Chapter 3830: Darkness Appears Again
Although Xiu Chen Heavenly God was a Shura clan deity, he felt no sense of belonging to the Shura clan. Back when Xue Jue War God had dealt with her, not a single Shura clan deity had stepped in to help.
Xiu Chen Heavenly God's gaze fell on Chi Kongle, who stood behind Zhang Ruochen, as if understanding something. She said, "I know you've always harbored resentment. If you want to accuse someone, you'll always find a pretext. You are the Imperial Dust, so whatever you say naturally holds weight. But I refuse to accept the label 'selfish and self-serving.' Back in the Cha Realm, when danger was everywhere, did I, this god, abandon you?"
Zhang Ruochen knew when to stop. "Your possession of Kongle is already in the past. I can have such magnanimity, but what about you? Since you deny being selfish and self-serving, can you do something to benefit the world?"
Xiu Chen Heavenly God caught his drift and grew wary. "You've gone to such lengths—what exactly do you want me to do?"
The chill on Zhang Ruochen's face melted, and he smiled. "Shura clan chief."
"Swoosh!"
To Zhang Ruochen's right, divine light flickered. Ni Xuanbei Shi, Feng Chen Sword God, and three other Shura clan deities emerged from the light.
Xiu Chen Heavenly God glanced at Zhang Ruochen, then at Ni Xuanbei Shi, and stepped back several paces. "Zhang Ruochen, my true body is the Sundial. If you send me to the Shura Star Pillar Realm, aren't you afraid the Sundial will fall into the hands of Qinglu God King and Luo Tongluo?"
"Are you that lacking in confidence?" Zhang Ruochen asked.
Xiu Chen Heavenly God pointed at the Shura Star Pillar Realm in the starry sky. "Old Ni Xuan is dead. That hall master, whose cultivation reached the Indestructible Infinite level, is likely dead too—right there, under the noses of multiple Heavenly Kings of the Hell Realm."
Zhang Ruochen said calmly, "You weren't this timid before, Xiu Chen..."
"Xiu Chen is already dead. You chose that, Imperial Dust."
Xiu Chen Heavenly God retreated again. "I absolutely refuse to go to the Shura Star Pillar Realm, not even if the Heavenly Venerable himself commands it. If you force me, when the time comes, I might choose to join Qinglu God King and Luo Tongluo. Deal with it as you see fit."
"Fine, agreed," Zhang Ruochen said.
Xiu Chen Heavenly God froze.
Zhang Ruochen continued, "If you truly face life-and-death danger, you can choose to join them to save your life first."
"Is the Shura Star Pillar Realm really that important? This is the Hell Realm's affair—why meddle so much? Shouldn't the Hell Realm's Heavenly Venerable handle it?" Xiu Chen Heavenly God asked.
Zhang Ruochen nodded. "You have a point. But in the face of survival, can we really just mind our own business? The Shura Star Pillar Realm must now stand firm on the Starry Sky Defense Line. The Shura clan must stabilize as quickly as possible. The balance of the Starry Sky Defense Line cannot be broken. If it is, we lose everything. The great terror behind Luo Tongluo is likely waiting for that day."
"What great terror?" Xiu Chen Heavenly God asked.
"Perhaps the Calamity of Quantities, perhaps the Immortal."
Without hiding it, Zhang Ruochen explained Luo Tongluo's origins.
Xiu Chen Heavenly God was shaken. "Luo Tongluo is that figure from the Sword Soul Marsh back then? You're worried that if the Shura clan falls completely under her control, she'll take the Shura Star Pillar Realm to the Sword Soul Marsh and sacrifice the entire clan to the Dark Weirdness? That the Dark Weirdness will emerge ahead of time?"
"That possibility can't be ruled out. Just like Yu Jingzhen, who sacrificed the entire Inverse God Clan and nearly triggered the great terror to end the world," Zhang Ruochen said.
