Chapter 3915: Arrived to Drink Wedding Wine
After handing the Life Gate to Ming Gu, Zhang Ruochen headed straight for the Bone God Temple.
Ming Gu himself possessed supreme cultivation, with ancestral divine power within his bones, allowing him to a certain extent to refine the portion of the strange blood spring he had collected. With the Life Gate in hand, his chances of surviving the Eon Calamity greatly increased. He had no need for the assistance of a junior who had just entered the Indestructible Infinite realm.
Moreover, no one dared to meddle in an Eon Calamity.
Since the death of the Bone God Temple's master, the White Jade Red-Eyed Lion, the Bone Clan had become even more leaderless, a scattered mess. The core territory where the temple was located was filled with broken walls and ruins, evidence of a divine war that had erupted not long ago.
In the struggle for power and profit, the Infinite Realm cultivators of the Bone Clan naturally engaged in endless slaughter.
The Bone Clan's patriarch, Gray Skeleton, was stationed in the seven Bone Seas relocated to the Starry Sky Battlefield, stretched thin and unable to intervene. Even his Great Unbound Infinite cultivation could not suppress these ambitious Divine Kings and God Venerables of the Bone Clan.
Zhang Ruochen's arrival silenced all the Bone Clan deities. Without uttering a single word, he brought an end to the fighting on all sides.
Even though he had personally killed the Bone God Temple's master, none of the Bone Clan gods dared to utter a single word of criticism. In the face of absolute power, whether human or ghost, all fell silent.
This was an existence even more terrifying than the Twenty Heavens!
However, Zhang Ruochen was not particularly concerned about the future direction of the Bone Clan, nor did he have any intention of incorporating them into the Sword Realm. He turned away all the deities who came to pay their respects and ascended to the temple's peak, gazing at the Ten Thousand Bone Cave three million miles away.
He looked into the void, seeing through it at a single glance.
There, dark and oppressive calamity clouds were gathering, and many Bone Clan cultivators on the ground were fleeing.
Ming Gu's Eon Calamity was indeed not as terrifying as the Life Ancestor's, but the aura it released, transmitted over three million miles, still oppressed the cultivators of the Bone God Temple, making them tremble.
"Hua!"
Zhang Ruochen's heart was calm as he watched the calamity thunder descend from the sky.
As long as Ming Gu could survive the Eon Calamity, whether or not he stepped into the Heavenly Venerable rank, it would hold great significance for the future of the Hell Realm.
Zhang Ruochen estimated that once the three Half-Ancestors entered the Nether Prison, there would certainly be a considerable storm between the Heavenly Court Universe and the Hell Realm.
Before that, he had to do everything possible to enhance his own cultivation and the Sword Realm's ability to cope with crises.
Although he had now stepped into the Indestructible Infinite realm, the five clusters of Dao Light in the Lesser Derived Central Palace were unstable and could only be stored in the Shura Battle Soul Sea to suppress their Yang attribute power, which was enough to incinerate an Indestructible Dharma Body.
If this hidden danger was not resolved, it could very well plunge him into an irredeemable situation at a critical moment.
What troubled Zhang Ruochen even more was that, based on his contemplation of the "River Diagram" and "Luo River Writing," there should be ten clusters of Yang attribute Dao Light in the Lesser Derived Central Palace.
Zhang Ruochen's Indestructible Dharma Body had fused with the Bright Mirror Platform and the blood of an Immortal suspected to be the Nether Ancestor. The amount of Indestructible Substance he possessed was not inferior to that of cultivators in the middle stage of Indestructible Infinite, yet he still could not withstand five clusters of Yang attribute Dao Light.
How powerful would his physical body need to be to withstand ten clusters of Yang attribute Dao Light?
"Could it be that I need to refine the Mysterious Embryo first?"
The Yang attribute Dao Light was not located in the physical body but within the Mysterious Embryo. As long as the Mysterious Embryo was strong enough, it could bear them.
But how does one cultivate the Mysterious Embryo?
Cultivators of this era all cultivated the Qi Sea; only the ancient Qi refiners cultivated the Mysterious Embryo.
Zhang Ruochen's current Mysterious Embryo was opened when he cultivated the fifth level of the "Bright King Scripture." In other words, as long as Zhang Ruochen resumed cultivating the "Bright King Scripture" left by the Immovable Bright King Great Venerable, he could strengthen his Mysterious Embryo.
This was the first path!
Cultivating the "Heavenly Demon Stone Inscription" could also strengthen the Mysterious Embryo. Chi Xingtian and Mu Lingxi had both cultivated the Mysterious Embryo to cultivate a second Divine Source.
This was the second path!
These two paths addressed both the symptoms and the root cause, but they required a significant amount of time.
