Chapter 3694: A New Major Action
After learning of Xie Tianyi's various crimes, Cao Beisheng finally understood Zhang Ruochen's good intentions. The dissatisfaction in his heart vanished completely, replaced instead by a burgeoning sense of admiration.
Killing Xie Tianyi was to eliminate a scourge for the Heavenly Court.
But it was Zhang Ruochen who had to offend various factions, bear the karmic consequences, and endure the backlash that would very likely come in the future.
Few regarded Zhang Ruochen as a Heavenly Court cultivator, yet he was helping the Heavenly Court, helping the Heavenly Palace, cleanse corruption and poison, and seek justice for those who died unjustly. To do so, he did not hesitate to risk becoming an enemy of the entire world.
Such a person, even if destined to leave the Heavenly Court one day, deserved respect.
Cao Beisheng walked to the center of the hall and bowed deeply to Zhang Ruochen. "Recently, I heard some rumors. They say that Yan Wuque, the Palace Master of Array Destruction Palace, ten thousand years ago, when the battle between the Heavenly Court and the Hell Realm was at its most intense, sacrificed the billions of living beings of Fengyue Realm. May I ask the Grand Elder, are these rumors true?"
Zhang Ruochen said, "With your level of cultivation, there's no need for you to know so much."
Cao Beisheng understood immediately.
He realized that Xie Tianyi's death was just the beginning, and a greater storm was yet to come.
Suddenly, Zhang Ruochen asked, "Elder Cao, you were born in the True Martial Realm, weren't you?"
Cao Beisheng's expression turned serious, and he quickly said, "Although this god and Xie Tianyi were both born in the True Martial Realm, since he was so vicious, repeatedly striking against allies for personal gain, then he deserved to die. There is not a shred of sympathy."
"The Grand Elder need not doubt this god's words! If Xie Tianyi could destroy the Phoenix Clan of the Kunlun Realm and kill three Heavenly Court gods for a single Divine Source, then to improve his cultivation and plunder resources in the future, he would likely kill me too!"
"This god is ashamed to be from the same realm as him."
Zhang Ruochen said, "Xie Tianyi's crimes are far more than these. This Elder only picked two important ones to tell Zhao Gongming."
"The law of the jungle is the cosmic rule. We are all predators of the weak, and also prey for the strong. Therefore, if Xie Tianyi did ruthless things for the sake of cultivation and improving his combat power, we cannot judge him by right or wrong."
"But since Xie Tianyi joined the Heavenly Court, becoming an ally, a comrade-in-arms, a brother in arms, and everyone fought together against the Hell Realm for survival, everyone trusted him, admired him, and entrusted their backs to him. For him to do such things, he can only die."
Cao Beisheng's eyes were filled with coldness. "Even if the Grand Elder hadn't acted, the True Martial Realm would have cleansed its own ranks."
Zhang Ruochen smiled. "But it's been a hundred thousand years! If he hadn't fallen into my hands, wouldn't he have continued to do whatever he wanted?"
Cao Beisheng showed a troubled expression. "Xie Tianyi was a Spiritual Power God Venerable, capable of concealing heavenly secrets. The universe is too vast. Even a Spiritual Power cultivator at the Perfect Heaven and Earth level cannot spy on every god at any time. The Great Emperor definitely didn't know about what Xie Tianyi did."
Zhang Ruochen said, "This Elder does not doubt the True Martial Great Emperor! I think that a figure like the Great Emperor, who dares to charge into the Hell Realm and go on a killing spree, would never do something as bottomless as what Xie Tianyi did."
"What does the Grand Elder mean?" Cao Beisheng looked over, puzzled.
Zhang Ruochen said, "The True Martial Realm should conduct a self-investigation! Cleaning house yourself is better than me doing it."
"This god understands!"
Cao Beisheng withdrew. When he reached the palace gate, he suddenly stopped and turned back. "The crimes Xie Tianyi committed, the True Martial Realm will make amends for. May I ask the Grand Elder, in which part of the universe are the two great worlds where the three gods killed by Xie Tianyi were located? The True Martial Realm can shelter the beings of those two great worlds, ensuring they are not bullied or enslaved by others."
Zhang Ruochen said, "If you have this intention, go ask War God Gongming! Also, you must remember, you are not only a god of the True Martial Realm, but also the Seventh Elder of the Space Divine Temple."
