Chapter 3873: A Hundred Birds Paying Homage to the Phoenix
Zhang Ruochen did not enter the center of the formation to disturb Bore's enlightenment. Instead, he sat down at the edge of the Ten Thousand Buddha Formation, beside a Sudarshana Silver Tree.
Buddha light, like rain, scattered down, bringing life to the deathly black soil atop the Yin Mountain. From the cracks in the dirt, white spiritual flowers sprouted one after another.
Zhang Ruochen took out the broken fragments of the Abyssal Ancient Sword.
This sword, like the Blood-Dripping Sword in Chi Yao's hands, was forged from Creation Divine Iron.
However, the attributes of the two swords were completely opposite.
The Abyssal Ancient Sword was a "sword of life," capable of devouring the weapons of the world, raising its own grade, and growing ever stronger.
The Blood-Dripping Sword was a sword of death, able to absorb the blood of all living beings to continuously grow.
Creation Divine Iron was, naturally, a forging material that seized the very essence of heaven and earth. Otherwise, the two swords would not possess such remarkable growth attributes.
But the swordsmith who forged the two swords was not particularly skilled, which led to their difficulty in crossing the threshold of becoming Divine Artifacts.
Now that Zhang Ruochen's spiritual power had reached the ninetieth rank, he had previously attempted artifact forging and quickly gained mastery. Naturally, he now had the idea of reforging the Abyssal Ancient Sword.
Zhang Ruochen planned to directly forge the Abyssal Ancient Sword into a Divine Sword, which was why he had not started rashly.
Forging a Divine Sword was by no means a task that could be accomplished in a single day. There were too many uncertain factors.
Void Heaven had spent his entire life preparing forging materials and only began forging after mastering Sword Twenty-Three. After ten thousand years of effort, the sword was still not complete.
Forging one's own sword, infusing it with one's spirit, qi, and essence, and outlining one's insights into the Sword Dao, would make it the most suitable weapon, allowing one to unleash the strongest combat power.
Zhang Ruochen's previous act of wielding the Abyssal Ancient Sword and collecting the weapons of the world was itself a process of forging and nurturing the sword.
Given the absorption attribute of the Creation Divine Iron, the time Zhang Ruochen would need to forge the sword would naturally not be that long.
Over the years, he had seized countless war artifacts, including Supreme Sacred Artifacts and Divine Artifacts. One could say he was fully prepared.
But there was one matter he still could not decide.
Should he forge the God-Defying Stele into the Abyssal Ancient Sword?
The material of the God-Defying Stele could nullify all inscriptions and rules in the world.
This even included the rules of heaven and earth.
Forging the God-Defying Stele into the Abyssal Ancient Sword would align perfectly with the "Creation Divine Iron's" characteristic of devouring the world's weapons, mutually enhancing each other.
But this also meant that it would be impossible to carve inscriptions inside the Abyssal Ancient Sword.
What would be the power of the forged sword? Could it be called a Divine Sword? Would all the effort be in vain?
Suddenly, thinking of something, Zhang Ruochen took out the Heaven Cauldron, Earth Cauldron, Flood Cauldron, and Witch Cauldron one after another, gazing at them intently.
The Witch Cauldron, also known as the Jade Emperor Cauldron, had once been refined by the Immovable Bright King Great Venerable. Therefore, it contained profound forging inscriptions inside.
But the Heaven Cauldron, Earth Cauldron, and Flood Cauldron had no inscriptions inside. Even if forging inscriptions existed on their surfaces, they had been added by later cultivators.
The lack of inscriptions might be the reason other cultivators could not activate them.
Zhang Ruochen felt a sudden clarity and no longer hesitated.
Hearing footsteps nearby, Zhang Ruochen immediately put away the four cauldrons and the fragments of the Abyssal Ancient Sword, looking up. He saw Yanshu Chan Master, draped in a large red kasaya, striding over.
"Haha! Ming Ye, oh Ming Ye, you still dare to deceive this humble monk? Is that not Emperor Dust?"
Ming Ye Divine Lord could not stop Yanshu Chan Master and quickly walked up to Zhang Ruochen to apologize, saying, "Yanshu Chan Master said he learned from Xue Tu that Emperor Dust had arrived at Wuchang Ghost City and insisted on seeing you. This lord could not stop him."
