# Chapter 3657: Cursing a Heavenly Venerable
The sky was dim, cold wind howled, and waves in the sea rose a hundred zhang high.
"Boom."
Thunder and lightning frequently streaked across the horizon, accompanied by divine power tides, forming clusters of luminous clouds.
Not to mention ordinary mortals, even true gods were intimidated by the fluctuations emanating from the depths of the divine sea, not daring to approach the water.
Various aquatic strange beasts fled in groups beneath the surface.
A school of silver-scaled demon fish leaped above the sea surface, forming a silver-white bridge, scattering water droplets, emitting demonic mist, and speeding past ahead before disappearing into the towering waves. These creatures, which had once devoured countless Heavenly Court Saint realm cultivators, were now fleeing for their lives.
Zhang Ruochen walked across the sea surface with Divine Spirit Step, approaching the center of the battlefield.
He certainly did not intend to meddle in a conflict of that level; he was merely worried about Jie Zunzhe.
After all, the old fellow was currently relying on only half a divine talisman to hold on. If the talisman shattered before he could intimidate Lei Zu and Zhao Gongming, there would be great trouble.
Moreover, if an accident occurred and a hidden expert emerged, it would also be a difficult matter.
Lei Zu had deep cooperation with the remnant souls of ancient powerhouses. It was hard to say how many formidable figures were hidden in the Wuding Divine Sea.
Qing Su did not know what Zhang Ruochen intended to do, but she could only grit her teeth and follow his steps, each step filled with trepidation.
About thirty million li from the center of the battlefield.
Zhang Ruochen stopped.
Here, both Sword Dao rules and lightning rules were already extremely dense.
The two types of rules were like two armies, constantly colliding and annihilating each other in the clashes.
There was a stalemate situation.
"What are you doing here? Leave now while you can." Jie Zunzhe's voice appeared in Zhang Ruochen's sea of consciousness.
Zhang Ruochen said, "I'm worried about your safety, Elder."
"Worried my ass! I, the Venerable One, can crush even the Yellow Spring Great Emperor and the Chaos Clan's Clan Emperor. A mere Lei Zu is something I can handle with a flip of my hand. If you want to go to the Hell Realm, cross the sea now, or things will change." Jie Zunzhe said.
Zhang Ruochen sensed that Jie Zunzhe had already entered the center of the battlefield and assumed nothing unexpected would happen.
After pondering for a moment, he activated his Space Rule divine patterns, enveloping both himself and Qing Su, heading toward the western coast of the Wuding Divine Sea.
Using spatial power, Zhang Ruochen's speed increased dramatically, continuously leaping through space, covering tens of millions of li in an instant.
Qing Su's eyes beneath her veil remained stern, unable to conceal her tension, and said, "The Thunder Clan's strength is unfathomable, especially since Lei Fa Heavenly Venerable was once invincible in an era. They cannot possibly let us pass."
"I suspect that Lei Fa Heavenly Venerable does not dare to make a move against me." Zhang Ruochen said calmly.
Qing Su said, "In the Wuding Divine Sea, Lei Fa Heavenly Venerable is unmatched in the world. What does he have to fear? And you... you carry too many things he desires!"
Zhang Ruochen said, "Then shall we make a bet? I bet that Lei Fa Heavenly Venerable does not dare to make a move against me. If I win, you will have to address me as Master from now on. I know you are very unwilling, and to be honest, I am not particularly willing either. Taking you as a disciple is purely to repay Emperor Ancestor Divine Lord's favor."
Qing Su said, "Then let's bet! But do you know what the consequences will be if you lose?"
Zhang Ruochen smiled and said no more.
If Lei Fa Heavenly Venerable could truly disregard life and death like Yinxue Tian and Tai Shang, he would not have possessed his own youngest son to cultivate a second life.
A person who fears death and is unwilling to die, how could they dare to face death directly?
Qing Su understood the key point, her gaze unconsciously sweeping around, and transmitted, "Is this a trap? A trap to kill Lei Fa Heavenly Venerable? Is Tai Shang nearby? Are we actually the bait to lure Lei Fa Heavenly Venerable into making a move?"
Zhang Ruochen nodded and said, "Not too stupid! Grandmaster's time is short. Before he dies, he must eliminate Lei Fa Heavenly Venerable."
Qing Su said, "But how do we escape? If Tai Shang self-detonates his divine heart, can any living being in the entire Wuding Divine Sea survive?"
