Chapter 3956: Entering the Heavenly Pilgrim Palace Again
Zhang Ruochen walked around the massive body of the Golden Qilin Ancestor, which was larger than a mountain, either releasing his spiritual power or using the power of the Truth Heart to sense it.
Jie Tian studied it for half a day, then grew impatient. He flew up to its eye socket and used both arms to pry open its left eyelid.
"It's completely dead, absolutely dead. It shouldn't be him. Besides, it's a Golden Qilin, the mount of an Ancestor. How could it learn to bark like a dog?"
Jie Tian shook his head, having completely lost interest. He slid down from the Golden Qilin's eye socket along its golden, glossy fur to the ground.
Then, he looked toward the majestic Heavenly Venerable Tomb, which radiated nine-colored divine light, and said, "The problem should lie within this great tomb. The soil substance is extraordinary, the space is stable, as if it could sink an entire star domain. I've long wanted to go in and investigate. Is the Ancestor's corpse really buried inside this tomb?"
"You'd better not act rashly."
Zhang Ruochen stopped Jie Tian and then recounted the matter of the Yuan Dao Ancient Clan Emperor.
Jie Tian found it hard to believe. "That old fellow was actually at the Heavenly Venerable level? Really? If all twelve stone men are at the Heavenly Venerable level, once they emerge, they will sweep across the universe. Who could stop them? Even a Half-Ancestor would have to retreat."
Zhang Ruochen said, "If the twelve stone men guarding the Heavenly Venerable Tomb are already this powerful, who knows if something even more terrifying is sealed inside the tomb?"
"That's possible."
Jie Tian stroked his white hair, his mood becoming uneasy. "The five stone men sealed in the Nine Heavens Celestial World—could something go wrong with them?"
During the battle in the Heavenly Court, the five stone men stored in Zhang Ruochen's Divine Realm World had stirred, shedding a lot of stone skin. If not for the Ancestor power suppressing them within the Nine Heavens Celestial World, they might have already broken free.
If you added the half-destroyed remains of the mysterious sword cultivator, the fierce evils sealed in the Nine Heavens Celestial World were already terrifyingly dangerous. If an accident occurred and they broke free, the Zhang Clan and the Kunlun Realm would inevitably bear the brunt.
Who wouldn't be panicked?
Even a Half-Ancestor, tasked with suppressing six Heavenly Venerable-level beings, would feel immense pressure and need to be extremely cautious.
Not to mention, beneath the Nine Heavens Celestial World, within the Second Confucian Ancestor's Ancestor Realm, there was an even more terrifying dark remnant.
Zhang Ruochen said, "The Ancestor power of the Nine Heavens Celestial World should be sufficient to simultaneously suppress the Styx River and one hand of the Dark Anomaly, and it should be enough to suppress the five stone men. So, from now on, Elder Jie must be extremely careful."
"What do you mean by 'I must be extremely careful'?" Jie Tian asked, puzzled.
Zhang Ruochen said, "The Ancestor power within the Nine Heavens Celestial World can only be maximally activated by the Zhang Clan's descendants and cultivators who practice the *Bright Emperor Scripture*. Next, Elder Jie must lead the Zhang Clan's descendants to station themselves in the Nine Heavens Celestial World, suppressing the five stone men, the half-destroyed mysterious sword cultivator, and the dark remnant in the Ancestor Realm."
Jie Tian found a piece of bluestone to sit on, calming himself. "You're dumping such a huge mess on me? What are you going to do?"
"I can't just keep taking hits passively, can I?"
Zhang Ruochen stroked the Kirin Fist Gloves, his eyes filled with determination and resolve.
Jie Tian was moved but felt Zhang Ruochen was being too bold. He advised, "How about we first find a way to refine the threats in the Nine Heavens Celestial World? A single Kunlun Realm, suppressing so many fierce demons and evil gods, is really unsettling."
"That's possible! But I have more important matters to attend to first. After I'm done, I'll come back and eliminate them one by one."
Zhang Ruochen understood clearly that refining and killing a Heavenly Venerable-level being was no easy task, not something that could be done overnight.
Even using the Earth Cauldron.
