Chapter 3887: Determination to Die
Zhang Ruochen certainly did not believe that the Nether Realm Nation, cultivated by Qishier Pin Lian using only a doppelganger to control her true body, could withstand the power of Myriad Forms Formless.
As she had said, the Dark Weirdness was only a small part, yet its strength had already surpassed the level of a Half-Ancestor. And the Dark Hand was also a small part of the Dark Weirdness.
"Is this the hand of the Supreme Darkness?"
A strange light flickered in Qishier Pin Lian's eyes, clearly indicating a strong inner turmoil.
Her five-colored mud hand pointed out into the void. Dao techniques scattered outward, and rules interwove. Instantly, a winding, brilliant River of Time manifested, avoiding the Dark Hand and coiling around the Heavenly God Lock.
She had discerned that Zhang Ruochen was using the Heavenly God Lock to control the Dark Hand.
Since she could not block the power of the Dark Hand, she would attack the Heavenly God Lock instead, disrupting Zhang Ruochen's control over it.
"Shua!"
Talons of light surged like an ocean beneath Zhang Ruochen's feet. His form shifted, and in an instant, he appeared before Qishier Pin Lian.
He fully mobilized his spiritual power, combining it with the Emperor Talisman.
He was fierce and decisive, his blood energy surging like a rainbow. With a single punch, he shattered the time barrier Qishier Pin Lian had set up before her, and his fist landed heavily on her body.
Qishier Pin Lian flew backward like a cannonball. The light of her Dao techniques dimmed, her body completely transformed into a five-colored mud figure, and many cracks appeared on its surface.
Zhang Ruochen did not engage her in a prolonged fight. After shattering the River of Time coiled around the Heavenly God Lock, he shouted, "Get out of here quickly! Qishier Pin Lian's true body will arrive soon."
Zhang Ruochen regrouped with Feng Tian. Using the Thunder Clan Ancestor Realm and the Myriad Forms Formless Seal, they broke through the Nether Realm Nation and shot out as two beams of light.
No sooner had they flown out of the Nether Realm Nation than they sensed an even stronger aura.
Gazing at the starry sky, they saw a shadow of the Nether Ancestor, seemingly as vast as the universe itself, standing amidst the sea of stars. It possessed both the sanctity of a Buddha and the ferocity of a demon.
All the stars, even those hundreds of millions of miles in diameter, appeared before the Nether Ancestor's shadow like tiny, sparkling gems.
Besides the Nether Ancestor's shadow, a towering Nether City hung above their heads.
Its pitch-black city walls exuded an aura of death.
Behind them stretched a Nether River, spanning the north and south of the universe, as wide as the Santu River, flowing with all kinds of rules and order.
At this moment, Zhang Ruochen finally understood why Feng Tian had charged into the Nether Realm Nation earlier. This entire star domain was under Qishier Pin Lian's control. There was no difference between being inside or outside the Nether Realm Nation.
Zhang Ruochen extended his spiritual power in all directions and quickly located Qishier Pin Lian's true body. She stood atop the Nether City, stepping on a lotus platform, with a Buddhist halo behind her back. She was breathtakingly beautiful, like a compassionate Bodhisattva looking down upon mortals.
She spoke in a nearly reproachful tone: "Feng'er, you should not be so close to a man of the Zhang Clan. Cultivating the Path of Death yet being moved by emotions ensures you will never reach the ultimate extreme of the Great Dao."
Surprisingly, Feng Tian did not retort. She looked proudly at the sky and said, "I will choose my own path for the future. I need no one's interference."
"Come with me. Your future belongs to a higher sky," Qishier Pin Lian said.
Feng Tian asked, "Is the higher sky you speak of the Dark Weirdness? Or is it another means for you to use me?"
Zhang Ruochen looked at Feng Tian in surprise. She had completely burned her bridges with Qishier Pin Lian, leaving no room for reconciliation.
Given their current predicament, pretending to go along with Qishier Pin Lian seemed the only way to survive.
But Feng Tian was Feng Tian—straightforward, charging forward without looking back, never leaving herself an escape route.
After a long silence, Qishier Pin Lian said, "You are still so stubborn! But you should understand that even if you two join forces, your chances of breaking through the layers of worlds here are less than one in ten."
