Chapter 3490: The Terrifying Secret
The Judgment Venerable said, "It wasn't Void Heaven, but Feng Tian."
"Oh?" Zhang Ruochen said.
The Judgment Venerable said, "Xiong Hai Shenzun was indeed severely wounded by Void Heaven at the North Marsh Great Wall, but a mysterious powerful figure intervened to help him escape. Then, the strangest thing happened—despite being gravely injured, Xiong Hai Shenzun took the risk of returning to Fate Divine Mountain, which was how Feng Tian captured him."
"Feng Tian's instructions were twofold: first, to refine and kill Xiong Hai Shenzun; second, to uncover the reason why Xiong Hai Shenzun risked returning to Fate Divine Mountain."
Zhang Ruochen said, "Why didn't Feng Tian simply perform a Soul Search?"
The Judgment Venerable said, "Xiong Hai Shenzun severed part of his own memories. Even with the abilities of Feng Tian and Void Heaven, they couldn't restore that portion."
How strange!
Xiong Hai Shenzun couldn't have been unaware that returning to Fate Divine Mountain was dangerous, yet he still sneaked back.
It could only mean that there was something extremely important hidden in Fate Divine Mountain that he had to retrieve. Or perhaps there was some crucial truth that had to be concealed.
Zhang Ruochen shook his head with a smile, saying, "Feng Tian is an Indestructible Infinite, and Void Heaven is a Heaven Round Lack None. Even if Xiong Hai had hidden some treasure or secret in the mountain, they couldn't find it with their abilities. How could I possibly do so?"
"Ruochen Shenzun is too modest. You possess the First-rank Divine Path, unique in all the world. That is something neither Feng Tian nor Void Heaven can compare to!"
The Judgment Venerable continued, "Feng Tian said that if you can help her solve the mystery, you won't have to stay in the Past Divine Palace anymore. You can move freely within the Fate Divine Domain."
Zhang Ruochen said, "When has the world ever been so unfair? My conditions are Mu Lingxi and the Great Calamity Palace."
"That will be very difficult to arrange," the Judgment Venerable said.
Zhang Ruochen said, "Then please go and report this now, Venerable. Otherwise, I truly cannot help."
The Judgment Venerable stared intently at Zhang Ruochen. He had never seen a confined person dare to bargain with a Heavenly Lord. Finally, he turned and left, disappearing from the Fate Judgment Divine Prison.
Zhang Ruochen looked at the always-smiling Fate Venerable and said, "Please open a corner of the formation, Venerable. I want to make contact with Xiong Hai Shenzun."
The Fate Venerable was quite straightforward and went to activate the divine formation.
The formation here contained the power of the Life Shenzun and Auspicious Shenzun from back then, as well as Void Heaven's handiwork.
After Yunshen Daozhu was imprisoned here, the Destiny Temple even invited Yama Clan Tai Shang to set up even deeper restrictions.
Xiong Hai Shenzun was indeed a formidable figure, on the verge of becoming a Heavenly Lord, on the same level as Luoyan Dadi and Shen Tu Guidi.
When Void Heaven was in seclusion at the Great Calamity Palace, he and Feng Tian governed the Destiny Temple, each controlling a third of the power.
But Xiong Hai Shenzun was ultimately not Yunshen Daozhu. Feng Tian and Void Heaven had extracted most of his divine soul. After being worn down for so many years, his spiritual will had become very weak.
It was precisely because he had been ground down to this point, with all danger eliminated, that Feng Tian had ordered Zhang Ruochen to come and refine him.
Zhang Ruochen walked step by step to stand beneath Xiong Hai Shenzun.
The red fur, like a waterfall dozens of zhang long, drifted slowly, still containing terrifying danger.
Any ordinary god who touched it would surely meet with calamity.
Zhang Ruochen extended two fingers and reached out to touch it.
The Fate Venerable, following behind, moved his lips as if to stop him, but ultimately held back.
The moment Zhang Ruochen's fingertips touched the red fur, a surge of deathly qi rushed toward him, turning his skin red and spreading across his entire body.
"Whoosh!"
Divine light burst forth, dispersing all the deathly qi.
Zhang Ruochen activated the Heart of Truth and sensed carefully. Immediately, many unprecedented scenes appeared in his mind. These scenes changed more than ten thousand times with every breath.