Cao Beisheng's face changed slightly, and he immediately said, "After this god finds those two great worlds, I will order the gods of the Space Divine Temple to guard and preach there. The Space Divine Temple naturally has the ability to protect them!"
Zhang Ruochen began to think about how to deal with Yan Wuque next.
Yan Wuque's Spiritual Power was two levels higher than Xie Tianyi's.
The impact of killing him would naturally be two levels higher as well.
Killing Xie Tianyi was like throwing a stone to test the waters, to see the reactions of all parties.
After all, too many cultivators in the Heavenly Court regarded "the law of the jungle" as the truth. Even if Yan Wuque and Xie Tianyi had committed heinous crimes, in their eyes, they didn't deserve death; they could atone for their crimes with merit.
The death of three Heaven Mending Realm gods requiring the life of a Great Unbound Infinite was something many could not accept.
Moreover, the judge was Zhang Ruochen, the Lord of the Sword Realm who had killed countless Heavenly Court gods.
An outsider!
At this moment, Xuanyuan Lian's divine thought transmission entered Zhang Ruochen's mind: "The Flying Immortal Valley has sent word. Yu Dongxuan, the Great Palace Master of the Radiant Divine Palace; the Fengxian Sect Leader of the Cha Realm; and Xun Yangzi of the Tianquan Great World have all arrived at the Time Divine Temple. Be careful."
"Thank you for the concern, Lord Lian. These rats hiding in the shadows are nothing to fear," Zhang Ruochen said calmly.
In the Array Destruction Palace, on a green bamboo tower, Xuanyuan Lian stood with a handsome, graceful posture and a tall, slender figure, gazing at the clouds rolling and unrolling over the mountains.
Her eyes narrowed slightly, and she snorted lightly. "Just because he's reached the Great Unbound Infinite, he dares to look down on these titans who have cultivated for a million years? He's too arrogant. No, it shouldn't be arrogance. He's deliberately saying this to me. Is he showing off his power?"
Xuanyuan Lian's competitive spirit was stirred.
But she knew that to quickly improve her own cultivation, she had to borrow the Sundial.
She was clearly being put down by the other party, yet she still had to go and beg him.
As the daughter of the Heavenly Venerable, how had she fallen to this state?
"Murong Huan, Yu Dongxuan, Xun Yangzi, Fengxian Sect Leader."
Zhang Ruochen took out the list the Heavenly Venerable had given him, looked at it, then took out the dossiers related to the four and used his divine thought to examine them.
Xuanyuan Lian's divine thought came again: "Don't act rashly anymore. As long as you stay in the Space Divine Temple, they can't do anything to you."
"Why is Lord Lian suddenly so concerned about this Elder's safety? Is there an ulterior motive?" Zhang Ruochen said.
Xuanyuan Lian snorted coldly, speaking with an air of seasoned authority: "Stop overthinking! I'm worried that you're young and impulsive, not knowing your limits. You've only been in the Heavenly Court for a few days, and you've already made one shocking move after another. Now everyone is panicking. Many gods have come to me to complain about you. It's almost too much to handle! You need to learn to control the heat, take it slowly, and not be too hasty."
"Too hasty?"
Zhang Ruochen gently shook his head. "This is a tough battle. Once it starts, it can't be stopped. But I promise you, I'll take it slow. After all, you're the daughter of the Heavenly Venerable, and I can't afford to offend you."
Xuanyuan Lian was quite pleased that Zhang Ruochen was willing to listen to advice, secretly feeling smug.
In terms of age and experience, she believed she far surpassed Zhang Ruochen.
Zhang Ruochen suddenly said, "What if they take the initiative to deal with me? Even try to kill me?"
"If they dare, I and the War Gods of the Heavenly Palace will certainly not show mercy. At that time, if we behead them, who would dare to object? But now that everyone knows you are the Heavenly Venerable's man, they shouldn't make such a stupid mistake unless they have no other choice," Xuanyuan Lian said.
"For people who are self-righteous, making the stupidest mistakes is perfectly normal. They have been in high positions for a long time, receiving the admiration and worship of countless cultivators, and have long forgotten the word 'awe.' Alright, let me give them a push!"
Zhang Ruochen stopped communicating with Xuanyuan Lian through divine thought and sent a voice transmission: "Second Elder, Sixth Elder, come to the Divine Temple to see me."