Moreover, once the time power suppressing the mysterious sword cultivator disappeared, he could self-destruct his Divine Source. Even inside the Earth Cauldron, the cosmic tremor caused by a Heavenly Venerable-level self-destruction would be enough to annihilate an entire realm.
Any small mistake could be fatal.
Unless there was enough power to suppress his self-destruction.
Zhang Ruochen took one last look at the Golden Qilin Ancestor's corpse and walked out of the tomb forest.
Chi Yao, Wu Yue, and A Fuya were still waiting outside.
A Fuya looked somewhat concerned and asked, "Did you find anything?"
Zhang Ruochen shook his head, then turned his gaze to Chi Yao. "I want to go to the Ancient Divine Nest."
"Alright," Chi Yao said.
"But not now. I need to wait a bit longer."
Zhang Ruochen looked around.
In the sky, the starry sea was brilliant.
Outside the tomb forest, the vegetation was lush and vast. Illuminated by the radiance of various exotic flowers and plants, the outlines of distant mountains could faintly be seen. Heaven and earth were silent, as if all things were still asleep.
...
Night was almost over, but dawn had not yet broken.
Zhang Ruochen's twelfth imperial uncle, Ming Jiang Wang, had been busy dealing with various affairs across the Eastern Domain recently, overwhelmed and frazzled.
He had refined a Divine Source and stepped into the Divine Realm, gaining a lifespan of one Eon.
This was not something to be proud of, but he was extremely proud. The basic requirement for refining a Divine Source and becoming a False God was to first cultivate to the Great Saint realm.
Moreover, not every Great Saint who refined a Divine Source could successfully step into the Divine Realm.
In the Zhang Clan and the Eastern Domain, Ming Jiang Wang's cultivation and combat power were not particularly high, but his seniority was high, and his status was prominent. Naturally, he became the Zhang Clan's steward. Even the True Gods among Chi Kunlun's descendants or the Great Gods of the Kunlun Realm had to give him some face.
As a False God, he had no further ambitions for cultivation or the Divine Path. He just wanted to enjoy an Eon of comfortable life and complete the tasks assigned by the old ancestor, Jie Tian.
Thus, after half a month of busy work, Ming Jiang Wang went to bed early the previous night, unaware that Jie Tian and Zhang Ruochen had returned.
It wasn't until dawn that strong spatial fluctuations came from deep within King Mountain.
"Rumble!"
The entire Zhang Clan estate was alarmed, and the sounds of breaking wind came from all directions.
Ming Jiang Wang, draped in a long robe, pushed open the door and asked, "What's happening? Who dares to trespass into our Zhang Clan's ancestral land?"
"Great-grandfather, the situation is not good."
A young, handsome man, still relatively calm, bowed to Ming Jiang Wang.
Ming Jiang Wang's face changed. "Quickly, go invite Empress Chi Yao."
Mu Rong Feng Ye walked into the courtyard. "No need to panic. It's Emperor Chen and Jie Tian who have returned!"
"Ruochen is back!"
Ming Jiang Wang secretly breathed a sigh of relief, then immediately said, "Lan Jue, quickly prepare a welcome banquet for the old ancestor and Emperor Chen. Gather all Zhang Clan descendants at the ancestral hall. No one is to make noise. Instruct the kitchen, wine cellar, orchard, maids, guards, family members... prepare what needs to be prepared, and avoid what needs to be avoided."
Zhang Lan Jue, one of the most outstanding younger generation of the Zhang Clan, immediately took the order and left.
Ming Jiang Wang looked at Mu Rong Feng Ye. "Should we go greet them in person?"
Mu Rong Feng Ye said, "Emperor Chen and Jie Tian rarely return even once in a thousand years. When they do, it must be for important matters. They may not attend a family banquet. Besides, the Eastern Domain has just suffered a great calamity, and many Zhang Clan descendants have died..."
Ming Jiang Wang nodded and immediately sent a telepathic message, canceling the welcome banquet and replacing it with a clan sacrifice.
Three days of vegetarian fasting.
The spatial fluctuations deep within King Mountain grew stronger. As the sun rose over the Kunlun Realm, strands of nine-colored Ancestor divine light seeped out, completely enveloping the Zhang Clan estate, which covered hundreds of thousands of acres.
