Chapter 3941: The Ruined Star Sea
The *Wordless Sword Manual* only contained the cultivation method up to Sword Twenty-Four, and even that merely pointed a direction. Every sword cultivator, depending on their primary Dao, would cultivate a different Sword Twenty-Four. The subsequent sword paths had to be deduced based on one's own circumstances. However, the sword path deduced by Sword Ancestor before his death, like the traces of the Great Dao, absolutely possessed extraordinary value for comprehension.
Zhang Ruochen naturally would not hand over the original so easily. He said, "The original is stored in the Sword Realm."
Void Heaven did not believe him at all. Controlling his emotions, he said, "Zhang Ruochen, you should be very clear about the current situation. The contradiction between the Hell Realm and the Heavenly Court has become a secondary issue. Everyone shares a common enemy and a sense of imminent danger. Moving the Sword Realm to the No-Return Forest won't have too much impact. Besides, do you have any other choice?"
Zhang Ruochen said, "The contradictions can be temporarily set aside, but what about the hatred accumulated over so many years? In the tens of thousands of years of war, the Hell Realm has taken every advantage, destroyed how many realms, and devoured how much blood? As long as the old structure remains, as long as our generation doesn't die out completely, a single spark could reignite the war."
Void Heaven understood this truth perfectly well. "Wouldn't the future Sword Realm be the greatest crucible of contradictions?"
Zhang Ruochen said, "As long as our generation works hard enough, by the time we all die, the next generation will be better off. Otherwise, it will be like the Upper Realm and the Primordial Beings—the more you suppress, the deeper the hatred; the more you antagonize, the less you can solve the problem. If even one Ancestor in the history of the Hell Realm had approached the Twelve Primordial Clans with the goal of dissolving hatred, the Hell Realm wouldn't be in such a dangerous situation today, plagued by internal and external troubles and attacked from all sides. By making the Sword Realm independent of both the Heavenly Court and the Hell Realm, this is what I intend to do. Perhaps it cannot be achieved in this generation, but someone has to take the first step."
After hearing this, Void Heaven fell into deep thought, then said somewhat grudgingly, "You really are Xumi's heir, both cut from the same cloth. How nice it would be to just act on gratitude and vengeance, yet you insist on doing the impossible. You're destined to end up just like him."
Zhang Ruochen smiled calmly. "Now does Void Heaven understand that the No-Return Forest is not my only choice?"
"Be careful you don't end up like the Thunder Clan."
Having said so much, how could Void Heaven not understand?
He took out the Heavenly Mechanism Brush. "Hand over the sword bone first!"
"Thank you, Void Heaven."
Zhang Ruochen took out the sword bone and exchanged it for the Heavenly Mechanism Brush.
Although Void Heaven verbally mocked Xumi Saint Monk and Zhang Ruochen, he was secretly expecting something. After all, given his connection to the Truth Divine Temple, he hoped that the Heavenly Court and the Hell Realm could achieve some degree of reconciliation. This path would be no easier than cultivating to the Ancestor Realm, and only Zhang Ruochen had the potential to accomplish it. That was why he was willing to lend the Heavenly Mechanism Brush.
...
Zhang Ruochen boarded the divine ship. Just as he was about to leave, he saw Gai Mie approaching from afar.
Zhang Ruochen said, "Supreme Pillar is heading to the Nether Prison?"
Gai Mie boarded the divine ship directly. Seeing Chi Yao, Yuan Sheng, Chan Bing, and Mu Lingxi, he frowned. "Facing the Dark Abyssals, you're bringing only four women along? Not afraid it'll slow down your sword-drawing speed?"
"Facing the Dark Abyssals, isn't it the same no matter who I bring along?" Zhang Ruochen said.
Gai Mie nodded. "What about Xu Fengjin and Feng Caiyi? Aren't they traveling with you?"
Zhang Ruochen said, "We didn't reach an agreement."
