Chapter 3831: Ten Thousand Beasts World
Void Heaven, with his white hair flowing loose, stepped out from the void, his expression extremely displeased. "This time, let's see where you can still run off to. Let's go. Take me to retrieve the Sword Origin right now."
"Not yet."
"Stop playing tricks! If not now, then when? My patience has been exhausted."
Void Heaven stared at Zhang Ruochen for a moment, then added, "Could it be that the Sword Origin is actually on you?"
Zhang Ruochen shook his head. "How could that be?"
"Why not? In the battle at Buzhou Mountain, you must have taken the second Purple Heart Heavenly Venerable Orchid. Otherwise, how could Five Dragons Divine Emperor and Jiwang have broken through to Indestructible Infinite so quickly?" Void Heaven said.
Zhang Ruochen knew Void Heaven wasn't certain about this and was merely testing him, so he replied, "Five Dragons Divine Emperor and Uncle Dragon broke through to Indestructible Infinite because the Dragon Nest emerged and because their own foundations were solid. At most, I only activated the Sundial to provide them with enough cultivation time. Senior Void Heaven, shouldn't you return the Seven Star Divine Sword to me now?"
Void Heaven kept his eyes fixed on Zhang Ruochen's, realizing he could no longer see through him. He stopped obsessing over the Purple Heart Heavenly Venerable Orchid and said, "When I see the Sword Origin, I will naturally return the Seven Star Divine Sword to you."
Zhang Ruochen asked, "Senior Void Heaven came from the Rakshasa Clan, didn't you? What exactly is the situation over there?"
Void Heaven's expression grew even darker, a cold gleam flashing in his eyes. "Rest assured. As long as Heavenly Mother is still there, the Rakshasa Clan will recover their strength before long."
Zhang Ruochen said, "Has Beixi really appeared?"
"Yes, he has appeared."
"Has Ba'er's Half-Ancestor cultivation fully recovered?"
Void Heaven pondered for a moment. "Probably close enough. After Heavenly Mother broke through to a higher realm, even with the Demon Dao Esoterica and the Witch Palace, she could only suppress him by a slight margin, without absolute superiority. Even if he hasn't fully recovered, he must possess Half-Ancestor-level combat power. Otherwise, how could Rakshasa Divine City have been breached? Among the Seventy-Two Pillar Demon Gods, he ranks second, second only to the Heavenly Demon."
Zhang Ruochen said, "What about Luo Yan Great Emperor? I refuse to believe he has truly fallen!"
"Facing a Half-Ancestor, if one's cultivation hasn't reached Indestructible Infinite, death is certain. Why do you think he hasn't fallen?" Void Heaven said.
Zhang Ruochen believed Luo Yan Great Emperor might not be dead because, although Rakshasa Divine City was breached, there was still a place within the city with defenses stronger than the city itself: the ancestral land of the Tianluo Divine Kingdom's royal clan, also the Ancestor Realm left behind by Daluo Heavenly Venerable. Zhang Ruochen had once heard Luo Sha say that many Rakshasa Clan cultivators were training inside the Ancestor Realm. When Dingzu seized the Tianyi Star Wheel, he had wanted to gain recognition from the cultivators in the Ancestor Realm to take control of the Rakshasa Clan.
Void Heaven said, "The Daluo Divine Seal and Luo Yan's remains have indeed not been found. Perhaps there is another hidden realm within Rakshasa Divine City. Matters over there will be handled by Heavenly Mother; you don't need to worry. Finding the Sword Origin and helping me master Sword Twenty-Four is the top priority now. Otherwise, who will stop Ba'er? Ba'er was thwarted at Luozu Cloud Mountain Realm and failed to seize the Demon Dao Esoterica. He will definitely set his sights back on the Destiny Temple to seize the Fate Esoterica—that's his only way to defeat Heavenly Mother. When that time comes, Feng Caiyi and I will be his top two targets. All the gods in the Destiny Temple who hold Fate Esoterica will be his prey."
