Chapter 3700: The First Queen
At the foot of Buzhou Mountain, a several-zhang-wide green stream flowed through an emerald forest.
On both sides of the stream, spiritual trees grew at an angle, their branches and leaves dense, exuding a woody fragrance.
Zhang Ruochen, draped in a snow-white woolen cloak, the front neatly aligned and the wide sleeves like clouds, sat in an octagonal wooden pavilion by the stream. Holding a scroll, he was reading it carefully, his brow sometimes furrowing and sometimes relaxing into a smile.
Hanging from a branch beside the wooden pavilion was a divine lamp emitting a bright red light.
On the ground, the shadows of branches and leaves were mottled.
The sound of the stream was light and cheerful, endlessly soothing, giving a sense of infinite tranquility.
Footsteps sounded.
Before long, amidst a rain of spiritual light, Queen Daixue led A Fuya to the outside of the wooden pavilion.
The elves, both male and female, were all exceptionally beautiful, with delicate features, extremely tall figures, and skin as fine as jade, as if they were the embodiment of the world's spiritual essence.
As the queen of the elves, she was the very essence of that spiritual refinement.
In terms of appearance alone, they seemed like celestial spirits stepping out of a painting of goddesses, flawless in every way.
Queen Daixue bowed and said, "Great Elder, the person has arrived."
Zhang Ruochen was still reading the scroll. After a long moment, he put it down and said, "The divine venerable's fine wine sent from the Thousand Star Civilization, I've soaked it in the stream. Go fetch it."
As Queen Daixue went to the stream, Zhang Ruochen's gaze fell on A Fuya. In the shadows, only half her figure was visible. He said, "I'm not sure whether to address you as the First Queen or Queen Meila."
Meila was the previous queen of the elves before Queen Daixue.
A clear, beautiful voice came from outside the pavilion: "That depends on whether the Great Elder wishes to see A Fuya or Meila."
Zhang Ruochen showed a faint smile and said, "The First Queen was a figure of great talent and bold vision, peerless in grace, her beauty and achievements celebrated through the ages, inspiring admiration and worship from countless later gods. I, Ruochen, have long admired your reputation."
"The First Queen has long since fallen. Now, only a remnant soul lingers in this world. I fear I have disappointed the Great Elder," A Fuya said.
Zhang Ruochen narrowed his eyes, secretly impressed.
A being who once stood at the pinnacle of the universe, yet could set aside her pride—this already surpassed the vast majority of ancient powerhouses.
"First Queen, please take a seat," Zhang Ruochen invited.
A Fuya stepped out of the darkness, her figure graceful as she entered the wooden pavilion. She wore a green dress with a jade belt, cinching her willow-like waist to a slender curve.
A fragrant breeze spread through the pavilion.
She smoothed her dress with her jade fingers, her bearing elegant and otherworldly as she sat opposite Zhang Ruochen. Every movement exuded grace and beauty. Her amber-like crimson eyes fixed on Zhang Ruochen, utterly calm.
This was the tranquility that came from possessing great ambition and having witnessed all the splendor and darkness of the world!
It was Meila's appearance.
But that transcendent aura was something even the Twenty Heavens might not possess.
Other cultivators used overwhelming force to create an aura and dominate the conversation, like a towering divine peak.
She, however, used stillness as her strength, her calmness containing profound depth, making her even more unfathomable, like a boundless ocean.
For a moment, Zhang Ruochen didn't know where to direct his strength. As he admired her aura, he said casually, "Heavenly Mother suppressed Qiangshake, and I obtained some of his mutton. There's still some left. Would the First Queen care to join me in tasting it?"
Queen Daixue, carrying a wine jar from the stream, heard this and her expression changed.
Qiangshake was an ancient powerhouse, and Zhang Ruochen offering his meat was undoubtedly a show of force against A Fuya.
A show of force against an Ancestor?
The atmosphere in the forest instantly turned tense.
A Fuya said, "Does the Great Elder not know that the First Queen is a vegetarian and does not eat meat?"
