Chapter 3822: The Secret of the Blood Shadow
Even Zhang Ruochen, with his state of mind, felt this way, so naturally, Xue Tu and the others were even more overjoyed.
"A Half-Ancestor! A living Half-Ancestor of this era. Senior Brother, once things here are settled, we must prepare a generous gift and visit Luozu Cloud Mountain Realm."
Xue Tu understood perfectly well what a living Half-Ancestor meant. This signified that Heavenly Mother was now the number one person under heaven! All the gods of the Hell Realm, including those God Kings and God Venerables, would have to go and pay homage.
Xue Tu was self-aware. With his current cultivation, how could he be qualified to visit Heavenly Mother? He would have to follow Senior Brother to go, in order to see Heavenly Mother's true form and thereby elevate his own prestige and status in the Hell Realm. Basking in Senior Brother's glory was nothing to be ashamed of.
Chi Kongle said, "With Heavenly Mother stepping into the Half-Ancestor realm, the situation in the Rakshasa Clan should stabilize quickly."
Xue Tu felt a sense of shared pride and laughed, "Stabilize? It's more than just the Rakshasa Clan. The entire Hell Realm should quiet down now. Who would dare to act recklessly?"
Zhang Ruochen could sense the demonic Qi and demonic Dao rules in the universe rapidly converging towards the location of Luozu Cloud Mountain Realm. In the starry sky, all kinds of demonic Dao forces were boiling endlessly.
Since ancient times, the "Half-Ancestor Realm" had been a tremendous barrier on the path of cultivation. Very few cultivators could cross it, and those who did were all rulers of their era. That Heavenly Mother was able to cultivate to Half-Ancestor first was likely related to the resurgence of demonic Qi between heaven and earth.
Being too far away, Zhang Ruochen could only vaguely sense some heavenly secrets. He would have to wait for news to arrive to know the specific situation in the Rakshasa Clan's star domain. However, the worry in his heart had completely disappeared.
The Corpse Burier's mood was even better than Zhang Ruochen's. His voice came from White Cang Star: "Since ancient times, among those who have cultivated to the Half-Ancestor realm, Heavenly Mother is considered relatively young. With her in charge, the Hell Realm can be peaceful for at least five Eons."
A Fuya was not as optimistic as them. She said, "This era is different from others. A Half-Ancestor may not be invincible."
Zhang Ruochen gradually calmed down. He thought of ancient Half-Ancestors like Ba Er, Di, and Lady Shiji, and of the fallen Lei Fa Heavenly Venerable. In this era, heroes were vying for supremacy, and strong individuals from ancient and modern times were meeting. Indeed, one could not be too happy too early.
He communicated with the Corpse Burier and asked, "Senior, how much do you know about Blood Shadow Divine Mother?"
The fact that Ren Huan Heavenly Venerable personally sought out the Undying War God and sent Yan Ying'er to White Cang Star clearly had extraordinary significance. After all, Yan Ying'er was considered a rebirth of Blood Shadow Divine Mother and had countless connections to White Cang Star. In terms of understanding Blood Shadow Divine Mother, no one should surpass the Corpse Burier.
The Corpse Burier said, "What do you want to know?"
Zhang Ruochen said, "Blood Shadow Divine Mother was born on White Cang Star together with Ancestor Yin. She is as old as the entire Undying Blood Clan, having lived for at least a thousand epochs. Why did she suddenly wither and have to choose reincarnation?"
The Corpse Burier pondered for a moment and said, "Actually, I am also very curious about what happened. The origin of it all was probably about ten Eons ago."
The other cultivators present did not know that Zhang Ruochen and the Corpse Burier were communicating through divine thought. They were still discussing Heavenly Mother's breakthrough to Half-Ancestor, their emotions hard to calm.
The Corpse Burier continued, "Although the Blood Shadow Ghost Seed is a ferocious plant, it never truly cultivated and rarely left White Cang Star. Therefore, like other divine trees, it was not targeted by Eon Calamities and could live for billions of years without dying."
