Chapter 3559: Wounded by a Curse
After beginning to cultivate the Twelve Phases of Fate, the aura emanating from Feng Tian changed constantly.
When manifesting the "Auspicious" phase, she appeared sacred, gentle, and beautiful.
When manifesting the "Fierce and Terrifying" phase, she became cold, dark, and murderous.
When manifesting the "Life" phase, she seemed intimate and lively.
...
At this moment, she was indeed breathtakingly beautiful, but her eyes held a cold, murderous aura that froze even the sea of corpse blood.
That murderous aura caused Xiu Chen Heavenly God, a fearless Shura, to feel a sense of wariness. Standing far away with Wu Qingzong, she did not dare approach the Blood Leaf Sycamore.
Feng Tian turned her head and stared at them.
With just that one look, both Wu Qingzong and Xiu Chen Heavenly God felt as if their divine souls had been frozen, as if Feng Tian might strike them down at any moment.
"Unexpectedly, her cultivation is now so terrifying. A single glance contains the deathly power to kill a god!" Xiu Chen Heavenly God felt an uncontrollable surge of sorrow and bitterness in her heart. Thinking back, when had she ever been weaker than Feng Caiyi?
Now, she was nothing but a single soul left as an artifact spirit.
Zhang Ruochen watched Feng Tian as she stepped ashore, saying, "You're injured!"
The Blood Leaf Sycamore, intimidated by Feng Tian's aura, had kept its head lowered. Hearing Zhang Ruochen's words, it immediately looked up and exclaimed in shock, "Master, how are you injured?"
How could it not be shocked?
Even if the formations within Chao Tian Que were powerful, Feng Tian was an Indestructible Infinite, one of the highest existences in the universe. Unless the formation had no formation spirit or no powerful cultivator presiding over it, what formation in the world could harm her?
On Feng Tian's left arm was a wound.
The blood within the wound had undergone a malignant transformation, flowing out as black blood.
Stranger still, the moment the black blood diffused, it directly vaporized... or rather, it became nothingness, vanishing without a trace.
Wu Qingzong said in a low voice, "To be able to wound an Indestructible Infinite, and for the wound not to heal immediately, what level of existence could achieve this?"
Xiu Chen Heavenly God said, "To wound an Indestructible Infinite, a cultivator of the same realm has a chance. But to make the wound difficult for an Indestructible Infinite to heal... that would likely require being two realms higher. Is there a terrifying power at the Indestructible Infinite peak level below?"
"Or perhaps it's a means left behind by an Ancestor," Wu Qingzong said.
Zhang Ruochen stared at Feng Tian's wound, his expression grave, and asked, "Blood Devouring Curse?"
The Blood Devouring Curse was one of the six most terrifying curses of the Underworld Clan, specifically targeting blood-and-flesh beings.
Those afflicted would continuously lose blood, unaware of where it was going.
Seeing her remain silent, Zhang Ruochen directly took out the Mani Pearl and brought it close to her wound.
"Whoosh!"
Under the impetus of divine Qi, the Mani Pearl emitted six different kinds of radiance, purifying the secret power of the curse.
Xiu Chen Heavenly God shook her head repeatedly, saying, "Zhang Ruochen is still too young. How dare he take out a treasure like the Mani Pearl in front of Feng Caiyi? Can he keep it safe? Do you think he might have developed feelings for Feng Caiyi?"
Wu Qingzong watched the two, who were now close at hand, and felt a sense of worry.
It was truly hard to imagine a man treating Feng Tian's wounds so naturally.
This kind of intimate relationship seemed as if the two had already tacitly accepted it.
Feng Tian stood there, looking at Zhang Ruochen who was right before her eyes, and said without any emotional fluctuation, "Did you succeed?"
As she asked this, the murderous aura around her had already diminished considerably.
"I've only taken the most important step," Zhang Ruochen said.
He asked, "Did you pass through Qingxu Hall?"
"Mm," Feng Tian replied.
Zhang Ruochen stared into her eyes, saying, "Did you not see the seven characters the Great Venerable left there? You value your life too little!"
"Those who value their lives, how can they achieve the Great Dao? The Death God Venerable does not fear death," Feng Tian said.
