Chapter 3703: Judgment Palace, Yao Shenzun
In the night, the Space Divine Temple stood at the foot of Buzhou Mountain, radiating strange brilliance, appearing even more sacred and majestic.
Inside the temple, Zhao Gongming leaned against a window, gazing at the cloud-shrouded Buzhou Mountain, and said, "The space within Buzhou Mountain is unique, with heavenly secrets hidden in darkness. Many things cannot be investigated. It has been so long—could something have gone wrong?"
Jie Tian lounged lazily on the divine throne, saying, "It would be good if something did go wrong! Although A Fuya is a reincarnated body, she still possesses the remnant soul of an ancestor. If it can be inherited by the next generation, the Zhang family will have another good seedling for cultivation!"
Zhao Gongming's brow tightened. "Jie Tian, we're discussing serious matters! A Fuya is no ordinary figure; her schemes must be deep. Zhang Ruochen is ultimately too young and may not be her match. What if she has connections with that hidden Liang Zun in Buzhou Mountain? The consequences would be unimaginable."
Jie Tian slowly sat up, his expression turning serious. "I have instructed him. The First Queen was born into the Elf Clan, so she must value etiquette in speech and conduct. To win her favor, he must not act too boorishly. There should be no mishaps."
Zhao Gongming was speechless and no longer wished to argue with Jie Tian.
This Heavenly Lord, who had inherited the divine source of the Immovable Bright King Great Venerable, was fixated solely on continuing the bloodline and reviving the glory of the ancestral clan. His vision was far too narrow!
Even if the First Queen only had a remnant soul, she would never stoop to being a breeding tool for a later-generation junior.
Just then, Quan Zhongsheng entered the hall and reported, "Jie Tian, Gongming War God, the Great Palace Master of the Judgment Palace of the Radiant Divine Temple seeks an audience with the Great Elder."
Zhao Gongming's eyes narrowed slightly. Was the Radiant Divine Temple really about to act?
He had always held a favorable view of the Radiant Divine Temple, endorsing its doctrine of "Radiant selflessness, justice without evil."
Even knowing that the Radiant Divine Temple had secretly been involved in some unsavory matters, he had only attributed it to corrupt elements within the temple.
After all, no force could be entirely perfect.
But if the Great Palace Master of the Radiant Palace, who best represented "Radiant selflessness," and the Great Palace Master of the Judgment Palace, who best represented "justice without evil," were both involved in this matter, then he would have to consider whether the Radiant Divine Temple had become extensively corrupted, straying far from the spirit of its founding.
...
Zhang Ruochen lost his appetite for drinking and eating. After a long contemplation, he said, "If all of this is truly so closely connected to me and involves the future Calamity of Quantities, I will definitely go and investigate."
"So, according to your speculation, the reason the Saint Monk knew he had to go to the past to cultivate a First-rank Divine Path is because he understood that the Space-Time Divine Martial Mark came from the past and is inextricably linked to the First-rank Divine Path."
"And the reason I was able to return to the past is that the fundamental power lies in the Space-Time Divine Martial Mark? It is the boat; it is the oar?"
When Zhang Ruochen had reviewed this before, he had entertained such a speculation.
Because the Time Esoterica and Space Esoterica left by the Saint Monk were partly contained within the Space-Time Divine Martial Mark.
If, as A Fuya said, the Space-Time Human Ancestor had stolen the Heavenly Dao or Zhang Ruochen's Wuji Divine Dao to forge the Space-Time Divine Martial Mark, then this mark was undoubtedly the gateway to the Heavenly Dao.
A Fuya said, "There is another possibility. The first time, the Space-Time Human Ancestor stole the Heavenly Dao and forged the Space-Time Divine Martial Mark with his own power, attaining immortality. He lived until ancient times, where he clashed with the Immovable Bright King Great Venerable, both suffering severe injuries—one losing the Space-Time Divine Martial Mark, the other losing much of his lifespan. To reclaim the Space-Time Divine Martial Mark, he employed the great divine abilities of time loops and space soul."
"The Immovable Bright King Great Venerable placed his hope of breaking the loop on Xumi Saint Monk, so he entrusted the Space-Time Divine Martial Mark to him. He also sent him to the Sea Stone Star Dock, the birthplace of the universe, to seek the Eternal Flower, Chaos Lotus, and Qishier Pin Lian."
