Chapter 3674: Suppression
Before the eyes of the gods, forcing a God Venerable to imprison himself—who under the heavens would dare to do such a thing?
This was far more than using power to suppress others!
It was simply stepping on a God Venerable's face.
Wanchi God Venerable shot up like a cannonball, his form like a beam of light. He struck out with a palm, hitting the bottom of the divine ship.
"Boom!"
The divine ship exploded, shattering into pieces.
Debris scattered wildly through the air.
"Good! That God Venerable should teach this madman a harsh lesson."
"On the territory of the Space Divine Temple, how can an outsider be allowed to act so insolently?"
...
Moments later, the voices of the Space Divine Temple's gods abruptly stopped.
They saw that at the center of the fragments formed after the divine ship broke apart, Zhang Ruochen's foot was pressing down on the palm print Wanchi God Venerable had struck. Time seemed to freeze in that instant.
No, it wasn't an illusion.
Time had truly slowed down, nearly coming to a standstill.
The next moment, time returned to normal.
Zhang Ruochen stepped on Wanchi God Venerable, plummeting straight down from midair. The two of them crashed heavily into the ground.
"Boom!"
Dust flew up into the air. The residual waves of divine power pierced through one defensive formation after another across this land, causing mountains within a thousand miles to collapse, rivers to dry up, and plants to turn to ashes.
Even the light barrier of the defensive divine formation activated by Tianya God Venerable shook violently after being struck by the residual divine power.
The power of a God Venerable radiated blinding light. Many cultivators couldn't even open their eyes.
Wanchi God Venerable stood at the bottom of the sunken pit. The armor on his body emitted blazing light. His divine realm world transformed into a yellow-brown gaseous star, wrapping around his body. He gritted his teeth, desperately resisting Zhang Ruochen, who was pressing down on him from above.
Terror and shock had already filled his heart.
The Space Divine Temple was his home ground. Here, he could easily mobilize the space rules and divine energy between heaven and earth, unleashing twelve-tenths of his combat power.
But even so, he was being stepped on by Zhang Ruochen and could barely hold on.
This... just how great was the gap in physical strength?
"Not bad, you actually managed to hold on."
Divine energy surged within Zhang Ruochen's body. A powerful force traveled from his Xuantai through his legs, landing heavily on Wanchi God Venerable.
"Bang!"
The gaseous star enveloping Wanchi God Venerable was broken through.
Cracks appeared at the knees of his pillar-thick legs. Unable to support himself any longer, Wanchi God Venerable first knelt, then fell heavily forward.
Zhang Ruochen withdrew, drifting lightly to the edge of the pit. He used his finger to make a horizontal and vertical slash in the void.
Instantly, the space rules between heaven and earth converged, forming two mountain ranges in the shape of a "cross" character, pressing down on Wanchi God Venerable.
"Roar!"
Wanchi God Venerable's roar came from underground, shaking the plains for tens of thousands of miles, but he couldn't break free.
The gods of the Space Divine Temple all felt a chill run through their bodies, standing there stunned.
Wanchi God Venerable had achieved remarkable feats in the battles against the Hell Realm a hundred thousand years ago. He was a war god who had walked through the corpses of the Hell Realm's gods, a leading figure of the Space Divine Temple, the master of slaughter.
Yet, such a mighty and renowned warrior was being easily suppressed by Zhang Ruochen.
No one could accept this fact.
Chi Xingtian couldn't help but exchange a glance with the Eight-Winged Yaksha Dragon.
Was his cultivation progress really this fast?
Of course, they had heard all sorts of chaotic rumors about Zhang Ruochen's achievements in the Hell Realm—like withstanding three strikes from the Adjudication Venerable without falling, refining and killing Ziren Ghost Emperor, and dueling Huangquan Great Emperor.
Some even claimed that Zhang Ruochen had already reached the Heavenly Venerable level and had single-handedly severely wounded Kui Lianghuang.
In short, these rumors were one more exaggerated than the last, and no one dared to believe them.