"Ten Eons ago, she told me she sensed the aura of Ancestor Yin and wanted to leave White Cang Star to search for him. I was worried it was a trap set by someone with ulterior motives and stopped her."
"From then on, she embarked on the path of cultivation, cultivated a human form, and despite my dissuasion, left White Cang Star several times to search for Ancestor Yin."
"Her cultivation and ferocity grew stronger and stronger, and her killing became more and more intense. She was no longer tolerated by heaven and earth. The Eon Calamities became stronger each time. By the last Eon, she could no longer withstand the calamity, but she had never found any trace of Ancestor Yin."
"In the end, disheartened, she could only sleep on the home planet of the Undying Blood Clan in the Wugui Forest, seeking a Five Elements physique for reincarnation."
"Everything was an illusion. Ancestor Yin had fallen countless Eons ago. How could he still be alive?"
Zhang Ruochen's eyes were deep. "Could it be that what she sensed was the remnant soul of Ancestor Yin?"
The Corpse Burier shook his head. "I am wearing the burial shroud of Ancestor Yin. If his remnant soul had appeared, how could I have had no sensation? However..."
"However what?"
"The Mo Beast has appeared! Legend has it that the Mo Beast was Ancestor Yin's mount."
Zhang Ruochen's gaze involuntarily turned to Xue Tu. Xue Tu, who was standing with the Mo Beast, felt something and stared back at Zhang Ruochen, startled. "Senior Brother, why are you looking at me like that?"
Zhang Ruochen said, "You once said that you broke into a distant cosmic secret realm through a tributary of the Santu River and discovered traces left by Ancestor Yin there. Was this Mo Beast also tamed there?"
"I did find some traces... Senior Brother, why are you suddenly asking about this?" Xue Tu asked.
Zhang Ruochen released his divine thought to probe the Divine Beast Mo. "Nothing."
This Mo Beast's bloodline was indeed pure, but its cultivation and blood Qi were too weak. It was definitely not Ancestor Yin's mount. Perhaps it was a descendant of Ancestor Yin's mount?
Xue Tu thought for a moment and said, "There, I found some White Cang Blood Soil and ate it all!"
"Can you still find that place?" Zhang Ruochen asked.
Xue Tu said, "It's hard to say! There are trillions of tributaries of the Santu River. Tributaries within tributaries, and often, the positions of the tributaries change. Once they change, you can't find them anymore!"
Zhang Ruochen did not believe Ancestor Yin was still alive in the world. If he were alive, wouldn't he be an Immortal? Thinking of this, Zhang Ruochen's expression turned serious.
Ten Eons ago... Wasn't this time point coinciding with the disappearance of the Great Venerable?
Moreover, Ancestor Yin himself had come back to life in the White Cang Blood Soil, transforming from a human into the Undying Blood Clan. There were also legends that White Cang Blood Soil could allow cultivators to achieve immortality. Could it be that Ancestor Yin was indeed related to the Immortal?
Zhang Ruochen asked the Corpse Burier again, "Before Blood Shadow Divine Mother died, she said some strange things. Ancestor Yin seemed to be investigating something while he was alive, and she also suspected that Ancestor Yin might have died at the hands of certain people. At the time, she was in a state of delirium, talking to herself, and didn't say it clearly. Did she ever mention these things to you, Senior?"
The Corpse Burier thought carefully. "No! The era Ancestor Yin lived in is too distant. No matter how great the secret, it seems insignificant in the face of time. Everything has already perished."
Zhang Ruochen was slightly disappointed.
The Corpse Burier said, "However, that little girl from the Yama Clan, since she is the second life of Blood Shadow Divine Mother, she can stay on White Cang Star to cultivate. The cultivation environment of the Blood Shadow Divine Tree Forest will be infinitely beneficial to her. Using this environment, along with my help, I should be able to stimulate the inheritance Blood Shadow Divine Mother left on her, allowing her to embark on her own path to becoming a strong individual."
Zhang Ruochen had a special feeling for Yan Ying'er.
