Chapter 3869: The Crisis of Wuchang Ghost City
The Santu River's tributaries spread throughout the universe, the space they occupy is chaotic, and the heavenly secrets are severed.
The Santu River Basin refers to the vast black soil lands on both sides of the Santu River's main channel in the starry sky where the Hell Realm is located.
These lands have been formed by alluvial deposits over billions of years. The widest places are broader than a major world, with countless bones buried beneath the ground, preserving the most ancient history.
For the undead, this is a paradise for cultivation and a treasure ground for excavating hidden secrets.
Every day, countless undead from the Ghost Clan, Corpse Clan, and Bone Clan are born with intelligence, crawling out from the soil.
...
The World Tree where Fengdu Ghost City is located is now rooted in the Santu River Basin, like a lighthouse, its momentum spreading across the star sea, exerting a deterrent effect on various ghost cities, bone seas, and corpse territories.
Zhang Ruochen knew he was a target for everyone, so he did not dare to be conspicuous. Using his spiritual power to conceal the heavenly secrets, he quietly arrived at the Santu River Basin.
Fortunately, the journey was smooth, and he was not intercepted.
This is the advantage of being a Heaven Round Lack Flawless. As long as one is low-key and cautious, one can conceal the heavenly secrets, and no one can discover them.
A hundred-meter-long wooden ancient ship sailed on the river surface of the Santu River, which was as wide as a sea.
The river water was turbid, emitting the stench of corpses.
Zhang Ruochen looked at the World Tree towering for billions of miles, able to see densely packed ghost boats shuttling among them, moving like fireflies.
It was evident that the Santu River Basin had restored normal order from the turmoil thirty years ago, and Fengdu Ghost City still held a transcendent status.
Fengdu Dadi was only exiled, not fallen.
Even though the Corpse Ancestor and Huangquan Dadi, such transcendent ancestors, had returned with remnant souls, they still could not replace Fengdu Dadi's position in the hearts of the Middle Three Clans' cultivators.
The cold wind howled, blowing his robes and making them flutter.
Bore said, "Now in the Santu River Basin, the Corpse Ancestor sits in Moli City, Huangquan Dadi hides in the Huangquan Forbidden Domain, forming a tripartite standoff with Feng Tian, who sits in Fengdu Ghost City."
"Huangquan Dadi is indeed bold. Isn't he afraid of following in the footsteps of Lei Fa Tianzun?" Xue Tu snorted coldly.
Gong Nanfeng said, "What is he afraid of? The Hell Realm's current focus is on the Abyss of Darkness and the Starry Sky Battlefield. They don't have the energy to deal with him for now. Besides, the Huangquan Forbidden Domain is hidden deep within the numerous tributaries of the Santu River. Without a Heavenly Venerable level or several Indestructible Infinite cultivators acting together, they simply cannot keep him there."
The wooden ancient ship continued forward, and the corpse water in the Santu River gradually turned blood-red.
The black hand suppressed by Zhang Ruochen under the Shaoyang Divine Mountain showed a slight tremor.
Seeing that Zhang Ruochen was very interested in the blood-red river water, Xue Tu immediately said, "Senior Brother might not know, but the Origin Divine Temple has undergone a mutation, continuously spewing blood from within. Master used Wuchang Ghost City to suppress the Origin Divine Temple, sealing that blood."
"But thirty years have passed, and I recently heard that Wuchang Ghost City is being corroded and can no longer suppress the blood spring within the city."
Gong Nanfeng sneered, "Too talkative! Chen, being Heaven Round Lack Flawless, can see through the heavenly secrets with a single glance. Do you think he doesn't know what you're talking about?"
Xue Tu felt that Gong Nanfeng was too annoying, always going against him. He said angrily, "I've tolerated you for a long time. I am the Great Slaughter War God Emperor, a top-tier great god, and you, a mere artifact spirit, show me no respect at all. If you want to die, I'll grant your wish."
"Chen, save me."
Gong Nanfeng hid behind Zhang Ruochen.
Zhang Ruochen said, "Xue Tu, go to Fengdu Ghost City first and pay respects to your master. Tell him I have arrived."
Xue Tu suppressed his anger and said in surprise, "Senior Brother isn't coming with me?"
Gong Nanfeng poked his head out from behind Zhang Ruochen and said, "Are you stupid? Now that my Chen is Heaven Round Lack Flawless, if he goes to Fengdu Ghost City to meet Feng Tian just because she pressured him, what would that make him? A Heaven Round Lack Flawless has his own dignity."