Sensing that someone was probing his memories and consciousness, Xiong Hai Shenzun awakened.
Two flames ignited in his eye sockets.
He let out a hoarse, weak chuckle. "Good, very good!"
"Master, what is good?"
Hearing the Fate Venerable's voice, the flames in Xiong Hai Shenzun's eye sockets blazed fiercely, but in the next instant, they dimmed again, as if about to go out.
He continued laughing, speaking in a low voice, "Zhang Ruochen, this child, has cultivated the First-rank Divine Path, caused the Fate Stream to flow backward, the Divine Hall to flood, and the Gate of Destiny to collapse. Yet Feng Caiyi and Xu Fengjin don't kill him. This is destined to raise a tiger that will bring disaster. Haha, just wait and see. The one who destroys the Destiny Temple will surely be this child. My end may be miserable, but being able to foresee their end makes me very happy, very happy indeed!"
The Fate Venerable also laughed, then pointed a finger, forming a finger sword that extinguished the flames in Xiong Hai Shenzun's eye sockets.
He said, "The Quantity Organization is best at sowing discord. Even at death's door, you want to use a borrowed knife to kill, trying to provoke conflict between the Destiny Temple and the Sword Realm. Truly despicable."
Zhang Ruochen withdrew his fingers and said, "Venerable is indeed a man of understanding. Those phenomena have nothing to do with me."
The Fate Venerable said, "Did Shenzun discover anything?"
Zhang Ruochen shook his head.
The Fate Venerable understood.
Even Void Heaven and Feng Tian had found nothing. Now that Xiong Hai Shenzun's memories and divine soul were severely incomplete, there was even less chance of any result.
Zhang Ruochen's gaze fell on the tree roots suppressing Xiong Hai Shenzun. He had just probed them with the Heart of Truth.
"Whoosh!"
Zhang Ruochen retreated three steps, his eyes stinging and his vision going dark.
The Fate Venerable revealed a strange smile and said, "I forgot to remind Shenzun—the World Tree cannot be probed."
Zhang Ruochen's vision gradually recovered. He looked at the tree roots again and said meaningfully, "The Destiny Temple's foundation is truly not to be underestimated."
The spiritual power that had struck him earlier, while not reaching the unfathomable, universe-like depths of Nine Heavens, Void Heaven, Tai Shang, or the Starry Sea Angler, was still like tens of thousands of stars falling. With his current cultivation, he couldn't withstand it.
The Judgment Venerable returned and said, "Feng Tian says that Mu Lingxi has always been free. As long as she is willing, she can leave the Destiny Temple at any time. As for the Great Calamity Palace, she says that you yourself sent your father to Void Heaven's side, and she can do nothing about it now. If it were still under the Fate Judgment Division, it would be a matter of a single word."
This reply clearly did not satisfy Zhang Ruochen.
The Judgment Venerable said, "Feng Tian's meaning is that if you can uncover the secret Xiong Hai Shenzun hid in Fate Divine Mountain, she will allow you to freely enter and exit the Fate Transport Division and peruse all the scriptures in the temple."
Zhang Ruochen had once proposed this to Feng Tian, but it had been rejected!
The Hell Realm had destroyed countless great worlds, obtaining an endless number of scriptures, many of which were stored in the Heavenly Guard Platform of the Fate Transport Division.
To comprehend the changes beyond the Four Symbols, Zhang Ruochen needed to expand his knowledge, study various Daoist methods, gather the strengths of ten thousand schools, achieve Wuji, and attain eternity and infinity.
Otherwise, even if he swallowed countless divine pills and cultivated countless Rule Divine Marks, his realm would be locked below Great Unbound Infinite.
Now that he was at the Destiny Temple, how could he let such a golden opportunity slip by?
If he missed the Heavenly Guard Platform, would he have to go to the Hongchen Jueshi Tower or the Chixia Feixian Valley?
That Feng Tian had made such a concession shocked not only Zhang Ruochen but also the Judgment Venerable and the Fate Venerable.
Don't think that the Fate Venerable showed no fear of Zhang Ruochen, as if he didn't guard against his threat to the Destiny Temple. In truth, the Fate Venerable knew his place well.
He was no match for Zhang Ruochen!