Chi Yao said, "Supreme Pillar doesn't seem to be heading to the Nether Prison. Are you here to repay a favor?"
"Ah, you guessed it. I owe a favor from the Ancient Desolate Ruins City, and it must be repaid. I, Gai Mie, have dominated the universe for over ten million years, and every word I speak counts." Gai Mie said, "Let's go. Why haven't we set off yet?"
Zhang Ruochen looked into the distance at Nutian Shenzun, Jue Miao Chan Nu, Bore, Yanshu Chanshi, Xue Hou, and others standing above the clouds of the Kongming Realm, a thoughtful expression on his face. He knew that Gai Mie and Nutian Shenzun must have reached some kind of deal.
"Swoosh!"
The divine ship activated, crashing into the interior of space and entering the Ancient God Path.
The divine ship hadn't traveled far when a dilapidated wooden boat appeared in the void along the Ancient God Path. On the boat stood a rotten wooden mast, hanging a black sail, exuding an ancient and weathered aura.
Star Sea Angler and Bai Qinger stood at the bow, as if they had been waiting for a long time. The three great elders of the Divine Ancient Nest stood behind them.
After the five boarded the ship, they exchanged pleasantries.
Zhang Ruochen asked about Yan Wushen's whereabouts.
One of the three great elders, "Wu Zhen Elder," informed him that after capturing the Nightmare Land, Yan Wushen had taken the Nightmare Land and left, claiming to have made an important discovery that needed investigation.
Zhang Ruochen then asked for the exact time Yan Wushen had left.
Star Sea Angler, extremely perceptive, guessed something and laughed. "Ruochen seems particularly concerned about Yan Wushen. Truly, heroes admire heroes." He then gave the time Yan Wushen had left.
Seeing Zhang Ruochen's grave expression, Chi Yao transmitted to him, "The time he left was before the Nether Sea emerged. It's hard to say if there's a connection."
Gai Mie clearly had no interest in Yan Wushen. "Shouldn't we first discuss how to deal with the Dark Abyssals?"
Bai Qinger said, "Before you arrived, Master went to Fengdu Ghost City, but Fengdu Dadi couldn't spare the help. Although he returned, Di also returned and is hiding in the Hell Realm. With Di's Half-Ancestor cultivation, every day that passes, his strength grows significantly."
Zhang Ruochen said, "Everyone, don't worry. I already have a strategy, but I need to return to the Kunlun Realm first."
At this, Gai Mie and Star Sea Angler both turned their heads, extremely curious. With their cultivation and experience, they couldn't solve the problem, so how could Zhang Ruochen be so confident?
The divine ship continued its journey. Near the star domain where the Starry Sky Battlefield was located, it burst out of the Ancient God Path and returned to the Real World.
Standing on the ship, one could see the brilliant star clouds in the cosmos, as well as the great worlds and main stars in the direction of the Starry Sky Battlefield.
Even though everyone present was a god with vast experience, they were still left breathless by the sight.
It was too shocking!
The Shura Star Pillar Realm, which had existed for who knows how many eons, was broken in two. Half was in the Hell Realm, and the other half had flown into the Heavenly Court Universe, apparently colliding with the Heavenly Court as legend said.
Outside the Heavenly Court World, fragments of the Shura Star Pillar Realm were everywhere. Each fragment was the size of a planet, numbering in the tens of thousands, scattered like grains of sand across the void, countless. How many cultivators of the Shura Clan could still be alive?
Besides the Shura Star Pillar Realm, on the Hell Realm's side, the Bone Sea that the Bone Clan had moved here was crushed into fragments, bones floating everywhere; the Stone God Star of the Stone Clan was swept away, completely erased from the cosmos.
The forces that the Hell Realm had once moved to the Starry Sky Battlefield to attack the Heavenly Court had suffered an unprecedented disaster.
The Heavenly Court was not spared either.
