Chapter 3889: The Life Ancestor Makes a Move
A blood rain had just fallen, leaving the ground muddy and pitted, emitting a putrid, bloody stench that would make any living creature want to vomit.
But for the undead, this was the best weather.
Outside an ancient post station ferry, about eighty million miles from Wuchang Ghost City.
By the water's edge, in a riverbend corpse accumulation ground. Zhang Ruochen wore a loose black divine robe that wrapped around his entire body, concealing his face, and said with a smile: "This Green-Faced Ghost Lord is indeed just like the legends say, not someone who can keep a secret. He's quite a match for you and Xue Tu."
"This Emperor is unrestrained in trivial matters, but can be very clear-headed when it comes to major principles. To actually leak news about Nutian Shenzun, Green-Faced Ghost Lord's courage is too big. If he encounters the same situation again in the future, it will be hard for him to come to a good end." Xiao Hei had already transformed back into the form of a Corpse Qilin.
"Everything is as expected! Not just Green-Faced Ghost Lord, but also those other great gods. If they want to instruct their subordinate cultivators to search for the Life Ancestor and Qishier Pin Lian, they must tell them about a sufficiently powerful backer. Otherwise, who would dare?" Zhang Ruochen said.
"Can you sense the location of that half of your soul?" Zhang Ruochen asked.
Xiao Hei shook his head.
Zhang Ruochen extracted a wisp of soul from Xiao Hei's body, ignited it, and used his spiritual power to calculate.
The flame leaned to the right, but flickered unsteadily, unable to point to a definite direction.
"Eh!"
Zhang Ruochen immediately extracted a second wisp of soul from Xiao Hei's body and continued calculating.
Then a third, a fourth...
By the time he extracted the tenth wisp, Xiao Hei had already moved far away and said: "What are you doing? Retaliating? You are a Tianyuan Wuque, can you do it or not?"
Zhang Ruochen looked to the right, gazing upstream along the Santu River, his expression quite serious, and said: "Has Yuansheng's cultivation reached the Indestructible Infinite?"
"How would this Emperor know? This Emperor is just an eighty-fifth level spiritual power divine venerable..."
"Understood, you can't calculate her exact location, so you concluded that her cultivation is too high."
"Who said that? Let's go, first head to Disha Ghost City."
"Anyway, the soul power this Emperor consumed, you must compensate with Soul Divine Pills."
"Just a few wisps of soul."
After the Disha Ghost City was moved under the World Tree, it was located on top of a high plateau about a million miles from Wuchang Ghost City, to prevent being impacted by the strange blood spring.
The territory between the two cities became a paradise for undead cultivators, with many divine temples, ghost caves, bone gardens, and corpse cities built.
Just as they arrived in this territory, Zhang Ruochen used his spiritual power to capture heavenly secrets and heard something that left him greatly astonished.
"The Great Slaughter War God Emperor was beaten, reportedly very severely injured, with not a single intact bone in his body. Even a great god's self-healing ability couldn't reconnect them. When he was found, he was even unconscious, unable to speak. It was Fire Dance Divine Venerable who ordered two divine generals to carry him back to the temple in Disha Ghost City to recover."
"The Great Slaughter War God Emperor is Feng Tian's disciple and has a close friendship with Imperial Dust. Who would dare to strike him so viciously?"
"Could it be that one from Fengdu Ghost City? It is said that after that one returned, he expelled all cultivators from the Death God Palace. When Void Heaven and Feng Tian left, they had a very unpleasant falling out with him, even coming to blows."
"That one is rumored to have reached the Indestructible Infinite realm, a figure who contends with Void Heaven and Feng Tian. How could he possibly ambush a great god? It would damage his own dignity."
... It was divine spirits communicating telepathically, intercepted by Zhang Ruochen. Of course, with Xiao Hei's spiritual power, he also intercepted the communication information and was immediately overjoyed, saying: "This is too abnormal. Let's go, let's first see how badly Xue Tu is injured? Truly pitiful. When you beat a dog, you have to look at its owner... This Emperor means, it's too lawless. Xue Tu being beaten in Wuchang Ghost City, is this hitting him? It's hitting Feng Tian's and your face. Who doesn't know Xue Tu is your junior brother?"
Xiao Hei changed his tone and added: "Of course, he can only blame himself. He's usually too arrogant and has offended too many people. If he were as low-key as this Emperor..."
"Whoosh!"