Even if he wanted to kill Zhang Ruochen, that was a matter for Void Heaven and Feng Tian to consider, not him.
"Then I'll give it a try. I'll go to Xiong Hai Divine Palace first."
Zhang Ruochen was the first to walk out of the Fate Judgment Divine Prison.
In truth, Zhang Ruochen himself was extremely curious about why Xiong Hai Shenzun had returned to the Destiny Temple. What could make a being close to the Heavenly Lords risk death to venture into danger?
...
At the Fate Judgment Divine Hall.
The Fate Venerable did not follow to Xiong Hai Divine Palace. Instead, he sat on the divine throne, deep in thought, continuously deducing the earlier battle between Zhang Ruochen and the Judgment Venerable.
That battle had truly shocked him.
"The one most likely to kill Zhang Ruochen in the Destiny Temple must be Feng Tian. But now, Feng Tian's attitude is quite intriguing. What reason could she have for not directly seizing the Earth Cauldron and refining Xiong Hai herself?"
"Could those rumors actually hold some truth?"
The Fate Venerable immediately shook his head with a wry smile. At Feng Tian's level of cultivation, her will was unshakable. Besides, the title 'Death' was no empty name.
How could she possibly develop feelings for a junior?
"Could it be that only Zhang Ruochen can use the Earth Cauldron..."
Just as this thought crossed his mind, before he could delve deeper, a pleasant voice sounded from outside the hall: "Ming Ya pays respects to Master!"
"Come in."
Chan Ming Ya was the Fate Venerable's most accomplished disciple, born of the Shura Clan, having cultivated for five eons.
She appeared to be about twenty years old, with an extremely beautiful and pure face, skin like immortal jade and ice crystals. Strands of Hunyuan Qi swirled around her. Her eyes were clear, her lips red and sensual, giving her a strange, half-immortal, half-demon beauty.
Two completely different temperaments converged in her, constantly shifting.
The Fate Venerable's eyes lit up. "You broke through to the Infinite Realm?"
"After a thousand years of charging, I have not failed Master's nurturing."
Chan Ming Ya bowed, but only slightly inclined her posture, already showing the proud demeanor of a Shenzun.
The Fate Venerable said, "Breaking through to Infinite without triggering a Heaven and Earth resonance."
Chan Ming Ya said, "Disciple's experience was quite special. I accidentally entered the Formless Realm and broke through there, narrowly escaping with my life."
Clearly unwilling to reveal her secrets to the Fate Venerable, she changed the subject and immediately asked, "Is Grandmaster truly the Quantity Venerable?"
The Fate Venerable knew that his disciple's wings had grown stiff and she was beginning to slip out of control. He said, "Your grandmaster indeed thought highly of you and gave you much help. But now, you must draw a clear line with him. If you can't explain yourself to Feng Tian and Void Heaven, and can't prove your innocence, it will be very troublesome."
A flicker of panic appeared in Chan Ming Ya's eyes. She said worriedly, "Please, Master, show me a way out. If I am subjected to a Soul Search, I will never have hope of reaching Great Unbound Infinite in this life."
This was exactly the effect the Fate Venerable wanted. He said, "Right now, the Fate Judgment Division faces another great crisis. Do you know that Zhang Ruochen is on Fate Divine Mountain?"
"Will he be a crisis for the Fate Judgment Division?" Chan Ming Ya said.
The Fate Venerable said, "Zhang Ruochen already has the strength to defeat the Judgment Venerable, and Feng Tian thinks highly of him."
"What does Master want me to do?" Chan Ming Ya said.
The Fate Venerable said, "To resolve your own crisis, you need to find an opportunity with Zhang Ruochen. The Fate Judgment Division also needs some of your sacrifices to buy peace for the future. You are Qi Tian's master. With that connection, it should be easier to get close."
"Does Master want me to become Wu Yue?" Chan Ming Ya said.
The Fate Venerable said, "If you meet him, you'll understand why Wu Yue made that choice. Go see him. He's at Xiong Hai Divine Palace."
"Disciple understands!"
Chan Ming Ya turned, her long, straight jade legs faintly visible beneath her skirt as she walked toward the hall's exit. Her eyes gradually grew deep and profound, a faint, meaningful, and sinister smile flickering in their depths.
(End of Chapter)