Chapter 3824: One Halberd Strike
The Demon Ancestor Zi Wu Yue, ranked as the number one divine artifact, unleashed its god-slaying, Buddha-slaying might under Zhang Ruochen's activation, splitting yin and yang, its cold light tearing through the void.
"All methods return to the same origin, Radiant Demon-Subduing Art!"
Shang Tian's Corpse God's brow flickered with light, and from within his body surged a river formed by countless Radiant Rule Divine Patterns, imbued with profound meaning, scattering the demonic miasma closing in on him into nothingness.
Then, he swung his palm, forming a hand seal, striking toward Zhang Ruochen's chest, forcing Zhang Ruochen to withdraw and retreat.
The hand seal twisted space, shaking heaven and earth.
In close-quarters combat, Shang Tian's Corpse God was fully confident that, with his physical body and cultivation, his strength far surpassed Zhang Ruochen's.
And indeed, that was the case.
However, Zhang Ruochen did not clash head-on with him. Instead, relying on his mastery of time and space, he skillfully evaded the hand seal, brushing past him.
In an instant, the two had pulled hundreds of thousands of miles apart.
They came to a halt!
Shang Tian's Corpse God looked at his own palm, its five fingers still radiating Radiant Divine Radiance, and said, "You've lost! Even if you seized the initiative, you are still no match for me, this old man."
Zhang Ruochen's left sleeve was completely shattered, his arm hanging limp, with streaks of blood on his skin.
His shoulder bone was clearly broken!
In that brief moment just now, Zhang Ruochen dodged Shang Tian's Corpse God's hand seal aimed at his chest, but Shang Tian's Corpse God's speed far exceeded his, and even time and space could not suppress it. He immediately changed the hand seal into a grab, snapping Zhang Ruochen's left arm.
If Zhang Ruochen had not cultivated the Indestructible Dharma Body, his left arm would surely have been torn off by Shang Tian.
Zhang Ruochen looked at the blood on the Demon Ancestor Zi Wu Yue in his hand, circulating divine Qi within his body. The shoulder bone quickly reconnected, and he then raised his left hand, touching the blood on the blade's edge, saying, "I never intended to settle victory or defeat with you!"
Shang Tian's Corpse God looked down and found that his left arm had been cut with a small wound by the Demon Ancestor Zi Wu Yue, merely a scratch on the skin. But it undoubtedly proved that this brat Zhang Ruochen was indeed formidable, possessing strength at the Indestructible Infinite level.
The Demon Corpse had likely fallen at his hands.
Shang Tian's Corpse God no longer harbored any contempt. Space stretched around him, manifesting Radiant Divine Suns one after another, their heat capable of melting all things, their light illuminating the dark starry sky spanning trillions of miles as if it were broad daylight.
With the cultivation levels of Xue Tu, Xia Yu, Chi Kongle, and Yan Ying'er, they could hardly open their eyes.
Divine blood flowed from their eyes.
Zhang Ruochen's fingertips radiated Truth Divine Radiance, condensing those few drops of blood into strands of blood Qi.
After deducing, he said, "With your cultivation reaching such a realm, yet you still speak nothing but lies—this truly disappoints me. Duotian Divine Emperor and Yi Tianjun are your offspring, not the Primordial Corpse."
Zhang Ruochen had met Duotian Divine Emperor and Yi Tianjun, having a thorough understanding of their blood Qi and bloodline.
His earlier strike was precisely to obtain the Corpse God's blood for deduction, verifying the speculation in his mind.
Shang Tian's Corpse God no longer denied it, responding with a smile.
Zhang Ruochen continued, "You primarily cultivate the Way of Radiant, correct? If I am not mistaken, you are a staunch advocate for the interests of Paradise Realm. Were you the main driving force behind the schemes against Kunlun Realm back then?"
One hundred thousand years ago, Kunlun Realm and Paradise Realm were the biggest competitors for dominance over the Western Universe's main worlds.
Only with Kunlun Realm's fall could Paradise Realm smoothly dominate the thousands of realms in the Western Universe, control countless resources, and command billions of cultivators.
The spiritual banner of Paradise Realm was undoubtedly the Radiant Divine Temple.
Shang Tian's Corpse God, cultivating the Way of Radiant, was more suspicious than the Demon Corpse and the Primordial Corpse.
Zhang Ruochen said, "The one behind the Demon Corpse should be Lei Fa Heavenly Venerable. And your collaborator is Qishier Pin Lian, correct? You and Qishier Pin Lian share a common goal, so it was a natural fit."
"Haha, Zhang Ruochen, is this the answer you wanted to know? What meaning does knowing it hold?"
Shang Tian's Corpse God's gaze turned northward.
There, in the depths of darkness, A Fuya stood atop a cloud of fire, moving with leisurely steps, clearly preparing to circle behind him and seal off his escape route.
Evidently, the Radiant Esoterica on Shang Tian's Corpse God had stirred the interest of this First Queen.
Shang Tian's Corpse God had dared to come, naturally having the means to leave. He glanced at Bai Cang Star in the distance and said, "Will you intervene, sir?"