"Is that so? I truly didn't know. My apologies."
Zhang Ruochen continued, "To be honest, I, this Elder, have a deep grudge against the Heavenly Realm. If I were to count the grievances, I'd have to trace them back thousands of years. Some of the gods of the Heavenly Realm, I swore back then that I would definitely slay them."
Queen Daixue, who was pouring wine for the two, held her breath, her heart tense.
Though the two were speaking calmly, like kindred spirits spanning millennia, she could clearly hear the clash of swords.
A Fuya said, "If we're talking about grievances, back then I also killed many gods of the Kunlun Realm, and the elves were also killed by many Kunlun Realm gods. But over a hundred million years have passed. Grievances and hatred have long turned to dust. Only the starry sky above remains eternal. With the wind clear and the moon bright, who remembers the passing clouds of the past?"
Undoubtedly, she was speaking from a grand perspective, telling Zhang Ruochen that each era has its own grievances and conflicts. His conflict with the Heavenly Realm had nothing to do with her, an ancient.
"Does Queen Meila also think so?" Zhang Ruochen said.
A Fuya picked up the moonlight cup with her slender jade fingers and said, "Great Elder, you have the opportunity to achieve the status of an Ancestor. Why not set your sights higher?"
Zhang Ruochen raised his cup and brought it to his lips to drink.
This was supposed to be his domain, but in terms of mindset and momentum, he was being suppressed by her. It was clear that this First Queen, even with only a remnant soul left, was no ordinary being. It was truly unimaginable what she must have been like at the peak of the universe.
Before Zhang Ruochen could counterattack, A Fuya spoke again, "Actually, I, this Venerable, must also thank the Great Elder for his kindness to the elves."
"What kindness is that?" Zhang Ruochen said.
A Fuya glanced at Queen Daixue and said, "The Great Elder took in Queen Daixue and her clan of elves into the Sword Realm, which is a great kindness to the elves. Even if the heavens collapse and the earth splits in the future, the elves will still have a spark of existence in the universe."
"Does the Queen truly think so?" Zhang Ruochen said.
A Fuya sighed, "People like us have long lost their emotions. Family, friends, teachers, disciples—these are now distant memories. All that remains is the pursuit of the ultimate Dao. If I must speak of a sense of belonging, in this era, in this world, it can only be the elves."
Zhang Ruochen sent Queen Daixue to fetch stream water to cook the mutton.
Zhang Ruochen said, "So, the Queen came to see me also for the pursuit of the ultimate Dao?"
A Fuya gave an affirmative answer, "If the peak cannot be retained, I will walk that path again. But time is already very tight. I fear it may be too late."
"What time is tight? The Calamity of Quantities?" Zhang Ruochen said.
A Fuya nodded.
"How much time is left?" Zhang Ruochen asked.
A Fuya said, "It's hard to say. But the appearance of the Chaos Ancient Demons, Di, and ancient powerhouses in this era already indicates that the Calamity of Quantities is very near. It might be in this Eon, or the next. The time is too short. Relying only on myself, I fear I cannot return to the peak before the calamity arrives."
Zhang Ruochen clicked his tongue in regret, "What a pity. The Sundial is severely damaged and cannot support the First Queen's cultivation. The First Queen has come to the wrong person."
Queen Daixue had already fetched the stream water and was cooking the mutton in a cauldron.
Divine flames burned beneath the cauldron, and the aroma of meat gradually spread.
Zhang Ruochen said, "The Queen should seek the Time Cauldron among the Nine Cauldrons. That is the number one time divine artifact in the world."
Under the firelight, A Fuya's red lips were especially crystal clear, her white teeth slightly visible as she said, "The Sundial is indeed a treasure for auxiliary cultivation and buying time, but what I value most is not it."
"Oh? Then what is it?" Zhang Ruochen said.
A Fuya's crimson pupils suddenly brightened. Red specks of light flew out from her skin, like fireflies filling the octagonal pavilion, then drifting into the forest.
She said, "I wish to first witness the Great Elder's First-Rank Divine Path. Would you grant me a lesson?"