The Heavenly River that protected the Heavenly Court Great World was now missing. The news Zhang Ruochen received was that, like the Stone God Star, it had been swept away by the Nether Sea!
In addition, a large number of ancient civilization great worlds on the Heavenly Court Universe's defensive line were destroyed. The entire line was breached, and countless ancient civilizations were completely annihilated.
The path the Nether Sea had charged through was still visible in the cosmos, a clear route of destruction.
No, not everything was destroyed. At least on this path, the Heavenly Court Great World still existed, like an unbreakable fortress.
Star Sea Angler sighed with emotion. "See? This is the prelude to the apocalypse. When that power arrives, everything will be destroyed. No matter how powerful a great world is, it may not survive."
Everyone felt oppressed, as if a mountain was pressing down on them, making it hard to breathe.
Only Gai Mie remained relaxed and natural. "This is nothing. Compared to the Chaos Era, it's still far off."
Zhang Ruochen said, "Senior Yu, could you do me a favor and go to the Shura Clan?"
One of the elders of the Divine Ancient Nest said bitterly, "Does the Shura Clan still exist?"
Zhang Ruochen said, "Although the Shura Star Pillar Realm was broken in two, the Nether Sea didn't specifically target the Shura Clan for destruction. So I believe some powerful gods can protect a portion of the clan and keep them alive."
Star Sea Angler said, "What do you want me to do at the Shura Clan?"
Zhang Ruochen said, "Find Xiu Chen. In her capacity as clan leader, take the Shura Battle Soul Sea."
"Will that deal with the Dark Abyssals?" Star Sea Angler was full of doubt.
Zhang Ruochen said, "It can save the Sword Realm."
No one knew what Zhang Ruochen was planning, but his resolute gaze gave everyone great reassurance, as if there was nothing in the world he couldn't accomplish.
Bai Qinger said, "Chen Ge, when you return to the Heavenly Court Universe, you'll have to pass through the Shura Star Pillar Realm, right?"
"I plan to go through the Wuding Divine Sea," Zhang Ruochen said.
...
After Star Sea Angler and Bai Qinger left, the divine ship set off for the Wuding Divine Sea.
Gai Mie said, "You want to move the Sword Realm to the Wuding Divine Sea? You haven't forgotten what happened to the Thunder Clan, have you?"
Zhang Ruochen said, "I'm different from Thunder Punishment Heavenly Venerable. He offended both the Heavenly Court and the Hell Realm, yet still wanted to dominate one side. He deserved to die. But if the Sword Realm is attacked, cultivators from both the Heavenly Court and the Hell Realm will come to its rescue. At the same time, the Sword Realm, positioned between the Heavenly Court Universe and the Hell Realm, can greatly buffer the contradictions between the two."
Gai Mie said, "The Nether Sea emerged from the Nether Purgatory, charged from the Hell Realm to the Heavenly Court Universe, destroying hundreds of realms and tens of thousands of stars along the way, burying billions of living beings. It must be devouring the souls and blood energy of cultivators. After suffering such a heavy blow, within one eon, neither the Heavenly Court Universe nor the Hell Realm will likely have the intention to wage war against each other. This time, both sides are hurt too deeply!"
"And after one eon?" Zhang Ruochen said.
Gai Mie looked toward the star domain where the Wuding Divine Sea was located and laughed. "That's right. The more chaotic the universe, the more interesting it is."
"The Ghost Gate is gone!"
Chi Yao looked at the distant starry sky, where the star-sized gate could no longer be seen.
Zhang Ruochen had long known that the Nether Sea had broken through the Starry Sky Grand Formation and swept away the Ghost Gate. With that expectation, he remained calm. "The Seventy-Two Layer Tower is probably going to merge. I hope the Sword Pavilion is unharmed."
The Wuding Divine Sea was a body of water eternally floating in the universe. Even at its narrowest point, it was over a hundred billion miles wide, with planets forming its boundaries. It was far vaster than any great world, and even ten billion stars could not fill it. This was truly one of the universe's poles, one of the most inconceivable places in heaven and earth.