"As long as there is a chance, I will fight to the death."
Feng Tian's bright and determined eyes glanced at Zhang Ruochen.
Without any words needed, Zhang Ruochen understood. His divine heart ignited directly, his spiritual power becoming incredibly active. He then activated the Emperor Talisman even brighter, a layer of flame appearing on all its talismanic patterns.
Feng Tian also burned the divine blood within her, her aura continuously rising.
If Feng Tian had not given the Gate of Death to Zhang Ruochen, the two of them would indeed have had a fighting chance to strive for that less-than-one-in-ten opportunity.
But now, Feng Tian's combat power was far below her peak.
And Zhang Ruochen, having obtained the Gate of Death, could only use it as a hidden means to resist being taken over, unable to wield much of its power.
If he were to return the Gate of Death to Feng Tian now, the process would be fraught with danger, and Qishier Pin Lian would surely take advantage of it.
That would be a certain death sentence.
It could be said that, given Zhang Ruochen and Feng Tian's current state, fighting Qishier Pin Lian was a hopeless endeavor. They could never break through the layers of worlds she had constructed.
Therefore, their only option was to burn their spiritual power and divine blood, displaying a determination to face death as if it were a return home, in the hope of intimidating Qishier Pin Lian into retreating.
Because Qishier Pin Lian could trap them and kill them, but she would never have absolute certainty of stopping them both from self-destructing their divine source and divine heart.
Flames burned in Zhang Ruochen's eyes. He said, "Qishier Pin Lian, you should also understand that we both have unyielding hearts. If you want to kill us, then we will die together. Feng'er, today we will be buried here with her."
Feng Tian rolled her eyes. Using the Thunder Clan Ancestor Realm to protect herself, she wielded the Thunder God Hammer and struck out a divine lightning bolt dozens of miles thick, attacking the Nether City in the sky first.
"Even by burning my divine blood, I can only unleash less than ten strikes at my peak strength. After ten strikes, she will surely see through our bluff. Before that, I must make her see our determination to die and force her to retreat."
Feng Tian transmitted her voice to Zhang Ruochen.
Zhang Ruochen asked, "What if she doesn't retreat within ten strikes?"
"Then, as you said, we will be buried here with her. That will be our only choice! A heart determined to die is not something to be faked; it must be real."
Feng Tian spread a pair of dazzling Phoenix Wings on her back, each feather like a world of flames, and flew straight toward the Nether City.
Facing the divine lightning Feng Tian struck with all her might, Qishier Pin Lian remained calm and composed. She waved her white sleeve lightly, creating a sea of time light.
The divine lightning charged into the sea of time light, slowing down more and more as it was eroded by time.
On the other side, Zhang Ruochen struck out with the Myriad Forms Formless Seal, shaking the starry sky, but it was blocked by the Nether Ancestor's shadow.
That Nether Ancestor's shadow, as tall as the universe, was a concrete manifestation of Qishier Pin Lian's entire "Nether Book" Dao technique, filled with the power of order.
Zhang Ruochen felt as if the Heavenly God Lock, the Universe Cauldron, and the Dark Hand were about to be devoured by the Nether Ancestor's shadow. His body was uncontrollably being pulled toward the shadow's interior.
"Space Reversal."
He released the "Vanishing Star Sea." In the sea of stars, all the stars were burning. Countless space rules and light rules flowed rapidly, surging toward the Universe Cauldron on the back of the Dark Hand.
With a roar, a portion of the Nether Ancestor's shadow was shattered, and Zhang Ruochen successfully broke free from Qishier Pin Lian's Dao technique.
"Too strong! The strongest attacks Feng Tian and I are unleashing with all our might are causing negligible damage to the Nether City and the Nether Ancestor's shadow."
Zhang Ruochen seriously doubted that he and Feng Tian could even last ten strikes.
Because Qishier Pin Lian simultaneously cultivated all eight volumes of the "Nether Book." Besides the Nether City and the Nether Ancestor's shadow, there were six other realms and phenomena. And the eight volumes of the "Nether Book" were only a fraction of her power.
Qishier Pin Lian stood calmly atop the Nether City. She said, "Do you think that, with your spiritual power and divine soul strength, you can force a mutual destruction against a Heavenly Venerable-level opponent? You are being too naive!"