Based on Chi Xingtian's judgment, Zhang Ruochen was definitely being set up and praised to death by others. His true cultivation was at most at the middle stage of Qiankun Infinite. By relying on his identity as a Divine Envoy and borrowing the divine power of the Heavenly Mother, he might be able to unleash earth-shattering battle achievements.
But everything happening before his eyes shattered his understanding.
"What realm is this kid actually in?" Chi Xingtian asked in a low voice.
The Eight-Winged Yaksha Dragon rolled its eyes. "You're asking me? Who am I supposed to ask? In any case, he's far above me!"
Quanzhongsheng and Daixue Queen stood behind Zhang Ruochen. One had lightning swirling around him, and the other had luminous elf wings like cicada wings growing from her back. Both wore smiles, as if mocking Wanchi God Venerable and the Space Divine Temple's gods for overestimating themselves.
If they hadn't clearly known Zhang Ruochen's strength, how would they have dared to return to the Heavenly Court so easily and act as the vanguard?
As for the five great elders of the Space Divine Temple, each of them became cautious, leading the gods to retreat into the divine formation.
They knew that today's matter would likely not end peacefully.
...
On Chifeng Plain, eight million miles away from the Space Divine Temple, around the golden chariot stood many cultivators from the Heavenly Palace, including divine-level experts like Zhuang Tai'a and Chi Chaluo.
Xuanyuan Lian, disguised as a man, stood with her hands behind her back. Her facial skin was delicate and crystalline. Gazing toward the direction of the Space Divine Temple, her eyes were filled with doubt.
A hundred steps away, Chi Yao stood together with Zangjin Baihu. Divine rings circled around them, and their eyes carried an imperial, domineering expression. "You can stop me, but can you stop him? Kunlun's death must be avenged with the blood of the murderer."
Xuanyuan Lian's long-lashed eyes glanced at Chi Yao. "I believe he will prioritize the bigger picture and won't do anything irrational. If that hidden Liangzun were really so easy to investigate, the Heavenly Palace would have already rooted him out long ago. Would they have waited until now? The internal waters of the Space Divine Temple are deeper than you imagine."
"Are you still going to stop me?" Chi Yao asked.
Xuanyuan Lian gently shook her head. "There's no need anymore."
With a tiger's roar, Chi Yao and Zangjin Baihu turned into a white windstorm and disappeared at the edge of the sky.
Xuanyuan Lian looked up at the Heavenly River above. "May I ask the heavens, why did you allow Zhang Ruochen to enter the Heavenly Court?"
A deep, vast voice drifted down from the Heavenly River: "With your cultivation level, there's no need for you to know this."
Xuanyuan Lian's brows furrowed.
Was this telling her that she wasn't qualified to know?
Without a doubt, she had fallen behind, while Zhang Ruochen had already become involved in a higher-level game.
Xuanyuan Lian's competitive spirit, unwilling to be inferior to others, was stirred.
...
Feng Yan carried the Pure Yang Divine Sword on his back, standing straight as a ramrod on the peak of a mountain range spanning hundreds of thousands of miles. He gazed toward Qicheng Tianyu, shrouded in black clouds, his eyes fixed on the Space Divine Temple.
A false god divine general came behind him, bowing respectfully. "Family head, I've already inquired. Ruochen Realm Lord arrived on the divine ship of Divine Lord Qingsu. At the Heavenly River, he wasn't intercepted."
"Since Realm Lord Ruochen has returned, there's no need for us to go to the Space Divine Temple. Jietian has already arrived at the Heavenly Palace, so the family head need not worry about him," an old man with white hair advised.
Feng Yan said, "No rush. Today's events are quite unusual. Since someone has set up a stage at the Space Divine Temple, we might as well see the ending."
...
The Space Divine Temple's Eighth Elder, Zhuo Fang, was on his way back to Qicheng Tianyu when he was stopped by Daozun.
Daozun wore a simple linen robe, sitting on a green stone under a crooked locust tree beside the mountain path. An unadorned short blade lay beside him, its handle resting on the exposed black tree roots.
Compared to when he fought against Fengtian, Daozun now had less of a sharp edge, like an old farmer resting, giving off a feeling of returning to simplicity.
