Chapter 3678: Where Do You Think You're Going?
"Grand Elder? How is this possible?"
"Zhang Ruochen is actually the Grand Elder personally dispatched by the Heavenly Venerable?"
"It should be correct! Even if Zhang Ruo... this person is arrogant, he wouldn't dare use the Heavenly Venerable's name falsely in the Heavenly Court."
Some gods spoke indignantly: "If that's the case, why didn't he produce the command seal from the start? If it was the Heavenly Venerable's will, would we have refused to let him enter the temple to investigate? Now it's come to this—the divine ladder destroyed, Tianya Shenzun severely injured, and even Elder Xueqing fallen. He must bear this responsibility..."
"Stop talking. Do you think he can't hear your complaints?"
...
Some of the more perceptive beings in the Space Divine Temple had already seen the situation clearly, realizing that the current Zhang Ruochen was not to be trifled with.
As a god of the Heavenly Court, even if Zhang Ruochen's cultivation was higher, they could still fight him fearlessly. After all, if Zhang Ruochen truly went on a killing spree in the Space Divine Temple, the Heavenly Court's All Heavens would naturally suppress and kill him.
But with the identity of "Grand Elder," even if Zhang Ruochen were merely a Great God, they would be extremely wary.
Zhang Ruochen restrained his divine aura and stopped suppressing Tianya Shenzun.
The broken remains and blood on the ground quickly gathered together, condensing into Tianya Shenzun's form.
His face was quite pale, clearly having suffered severe injuries. He carefully examined the command seal in his hand and said, "It is indeed the Grand Elder's command seal!"
Tianya Shenzun looked toward Zhang Ruochen beside him, his eyes filled with confusion and doubt, but in the end, he became resigned. Holding the command seal with both hands, he bowed and presented it.
This scene moved all the gods of the Space Divine Temple.
Logically speaking, Tianya Shenzun's status and position were still above that of the Grand Elder. Even if Zhang Ruochen's cultivation was formidable, he could at most be considered an equal to Tianya Shenzun.
Tianya Shenzun had no need to lower his posture so much.
His bow left the other gods of the Space Divine Temple with no choice.
This undoubtedly told the cultivators of the world that Zhang Ruochen, as Grand Elder, held the highest status and authority in the Space Divine Temple, second only to the Hall Master.
Zhang Ruochen glanced at Tianya Shenzun, feeling some admiration.
As a Great Unbound Infinite who had long held a high position, how noble was his status? Even those who were masters of a realm would have to bow before him.
Today, he had been severely injured and suppressed by Zhang Ruochen, losing all face. If it were another powerful figure, even if they yielded to the Heavenly Venerable's authority and reluctantly acknowledged Zhang Ruochen's position as Grand Elder, they would certainly not bow.
In the future, they might even secretly cause trouble and seek revenge.
His bow was undoubtedly a great help to Zhang Ruochen. Which of the gods in the Space Divine Temple would dare to act recklessly now?
This was a man who understood the situation!
He knew when to advance and when to retreat.
Of course, this could also be a strategy of retreating in order to advance, deliberately showing weakness to lull Zhang Ruochen into complacency.
Zhang Ruochen took the command seal and said indifferently, "Shenzun, place yourself under confinement!"
"Since it is the Grand Elder's will, I naturally obey." Tianya Shenzun hesitated for a moment, then asked, "May I ask the Grand Elder, why did you kill Elder Xueqing?"
"You want to ask if I, the Grand Elder, will next go on a killing spree in the Space Divine Temple out of personal grudges, right?" Zhang Ruochen's posture was heroic, his eyes carrying the radiance of one who looks down from a superior position.
Tianya Shenzun met his gaze, felt a tremor in his heart, and sighed, "I was overthinking. If you were that kind of person, the Heavenly Venerable would never have made you the Grand Elder of the Space Divine Temple. If the Grand Elder wishes to know anything, you may come and ask me. I will tell you everything I know."
A hint of relief appeared in Tianya Shenzun's desolate expression, and the worry in his heart subsided.
A Quantity Venerable was hidden in the Space Divine Temple, and then Chi Kunlun had fallen. Now the Heavenly Venerable was finally going to take action against the Space Divine Temple. Tianya Shenzun knew he would not have a good ending. At best, he would have his soul searched.