"I have long placed life and death outside my considerations." Zhang Ruochen said.
"Why didn't you say so earlier?"
Qing Su raised her slender jade arms, white sleeves like clouds and smoke, divine power creating spatial ripples, trying to break free from Zhang Ruochen's Space Rule divine patterns, but found herself unable to move.
Her heart was anxious, feeling that with every step Zhang Ruochen took, she was approaching the abyss.
Zhang Ruochen said, "This matter is of great importance. No one can know about it in advance. Otherwise, Grandmaster's plan would fail again, just like last time when I trusted Xue Tu so much, yet he betrayed me."
Qing Su felt regret. If she had known she was stepping into a chess game, she should have faced Emperor Ancestor Divine Lord directly and expressed her true intentions, rather than submitting to his sovereign might.
Zhang Ruochen laughed and said, "Regretful? I don't understand. You, a dignified Taixu peak Great God, someone who can definitely be ranked among the top existences in the Imperial Dao Great World, how could you not dare to resist Emperor Ancestor Divine Lord's will? Your heart is so weak. How can you break through to the Infinite Realm in the future? Even if you do break through, you will at most be a God King."
Qing Su said, "Does God Venerable dare to defy Tai Shang's will? Divine Lord is the supreme existence in the Emperor Ancestor Divine Dynasty. His word is law. This is his authority, and also the absolute authority that absolute power should have."
Zhang Ruochen said, "Emperor Ancestor Divine Lord did not force you to become my disciple. Besides, you, a Taixu peak Great God, are not a dispensable figure to the Emperor Ancestor Divine Dynasty and the Imperial Dao Great World. It is you who underestimate yourself too much. It is your own heart that is not strong enough."
Qing Su had cultivated for over four hundred thousand years and believed her experience far surpassed Zhang Ruochen's. She had undergone countless life-and-death trials and battles, large and small, at least a hundred. Her state of mind was not something a junior like him could compare to.
Yet, being ridiculed by Zhang Ruochen like this, she could not refute.
Zhang Ruochen said, "Tai Shang once asked me to return to the Kunlun Realm with him, but at that time, I had more important things to do, so I refused. If it were you, you probably wouldn't dare to refuse, would you?"
A trace of melancholy appeared in Qing Su's eyes, and she said, "Divine Lord is a figure who emerged from mountains of corpses and seas of blood. His methods are iron-fisted and ruthless. How could he be as approachable as Tai Shang?"
Zhang Ruochen said, "Why do you think Emperor Ancestor Divine Lord sent you to my side? To please me? To win me over? You can think about this question carefully. Once you figure it out, we can talk again."
Qing Su's willow-leaf-like slender brows slightly furrowed.
Who in the world did not know of his reputation as the Romantic Sword God?
Divine Lord had deliberately sent her to seek guidance from Zhang Ruochen. How could it really be just to learn the Way of Space? If she wanted to learn the Way of Space, she could go to the Space Divine Temple.
Her instinct told her that Divine Lord had given her to Zhang Ruochen to use her to build a connection with the powerful force behind him.
But hearing Zhang Ruochen say this, it seemed it was not that simple.
"By the way, in your heart, is achieving the status of God King already enough satisfaction in your pursuit of the Dao?" Zhang Ruochen suddenly asked.
This was indeed Qing Su's mindset!
When she was young, she had outstanding talent, was invincible among her peers, and was a representative figure of the Eon level. Like all proud sons of heaven under the sky, she had the ambition to challenge the Heavens.
But after becoming a god, she realized how naive she had been.
Almost every one who could cultivate to the Great God realm was an invincible figure of their era, and the vast majority were Eon-level representatives. Along the way, these former proud sons of heaven had aged or died. Those who could reach the Taixu realm were few and far between.
Beyond that, the Infinite Realm was an invisible heavenly moat.
As long as she reached the Infinite Realm, even if only as a God King, she would be enough to rank among the top ten of the Imperial Dao Great World, becoming a top-level decision-maker, and thus have absolute qualifications to sit firmly in the position of the Can Tian Sect's Sect Leader.
Reaching that level had already surpassed countless people.
Zhang Ruochen said, "The reason you dare not defy Emperor Ancestor Divine Lord's will is that your consciousness has always been bound within the Imperial Dao Great World. Is the Imperial Dao Great World strong? It is indeed strong, ranking third in the Northern Universe. But looking at the entire universe, any Indestructible Infinite has the power to destroy it."