Zhang Ruochen also thought of two ways to temporarily suppress the Yang attribute Dao Light.
First, use enough Ancestor Divine Qi and Ancestor Rules to protect the Mysterious Embryo, like putting a layer of armor on it.
Second, use a Darkness Cauldron with sufficient Yin attribute power to suppress the Yang attribute Dao Light, achieving Yin-Yang harmony.
Of course, Zhang Ruochen only dared to think about this second path. Was he really going to go find Lady Shiji for Yin-Yang harmony?
Borrowing Ancestor Divine Qi and Ancestor Rules to protect the Mysterious Embryo was feasible. Because, according to Zhang Ruochen's deduction, besides the ten clusters of Yang attribute Dao Light, the Lesser Derived Central Palace also contained ten clusters of Yin attribute Dao Light.
As long as he cultivated ten clusters of Yin attribute Dao Light, reaching the number twenty, the Lesser Derived could temporarily achieve Yin-Yang balance.
According to the evolution of power levels, Zhang Ruochen estimated that the Lesser Derived number five corresponded to the initial stage of Indestructible Infinite.
The Lesser Derived number ten corresponded to the middle stage of Indestructible Infinite.
The Lesser Derived number twenty corresponded to the peak of Indestructible Infinite.
The perfection of the Lesser Derived number was what the Daoists called "the Lesser Derived number forty, its use thirty-seven," corresponding to the Heavenly Venerable rank.
In other words, Zhang Ruochen had to find a way to strengthen his Mysterious Embryo to support his cultivation to the peak of Indestructible Infinite.
"It's unlikely that my martial cultivation will step into the middle stage of Indestructible Infinite in a short time. If I want to further enhance my strength within a thousand years, it seems I can only first attempt to break through to the ninety-first level of Spiritual Power. Before the three Half-Ancestors enter the Nether Prison, I must focus all my energy on this."
Zhang Ruochen possessed the heavy treasure, the Imperial Talisman. With his ninetieth-level Spiritual Power, he could not yet fully utilize it.
But even so, he could use it to contend with cultivators in the middle stage of Indestructible Infinite.
If his Spiritual Power advanced further, coupled with spending more time studying the Imperial Talisman and the Rune Path, the future would be worth looking forward to.
...
Ming Gu's nine Eon Calamities turned the Ten Thousand Bone Cave and the surrounding hundreds of thousands of miles of territory into scorched earth.
The ground was covered with lava and residual lightning, and ordinary deities dared not approach.
"The Ten Thousand Bone Cave is destroyed just like that. No new Bone Spirits will be born in this eon. Who, who wants to destroy my Bone Clan?" a Bone Clan cultivator roared with boundless hatred, looking up to the sky.
Under normal circumstances, top-tier deities would cross their Eon Calamities far from the major worlds, in the desolate regions of the universe.
Crossing the calamity at the Ten Thousand Bone Cave was indeed a heinous act against the Bone Clan.
"If you don't want to die, you'd better suppress your hatred. Given the terror of the nine Eon Calamities just now, the one who crossed them has unimaginable cultivation. No one in the Bone Clan is their opponent," said a Bone Clan God Venerable.
"Hmph! I hope he died under the calamity thunder."
"Rest assured, everyone. The Ten Thousand Bone Cave has existed for countless billions of years without being destroyed. The vast area beneath it is boundless; one Eon Calamity cannot destroy it."
"Where is the future of the Bone Clan? If no Indestructible Infinite emerges, how can we stand among the Ten Clans of Hell?"
...
Zhang Ruochen entered the calamity zone alone, stepping on the magma and scorched earth, and arrived at the edge of the ruined Ten Thousand Bone Cave.
Originally only ten thousand miles in length and width, the cave entrance had been expanded to over a hundred thousand miles by the calamity thunder.
No white bones could be seen, only a sea of lightning filled with destructive power.
Just as Zhang Ruochen was about to jump into the Ten Thousand Bone Cave, a pitch-black skeleton climbed up from below, lying on its back beside Zhang Ruochen, motionless.
Zhang Ruochen smiled!
When he saw all nine calamity thunders fall, he had a feeling that Ming Gu might have survived!
After lying there for a while, the black skin on the skeleton's surface cracked like a layer of shell and then peeled off, revealing the nearly jade-like white bones within, radiating brilliant Fate Radiance.
The radiance spread outward from his body, covering the broken earth with a layer of light mist.
In the Santu River basin, between the lofty mountains and great rivers, Fate Auspicious Light erupted again, flowing with sacred springs and growing Eon Great Medicine.
The cultivators of the Middle Three Clans were stirred, many speculating whether the Life Ancestor had been resurrected.
Cultivators who believed in Fate wept bitterly, kneeling and bowing to the radiance on the horizon.