"How dare you speak of Master like that? Do you still want to cultivate at the Destiny Temple?" Xue Tu said.
Gong Nanfeng said, "What did I say? I deeply admire Feng Tian, but that doesn't mean I can't speak up for Chen. To be honest, this time, Feng Tian really went too far."
Xue Tu glanced at Zhang Ruochen's expression, dared not say more, bowed, and left the ship, heading toward Fengdu Ghost City at the top of the World Tree.
Although what Gong Nanfeng said was not entirely correct, it was mostly accurate.
If Zhang Ruochen went to Fengdu Ghost City to see Feng Tian like this, his aura would be weakened by three points, and he would certainly be quite passive. Negotiating with Feng Tian would then cost him a considerable price.
Wuchang Ghost City stood as majestic as a square black divine mountain, located at a sharp bend of the Santu River. As the wooden ship drew closer, the tall city walls completely blocked the view.
The river water here was even more crimson, exuding a deadly and eerie aura.
Guarding Wuchang Ghost City were the Black Impermanence Lord Master Ming Ye and the White Impermanence Lord Master He Qing, both Ghost Clan Infinite Realm Divine Venerables.
Now, Wuchang Ghost City was already empty of ghosts, its city gates closed, turned into a dead zone.
Neither living beings nor undead could enter.
The divine temples of Ming Ye and He Qing were located to the north and south of Wuchang Ghost City, respectively, sitting on Yin Mountains, with terrain several hundred meters higher.
"Reporting to Lord Master, the southern wall of Wuchang Ghost City has further cracked, and the blood spring is overflowing in large amounts. Array masters from Tiannan and the Destiny Temple are urgently repairing the array patterns, but their spiritual power is insufficient. Some who came into contact with the blood spring have lost their minds and attacked the nearby array masters. The situation is very grim..."
A True God reported to Ming Ye.
Ming Ye, with a cultivation at the peak of Qiankun Infinite, dressed in black, looked like a cultivator in his early thirties, with sharp eyebrows and bright eyes. His ghostly aura was restrained, making him appear like a human cultivator. He said, "How can ordinary array masters repair the formations of Wuchang Ghost City? Doesn't Qingtian know how critical the situation is here?"
That True God said, "Feng Tian did not agree to Qingtian's conditions, so he only sent a few array masters symbolically. He wants to use this matter to force Feng Tian and the gods of the Hell Realm to compromise."
Ming Ye's eyes turned cold, but he was helpless and dared not vent his anger on Qingtian. He said, "Report to Feng Tian again, saying that Wuchang Ghost City can only hold out for at most half a month. Some of the strange blood has already spilled into the Santu River. Eh..."
Ming Ye's divine sense sensed something, and he quickly walked out of the divine temple, looking toward the wide Santu River.
The river section near Wuchang Ghost City had long been empty of ships.
But at this moment, a wooden ship was sailing on it, appearing very conspicuous.
The cultivators stationed outside Wuchang Ghost City all noticed this strange phenomenon and looked over.
Bore and Gong Nanfeng walked down from the ship, arriving at the southern side of Wuchang Ghost City. They stopped a few hundred zhang away from the city wall, not approaching the array light barrier.
There were many array masters gathered nearby, but the one with the highest spiritual power was Yao Guang from Fengdu Ghost City.
Yao Guang, once the imperial consort of the former Five Ghost Emperors, Wen He Ghost Emperor, now had a spiritual power of eighty-fourth rank, just one step away from a single thought determining the universe.
Zhang Ruochen stood in front of Bore and Gong Nanfeng, releasing his spiritual power to carefully study the blood spring seeping from the cracks in the wall and the formations arranged here.
The formations bore the aura of Void Heaven.
Clearly, Void Heaven had participated in sealing Wuchang Ghost City.
But Void Heaven was not skilled in formations and might not have put much effort into it. After thirty years of corrosion, the formations were on the verge of collapse.
With his transcendent spiritual power, the cultivators present could not see Zhang Ruochen at all.
"It's her? What is she doing here?"
"Could it be that the Venerable from the Destiny Temple's Heavenly Fate Department has come? That Venerable's spiritual power is second to none below Heaven Round Lack Flawless."
"Impossible. The Destiny Temple needs someone to sit in charge. If he could come, Feng Tian would have dispatched him long ago."
Yao Guang said, "Everyone, don't forget that if Bore is willing to step forward, she can invite several great spiritual power cultivators. Her arrival is of great significance."