Yan Ying'er felt Zhang Ruochen's gaze. Her bright, sparkling eyes were full of smiles, without a trace of fear or awe. She quickly walked up to him and said, "Father, have you finally noticed me?"
Chi Kongle, who had been guarding Zhang Ruochen, secretly transmitted a message: "Father, Ying'er actually cares a lot about whether she has a father. There are always all kinds of unpleasant rumors outside."
Zhang Ruochen nodded slightly, indicating he understood. His gaze rested on Yan Ying'er, who was already a graceful young woman.
In terms of beauty, Yan Ying'er was by no means inferior to Yan Zhexian, possessing a beauty that could topple kingdoms. A string of silver bells hung from her hair, jingling as she walked, full of joy. She did not have Yan Zhexian's aloofness and arrogance. Her mentality was lively, like a girl who would never grow up, even though she had long passed the age of a maiden.
Zhang Ruochen asked, "How is your mother?"
Yan Ying'er sat down beside Zhang Ruochen, resting her face on her hands, and shook her head. "Not very good. Her temper has become stranger and stranger over the years. She often locks herself in the Spring Rain Talisman Pavilion, and it's hard to see her even once in a thousand years. When I do see her, she's always cold and has never smiled."
"She wasn't like this before," Zhang Ruochen said.
Yan Ying'er said, "Women change! Especially single mothers who have given birth. It's not strange for their personalities to gradually become extreme. It might also be because when she went to find you back then, wanting to help you break the Severing Dao Curse, she was captured by Wen Tong Great God and was traumatized. Father, I'm not blaming you, so don't overthink it."
Zhang Ruochen understood the implication in her words. "Don't worry, I will go to Yama Heaven-Outside-Heaven and talk to her personally."
Back then, because of the Severing Dao Curse on the Zhang family's descendants, Zhang Ruochen could not step into the God Realm. Yan Zhexian had taken the initiative to find him, wanting to take him to the Yama Clan to ask Yama Tai Shang to break the curse for him. Although Zhang Ruochen did not go to the Yama Clan, he had always remembered that kindness.
"Really?" Yan Ying'er suddenly looked up, overjoyed. "How about going now... No, it's fine to go after Ice King Great Lord has suppressed the Undying Divine Temple's Hall Master!"
Zhang Ruochen lightly tapped her forehead. "Don't worry about the matters of our generation. From now on, cultivate well on White Cang Star under the Corpse Burier."
Yan Ying'er was very unwilling and wanted to protest.
"No conditions. Not unless your cultivation reaches the Infinite Realm," Zhang Ruochen said.
Yan Ying'er sighed helplessly. "How about... letting Sister Kongle also stay on White Cang Star to cultivate?"
"I already said, no conditions. Kongle doesn't need to stay on White Cang Star to cultivate. From now on, she will follow me," Zhang Ruochen said.
Yan Ying'er deflated. "I knew it. I'm not the biological one."
Zhang Ruochen found it a bit hard to handle.
Xue Tu said, "Ying'er, you don't understand. Senior Brother has no choice. His enemies are too numerous. Those enemies can't do anything to him, so they will definitely target the people he cares about most. Having you cultivate on White Cang Star is a form of protection. Kongle mainly cultivates the Way of Time, so it's most suitable for her to follow Senior Brother, after all, Senior Brother was once the Grand Elder of the Time Divine Temple."
"Is that really the case?" Yan Ying'er asked.
Zhang Ruochen said, "When you have achieved success in your cultivation, I will come to pick you up personally."
"Then I have to work hard and strive to step into the Infinite Realm as soon as possible." Yan Ying'er thought for a moment and then said, "Father has already married the Thousand Star Heavenly Maiden and the Dragon Clan Princess. Will he also marry my mother?"
Zhang Ruochen opened his mouth and finally nodded. "As long as she is willing."
Yan Ying'er was overjoyed. "I know my mother. If you are a little forceful, she will definitely give in! If you let her choose, she will turn around and leave without even looking at you."
Then, she deliberately put on a pitiful look. "Father, I long for a family. I don't want to be the little princess of the Yama Clan. I want to be the Imperial Daughter of Di Chen."
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