A huge change had occurred in the Space Divine Temple, and the Ten Elders had returned one after another.
The Second Elder was born in the Bear Realm. His divine body was over five zhang tall and covered in brownish-red long hair.
Because his hair was fluffy, despite his muscular divine body, it was completely invisible. Not only did he lack a fierce and imposing aura, but he also had a harmless, silly, and cute appearance.
In short, no matter how you looked at his figure and appearance, he didn't seem like a top-tier Tai Xu peak Great God.
The Sixth Elder was born in the Heavenly Dragon Realm, with dragon horns and an extremely heroic bearing, possessing a noble temperament similar to the Dragon Lord.
"Greetings, Grand Elder!"
Zhang Ruochen waved his hand, signaling them not to bow. "The Black Demon Realm, the Yin Yang Realm, and the Ten Thousand Evil Realm. Arrest all the gods of these three realms and bring them to the Space Divine Temple. Are you capable of handling this?"
The two elders were slightly stunned, not expecting the Grand Elder to have another major action so soon.
The Second Elder's left bear head, furry, spoke in a voice like a child's: "The Black Heart Demon Lord of the Black Demon Realm and the Colorful Garment God of the Yin Yang Realm have already fallen. These three realms have no Great Gods. One of me is enough to deal with them. But we have no justification for our actions!"
The Second Elder's right bear head said in a deep voice: "Bear Two is right. These three realms are nothing to fear. But they are still three subordinate mortal realms of the Heavenly Court. We can't just move against them as we please. Even if the Heavenly Palace wants to judge them, they need a reason that can convince the gods."
The Sixth Elder snorted coldly: "Second Elder, are you afraid of the Cha Realm and the Paradise Realm? Grand Elder, I can handle this alone. There isn't a single innocent among the evil and demonic cultivators of these three realms."
The Second Elder's two heads spoke in unison: "I've long disliked the cultivators of these three realms, but why hasn't the Heavenly Palace moved against them all this time? Isn't it because they have the Cha Realm backing them, and they are members of the Paradise Realm faction, specifically doing the dirty work for the Paradise Realm faction?"
"Moving against them means moving against the entire Paradise Realm faction. The implications are too great. If you alone can bring the gods of the three realms to the Space Divine Temple alive, I'll take your surname."
Zhang Ruochen said, "What are you afraid of? I have your back. If others don't dare to touch the interests of the Paradise Realm faction, the Space Divine Temple will. If others don't dare to offend the Cha Realm, the Space Divine Temple dares. You just go and arrest the gods of the three realms. If any cultivator above the Infinite Realm dares to make a move against you, no matter who he is, I will surely behead him. As for the charges... these three realms are notorious. Who in the entire Heavenly Court doesn't know? What charges are needed?"
Zhang Ruochen still remembered that the evil cultivators of these three realms had occupied the Moon God's dojo in the Truth Heaven Domain, established the Yin Yang Hall, and captured many beautiful female cultivators from various realms of the Heavenly Court, including some Holy Maidens and Princesses.
This not only shamed many great worlds but also desecrated the Moon God.
It was because the Paradise Realm and the Cha Realm were backing them that all the victims dared not speak out.
Of course, it was also because the Truth Divine Temple, in its pursuit of fairness, forbade any god from interfering in the struggles of Saint realm cultivators in the Truth Heaven Domain, allowing them to act with such impunity.
In short, even in the fairest environment, the weak would still be bullied.
Who would clash head-on with the Paradise Realm for a group of weaklings?
If the Saint realm cultivators of the three realms were so despicable, one could imagine that their gods were no better.
The Sixth Elder asked, "What if a cultivator below the Infinite Realm makes a move?"
The Second Elder suggested, "How about letting the new Third Elder and Ninth Elder go with us?"
The new Third Elder and Ninth Elder were, of course, Quan Zhongsheng and Dai Xue the Queen. Both were at the Heart-Stopping Realm, the pinnacle of existence below the Infinite Realm.
But they bore the identity of traitors to the Paradise Realm. Once they left the Space Divine Temple, the Paradise Realm would surely kill them.
Kelo would likely take action personally!
Zhang Ruochen was about to tell them to go invite the Famous Sword God.
Chi Xingtian walked in from outside and said in a deep voice: "I'll go with you! Let's see how many below the Infinite Realm in the Paradise Realm faction can actually fight."