Before Xiao Hei could finish his words, he was pulled by Zhang Ruochen and then fell into a ball of spiritual power light mist. When the light mist dissipated, Xiao Hei found himself in the resplendent Great Slaughter War God Temple. Xue Tu, lying on a palanquin bed, was staring at them with terrified eyes.
"Who are you?"
Xue Tu released his divine thought, intending to summon his Star Soul Divine Throne and attack the two intruders before him.
But space was sealed, and the Star Soul Divine Throne had no reaction. The tall black-robed cultivator walked step by step towards the palanquin bed.
Xue Tu knew that the mysterious person before him was at least an existence of the Infinite realm, and his heart was filled with terror. Even if he were uninjured and at his peak, he would probably have no power to resist.
"Sir, who exactly are you? Can you let this Emperor die with clarity?" Xue Tu said.
Xiao Hei's ferocious head emerged from behind Zhang Ruochen, his pupils blood-red, his voice hoarse as he said: "Speak! Where exactly did Zhang Ruochen and Feng Caiyi go? If you confess honestly, you might still have a way to live today." A strange expression appeared in Xue Tu's eyes, and then, as if resigned to death, he said stubbornly: "Kill me if you want, but for this Emperor to betray his master and senior brother, you are dreaming."
The opponent's cultivation far surpassed his own, they could directly perform a soul search. Why ask this question?
Xue Tu gambled!
Zhang Ruochen was very clear about Xiao Hei's clumsy probing; it was purely causing trouble.
How could Xue Tu be that stupid?
Zhang Ruochen said nothing, directly releasing his divine thought to investigate the injury situation inside Xue Tu's body.
"Whoosh!"
An unknown yet pure power of fate erupted from within Xue Tu's body, blocking Zhang Ruochen's divine thought from entering.
Xue Tu's entire body trembled, and he let out painful roars from his mouth, as if he were about to be shattered by that power of fate.
"Boom!"
The temple door was smashed open, and a cyan, slender figure rushed in from outside, striking a palm at Zhang Ruochen's back.
But, still dozens of zhang away from Zhang Ruochen, she was fixed in space, unable to move. Xiao Hei glanced at the figure that had rushed in, recognizing her as Yan Ting from the Yama Clan, and felt a surge of disgust in his heart. What virtues did Xue Tu, merely a great god, possess to gain the favor of a proud daughter of the Yama Clan?
"Such a strong power of fate. Besides Nutian Shenzun, Feng Tian, and Void Heaven, who else in the world today can cultivate the Way of Fate to this level? Ba'er? Or..."
Zhang Ruochen's eyes darkened, and then he secretly activated the Wuji Divine Dao within his body, manifesting the Taiji Four Symbols Diagram Seal in an intangible form.
The diagram seal rotated, turning the entire world into a vortex that devoured all things, drawing out, strand by strand, the power of fate that was destroying his divine body and inhibiting his healing from within Xue Tu's body.
Even with Zhang Ruochen's current cultivation, it took a full hour to completely extract it.
Without the suppression of that power of fate, the injuries within Xue Tu's body began to heal automatically.
The shattered divine bones re-condensed.
After his injuries had recovered to about seventy or eighty percent, Xue Tu stepped down from the palanquin bed and knelt on one knee before Zhang Ruochen, saying: "Xue Tu pays respects to Nutian Shenzun. Shenzun's great kindness will never be forgotten."
"You actually guessed our identities."
Xiao Hei feigned surprise.
Xue Tu said with full confidence: "I had long heard that Shenzun had arrived in the Santu River region. Moreover, in the world today, besides Nutian Shenzun, who else can dissolve the power of the Life Ancestor? The power of fate can only be broken by fate."
Xiao Hei laughed: "Not necessarily, right? Imperial Dust's First-rank Divine Path is infinitely mysterious and can break all laws."
Xue Tu stared deeply at Xiao Hei, unable to fathom the origins of this Corpse Qilin, and said: "Senior Brother is undoubtedly the number one genius through the ages, and will surely attain the Ancestor realm in the future. But he has not yet broken through to the Indestructible Infinite. Facing the Life Ancestor's Ancestor-level methods, he would probably have the will but not the power."
Xiao Hei wanted to continue digging a pit for Xue Tu, but was stopped by Zhang Ruochen, who said: "Get up. Did you encounter the Life Ancestor's remnant soul?"