"Great Compassionate Hand!"
The Buddhist light on her body intensified several times. She raised her left hand, her slender fingers forming the Demon-Subduing Seal, and struck downward into the void.
"Boom!"
This hand seal landed in the space between Zhang Ruochen and Feng Tian, not even hitting their true bodies. Yet both of them felt as if their physical bodies were about to be torn to shreds.
They simultaneously spat out divine blood, their bodies flying backward at light speed.
"Nether Light Curse!"
Qishier Pin Lian gave them no time to catch their breath. She uttered these three words from her crimson lips.
Rings of Nether light radiated from her pupils.
Zhang Ruochen quickly stabilized his body from the residual force of the Great Compassionate Hand. He sensed the power of the curse swirling around him. Nether mist and Nether light surged in from all directions, layer upon layer, obscuring his vision and devouring his perception.
He himself was proficient in the Nether Light Curse and knew well that once bound by the Nether light, it would be extremely difficult to break free. Self-destructing his divine heart would then be unlikely to harm Qishier Pin Lian.
This was perhaps the curse that posed the greatest threat to him!
Because the curse only swirled around him, not penetrating his body. It was a type of binding curse technique.
"Break!"
Zhang Ruochen drew a circle with both hands, supporting the Taiji Four Symbols Diagram Seal, continuously absorbing the surging Nether mist and Nether light.
He used the Wuji Divine Dao to gather ten thousand types of Dao technique rules, merging and absorbing the power of the curse.
This was the method of embracing all rivers!
Zhang Ruochen partially unsealed the Dark Hand.
"Clatter, clatter!"
The Dark Hand, coiled around the Heavenly God Lock, spiraled up around Zhang Ruochen's body. The Universe Cauldron embedded in the back of the hand absorbed strands of blood from the Dark Hand, forming a net-like pattern on the cauldron's body.
The Universe Cauldron shone brightly, shaking heaven and earth, causing the spatial veins of the entire star domain to manifest.
With a furious roar from Zhang Ruochen, a violent spatial force surged from the Myriad Forms Formless Seal in the palm of the Dark Hand, striking toward Qishier Pin Lian atop the Nether City.
Qishier Pin Lian frowned slightly. She formed seals with both hands, and thousands of hand shadows appeared behind her, striking out with Lotus Hand Seals.
The Myriad Forms Formless Seal and the Lotus Hand Seals clashed in the void. The resulting ripples caused the Nether City, the Nether Ancestor's shadow, the Nether River, and the Nether Realm Nation to shake violently.
Zhang Ruochen trembled, his bones cracking loudly, as if he were about to be crushed by the spatial force he himself had unleashed.
Qishier Pin Lian was unable to attend to everything at once. On the other side, Feng Tian manifested her Phoenix true body. Her wings spread out, spanning who knows how many millions of miles, breaking through the suppression of the Nether Light Curse.
One divine artifact after another, under her control, crashed toward the Nether City.
"Bang! Bang!"
The roar of explosions rose and fell continuously above the Nether City.
"Imperial Dust, Feng Tian, we are here!"
The Buddhist sound was resonant, and Buddhist script shot into the sky. A dazzling silver Buddhist light rose from beneath the Nether River.
Silver Buddhas and silver trees, each the size of a mountain, formed a massive divine formation, spinning rapidly and colliding with the Nether River.
Within the Ten Thousand Buddha Formation, Wan Zunshen's soul array spirit and Bore stood beneath the Gui Ruler. Mu Lingxi, Blood Leaf Wutong, Yan Ju, Qi Tian, and other gods of the Death Divine Palace stood at various nodes of the formation, pouring out their divine energy to drive the array.
Qishier Pin Lian had sealed off the entire star domain, naturally trapping them inside as well.
"I, the Emperor, have arrived!"
Xiao Hei, who had long since awakened and was pretending to be dead on the "Stone" Character Flag Divine Ship, could no longer keep up the act. He immediately rushed into the Ten Thousand Buddha Formation with Cang Jue to help drive the formation.
Xiao Hei was not as unreliable as usual. He was a spiritual power god venerable with profound formation mastery, greatly increasing the power of the Ten Thousand Buddha Formation.