Meila was a fire elf. The fiery red specks of light emanating from her body contained powerful flame energy.
Zhang Ruochen observed his surroundings and was surprised to find that these fiery red specks, when they merged into the trees, flowers, and grass, did not burn them but instead promoted their rapid growth, sprouting roots and making a rustling sound.
This level of control over the Dao was no less than Zhao Gongming's ability to freely transform the Five Elements.
Zhang Ruochen could tell that Meila's physical body was only at the Qiankun Infinite level. But how strong was A Fuya's divine soul within that body?
"Hua!"
With a thought from Zhang Ruochen, the Taiji Four Symbols Diagram Seal burst forth from his body, covering an area of several hundred zhang.
Within the diagram, Yin and Yang cycled, the Four Symbols revolved, and the Five Elements flowed...
It encompassed all Daos, evolving endlessly.
A Fuya felt as if time and space had frozen. Apart from her divine thoughts, her physical body couldn't even move a finger.
Moreover, the Yin-Yang Qi and the power of the Four Symbols continuously assaulted her soul's defenses, attempting to assimilate her soul into part of Zhang Ruochen's Dao.
Unable to speak, A Fuya communicated with her divine thoughts, "Truly the number one under heaven throughout the ages, seizing the essence of creation, containing infinite variables and power. The Great Elder may withdraw his Dao."
"The Queen possesses an incredibly powerful divine soul. With such soul power alone, there is no opponent below the Indestructible Infinite."
Zhang Ruochen praised her, then clasped his hands together and withdrew the Taiji Four Symbols Diagram Seal.
"The cultivation of this physical body has ultimately become a shackle. Within eighteen zhang, I, this Venerable, am no match for the Great Elder. Even if I were to win, the physical body would not be preserved, and I would once again become a remnant soul," A Fuya said, directly pointing out the limit of Zhang Ruochen's Wuji Divine Dao domain.
To conceal it, Zhang Ruochen had released the Taiji Four Symbols Diagram Seal over an area several hundred zhang in diameter.
Yet she had still seen through it.
Zhang Ruochen was not at all surprised. This was the insight an Ancestor should possess.
In this confrontation, neither had made a move, but in an instant, both had gauged the other's depth.
Zhang Ruochen raised his cup to drink, waiting for A Fuya's answer.
A Fuya said, "Does the Great Elder know what the greatest weakness is for ancient powerhouses like us?"
Zhang Ruochen pretended not to know, "The Profound Meaning?"
A Fuya shook her head.
Zhang Ruochen said, "Is it the rejection of this era's Heavenly Earth Rules against you?"
A Fuya said, "For us, this is an extremely difficult obstacle to overcome and the greatest barrier on the path to the peak. But it is not the greatest weakness. The Great Elder is a wise man. Why pretend to be ignorant?"
"For us, the greatest weakness is that the Heavenly Earth Laws fundamentally do not allow us to exist, yet we have descended in this era."
"Isn't that a good thing?" Zhang Ruochen immediately added, "I have no hostility toward ancient powerhouses. I only detest those who are unfriendly and those who collude with the Quantity Organization. I kill them without mercy. Of course, the First Queen is not among them."
Seeing Zhang Ruochen repeatedly evading, A Fuya decided to be direct, "When the Heavenly Earth Rules begin to correct themselves and the Heavenly Earth Laws no longer permit our existence, no matter how strong we cultivate, we will vanish into ashes in an instant. Only the number one under heaven throughout the ages, the Wuji Divine Dao, can give rise to Taiji within Wuji, construct Yin and Yang within Taiji, and have Yin and Yang evolve into the Four Symbols to support the four directions, thereby creating a self-contained small world, unaffected by the Heavenly Earth Laws."
"I understand now. The First Queen wants to seize and possess me, this Elder," Zhang Ruochen said, staring at her.
The pavilion fell silent for a moment.
Zhang Ruochen laughed, "Alright, that joke wasn't funny. Daixue, bring the meat over."
(Chapter End)