Zhang Ruochen was intensely curious, asking, "What exactly did you encounter?"
The Blood Leaf Sycamore was very displeased, because Zhang Ruochen addressed her as "you" instead of the respectful title "Feng Tian."
Too bold.
Too presumptuous.
Feng Tian said, "A blood-soaked land, a demonic hall, a Styx River... I didn't go any further."
Zhang Ruochen was puzzled, saying, "Isn't Chao Tian Que a sacred realm for Qi Refiners?"
"Yes, so later cultivators can all enter to cultivate the Dao. Which invincible figure of any era wouldn't go to study the cultivation methods of the Qi Refiners? The Qi Refiners dominated the universe for far too long, second only to the Wu Dao. Some speculate that they might have left behind a supreme treasure second only to the Nine Cauldrons," Feng Tian said.
Zhang Ruochen's heart could not calm down.
What Feng Tian said differed greatly from what Yan Wushen had told him.
Now, upon careful reflection, there were indeed many inconsistencies.
With a place as dangerous as Chao Tian Que, how could Yan Wushen, who was only at the Great God level back then, have carved out a path to freely enter and exit? Even if he cultivated the Six Paths Reincarnation Divine Dao, which had a great connection to the Qi Refiners, how could his realm, being insufficient, allow him to pass through the formations?
Moreover, behind every outstanding genius of the current era, there must be a Heavenly Venerable-level existence nurturing, paving the way, and protecting them.
Desolate Heaven, Xue Jue War God, Bai Qinger, Xuan Yi, Zhang Ruochen... it could be said that their backgrounds were one greater than the next.
With the resources and strength of Wu Qingzong and the Dark Abyss Yan Clan, how could they possibly cultivate a figure like Yan Wushen?
Yan Wushen must be hiding a great secret.
Feng Tian's emotions had completely calmed down, her murderous aura entirely dissipated. She asked, "What are you thinking about?"
Zhang Ruochen gently shook his head.
The Mani Pearl did have a suppressive effect on curses.
But with Zhang Ruochen's cultivation, the speed at which he could dispel the curse on Feng Tian was far too slow.
"You don't need to help. This little curse can't do anything to me."
The Phoenix mark on Feng Tian's brow flickered, and the Gate of Destiny manifested behind her. Strands of radiant light flowed from her skin, then transformed into flames.
Zhang Ruochen was sent flying by the flames erupting from Feng Tian's body.
"Whoosh!"
Around Feng Tian, the rules of fifty-five Daos appeared, twisting into fifty-five clusters of bright light.
These fifty-five clusters of light evolved into thirty million points of light, which then condensed into seven hundred and fifty million flickering images that were constantly being born and annihilated. It looked like a vast starry sky, yet also like a chart of the myriad phenomena of the universe.
"So fast at comprehending! She's only one step away from the middle stage of Indestructible Infinite. Her cultivation has increased tremendously!"
Zhang Ruochen could tell that the strange scene Feng Tian had manifested contained the essence of the *River Map*.
There was no doubt that she intended to use the *River Map* to integrate the Twelve Phases of Fate.
Her understanding and gains from the *River Map* far surpassed Zhang Ruochen's.
This was not because Zhang Ruochen's comprehension was inferior to hers, but because the gap in their divine souls was too great. With a stronger divine soul, the speed of analysis, comprehension, and cultivation would naturally be faster.
She manifested this strange scene undoubtedly to allow Zhang Ruochen to observe it, making it easier for him to understand the mysteries of the *River Map*.
A moment later, the strange scene dissipated.
The curse on her body had been refined, the wound healed, and beneath the damaged white garment was skin even fairer than before.
Feng Tian's gaze remained indifferent as she said, "Speak. What exactly is the matter that you risked so much to come find me?"
Zhang Ruochen silently pondered what "risk" she was referring to.
Had she already deduced through the Path of Fate that Jie Zunzhe, Chi Yao, and even the fire seed of the Kunlun Realm were hidden within the Sword Pavilion?
Zhang Ruochen said, "Jiusi Yitianhuang has cultivated the Nine Lives Nine Deaths Yin-Yang Dao in the Wujian World. His current cultivation has likely reached the Indestructible Infinite peak."