"It's fine. Yanshu Chan Master is not an outsider. Do not blame yourself for this. Withdraw! By the way, I heard that Wuchang Ghost City has the fire source of the Black and White Yin-Yang Divine Flame. You should have brought it out of the ghost city, right?" Zhang Ruochen said.
Ming Ye Divine Lord was afraid Zhang Ruochen would ask for nothing. Hearing this, he was overjoyed: "The fire source was indeed brought out of the ghost city during the evacuation and is currently stored in the White Impermanence Divine Temple. If Emperor Dust needs it, this lord will go fetch it immediately."
"No rush! After I finish meeting with Yanshu Chan Master, I will go with you to the White Impermanence Divine Temple in person," Zhang Ruochen said.
The speaker had no intention, but the listener took it to heart. Ming Ye Divine Lord nodded, his gaze gradually deepening and firm. "This lord will go ahead and make the arrangements. I will ensure Emperor Dust is satisfied."
Ming Ye Divine Lord strode away, disappearing into the night mist, giving off an air of resolute determination.
Yanshu Chan Master glanced at Ming Ye Divine Lord's retreating figure and said, "This humble monk has heard that the fire source of the Black and White Yin-Yang Divine Flame is the supreme treasure of Wuchang Ghost City, taken from yin and yang, capable of refining all things. Emperor Dust forcibly seizing this treasure will inevitably incur karmic consequences. Why do this?"
Although born of the Underworld Clan, Yanshu Chan Master cultivated Buddhism and therefore could not stand the strong bullying the weak.
Zhang Ruochen extended his hand, signaling Yanshu Chan Master to sit down, and smiled. "Without enmity or grievance, I would never resort to forceful seizure. Ming Ye Divine Lord must have misunderstood. I only wish to borrow the fire source of the Black and White Yin-Yang Divine Flame to forge a sword, nothing more."
"I see. This humble monk has misunderstood Emperor Dust. Amitabha!"
Yanshu Chan Master pressed his palms together in a bow, then sat down generously across from Zhang Ruochen, showing no restraint.
Zhang Ruochen was not in the habit of prying into others' thoughts and could not be bothered to wonder what Ming Ye Divine Lord was thinking. He went straight to the point. "I understand the pressure Nutian Shenzun is under, but if we want to take Gai Mie under our control, we cannot allow his cultivation to recover to the Heavenly Venerable rank. Suppressing him at the peak of Indestructible Infinite is the limit."
Yanshu Chan Master said, "That benefactor Zhang believes that Heavenly Mother has already reached the Half-Ancestor realm, enough to suppress Gai Mie. Moreover, even if Gai Mie recovers to the Heavenly Venerable rank, he possesses little Profound Meaning and is suppressed by the rules of heaven and earth. His combat power will definitely not reach the level of a Heavenly Venerable."
Zhang Ruochen said, "That is precisely what is most terrifying! Because he cannot reach the Heavenly Venerable rank, because he is unwilling to accept it in his heart, he will do everything possible to make up for his shortcomings. Then, he will stop at nothing. Nutian Shenzun can use the Demon Heart of the Great Demon God to make Gai Mie work for him."
"But Ba Er, Jiusi Yitianhuang, and Gu Yanluo might also offer even more tempting conditions to make Gai Mie switch sides."
"There are two secrets Nutian Shenzun might not yet know. First, Gu Yanluo is the vessel for the remnant soul of the Great Demon God. Second, the Nether Prison in the Kunlun Realm has been leaking a large amount of demonic qi. The Great Demon God may not be completely dead."
Yanshu Chan Master's face changed drastically, realizing the gravity of the situation. "I thought that with a Half-Ancestor appearing in the world, Gai Mie would be suppressed and dare not harbor any treacherous thoughts. Now, it seems uncertain. But Gai Mie has already come with this humble monk. I fear he will not easily return to the Abyss of Darkness."
Zhang Ruochen said, "I have already seen him. He is now in Wuchang Ghost City."
"What do we do now? Gai Mie has devoured the Desolate Moon and can absorb the blood qi in Wuchang Ghost City. His cultivation will inevitably recover rapidly. Is it too late to stop him now?" Yanshu Chan Master said.
Zhang Ruochen said, "Unless Heavenly Mother comes in person, any attempt to stop him will inevitably lead to a battle that will destroy Wuchang Ghost City."
"No, absolutely not."
