Chapter 3533: Those Who Cherish Life, Stop Here
The Ancient Desolate Ruins City had been preserved from antiquity to the present day without being destroyed. Generation after generation of supreme powerhouses had repaired the formations within the city, suppressing the strange beasts of the Abyss of Darkness. This showed just how important this city was!
Heavenly Mother had stayed in the Ancient Desolate Ruins City for hundreds of thousands of years. Because of her, even during the most turbulent times between the Heavenly Court and Hell, the Abyss of Darkness had never fallen into chaos.
Now that Heavenly Mother had left and the Desolate Moon had been devoured, this ancient city, a strategic pass leading to the real world, was already in imminent danger.
If the strange beasts were allowed to occupy the Ancient Desolate Ruins City and then break out of the Abyss of Darkness, the consequences would be unimaginable.
Imperial Ancestor Divine Lord's expression was grave. "This matter is beyond our capabilities. However, Hell has two top-ranked All Heavens in the Abyss of Darkness..."
Zhang Ruochen could tell that he lacked trust in those two All Heavens of Hell; otherwise, his expression wouldn't be so heavy.
Zhang Ruochen said calmly, "Jiusi Yitianhuang won't stand idly by. If the strange beasts escape, the first to suffer will be the Darkness Temple. All his years of effort will be destroyed in an instant."
"As for Feng Tian... she should take some action."
Imperial Ancestor Divine Lord snorted. "I'm just afraid that these two won't have the same sense of responsibility and duty to guard the world as Heavenly Mother did. When the real danger comes, Jiusi Yitianhuang and the gods of the Darkness Temple will most likely retreat."
"That is a possibility."
Zhang Ruochen was puzzled and asked, "If the strange beasts break out of the Abyss of Darkness, Hell will surely be caught in a pincer, unable to attend to both ends. Wouldn't that be good for the Heavenly Court?"
Imperial Ancestor Divine Lord shook his head, a look of deep dread in his eyes. "It seems you don't understand the power of the strange beasts. From ancient times to the present, countless All Heavens have entered the Abyss of Darkness, but once they leave the Ancient Desolate Ruins City and head west, most never return. This includes Yinsxue Tian, who could once contend with the Heavenly Venerable."
"I believe the reason Heavenly Mother was able to suppress the strange beasts for so many years is that she borrowed the formations left behind in this city since ancient times, including the methods of the Primordial Ancestors."
"In any case, if the Ancient Desolate Ruins City is occupied, Hell won't be the only one to suffer."
"Ruochen might think I am hypocritical, that I am thinking too far ahead. But when one's cultivation reaches our level, having consumed countless resources and carrying the hopes of so many people, one absolutely cannot only consider oneself in the face of world-shattering events."
"I am determined to flatten Hell, destroy the Ten Clans, and cut off the Santu River. But the purpose of doing so is to bring peace to the world and create a prosperous era for humanity. It is not to ignore the strange beasts about to charge out of the Abyss of Darkness, plunging the world into chaos!"
Zhang Ruochen said, "In your eyes, Divine Lord, are the strange beasts more terrifying than Hell?"
"I know some secrets, but I have never been to the depths of the Abyss of Darkness, so I dare not jump to conclusions."
Imperial Ancestor Divine Lord looked towards the golden rays of light rapidly moving across the western sky. "If Fengdu Dadi were still here, and if the Quantity Organization and ancient powerhouses weren't causing chaos across the world, I would very much hope that the strange beasts would break out of the Abyss of Darkness and weaken Hell's strength."
Zhang Ruochen was inwardly shaken. Was Imperial Ancestor Divine Lord worried that Hell, having lost the Ancient Desolate Ruins City, would be unable to stop the strange beasts?
Was it that exaggerated?
"The number one forbidden land in the universe. A place that no Primordial Ancestor has been able to pacify since antiquity, a place that the current All Heavens dare not set foot in. Who knows how much terror is hidden within?"
Imperial Ancestor Divine Lord summoned his Dragon Scale War Halberd, his eyes burning like two fireballs. "I won't accompany you to Chaotian Que!"
"Roar!"
The sound of a dragon's roar echoed through the Ancient Desolate Ruins City.
Imperial Ancestor Divine Lord stepped on nine golden dragons, carrying a divine glow that spanned a hundred thousand miles, his battle intent surging as he flew straight towards the strange beast army.
Zhang Ruochen watched the divine radiance receding into the distance, a feeling of admiration rising in his heart.
He knew right from wrong, had a far-reaching vision, and even though he knew it was beyond his capabilities, he resolutely charged into battle. Such bearing and courage truly made him a hero of the age.
