Chapter 3503: The Last Task
Once upon a time, the three World Trees of the No-Return Forest each bore countless worlds upon their branches.
A single world was merely a leaf.
Among them, the uppermost Fate Divine Domain, Fengdu Ghost City, and Yama Heaven Beyond Heaven could be called the three poles of power in the Hell Realm.
A single starry forest weighed down the gods of all ten clans, forcing them to bow their heads.
As the winds and clouds shifted violently, the cosmic pattern grew increasingly chaotic. The World Tree where Yama Heaven Beyond Heaven resided had been relocated to the Starry Sky Battlefield.
The disappearance of the Fengdu Ghost Emperor, coupled with the turmoil of the Santu River, compelled the Ghost Clan to move the World Tree bearing Fengdu Ghost City to the core region of the Santu River basin in order to stabilize the situation.
The No-Return Forest had long lost its former transcendent status, but for Feng Tian and the Destiny Temple, this was actually a good thing—they no longer had to be constrained by the Yama Clan and Fengdu Ghost City.
On the bone ship.
Feng Tian sat as still and serene as an orchid, cross-legged on the icy deck. Her wide white robe spread around her like a blooming lotus.
Around her, powerful and domineering rules and divine force flowed, distorting time and space. Her divine realm world would manifest at times and annihilate at others, making it impossible for anyone to approach.
The Gate of Death hung high above, seemingly very close, for Zhang Ruochen could clearly feel his own cultivation being suppressed by it, as if he had become a mere mortal. With his current level of cultivation, this was an unimaginable thing.
Yet, the Gate of Death also seemed very far away, its true nature impossible to fathom.
Having cultivated the Gate of Destiny into the Gate of Death was undoubtedly proof that Feng Tian had reached the limit in the Path of Death.
If she wished, any living being where the light of the Gate of Death shone would perish.
But how exactly should death and life be defined?
Were undead beings like the Ghost Clan, Corpse Clan, and Bone Clan considered dead, or alive?
Zhang Ruochen could sense that after absorbing powerful beings like Xiong Hai Shenzun, Shen Tu Guidi, and Gu Xin, Feng Tian's cultivation had taken a great leap forward within a thousand years. Moreover, she was not merely refining divine pills; she was also comprehending the Dao and cultivating the Twelve Phases of Fate.
The Gate of Death was undergoing some kind of peculiar transformation.
Zhang Ruochen gazed at the vast starry sky, with its countless stars like a chessboard of billions of pieces. Every person's fate was manipulated by an invisible hand, leaving them with no choice.
Unconsciously, his thoughts wandered, and he said, "Feng Tian, have you ever seen a sunrise?"
Feng Tian remained seated without moving, still in cultivation, but she eventually answered him, "What is a sunrise?"
"A sunrise symbolizes hope, surging life, and the courage to break through darkness. On life-bearing planets, or in some great worlds, a sunrise can be seen every day—it is the beginning of a new day. I haven't seen one in a very long time," Zhang Ruochen said.
Feng Tian said, "An ant looking up at the sky has short and shallow vision; a sunrise is merely an illusion. What is there to reminisce about?"
Zhang Ruochen said, "Seeing it all completely makes it lose its meaning. Often, many great Daos originate from the subtle details of heaven and earth's rules. Feng Tian, have you ever seen the cooking smoke from a farmhouse at sunset, the incense candles before a grave during the New Year, or the rice seedlings swaying in the wind in the summer fields? Do you know what cold and sickness are?"
"Actually, I haven't seen them in a long time either. Standing too high makes it impossible to see the mortal world, and perception becomes numb."
Feng Tian said, "You want to leave?"
Zhang Ruochen nodded. "It's been a thousand years. I've helped Feng Tian refine so many Infinite-level powerhouses. I think it's time to leave. Feng Tian can't imprison me forever, can she? In the end, we only had a transactional exchange."
Feng Tian, who had been in cultivation, opened her cold eyes and said in a deep voice, "I have sheltered you for a thousand years, allowed you to freely enter and leave the Heavenly Guard Platform, and now that your wings have hardened, you want to leave?"
Zhang Ruochen said, "I have reasons I must leave for."
A thousand years had passed. Although no bad news had come from the Kunlun Realm, Zhang Ruochen knew he could wait no longer.
Feng Tian rose to her feet, her aura sweeping across the sky and earth.
The light of the Gate of Death pressed down entirely upon Zhang Ruochen.
Her will was strong. "What if I refuse to let you go?"
Zhang Ruochen sat on the edge of the bone ship, relaxed and at ease, not even meeting her gaze. "Forgive my bluntness, but if you insist on keeping me, we will only become enemies from now on. Feng Tian hasn't broken through to the middle stage of Indestructible Infinite yet, has she? This is not the time you need me most. We can still cooperate in the future."
The bone ship's speed shattered the rules of heaven and earth, stars rapidly receding behind them.
Feng Tian said, "Tell me the reason you must leave. I want to see if the power of heaven can sever this reason!"
Zhang Ruochen said, "Our philosophies have the most fundamental difference, which means we were never meant to walk the same path."
Feng Tian naturally understood that this was the root reason Zhang Ruochen could not be used by her. Gradually, she restrained her aura. "You can leave, but you must help me with one last task. Hunt down Gai Mie, refine and kill him, and take his cultivation. Then, my breakthrough to the middle stage of Indestructible Infinite will be within reach!"