Qishier Pin Lian glanced lightly at the Ten Thousand Buddha Formation and said, "The Land of Ultimate Bliss, I have long desired to take it."
Seventy-two lotus petals appeared beneath her feet, crystal clear and radiant, then transformed into seventy-two petal worlds, breaking the spatial suppression of the Universe Cauldron and the Myriad Forms Formless Seal.
As Qishier Pin Lian's seventy-two worlds expanded outward, Zhang Ruochen and Feng Tian were pushed back again.
This time, Zhang Ruochen was more severely injured. Over a dozen divine bones were broken, and all his internal organs were shattered, including his heart, which had become a bloody mess.
He had already suffered backlash from partially unsealing the Dark Hand and activating the Universe Cauldron and the Myriad Forms Formless Seal.
At the same time, the Ten Thousand Buddha Formation was struck by the Nether River and fell straight toward the Nether Realm Nation. All the cultivators in the formation were severely injured and collapsed to the ground.
Fortunately, the defense of the Land of Ultimate Bliss prevented them from falling.
"Then let it be mutual destruction!"
Zhang Ruochen took out the Mani Pearl. Using his ninetieth-level spiritual power, he activated the Six Desires of the Human World within the pearl, releasing Brahma Fire to prevent Qishier Pin Lian from casting another curse.
His eyes turned bloodshot, his long hair wildly dancing, and his killing intent surged as he stared at Qishier Pin Lian. He fully ignited his determination to die, no longer harboring any illusions as before.
If there was truly no other choice, he would take Qishier Pin Lian with him in death.
"Mani Pearl! Excellent. Today, after dealing with you and seizing the items on your bodies, I will possess combat power comparable to a Half-Ancestor."
Qishier Pin Lian finally became somewhat serious. Her divine consciousness locked onto Zhang Ruochen. Her gaze turned sharp, radiating cold light. Then, her true body flew out of the Nether City.
This was a close-quarters engagement to quickly end the battle.
Zhang Ruochen felt the pressure multiply. He could clearly sense billions of orders interweaving around him. Invisibly, time and curses continuously assaulted his defenses.
He could clearly perceive his lifespan rapidly draining away. Even though he himself was a master of time, he could not withstand Qishier Pin Lian's time attacks.
Any other Infinite Realm cultivator would be killed in an instant—either dying of old age or being cursed to death.
But just as Qishier Pin Lian flew out of the Nether City, these orders, time forces, and curse forces became chaotic and disordered.
A pained expression appeared on Qishier Pin Lian's always calm and serene face. The green lotus mark on her brow dimmed, and her figure became unsteady.
"What is this..."
Zhang Ruochen did not know what had happened, but he knew this was the perfect opportunity to strike.
He struck out with his palm. The endless talismanic patterns of the Emperor Talisman turned into a dazzling torrent, crashing into Qishier Pin Lian.
Even the seventy-two lotus worlds Qishier Pin Lian had manifested were shattered by the talismanic patterns.
Her figure retreated explosively, her face pale as death.
She raised her arm and looked at it. Her skin was actually withering.
This caused a drastic change in her expression. Ever since she had taken over Qishier Pin Lian's body back then and abandoned Kong Faning's physical form, the Withering Death Art had never recurred.
Now...
What was going on?
Zhang Ruochen pressed his advantage. Empowered by the Emperor Talisman, he executed the Immovable Wisdom King Fist. One fist imprint after another blasted out, shattering all the defensive measures Qishier Pin Lian had hastily set up.
"Pfft!"
Zhang Ruochen's fist struck Qishier Pin Lian's back, distorting space.
Even with Qishier Pin Lian's formidable cultivation, she let out a muffled groan, and a trace of blood trickled from the corner of her mouth.
Qishier Pin Lian used a mysterious movement technique, phasing through the void, and quickly distanced herself from Zhang Ruochen. The Heavenly God Lock coiled around Zhang Ruochen's left arm shot out like a swimming dragon. The Dark Hand and the Universe Cauldron struck at the back of her head.
"Hua!"
A ring of Buddhist light radiated from behind her head, clashing with the Dark Hand and the Universe Cauldron.
The Buddhist ring instantly exploded into specks of light. The Dark Hand flew past Qishier Pin Lian's right cheek by a hair's breadth.
