# Chapter 3871: The Supreme Third Pillar
A Boundless-level confrontation was difficult to end in a short time.
Zhang Ruochen and Gong Nanfeng hid beneath the blood spring, listening to the various intense sounds from the Tongtian Tower above. Both closed their eyes to rest, but whether they were picturing alluring scenes in their minds, only they themselves knew.
Zhang Ruochen had dealt with Gai Mie before and knew him to be a world-shaking demon lord who prioritized his own interests above all else, acting impulsively and following his own path.
The reason he had not made a move was not because Zhang Ruochen dared not strike. First, Zhang Ruochen and Gai Mie had no direct enmity, so there was no need to create an enemy for himself.
Second, once cultivators of their level clashed, the formations of Wuchang Ghost City might not be able to withstand it.
Once Wuchang Ghost City collapsed and the strange blood spring surged into the Santu River, that would definitely not be a result Zhang Ruochen wanted.
An unknown amount of time passed, and finally, silence fell above.
"Let's go!"
The Taiji Four Symbols Diagram Seal wrapped around the two of them, rushing out of the blood spring, flying straight up, and landing on the top of the Tongtian Tower.
The clouds parted and the mist dispersed. Looking up, one could see the stars filling the sky and Fengdu Ghost City at the top of the World Tree.
Gai Mie bared his upper body, his muscle contours distinct, his demonic physique standing like an iron tower, exuding an indestructible aura. He calmly watched the two who had flown up from below.
At his feet, shattered white gauze and white netting lay scattered all over the ground.
Gai Mie looked toward He Qing, who had already fled without a trace, and laughed: "Weak physique, yet dressed so provocatively. To serve a demon with one's body, one must have the capital. See? She ran away like this? If I hadn't known you were here, I would have captured her and dealt with her for a few more days."
Gong Nanfeng could not stand Gai Mie's unrestrained and ferocious demeanor and said: "Why must the Supreme Pillar make things difficult for a woman? Look at our Imperial Dust, how he cherishes and pities the fairer sex."
"He cherishes and pities the fairer sex? He killed Fei Ma Wang!"
As the last word fell, Gai Mie's aura surged violently, his gaze turning sharp and fierce. Endless demonic qi instantly enveloped the area above Wuchang Ghost City.
Dark and cold, the wind and killing intent were sharp.
Thousands upon thousands of purple lightning pillars flashed within the demon clouds, their ferocious power seeming ready to tear apart time and space.
"Damn it, Fei Ma Wang must have been his lover."
Gong Nanfeng was so frightened that he immediately burrowed into the Celestial Pivot Needle.
Demon patterns and lightning flickered on Gai Mie's body. He instantly appeared before Zhang Ruochen and punched out, causing space to cave in and then shatter.
Zhang Ruochen's body erupted with billions of talisman patterns, evolving the Imperial Talisman Heaven and Earth.
He also punched out, clashing with Gai Mie.
Although Zhang Ruochen's martial path had not yet broken into the Indestructible Infinite, his Indestructible Dharma Body had already made tremendous breakthroughs compared to before. Thunderous sounds rumbled within his body.
"Boom!"
Talisman light and demon clouds exploded, the Tongtian Tower turned into rubble, and collapsed with a roar.
Gai Mie and Zhang Ruochen had already separated.
The former landed on the top of a hexagonal flying-eave tower that was more than half submerged by the blood spring. Zhang Ruochen retreated to a broken wall of the Origin Divine Temple, beside which rolled a surging blood waterfall.
At the former location of the Tongtian Tower, a large area of space had collapsed, connecting to the Void World.
But the Void World had been arranged by Void Heaven, with countless corpse rivers flowing within. In each corpse river flowed formation inscriptions, binding the two realms.
Gai Mie did not attack again. His eyes, burning like fire, were filled with an expression of disbelief. "I didn't expect that after a few days apart, you already possess such combat power. It seems the rumors are not false."
The Taiji Four Symbols Diagram Seal floated above, like a mark of heaven and earth, its Dao charm infinite, making Zhang Ruochen appear exceptionally otherworldly.
Zhang Ruochen said: "I also didn't expect that the Supreme Pillar, once a prisoner, has already restored his cultivation to this level. Even more unexpected, the dignified Supreme Pillar actually has no pride and cooperates with his own enemy."
