Chapter: 3663 Two Thousand Years
After Qing Su left with the Absolute Wonderful Zen Nun, Zhang Ruochen stepped on the thick accumulated snow and walked toward Wu Yue at the other end of the bamboo forest.
Wu Yue was not cultivating. Instead, she sat in a cyan octagonal pavilion, holding a jade brush, dipping it into ink refined from ancestral divine blood, drawing talisman patterns.
Unlike usual, she was not wearing a black divine robe. Instead, she was dressed entirely in plain white, fresh and refined. She possessed both the ethereal quality of one who does not eat mortal food and the dignified, tranquil aura of a scholar. There was nothing dark, sinister, or cunning about her.
It was quite unusual.
Snow fell as the brush rose.
The brush strokes flowed like a divine river across the paper.
Beside her, a young ghost clan girl attended, holding a flower basket, watching intently as Wu Yue refined talismans.
Her name was Xi Xi. She was Wu Yue's youngest disciple. Zhang Ruochen had seen her before.
In truth, over the years, Wu Yue had already summoned all her direct subordinates from the Darkness Temple to the White Clothes Valley. Her faction was now filled with talented individuals.
Zhang Ruochen arrived outside the pavilion.
She extended two slender fingers, picked up the talisman she had just drawn, and seemed quite satisfied. The corner of her mouth lifted into a captivatingly beautiful curve. "Catch this Divine Blessing Talisman!"
"Shua!"
The talisman paper flew out like a divine sword, reaching Zhang Ruochen in an instant.
Zhang Ruochen pointed a finger.
"Bang!"
The talisman was shattered before it could even get close.
But before Zhang Ruochen could relax, heaven and earth shifted, and a rumbling, majestic sound surrounded him.
Looking up, he saw the sky split open. A wide, swift purple divine waterfall cascaded down.
Zhang Ruochen raised his palm, holding up a patch of cloud and sky, deflecting the waterfall.
"This is not a Divine Blessing Talisman!"
Zhang Ruochen frowned slightly and withdrew his hand.
A beam of truth light shot out from above his head, shattering all illusions.
Everything returned to normal. He was still in the bamboo forest. Only the bamboo branches swayed in the forest, making a rustling sound.
"Of course it's not a Divine Blessing Talisman. It's an illusion talisman."
Wu Yue held the jade brush, her divine body standing straight in the pavilion. She said cheerfully, "With my husband's current cultivation and possessing a truth treasure, you were still deceived by my refined illusion talisman for a moment. If it were any other divine king or divine lord, how many could escape the illusion realm?"
Wu Yue was known throughout the cosmos as a "Divine Master of Three Paths"—the talisman path, illusion path, and alchemy path.
Now that her spiritual power had reached the eighty-seventh rank, one could imagine how terrifying her mastery of these three paths had become.
Just standing in the pavilion, she exuded an aura of transcendence, as if the entire world were under her control.
Zhang Ruochen said, "Just to test me, you wasted such a precious divine talisman. Not worth it."
"Worth it."
Wu Yue gracefully handed the jade brush to Xi Xi, patted her cheek, and signaled her to withdraw.
She said, "Below the divine realm, spiritual power cultivators have the advantage. Above the divine realm, spiritual power cultivators are actually at a disadvantage. The divine tribulation cuts down the mediocre. Those who can become gods were once nearly invincible at the same cultivation level."
"In the divine realm, when spiritual power cultivators launch spiritual power attacks, they can easily be blocked by martial gods using their divine souls. To contend with martial gods on equal footing, or even overpower them, one must use talisman techniques, formations, illusions, control arts, curses, psychic divine arts... and so on."
"With my current spiritual power intensity at the eighty-seventh rank, if I am not fully prepared, I might not even gain the upper hand against some powerful Boundless Qiankun peak cultivators."
"However, if I refine powerful talismans and illusion formations in advance, I can even defeat early-stage Great Unbound Infinite experts. How many times the combat power gap is that?"
"The reason those old-timers with Perfect Heaven and Earth are so feared is that no one knows how many trump cards they have refined or how many forbidden items they have prepared."
"Therefore, I must know in advance the precise power of the talismans and illusion formations I refine. Only then can I make the most accurate judgments in actual combat."