But as long as his clan was not implicated, what did it matter if his soul was searched?
Having cultivated to the Great Unbound Infinite in this life was already a glorious achievement.
Tianya Shenzun walked alone and slowly into the temple, disappearing into the green mist.
Zhang Ruochen looked at the gods in the divine formation and said with strong spiritual will, "Today, I, the Grand Elder, will preside over the gods' meeting of the Space Divine Temple. Now, everyone put away your formations and enter the temple! Of course, if anyone is unwilling to participate, I will not force them!"
The gods could only smile bitterly. Who would dare not to participate?
They were not people who couldn't see the situation clearly.
One by one, the gods restrained their divine might, flew out of the divine formation, and headed toward the temple.
Although the Heaven Round Earth Square Divine Formation and the Star-Swallowing Divine Formation had not yet dissipated, they were visibly fading. Soon, everything would return to calm here.
Xie Tianyi knew the situation was lost, but he was a titan of his domain. How could he just sit back and be captured?
If he fell into Zhang Ruochen's hands, at the very least, his soul would be searched. Not only would his foundation be damaged, making it difficult to ever hope for Heaven Round Without Deficiency, but he would also lose all reputation, and all his secrets would be exposed.
How could someone who had cultivated to his level not have a few things they didn't want to see the light of day?
"Whoosh!"
A space teleportation formation condensed beneath Xie Tianyi's feet, and his figure vanished.
He had completely understood now. Zhang Ruochen dared to cause such a commotion in the Space Divine Temple, not because Jie Tian was backing him, nor because he had the righteous cause of avenging his son, but because of his identity as "Grand Elder."
As long as he escaped back to the Array Extermination Palace, would Zhang Ruochen still dare to attack?
Even if he did, he couldn't break into the Array Extermination Palace.
"Vice Palace Master, are you fleeing out of guilt? It seems your identity as a Quantity Venerable is confirmed!"
Zhang Ruochen's divine voice spread out, reaching every celestial domain of West Ox Continent.
These words that stabbed the heart made Xie Tianyi furious, but at this moment, he didn't dare to turn back.
After all, Zhang Ruochen, who wielded the Earth Cauldron, was too terrifying. Even Tianya Shenzun couldn't withstand a single blow. Xie Tianyi's strength was roughly on par with Tianya Shenzun's. Without the Star-Swallowing Divine Formation, how could he be a match for Zhang Ruochen?
How could Zhang Ruochen let Xie Tianyi escape?
"Whoosh!"
Zhang Ruochen's body shook slightly, becoming blurry, and he vanished outside the temple gate, entering the void.
"Boom!"
A punch was thrown, containing ten billion times the spatial gravity.
Space shattered!
Xie Tianyi, who had been in the middle of teleportation, was punched out of the chaos, the formation imprint beneath his feet cracking, his divine robe torn and tattered, looking disheveled.
His old but sharp eyes fixed on Zhang Ruochen, who descended like a heavenly god, and he said in a deep voice, "I am the Vice Palace Master of the Array Extermination Palace. Do you, a mere child, think you can touch me? With a single slanderous accusation, you want to put a Great Unbound Infinite-level figure to death? You are too naive!"
As he spoke each word, the wind on the plains howled fiercely, and thunder and lightning flashed in the sky.
These old-timers had looked down on Zhang Ruochen for too long, always thinking of him as nothing more than a junior who had cultivated for a few thousand years. It was hard for them to change their perspective.
"Since Senior refuses to surrender, I have no choice but to offend!"
"Whoosh!"
Zhang Ruochen vanished into the void.
Xie Tianyi's expression changed, and he immediately slammed his divine staff heavily into the ground.
Lines of formation inscriptions spread out from under his feet, some going deep into the earth, others rising into the sky.
A powerhouse with an eighty-seventh-level spiritual power was already rare in the world. Coupled with his origins from the Array Extermination Palace, his formation mastery was even deeper than that of some eighty-ninth-level spiritual power cultivators.
With one strike of his divine staff, a powerful formation took shape, covering the four directions and blocking space.
Even with Zhang Ruochen's abilities, the moment he touched the formation, he was forced to stop his spatial displacement and appear.
Zhang Ruochen clenched his fist, lightning flowing over his fist gloves and arms.
"Boom!"
A punch was thrown from a hundred miles away.