The Fate Auspicious Light erupting in various places lasted for a full three months. During these three months, Ming Gu fully recovered from the injuries caused by the Eon Calamity.
His bone structure underwent a strange transformation.
Whether it was due to fusing with the Life Gate or absorbing the blood of the Immortal, marks like blood vessels appeared inside his bones.
Ming Gu was in high spirits, arranging his ten-zhang-long white hair, combing it back into a large dandelion-like bun.
Zhang Ruochen said, "Has Senior stepped into the Heavenly Venerable rank?"
Ming Gu paused his movements, shook his head, and sighed, "The Heavenly Venerable rank? How easy do you think it is? From ancient times to the present, countless heroes have stopped at this step! Being able to save my life this time is already Amitabha! Zhang Ruochen, thank you. If you hadn't delivered the Life Ancestor's Life Gate in time this time, this old man would have been dead!"
Zhang Ruochen said, "Not stepping into the Heavenly Venerable rank, yet causing such a shocking celestial phenomenon?"
"Eh! What is this little phenomenon? When some earth-shattering figures step into the Infinite Realm, their phenomena are far more than this."
Ming Gu said solemnly, "Don't praise me to death, old man. I don't want to be pushed to the forefront of the storm."
Zhang Ruochen didn't quite believe him and said with a light "Eh": "Has Senior cultivated Primordial Qi?"
Ming Gu looked down at his two rows of ribs. Indeed, the inside of his chest and abdominal cavity was filled with brilliant divine radiance, with innate Primordial Qi permeating. He said calmly, "The Life Ancestor was born from the Primordial Clan of the Primordial Beings. I am his bone; it's normal to have a bit of Primordial Qi, right?"
"Of course, it's normal!"
Zhang Ruochen nodded and said, "Now that the Bone Clan is weak, the Middle Three Clans have no strong ones to sit in charge, with internal and external troubles. What plans does Senior have?"
"What plans can I have? I plan to go into seclusion for one eon to break through to the Heavenly Venerable rank. The Santu River basin has Half-Ancestors sitting in charge; nothing will happen. By the way, you need to bring Fengdu back as soon as possible! Also, try not to let the outside world know about me. Keeping a low profile is the way to last long."
Zhang Ruochen thought for a moment and asked, "Has Senior awakened some memories of your past life?"
"No! How could that be possible? How many years has it been? Ming Gu was almost buried and turned to stone. How could I, a newly born spirit, remember a past life?"
Ming Gu flatly denied it, then said, "Zhang Ruochen, what exactly do you want to do? If you have any personal matters, this old man can still help a bit. Of course, if it's beyond my ability, I can only say I can't help."
The Wuwo Lamp couldn't hold back anymore and rushed out, saying, "This old fellow is full of nonsense! When one's cultivation reaches his level, they can more or less awaken some fragments of past life memories. How could he not remember anything? I think he's just afraid of the Nether Ancestor and only wants to hide. Does this kind of goods deserve to possess the master's bones? Where has the master's backbone and spirit gone? It's hateful that the master even gave him the Life Gate."
Ming Gu looked confused and said, "What are you talking about? I don't understand. Zhang Ruochen, what is it saying?"
"I don't understand either."
Zhang Ruochen then said, "I wonder where Senior plans to go into seclusion?"
"This... it's not convenient to reveal! To do safety well, one must find a hiding place randomly," Ming Gu said.
Zhang Ruochen said, "Oh! I just wanted to remind Senior that you might have already been targeted by Baal! In that previous battle, although Baal escaped, he lost three thousand demon bones and a large amount of blood Qi. He comes from the Destiny Temple. To quickly recover his vitality and make up for the loss of the three thousand demon bones, Senior must be his first choice."
The Wuwo Lamp said, "Isn't that an exaggeration? Although Baal is a Half-Ancestor, his strength must have severely declined after this injury. He may not be able to take down this old bone."
Zhang Ruochen shook his head and said, "You're wrong! How was Fengdu Dadi silently exiled back then? If Baal makes a move, he will inevitably invite Qishier Pin Lian, Jiusi Yitianhuang, Gu Yanluo, and a mysterious sword cultivator, among other strong ones, to act together."
Ming Gu's expression became tense as he looked around at the void on all sides.
"Let's go! Senior Ming Gu, farewell."
Zhang Ruochen took the Wuwo Lamp and prepared to leave.
"Zhang Ruochen, wait a moment, you... how can you go back on your word?" Ming Gu chased after him.
"How am I going back on my word?"
"Back then, if this old man hadn't helped you hold off Gu Yanluo, you would have died! What did you promise back then?"
"Didn't you survive the Eon Calamity?"