"Your grudges hold no interest for me, this old man. Besides, my blood Qi is already depleted; I can no longer make a move."
The voice of the Corpse Burying Man drifted over from Bai Cang Star.
"Since we cannot reach an agreement, I, this Heavenly One, shall take my leave!"
Shang Tian's Corpse God said this to Zhang Ruochen, then transformed into a beam of light, shooting into the endless darkness.
"Since you've come, how can you leave just like that?"
Zhang Ruochen hurled the Demon Ancestor Zi Wu Yue.
The Zi Wu Yue spun and flew through the void, igniting with Burning Heaven Demon Flame, growing from the size of a palm to as massive as a planet, churning the rules of heaven and earth into a chaotic storm.
"Twilight of the Gods!"
Shang Tian's Corpse God was prepared, unleashing the strongest Heavenly Venerable Divine Ability of the Radiant Divine Temple.
As the divine ability was unleashed, all laws fell silent, blocking both the Demon Ancestor Zi Wu Yue and the divine arrow shot by A Fuya, preventing them from approaching his true body.
"Farewell, you two!"
"Radiant Mirror Escape Art."
Behind Shang Tian's Corpse God appeared a radiant mirror, as bright as the moon, with countless Radiant Rules flowing within it.
He took a step back, retreating into the mirror.
"Swoosh!"
The mirror contracted and vanished into the void.
Only then did the Demon Ancestor Zi Wu Yue and the divine arrow, one after the other, strike the spot where the mirror had just been, shattering a vast expanse of space.
Zhang Ruochen smiled and shook his head, not feeling discouraged.
Given his and A Fuya's current cultivation, trying to keep an Indestructible Infinite who was determined to flee was an extremely difficult task.
Shang Tian's Corpse God had come well-prepared, making it even harder to detain him.
"Oh!"
Zhang Ruochen showed a surprised expression, gazing into the depths of the starry sky.
Trillions of miles away, in the dark void, crimson clouds emerged.
A towering dharma form manifested within the clouds, intercepting the fleeing Shang Tian.
What astonished Zhang Ruochen was that this towering dharma form was executing Shang Tian's signature technique, the Great Desolate Heaven Seal.
"They've all come. How interesting. You stay; I'll go take a look."
Zhang Ruochen instructed A Fuya, and a Space Teleportation Array appeared beneath his feet, leaping through the starry sky.
Moments later, Zhang Ruochen arrived at the edge of the battlefield.
Two Shang Tian figures, nearly identical in appearance, stood facing each other within the clouds. However, the power and aura they exuded were completely different.
Shang Tian's Primordial Corpse wore a yellow robe, with a red beard and deep, profound eyes. The blood Qi within his body was terrifyingly vigorous, as if divine rivers flowed through his veins, emitting a thunderous roar.
In terms of power and momentum, the Primordial Corpse far surpassed the Demon Corpse and the Corpse God.
Zhang Ruochen even suspected that the Primordial Corpse had already reached the mid-stage of Indestructible Infinite.
Seeing Zhang Ruochen arriving alone, the Corpse God, who had been looking grim, suddenly smiled faintly: "The Demon Corpse is in Zhang Ruochen's hands. How about we join forces to take him down first, then settle our own matters? Today, I will no longer flee. We will decide victory and defeat, and life and death."
Zhang Ruochen was not afraid of them joining forces. He activated the Ten Thousand Buddha Formation, with countless Sanskrit characters soaring into the sky and the Time Divine Sea spreading out, saying, "If you want to fight, I'm ready."
The Corpse God's smile grew warmer, but in his heart, he had already formulated a plan: once Zhang Ruochen and the Primordial Corpse clashed, he would immediately retreat.
In his confrontations with the Primordial Corpse, he and the Demon Corpse were no match; only by allying could they resist.
How could he possibly face the Primordial Corpse alone to decide victory and life and death?
"It is time for an end."
Shang Tian's Primordial Corpse raised his right arm, his five fingers grasping at the void.
"Swoosh!"
Primordial Yellow and Dark Qi gathered in his palm, and a halberd over ten feet long appeared in his hand.
"Primordial Yellow Halberd!"
Seeing this halberd, the Corpse God's expression changed drastically, and he immediately activated the Radiant Mirror Escape Art again.
Shang Tian's Primordial Corpse transformed into a streak of Primordial Yellow radiance, piercing through time and space. In an instant, he broke into the thousand-zhang range around the Corpse God, then the hundred-zhang range, then the ten-zhang range...
No dao or rule could stop him.
"Pfft!"
The Corpse God had only one foot into the Radiant Mirror Escape Art when the Primordial Yellow Halberd struck him, cleaving his physical body in two. Blood Qi spilled across the void, floating within the crimson clouds.
The Primordial Yellow Qi sealed the two halves of the Corpse God's body.
The colorful clouds trapped the blood Qi and divine soul the Corpse God tried to flee with.
The battle ended in a single strike.