Back then, Gai Mie was lured by Ziren Ghost Emperor to the Yellow Spring Forbidden Zone and nearly became the nourishment of the Yellow Spring Great Emperor.
It was precisely because he knew of this enmity between Gai Mie and the Yellow Spring Great Emperor that Zhang Ruochen had not chosen to retreat earlier. Instead, he intended to meet Gai Mie and find out what his true purpose was.
The clash of their strikes just now erupted within the talisman light and demon qi clouds, causing no damage to Wuchang Ghost City.
Clearly, both were very restrained.
This undoubtedly strengthened Zhang Ruochen's speculation that Gai Mie must have other motives.
"Whoosh!"
Gai Mie landed on the top of another broken wall of the Origin Divine Temple, only a few dozen zhang away from Zhang Ruochen. The corners of his mouth lifted: "If I were truly cooperating with the Yellow Spring Great Emperor, Wuchang Ghost City would have long been shattered. Do you know why the Yellow Spring Great Emperor wants to destroy Wuchang Ghost City?"
Zhang Ruochen said: "Are you saying that the Yellow Spring Great Emperor's goal is not just to release the strange blood spring and erode the Santu River domain?"
Gai Mie said: "Using the strange blood spring to corrupt the Santu River basin would bring him limited benefits, at most only damaging Feng Caiyi's prestige."
"His true purpose is to take advantage of the chaos here, making Feng Caiyi unable to attend to both sides, forcing her to leave Fengdu Ghost City and rush here. Then, he can calmly enter Fengdu Ghost City and seize the Ancestor Realm he left behind in the past."
"By reclaiming the Ancestor Realm, his cultivation can rapidly break through, allowing him to contend with the most top-tier experts of the current era."
"It is precisely because the Half-Ancestors of this era have brought him too much pressure that he must seize the Ancestor Realm as quickly as possible. That is why he sent He Qing to urge me."
Zhang Ruochen nodded slightly and said: "And why hasn't the Supreme Pillar destroyed Wuchang Ghost City?"
Gai Mie appeared very candid, saying: "Because the blood spring surging from the Origin Divine Temple can help me restore my cultivation. Why not take advantage of the standoff between Feng Caiyi and the Yellow Spring Great Emperor to cultivate here in peace? Isn't that delightful?"
"You can absorb the strange blood spring?"
Zhang Ruochen squinted his eyes, a hint of suspicion in them.
"The strange power contained in this blood spring is indeed terrifying. Any substance containing spirituality or inscriptions that touches it will turn into blood sand."
Gai Mie waved his hand, tossing a palm-sized demon artifact toward the blood waterfall.
As soon as the demon artifact touched the blood, it began to decompose with a hissing sound, turning into grains of blood-red sand.
The inscriptions inside the artifact were also devoured and obliterated.
The closer to the Origin Divine Temple, the more concentrated and terrifying the strange power in the blood spring clearly became.
What flowed outside had already been diluted.
Gai Mie changed the subject, saying: "But I swallowed the desolate moon above the Ancient Desolate Ruins City, and the demon pill I formed outside my divine source can absorb this blood spring. Do you know why?"
Zhang Ruochen said: "What connection does the desolate moon have with the Dark Weirdness?"
Gai Mie said: "That desolate moon was left behind by Bai Yuan, one of the Nine Great Witch Ancestors, in the ancient era. You should be very clear about the relationship between the Dark Weirdness and Bai Yuan."
Zhang Ruochen's heart trembled slightly, but his face remained unchanged. "The Supreme Pillar is telling me such a secret. It seems you have a favor to ask?"
Gai Mie's expression became extremely vivid, and he laughed uproariously: "I don't ask favors from anyone, but I can cooperate with you a little."
"How to cooperate?" Zhang Ruochen said.
Gai Mie said: "Although Bai Yuan and the Dark Weirdness have an extraordinary connection, their powers are still different. The desolate moon can absorb the blood spring, but it cannot obliterate the strange power contained within it. However, you can use the Earth Cauldron to refine the strangeness with your origin power."
Zhang Ruochen suddenly understood in his heart. No wonder Gai Mie had not absorbed large amounts of the blood spring here.
Think back to when he swallowed the desolate moon in one gulp. If he could refine the strange power in the blood spring, he would probably have devoured even the Origin Divine Temple by now.
