as it boiled.
Zhang Ruochen was holding a bowl and drinking soup. When he saw her arrive, he immediately asked, "When did you return to the Destiny Temple? Did you bring any wine?"
Hai Shang You Ruo was first stunned, then instinctively shook her head. Afterward, she frowned and said, "Feng Tian arranged the Past Divine Palace for you so you could refine divine pills as quickly as possible, not for you to enjoy yourself here..."
"Want some lamb soup?"
Zhang Ruochen waved his finger lightly, and a small stool appeared beside the meat cauldron, gesturing for her to sit.
"No!" Hai Shang You Ruo said.
"This is soup made from the meat of the most powerful sheep in all of heaven and earth, past and present. Are you sure you don't want to try it? I added quite a few sacred medicines—it's highly nourishing," Zhang Ruochen said.
"Qiangshake, the Supreme Four Pillars?"
Hai Shang You Ruo looked at the cauldron, incredulous.
Zhang Ruochen directly tossed a bowl over.
He also handed her the iron ladle from the cauldron.
Hai Shang You Ruo naturally didn't stand on ceremony. This kind of soup was a heavenly delicacy; other gods would risk their lives for it.
Seeing Hai Shang You Ruo fill a bowl and start drinking, Zhang Ruochen said, "What did you call me just now? Shenzun Ruochen? Although I've broken through to the Infinite Realm and my status has changed, you are my sister. How could I put on airs as a shenzun in front of you?"
Hai Shang You Ruo's pretty face puffed up, whether from drinking too much soup or from anger.
Zhang Ruochen raised his hand and broke the seal on the cauldron's mouth. Instantly, the cauldron emitted five-colored radiance, and the fragrance of pills grew intense.
One by one, divine pills flew out and were collected by Hai Shang You Ruo into a gourd.
Zhang Ruochen's breakthrough to the Infinite Realm, his massacre in Rakshasa Divine City, and even his suppression of Ding Zu—these rumors had spread like wings throughout the various realms of the universe.
Such prestige was utterly awe-inspiring.
Hai Shang You Ruo knew well how to maintain propriety. In the past, when her cultivation was close to Zhang Ruochen's, she could trade barbs with him or even fight.
But now, their cultivation and status were worlds apart. If she continued as before, it might not be a good thing.
In the cultivation world, strength ultimately commands respect.
Hai Shang You Ruo gripped the gourd tightly and said, "You're already a renowned shenzun across the world—can't you act with some dignity?"
Then she added, "You have so many confidantes, wives, and lovers—why do you always tease me? Do you really want a sister that badly?"
Zhang Ruochen stared at her, and for some reason, the image of Zhang Yuxi appeared in his mind—very clear, yet also beginning to blur.
He tried desperately to hold onto it, and only then did the image become clear again.
Hai Shang You Ruo felt uncomfortable under Zhang Ruochen's gaze. She looked away at the meat in the cauldron and said softly, "What are you looking at?"
"Sigh! Time waits for no one. If I want children, I can have them myself, but if I want a sister... I can hardly go to my father and mother and ask, can I? They might not have the interest anymore!"
Hai Shang You Ruo didn't blush, but she narrowed her eyes, wanting to spit at Zhang Ruochen.
Zhang Ruochen then turned serious and said, "Shi Zhi, Gu Xin, and Tian Sheng Jun—all have been refined. Feng Tian should be satisfied now, right? Go ask her when she'll let me leave."
"Before you refine Shentu Guidi, you won't be able to leave," Hai Shang You Ruo said.
"Then when will Shentu Guidi be refined?"
Hai Shang You Ruo said, "He needs to be worn down further, made weaker first."
Zhang Ruochen said, "I want to leave Five Realms Heaven and go to the Void Divine Palace to see my father."
Hai Shang You Ruo pondered for a moment and said, "Void Heaven isn't at Fate Divine Mountain right now. Que is in charge of the Void Divine Palace. Given your relationship with Que, meeting... meeting Uncle shouldn't be difficult."
"What were you about to say just now? Were you going to say 'our father'?" Zhang Ruochen said.
Hai Shang You Ruo had completely lost her reverence for Zhang Ruochen, the now world-famous shenzun. She rolled her eyes at him and walked out of the divine palace, saying, "I'll arrange it, but without Feng Tian's orders, you can't leave Five Realms Heaven."
She held great respect for any god king or shenzun, but Zhang Ruochen alone made her lose her composure. That guy, whether intentionally or not, had actually made her feel a sense of closeness.
"Next time you come, bring wine," Zhang Ruochen said.
The palace gates closed again.
Zhang Ruochen continued to feast. This was meat from a Heavenly Venerable-rank divine beast. Every piece was equivalent to a divine medicine, rapidly boosting blood qi and strengthening the physical body.
After refining the divine pills within his body, Zhang Ruochen had already broken into the Qiankun Infinite Middle Stage.
Perhaps he might even have the chance to reach the peak of Qiankun Infinite while at Fate Divine Mountain.
He had to admit, although Feng Tian was cold as ice, aloof, and overwhelmingly domineering to the point of suffocation, she hadn't taken a single thing that belonged to him.
Including Qiangshake's lamb leg and blood, as well as the damaged armor.
This was clearly not her style.
This showed Zhang Ruochen another side of her. On the surface, she dismissed him and treated him as a tool, but in action, she respected him and preserved his dignity.
If he were truly just a slave alchemist, all his treasures would have been taken long ago.
"Could this be too much nourishment?"
Zhang Ruochen felt as if flames were burning inside him, his blood boiling. His entire body turned red, burning with heat.
"Shua!"
He summoned the Abyssal Ancient Sword and began practicing sword techniques within the Past Divine Palace.
Hai Shang You Ruo kept her word. She actually went to the Void Divine Palace and, together with Que, brought Zhang Ling to Five Realms Heaven.
This gathering couldn't do without a cauldron of lamb head soup.
Everyone ate heartily.
After this meal, it was clear that Que owed Zhang Ruochen another favor.
After Que and Zhang Ling left, Zhang Ruochen kept Hai Shang You Ruo behind. The two of them discussed the Sword Dao together and practiced sword techniques.
After several days of practice, the fire within Zhang Ruochen finally subsided.
Hai Shang You Ruo learned the Sword Soul cultivation method and gained a lot.
Zhang Ruochen could sense that Hai Shang You Ruo's cultivation was advancing rapidly and was already close to reaching the Body Stop realm. He asked, "I'm curious—how much Life Esoterica have you actually mastered?"
Back then, Hai Shang You Ruo's body had undergone reverse growth, turning into a little girl, because she had obtained the Life Shenzun's esoterica and inheritance but couldn't control that overwhelming power.
"I have some, but I'm not the Life Overlord," Hai Shang You Ruo evaded the question.
Zhang Ruochen looked disappointed and said, "You still don't see me as a brother."
Seeing Zhang Ruochen's expression, Hai Shang You Ruo felt a pang in her heart.
Since meeting Zhang Ruochen, he had always been caring and attentive to her, giving her any treasure freely, including the Changqing Fruit, the Sword Soul cultivation method, and this so-called lamb head soup.
But she had always been guarded against him, and a sense of guilt welled up inside her.
Zhang Ruochen laughed and said, "I'm just joking. Everyone has their secrets, right? Who knows if we'll be friends or foes in the future? Someone's coming. Don't look like that—people might think I did something to you!"
"Hai Shang Ming Gong pays respects to Shenzun Ruochen."
"Xu Yin pays respects to Shenzun Ruochen."
"Senior Brother, I'm back!"
Three divine voices sounded simultaneously outside the Past Divine Palace.
(End of Chapter)