A formation divine master from Tiannan's Life and Death Ruins sneered, "Who are you referring to? The Nie Zang Venerable from White Clothes Valley, or that newly promoted Heaven Round Lack Flawless? I'm afraid neither of them can handle it. The situation at Wuchang Ghost City can only be controlled if Qingtian steps in."
The array masters present nodded slightly.
They knew well how terrifying the evil sealed within Wuchang Ghost City was. Even the formations arranged with Void Heaven's involvement had only lasted thirty years.
In the Hell Realm, the only ones with spiritual power surpassing Void Heaven were Yama Tai Shang and Qingtian.
Yama Tai Shang was in a life-and-death seclusion.
If Qingtian did not step in, who could suppress it?
A white-haired skeleton, hands clasped behind his back, stared at the distant Bore and Gong Nanfeng, chuckling hoarsely, "So what are we waiting for? Hurry up and invite Qingtian! If Wuchang Ghost City breaks and the strange blood spring leaks out, it will be a devastating blow to the entire Santu River Basin and the entire Middle Three Clans."
The formation divine master from Tiannan's Life and Death Ruins glared at him unhappily, "Why are you so excited when mentioning Qingtian?"
He felt the old skeleton's words carried some implication, showing a lack of respect for Qingtian.
"You wouldn't understand. I can't be bothered to talk to you."
The white-haired skeleton shook his head and walked away, soon disappearing without a trace.
Although Ming Ye could not see Zhang Ruochen, his intuition told him that more than just Bore and Gong Nanfeng had come to Wuchang Ghost City. So, he personally rushed over.
"Greetings, Lord Ye."
The gods present all bowed to Ming Ye, making way for him.
Ming Ye passed through the crowd and came before Bore, smiling warmly, "Princess Bore graces Wuchang Ghost City with your presence. What business brings you here?"
Bore slightly bowed to Ming Ye, "In the presence of a Divine Venerable, I dare not claim to be 'graced.'"
Ming Ye shook his head, "Princess Bore is the proud disciple of Nutian Shenzun. In the future, you will at least be a palace master of the Destiny Temple. Your status is so noble? It is more than 'graced'; it should be 'honored.'"
Zhang Ruochen revealed a faint smile and spoke, "Lord Ming Ye, though you walk the ghost path, you are quite clear on worldly affairs."
Hearing Zhang Ruochen's voice but not seeing his figure, Ming Ye's heart shook violently. His smile faded, and he said, "Thank you for the compliment, Imperial Dust. Would Imperial Dust and Princess Bore do me the honor of visiting the Black Impermanence Divine Temple, so that Ming Ye can fulfill the duties of a host?"
"Let's go."
Zhang Ruochen walked out first.
Ming Ye followed.
Entering the Night Impermanence Divine Temple, Ming Ye finally saw Zhang Ruochen's true form. He immediately bowed and said, "Ming Ye implores Imperial Dust to take action and repair the formations of Wuchang Ghost City. If the strange blood spring breaks through the city and flows into the Santu River, the downstream Santu River Basin will be utterly destroyed, dealing a heavy blow to the Middle Three Clans."
Zhang Ruochen did not rush to respond. Instead, he casually sat down on the Divine Venerable seat belonging to Ming Ye and said, "I heard that Qingtian is not taking action because he has some extremely excessive conditions. What exactly are they?"
Ming Ye said, "He wants the Second Adult to be released from prison and sent to guard Wuchang Ghost City, to atone for his crimes through merit."
The Second Adult of Tiannan was one of the Quantity Organization's Quantity Venerables. He was captured at Rakshasa Divine City and later taken by Qingtian to Tiannan's Life and Death Ruins for imprisonment.
Gong Nanfeng laughed, "Is Qingtian so naive? He wants to use this opportunity to absolve the Second Adult of his sins. Chen, do you think this is his true nature, or is he himself a behind-the-scenes giant of the Quantity Organization?"
Zhang Ruochen did not comment, saying, "Lord Ye, provide me with a quiet secret realm. I do not want anyone to know that I have come to Wuchang Ghost City for now."
Ming Ye said, "But the current situation at Wuchang Ghost City..."
"No rush."
"Very well, I will arrange it immediately."
Ming Ye sensed that Zhang Ruochen had other plans and dared not say more.
...
Many readers have called for a new synopsis for "Eternal God Emperor." I tried writing one today, but no matter how I wrote it, it didn't feel right. They say the comments section produces classics. If you have time and are interested, readers can help write one. I'll see if there's a suitable one.