Xue Tu nodded deeply, a strong fear appearing in his eyes, and said: "It was exactly like the portrait of the Life Ancestor at Tianshou Tai. His form was chaotic and towering, his pupils had twelve colors, corresponding to the Twelve Phases of Fate. Moreover, he held the legendary Wuo Deng Lamp. Just being illuminated by its light, I lost myself and obediently offered up the Celestial Pivot Needle."
Zhang Ruochen said: "Can you reconstruct the scene at that time?"
Xue Tu nodded, immediately releasing his divine qi and rules, attempting to recreate the scene at that time.
But he failed.
Xue Tu said with some embarrassment: "Suppressed by the invisible power of fate. With my cultivation, I cannot reconstruct the Life Ancestor."
Zhang Ruochen said: "So the Life Ancestor sought you out to seize the Celestial Pivot Needle?"
"That must be the reason," Xue Tu said with great certainty.
Xiao Hei questioned: "I have two doubts. First, since you had already lost yourself and obediently offered the Celestial Pivot Needle, how were you beaten like this?"
Xue Tu said: "That must be because this Emperor possesses an unyielding will. After losing myself, I relied on my will to protect the Celestial Pivot Needle and engaged in a fierce battle with the Life Ancestor's remnant soul. That's why I paid such a price!"
Xiao Hei laughed out loud: "You? Fighting the Life Ancestor's remnant soul? This Emperor asks you again, why did the Life Ancestor spare your life?"
Xue Tu was not at all embarrassed and said: "I once heard him say that he does not kill cultivators who believe in fate."
"Is that really the case? Could this be a bitter ploy to lure Nutian Shenzun out? In reality, you have long since defected to the Life Ancestor?" Xiao Hei continued digging a pit for Xue Tu.
Xue Tu was greatly alarmed, looked at the black-robed Nutian Shenzun, and immediately knelt down to bow: "Xue Tu's loyalty to the Destiny Temple is clear for the heavens to see. If Shenzun does not believe me, you can perform a soul search."
Yan Ting quickly said: "Please, Nutian Shenzun, see clearly! Even if the Great Slaughter War God Emperor were to defect to the Life Ancestor's remnant soul, it would definitely be a feigned submission, not a real one."
Xue Tu scolded: "Shut up! This Emperor would rather die than bow his head to the Life Ancestor's remnant soul."
Zhang Ruochen fell into deep thought. The appearance of the Life Ancestor's remnant soul had disrupted all his previous guesses.
He had just carefully analyzed and calculated the power of fate left in Xue Tu's body, and found no connection to the Celestial Pivot Needle.
Could it be that the direction of his thinking was wrong?
The clue Ling Yanzi left with the Celestial Pivot Needle was actually because the Life Ancestor's remnant soul controlled it? Or perhaps the Celestial Pivot Needle had some other use?
Of course, Zhang Ruochen also suspected that this was the Life Ancestor's remnant soul sensing something and deliberately creating a false trail.
Regardless of the situation, since the Life Ancestor's remnant soul was indeed near Wuchang Ghost City, Zhang Ruochen's current situation was very dangerous.
He must find Yuansheng as soon as possible and then leave. "Come in! What happened?" Zhang Ruochen suddenly said.
Outside the hall, Zhuque Huowu, who had sensed something was wrong and was planning to retreat to inform the clan leader to deal with the powerful enemy, now found she could not leave.
Xue Tu said: "Fire Dance Divine Venerable has come in, it's Nutian Shenzun."
Zhuque Huowu secretly breathed a sigh of relief, put away her war weapon, walked into the divine temple, and immediately bowed to Zhang Ruochen.
Zhang Ruochen pulled back his hood, revealing Nutian Shenzun's true face, his expression imposing without anger, and said: "You look hurried. What happened?"
Zhuque Huowu said: "I was ordered by Zhou Qi Ghost Emperor to bring Xue Tu to Fengdu Ghost City to help him refine the strange divine qi in his body. But since Nutian Shenzun is here, it is clearly unnecessary!"
After a moment of thought, Zhuque Huowu said: "Shenzun, there is actually another troublesome matter."
"Speak!"
Zhuque Huowu said: "A mysterious powerful being has captured thirteen divine spirits of the Ghost Clan, including Mingye Divine Venerable. The Ghost Emperor suspects that the one who made the move is the Life Ancestor. After all, he just attacked the Great Slaughter War God Emperor, seized the Celestial Pivot Needle, and captured Gong Nanfeng."