Ni Xuanbei Shi added, "The biggest concern is still Luo Tongluo. Once she fully merges with the Shura War Soul Sea, if no one can restrain her, she might do anything to quickly boost her cultivation and restore her realm."
Feng Chen Sword God said, "If the Shura Star Pillar Realm faces upheaval, the Heavenly Court deities might attack the Hell Realm, shattering the Starry Sky Defense Line in one blow. The Heavenly Court deities didn't act this time, but that doesn't mean they won't next time."
Xiu Chen Heavenly God pondered for a moment, then fixed her gaze on Zhang Ruochen. "So, you've already made up your mind?"
Zhang Ruochen nodded. "I'll go with you."
Xiu Chen Heavenly God muttered under her breath, "You could have said that from the start. Did you really think I, this god, wouldn't dare go to the Shura Star Pillar Realm?"
Zhang Ruochen knew he had convinced her and smiled, patting her shoulder. "Don't complain after getting the benefit. Being the Shura clan chief—what great honor is that? What immense power? Haven't you always wanted to prove to the world that Xiu Chen Heavenly God has returned? That you're not just an artifact spirit? Once you become the Shura clan chief, no one will see you as an artifact spirit anymore."
"You!" Xiu Chen Heavenly God's gaze turned hostile.
Zhang Ruochen said, "Absolutely not. You're so alluring and beautiful—how could I ever see you as an artifact spirit? Miao Li!"
The Shura clan deities all laughed. But when Xiu Chen Heavenly God swept a cold, fierce glare over them, they immediately sobered up. This was their future clan chief!
...
News of Zhang Ruochen's return spread quickly. Xue Qi, Xue Chen, Xue Ningxiao, Night Wanderer, and others came to pay their respects one after another.
"Greetings, Master!"
Ye Luochen knelt on one knee and bowed to Zhang Ruochen. His cultivation had already entered the God Realm, and he had taken over the Jiannan Realm from the Underworld King.
Back then, he had become Zhang Ruochen's disciple to find a new way of life for the beings of the Jiannan Realm in this cruel world, so they wouldn't be reduced to blood food and slaves.
"Rise. Has my uncle been teaching you all these years?" Zhang Ruochen asked.
"Yes," Ye Luochen replied.
"Swoosh! Swoosh! Swoosh!"
Zhang Ruochen formed a sword finger and shot three sword intents into Ye Luochen's brow, sealing them in his Qi Sea. "Meditate on these three sword intents slowly. If you comprehend them all, the Infinite Realm is within reach."
"Thank you, Master."
Ye Luochen bowed again, then took a piece of black strange iron from a space treasure. "This is Ta Iron found deep beneath the Jiannan Realm. I present it to you, Master."
Zhang Ruochen, who possessed countless treasures, had no intention of taking anything from his disciple. But when his gaze fell on the Ta Iron, he let out a soft exclamation.
He knew Ta Iron—an extremely rare forging material with both Yin and Yang attributes. But the piece Ye Luochen had brought was not only massive but also had extremely extreme Yin and Yang properties, sometimes freezing cold, sometimes scorching hot.
Ye Luochen said, "The Jiannan Realm lacks nothing in sword-forging materials. I know your Abyssal Sword hasn't yet transformed into a divine artifact, Master, so I searched everywhere for precious materials to repay your kindness in raising and teaching me."
Zhang Ruochen accepted the Ta Iron. "Share these sword dao essences with Kongle."
He carried a small amount of sword dao essence, which he released as two showers of light, giving them to Ye Luochen and Chi Kongle. Of course, this amount wasn't small in absolute terms, only relative to Zhang Ruochen's current cultivation level.
The Underworld King and Xue Hou were not in the Blood Heaven Tribe. They had led a contingent of Undying Blood Clan troops to the Abyss of Darkness, joining Nutian Shenzun's camp to resist the Twelve Ancient Clans.
