Chapter 3894: The Ravine of Ten Thousand Streams
The White Jade Red-Eyed Lion saw the face of "Nutian Shenzun" and was instantly thrown into panic, knowing that even if he fought to the death, he would have no chance.
He released his divine thought, intending to send a distress signal to Gu Yanluo, but Zhang Ruochen's spiritual power had already enveloped the Bone God Temple, sealing off divine thoughts and heavenly secrets within the hall.
Failing in his first attempt, the White Jade Red-Eyed Lion conceived another plan. He immediately knelt on both knees, lowering his head in defeat, and said, "Nutian, please make your move. This matter was my doing alone, and it has nothing to do with the other gods of the Bone Clan."
Zhang Ruochen pointed a finger, and a wisp of Buddhist light flew from his fingertip.
The Buddhist light transformed into chains, coiling around the White Jade Red-Eyed Lion's body.
Then, Zhang Ruochen walked toward him step by step, his five fingers forming a claw, his gaze cold and merciless.
Seeing that retreating to advance had failed, the White Jade Red-Eyed Lion roared hoarsely, "Gu Yanluo's cultivation is supreme, at the Heavenly Venerable level. What could I do? Disobeying his will would only lead to death. Earlier, Gu Yanluo was right outside the hall. Even with Nutian's cultivation, you were wary and dared not strike."
Jueyi Shen had keen insight and said, "Grandmaster, Nutian did not strike, not out of fear of Gu Yanluo, but because he did not want to destroy the Bone God Temple with a clash at the Heavenly Venerable level. The power of a Heavenly Venerable would cause countless Bone Clan cultivators to vanish into thin air, wouldn't it?"
Zhang Ruochen looked at Jueyi Shen with newfound respect.
Feeling the appreciation in Nutian Shenzun's eyes, Jueyi Shen was flattered and continued, "Grandmaster, your biggest problem isn't that you sided with Gu Yanluo. After all, no one knew before that he was the reincarnation of the Great Demon God's remnant soul."
"Your biggest mistake was that after Gu Yanluo left, you should have immediately reported his whereabouts to the heavens of the Hell Realm and then released Huowu Shenzun. The heavens of the Hell Realm would have dealt with him themselves."
The White Jade Red-Eyed Lion trembled with rage, his eyes bloodshot, wishing he could kill Jueyi Shen.
Suddenly, a flash of inspiration struck him. He stared again at the black-robed Nutian Shenzun and said, "You are not Nutian Shenzun. Who are you really?"
Zhang Ruochen said calmly, "If I'm not, are you?"
The White Jade Red-Eyed Lion became even more certain of his judgment and said, "You knew Gu Yanluo had gone to the Abyss of Darkness, yet you showed no panic. Instead, you wasted time dealing with me, the hall master. If you were the real Nutian Shenzun, you would have already pursued Gu Yanluo. How could you let him leave?"
Certain that the person before him was not Nutian Shenzun, the White Jade Red-Eyed Lion's fear vanished. Divine Qi surged rapidly within his body, divine flames ignited on his arms, and he released his divine realm world.
"Boom! Boom! Boom..."
The Buddhist light divine chains wrapped around him were shattered by the divine realm world, turning into wisps of golden Buddhist light.
Jueyi Shen was blasted away by the surging divine power, his bone body falling apart, his fate unknown.
Zhang Ruochen stood firmly in place. All the incoming divine power automatically dissipated when it approached the eighteen-zhang area around him, unable to get close.
After breaking the Buddhist light divine chains, the White Jade Red-Eyed Lion felt both the joy of a sudden turn of fortune and the anger of having knelt to the other party. Only by personally killing the person before him could he wash away the shame.
"Die!"
His white jade bone body, already over two meters tall, grew further to over ten meters. He swung a millstone-sized bone palm, slamming it down toward Zhang Ruochen's head.
The palm wind howled, pressing down and collapsing the space.
Zhang Ruochen stood as still as a pine, raising a single palm upward to meet the strike, firmly catching the bone palm.
The divine power and energy transmitted to Zhang Ruochen's feet, causing the ground beneath him to sink. The divine power spread like water waves, radiating outward to all parts of the Bone God Temple's inner world.