When she turned around and stared at Zhang Ruochen with icy eyes, Zhang Ruochen was shocked to find that most of her face had become like withered wood.
"Hmph! You are lucky today. Zhang Ruochen, I hope that the next time we meet, I will still see the current you."
Qishier Pin Lian spread her arms, retracting all the Dao technique phenomena—the Nether City, the Nether Realm Nation, the Nether Ancestor's shadow, the Nether River, and so on—back into her body.
Zhang Ruochen once again unleashed his attack with all his might. She struck out with both hands simultaneously. Thousands of Nether lights flew out together, and Great Dao patterns shuttled among them.
"Boom, rumble!"
A large area of space collapsed, piercing through the Real World, the Void World, and Lihentian.
The Santu River was severed here, and corpse water continuously poured into the Void World.
One shocking space rift after another extended for hundreds of millions of miles, splitting heaven and earth.
Zhang Ruochen's divine robe was tattered, and his physical body was riddled with holes. When he emerged from the chaotic space, Qishier Pin Lian had already vanished without a trace, her aura and heavenly secrets completely gone.
He looked around and realized they had returned to the Real World. All the Dao technique worlds Qishier Pin Lian had created had disappeared!
The "Stone" Character Flag Divine Ship was still docked by the Santu River in the distance, but the ship was shattered, with fragments everywhere.
The Ten Thousand Buddha Formation had crashed into a black soil wasteland in the Santu River basin, creating a crater hundreds of miles in diameter.
Inside the formation, Xiao Hei was slumped beneath a Xutuohan Silver Tree, recovering from his injuries. He stared in shock at the shattered starry sky and said, "Zhang Ruochen is incredible! He actually defeated Qishier Pin Lian. Legend has it that Qishier Pin Lian is at the Heavenly Venerable level, able to retreat safely even after clashing with the Heavenly Mother."
The other gods of the Death Divine Palace had cultivations even lower than Xiao Hei's. They only knew that a fierce battle had erupted, but they could not see the intricacies.
But the result was clear.
Zhang Ruochen had defeated Qishier Pin Lian, sending her fleeing in panic.
It was too unbelievable!
Yan Ju was a flame giant, one of the top experts of the Death Divine Palace. He had recently broken through to the Infinite Realm and become a god king. He was also severely injured, sitting on the ground to recover. He said, "Could it be that Imperial Dust has also reached the Heavenly Venerable level?"
Another god of the Death Divine Palace said, "Maybe he is a Half-Ancestor."
"How is that possible? The emergence of any Heavenly Venerable or Half-Ancestor is a universe-shaking event. It has only been a few years since Imperial Dust broke through to the ninetieth level of spiritual power." Blood Leaf Wutong analyzed rationally.
She had always had a bad attitude toward Zhang Ruochen, but after this battle, she also addressed him as "Imperial Dust."
Xiao Hei forced himself to stand up despite his severe injuries, pointing at the sky. "Anyway, I, the Emperor, don't care. This battle where Zhang Ruochen defeated Qishier Pin Lian must be publicized. Everyone can testify, right?"
Bore said, "You'd better not. Imperial Dust left Wuchang Ghost City to stay away from the storm's center, to hide in the shadows and observe the situation. Doing this would undoubtedly push him back into the spotlight."
Xiao Hei was clearly a spiritual power god venerable, but facing Bore's emotionless gaze, he felt a hint of fear.
"Hua! Hua!"
Zhang Ruochen and Feng Tian, one after the other, landed in the Ten Thousand Buddha Formation.
"Greetings, Imperial Dust!"
"Greetings, Feng Tian!"
All the gods present bowed in salute.
Their gazes toward Zhang Ruochen were completely different from before!
Although they had previously been wary of Zhang Ruochen's spiritual power, his rise had been too fast, too quick for them to fully adapt. Moreover, with Feng Tian above him, they did not hold him in such awe.
But now, their eyes held not only awe but also reverence.
"You are all severely injured. Take two divine pills each and heal quickly."
Zhang Ruochen waved his sleeve, and two divine pills appeared before each person.
One was a healing divine pill, the other a divine soul pill.
Earlier, when they had driven the Ten Thousand Buddha Formation to restrain Qishier Pin Lian, even though they had only been hit by the residual shockwaves, their divine souls had still been severely damaged.