"But for some unknown reason, Xumi Saint Monk failed, so he passed the Space-Time Divine Martial Mark to you. You successfully broke the loop, cultivated a First-rank Divine Path, and opened up a new time for the continuation of heaven and earth. But this new time is filled with countless variables, making the future unpredictable. This is the root cause of the current changes in the rules of heaven and earth and the emergence of loopholes in order."
"Of course, although you cultivated a First-rank Divine Path and broke the loop, you also restarted time. The Space-Time Human Ancestor, in the ancient era, committed a second theft of the Heavenly Dao—this time, stealing your Dao."
"This means that the Immovable Bright King Great Venerable, knowing he could not destroy the Space-Time Human Ancestor, placed his hope on Xumi Saint Monk. When Xumi Saint Monk failed, he placed it on you. If the truth is like this, the Immovable Bright King Great Venerable's strength is truly unfathomable."
Zhang Ruochen's brow furrowed deeply. "Could it be Qishier Pin Lian?"
"What do you mean?"
A Fuya was unaware of the secret that Qishier Pin Lian still existed in the world.
Zhang Ruochen did not reveal the secrets of Qishier Pin Lian, Kong Fannin, or the Saint Monk, but a seed of doubt was planted in his heart.
A Fuya's speculation was certainly too fantastical. But if it were correct, then the Withering Death Art, the Mani Pearl, the Severing Dao Curse, Kong Yinxue, Kong Fannin, and that turbulent history were likely all caused by the battle between the Immortal and the Great Venerable, or were the lingering harms left by that conflict.
Before her death, Kong Yinxue had rushed to Great Dark Mountain to see Ling Yanzi.
Perhaps she had realized she was being used by the Immortal and wanted to seek the truth. Or maybe, even earlier, she had discovered this.
Zhang Ruochen concealed his thoughts and said evasively, "I am considering whether there is a third party. For example, the Nether Ancestor, the Great Demon God, and the Yama Clan—I always feel they are shrouded in suspicion."
A Fuya's lips moved slightly as if she wanted to say something, but then she seemed to change her mind and said evasively, "The Withering Death Art must be related to the Nether Ancestor! The Yama Clan is indeed very problematic. Their history is extremely long, and there is almost no secret in the world they do not know. Moreover, in every great destruction in history, they have survived, which is very strange."
Perhaps because she had once been an ancestor, every word she spoke was extremely confident, even if it was only speculation.
This was a confidence and firmness that radiated from within.
Zhang Ruochen wanted to continue discussing with A Fuya, using her experience to speculate about the battlefield of the Twenty Heavens from 300,000 years ago.
But just then, Jie Tian's divine thought transmission echoed in his ear: "Have you secured her? Since she came to you willingly, you should have pushed her onto the table and cooked the rice first. No matter how she stirs up trouble later, she'll still be in the pot."
Zhang Ruochen's brow furrowed deeply as he prepared to cut off Jie Tian's divine thought.
Jie Tian's voice came again: "When you're done, hurry back to the temple. Another great beauty from Paradise Realm has arrived!"
"Who is it?" Zhang Ruochen asked.
Jie Tian said, "The Great Palace Master of the Judgment Palace."
Hearing this, Zhang Ruochen's mind suddenly conjured the figure of "Lian Xi."
He had no deep feelings for this woman, but he had always owed her a great deal.
When he had gone to Paradise Realm to rescue Divine Concubine Shen and Chi Xingtian, Lian Xi had helped. Afterward, Zhang Ruochen had wanted to take her away to the Sword Realm.
But she had refused.
"I can see the limit of my achievements—it is to become the Lord of the Soul Realm. If I attain that power and sit in that position, perhaps I will hold more weight in your heart."
...
"I cannot keep up with your cultivation pace. If, in the future, I hold no weight in your heart at all, and you no longer even remember me, then what meaning does this life have?"
...
These were the words she had spoken when she chose to return to Paradise Realm.
Zhang Ruochen was not heartless; how could he not be moved?
Seeing Zhang Ruochen's expression, A Fuya asked, "Has the fish taken the bait?"
"Perhaps," Zhang Ruochen said.
A Fuya said, "With our current cultivation, investigating the Immortal and the Quantities is undoubtedly suicide. We cannot even let them know we have sensed some truth; we must pretend to be ignorant. Let's first do what we need to do now. By the way, do you have a suitable battle weapon to lend me one?"
Zhang Ruochen stared at her.
Hadn't they even started, and she already wanted to reap benefits?
A Fuya was elegant and natural, sipping her wine, and said, "The Great Elder is known as the Many Treasures Divine Venerable throughout the world. But I have descended into this era without a single suitable battle weapon. How can we accomplish great things together?"