Zhang Ruochen said, "Has the Fate Esoterica in the Destiny Temple been taken away?"
"Do I need you to remind me? After the war ten thousand years ago, aside from me holding a portion of the Fate Esoterica, most of it was taken away by Feng Caiyi and hidden in secret to avoid Ba'er's attacks. The vast majority of the Destiny Temple's gods have also dispersed—some went to Kong Fanu's camp, some came to the Starry Sky Defense Line, and some went into hiding within various clans. Now, only the gods of the Heavenly Fate Department and the Fate Mandate Department remain stationed at the Destiny Temple. Even if Ba'er seizes it, the impact won't be too great."
Clearly, Ba'er's appearance had forced the Destiny Temple into a strategic defensive posture, losing its dominant position over the Hell Realm. First Fengdu Dadi, then the Destiny Temple, then Heavenly Mother—Ba'er and Qishier Pin Lian and the others had a clear goal: to decapitate the leadership and turn the Ten Clans of Hell into scattered sand. No wonder Void Heaven was so eager to break through to a higher realm. With his personality, this was too humiliating. Moreover, in his view, Qishier Pin Lian might show some restraint when dealing with Nutian Shenzun and Feng Tian, but against him, she would stop at nothing. Once they met, it would be a life-and-death battle.
Void Heaven said, "Has Jiusi Yitianhuang been captured?"
Zhang Ruochen gently shook his head.
"You don't even know?" Void Heaven found it hard to believe.
Zhang Ruochen said, "After returning from Baicang Star, I came straight to the Blood Heaven Tribe Wing World and haven't yet contacted the Kunlun Realm cultivators. Aren't you a Celestial Perfection? Can't you divine it yourself?"
Void Heaven's face flushed with anger. "I am a Celestial Perfection, but so is Jiusi Yitianhuang! He's probably already escaped. Relying on Huaying Old Man alone to suppress and kill a Heavenly Venerable-rank is nearly impossible. Now the hidden forces are even stronger. Jiusi Yitianhuang will act even more recklessly and unpredictably. His first targets will definitely be Kong Fanu, Wu Yue, and the Moon God."
Zhang Ruochen knew Void Heaven was saying this deliberately to pressure him into going to find the Sword Origin together.
Void Heaven said, "If I can master Sword Twenty-Four and step into the Heavenly Venerable-rank, what is a mere Jiusi Yitianhuang? I can even fight a Half-Ancestor!"
Zhang Ruochen said, "Senior Void Heaven, you've arrived just in time. Come with me to Undying Divine City first. I have a major discovery that might be related to the Sword Origin."
...
Beneath the Undying Divine City's clan mansion, there was a thousand-zhang-wide blood pool. At the center of the pool stood a black stone pillar covered in blood-colored secret patterns. Yinghuo was chained to the pillar, wrapped in divine chains, her long hair disheveled, her face hidden. A strand of eerie dark qi emanated from her, corroding the blood within dozens of zhang into ink-like liquid.
Zhang Ruochen and Void Heaven arrived at the edge of the blood pool.
"Clatter!"
Yinghuo seemed to be in extreme agony. She lifted her head, her face covered in black lines, and dragged the divine chains with her hands, letting out a piercing scream.
"Such eerie dark qi, but it's somewhat different from the dark qi cultivated by Jiusi Yitianhuang and Beixi. Could there be another top-tier expert cultivating the Path of Darkness?" Void Heaven's eyes flickered with curiosity, deeply interested in the dark power on Yinghuo. He released his spiritual power, turning it into countless fine spiritual tentacles like a spider web, landing on Yinghuo.
In an instant, over ninety percent of the dark power within Yinghuo was drawn away. Her body gradually became solid, turning into flesh and blood. The black lines on her face and arms receded, and she gasped for air. After fully regaining her consciousness, Yinghuo looked up and saw Zhang Ruochen standing by the pool.
"Slash! Slash!"