Yanshu Chan Master said, "The reason that benefactor Zhang agreed to let Gai Mie handle the matters of Wuchang Ghost City was because he knew the situation here was critical. Once the strange blood spring surges into the Santu River and flows downstream, it will pour into the Nether Purgatory, and the entire Underworld Clan will be destroyed!"
The Nether Purgatory, left behind by the Nether Ancestor, was located at the lower reaches of the Santu River basin, connected to the star domain where the Underworld Clan resided. It was composed of eighteen major worlds.
Only by entering the Nether Purgatory could cultivators of the Middle Three Clans have a chance to transform into the Underworld Clan.
Cultivators of the Middle Three Clans could not reproduce, but the Underworld Clan could.
This was a place where life and death were reversed!
Of course, the Underworld Clan were not living beings, but they were no longer dead spirits. They were a unique race born together with the Nether Ancestor, not created by heaven and earth.
The significance of the Nether Purgatory to the Underworld Clan was equivalent to the significance of the Shura War Spirit Sea to the Shura Clan.
Zhang Ruochen said, "Chan Master, do not be so alarmed. Gai Mie and the strange blood spring in Wuchang Ghost City will be dealt with by me."
Yanshu Chan Master calmed his mind slightly. He naturally knew that the man before him was already an existence standing at the pinnacle of the universe, but he was still a little uneasy. "The Yellow Spring Great Emperor is watching covetously. We must not act rashly and let him reap the benefits. Additionally, that Corpse Ancestor is also gathering power. We must be on guard."
"I understand! The winds are high and the waters are swift on the Santu River. Chan Master should return to the Abyss of Darkness as soon as possible."
Zhang Ruochen took out a Heaven-Perfecting Concealment Talisman he had personally condensed and handed it over. "The world is not peaceful. Take this as a precaution."
Yanshu Chan Master naturally would not stand on ceremony with Zhang Ruochen. He accepted the talisman and said, "If you have time, come visit the Kongming Realm. Actually, never mind. It's better if you don't come, to avoid adding unnecessary troubles."
Clearly, this did not refer to Zhang Ruochen adding troubles to himself.
Zhang Ruochen's mind first conjured the figure of Jue Miao Chan Nu, then Feng Xi, who was cultivating under Jue Miao Chan Nu. "After matters here are concluded, I will make a trip to the Kongming Realm."
The Kongming Realm was connected to the Abyss of Darkness, replacing the Darkness Temple to resist the Primordial Beings.
Xue Hou and Underworld King were both in Nutian Shenzun's camp.
How could Zhang Ruochen not go?
As for the Mani Pearl, Zhang Ruochen was not at ease entrusting it to Yanshu Chan Master to carry back to the Kongming Realm, fearing it would bring harm to him.
Yanshu Chan Master stood up, brushed the dust off his robes, and seemed to remember something. "Do you know that old man from the Zhang Clan of the Kunlun Realm visited the Kongming Realm not long ago?"
"Oh!"
Zhang Ruochen showed a surprised expression, not expecting Chi Yao to have actually tricked Jie Tian into going to the Abyss of Darkness.
Zhang Ruochen said, "Nothing happened, did it?"
"The two benefactors Zhang had a huge argument. No one dared to get close. This humble monk only vaguely heard Jie Tian mention ancestor worship and Kong Faning. In the end, he was kicked out of the Kongming Realm by that benefactor Zhang of mine."
Yanshu Chan Master always referred to Nutian Shenzun as "benefactor Zhang." This contained both his dissatisfaction with Nutian Shenzun and his understanding of the Immovable Bright King Great Venerable.
After all, Yanshu Chan Master was closer to the Sixth Patriarch, believed more in karma, and did not have a strong resentment towards the Zhang Clan of the Kunlun Realm.
Before leaving, Yanshu Chan Master mentioned another matter to Zhang Ruochen. Many Primordial Beings had broken through the defenses of the Hell Realm and had already infiltrated the Yellow Spring Star River.
...
When Mu Lingxi arrived, outside the Ten Thousand Buddha Formation, over a hundred strange birds flew together, chirping joyfully, like a hundred birds paying homage to a phoenix.
The souls of the hundred birds flew out from over a hundred Divine Sources.
At the very center was an ice phoenix with bright feathers and a spirited demeanor, its divine light dazzling, radiating a chill.
Zhang Ruochen sat in the center of the hundred birds, staring at her from afar, smiling in admiration. "Senior Sister Duanmu is becoming more and more spirited, quite bearing the style of a palace master."