Shang Tian's Primordial Corpse continuously cast spells, completely sealing the Corpse God, then looked toward Zhang Ruochen, his eyes blazing like fire: "You didn't flee!"
Zhang Ruochen stood within the formation, clapping in admiration: "What a formidable strike."
Shang Tian's Primordial Corpse showed neither joy nor sorrow.
Because he knew that Zhang Ruochen was praising the Heavenly Venerable, not him.
On the contrary, the words seemed to carry a hint of sarcasm, mocking him for being unable to resolve his own flaws with his own strength.
"The Heavenly Venerable lent me this halberd strike because the great changes in heaven and earth require me to act swiftly, resolve my own vulnerabilities, and free up energy to face the greater challenges ahead in the universe."
Shang Tian's Primordial Corpse said.
The Primordial Yellow Halberd was Hao Tian's war weapon.
The strike Shang Tian had just delivered contained Hao Tian's power; otherwise, how could the Corpse God have been unable to escape?
Zhang Ruochen said: "Has the Heavenly Venerable reached the Half-Ancestor realm?"
That strike just now was pure and profound in order, leaving the Corpse God utterly powerless to resist.
Zhang Ruochen found it hard to believe that such power could belong to the Indestructible level.
After all, the Heavenly Venerable rank was still within the Indestructible realm.
The Half-Ancestor was true transcendence.
Moreover, Shang Tian's three corpses had independent consciousness, and the Primordial Corpse had never been able to solve this problem. Why could he do so now?
There was only one answer: Hao Tian had already reached the Half-Ancestor realm.
With Half-Ancestor cultivation, he could help Shang Tian merge his three corpses.
Shang Tian's Primordial Corpse did not directly answer Zhang Ruochen, saying: "Hand over the Demon Corpse to me. From today onward, the grudges between you and the Shang Clan are settled."
"Is this the Heavenly Venerable's intention?"
Zhang Ruochen said.
Shang Tian's Primordial Corpse said: "I can decide matters concerning the Shang Clan."
Zhang Ruochen shook his head: "You can say the grudges between me and the Shang Clan are settled, but the accounts between me and the Shang Clan are not yet fully settled!"
"Zhang Ruochen, you rose from humble beginnings and were tempered through hatred. How can you still not see through the concept of life and death? Do you truly want to continue this cycle of hatred and killing, never ending? Heaven is about to collapse, all beings will perish—what do personal grudges amount to?"
Shang Tian's Primordial Corpse said.
Zhang Ruochen said: "Fine. For the sake of the Heavenly Venerable, the Demon Corpse will be the end of it all. You may go. From now on, the grudges between me and the Shang Clan are settled."
Zhang Ruochen planned to take the Demon Corpse back and hand it over to Bai Qinger.
Logically, he should take both the Demon Corpse and the Corpse God back, but Hao Tian clearly intended to resolve the conflict between him and Shang Tian. Zhang Ruochen had to extend some courtesy.
Shang Tian's Primordial Corpse seemed to see through the root of the matter, saying: "How about we make a trade?"
"What trade?"
Zhang Ruochen said.
"Compared to the Demon Corpse, you should be more interested in him."
Shang Tian's Primordial Corpse's sleeve billowed like a cloud, and after spinning once, a disheveled figure tumbled out from within his sleeve.
It was the former Hall Master of the Space Divine Temple, Yu Jingzhen.
Or rather, the former Third Elder of the Inverse God Clan, the Young Lord of the Weak Water Clan.
Shang Tian's Primordial Corpse said: "When Qishier Pin Lian and Ba Er attacked Luozu Cloud Mountain Realm, the Heavenly Venerable went to the Formless Realm and captured him. The irreconcilable hatred of the Inverse God Clan all originates from him."
Zhang Ruochen stared intently at Yu Jingzhen.
He had to admit that Hao Tian sending Shang Tian here with Yu Jingzhen appeared to be a concession, but in reality, it was applying pressure.
It was an unyielding will to help Shang Tian merge his three corpses, no matter what.
From within the Primordial Yellow Halberd, a voice left by Hao Tian emerged: "Ruochen, Beixi made a move at Luozu Cloud Mountain Realm!"
Zhang Ruochen let out a bitter laugh and fell silent for a moment, then said: "Fine, I can hand over the Demon Corpse to you."
Without a doubt, Hao Tian was telling Zhang Ruochen that within Paradise Realm, only Shang Tian, with his three corpses merged, could counter Beixi.
Otherwise, if Beixi manipulated things from the shadows, the situation in Paradise Realm could spiral out of control.
Retrieving the Demon Corpse, Shang Tian's Primordial Corpse cast one last glance at Zhang Ruochen before leaving, saying: "If you seek revenge, I am always waiting. Let our generation settle this—let's not leave more troubles for our descendants. Pass this on to Huang Tian as well!"
Zhang Ruochen said: "If you had stepped forward and said this earlier, how many grudges and killings would have been avoided?"
"Did you have the qualifications back then?"
Shang Tian spoke without any emotion, his eyes filled with a matter-of-fact demeanor. Then, he shattered the void and disappeared from this starry domain.
The Reader