Zhuo Fang formed a hand seal unique to the Blade God Realm and bowed respectfully. "Greetings, Daozun! May I ask why Daozun is blocking my return to the Space Divine Temple?"
Daozun lifted his sagging eyelids and smiled. "It's rare for the Blade God Realm to produce a talent with the potential to break through to Infinite. After much thought, I felt I should come, to keep you from walking into a dead end and becoming a wronged soul."
Zhuo Fang was moved. "Is it really that dangerous? This is the Heavenly Court. Would Zhang Ruochen and the gods of the Kunlun Realm really dare to go on a killing spree?"
Daozun beckoned.
Zhuo Fang unsheathed the war blade from his back and sat beside Daozun, adopting a listening posture.
Daozun said, "Zhang Ruochen's ability to cross the Heavenly River shows the attitude of the Heavenly Palace. Tianya God Venerable knew that Zhang Jie had come to the Heavenly Court yet still acted so tough. How could there be no one supporting him behind the scenes? The heavens are playing their games. For you, a Great God, to get involved is too dangerous. Even if you don't die, if your cultivation is crippled, I'll be heartbroken for years. The Blade God Realm has a thin foundation. It's too hard to produce a Great God like you who cultivates both the Blade Dao and the Way of Space."
Zhuo Fang had a close relationship with Daozun, almost like a half-disciple, so he didn't hold back. He directly asked, "If I encounter danger, Daozun could still step in to save me then. You could even help the Space Divine Temple resolve this crisis, making the Space Divine Temple owe the Blade God Realm a favor."
Daozun smiled. "The people standing behind the Space Divine Temple are probably waiting for me to make a move, to have me clash head-on with the Kunlun Realm, thereby escalating the situation. We cultivate the Blade Dao, but we must be the ones wielding the blade, not someone else's blade."
Zhuo Fang very much wanted to return to the Space Divine Temple, to fight alongside the gods and defend the temple's dignity.
But the fact that this matter had alarmed Daozun to come and stop him personally suggested that a massive storm was indeed brewing.
Zhuo Fang sighed.
"What are you sighing about? A blade needs both the sharpness to be drawn and the ability to sheathe itself and hide its edge. Figure it out on your own."
Daozun patted Zhuo Fang's shoulder, picked up the short blade leaning against the tree root, and tucked it into his bosom.
Hiding the blade in one's embrace.
Zhuo Fang asked, "Daozun, has your cultivation advanced another level? Why not compete for the heavens? Wouldn't the Blade God Realm's status rise even higher?"
Daozun glanced back at him, his expression shifting unpredictably. "Without entering Indestructible, what meaning is there in sealing the heavens? Once you enter Indestructible, even if you don't seal the heavens, who under heaven would dare to look down on the Blade God Realm? This old man's blade—I'll wait until I step into Indestructible before drawing it again."
...
In the southeastern corner of West Niu Hezhou, there was an island called Paradise Island, the foremost sacred ground of the Radiant Divine Temple in the Heavenly Court.
On the island stood Angel City, which only cultivators of the Angel Clan could enter.
Yu Dongxuan stood outside the Radiant Divine Palace. A Sacred Light Mirror floated before him, showing the events at the Space Divine Temple.
His expression gradually grew grave. "What a formidable Zhang Ruochen. I underestimated him before. How could we have let him grow to this point? What are the Judgment Palace and Order Palace doing?"
"Great Palace Master, what realm has his cultivation reached?" Ke Yangshan asked.
Yu Dongxuan pondered for a moment, then his lips moved, transmitting sound across the void to Xie Tianyi: "Go all out and probe Zhang Ruochen's true strength. Don't worry about anything. Even if you kill him, the Array Destruction Palace and the Radiant Divine Temple will have their own explanations."
"Great Palace Master..."
Ke Yangshan's eyes narrowed as he stared at the Sacred Light Mirror.
On the mirror's surface, Zhang Ruochen turned his head, his gaze locking onto them, sharp as a sword.
"Bang!"
The next moment, the Sacred Light Mirror shattered.