The two peaks that had imprisoned Zhuque Huowu bore the brunt of the impact, collapsing with a thunderous roar into rubble.
The hundred-zhang-long Zhuque broke free and landed on the ground, re-condensing into human form. Lightning chains still bound her hands, feet, and neck, but they could no longer hold her, a divine venerable, and were shattered one by one.
The White Jade Red-Eyed Lion had never expected the other party's cultivation to be so powerful. He regretted not fleeing instead of attacking, but then he saw "Nutian Shenzun" take a step forward.
With that step, a force like a mountain toppling and a sea overturning surged toward him. The White Jade Red-Eyed Lion was sent flying like a leaf in the wind.
"Whoosh!"
Zhang Ruochen teleported through space, appearing diagonally above the White Jade Red-Eyed Lion, and slammed down a heavy palm.
With a thunderous roar, the White Jade Red-Eyed Lion's massive bone body plummeted, crashing into the ground and sinking a large area. Like a small planet impact, a crater hundreds of miles in diameter appeared.
Zhuque Huowu had already guessed the identity of the fake Nutian Shenzun and quickly warned, "Seal the White Jade Red-Eyed Lion immediately! He is the master of the Bone God Temple. The temple contains over fifty percent of the Bone Emperor Heavenly Dao's esoterica. This is his home ground. Once he uses the esoterica and the temple's power, even an Indestructible Infinite initial-stage cultivator might not be his match."
But Zhang Ruochen remained unconcerned, staring at the White Jade Red-Eyed Lion slowly rising from the bottom of the crater.
The White Jade Red-Eyed Lion had lost his humanoid bone form, fully transforming into a bone lion. His eyes were deep as he stared at Zhang Ruochen and said, "Are you Zhang Ruochen?"
Zhang Ruochen changed back to his original appearance and said, "Being able to guess it's me means you're not too stupid."
The White Jade Red-Eyed Lion said, "So, the so-called arrival of Nutian Shenzun in the Santu River region was entirely a scheme between you and him to lure Gu Yanluo and the others to the Abyss of Darkness?"
"Nutian Shenzun and I have our own understanding; no discussion was needed."
Then, Zhang Ruochen added, "The Bone Emperor Heavenly Dao's esoterica in the Bone God Temple has already been taken by Gu Yanluo, hasn't it?"
The White Jade Red-Eyed Lion smiled bitterly, "You are a ninety-step spiritual power, a Heaven Round No Gap cultivator. How could the situation in the Bone God Temple escape your notice?"
Then, he voluntarily confessed, "The Bone God Temple's greatest value to Gu Yanluo, aside from the Bone Emperor Heavenly Dao's esoterica, was to help him find three hundred Indestructible Bones."
The so-called Indestructible Bones referred to the remains left behind by Indestructible Infinite-level experts after death. Each of them had cultivated an indestructible dharma body in life, and their bones contained indestructible substances of extraordinary value.
Zhang Ruochen said, "What does he intend to do with them?"
The White Jade Red-Eyed Lion shook his head and said, "Perhaps he wants to forge a bone army to deal with the current half-ancestors. Or maybe he wants to extract indestructible substances to prepare for breaking through to the half-ancestor realm."
"How many has the Bone God Temple found so far?" Zhang Ruochen asked.
The White Jade Red-Eyed Lion said, "Thirty-seven."
Zhuque Huowu said, "The Bone Clan's power is vast and its heritage deep. How could it have only collected this many Indestructible Bones? Imperial Dust, just search his soul directly!"
For any god below the Indestructible Infinite level, an Indestructible Bone was comparable to a divine treasury.
But for a clan with a long heritage, several dozen Indestructible Bones were not many, especially for the Bone Clan itself.
The White Jade Red-Eyed Lion knew very well that with Zhang Ruochen's ninety-step spiritual power, he indeed had the ability to search souls. How could he not panic?
He quickly said, "How would I dare deceive a Heaven Round No Gap cultivator? The Bone Clan's heritage is indeed deep. In the past, the Bone God Temple did store over a hundred Indestructible Bones. Every ten thousand years, through sacrifice, one of them could be induced to gain intelligence, thus nurturing new-generation experts for the Bone Clan and ensuring the continuation of its legacy."