"If you cannot break free from the mental shackles of the Imperial Dao Great World and the Can Tian Sect, and cannot find your former spirit, then you are only worthy of being my nominal disciple. Breaking through to the Infinite Realm will be as difficult as ascending to heaven."
"The fact that you could cultivate to the Taixu peak shows that you were not mediocre before. But hundreds of thousands of years of cultivation have worn away your edges. That sharpness to contend with heaven is gone!"
A god who blindly obeyed Emperor Ancestor Divine Lord's orders was not someone Zhang Ruochen dared to take as a disciple and trust.
Qing Su immediately asked, "What should I do?"
"What do you dare not do?" Zhang Ruochen said.
Qing Su said, "There is nothing I dare not do, even if it means going to the Starry Sky Battlefield, I will go without hesitation."
Seeing Zhang Ruochen staring at her, Qing Su hesitated and said, "Emperor Ancestor Divine Lord has shown me kindness."
Zhang Ruochen said, "I am not asking you to oppose Emperor Ancestor Divine Lord. As for battlefield slaughter, that is only small courage. You were forced to participate in the battle, not acting on your own initiative."
"Don't deny it. If it weren't for the Imperial Dao Great World, for the Can Tian Sect, for the united front of the Heavens and Myriad Realms, would you have gone to fight against the Hell Realm's gods? This is being coerced by righteousness, by identity, by circumstances, with no other choice."
"Dare you curse Lei Fa Heavenly Venerable?"
Qing Su was stunned.
She did think Zhang Ruochen's words had some truth, wanting to awaken the spirit of her youth, but that did not mean she should court death.
Qing Su said, "Lei Fa Heavenly Venerable might have already seen through Tai Shang's plan and left the Wuding Divine Sea long ago."
"Then what harm is there in cursing him a few times? Don't worry, if he sends down divine punishment, I will handle it." Zhang Ruochen said.
Qing Su was troubled, lowered her eyes, and said softly, "I am a Taixu Great God. How can I utter curses? If this gets out, it will surely cause my friends in the Heavenly Court to mock me."
"Cursing a Heavenly Venerable on his own territory—this opportunity doesn't come often. You will definitely become famous with one curse, making the gods of the Heavenly Court look at you with new eyes. Who would mock you?"
Zhang Ruochen said, "Miaoli, come out and teach her a few lines."
"I don't want to court death! Do you really think Lei Fa Heavenly Venerable doesn't dare to make a move?" Xiu Chen Heavenly God's voice sounded from the Sundial.
Zhang Ruochen said, "It is precisely because I fear he might take a risk and make a move that I want someone to curse him."
Xiu Chen Heavenly God's heart stirred, finding this reasonable. Her figure materialized beside Zhang Ruochen, as proud as an ice mountain beauty. She had no intention of teaching Qing Su and directly cursed herself, saying, "Lei Fa, you shameless old bastard who became your own son, do you have the guts to come out and fight me?"
"Are the turtles of the Thunder Clan afraid? Is there not a single one with any blood? Come out! Whatever means you have, I will take them all!"
Xiu Chen Heavenly God's divine voice, amplified by divine power and the rules of heaven and earth, spread mightily, echoing through the star domains around the Wuding Divine Sea.
Her resentment ran deep. Over the past hundred thousand years, having lost her divine source and cultivation, she had been despised and humiliated by many gods. She had long wanted to find an opportunity to regain her face.
Directly confronting a Heavenly Venerable and provoking the entire Thunder Clan at their doorstep—this was the courage of a Heavenly God!
Qing Su held her breath, her face turning slightly pale.
If Lei Fa Heavenly Venerable truly made a move, they would surely be reduced to ashes.
Were all the cultivators around Zhang Ruochen so fearless? Was her own state of mind truly too weak?
"Hua!"
A powerful spatial shockwave appeared between heaven and earth.
Countless bolts of lightning surged within the clouds.
Zhang Ruochen looked toward the horizon. At the center of the lightning, he saw a divine tower a hundred times larger and a thousand times brighter than a star, boiling an area of hundreds of millions of li of sea. The sight was extremely shocking.
He said, "That is the legendary Refining God Tower, Lei Fa Heavenly Venerable's war weapon."
Xiu Chen Heavenly God immediately shut her mouth and stopped cursing. Her beautiful eyes stared roundly at Zhang Ruochen, feeling that he had gone too far. Who said Lei Fa Heavenly Venerable did not dare to make a move?
(End of this chapter)