Chapter 3959: Coercion
Chi Kunlun said, "Master said that after the battle at West Ox Continent, you should know that beyond the heavens, there are other heavens, and beyond men, there are other men. Because of your arrogance, that sword cultivator with Heavenly Venerable-level cultivation was captured."
"Because of your underestimation of the power of all living beings, even the Darkness in the Sword God Hall, whom you have always served, was defeated."
"The Divine Realm revealed itself and released the Dark Hand to help you, yet it still could not reverse all of this."
"You schemed for a long time to use the Sword Realm in the Dark Great Triangle Star Domain to lure Imperial Dust, but due to underestimating your enemy and being self-righteous, you were instead severely wounded by Imperial Dust's scheme."
"Thinking that with high cultivation, you could ignore the myriad beings of the world. Since ancient times, no one with such thoughts has come to a good end."
The Nether Hall Hall Master lowered his brows and hung his head, truly like an old monk, saying, "Who could have imagined that Zhang Ruochen's First-rank Divine Path would be so formidable, capable of combining the power of multiple Infinite Realm cultivators into one body, producing a stacking effect?"
"And who could have imagined that the Buddhist cultivator in the Heavenly Human Academy possessed combat power not inferior to Hao Tian? Moreover, the reason this battle ended so miserably was because of your standing by and doing nothing, was it not?"
Although Chi Kunlun's cultivation was vastly inferior to the Nether Hall Hall Master's, he did not fear the aura he released, saying, "Only the weak attribute the reasons for their failure to others."
The Nether Hall Hall Master was so angry he laughed instead, his aged eyes hiding a chilling murderous intent.
Chi Kunlun continued in a loud voice, "Master's meaning is that we must still follow the previous strategy, doing our utmost to divide the forces within the Heavenly Court and Hell Realm."
"The Heavenly Court Universe has myriad realms and all heavens. The Hell Realm Universe has ten clans, and within the ten clans, there are numerous factions."
"As long as these forces cannot unite and internal rifts are constantly created, then when they want to gather a large number of cultivators to use the power of all living beings to face the battle, they will be hindered in various ways."
"Imagine, at that time, will the Yama Clan still light the World Tree and, with the strength of their entire clan, go to their deaths to face the Darkness preparing to attack the Heavenly Court?"
"Imagine, at that time, will the cultivators of the various clans of Hell Realm still recklessly charge into the World Tree, disregarding life and death?"
"Imagine, at that time, will the Heavenly Court cultivators..."
Qishier Pin Lian interrupted Chi Kunlun's impassioned speech, saying, "The Quantity Organization of your faction has been completely wiped out. This shows that your strategy is not so brilliant."
The Nether Hall Hall Master said, "It shows that you are also failures."
Chi Kunlun said, "Hall Master, are you planning to switch your allegiance to her?"
The Nether Hall Hall Master stared at Qishier Pin Lian, slightly bowing, saying, "We are all cultivators of the Underworld Clan, practicing the eight volumes of the *Underworld Scripture*, revering only the Nether Ancestor. There is no switching of allegiance, let alone transferring loyalty."
Chi Kunlun nodded, saying, "Today, this junior has come to know the Hall Master anew! Since the conversation has reached this point, I will speak on behalf of my master. The Quantity Organization was created by the Fate Ancestor and the Quantity Emperor. It has nothing to do with us. The Fate Ancestor, before his death, attacked the Eighteen Layers of Nether Purgatory. This shows that their failure was foreshadowed from the beginning. It is the consequence of disloyalty to the Nether Ancestor."
"And you? Are you loyal to the Nether Ancestor?"
The Nether Hall Hall Master used his Nether Divine Eye, capable of piercing divine souls, to peer into Chi Kunlun's heart.
"Whoosh!"
Behind Chi Kunlun, the Six Paths Reincarnation Seal appeared. Countless characters flew out from his body, gathering above his head to form the *Death Heavenly Scripture*, blocking the Nether Hall Hall Master's divine eye probing.
This kind of probing was akin to a soul search.
Chi Kunlun remained neither humble nor arrogant, saying, "The Hall Master's cultivation is indeed unfathomable, but before you search my soul, you had better think clearly about what price you will pay. Whether it is my father or my master, neither is someone you can afford to provoke. Of course, I will personally settle this grudge in the future. You must wait and see, don't die too early!"
"Is that so? With your cultivation, I'm afraid there will be no future!"