The Nine Heavens Celestial World, layer upon layer, merged with the folded space within King Mountain.
Ancestor divine qi and Ancestor rules continuously spread outward.
Jie Tian looked at the layers of worlds, feeling both excited—sensing the resurgence of the Ancestor clan—and somewhat worried. "With the Nine Heavens Celestial World protecting the Zhang Clan, along with the resources it contains, the Zhang Clan can indeed recover its vitality in a short time. But this will also make it a target, the primary attack objective for all sides. Unless..."
"Unless what?" Wu Yue asked.
Jie Tian became extremely serious. "Unless the Zhang Clan's strength can grow to an unshakable level in a short time. This requires everyone's effort, especially you, Zhang Ruochen. You need to have more children. Almost all of your children can become gods. Even the third generation has a high chance of becoming gods. Unlike the other two, whose descendants have a much harder time becoming gods—the probability is so low that I wonder if they are even descendants of the Great Venerable."
Ming Jiang Wang, who had just arrived at the depths of King Mountain, happened to hear this and his old face flushed red.
Wu Yue's clear eyes fixed on Zhang Ruochen. "As long as Emperor Chen is willing, the old ancestor's expectations can certainly be fulfilled."
As she said this, Wu Yue's gaze was slightly unusual.
As a member of the Ghost Clan, Wu Yue had no ability to bear offspring.
Even if she later transformed into the Death Clan, the probability of being able to conceive was very low. As for transforming into the Underworld Clan... after the Underworld Sea and the Nether Refining Prison had flown away, there was almost no chance left.
And a woman without descendants, no matter how well she performed in other areas, even if she was Zhang Ruochen's first officially married wife, could never become the "empress above all beings, below the one."
As Zhang Ruochen suppressed the mysterious sword cultivator and shook the universe with a single move, the time left for her was running out. A plan that had been hidden in her heart for a long time had to be implemented immediately.
As the legacy left by the Immovable Bright King Great Venerable gradually revealed itself, it was entirely possible for the future Zhang Clan to surpass the Yama Clan and the Xuanyuan Clan.
The resources, power, and status behind this would make even the Heavenly Venerables envious.
Chi Yao, who had three children, held a special status in the eyes of Zhang Ruochen, Jie Tian, and even all Zhang Clan descendants, surpassing that of other women.
Zhang Ruochen's desire to take the initiative was urgent, but he also understood that the Eastern Domain had not yet stabilized, and the enemy could strike again at any moment. Therefore, he temporarily suppressed the flames of revenge in his heart and prepared to first consolidate the Nine Heavens Celestial World and repair the defenses of the Kunlun Realm.
After the clan sacrifice, the major powers of the Kunlun Realm and cultivators from various realms of the Heavenly Court Universe, learning that Zhang Ruochen had returned to the Zhang Clan, came to visit one after another.
Except for important guests at the Infinite Realm level, Zhang Ruochen delegated all other visitors to Zhang Hongchen and Qing Su.
Day by day passed. The sky over the Eastern Domain finally returned to a clear blue.
The earth grew grass and trees, and vitality was continuously restored.
Within the Eighth Heaven Celestial World, Zhang Ruochen spread his hands flat.
As spatial fluctuations spread, the surrounding world gradually turned dark red.
An ancient, dark red sea of blood, tens of thousands of miles wide, gradually appeared deep within his Divine Realm World.
Divine light flickered continuously over the sea of blood, and formation patterns flowed.
Inside the sea of blood were palaces and towers emitting divine radiance.
It was the Heavenly Pilgrim Palace left by the Qi Practitioners!
And the sea of blood that had submerged the Heavenly Pilgrim Palace was formed by the convergence of divine blood, containing countless formations, barriers, and restrictions left by powerful beings from ancient times to the present.
Among them, some killing methods left by Ancestors could even pierce through the bodies of Heavenly Venerable-level beings.
Such a power, combining defense and attack—who wouldn't want to control it?
Back then, the Yuan Dao Ancient Clan Emperor, relying on the unique innate advantages of the Yuan Dao Clan, could use the rules of heaven and earth to initially control some of the killing methods within the Heavenly Pilgrim Palace.