This was the number one figure of the Imperial Dao Great World!
Zhang Ruochen moved cautiously, avoiding the formation inscriptions and chaotic spaces, traveling swiftly along the sea of corpse blood.
He traveled for about ten thousand miles.
Ahead, at the intersection of the sea of corpse blood and the land, a patch of highly corrosive black mist appeared, with fantastical, colorful lights flowing within it.
Here, the residual aura of Jiusi Yitianhuang remained.
Behind the black mist, there was a bowl-sized hole in the formation.
But the formation inscriptions were flowing rapidly, constantly repairing the hole, which was getting smaller and smaller.
Zhang Ruochen had already tested other places. Even throwing a pebble into the sea of corpse blood would stir up azure divine-killing flames, capable of melting the divine bodies of gods and godly sovereigns at the Qiankun Infinite Realm.
"Shua!"
Zhang Ruochen shrank his body to the size of a grain of rice and flew into the formation hole.
This sea of corpse blood was clearly an important location within the Ancient Desolate Ruins City. There was more than one formation; every few dozen meters descended, ancient formation patterns would appear.
Fortunately, Jiusi Yitianhuang had come before him and opened a path.
After a moment, Zhang Ruochen followed the residual aura of Jiusi Yitianhuang and landed at the bottom of the sea of corpse blood.
It was extremely dark here. Zhang Ruochen had to activate his Truth Divine Eye to see the environment.
Giant skeletons, larger than mountains, lay sunk in the water, most of them covered in mud. It was impossible to tell if they belonged to demon gods or the legendary primordial beings.
Ahead was a bluish-grey stone gate, hundreds of feet high.
The gate was covered in moss and engraved with ancient characters.
They were very mottled, the characters illegible.
"Who?"
Zhang Ruochen was startled to find a humanoid black shadow standing in front of the gate.
It wasn't a person, just a shadow.
The black shadow suddenly turned around and swept out its sleeve. Instantly, a vast, silent dark force pressed down on Zhang Ruochen.
It was like the arrival of night, cold and piercing to the bone.
Zhang Ruochen felt as if his body was about to melt and become a part of the darkness.
"Break!"
Zhang Ruochen's spiritual will was incredibly firm. He dispelled the distracting thoughts in his heart and manifested the sun, "Extinguishing Star Sea".
Within the star sea, countless planets shot out powerful beams of light, piercing through the darkness.
The black figure was also torn apart.
"Not good!"
He had used too much force, and the light power had triggered the ancient prohibitions around him.
"Hua! Hua! Hua..."
From the ground, the stone gate, and the sea of corpse blood, one formation after another emerged.
Some of these formations even carried the divine aura of a Primordial Ancestor.
Without a second thought, Zhang Ruochen summoned the Earth Cauldron and jumped inside.
"Boom, rumble!"
The destructive power flying out from the formations struck the Earth Cauldron, sending it tumbling and spinning.
The sound was immense, like a bronze bell being struck repeatedly.
After over a hundred strikes, the formations finally stopped.
Zhang Ruochen flew out of the Earth Cauldron and landed on the ground. His head was buzzing, and he was unsteady, nearly falling.
Fortunately, he had refined many All-Penetrating Divine Pills and his physical body was strong. If it had been another god, even hiding inside the Earth Cauldron, they would have been shaken to death.
Zhang Ruochen let out a long breath and recovered. Then, he came to the spot where the humanoid black shadow had been standing.
On the ground, he found two footprints arranged in the shape of the character "人".
Within the footprints, dark energy and indestructible divine patterns were flowing.
"What formidable skill. Jiusi Yitianhuang left behind two footprints, and they still possess extraordinary power."
Zhang Ruochen shook his head slightly, marveling at the terror of the Indestructible Infinite.
With his own Qiankun Infinite cultivation, he was still far from being able to match them.
Zhang Ruochen came to the stone gate and wiped the moss off it with his hand, revealing the traces of erosion by time beneath.
At this moment, Zhang Ruochen felt as if he could transcend time and space, seeing the most prosperous era of the Qi Refiners billions of years ago—their images of holding feathered fans and riding flying swords. He could see white-robed cultivators, with immortal bearing, entering through this gate, discussing the Heavenly Dao and worldly philosophy.
"All are gone. Any great civilization will eventually be buried by time."
After this sigh, Zhang Ruochen stepped through the stone gate.
A dangerous aura rapidly approached!
Without any thought, Zhang Ruochen directly released the Taiji Four Symbols Diagram.
The Shaoyang Divine Mountain crashed towards the source of the danger.