Holding the divine pills, the gods of the Death Divine Palace were all overjoyed.
"See? This is the benefit of following a spiritual power cultivator who has achieved Heavenly Round Lack. There is no shortage of divine pills." Thinking that saying this might sound like he was poaching from Feng Tian, Xiao Hei added, "We are all on the same side. No need to be polite with Imperial Dust."
After everyone entered their healing state, Zhang Ruochen collected the Ten Thousand Buddha Formation and the gods within it into the palm of his right hand. He said, "Many gods from the Hell Realm are heading this way. We need to leave quickly."
"If the Hell Realm gods can come, Qishier Pin Lian's allies can also come," Feng Tian said.
Zhang Ruochen looked at the already shattered "Stone" Character Flag Divine Ship, collected all the fragments, then suppressed his aura and, together with Feng Tian, vanished into the Void World.
Once inside the Void World, Feng Tian released a divine ship made of blood jade and white bones.
This ship was forged by her and laid with many divine formations. It carried the majestic Death Divine Palace, combining ship and palace to unleash formidable defensive power.
After making all the arrangements, Feng Tian could no longer hold on. She spat out a mouthful of divine blood, and many blood lines appeared on her skin, as if she were a ceramic piece about to shatter.
Zhang Ruochen pressed his palms together, and the death divine light around him surged.
The Gate of Death appeared faintly behind him.
Feng Tian gently shook her head. "No need to return the Gate of Death to me! A state of severe injury is actually a rare experience, allowing for a better understanding of the other side of fate."
"Fate, fortune and misfortune depend on each other, good and bad coexist. These four phases are the Four Symbols I am now focusing on cultivating! At the same time, the process of healing is also the process of cultivating the Path of Life. Without the Gate of Death, I, the Heavenly God, can better comprehend life."
"What happened to Qishier Pin Lian just now? Did the Withering Death Art recur? Hadn't she already taken over Qishier Pin Lian's body and severed her past? Could it be that even after changing bodies, she cannot escape the Withering Death Art?"
Zhang Ruochen pondered for a long time before saying, "Although the body has changed, the divine soul remains the same. She has not completely escaped the curse. As for why the Withering Death Art suddenly recurred..."
Zhang Ruochen took out the Mani Pearl and looked at the Ten Thousand Buddha Forest in his other hand. "The Mani Pearl can dissolve all curses in the world, but all things interact. Perhaps the Mani Pearl can also trigger the recurrence of a curse."
"There is another possibility. If the Nether Ancestor is indeed related to Patriarch Jiaye, and the curse power originated from the Nether Ancestor, then anything left behind by Patriarch Jiaye could be the trigger for the Withering Death Art within Qishier Pin Lian's body. Naturally, this includes the ancestral secret power within the Land of Ultimate Bliss."
Zhang Ruochen could not be sure whether the Mani Pearl and the Land of Ultimate Bliss had triggered the Withering Death Art, nor did he know how it had been triggered. He felt helpless.
It was impossible for him to go and trigger it on Qishier Pin Lian again in the future.
That would truly be seeking death!
Earlier, Qishier Pin Lian had not used any war weapons and had not even been truly serious. Yet she had still made him and Feng Tian look utterly pathetic, unable to put up any resistance.
If she had been serious, not underestimating them, and had engaged in close combat, she could probably have sent Zhang Ruochen away in just two or three moves.
In fact, Zhang Ruochen was even more injured than Feng Tian. But after seeing Feng Tian enter the Death Divine Palace to heal, he could only forcibly suppress his injuries first.
There was also one urgent matter he had to deal with first.
He took out the "Stone" Character Flag Divine Ship.
Based on the residual aura on the divine ship, Zhang Ruochen calculated Yuan Sheng's heavenly secrets and whereabouts.
If Yuan Sheng was in Qishier Pin Lian's hands, he could use this opportunity to find her, taking advantage of the Withering Death Art's recurrence to suppress or kill her.
If Yuan Sheng had left the divine ship before Qishier Pin Lian arrived and gone elsewhere, Zhang Ruochen also had to find her as soon as possible.
Because Qishier Pin Lian would surely send someone to capture her first. It was possible that Luo Tolo had not appeared because he was dealing with Yuan Sheng!
(End of this chapter)