"Gong Nanfeng was captured?" Zhang Ruochen said.
Zhuque Huowu said: "Since the Life Ancestor took the Celestial Pivot Needle, Gong Nanfeng's disappearance must be his doing."
"A woman's view," Xiao Hei said with a laugh. Zhuque Huowu's gaze fell on Xiao Hei, and she examined him carefully, somewhat displeased, and said: "Who are you, sir?"
Xiao Hei said proudly: "Hei Shenshi of the White Clothes Valley."
Zhuque Huowu could not see through the other's cultivation level, and while secretly shocked at the abundance of experts in the White Clothes Valley, she suppressed the displeasure in her heart and said: "What insightful opinion does Hei Shenshi have? If you cannot provide a reasonable explanation, I will not accept the insult of 'a woman's view'."
Xiao Hei snorted: "You just said that the Life Ancestor captured thirteen divine spirits of the Ghost Clan. Why did he do that?"
Zhuque Huowu said: "Is it strange for the remnant souls of ancient powerhouses to devour contemporary divine spirits?"
"With the Life Ancestor's cultivation, would it be difficult for him to devour them? Why capture them instead of directly devouring them? Have their Star Soul Divine Thrones gone out?" Xiao Hei continued to ask: "Outside Wuchang Ghost City, divine spirits from all clans of the Hell Realm have gathered. Why are only the divine spirits of the Ghost Clan captured?"
Zhuque Huowu narrowed her eyes and fell into deep thought, obviously feeling that Xiao Hei's words made sense, and that she had been blinded by a single leaf.
Zhuque Huowu said: "But in the world today, there are not many figures who can evade the Ghost Clan's powerful beings and silently capture a divine venerable! Senior, who do you think it could be?"
Xiao Hei enjoyed being called "senior" very much, and said: "This is clearly a provocation, and it is provoking your clan leader who just returned."
Zhuque Huowu understood immediately, and said: "The clan leader just returned, and he fell out with Feng Tian and Imperial Dust, rebuilding the order of the ghost city. As soon as Feng Tian and Imperial Dust left, this kind of thing happened. It is indeed a blow to the clan leader's authority. It probably couldn't be Feng Tian or Imperial Dust; they wouldn't use such lowly means to contend with the clan leader."
"Could it be Huangquan Great Emperor?"
Xue Tu said: "That's possible! Huangquan Great Emperor wants to lure the Ghost Clan leader out of Fengdu Ghost City to rescue people, and then take advantage of the weakness."
Zhuque Huowu sighed: "The clan leader is now in a dilemma. If he doesn't go to rescue, how will the Ghost Clan cultivators see him?"
"If he had known this would happen, why did he do it in the first place? If Imperial Dust and Feng Tian were still here, how could today have happened?" Xiao Hei mocked without any scruples.
Zhuque Huowu immediately left and rushed back to Fengdu Ghost City to report the analysis just now to the Ghost Emperor.
Zhang Ruochen's thoughts were completely different from theirs. He was not thinking of Huangquan Great Emperor, but of Yuansheng.
Huangquan Great Emperor had always been steady and would never act rashly.
Looking at his previous actions, he always planned carefully before moving, made multiple arrangements, and advanced and retreated with ease.
This method of capturing Ghost Clan divine spirits was indeed effective, but it was too petty, not Huangquan Great Emperor's style.
But why would Yuansheng use such a method against Heibai Daoren? Could it be because Heibai Daoren had devoured too many ghost-type primordial beings in the Abyss of Darkness, or had done something else that caused heaven's wrath and human resentment?
Too risky, it was purely playing with fire.
Yuansheng was skilled in schemes and intrigues. The first time Zhang Ruochen and Yan Wushen met her, they were deceived by her! But Zhang Ruochen felt that Yuansheng was completely unaware of the hidden dangers in the Santu River region now, which was why she was so audacious.
A hundred thoughts flashed through his mind. Zhang Ruochen said: "Xue Tu, you will go in my place to deliver a decree to the Ghost Lord."
"Understood. To search for the Life Ancestor and Qishier Pin Lian, right?" Xue Tu believed that Nutian Shenzun had come to Disha Ghost City for this matter.
Zhang Ruochen nodded. After Xue Tu left, his gaze fell on Yan Ting, and he said: "Have you had any news of Yan Wushen recently?"
Yan Ting was slightly surprised, then shook her head, saying: "He hasn't contacted me. The entire Dark Abyss Yan Clan has no news of him. Shenzun, has something happened to him?"
