Chapter 3946: Even a Heavenly Venerable Can Be Fought
Qishier Pin Lian's eyes, as deep and unfathomable as the Abyss of Darkness, gazed at the demonic qi spreading within the inner world of the golden chariot. She remained calm, saying, "The half-ancestor power of Heavenly Mother, is this your trump card?"
"Is it not enough?"
Zhang Ruochen's tone was low and deep, exuding the absolute momentum of the Indestructible Infinite.
"Let me answer your earlier doubt. The reason I didn't choose to strike at the Time Divine Temple is because this is my true home ground. You must understand, being able to draw such serious attention from me is something to be very proud of."
As Qishier Pin Lian's voice fell, crisscrossing lines of light appeared on the ground of the inner world, which was formed by the purple divine spring pool and river.
Space was being cut apart, the celestial mechanism thrown into chaos.
To Zhang Ruochen, Qiangu Nüdi, and the others, the entire world was spinning rapidly. Even with their Indestructible Infinite cultivation, they could not stabilize the space.
"It's the divine artifact, Heaven and Earth Chess Platform. The Fourth Confucian Ancestor indeed died by her hand." Qiangu Nüdi suppressed the killing intent within her, knowing full well the gap in their cultivation levels.
Zhang Ruochen remained unflustered. With a sweep of his sleeve, black and white chess pieces flew out, landing on the chess platform.
These pieces were of the same origin as the Heaven and Earth Chess Platform. They had been sent back together with the blood robe of the Fourth Confucian Ancestor by the Quantity Organization, concealing a killing move meant to destroy the younger generation of cultivators from the Kunlun Realm.
The pieces struck the platform, producing a dense series of clattering sounds, but their effect was minimal.
Under Qishier Pin Lian's activation, the Heaven and Earth Chess Platform's power was boundless. If this were in the starry sky, it could manipulate a hundred thousand stars as chess pieces, slaying gods and buddhas alike without resistance.
"Splash!"
The sound of water arose.
The Space-Time Chaos Lotus carried Qishier Pin Lian as it rose from the purple divine spring pool, floating dozens of feet above the water's surface. Glowing root hairs hung down like a waterfall of clouds, dazzling and beautiful.
She said, "The Heaven and Earth Chess Platform can cut space and disrupt the celestial mechanism. Even if you wield the power of a half-ancestor, if you cannot lock onto me, you won't be able to severely wound me."
The word "severely wound" indicated that Qishier Pin Lian deeply understood the might of half-ancestor power. No matter how well-prepared she was or how confident she felt, she knew she could not withstand it.
But as long as she wasn't severely wounded, once Zhang Ruochen's half-ancestor power was exhausted, his death would be certain.
"Even without using half-ancestor power, do you think you alone can be our opponent? Four Indestructible Infinite cultivators, two at the peak of Great Unbound Infinite, plus the Snow Domain Star Sea Divine Army—even a Heavenly Venerable can be fought."
Hadn't Zhang Ruochen prepared just as thoroughly?
He fully released his spiritual power, projecting his Truth Heart and the Taiji Four Symbols Diagram Seal outward, searching for Qishier Pin Lian's aura amidst the chaotic space and celestial mechanism.
"Fight!"
Chan Bing cast aside all illusions, unfolding light wings on her back.
Behind her, clusters of divine light emerged.
Within the divine light were eight hundred divine soldiers, formed into a battle formation, each brimming with fierce battle intent and murderous aura.
"At our level of cultivation, we truly want to clash with a Heavenly Venerable. If we survive today, our names will surely resound across the world."
Xiu Chen Heavenly God flew back into the Sundial.
A long river of time manifested, flowing around the Sundial with a pleasant murmuring sound.
Yuan Sheng and Wuwo Lamp revealed themselves in turn—one with a dark jungle scene behind her, the other releasing brilliant light that attacked the soul.
Six experts, each at least capable of fighting a Heavenly Venerable.
Such power was enough to sweep across an entire star domain, destroying clans and worlds with a flick of the finger.
Qishier Pin Lian calmly looked at the group opposite her, saying, "It's naturally enough to deal with an ordinary Heavenly Venerable. But at Buzhou Mountain, Zhang Ruochen, you should have witnessed my combat power. I am invincible at the same realm; fighting two Heavenly Venerables alone is no trouble for me, is it?"
