Chapter 3486: Summoned by the Judgment Hall
Mu Lingxi naturally could not leave.
The space within the Past Divine Palace reversed, and soon she returned to where she had started.
Of course, Zhang Ruochen was only joking with them; he was not so lacking in romantic sensibility.
"Whoosh!"
He spread his arms, and the Taiji Four Symbols Diagram manifested more concretely, pulling Bore and Mu Lingxi respectively into the Lesser Yin "Origin Divine Sea" and beneath the Greater Yin "Jade Tree Dark Moon."
Within the white divine sea, a black Nether River meandered. Bore stood at the river's center like a goddess walking on waves, her beautiful eyes tightly shut, her hand forming the Buddhist finger seal of flower picking.
The term "Bore," in Buddhism, refers to the wisdom of the origin of all things.
She cultivated not only the *Nether Scripture* but also the Buddhist path, inheriting the lineage of Yinsue Tianyi.
Mu Lingxi sat cross-legged beneath the jade tree, her features exquisite, her nose straight and delicate, her long hair like willow catkins. Behind her, colorful phoenix feathers bloomed, adding a touch of enchanting, almost demonic, elegance to her lively purity—like a peerless demon empress.
The Four Symbols rotated; Yin and Yang operated.
Zhang Ruochen stood at the center of the Four Symbols, as if surrounded by a vast universe. He said, "The meat boiling in that cauldron is the flesh of the Supreme Pillar Qiangshake, no different from divine medicine. Fully circulate your divine Qi, and I will help you refine and absorb it. The benefits will be immeasurable."
Bore and Mu Lingxi gradually calmed their minds and, following Zhang Ruochen's guidance, entered a state of cultivation.
...
One day outside the hall equaled twenty days inside.
Bore and Mu Lingxi had already spent a full three years in the Past Divine Palace. Naturally, they had consumed plenty of the goat meat soup, and their cultivation progressed rapidly, equivalent to ten thousand years of their own arduous training.
The Past Divine Palace, initially empty, was now lavishly decorated. Within it, a sacred lake had been built, pavilions erected, trees lush with greenery, and a bright moon hung high—it had become a beautiful private estate.
Was this imprisonment?
It was clearly a secluded paradise.
Beautiful affairs, beautiful scenery, beautiful women—none were lacking.
Bore awakened from cultivation once more. Her long, jet-black hair was loose, her robe loose-fitting, tied lightly at the waist with a blue ribbon. Barefoot, she pushed open the door and found Zhang Ruochen. "If Feng Tian learns of the current state of the Past Divine Palace, she will surely be furious."
Zhang Ruochen sat by the lake, holding the "Earth Thunder Pearl" seized from Xuan Yi in one hand and the "Wind Thunder Pearl" taken from Divine Venerable Shi Zhi in the other.
The "Qilin Fist Gloves" obtained from Crimson Eye Divine King lay on the bronze divine table before him.
Divine artifacts—other gods begged for even one—but he casually produced three.
On the thumb and little finger of the Qilin Fist Gloves, two small grooves had been forged.
This was Zhang Ruochen's achievement over the past three years. It had taken tremendous effort, but he had succeeded without damaging the gloves' power.
He was contemplating how to install the Earth Thunder Pearl and Wind Thunder Pearl into the gloves, fusing the three divine artifacts into one.
The Dragon Lord had once said that the Thunder Clan possessed four Thunder Pearls: Heaven, Earth, Wind, and Fire. Wielding them simultaneously granted power comparable to a divine artifact listed in the first chapter of the *Tai Bai Divine Artifact Canon*.
Finding the Heaven Thunder Pearl and Fire Thunder Pearl was too difficult.
But if the Qilin Fist Gloves could incorporate the power of the Earth Thunder Pearl and Wind Thunder Pearl, the combined might, even if not matching a first-chapter divine artifact, should be very close, shouldn't it?
For Zhang Ruochen, his strongest offensive combat techniques were undoubtedly in the Sword Dao and Fist Dao.