Zhang Ruochen pondered for a moment. "Agreed."
"Shua!"
A small stone flew out from the Gate of Death and landed in Zhang Ruochen's hand.
Though it was called a small stone, it was as heavy as a star.
"This is..."
Zhang Ruochen used his Truth Divine Eye to examine it. The pigeon-egg-sized stone contained immense energy.
Inside, densely packed, strange rules were interwoven, complex and profound, as if hiding some ultimate principle of heaven and earth.
Feng Tian said, "This was taken from the Huan Mie Star Sea. The entire Huan Mie Star Sea is the body of Di. A single star is just one grain of stone on his body. Try to see if you can refine it!"
If it were the divine body of a Half-Ancestor who had been dead for many years, Zhang Ruochen was confident he could refine it using the Earth Cauldron.
But refining the divine body of a living Half-Ancestor—even just a piece of flesh from his body—was no easy task.
Clearly, Feng Tian had spent these years comprehending Di's Half-Ancestor Dao through the stones she had collected. Now that she had fully understood the Half-Ancestor rules within the stone she had mastered, she handed it to Zhang Ruochen to refine.
Zhang Ruochen couldn't help but ask, "Just how strong is a Half-Ancestor?"
A look of longing clearly appeared in Feng Tian's eyes. "If Di had not had a third of his stone body—including his most important head—taken away in the early stages of his awakening, and if he had emerged in his complete form, he would have been powerful enough to overpower Hao Tian and Fengdu. If he were given a few more tens of thousands of years to recover, he could sweep through two or three major clans alone. Even the ultimate trump cards of those major clans would likely be unable to stop him."
"The time he was taken away by Fengdu will be our last chance. Whether in the Heavenly Court or the Hell Realm, all the Heavens are racing to cross over. A contemporary Half-Ancestor must emerge to fully suppress those ancient powerhouses."
"I have a feeling that Heavenly Mother and Hao Tian will soon take that step. Whoever crosses over first will hold absolute advantage in this great era."
...
In the Santu River basin, corpse soil and bone seas stretched continuously across the void, shrouded in gray death star mist.
The towering World Tree was extremely conspicuous.
Upon entering Fengdu Ghost City, two veteran Ghost Emperors, Ziren Guidi and Yangyun Guidi, appeared to pay their respects and invited Feng Tian away for a private discussion.
Zhang Ruochen waited outside the Ghost God Hall. Hun Qi, who had seven heads, appeared in his field of vision.
"Greetings, Ruochen Shenzun."
Hun Qi no longer harbored any hostility from the past. He was extremely respectful before Zhang Ruochen.
If there was no direct hatred, once the gap in cultivation between two people became large enough, hostility naturally ceased to exist.
Of course, it wasn't truly gone.
It was just that it was no longer necessary, or rather, he no longer had the qualifications to be Zhang Ruochen's enemy.
Hun Qi invited Zhang Ruochen to his divine hall, where a banquet was prepared, and human women of Saintess-level beauty performed dances and played music.
Zhang Ruochen could tell that Hun Qi was not good at this sort of thing. His face remained stiff throughout, showing no interest in the elegant music and dances before him.
Zhang Ruochen raised a triangular bronze cup. "There's no need for this. Even if there were past grievances, we each served our own masters. I am only ruthless to my enemies; for my opponents, I have always held respect. However, you are no longer qualified to be my opponent now."
"I know."
Hun Qi picked up his wine cup, clinked it with Zhang Ruochen's, and then drank it all in one gulp, neither humble nor arrogant. "If the Sword Realm and the Hell Realm fall into conflict in the future, or if Ruochen Shenzun moves against the Ghost Clan, Fengdu Ghost City will surely produce an opponent worthy of Ruochen Shenzun's respect. I only hope that at that time, Ruochen Shenzun will respect that opponent, not fear him."
Zhang Ruochen smiled without speaking, turning his attention to the singing and dancing.
Hun Qi said, "Ruochen Shenzun seems completely uninterested in Gai Mie's escape?"
"This matter is not something I can control. Feng Tian will handle it herself. If you are so eager to tell me, I have to wonder if you have ulterior motives and want to harm me?" Zhang Ruochen cast a glance at him.
Hun Qi said, "What if I said this matter is related to Wu Yue?"
Zhang Ruochen laughed. "If you put it that way, I am actually a bit interested. My wife Wu Yue has been missing in Lihentian for over a thousand years. I am truly worried she encountered the remnant souls of ancient powerhouses and met with misfortune. Do you have any news?"
Hun Qi said, "Gai Mie was imprisoned in the Ghost God Hall, worn down for a thousand years. He had long lost the might of a Supreme Pillar and was extremely weak. Do you know how he escaped?"
Zhang Ruochen waited silently for him to give the answer.
"It was the Yellow Spring Flower!"
Hun Qi said, "The three veteran Ghost Emperors responsible for suppressing and refining Gai Mie were all poisoned by the Yellow Spring Flower. The Yellow Spring Flower only grows in the tomb of the Yellow Spring Great Emperor. In the current world, only Wu Yue has ever entered the Yellow Spring Great Emperor's tomb and brought out the Yellow Spring Flower. You know about this, don't you?"
(End of Chapter)