Qi Sheng was the last to arrive, hastily bowing to Zhang Ruochen. His cultivation had also entered the God Realm, but his expression was heavy, as if burdened with many worries.
Zhang Ruochen asked, "Where is Yinghuo?"
Seeing that Zhang Ruochen hadn't forgotten them, Qi Sheng breathed a sigh of relief and no longer hesitated. "Imperial Dust probably doesn't know yet—Yinghuo is in trouble!"
The faces of Xue Qi, Xue Chen, and others turned awkward.
Zhang Ruochen noticed this and said, "You and Yinghuo are my people. Speak freely."
For a being at the Heavenly King level to say such words moved Qi Sheng deeply, even stirring some emotion. "Yinghuo has been imprisoned in the clan mansion by the clan chief!"
Zhang Ruochen frowned. "What happened?"
Qi Sheng shook his head. "This happened a thousand years ago. The clan chief never explained the reason publicly. I don't know what mistake Yinghuo made."
Xue Qi said, "The clan chief acts for a reason. Why should he explain to you?"
"Enough. No more on this matter. I'll look into it myself."
Zhang Ruochen fell into thought. For his maternal grandfather to personally act and imprison someone in the clan mansion, this was no trivial matter.
He valued Yinghuo greatly—more precisely, he valued the Ten Thousand Beasts Treasure Mirror she controlled.
The Ten Thousand Beasts Treasure Mirror was an extraordinary time-space treasure, containing a Ten Thousand Beasts World within, where time was nearly frozen. Thus, any barbarian beasts, sacred beasts, or divine beasts stored inside would not die even after millions of years, and could be released for battle at any time.
Such a time-space treasure—who else but the Time-Space Human Ancestor could have forged it from ancient times to the present? Especially the ability to store divine beasts—that was simply too heaven-defying. Zhang Ruochen had returned to the Blood Heaven Tribe this time precisely to thoroughly investigate the Ten Thousand Beasts Treasure Mirror. With his current cultivation, he should be qualified enough.
If it truly was forged by the Time-Space Human Ancestor, then Zhang Ruochen could confirm that the Immortal was the Time-Space Human Ancestor. Moreover, the Time-Space Human Ancestor had appeared in the Kunlun Realm millions of years ago, because the Ten Thousand Beasts Treasure Mirror had emerged alongside the Ten Thousand Beasts Heavenly Palace, dominating an era in the Kunlun Realm during the ancient period millions of years ago.
Zhang Ruochen communicated with Blood Absolute Clan Chief through divine thought across the void.
"Yinghuo was eroded by an unknown dark force. Her body began to void, as if she was about to disappear and turn into a shadow. I sealed her and the Ten Thousand Beasts Treasure Mirror into the blood pool in the clan mansion to suppress that dark force," Blood Absolute Clan Chief said.
Zhang Ruochen's heart stirred. "Does that dark force come from the Ten Thousand Beasts Treasure Mirror?"
"Highly likely."
Blood Absolute Clan Chief added, "Even with my cultivation, I can't dissolve that dark force. I wanted to ask the Undying War God for help, but he's still healing and hasn't emerged from seclusion."
Zhang Ruochen felt that Yinghuo's condition was similar to those cultivators in the Sword Soul Marsh, possibly connected. So, he instructed Xiu Chen Heavenly God and A Fuya to suppress Blood Absolute Half-Ancestor and immediately rushed to the Undying Divine City.
Just as Zhang Ruochen flew out of the Blood Heaven Tribe's great world, he sensed danger. He quickly sidestepped and shifted backward.
"Swoosh!"
A nearly invisible sword qi flew past him. His protective divine light couldn't block it; the sword qi easily broke through, cutting a small slit in the white robe on his chest.
The opponent's cultivation clearly far surpassed his. But Zhang Ruochen wasn't flustered at all—he had already guessed who had struck that sword.
"Hmph, kid, you've improved quite a bit!"
Void Heaven's cold, displeased voice echoed through the void.
The Reader