Mu Lingxi's lake-green robe dragged across the ground covered in small white flowers. She held her hands behind her back, her ten fingers intertwined and twisting, her chin raised as she watched the bird souls flying around.
"Who said that? I am no palace master. I just do some odd jobs for Feng Tian!"
She then cleared her throat and said, "Emperor Dust has set up such a grand formation and released so many Divine Sources and souls. What are you planning to do?"
"Do you like it?" Zhang Ruochen asked.
Mu Lingxi said, "I do like it, but what does it have to do with me?"
Zhang Ruochen stood up and walked over. "This is the Hundred Birds Paying Homage to the Phoenix Divine Formation, seized from Xie Tianyi, the vice palace master of the Formation Destruction Palace, and then repaired and consecrated by me. As for the hundred birds paying homage to the phoenix, they are naturally paying homage to the most beautiful little phoenix!"
Mu Lingxi felt as sweet as if she had stolen honey, but deliberately pretended not to understand, exclaiming, "Are you talking about Feng Tian?"
"She is a big phoenix."
Zhang Ruochen had already arrived in front of Mu Lingxi, his gaze extremely aggressive, not giving her a chance to look away. "I had no choice before, and I was worried I couldn't protect you. Now, I think I have the strength to hold up a sky for you. Come with me!"
Mu Lingxi was half a head shorter than Zhang Ruochen. She stared at him infatuatedly. "But Master..."
"I will talk to Feng Tian."
Zhang Ruochen had full confidence to force Feng Tian to release her.
Not just Mu Lingxi, but also Ming Emperor.
Mu Lingxi was naturally a thousand times willing. She nodded gently. "But Master has no hostility towards you, me, or Senior Qi Tian. You can discuss things with her properly."
Zhang Ruochen said, "Are you here to speak for her?"
Mu Lingxi immediately shook her head. "I am worried that there might be misunderstandings between you, exploited by others. The current situation on the Santu River requires you and Master to join forces to deal with it. You must not develop mutual suspicion. There is a question I do not know if I should ask."
Zhang Ruochen sighed inwardly, knowing that because he had reached Heaven-Perfecting, all cultivators' attitudes towards him had subtly changed.
This was inevitable!
Zhang Ruochen grabbed Mu Lingxi's hand and said softly, "Lingxi, no matter how this world changes, with me, you can speak your mind freely."
Mu Lingxi was the most emotional. Hearing this, her eyes were already misty with tears.
A long time passed before her heart calmed down. She then explained the reason Feng Tian had detained Ming Emperor.
Although it was just her speculation, she and Feng Tian had once been one, with a subtle connection between them. Mu Lingxi believed she understood Feng Tian very well, and Feng Tian was not a person who liked to hide her heart.
"That old ghost Void is really this shameless?"
Zhang Ruochen had heard some rumors before but did not think they were true, believing them to be the Quantity Organization's method of sowing discord between him, Void Heaven, and Feng Tian.
Who would have thought that Void Heaven had actually dug such a big pit for him in front of the gods?
Using the "Fate Heavenly Scripture" in Feng Tian's hands to trade for the hand of the Immortal?
"Old ghost Void, just you wait."
Zhang Ruochen had long felt this matter was suspicious. Now, it was solved.
Mu Lingxi said, "Master said that the 'Fate Heavenly Scripture' was originally retrieved by you, so it was perfectly reasonable for you to use it to trade with Void Heaven. But Qi Tian was a traitor to the Destiny Temple. He released Yunshen Daozhu, and many cultivators of the Destiny Temple died in that battle. He must be dealt with according to the laws in the 'Fate Heavenly Scripture,' otherwise, it would be impossible to convince the masses. Everything is a matter of official business."
"Maybe... go and explain to Feng Tian?"
Zhang Ruochen shook his head. "Don't you know Feng Tian's personality? Even if we explain clearly, she won't release him. Once she releases him, it would be like telling others that she misunderstood me, that she was wrong. Do you think Feng Tian is someone who admits her mistakes? She will only respond with an even more forceful attitude, telling me again that it's official business. Releasing him would be even harder!"
"Then what do we do?" Mu Lingxi said.
Zhang Ruochen said, "Then let's handle it as official business! After all, I am the Lord of the Sword Realm, not a Heavenly Lord of the Hell Realm. What does the matter of Wuchang Ghost City have to do with me?"