Zhang Ruochen couldn't answer that question for her, and said: "Since the Universe Clan leader has returned, you of the Dark Abyss Yan Clan should also return to Tiantian Wai to pay respects."
Not long after, Zhuque Huowu and Zhou Qi Ghost Emperor both arrived from Fengdu Ghost City to pay respects to Nutian Shenzun.
Zhou Qi Ghost Emperor said: "Please, Nutian Shenzun, suppress Huangquan Great Emperor and rescue the Ghost Clan's gods."
"Is there further news?" Zhang Ruochen said.
Zhou Qi Ghost Emperor said: "The clan leader used Mingye Divine Venerable's Star Soul Divine Throne to perform a deduction. His aura appeared in the Cangjin Bone Sea. However, with the clan leader's cultivation, he may not be a match for Huangquan Great Emperor. Moreover, the clan leader cannot leave Fengdu Ghost City..."
Zhang Ruochen snorted coldly: "This Venerable came here for more important matters and does not wish to be entangled. Huangquan Great Emperor is only one person. What is there to handle? Your Ghost Clan currently has four great experts."
"Let's go."
Zhang Ruochen, with Xiao Hei, left the Great Slaughter War God Temple.
Xue Tu laughed: "Your Ghost Clan is really funny. The clan leader just returned and drove away the gods of the Destiny Temple who had been helping you all along. Now you beg the gods of the Destiny Temple to help you rescue people? What do you take the gods of the Destiny Temple for? To be summoned at will and dismissed at will?"
Zhuque Huowu suddenly said: "I understand!" The people in the hall all looked at her. Zhuque Huowu said: "Nutian Shenzun is not unwilling to help the Ghost Clan, but feels that his help is unnecessary. The key point is his sentence just now: 'Huangquan Great Emperor is only one person.'"
"If Huangquan Great Emperor's goal is to lure the clan leader to the Cangjin Bone Sea to rescue people, thereby taking the opportunity to attack Fengdu Ghost City, then he is probably now secretly back near Fengdu Ghost City, waiting for the clan leader to leave the city."
"In other words, the Cangjin Bone Sea side is not dangerous. Ghost Emperor, I will go to rescue them."
Zhou Qi Ghost Emperor said: "That may be true, but what if our analysis is wrong? It would be too dangerous for you to go alone!"
"Take this opportunity to force the clan leader to release Hun Qi and let him accompany me," Zhuque Huowu said.
Zhou Qi Ghost Emperor nodded and said: "That is one way! You can take my Imperial Seal and first go to the Bone God Temple Hall Master for help, after all, it is on the Bone Clan's territory."
Zhang Ruochen did not go to the Cangjin Bone Sea. Instead, he concealed his aura and came outside Wuchang Ghost City, mingling with cultivators from various clans.
Xiao Hei transmitted his voice: "Zhuque Huowu and Hun Qi have already set out. Aren't we going?"
"Going to do what?" Zhang Ruochen said.
Xiao Hei was surprised and said: "Didn't you say that the one who captured those Ghost Clan divine spirits was probably Yuansheng?"
"It might have been Yuansheng before, but now the one guarding over there should be Yuan Jieyi. Yuansheng has probably already returned to the nearby area, waiting for Heibai Daoren to leave Fengdu Ghost City," Zhang Ruochen said.
Xiao Hei was somewhat confused and said: "Why?"
Zhang Ruochen said: "With Heibai Daoren's stubborn and self-righteous personality, he will definitely pretend to leave the city, lure out the so-called Huangquan Great Emperor, and then set up a heaven-encompassing net to suppress him, to show that he is more capable than Feng Tian and Void Heaven."
"If I were Yuansheng, I would either take this opportunity to sneak into Fengdu Ghost City, or attack Wuchang Ghost City, release the strange blood spring, and create greater chaos."
Xiao Hei said seriously: "Then we must stop her."
Zhang Ruochen said: "I am not too worried about Yuansheng. Since Heibai Daoren is setting a trap, he will definitely consider these two points. What I am worried about is Luo Tuluo, who has not appeared yet, and even Huangquan Great Emperor might have really arrived!"
"Now we can only hope that Heibai Daoren is not too self-righteous and can handle things conservatively. As long as he does not leave Fengdu Ghost City, with the World Tree covering Wuchang Ghost City, he can at least remain undefeated."