Chapter 3741: Revisiting the Space Divine Temple
“The moment he learned the news, the Dragon Lord went straight to the Space Divine Temple.” Chi Yao’s beautiful face was tinged with worry.
The Dragon Lord possessed both an absolutely rational side and a deeply emotional side. Xiao Hei was the only son of Bing Huang and A Jiu. To the Dragon Lord, this bond was extremely complex—like a nephew, yet also like a son.
With Xiao Hei in trouble in the Heavenly Court, how could the Dragon Lord stand idly by?
Even if the Space Divine Temple was a mountain of blades and a sea of flames, a path of nine deaths and one slim chance of life, he would surely rush there at the first moment.
If the Dragon Lord fell into a trap and something happened to him, it would undoubtedly be a thunderbolt from the blue for both the Kunlun Realm and the Heavenly Dragon Realm. And precisely, the Space Divine Temple was such a dragon’s pool and tiger’s den. That Temple Master dared to kill even Zhang Ruochen—who else would he not dare to kill?
Zhang Ruochen handed the remnant painting left by the Fourth Confucian Ancestor to Chi Yao, telling her to take it immediately to the Truth Divine Temple and give it to the Truth Divine Temple Lord.
“Just a remnant painting cannot prove that the ones who killed the Fourth Confucian Ancestor back then were the Space Divine Temple Lord and Qishier Pin Lian. This matter is too far-reaching. The Space Divine Temple Lord is now a figure at the level of the All Heavens. The Truth Divine Temple Lord will certainly not act lightly.” Chi Yao said.
Zhang Ruochen said, “You’re right. That’s why I want you to make this trip yourself. No matter what, you must convince her. Among the supreme powerhouses permanently stationed in the Heavenly Court, only the Truth Divine Temple Lord might believe my judgment. We have to try, no matter what.”
“Of course, I never expected her to go with me to the Space Divine Temple. After all, I am the Heavenly Venerable’s blade—unscrupulous, slaughtering in all directions, specially cutting down rebels and evils. But the Truth Divine Temple Lord and the others cannot act lightly. They are the All Heavens; they must help the Heavenly Venerable maintain the stability of the Heavenly Court, to neutralize the killings and chaos I create into nothingness, and to nip any potential division and internal strife in the bud.”
“Then what do you mean?” Chi Yao asked.
Zhang Ruochen turned his back to the mountain gate of the Heavenly Human Academy, gazing in the direction of the Space Divine Temple, and said, “I have no fear in facing the Space Divine Temple Lord, even if he holds every advantage and wields all kinds of foundational power. But within Buzhou Mountain, there must be an unfathomable evil hidden. Moreover, Qishier Pin Lian and Kui Huangliang and the others could descend directly to Buzhou Mountain at any moment through the Space Teleportation Array.”
Chi Yao’s usually calm phoenix eyes surged with intense tension. “Since it’s so dangerous, it’s better to discuss it carefully. First inform the Five Dragon God Emperor and the Thousand Star God Ancestor, and prepare for the worst.”
“There’s no time. Delay will lead to unforeseen changes.” Zhang Ruochen said. “Tell the Truth Divine Temple Lord to prepare in advance and communicate with the trustworthy Divine Kings and Divine Venerables of the Heavenly Court. Once a spatial fluctuation piercing through the Heavenly Court appears in Buzhou Mountain, act immediately.”
“Alright. If the Divine Sun sets from the Qicheng Heaven Domain and you still haven’t come out of the Space Divine Temple, I will do everything possible to force the Truth Divine Temple Lord and the Heavenly Court gods to act. Take the Sundial with you.”
Chi Yao returned the Sundial to Zhang Ruochen and then headed straight for the Truth Divine Temple.
...
Zhang Ruochen arrived at the edge of the Qichen Heaven Domain where the Space Divine Temple was located. A Fuya and Zhao Gongming, whom he had summoned, had already arrived.
In the Heavenly Court, Zhao Gongming was more informed than Zhang Ruochen and already knew what had happened. He said solemnly, “Act now? How about I go to the Space Divine Temple first to negotiate and get the people out? Yu Jingzhen shouldn’t be so reckless as to directly fall out with me.”