"Boom!"
Eighteen zhang away, a nine-zhang-six-foot-tall golden divine Buddha was sent flying by the divine mountain.
The golden divine Buddha retreated a hundred zhang on the ground, dissipating the impact force. Then, he summoned a Source Divine Pagoda and waved it out.
The divine pagoda spun in mid-air, distorting space.
With a thought from Zhang Ruochen, hundreds of thousands of war swords flew out from the divine mountain, turning into a rain of swords that crashed into the Source Divine Pagoda one after another. The pagoda was still eighteen zhang away from Zhang Ruochen when it was pierced through, turning into a cloud of white source particles.
"Enough, I admit defeat. You're formidable."
The nine-zhang-six-foot-tall golden divine demon retracted all the source particles, his body rapidly shrinking to the size of a normal human.
It was none other than Yan Wushen, whom he hadn't seen for years.
Hundreds of thousands of war swords stopped in front of Yan Wushen, motionless.
Zhang Ruochen stood upright, his hands clasped behind his back. "Return!"
Ten thousand swords returned to their nest, flying back into the divine mountain.
Then, the Taiji Four Symbols Diagram vanished into nothingness.
Zhang Ruochen smiled. "Brother Wushen's cultivation speed is truly impressive. You've already quietly reached the Infinite Realm."
"I have your All-Penetrating Divine Pills to thank for that."
Yan Wushen's long hair was loose, his chest bare. The muscles on his chest and abdomen were full of aesthetic lines and masculine energy, still emitting a faint golden light.
His straight nose, deep, torch-like eyes, and resolute, angular face would be extremely attractive to any woman in the world.
His temperament was completely different from Zhang Ruochen's, who was sometimes refined and gentle, sometimes romantic and unrestrained, and sometimes melancholic and profound. Yan Wushen possessed a more domineering and sharp, righteous yet evil, unrestrained and heroic spirit.
Zhang Ruochen said, "Don't tease me like that. How could a single All-Penetrating Divine Pill create a peerless godly sovereign?"
Yan Wushen just stood there, exuding the majesty of a tiger overlooking a mountain forest. He laughed heartily. "So what? I could tell from our earlier exchange that you are at least two realms higher than me."
Zhang Ruochen waved his hand. "I'm different. I have the Sundial."
"How do you know I don't possess a treasure comparable to, or even surpassing, the Sundial?" Yan Wushen countered.
Zhang Ruochen said, "You obtained the Universe Cauldron?"
Yan Wushen didn't directly answer this question. "Your opportunities are the Sundial and the Earth Cauldron, stemming from time and origin. Your Wuji Divine Dao follows the path of Daoist harmony with nature. My cultivation of the Six Paths Reincarnation, with its opportunity lying within this Chaotian Que, follows another path of cultivation, leaning more towards the Qi Refiners."
Zhang Ruochen knew he couldn't press further on such secrets. "How many years have you been cultivating in Chaotian Que?"
"The Ancient Desolate Ruins City is already sunless, making one forget the passage of time. The time and space beneath this sea of corpse blood are very chaotic. I don't know how many years have passed outside. Has it been a hundred thousand years?" Yan Wushen asked.
Zhang Ruochen shook his head gently. "Have you seen Jiusi Yitianhuang?"
Yan Wushen's expression immediately turned serious. "A long time ago, I sensed his aura. This Chaotian Que has five towers and twelve halls. Jiusi Yitianhuang stopped outside the Qingxu Hall and left, not going deeper."
"Why did he only go to Qingxu Hall and then leave?" Zhang Ruochen asked.
"Follow me. You'll see when you get there."
"There are many killing methods left by the ancients in Chaotian Que. Walk in my footsteps, and don't make a mistake!"
Yan Wushen led the way, saying, "Every time a big shot breaks in, I have to hide deeper in Chaotian Que. Fortunately, the Dao I cultivate is compatible with the Qi Refiners, so I found a safe passage. Other cultivators, no matter how strong their cultivation, will have to pay a price if they try to force their way through. The waters in Chaotian Que are very deep. I've been here for who knows how many years, and I only know about ten or twenty percent of it."
Soon, the two arrived outside Qingxu Hall.
Qingxu Hall was already dilapidated, with many walls collapsed and the plaque hanging askew.
But the materials used to build this hall in the past were extraordinary. The walls emitted a purple light, the characters on the plaque contained infinite Dao charm, and even the tiles on the ground were like gold and jade.
"Those who cherish life, stop here."
Zhang Ruochen looked at the gate of Qingxu Hall and saw these seven characters on it.
"These are characters left by the Great Venerable!"