"But these Indestructible Bones were all taken by Yinsuetian and refined into the main generals of the Snow Domain Star Sea Divine Army."
"The Bone God Temple spent nearly a million years and actually collected less than twenty Indestructible Bones. The rest were brought out recently by sending gods, risking life and death, to sneak into the Ten Thousand Bone Cave. Just for these dozen or so Indestructible Bones, seven Bone Clan gods have already fallen."
The White Jade Red-Eyed Lion's tone was helpless, "In fact, more than half of the less than twenty Indestructible Bones collected by the Bone God Temple were dug up from the ancestral lands of some major realms of the Heavenly Court during the war between the Hell Realm and the Heavenly Court."
"Gu Yanluo demands three hundred Indestructible Bones, and within a thousand years. It's simply an impossible task."
Zhang Ruochen said, "Why didn't you report this to the heavens of the Hell Realm?"
"How would I dare? In the past few decades, Gu Yanluo has been staying in the Bone God Temple," the White Jade Red-Eyed Lion said.
Zhang Ruochen exchanged a glance with Zhuque Huowu, both showing an expression of "I see."
Daring to hide in the Bone God Temple, Gu Yanluo truly had the bearing of the Great Demon God and Ancestor Yanluo. This was a case of hiding in plain sight, beyond anyone's expectations.
The White Jade Red-Eyed Lion added, "Besides, the Heavenly Venerable has fallen, Heavenly Mother has not returned, and Nutian Shenzun is stationed at the Abyss of Darkness. Who in the entire Hell Realm could I report to? Who could be a match for Gu Yanluo? Let me ask, Imperial Dust, if you were in my position, would you have any other choice?"
Zhang Ruochen laughed freely, "I am not a cultivator of the Hell Realm, so I cannot judge you by right or wrong. But I am a friend of Zhuque Huowu. What you did to her gives me every reason to stand up for her. If she wants you dead, given your actions, even if I kill you, the heavens of the Hell Realm can't do much to me."
Zhuque Huowu watched Zhang Ruochen talk and laugh with ease, ready to avenge her by killing a clan's hall master. That heroic demeanor would surely be unforgettable forever. A certain indescribable emotion stirred within her.
However, the word "friend" distanced that emotion.
Even though Zhuque Huowu had been subjected to soul search and was filled with boundless rage, she remained rational. She transmitted her voice, "After all, he is a hall master. Only a Heavenly Venerable or several heavens together can judge him. If you kill him privately and the news leaks out, you will become the enemy of the entire Bone Clan, and even the rulers of other major clans in the Hell Realm will condemn you."
"Then we won't let the news leak," Zhang Ruochen said.
Zhuque Huowu shook her head, "It's very difficult! If they really investigate, they will definitely trace it back to you. I don't want to cause a conflict between the Sword Realm and the Hell Realm because of me. Moreover, if the White Jade Red-Eyed Lion truly repents, he could be a good card to use against Gu Yanluo and the Lihentian Yan Clan."
"Don't you hate him?"
"I do. But we can't let hatred cloud our reason. We should consider interests and gains and losses, not act on impulse."
The White Jade Red-Eyed Lion's eyes darted between Zhang Ruochen and Zhuque Huowu. Although he didn't know what they were communicating telepathically, the fact that Zhang Ruochen hadn't struck directly said it all.
Seizing this chance to survive, the White Jade Red-Eyed Lion immediately said, "Now that Imperial Dust has arrived, everything can be resolved! We can invite Void Heaven, Feng Tian, the Undying War God, and even the legendary returned old patriarch of the Yama Clan to set up a heaven-and-earth net in the Bone God Temple. I am willing to atone for my crimes by luring Gu Yanluo here."
Zhang Ruochen had already made a decision and said, "White Jade Red-Eyed Lion, Huowu Shenzun just pleaded for you. She said she can understand your situation, and the one who searched your soul was Gu Yanluo."
The White Jade Red-Eyed Lion said, "Huowu Shenzun is broad-minded. I am far inferior! In fact, once Gu Yanluo is suppressed, Huowu Shenzun can refine his ancestral remnant soul. With Imperial Dust's first-rank divine path as assistance, it is entirely possible to heal her divine soul injuries and repair her foundation."