A flicker of emotion finally appeared in Feng Tian's eyes. "Tell me in detail."
So, Zhang Ruochen recounted what he knew.
But he omitted many details. For example, that the Udumbara Flower and the Demon Heart were in his possession.
Zhang Ruochen said, "The five Indestructible Infinites among the Primordial Beings, combined with the Ancestral legacy formation on Wujian Ridge, were barely able to resist him. If Jiusi Yitianhuang enters the Ancient Desolate Ruins City, I'm very worried he might harm you."
Feng Tian turned her head and looked at him for a long while.
Zhang Ruochen quickly added, "It's hard to say whether Jiusi Yitianhuang belongs to the current generation of strong or the ancient ones. It's also uncertain whether he will use his powerful cultivation and special status to rally the Chaos Ancient Demons."
"In the past, his cultivation was insufficient, so he didn't dare to claim the position of Heavenly Venerable. But now that his cultivation is enough, will he want that seat?"
"Every step he takes from now on is unpredictable."
Feng Tian said, "You underestimate the Indestructible Infinites too much. I have my own means. He can't manipulate me so easily."
"Among the Primordial Beings, those Indestructible Infinites have no Profound Meaning. They have no trump cards."
"Every time an Ancestor appears in the upper realm, they are crushed, and all their war weapons and divine abilities are taken away. Their inheritance has long been incomplete, and their foundation is almost entirely lost."
"However, this lower realm is indeed strange. Even an Ancestor cannot destroy them. Once the Ancestor passes away, they will emerge again and quickly grow strong."
"This might be their only truly formidable aspect: they are born as Infinites, their physical bodies are unmatched in the same realm, and their clans can rapidly strengthen. But this also brings obvious drawbacks: in terms of mental state and will, few can compare to the Infinites of the upper realm."
Zhang Ruochen felt that Feng Tian was being too arrogant and wanted to persuade her further.
Feng Tian said, "This time, when I came to the Abyss of Darkness, I brought the second ultimate foundation of the Destiny Temple. Even Huangquan Great Emperor was almost suppressed. If Jiusi Yitianhuang wants to make a move, he would have to risk mutual destruction."
"Besides, the probability of him making a move against me right now is less than ten percent."
"After all, there is no conflict of interest between him and me. On the contrary, mutual cooperation would benefit both sides."
"Secondly, in my view, aside from cultivating the Nine Lives Nine Deaths Yin-Yang Dao, his most urgent matter right now is to suppress Gai Mie. Gai Mie is his real hidden danger."
Seeing that Feng Tian was rational and not arrogant, Zhang Ruochen stopped trying to persuade her and instead asked, "What is this second ultimate foundation?"
Zhang Ruochen had heard the legend of the "Ultimate Foundation" more than once.
It was said that each of the ten clans of Hell had an ultimate foundation, specifically for dealing with clan-extinction disasters. This was how they had maintained their heritage from ancient times to the present.
"What does it have to do with you? How about you join the Destiny Temple and become a Palace Master?" Feng Tian said.
Zhang Ruochen smiled and shook his head.
Feng Tian said, "If you're truly worried about Jiusi Yitianhuang, go find Nutian Shenzun and Heavenly Mother. In Hell, the only two who can truly restrain him are these two. Or, go to the Heavenly Court? Hao Tian is someone Jiusi Yitianhuang definitely wouldn't dare to touch lightly."
Zhang Ruochen could hear the deeper meaning in Feng Tian's words.
As the Death God Venerable and a pro-war faction member of Hell, her suggesting that he go to the Heavenly Court was by no means a test, but a genuine hope that he would stay away from Jiusi Yitianhuang.
A touch of emotion stirred in Zhang Ruochen's heart, and he decided to reveal the matter that had been weighing on his mind. He asked, "Feng Tian, do you think there are hidden strong individuals within the Destiny Temple?"
By bringing this up, Zhang Ruochen was taking a considerable risk.
Who knew if the unknown person that Feng Tian and Nutian Shenzun were searching for had some special relationship with her?
But if he didn't tell her, wouldn't he be letting her bear this risk?
Letting her know in advance would at least allow her to be on guard.