Yu Jingzhen was the name of the Space Divine Temple Lord.
“Brother Gongming, I am absolutely certain that our Temple Master is the Liang Zun hiding within the Heavenly Court. Moreover, since we can guess this, he himself must have some idea and has certainly prepared for the worst, ready to fight to the death at any moment.”
Without further explanation, Zhang Ruochen continued, “He dared to send people to take Xiao Hei away—that is an open declaration of war. Under these circumstances, unless the Heavenly Venerable steps in, no one can rescue the people from the temple without bloodshed.”
Zhao Gongming was decisive in character. He nodded and pondered for a moment, then said, “The Heaven Round Earth Square Divine Formation has already been activated. The one presiding over this formation now is Yu Jingzhen, a peak of the eighty-ninth level of Spiritual Power, not Tianya Divine Venerable. Ji Wang charged in and didn’t even stir a ripple. How sure are you that you can break the formation?”
The two most important formations of the Space Divine Temple were the “Swallowing Star Divine Formation,” an offensive formation, and the “Heaven Round Earth Square Divine Formation,” which specialized in defense. Both were left behind by a Formation Tai Shang in the history of the Space Divine Temple, possessing infinite power.
“It’s indeed impossible to barge straight in like last time. However, I’ve made preparations and left a contingency plan in the Space Divine Temple. It might come in handy.” Zhang Ruochen said.
A Fuya had refined many divine substances, and her cultivation had improved rapidly. Every inch of her skin radiated a luster like immortal jade. She said, “Do we fight our way in directly, or let them invite us in?”
These two choices naturally had a huge difference.
Zhang Ruochen was the Great Elder of the Space Divine Temple. If he wanted to return to the Space Divine Temple, no one could stop him. Moreover, this was exactly what the Space Divine Temple Lord wanted to see.
But if the Heaven Round Earth Square Divine Formation and the Swallowing Star Divine Formation were not broken, once trapped inside, breaking out would be as difficult as ascending to heaven.
If they fought their way in directly, Zhang Ruochen would lose the moral high ground.
Xiao Hei, Quanzhongsheng, and Dai Xue the Queen were all in the enemy’s hands. Zhang Ruochen not only had to worry about harming them, but the enemy also had a perfect reason to kill them.
Zhao Gongming said, “Let me go in with Great Elder Ruochen. Once battle fluctuations appear in the temple, the First Queen can attack from the outside, and we can break the formation from within and without.”
A Fuya’s gaze fixed on Zhang Ruochen.
Zhang Ruochen said, “The First Queen will go in with me. Brother Gongming will coordinate from outside.”
“Alright. If I can’t break through the two divine formations, I can still call for reinforcements.”
Zhao Gongming understood in his heart that Zhang Ruochen did not fully trust A Fuya and was worried that she might add insult to injury at a critical moment.
“Shua! Shua!”
Zhang Ruochen and A Fuya descended to the banks of the Zhichi River.
The formations on the river were fully activated, and the divine patterns were ignited.
The river was as wide as a divine sea, with countless water dragon whirlpools and numerous spatial vortices scattered about.
Third Elder Liu Qingyu, riding a floating island, appeared on the river surface and sneered, “Great Elder, Qingyu finally gets to see you. It’s really not easy to meet you.”
“Third Elder, do you have a grievance?” Zhang Ruochen asked.
Liu Qingyu said, “I wouldn’t dare to have a grievance. The Great Elder is a figure who can stand shoulder to shoulder with the All Heavens. How would he deign to receive a small fry like me?”
Zhang Ruochen was now certain that a heavenly net and earth snare had been set up in the Space Divine Temple. Yu Jingzhen wanted to kill him. The situation might be worse than he had anticipated; otherwise, Liu Qingyu would never dare to show such an attitude in front of him.
Zhang Ruochen took a step forward, and a patch of light clouds appeared under his feet. He crossed several hundred zhang and appeared above the Zhichi River.
With one step, he stabilized the space, stepped on the divine patterns, and suppressed the formation.