A glimmer of hope flashed in Zhuque Huowu's eyes, but it quickly subsided. She dared not have too many expectations.
Too much hope often leads to inner demons born from unfulfilled desires.
"Take me to see those thirty-seven Indestructible Bones. By the way, is the Ten Thousand Bone Cave really that dangerous? Have you been inside?"
The White Jade Red-Eyed Lion led the way, saying, "Imperial Dust must have heard about the mysteries and legends of the Ten Thousand Bone Cave long ago. But I can only say that the Ten Thousand Bone Cave is even more bizarre than the legends."
"I have entered the Ten Thousand Bone Cave three times. The first time was right after I became a god. Back then, I didn't know my limits and was full of ambition, thinking I was the chosen one. But I had only descended less than a thousand miles into the cave before I was scared back."
"Why?" Zhang Ruochen asked.
The White Jade Red-Eyed Lion said, "It wasn't because I encountered any danger. Rather, at that depth, my divine thoughts could no longer sense the outside world. All around me, there was nothing but bone-white corpse fluid. It was very easy to get lost in there."
"The second time was after I had cultivated to the Infinite Realm and was titled Divine Venerable. The title 'Divine Venerable' easily makes one forget oneself, thinking one is truly supreme and no longer fears any danger in the world."
"As a result, I descended to fifty thousand miles below the cave and fled back in panic. There, I discovered powerful spatial turbulence and was almost swept away."
"The third time was recently, when I entered the Ten Thousand Bone Cave with Gu Yanluo. This time, I finally saw the Ravine of Ten Thousand Streams recorded in ancient texts. The shock in my heart has yet to subside."
Zhuque Huowu asked, "What is the Ravine of Ten Thousand Streams?"
Zhang Ruochen said, "The Wuding Divine Sea has a Guixu, a bottomless abyss. The starry sky has the Abyss of Darkness, a deep spatial rift. Beneath the Ten Thousand Bone Cave lies the Ravine of Ten Thousand Streams, where it is said that hundreds of thousands of tributaries of the Santu River converge, forming a vortex over a billion miles in diameter. The endless bones in the Ten Thousand Bone Cave originate from there."
This was the relevant record Zhang Ruochen had seen at the Tianshou Platform.
The White Jade Red-Eyed Lion said, "The number of tributaries of the Santu River might be in the millions, or even more—too many to count. With my Great Unbound Infinite peak divine thoughts, they were utterly insufficient there. I couldn't even perceive the edge of the Ravine of Ten Thousand Streams."
Zhuque Huowu asked, "What did Gu Yanluo go to the bottom of the Ten Thousand Bone Cave for?"
"It should have been to find Indestructible Bones. But the Ten Thousand Bone Cave is like a funnel—the deeper you go, the larger it gets. Moreover, death qi suppresses spiritual power and divine soul perception. Even with his abilities, he could only sigh in despair. He brought back two Indestructible Bones and never went down again," the White Jade Red-Eyed Lion said.
Zhang Ruochen said, "You know about the Bone Clan traitor that Feng Tian is pursuing, right?"
"I've heard of it."
"I have information that he is currently in the Bone God Temple."
The White Jade Red-Eyed Lion immediately understood. So Zhang Ruochen had come to find the Bone Clan traitor, and he himself had suffered an undeserved calamity. He said, "I know nothing about that Bone Clan traitor. May I ask where Imperial Dust got this information? If needed, I can order a thorough investigation now."
"No need. You won't find him."
Zhang Ruochen was now completely clear in his mind. The White-Haired Skeleton had lured him to the Bone God Temple, likely intending to use him to deal with Gu Yanluo. More precisely, to use Zhang Ruochen and Feng Tian.
Only Zhang Ruochen and Feng Tian together could form a restraining force against Gu Yanluo. Perhaps there was also the intention to draw out Void Heaven, Yan Huanyu, and Heavenly Mother.
Regardless, the White-Haired Skeleton's spearhead was aimed at Gu Yanluo.
However, the White-Haired Skeleton had not anticipated that after Gu Yanluo searched Zhuque Huowu's soul, he concluded that Nutian Shenzun had come to the Santu River region and thus left first for the Abyss of Darkness.
Why did the White-Haired Skeleton do this?