Zhang Ruochen sent out two sword qi, cutting the divine chains binding her arms.
Yinghuo returned to the shore, her body still trembling slightly. She knelt and bowed to Zhang Ruochen. "Thank you, Imperial Dust, for saving me. Yinghuo will be grateful forever."
Zhang Ruochen said, "You haven't fully recovered yet. Get up. If you want to thank someone, thank Void Heaven. It was he, the elder, who saved you."
Yinghuo had just risen when she felt the terrifyingly overwhelming might emanating from Void Heaven. It was as if the old man before her was not a person but an unclimbable divine mountain. Faced with such divine power, she couldn't utter a single word.
Void Heaven wasn't deliberately releasing his divine power. He was focused on studying the ball of dark qi in his hand, analyzing it with his divine soul and spiritual power, his white brows furrowed. "This dark qi is even more eerie than what Jiusi Yitianhuang and Beixi cultivate. It's definitely not power at the Indestructible level." Void Heaven stared at Yinghuo. "How were you invaded by this dark power?"
Under Void Heaven's gaze, Yinghuo felt as if the entire world were pressing down on her. She knelt to the ground, her face pale, and stared into the blood pool.
Zhang Ruochen and Void Heaven looked at the blood pool again. Zhang Ruochen's divine thought parted the blood, revealing the Ten Thousand Beasts Treasure Mirror lying at the bottom.
Zhang Ruochen said, "Open the world gate to the Ten Thousand Beasts World."
Fear filled Yinghuo's eyes, and she trembled as she spoke. "Inside... there is great terror..."
"What's there to fear? I am here!" Void Heaven clenched his five fingers, and the ball of dark qi in his hand was directly purified by divine light, vanishing without a trace.
Yinghuo mustered her courage, releasing divine qi into the Ten Thousand Beasts Treasure Mirror. The mirror trembled violently, then emitted spatial fluctuations. A vortex-like white space gate appeared above the blood pool.
From within Zhang Ruochen and Void Heaven, a doppelganger each shot out, flying into the white space gate. The two descended into the Ten Thousand Beasts World. As far as the eye could see, there was only darkness, with no light visible.
"Flash!"
Zhang Ruochen's doppelganger extended his right hand, and Truth Divine Light appeared in his palm, illuminating the surrounding world. The ground was black soil, barren of any vegetation, with a winding ink-black river flowing through it. In the air, black qi rivers drifted, and eerie dark power moved everywhere. The savage beasts and sacred beasts originally imprisoned in the Ten Thousand Beasts World had all turned into silhouette forms, their physical bodies gone.
Void Heaven's doppelganger formed a sword formation, blocking all the dark and eerie power outside the formation. "The flow of time here is too slow. Even I am affected by it. Was this treasure refined by the Space-Time Human Ancestor?" Void Heaven said.
"This is the answer I've been searching for." Zhang Ruochen, protected by millions of sword qi, was the first to fly out, heading toward the source of the dark and eerie power.
Soon, Zhang Ruochen and Void Heaven arrived one after another at the foot of a black mountain range tens of thousands of miles long. The mountain range before them was covered in viscous black springs, emitting a bloody stench, even more pungent and nauseating than the corpse water in the Santu River, making one want to vomit. The dark and eerie aura in the Ten Thousand Beasts World was released from these viscous springs.
"Is it blood? Something extraordinary seems to be buried in this mountain range. I faintly sense the fluctuation of fate," Zhang Ruochen said.
Void Heaven's eyes burned with blazing fire, and he said excitedly, "Not fate—it's Heavenly Mechanism."
Just as Zhang Ruochen was pondering the meaning of his words, Void Heaven had already condensed a giant sword ten thousand miles long and slashed it down toward the black mountain range ahead.
(Recommend a good book to everyone: "Urban Wild Dragon: The Beautiful President's Monster Bodyguard" written by Haoyun Bao. Exciting and thrilling content, not to be missed!)
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