"If I overestimate my own strength and an opponent gets close in battle, I won't even be able to escape. Tell me, was that talisman worth using?"
Zhang Ruochen nodded. "If you could refine dozens of illusion talismans like that one, you alone could hold back dozens of Infinite Realm cultivators."
"In actual combat, it's never that simple. If a major event requires dozens of Infinite Realm cultivators to act, there will definitely be several Great Unbound Infinite cultivators involved, and even some Heavenly Venerables holding the line." Wu Yue said.
Zhang Ruochen walked into the octagonal pavilion and suddenly said, "Did you kill the Moon God?"
The smile on Wu Yue's face instantly disappeared, and her eyes gradually turned cold. "How did you find out?"
Zhang Ruochen found it hard to accept this fact. He tried to control his emotions, but his face was already growing colder. "After you returned from Lihentian, you changed too much. In front of me, you still try to hide a little. But just now, when I suddenly entered the purple bamboo forest, you couldn't hide in time, could you? You have the Moon God's aura on you, and it's very strong."
"In Lihentian, you not only refined the remnant soul of the ancient Moon God, but you also refined her?"
"Why not say she refined me instead?" Wu Yue countered.
She held one hand behind her back, and her eyes became as deep, cold, and vicious as when Zhang Ruochen first met her, like the eyes of a venomous snake, inspiring fear.
Wu Yue continued, "In your heart, the Moon God is the embodiment of purity and flawlessness, so naturally, she would never do anything so malicious. But have you forgotten that among the paths she cultivates, there is the demonic path? Demons devour people too!"
"I firmly believe the Moon God would not do such a thing. Even if she did, it must have been out of necessity."
Zhang Ruochen raised his palm, and the Spirit-Calming Needle spun in his hand.
"Are you going to kill me to avenge her?" Wu Yue asked.
"The hand you hide behind your back—isn't it holding a divine talisman as well?"
Zhang Ruochen said, "The Moon God has shown me great kindness. If you caused her death, tell me, should I take revenge or not?"
"The Moon God has shown you great kindness. What about me? I have saved you more than once, haven't I? Have you repaid that debt? Besides, we are husband and wife. Even one day of marriage creates a hundred days of affection. How do you settle the kindness between us?" Wu Yue said.
Zhang Ruochen locked eyes with her. After a moment, he withdrew the Spirit-Calming Needle. "I don't have the energy to play mind games with you. Toying with me will come at a cost. Where exactly is the Moon God?"
Wu Yue said, "I already killed the Moon God! Don't you believe me?"
"Impossible."
After calming down, Zhang Ruochen had fully regained his composure. "If you had killed the Moon God, how would you dare return to my side? You know very well that you would eventually reveal a flaw. Where in the Hell Realm would you have a place to call home?"
"Zhang Ruochen, you are too confident. With my spiritual power mastery, if I joined the Destiny Temple or the Yama Clan, they would certainly welcome me with open arms. To say nothing of the fact that, with my appearance, there are plenty of Heavenly Venerables willing to take me under their protection." Wu Yue's eyes held a cold sneer.
Zhang Ruochen said, "In that case, from today onward, let us sever this marital bond. You, please leave the White Clothes Valley!"
Wu Yue was too calculating, her mind too heavy, making her impossible to read.
Marrying her had been a matter of necessity from the start. If he could use this opportunity to eliminate this uncertain factor, it might not be a bad thing.
Earlier, she had deliberately released the Moon God's aura, setting a trap for Zhang Ruochen, leading him toward the worst possible conclusion.
Her words just now had greatly displeased him. Since she had already planned her escape route, he would not keep her.
Wu Yue gazed at the flying snow, exhaled a faint white breath from her delicate lips, and sighed. "How heartless! But this god has already reached a deep cooperation agreement with the White Clothes Valley. If you want to drive me away, I'm afraid you won't succeed."
In the distance, Xiu Chen Heavenly God emerged from the Sundial and stood with Miao Li, watching the scene with an amused expression.
Seeing Zhang Ruochen's eyes grow colder and colder, Wu Yue suddenly smiled radiantly.