The fist force sent Xie Tianyi and the hundred-mile-wide divine formation flying together.
Countless cracks appeared in the formation, clearly unable to withstand a second punch from Zhang Ruochen.
Xie Tianyi's expression changed drastically. Seeing Zhang Ruochen's cold gaze as he strode forward, he no longer dared to hold anything back.
"A Hundred Birds Paying Homage to the Phoenix!"
Pieces of divine source flew out from Xie Tianyi's sleeve, suspended in all directions.
These divine sources had been refined into formation imprints, covered with formation inscriptions.
Using divine sources as imprints allowed him to mobilize the divine power within them. Combined with the power of the formation itself, once this "A Hundred Birds Paying Homage to the Phoenix Divine Formation" was deployed, Xie Tianyi's combat power far surpassed that of other eighty-seventh-level spiritual power cultivators.
"Chirp chirp!"
"Squawk squawk!"
"Coo coo!"
...
Each divine source burst forth with a divine bird, its wings colorful and radiant, circling in the air, its aura profound, drawing formation trajectories between its feathers.
A hundred birds sang together, all converging toward the phoenix at the center.
Xie Tianyi held his divine staff, standing at the center of the phoenix's light shadow, carrying the A Hundred Birds Paying Homage to the Phoenix Divine Formation as he spiraled upward. His aura continuously strengthened, causing heaven and earth to change color, and even the celestial river outside the universe surged with turbulent waves.
Zhang Ruochen showed a solemn expression, summoned the Earth Cauldron, and charged straight upward.
"You're looking for death!"
Xie Tianyi activated the power of the divine formation, and a thousand-zhang-long ice-blue phoenix claw descended from the sky, continuously tearing space apart.
"Boom!"
The Earth Cauldron struck the phoenix's divine claw.
Countless formation inscriptions emerged on the claw, and the entire divine formation shook violently.
Even standing at the center of the formation, Xie Tianyi felt his blood and qi churning, as if he had been struck by the Earth Cauldron.
Was this the legendary number one divine artifact in the world, the Nine Cauldrons?
The might of the Earth Cauldron made Xie Tianyi, who had been full of confidence, lose all will to fight. He immediately controlled the formation and fled far away.
"You still want to run? Ridiculous!"
Zhang Ruochen raised the cauldron and struck again.
"Boom!"
"Boom!"
Seven consecutive strikes shattered most of the ninety-nine divine sources that made up the A Hundred Birds Paying Homage to the Phoenix Divine Formation. The formation could no longer hold.
With the eighth strike, Xie Tianyi's physical body was shattered, turning into countless white bones that fell to the ground.
Zhang Ruochen did not give Xie Tianyi's spiritual consciousness a chance to escape. He had long released divine artifacts, suspended in various directions, like blazing suns illuminating heaven and earth.
"To be able to withstand so many of my strikes, you can be proud of yourself!"
Zhang Ruochen used the Earth Cauldron to collect Xie Tianyi's broken bones and the mist of his spiritual consciousness and soul, then headed back to the Space Divine Temple.
In a single day, he had successively severely injured two universe-level titans, Tianya Shenzun and Xie Tianyi, and even the Space Divine Temple's foundational divine formation could not stop him. This battle set the entire Heavenly Court ablaze.
Messages spread from the divine world to the saint realm cultivators, and then to the various major worlds.
Zhao Gongming stared deeply at Guangmu War God and said, "Do you still think you have a chance to kill him?"
Guangmu War God no longer mentioned the matter, saying, "The Heavenly Venerable trusts him, so naturally, I do too. However... since the Heavenly Venerable intends to help him through this final difficult period, from now on, Zhang Ruochen has the qualifications to play chess with the All Heavens. The situation in the Heavenly Court is bound to undergo major changes. Whether it's good or bad remains to be seen."
Zhao Gongming said, "There are some things the Heavenly Venerable is not convenient to do himself! Is the Heavenly Venerable helping him, or is he helping the Heavenly Venerable? Perhaps it's mutual. In any case, Zhang Ruochen's wings have grown. If anyone wants to move against him now, they will have to pay a shocking price. I hope that one in Paradise Realm can see through this layer, otherwise... ah! Let's just do our own work—seek the path of indestructibility, slay the demons of hell, and guard the peace of the Heavenly Court for this era."
(End of this chapter)