Zhang Ruochen lowered his head and smiled faintly: "If I really let you refine the blood of the Dark Weirdness, your cultivation would probably not stop at just recovering to the Heavenly Venerable level. By then, how could I be your opponent? Why would I cultivate a strong enemy for myself?"
Gai Mie said: "We are friends, not enemies."
"Not enemies is still uncertain. Friends—where does that come from?" Zhang Ruochen said.
Gai Mie said: "Do you know who my true ally is? It is Nutian Shenzun, who sits in the Abyss of Darkness. If you don't believe me, you can go ask Yanshu Chan Master of the White Clothes Valley. He came to the Santu River basin with me and has currently gone to Fengdu Ghost City to visit Feng Caiyi."
A strange expression appeared in Zhang Ruochen's eyes.
It was indeed possible that Gai Mie had formed an alliance with Nutian Shenzun.
After all, they shared a common enemy—the Twelve Ancient Clans.
The Twelve Ancient Clans' hatred for the Seventy-Two Pillar Demon Gods was beyond measure. The humiliating title of "Strange Beasts" was forcibly imposed on them by the Great Demon God and the Seventy-Two Pillar Demon Gods.
Gai Mie said: "Zhang Ruochen, if you help me, I will help you and Feng Caiyi eliminate the Yellow Spring Great Emperor. That way, everyone gets what they want. Isn't that perfect?"
"Why should I eliminate the Yellow Spring Great Emperor? What benefit is it to me?" Zhang Ruochen said.
Gai Mie showed a surprised expression, then laughed: "Who in the world doesn't know about your relationship with Feng Caiyi? Even a woman who primarily cultivates the path of death can be won over—I have to admire that a little."
Seeing Zhang Ruochen frown, Gai Mie restrained his smile and said: "Although the Yellow Spring Great Emperor is ambitious, there is one thing he said very correctly. Compared to the Dark Calamity that has destroyed countless powerful civilizations in history, the threat of people like us is nothing at all."
"Let me absorb the blood spring here. Isn't that eliminating a major hidden danger? When the Dark Calamity comes, the first person it will target will be me, not you."
"If matters in the world were that simple, it would be far too easy."
Leaving these words behind, Zhang Ruochen turned into a beam of light and flew out of Wuchang Ghost City.
Gai Mie did not expect Zhang Ruochen to leave so decisively, saying: "I have always kept my word. If you don't believe me, go ask Meng Ge. The terms can still be negotiated."
Flying out of Wuchang Ghost City, Zhang Ruochen's aura was restrained once more.
Because of the obstruction of numerous formations, the cultivators outside the city did not know about the two Boundless-level confrontations that had just occurred inside.
Gong Nanfeng flew out of the Celestial Pivot Needle and said: "What Gai Mie said actually makes some sense. Why not take this opportunity to create a strong enemy for the Dark Calamity?"
Zhang Ruochen's gaze fell on him.
Gong Nanfeng said: "Did I say something wrong? I know, you must think I have no reverence for the so-called Supreme Pillar. With you here, what reverence do I need?"
Zhang Ruochen moved his gaze away from him, looking toward the White Impermanence Divine Temple at the top of the Yin Mountain in the distance.
In the temple, ghost fire burned white, figures flickered, giving off an atmosphere of unpredictability and intrigue.
"Let's go back to the Black Impermanence Divine Temple first. This matter is not that simple; I need to discuss it with Feng Tian." Zhang Ruochen said.
Gong Nanfeng caught up with Zhang Ruochen's steps, saying: "To discuss it with Feng Tian, you two need to meet first, right? If you keep sulking like this, it's easy for others to take advantage. Look at Ming Ye Divine Venerable... bah, bah, I mean, since all the cultivators in the world already know about you and Feng Tian, you might as well make it official! Let's go find Feng Tian right now and tell her directly: if she wants my Imperial Dust to help resolve the crisis in Wuchang Ghost City, she has to marry me."
"One is the Lord of the Sword Realm, the other is the Death Heavenly Queen. From now on, the Destiny Temple will be moved to the Sword Realm. A strong alliance—how can we not defeat a Dark Weirdness? I think Feng Tian definitely likes you to be direct and decisive. You need to learn this from Gai Mie. Wait for me... Chen, did you hear what I said?"