The upper limits of the "Wordless Sword Manual" and the "Immovable Wisdom King Fist" were both Heavenly Venerable divine abilities, and among the highest-ranked ones.
To execute the Immovable Wisdom King Fist, the fist technique itself was paramount.
But with a powerful divine artifact to enhance it, wouldn't it be even more overwhelmingly dominant?
Zhang Ruochen paused, setting down the two Thunder Pearls, and looked at Bore, who exuded a faint fragrance. "I have obeyed her command and haven't left the Past Divine Palace a single step. Why would she be angry? Besides, I doubt she has the energy to deal with me right now."
Feng Tian had to refine the divine pill to boost her cultivation, annihilate the Shen Tu Ghost Emperor, investigate the cultivators of the Fortune Divine Palace, and find weaknesses in the Fortune Divine Venerable.
In the short term, Zhang Ruochen felt he could enjoy a leisurely period.
At this moment, Bore exuded a very feminine charm, pleasing to the eye and full of captivating allure, making it hard for Zhang Ruochen to look away.
Mu Lingxi approached, also feeling that Zhang Ruochen was too bold, turning the Past Divine Palace into his own bedchamber. "Should I return to the Death Divine Palace to investigate?"
"Still not pregnant?" Zhang Ruochen asked.
A hint of disappointment flickered across Mu Lingxi's beautiful face. She shook her head gently. "Perhaps it's due to Feng Tian's influence. The death Qi within me is too dense."
Although she had received some of Feng Tian's power, and her mindset had changed somewhat, compared to Chi Yao, Bai Qinger, Wu Yue, and the others, Mu Lingxi's ambitions and aspirations were much smaller. She lacked the drive to swallow mountains and rivers or dominate the heavens.
If possible, she longed to have a child with Zhang Ruochen, to devote herself to teaching the child—reading, writing, painting, cultivating—listening to the wind at sunset, catching fish by the stream.
The purpose of cultivation was to pursue the life one desired.
But some of life's simple joys didn't require cultivation to obtain—yet they were often overlooked.
And those who reached the end of the cultivation path often gained only immense power, losing everything else.
In comparison, Bore was more detached, or at least appeared so. "It is inherently difficult for the Nether Clan to bear offspring. After stepping into the Divine Realm, it becomes a hundred times harder. Let nature take its course."
Zhang Ruochen stood up and spread his arms. "No matter. We have plenty of time."
Hearing this, not only Mu Lingxi but even the usually indifferent and cold Bore blushed.
"Swish! Swish!"
The two women immediately left, rushing out of the Past Divine Palace.
Zhang Ruochen helplessly withdrew his arms. He didn't forcibly detain them or stop them.
They were both gods, one backed by Feng Tian and the other by Divine Venerable Nutian. With such backgrounds, at least for now, they were absolutely safe in the Fate Divine Domain.
Would the Heavenly Fate Department dare to touch them without solid evidence?
Besides, Zhang Ruochen was still on Fate Divine Mountain!
With the emergence of the Heavenly Mother, every god in the Hell Realm, including the Heavenly Venerables, who dared to oppose Zhang Ruochen could be counted on one hand.
Zhang Ruochen picked up the Earth Thunder Pearl and Wind Thunder Pearl again, even taking out the Blunt Void Stone. But after several attempts, all ended in failure.
With his current level of artifact refinement, trying to fuse divine artifacts was still beyond his reach.
He would need at least a divine artifact master with a Spiritual Power of eighty-fifth rank or higher.
So, Zhang Ruochen changed his approach, abandoning artifact refinement in favor of alchemy.
The Omniscient Divine Pill!
Now that he had Qiangshake's lamb leg and had reached the Infinite Realm, his chances of successfully refining a seven-colored Infinite-level Omniscient Divine Pill had greatly increased.
This was an important means of achieving a significant short-term boost in combat power.
Of course, "short-term" here referred to within a thousand years.
As for breaking through to the peak of Qiankun Infinite, he couldn't even think about it within ten thousand years. Even if he refined all of Qiangshake's lamb leg and divine soul thoughts, he might not necessarily reach that level.