"But what about the blood in the palm of that Immortal you mentioned? You are the master of the Sword Realm, an Indestructible Infinite; you must keep your word."
Zhang Ruochen stopped and said, "It's not that I'm unwilling to give it, but that palm contains terrifying power. You also know about the dark strangeness that emerged from the Sword God Temple, right? The three Half-Ancestors joined forces but couldn't take it down. This palm is not something to be touched unless one is at the Heavenly Venerable rank."
Ming Gu said, "What if... what if in a couple of days, this old man steps into the Heavenly Venerable rank? Take it out and let me see. I'll just look at it twice."
"No, the strange blood spring at Wuchang Ghost City still needs to be dealt with. That matter is more urgent."
Zhang Ruochen turned into a streak of light and flew away.
"Wait for me!"
Ming Gu chased after him.
...
The Black and White Daoist obtained the Half-Ancestor's decree from Lady Shiji, and with the support of Feng Tian, the matter of establishing a transcendent divine city on the World Tree proceeded smoothly without any opposition.
Besides the "Black and White Daoist," the new patriarch of the Corpse Clan, "Shiva the Great Emperor," and the Bone Clan's war god, "Eternal Day Bright Fiend," arrived together at Fengdu Ghost City to oversee the situation.
The relocation plans for the divine cities, divine temples, ancestral realms, great gods, and young talents of the Middle Three Clans then commenced.
Zhang Ruochen naturally had no interest in these matters. He was extremely busy with many things to do.
He moved the White Impermanence Temple near Wuchang Ghost City, forging swords while refining the Moli Corpse Clan, and also participating in the defensive formations to seal the strange blood spring.
As for completely refining the strange power within the strange blood spring, it was not something that could be done overnight; it would take at least several hundred years.
After finally resealing the strange blood spring, Zhang Ruochen was about to refine the spiritual thought river of Kui Huang Liang when Xiao Hei hurriedly rushed to the White Impermanence Temple.
"An important person wants to see you." Xiao Hei said mysteriously.
Just as Zhang Ruochen was pondering.
"Hua!"
A corner of Xiao Hei's Divine Realm World unfolded, and two figures, one male and one female, walked out.
The old man in a purple divine robe with an immortal aura was none other than Jie Tian.
Traveling with Jie Tian was the Great Elder of the Primordial Path Clan, Yuan Suyin.
Jie Tian, with his hands behind his back, walked out of the Divine Realm World, proud yet calm, his eyes bright as he sized up Zhang Ruochen. He nodded and said, "Not bad. Truly worthy of being the qilin of my Zhang family. Now that you have stepped into the Indestructible Infinite, naturally, the sky is the limit."
Zhang Ruochen, thoughtful, said, "Elder Jie and Senior Suyin coming secretly to the Santu River basin is unexpected."
"Didn't Yuan Sheng tell you? She invited us here," Jie Tian said.
Zhang Ruochen instantly understood.
He finally knew why Yuan Sheng refused to leave no matter what. She was waiting for Jie Tian and Yuan Suyin, hoping to use them to pressure Zhang Ruochen into reclaiming the Twelve Stone Men.
Jie Tian found a seat and sat down, calm and composed, saying, "On the way here, we already found out. Good lad, you didn't disappoint this old man! Back in the Chaos Divine Prison, with Chi Yao around, you played your part quite well."
"Yuan Suyin and I have already discussed it. We have no objections to this matter. It's fine for young people to decide things among themselves. However, for such a major event, it's only right to invite the elders from both sides to witness it."
"I don't even know what you think you know."
Zhang Ruochen didn't bother to deduce and asked directly.
Jie Tian said, "The master of the Sword Realm, the emperor of the Primordial Path. The future ancestor, reigning supreme in the upper realm. The son of the Primordial Path, the chief of the lower realm. The four realms and eight directions, the eternal river, all beings and all paths, the sole honored Imperial Dust. This forty-character divine ballad, this old man heard as soon as he entered the Yellow Spring Star River! It is said that Half-Ancestor Lady Shiji saw a corner of fate and made this prophecy. Moreover, some Stone Clan God Venerables claim that you and Yuan Sheng have already been engaged under the auspices of Lady Shiji."
"Isn't Yuan Sheng inviting us two here for this matter?"
Zhang Ruochen realized that he had been set up by Lady Shiji.
Clearly, Lady Shiji had seen through that Zhang Ruochen had used the title of "fiancée" to deceive Yuan Sheng in order to save her. At the same time, this move of hers was to force Zhang Ruochen into a position where he had no choice but to deal with the Twelve Ancient Clans.
Lady Shiji and Yuan Sheng each had their own goals. Only Jie Tian, the old man, knew nothing and was still cheerfully coming to drink wedding wine.