Was it merely to expose Gu Yanluo and the White Jade Red-Eyed Lion?
Could it be that he wanted to use Gu Yanluo's hand to kill him? Or was there another purpose?
Soon, the White Jade Red-Eyed Lion led Zhang Ruochen and Zhuque Huowu to the altar where the thirty-seven Indestructible Bones were stored.
The altar was massive, carved from a rocky planet with a diameter of eight thousand miles. The ground was engraved with many grooves, and traces of blood remained in them.
The thirty-seven Indestructible Bones were all frozen in various forms, emitting a presence no less than that of living true gods or great gods.
The White Jade Red-Eyed Lion arrived at the center of the altar, a cold gleam flashing in his eyes.
His right front bone claw pressed down.
"Whoosh!"
The eight-thousand-mile-diameter altar immediately activated, raising countless ancient inscriptions.
In an instant, the altar was enveloped by inscriptions, emitting a dazzling light.
Above the altar, numerous formation plates condensed into the shape of a millstone, continuously pressing down and rotating, producing a deafening roar.
"White Jade Red-Eyed Lion, are you looking for death?"
Zhuque Huowu erupted with divine flames from within her body, channeling divine-venerable-level power and throwing a heavy punch.
"Boom!"
Ripples appeared on the formation's light screen, then contracted back, forming a counterforce that transmitted to her body.
Zhuque Huowu felt as if she had been punched by herself. Her arm nearly exploded, and her body flew backward.
Zhang Ruochen extended two fingers, using spiritual power to catch her and neutralize the impact on her body. He said, "The formation inscriptions here were left by someone with spiritual power above ninety-three steps. You cannot break them."
"Haha! As expected of a Heaven Round No Gap, you have some insight. Do you think a clan's divine temple, such an important place, is so easy to break into? Doesn't everyone have some hidden cards? Zhang Ruochen, you called me arrogant and conceited, but you didn't realize you were even more arrogant and conceited yourself."
The White Jade Red-Eyed Lion had already escaped the altar and appeared in mid-air outside it, looking down at Zhang Ruochen and Zhuque Huowu with satisfaction. He added, "When facing an enemy, you listened to Zhuque Huowu's womanly mercy and let me off, but you didn't even seal my cultivation. Isn't that arrogance? It was destined that you would die by my hand today!"
Zhuque Huowu was burning with rage and full of regret. She shouldn't have advised Zhang Ruochen to spare the White Jade Red-Eyed Lion.
She looked at Zhang Ruochen apologetically and said, "Imperial Dust, it's my fault. Let me self-detonate my divine source to open a path for you."
"It's useless. The formation here cannot be broken by a Qiankun Infinite-level cultivator self-detonating their divine source. It would be different if Zhang Ruochen self-detonated his divine source, but I heard you haven't cultivated a divine source. Your first-rank divine path is quite interesting," the White Jade Red-Eyed Lion said with a laugh.
Zhang Ruochen remained calm, observing the altar beneath him and the millstone formation seal above, and said, "Are you planning to sacrifice the two of us?"
The White Jade Red-Eyed Lion laughed, "Exactly! Sacrificing you and absorbing that sacrificial power will surely allow me to reach the Indestructible Infinite realm."
Zhang Ruochen said, "Do you think I definitely can't break the formation on the altar?"
The White Jade Red-Eyed Lion's smile faded, and he did feel some wariness. After a long pause, he shook his head and said, "Impossible. Although your spiritual power has reached the ninety-step level, you cannot analyze and break the formation before the sacrifice is complete. Once you fall into the formation, whether you are a Heaven Round No Gap or an Indestructible Infinite, you will be ground to nothing."
"But what if I never entered the formation?"
This voice came from behind the White Jade Red-Eyed Lion.
The White Jade Red-Eyed Lion's divine soul nearly jumped out of his body. He immediately turned around, staring in horror at Zhang Ruochen standing in the void. He could no longer laugh and said tremblingly, "You... you used illusion magic?"
On the altar, Zhang Ruochen's figure dissipated, turning into a strand of hair that floated to the ground.
Even Zhuque Huowu was shocked. She had been by Zhang Ruochen's side the whole time but had never noticed that his true body had become a doppelganger.
This was, of course, illusion magic!