"I will give you one when the time comes."
Zhang Ruochen's figure blurred and disappeared from his seat.
...
The Great Palace Master of the Judgment Palace was titled "Yao Shenzun."
Yao Shenzun was an angel, standing 1.8 meters tall, quite tall for a woman, but with perfect proportions. Especially striking were the high, full, snow-white chest beneath her armor and her extraordinarily long jade-like legs.
When she entered the hall, Jie Tian's gaze never left her.
"Whoosh!"
Zhang Ruochen emerged from ripples of space, appearing before everyone.
Yao Shenzun's sapphire-like eyes immediately fixed on him, observing carefully, as if searching for flaws in his demeanor to see through his disguise of being severely injured.
Zhang Ruochen knew that Lian Xi had been able to establish herself in the Radiant Divine Temple thanks to Yao Shenzun's support.
But now it seemed that Yao Shenzun had no good intentions. She had kept Lian Xi only as a pawn to use against Zhang Ruochen.
Jie Tian transmitted to Zhang Ruochen, "This great beauty is not a virgin and has had offspring. If you're not interested, I'd like to try to take her away from the Radiant Divine Temple's mire."
"Can you have some shame? Acting like this, you've disgraced the Zhang family's ancestors!"
Zhang Ruochen had long investigated Yao Shenzun and had never heard of any romantic history, let alone offspring.
"How do you know she has had offspring?" Zhang Ruochen transmitted.
Jie Tian said smugly, "When it comes to reading women, if I claim to be second, no one in the world is first. You still have much to learn!"
Seeing Zhang Ruochen and Jie Tian staring at her and whispering through divine thought transmission, Yao Shenzun's face immediately turned cold and stern. She said, "The world says the Great Elder perished together with Yan Wuque, but now it seems you are not injured at all. With such cultivation, I am deeply impressed."
Zhang Ruochen said, "Yao Shenzun flatters me! I did sustain some injuries, but they are minor and insignificant. May I ask why the Shenzun has graced us with her presence?"
Yao Shenzun said, "I have come for Lian Xi! Oh, no, she should now be called Lian Xi Realm Sovereign. The Lord of the Soul Realm is dead, and Lian Xi has gone to the Soul Realm to take up the position of Realm Sovereign."
"The Lord of the Soul Realm is dead?" Zhang Ruochen's eyes narrowed.
Yao Shenzun said, "Yes, the Lord of the Soul Realm colluded with external enemies. The Great Palace Master of the Radiant Palace discovered this and had him executed."
Who were these external enemies?
Naturally, they referred to Zhang Ruochen.
After all, the Lord of the Soul Realm and Ming Jian Shen had once submitted to Zhang Ruochen.
Over the years, the Lord of the Soul Realm had kept his word, not daring to violate his promise to Zhang Ruochen, and had secretly helped the Kunlun Realm.
This was clearly a deliberate act to send a message to Zhang Ruochen.
Yao Shenzun mused aloud, "The Soul Realm is a very special great world. The souls of fallen cultivators from all realms of the Heavenly Court are sent there. It has an unusual connection to the Santu River and a passage to Lihentian. Its rules of heaven and earth are very different, hiding great secrets of the living and the dead."
"Although Lian Xi has reached the Divine Realm, her cultivation is ultimately too low. I have heard that she shares a past connection with the Great Elder. I hope the Great Elder can help her a little; otherwise, she might follow the fate of the Lord of the Soul Realm, which would be regrettable."
...
These chapters are essentially a summary of many earlier foreshadowings, involving multiple plotlines, including the Divine Martial Mark from the beginning. For readers who have forgotten the earlier parts, it may seem confusing.
But it doesn't matter too much. For now, it's just Zhang Ruochen and A Fuya's speculation, so some things cannot be written too clearly. They will be explicitly addressed later.
Also, I do read the chapter comments on the book platform! I've noticed that many readers are quite strange. When I write something that matches their expectations, they say I'm copying their comments. When I write something different from their expectations, they say I'm forcibly changing the plot.
Let me say this: I write my books without being influenced by readers, following my outline and my own ideas. Just like, no matter how much you dislike Chi Yao, she is still the female lead, and there will be many more scenes with her later. You keep saying it's too drawn out, but I will still write at my own pace and finish the story properly.
I've said a bit too much. Anyway, the later stages are very difficult to write. I will do my best to provide a satisfactory conclusion to everyone's years of following this story, within the limits of my ability.
(Chapter End)