"Since when did a Heavenly Venerable need to boast to boost their own confidence?"
Before Zhang Ruochen's words had even faded, he had already activated the Imperial Edict and pushed his palm forward. Instantly, billions of bright talisman patterns surged toward Qishier Pin Lian's position.
The talisman patterns propped up an independent space and world, continuously smashing through the crisscrossing light marks formed by the Heaven and Earth Chess Platform as they advanced.
Zhang Ruochen naturally wouldn't think he could break through Qishier Pin Lian's Heaven and Earth chess game alone.
Therefore, the moment the Imperial Edict's talisman patterns flew out, a combined attack divine formation's array disk condensed beneath his feet.
Chan Bing, Yuan Sheng, Qiangu Nüdi, the Sundial, and the Snow Domain Star Sea Divine Army were all within the combined attack formation. Countless formation inscriptions surged from everyone's legs, spreading throughout their bodies.
They simultaneously mobilized their divine qi, firing a beam of light toward Zhang Ruochen's back.
The Jade Emperor Cauldron manifested on Zhang Ruochen's back. Driven by the divine qi of the assembled gods, it erupted with blazing radiance.
"Go!"
Zhang Ruochen guided the Jade Emperor Cauldron, chasing after the Imperial Edict's talisman patterns. Along the way, it crushed the power of the Heaven and Earth Chess Platform, finally colliding with the golden Buddha ring that Qishier Pin Lian had struck out.
"Boom!"
The power of the Jade Emperor Cauldron was overwhelming, shattering the Buddha ring and blasting Qishier Pin Lian's body and the Space-Time Chaos Lotus into ashes.
"Not the true body! Such formidable illusion techniques—truly worthy of a Heavenly Venerable."
Zhang Ruochen's eyes narrowed sharply. If he couldn't even find her true body, how could he fight?
This wasn't a gap in power, but a gap in "method" and "dao."
"Whoosh!"
He struck out divine qi, pouring it into the Wuwo Lamp.
"Illuminate all falsehood; I want to see her true form."
The flames within the Wuwo Lamp blazed fiercely, releasing an aura worthy of an Indestructible Infinite mid-stage cultivator. The divine light of fate penetrated everywhere, illuminating even the individual strands of heaven and earth's rules.
There, Qishier Pin Lian stood at the center of the Heaven and Earth Chess Platform below, her white clothes like snow, her bearing independent. The Space-Time Chaos Lotus floated within the Buddha ring behind her, continuously releasing the power of time and space.
She slowly raised her head, meeting Zhang Ruochen's mature and steady gaze. Such a gaze made even a Heavenly Venerable feel a trace of threat.
Qishier Pin Lian said, "So you were already prepared. With this combined attack formation and the Jade Emperor Cauldron, you can stand at the pinnacle of the universe. But you don't understand the correct way to use the Jade Emperor Cauldron. Why not hand it over to me?"
"Then you'll have to be capable of taking it," Zhang Ruochen said.
Qishier Pin Lian said, "Do you really think that what the Wuwo Lamp illuminates is my true body?"
Zhang Ruochen inwardly acknowledged her skill. This single sentence from Qishier Pin Lian had once again shaken his state of mind, completely dissipating the momentum he had built from breaking the Heaven and Earth Chess Platform's game.
Zhang Ruochen possessed the Truth Heart and a perfect, flawless First-rank Divine Path. Normally, he could transcend realms and see through the dao techniques of cultivators stronger than himself. But unfortunately, the gap between him and Qishier Pin Lian spanned too many levels.
If he could break through to the Indestructible Infinite mid-stage, Zhang Ruochen would have considerable confidence in seeing through Qishier Pin Lian's illusionary dao techniques, and wouldn't be so passive.
Qiangu Nüdi keenly sensed the shift in Zhang Ruochen's mindset and was quite worried. "Actually, there's no need to worry about where her true body is. We just need to break through the inner world of the golden chariot. Then, facing the overwhelming tide of gods from the Heavenly Court, she will surely die."
"Empress, your words are very reasonable."