That smile was like a beam of light piercing through dark clouds, tearing apart the darkness.
The delicate hand she had been hiding behind her back took out an exquisitely carved wooden box and handed it to Zhang Ruochen. "On this very day two thousand years ago, we performed the wedding ceremony at the Destiny Temple, with destiny as our witness, and became husband and wife. On such an important day, have you forgotten?"
The coldness in Zhang Ruochen's eyes gradually turned to astonishment. What was going on?
What was her heart made of? It was truly impossible to figure out.
What was this supposed to be?
A surprise?
She had lived for so many years, and she still cared about this? She still remembered this date?
For gods, even a major birthday every ten thousand years might not be taken seriously. Only after surviving an Eon Calamity would they hold a grand feast to celebrate.
Wu Yue said with feigned anger, "We missed the last millennium, you know! This time, I deliberately intercepted the letter from Jietian and waited until today to have Qing Su report it to you. You don't seem happy at all? I never expected that the so-called romantic Zhang Ruochen is even more heartless than the so-called heartless Wu Yue."
"This is a shock, you know?"
Zhang Ruochen took the wooden box she handed him and opened it. Inside was a divine pill.
"Refined by my own hand. It can enhance spiritual power. Now do you see the benefit of having a wife who is a divine master of alchemy?" Wu Yue said.
Zhang Ruochen's emotions were complicated, rising and falling. He didn't know what to say. He closed the wooden box and said solemnly, "Thank you! But you can't do this again next time. What if I really thought you killed the Moon God and acted decisively? The consequences would be unpredictable."
Wu Yue's gaze was extremely serious. "To be honest, I am quite sad. In the end, there is still a lack of trust and emotional foundation between us."
Zhang Ruochen felt a twinge of guilt and was about to make amends.
Wu Yue said, "But that's alright! Since you don't love me, I'll find a way to try harder. Maybe we can grow closer in the future. At the very least, I believe that many years from now, you will still remember today's events. Oh, by the way, the Moon God went to the Luozu Cloud Mountain Realm. The Heavenly Mother summoned her there. It should be related to the Jade Emperor Cauldron left by the Great Venerable!"
Xiu Chen Heavenly God felt disappointed, lost interest, and returned to the Sundial.
Wu Yue smiled. "Nothing else. I'll continue refining divine talismans."
"But I still have something I want to discuss with you." Zhang Ruochen said.
Seeing the grave expression on Zhang Ruochen's face, Wu Yue realized something major might have happened. She turned serious. "Is it important?"
"Extremely important." Zhang Ruochen said.
Wu Yue took out the Dust Heart Bright Moon Divine Hall, activated the formations within the hall, and led Zhang Ruochen inside.
"Inside this divine hall, even with the spiritual power of Nie Zang Venerable, no one can know what we are discussing." Wu Yue said. "Why do you need to avoid him? Is it related to the Great Venerable and Ling Yanzi..."
"You are too clever for your own good!"
Zhang Ruochen embraced her from behind, then slid his hand down to the crook of her knee, lifted her horizontally, and walked toward the inner hall.
"What are you doing?"
Wu Yue scolded.
"Two thousand years. Today, for the first time, I feel you are more beautiful than the Moon God. The clothes you are wearing are exactly the same as hers too... Don't move, or I'll use force!"
Zhang Ruochen said, "You did give me a rare moment of emotion today, but everything was manipulated by you, proceeding according to your plan. This feeling is exactly the same as that time in the cauldron in the Dark Great Triangle Star Domain—too passive! I think I need to retaliate."
"You're insane!"
Wu Yue's beautiful eyes widened. She tried to activate her spiritual power to retrieve a divine talisman.
"You said it yourself. Once a martial god gets close, there's no escape!"
Zhang Ruochen grabbed her hand, subdued her, and placed her on the bed.
As she tried to rise, Zhang Ruochen pressed her fragrant shoulder, pushed her back down, and leaned in to kiss her crystalline lips. His hands began to grow restless, one of them fumbling at her jade-like waist, catching hold of her belt.
Moments later, her white robe was stripped off, pushed out through the bed curtain, and slid down from the bed...
In the candlelight, the silhouettes on the bed curtain were like a painting.
(Chapter End)