And Zhang Ruochen, who cultivated the First-Rank Divine Path, naturally wanted to try as well.
The Wuji Divine Dao encompassed all paths in the world. Compared to the Yuan Dao Clan's method of "incarnating into the rules of heaven," it was only superior, never inferior.
If he could fully control the Heavenly Pilgrim Palace and the power within this sea of blood, Zhang Ruochen was confident that he could contend with the Qishier Pin Lian on his own.
After the battle with the Styx River, the Yuan Dao Ancient Clan Emperor, and the Dark Hand, many parts of the Heavenly Pilgrim Palace had been damaged. Zhang Ruochen walked into the sea of blood and used his divine power to repair the damaged areas as much as possible.
Finally, passing through the Qingxu Hall, he arrived at the edge of the blood-soaked land that had once again calmed down.
"Whoosh!"
A flash of divine light.
Chan Bing appeared beside him.
Then, a fragrant breeze arrived, and A Fuya, wearing a light veil, also entered the Heavenly Pilgrim Palace.
Chan Bing said, "Legend has it that this blood-soaked land is the burial place of Ancestor Yin. Many Heavenly Venerables of various eras have buried themselves here, hoping to live a second life. If we could dig out all the Heavenly Venerable corpses from this blood-soaked land and refine them into corpse soldiers, the power of the Snow Domain Star Sea Divine Army would surely increase greatly."
Zhang Ruochen said, "We must not act rashly for now. This blood-soaked land is extremely dangerous. Unless I can first control the various Ancestor legacies within the Heavenly Pilgrim Palace."
A Fuya's bright, clear eyes shimmered with a strange light. "If this blood-soaked land is truly related to Ancestor Yin, why doesn't Emperor Chen seek out the reincarnation of the Blood Shadow Divine Mother?"
The Blood Shadow Divine Mother was born together with Ancestor Yin from the White Cang Blood Soil, so the connection between the two was naturally extraordinary.
"Xiao Hei, go immediately to the Wuding Divine Sea and bring Zhe Xian and Ying'er to the Kunlun Realm."
After sending the telepathic message, Zhang Ruochen looked meaningfully at A Fuya. "After the Beginning Queen merged with the Ancestor body, has she recovered many memories from her previous life?"
"I've recalled some fragments of consciousness."
A Fuya exuded the Dao rhythm of an Ancestor at all times, giving Zhang Ruochen a familiar feeling, much like the profound, ethereal aura of Lady Shiji—seeming to exist in reality yet giving a sense of being beyond the tangible.
It made one want to explore further.
Zhang Ruochen had not felt this way even with Chan Bing, who was at the Heavenly Venerable level.
Zhang Ruochen said, "What level has the Beginning Queen's cultivation reached now?"
"My realm is not much higher than before," A Fuya said.
Zhang Ruochen said, "But the Beginning Queen possesses an Ancestor Divine Source and Ancestor substance. Just this physical body alone, along with the divine qi and rules contained in the Divine Source, is already unparalleled in the world."
Zhang Ruochen had witnessed how powerful the Yellow Spring Great Emperor was when he stepped out of his coffin.
And at that time, the Yellow Spring Great Emperor's ghostly body had turned into mist, requiring the refinement of blood-soaked soil to condense a solid form.
A Fuya's Ancestor body was clearly far better preserved than the Yellow Spring Great Emperor's ghostly form.
Chan Bing's eyes grew hot, and she was eager to try.
A Fuya said, "I don't know what level my combat power has reached now, but my cultivation realm determines my upper limit. Profound Meaning, war weapons, and Divine Throne Planets all limit my power. I heard that the Hongtian Arrow has fallen into Emperor Chen's hands?"
Zhang Ruochen said, "Divine Throne Planets are no longer of much significance to the Beginning Queen. As for Arrow Dao Profound Meaning, I can find a way to help you obtain it. As long as the benefits are sufficient, exchanging for Arrow Dao Profound Meaning is not difficult. But the Beginning Queen must understand one truth: to gain, one must first think about what they can give."
...
Wishing all readers a happy New Year! Rest assured, this year will definitely be the end, and I won't let everyone down.