Liu Qingyu was shocked in his heart. Was this the strength of the All Heavens level?
The means left by the successive great sages of the temple on the Zhichi River had been fully activated, yet he stepped on them with one foot, rendering them useless.
Zhang Ruochen walked calmly and, when he reached Liu Qingyu’s side, said, “Third Elder, I’ve checked your background. Although you are Yu Jingzhen’s disciple, your contributions to the Heavenly Court are not insignificant. Don’t go down the wrong path. This is my last goodwill reminder, and it can also be considered a warning.”
Liu Qingyu did not take Zhang Ruochen’s words to heart.
What was there to fear in a dead man’s warning?
After crossing the Zhichi River, Zhang Ruochen’s pupils glowed with Truth Divine Light, and he saw the distribution of cultivators on this land.
The gods of the Space Divine Temple, as well as some gods from the Array Extermination Palace faction who had been captured and thrown into the divine prison, were all hidden within the various temples and secret domains, including the formation nodes of the Heaven Round Earth Square Divine Formation.
The sheer number of gods showed that Zhang Ruochen had truly incurred public wrath and was about to face the backlash today.
The Dragon Lord was trapped inside the Heaven Round Earth Square Divine Formation, standing alone on the open wilderness. Beside him, the Divine Dragon Sun-Moon Chaos Pagoda stood tall. All around were chaotic spaces, and the formation inscriptions left by the Formation Tai Shang surrounded him.
He did not charge recklessly but closed his eyes to rest, as if analyzing the formation, or as if waiting quietly.
To ease the tense and oppressive atmosphere, Zhang Ruochen smiled and asked, “First Queen, do you think this trip of ours will be auspicious or ominous?”
“I only see the ominous, not the auspicious. Is surviving considered auspicious?” A Fuya said.
Zhang Ruochen’s smile faded. “I am deeply moved that the First Queen is willing to accompany me on this trip. After this battle, the rift and suspicion between us will surely dissipate by more than half.”
“I hope so. But I know that until your cultivation far surpasses mine, your suspicion of me will never disappear. And that day will be when I have to worry about you... Forget it, let’s not talk about it. We’ve arrived!” A Fuya said.
Without any hesitation, Zhang Ruochen stepped into the temple and said, “Zhang Ruochen, Great Elder of the Space Divine Temple, pays respects to the Temple Lord!”
Although he said “pays respects,” Zhang Ruochen only looked straight ahead and did not bow.
A Fuya did not follow Zhang Ruochen into the temple but stood on the right side outside the main gate. Her body radiated a dazzling divine light of brightness, every strand of her hair flowing with colorful clouds. The queenly aura of dominating the world was fully displayed, causing all the cultivators of the Space Divine Temple outside to bow their heads.
Inside the temple, besides Xiao Hei, Quanzhongsheng, and Dai Xue the Queen, only Yu Jingzhen sat at the very top.
The other gods of the Space Divine Temple were all within the Swallowing Star Divine Formation and the Heaven Round Earth Square Divine Formation.
His hair was half white, his shoulders broad and his body robust, his gaze piercing. Though his physique was no different from an ordinary person, he gave off the majestic aura of sitting at the center of the vast universe, overlooking the starry sea.
While Zhang Ruochen was scrutinizing him, he was also sizing up Zhang Ruochen.
Xiao Hei kept signaling Zhang Ruochen with his eyes, but Zhang Ruochen pretended not to see. Did he himself not know the danger? Did he need a reminder?
“Compared to the painting by the Confucian Ancestor, the Temple Lord has aged!” Zhang Ruochen said.
The Space Divine Temple Lord smiled in surprise. “Oh! The Confucian Ancestor once painted a portrait of me?”
“That’s right. The painting is placed in the Heavenly Human Academy. It not only features the Temple Lord but also another person.” Zhang Ruochen said.
The Space Divine Temple Lord’s smile instantly vanished, and he said in a deep voice, “The Great Elder is truly the most stunning talent between heaven and earth since the Great Venerable. This courage and confidence are truly admirable. To risk personal danger for a few subordinates—most high-ranking individuals cannot do that.”
(End of this chapter)