Zhang Ruochen raised his right hand above his head, summoning the Abyssal Divine Sword and drawing upon the power of the gods within the combined attack formation.
Instantly, the sword's body erupted with divine flames that could burn the heavens and earth. All rules were boiling.
The sword seemed about to break through all rules!
The war sword left his hand, like a white rainbow piercing the sun, stabbing straight into the void above.
Even if the golden chariot itself was a divine artifact, Zhang Ruochen was fully confident that this sword strike could break it open.
Layer after layer of spatial formations within the chariot were pierced!
"Whoosh!"
The Four Directions Great Universe Seal, the hall-suppressing divine artifact of the Space Divine Temple, appeared above, spinning rapidly to form an inward-contracting spatial storm.
Clearly, Qishier Pin Lian had anticipated this move from Zhang Ruochen and had made preparations in advance, intending to take the Abyssal Divine Sword, making him lose both his wife and his army.
Such was the subtlety of a battle between experts!
Not a single minor mistake could be made, and every possible move of the opponent had to be deduced in advance.
By anticipating the enemy's actions first, one could always maintain the initiative.
Zhang Ruochen had long known that Qishier Pin Lian possessed the Four Directions Great Universe Seal, so naturally, he wouldn't make this mistake. Forming a sword finger, he controlled the Boundless Divine Sword to strike.
"Swish!"
The Boundless Divine Sword broke both space and time, slashing through the spatial vortex formed by the Four Directions Great Universe Seal.
"Bang!"
After escaping the spatial vortex, the Abyssal Divine Sword's blade struck the top of the golden chariot.
This strike failed to pierce the golden chariot, as most of the divine sword's power had already been consumed in the spatial vortex.
Xuanyuan Lian, who was driving the chariot, heard the loud crash from the chariot wall. Her pupils contracted, and she rapidly mobilized all her power. But the green lotus mark on her brow suppressed her completely, leaving her unable to do anything except drive.
She already knew many things, and the pain in her heart was beyond words.
If it was because of her that Zhang Ruochen and Qiangu Nüdi died at the hands of Qishier Pin Lian, she would live in guilt for the rest of her life. And this was a highly probable outcome.
No matter how peerlessly talented Zhang Ruochen and Qiangu Nüdi were, how could they possibly survive against a Heavenly Venerable?
"Zhang Ruochen, Hua Ying Qingchan, you must hold on!"
Below the clouds, the Heavenly Man Academy was already in sight. This gave Xuanyuan Lian hope, and she immediately steered the chariot into a dive.
...
Retrieving the Abyssal Divine Sword and the Boundless Divine Sword, Zhang Ruochen looked down. Where was Qishier Pin Lian's figure?
"Careful!"
Almost instinctively, Zhang Ruochen punched forward.
From the four thunder beads on the Qilin Fist Gloves, lifelike lightning dragons surged out simultaneously. Dragon roars shook the ears, combining lightning and fist force.
At the edge of the combined attack formation, a rift was torn in space. A heavenly pillar struck out, colliding precisely with Zhang Ruochen's fist.
"Boom!"
Zhang Ruochen felt as if he had been struck by the power of the entire universe. His bones felt like they were about to fall apart.
But...
Incredibly, he had withstood Qishier Pin Lian's full-force strike.
Qishier Pin Lian's true body finally appeared, holding the heavenly pillar, standing at the edge of the spatial rift. Her eyes, which were always calm and waveless, showed a look of disbelief.
What surprised her was not just Zhang Ruochen's reaction speed.
After all, Zhang Ruochen was hailed as a future Primordial Ancestor. Such an extraordinary reaction speed was understandable. The fact that Zhang Ruochen had escaped from her hands several times had already proven his absolute talent and wisdom.
This was also why she had treated Zhang Ruochen with utmost seriousness.
What truly stirred Qishier Pin Lian was that the reaction speeds of Chan Bing, Yuan Sheng, Xiu Chen, Qiangu Nüdi, and the Wuwo Lamp were not much slower than Zhang Ruochen's.
It was precisely because they all struck out their power simultaneously, transmitting it through the formation to Zhang Ruochen, that he was able to block her attack.