Legend had it that it was the source of all water on every planet in the universe.
The waves were fierce, and the wind carried a faint salty taste.
Under the guidance of a divine general, Zhang Ruochen and Gai Mie walked toward the temple of the Xuan Gu Nine-Eyed Dragon God.
The Xuan Gu Nine-Eyed Dragon God was the first war god of the Death Clan, and the strongest under the Death Clan's Qingtian. He was responsible for guarding the Hell Realm's defensive line on the west coast of the Wuding Divine Sea.
Entering the hall, the space opened up, as if entering a small world.
The Xuan Gu Nine-Eyed Dragon God's ten-thousand-mile-long dragon bone body, carrying endless wind and thunder, appeared before Zhang Ruochen. Nine soul-stirring eyes lit up in the darkness.
"Imperial Dust graces us with his presence. What advice do you have?" a deep, rumbling voice sounded.
Zhang Ruochen got straight to the point. "I hope Dragon God can lead the Hell Realm's army to immediately leave the Wuding Divine Sea and go to defend the Starry Sky Defense Line. The Hell Realm has suffered heavy losses there."
The Xuan Gu Nine-Eyed Dragon God was silent for a long time. "Imperial Dust is not the Heavenly Venerable of the Hell Realm. Can you give such an order?"
Zhang Ruochen found a seat and sat down. "I came to discuss with Dragon God, not to give orders."
The Xuan Gu Nine-Eyed Dragon God said, "Then I'm very sorry. Guarding the Wuding Divine Sea is my duty. Without a decree from the Heavenly Venerable, there is no room for discussion."
From the darkness, a group of armored Hell Realm gods emerged, each with battle intent in their eyes.
Zhang Ruochen said, "Dragon God, don't be too hasty in your conclusion. If I couldn't reach an agreement, would I have come all this way? Do you really think I have that much time?"
As his words fell, every footprint Zhang Ruochen had left on the ground burst into brilliant light, like formation imprints, directly pulling the war star where the Xuan Gu Nine-Eyed Dragon God's temple was located, lifting it into the air.
The Xuan Gu Nine-Eyed Dragon God was furious. "Zhang Ruochen, are you declaring war on the Hell Realm?"
His divine might erupted, and strands of death qi, like divine rivers, shuttled through heaven and earth.
Zhang Ruochen remained seated on the chair, his body radiating billions of talisman lights, forming his own world, dispersing all the death qi. His voice was like thunder. "Want war? You are not qualified. Go back and tell the Great Emperor or Qingcang that I, Zhang Ruochen, am taking the Wuding Divine Sea. Whether it's war or peace, they will decide."
Feeling the terrifying aura from Zhang Ruochen, the gods of the Hell Realm realized that the young prodigy of the past had truly risen to become a cosmic overlord. The title "Imperial Dust" represented the will of a great emperor.
Even the powerful Xuan Gu Nine-Eyed Dragon God was secretly shocked, caught in a dilemma.
If he retreated, he would lose face.
If he didn't retreat, he would have to face the formidable enemy that was Zhang Ruochen.
"Tsk, no fun. I didn't even get a chance to fight, and you handled it yourself!" Gai Mie sighed.
Only then did everyone notice the imposing man who had come with Zhang Ruochen.
"Gai Mie!" the Xuan Gu Nine-Eyed Dragon God said.
A sinister smile appeared in Gai Mie's eyes, and his demonic aura surged outward. "When you go to report to Fengdu Dadi, take a message for me. Tell him that I, Gai Mie, have fully recovered my cultivation and will seek a duel with him sooner or later."
"Let's go!"
The Xuan Gu Nine-Eyed Dragon God hesitated no longer and led the Hell Realm army, withdrawing from the Wuding Divine Sea in a grand and imposing manner.