After all, at the Infinite Realm, every minor realm was a world of difference.
...
A hundred years passed within the Past Divine Palace.
Several years had also passed in the outside world.
During this time, Bore frequently visited the Five Realms Heaven, telling him about major events in the world.
The most shocking was that Yama Clan Patriarch Yan Renhuan, after much persuasion and repeated refusals from several Heavenly Venerables, finally agreed to temporarily assume the position of Heavenly Venerable, claiming he would step down immediately upon Fengdu Dadi's return.
This caught Zhang Ruochen off guard, completely different from his earlier speculations, and felt rather embarrassing.
Mu Lingxi and Blood Butcher had never come again. According to Bore, the Death Divine Palace had been making frequent moves in recent years, and they had both been dispatched on secret missions.
Since he couldn't leave the Past Divine Palace anyway, no matter how turbulent the world became, Zhang Ruochen remained an unruffled spectator, his heart at ease.
The only pressing matter was news of the Udumbara Flower.
During this time, Zhang Ruochen refined the Omniscient Divine Pill while cultivating quietly, making rapid progress in his cultivation, especially achieving a major breakthrough in divine abilities.
When Qing Feiwei arrived at the Five Realms Heaven, Zhang Ruochen was practicing the Time Sword Art in the Past Divine Palace.
She stood on the boundary between reality and chaos, beside the River of Time, as still and serene as an orchid, gazing at the divine palace.
"Rustle!"
Countless liquid streams, formed from Time Imprint light points and Time Rules, flowed around the divine palace—hundreds and thousands of them, like dragons, like sword rain, their momentum terrifying.
Qing Feiwei had once been a divine maiden of the Destiny Temple, the strongest proud daughter of heaven in an era. Yet now, she felt suffocated and awestruck.
If she were struck by these thousands of time streams, she would likely turn from a beauty to white-haired bones in an instant.
After a long while, the time streams dissipated without a trace.
Qing Feiwei bowed respectfully. "Congratulations, Divine Venerable Ruochen, on mastering the eighth layer of the Time Sword Art, the Jiazi Sword Art!"
From within the Past Divine Palace came a warm, magnetic voice: "Miss Qing is familiar with the Time Sword Art?"
Qing Feiwei replied, "Although the Time Sword Art was created by the Saint Monk Xumi, Void Heaven has studied it deeply. There are cultivation manuals in the Heavenly Fate Department. However, very few cultivators are qualified to read them."
"Did Miss Qing come to the Five Realms Heaven specifically to find me?"
"Yes."
"Bang!"
The door to the Past Divine Palace swung open.
Qing Feiwei did not enter. She remained respectful. "Feiwei has come on the orders of the Venerable One, inviting Divine Venerable to the Judgment Hall as a guest."
"Has the Judgment Venerable returned to Fate Divine Mountain?" Zhang Ruochen asked.
"The Venerable returned yesterday. He said that there have been various misunderstandings with Divine Venerable in the past and wishes to host a banquet to personally clarify them. This is the invitation letter written by the Venerable himself."
Qing Feiwei presented it with both hands.
An invitation letter was quite formal.
Returning to the mountain and immediately issuing an invitation showed some sincerity.
But in Zhang Ruochen's eyes, the Judgment Venerable was still too proud, unwilling to lower his head and accept that the former junior now possessed such formidable power.
Apologizing was apologizing, yet he called it "clarifying misunderstandings."
Within the Destiny Temple, though there were three departments and twelve palaces, the true power lay with a few figures of Great Unbound Infinite or above, such as Void Heaven, Feng Tian, Divine Venerable Nutian, and Divine Venerable Fortune.
Among them, Feng Tian wielded the most authority!
The Judgment Hall, seemingly unrivaled, beheading gods above and imprisoning myriad races below, daring to govern any corner of the Hell Realm.
In reality, the Judgment Venerable was merely a blade propped up by Feng Tian!
And just one of many.
(Chapter End)