All of this indicated that the people gathered around Zhang Ruochen were all outstanding talents with limitless future potential.
What a terrifying force this was!
"Boom!"
The two forces separated, each retreating.
It seemed like a standoff, but Zhang Ruochen knew that his side had already lost.
Because, including himself, more than half of the cultivators were already injured.
The combined attack formation could unite their power, but it could not strengthen their physical bodies or divine souls.
Zhang Ruochen held the River Diagram in his hand. Even if he couldn't lock onto Qishier Pin Lian's true body, he would still unleash the half-ancestor divine ability. Doing so would at least destroy the inner world of the golden chariot and break out of the predicament.
Qishier Pin Lian said, "Zhang Ruochen, I told you, this is my home ground! Do you really think you're the only one with helpers?"
"Rustle!"
A vast and magnificent purple divine river flowed out from the depths of space.
It was as majestic as the Heavenly River, as mysterious as the Santu River.
Within the divine river flew countless blue resentful spirits, the souls of the Weak Water Clan. And this purple divine river was none other than the Luo River flowing through the Void World.
The power of the Luo River and the resentful spirits filled the inner world of the golden chariot. This power was far greater than that of the Snow Domain Star Sea Divine Army.
Qishier Pin Lian's voice came from an unknown direction: "Do you still think now that I would fear the half-ancestor power of Heavenly Mother? It would be a different story if Heavenly Mother's true body were here."
"But you can't do anything to me either, can you? If we really keep fighting, we'll only attract all the gods of the Heavenly Court."
Zhang Ruochen put away the River Diagram first, saying, "We've already arrived at the Heavenly Man Academy! How about we make a bet?"
"What bet?" Qishier Pin Lian said.
Zhang Ruochen said, "I bet that even if I and all the cultivators in the golden chariot do nothing, you still won't be able to rescue the suppressed part of the Dark Weirdness's body."
Qishier Pin Lian carefully examined Zhang Ruochen, saying, "As far as I know, the Hunyuan Brush used to open the Second Confucian Ancestor's Ancestor Realm is in the Heavenly Man Academy."
"So what? I can even help you obtain the Hunyuan Brush and personally hand it to you." Zhang Ruochen said.
At this moment, Zhang Ruochen finally surpassed Qishier Pin Lian in momentum.
In fact, when Qishier Pin Lian asked him how to bet, her momentum had already collapsed. It meant that this self-proclaimed invincible Heavenly Venerable, the strongest of the current era, truly had no confidence in killing Zhang Ruochen.
"Are you staking everything on the ancestral power of the Immovable Bright King Great Venerable's Nine Heavens Realm World?"
Qishier Pin Lian said, "Very well, I'll make an exception and accept your bet. If you win, I'll let you all live today. You should understand that if we really keep fighting, even if it alarms the gods of the Heavenly Court, I will certainly pay a considerable price, but at least half of you will die."
Then she added, "But I have one condition. Only you, Zhang Ruochen, can walk out of the golden chariot with me. Everyone else must stay inside."
With this single sentence, Qishier Pin Lian turned passivity into activity, throwing the difficult problem back to Zhang Ruochen.
The Wuwo Lamp said, "Impossible! The moment Zhang Ruochen steps out of the combined attack formation, you'll probably kill him."
Zhang Ruochen shot a glance at the Wuwo Lamp.
The Wuwo Lamp immediately changed its tune: "At the very least, you'll be severely wounded! You can't trust her. Let's keep fighting. Who's afraid of who?"
Qiangu Nüdi said, "It's too risky. You can't agree."
"She's a Heavenly Venerable," Yuan Sheng said in a low voice.
Qishier Pin Lian let out a cold laugh: "You were the one who proposed the bet. I had actually thought a bit more highly of you just now. If you don't even have this much courage, then you're truly disappointing."
"Being thought highly of by someone who is scheming to kill me—even if I really die, it's worth it!"
Zhang Ruochen walked out of the combined attack formation with a smile, sending a telepathic message to Chan Bing: "Be careful with the resentful spirits in the Luo River. Protect everyone."
An eon ago, when the resentful spirits of the Luo River emerged, it was Fengdu Dadi and Void Heaven who joined forces to suppress them back, showing how formidable they were.