Zhang Ruochen was slightly shocked, certain he couldn't be mistaken. Not only was the handwriting consistent, but the momentum and divine might contained in each stroke still gave one the feeling of ten thousand laws converging.
Yan Wushen suddenly understood. "No wonder Jiusi Yitianhuang left after seeing these seven characters. He was scared off by the Great Venerable."
Zhang Ruochen's expression was strange. "Why weren't you scared off by these seven characters?"
"Although I felt these seven characters were no ordinary work, I didn't know they were from the Great Venerable's hand."
Yan Wushen's face was full of brilliant smiles. "Besides, I was determined to seize the opportunity left by the Qi Refiners and comprehend the Six Paths Reincarnation. I was already prepared to die here when I entered Chaotian Que. I don't count as someone who cherishes life, do I?"
"Indeed, you don't."
Zhang Ruochen thought of something and quickly asked, "By the way, how did you break through the formations and enter Chaotian Que?"
Yan Wushen said, "When I came, there was a gap in the formation. I entered through the gap."
"Someone entered Chaotian Que before Jiusi Yitianhuang?" Zhang Ruochen said.
Yan Wushen glanced at the seven characters on the gate, then stepped into Qingxu Hall.
In the main hall, there was a familiar ancient well.
It was the same ancient well Zhang Ruochen had seen under the seventy-two demon god stone pillars during his last visit to the Ancient Desolate Ruins City. Barring any accidents, the Udumbara Flower should have been growing in this well.
But now, the ancient well was empty.
Yan Wushen said, "Don't look at me. When I came, the Udumbara Flower had already been taken. Clearly, that intruder had a clear goal: entering Chaotian Que was for the Udumbara Flower."
Zhang Ruochen's gaze sharpened. He slowly crouched down and looked at the white sand grains on the ground.
Yan Wushen asked, "What did you find?"
"Annihilated space!"
"What did you say?"
Zhang Ruochen didn't explain further. He pointed his finger downwards.
From his fingertip, strands of space rules flowed out, merging into one of the white sand grains.
The white sand grain expanded continuously, but rapidly turned from a solid state into a virtual one.
"Boom!"
A moment later, space shook violently, and the interior space of Qingxu Hall doubled in size.
Yan Wushen's eyes lit up. "Interesting. I always thought Qingxu Hall was much smaller than the other eleven halls. It turns out part of the space had been annihilated and hidden within these sand grains."
"A grain of sand contains a world; a leaf contains a Buddha."
Zhang Ruochen restored all these sand grains, and Qingxu Hall directly became ten times larger.
Unfortunately, the Udumbara Flower wasn't hidden in these sand grains.
Zhang Ruochen asked, "When you entered Chaotian Que back then, was the space at the formation gap in a state of virtualization?"
"It seems so. Do you have a clue?" Yan Wushen said.
Zhang Ruochen said, "If I'm not mistaken, the person who took the Udumbara Flower should be from Wujian Ridge."
"Cross the Three Rivers, pass through the Seven Ridges, walk across the Taiping Plain, and you can reach the Great Dark Mountain."
This was a sentence Zhang Ruochen had read in an ancient book specifically about the Abyss of Darkness in the Tianshou Tower!
Among them, Wujian Ridge, one of the Seven Ridges, contained the terrifying power to shatter time and space.
Yan Wushen clearly also had some understanding of the Abyss of Darkness. "You want to go to Wujian Ridge? It's too dangerous! Even an All Heaven might not return from there."
"I have a reason I must go."
Zhang Ruochen had another doubt in his mind.
To break the formation of the sea of corpse blood, even Imperial Ancestor Divine Lord felt it was very dangerous.
The person who could get here must have cultivation at the All Heaven level.
Who was this person? Why was their goal so clear? Did they know the Udumbara Flower was in Chaotian Que? And specifically in Qingxu Hall?
This person... even if it wasn't Yinsxue Tian, they must have a significant connection to her.
"Hehe!"
From outside the hall, a series of eerie laughter sounded, sometimes distant, sometimes near, sometimes pleasant to the ear, sometimes terrifyingly piercing.
"Just the two of you dare to go to Wujian Ridge? Back then, one of the top three All Heavens of your upper realm fell there, and died a miserable death!"
Zhang Ruochen was the first to rush out of Qingxu Hall, pointing a finger forward. Countless sword beams flew out.
The swords contained truth, and also time.
Yan Wushen stood in the hall, throwing the Book of Death from his hand. As it flew out of the hall, the book scattered, making a "hua la la" sound, turning into pieces of yellowed paper that froze the space outside the hall.