A completely traceless illusion magic that had fooled even the White Jade Red-Eyed Lion, a Great Unbound Infinite peak cultivator.
The White Jade Red-Eyed Lion couldn't understand, "Impossible. How could you have been on guard in advance?"
Zhuque Huowu was also very curious. Logically, the White Jade Red-Eyed Lion had no reason to be so loyal to Gu Yanluo as to risk attacking a Heaven Round No Gap cultivator. The risk was too great!
Why?
Zhang Ruochen said, "I just thought, how could someone like Gu Yanluo fully trust you? Wasn't he afraid you would leak the secret of his hiding in the Bone God Temple? The only explanation is that he had cursed you."
"The Heavenly Venerable can be said to have died from his curse. Since he is so skilled in this art, how could he not use it on you?"
"The reason you risked attacking me is precisely because you cannot betray Gu Yanluo. Am I right?"
The White Jade Red-Eyed Lion said, "Imperial Dust, since you know I have my difficulties, can you spare me once more?"
Zhang Ruochen shook his head and said, "I'm afraid of being mocked for womanly mercy."
The White Jade Red-Eyed Lion activated a secret technique, burning his divine soul, and then burst forth at maximum speed, fleeing toward the temple's exit.
Zhang Ruochen gently shook his head and raised his right hand.
Instantly, a Buddhist light handprint tens of thousands of miles long appeared in the sky of the Bone God Temple's inner world, slamming down heavily.
The White Jade Red-Eyed Lion had already replaced most of his bones with Indestructible Bones, giving his body extraordinary defense. Under Zhang Ruochen's palm strike, his bone body did not shatter, but his divine soul was severely damaged.
He was slammed to the ground.
Under the suppression of the Buddhist light handprint, his bone body continuously emitted creaking sounds.
The force of spatial compression came from all directions.
"Zhang Ruochen, you... you can't kill me. If you kill me, Gu Yanluo will surely sense it. You are no match for him. If he returns, you will die without a burial place," the White Jade Red-Eyed Lion said.
Zhang Ruochen was extremely cold and fierce. He contracted his five fingers and, from a distance, crushed the White Jade Red-Eyed Lion's bone body, shattering it into hundreds of bone fragments.
Using his spiritual power, he opened a corner of the altar formation, pulled out Zhuque Huowu, and then threw all the White Jade Red-Eyed Lion's bone fragments and divine soul into the altar.
The millstone formation seal above the altar rotated and pressed down, accompanied by the White Jade Red-Eyed Lion's screams, releasing wisps of sacrificial divine light.
Zhang Ruochen said, "Go ahead, absorb those divine lights. They might help heal your divine soul damage to some extent, and your cultivation will also advance by leaps and bounds."
Zhuque Huowu showed a worried expression and said, "Killing him will definitely alert Gu Yanluo."
"What else can we do? If we keep him by our side, Gu Yanluo can track me through the curse power in his body. That would be even more dangerous. Letting him go would leave my mind unsettled. Don't worry. I am indeed no match for Gu Yanluo, but for him to find me is no easy task either."
Zhuque Huowu flew to the top of the altar to absorb the sacrificial divine light. Zhang Ruochen immediately used the Dream-Entering Great Technique to pull Yan Zhexian into a dream: "Zhexian, go to Yama Heaven Outer Heaven immediately and ask Clan Leader Yan Huanyu to come to the Bone God Temple."
Facing an enemy like Gu Yanluo, Zhang Ruochen's inner calm was far from his outward appearance. After hesitating for a moment, he finally took out the portrait of Lady Shiji.
Unless absolutely necessary, he truly did not want to invite Lady Shiji.
Except for Heavenly Mother, dealing with women always came at a cost.
But Zhang Ruochen could not be sure if Yan Huanyu could extricate himself to come. The situation on the Starry Sky Battlefield was also very complicated.
As for Nutian Shenzun and Heavenly Mother, one in the open and one in the dark, they had managed to deter all parties and maintain the situation in the Hell Realm.
After much thought, only Lady Shiji seemed to be relatively free.
Zhang Ruochen naturally did not know where Lady Shiji was now, but this painting had a great connection with her. If he spoke to her image on the painting, her true body should be able to sense it.
It should be able to, right?