In the palm of the Nether Hall Hall Master's right hand, dark black electric sparks condensed.
The rain stopped.
Only at the eaves did raindrops still lazily fall, the sound of them hitting the eaves stones like a death knell, so clear.
Qishier Pin Lian spoke, breaking the Nether Hall Hall Master's intention to deliver a killing blow, saying, "You have not answered my question."
Chi Kunlun, who was here on behalf of Yan Wushen, did not hold back, saying, "Master has gone to the Southern Universe. He believes that the Chongming Ancestor of the Demon God Realm and Koro of the Paradise Realm will be the key to splitting the Heavenly Court Universe."
"Previously, the Chongming Ancestor and Koro feared Hao Tian, so they dared not have any different intentions. But after the battle in the Heavenly Court, first Darkness publicly displayed extraordinary strength, then the Divine Realm released one of Darkness's hands, giving people infinite imagination. The invincible aura that Hao Tian brought to the cultivators of the world has completely vanished."
"Add to that Darkness's parting words. Going there now presents an opportunity to make the Chongming Ancestor and Koro switch sides."
"If these two defect, then the cultivators of the entire Southern Universe and one-third of the Western Universe will become our pawns. How long can the Heavenly Court Universe last?"
"With the remaining Heavenly Court cultivators, even if they activate the Heavenly Punishment Divine Light and Heavenly Mandate Order, they will not be a match for Darkness, will they?"
Qishier Pin Lian said, "Did your master not tell you the identity of Darkness?"
"This is not something I should know at my current level of cultivation."
Chi Kunlun continued, "Master asked me to tell you, Senior, that Darkness's other hand and the Immovable Bright King Great Venerable's Nine Heavens Celestial World are in the White Clothes Valley. The strength, defenses, and methods of the White Clothes Valley are several levels inferior to the Heavenly Court's. If you attack with full force, you will surely break through it."
"With the Dark Hand, Darkness's power may surpass that of a Half-Ancestor, no longer subject to any restrictions."
"With the Nine Heavens Celestial World, Senior's combat power can match that of a Half-Ancestor."
"Senior was born in the White Clothes Valley and certainly has a thorough understanding of the weaknesses of the Void Realm and the White Clothes Valley. If you strike this time, you will surely not fail again."
Qishier Pin Lian stared into Chi Kunlun's eyes.
Time seemed to freeze at this moment.
Chi Kunlun's heart was not so calm. He was enduring the greatest mental pressure since he began cultivating, relying entirely on his will to remain standing.
"Farewell!"
Chi Kunlun supported Jing Xiu, intending to leave.
"Shua!"
In the darkness, a mountain-like figure flashed out, blocking their path.
Chi Kunlun looked up and could only see two blood-red eyes.
Under the eaves, Qishier Pin Lian stood up, saying, "You may leave. He must stay."
"Either let me take him away, or kill me."
Chi Kunlun's eyes were sharp. The war sword in his hand rang out. Even though the enemy before him was countless times stronger, he had the courage and determination to fight.
Behind him came the laughter of the Nether Hall Hall Master: "In the end, you are just a little brat. Even if your master came in person, he could not take him away, let alone say such childish words."
Jing Xiu gently shook his head at Chi Kunlun, then turned to look at Qishier Pin Lian, who stood with her back to the light under the eaves, saying, "I will stay!"
"Grandfather!" Chi Kunlun said.
Qishier Pin Lian said, "Didn't you already guess my purpose from the beginning? If you want to catch up to your father and master, you need to be even smarter. You are right. Even if I curse Chi Yao and your two sisters to death, Zhang Ruochen will not compromise."
"But just now, even at the risk of death, you wanted to take your grandfather away. This shows that you are a filial child. You will not be able to bear watching your grandfather, mother, sisters, and children all die before your eyes, will you?"
"Do not doubt my resolve. If you say no today, when you walk out of this Buddhist courtyard, aside from your father, you will not have a single relative left in this world. Your master did not help you cut off your worldly ties, so I will do it for you."
Chi Kunlun's eyes were bloodshot. The hand holding the sword trembled continuously, saying, "Do you think curses can curse everything? The moment you launch the curse, the heavenly mechanism of your hiding place in the Western Buddha Realm will be exposed. Do you think my father will give you a chance to escape? If you touch his family, you will surely die."
Qishier Pin Lian said, "Perhaps this is the trap I have set, precisely to lure Zhang Ruochen here."
Chi Kunlun thought of the Darkness in the Sword God Hall, which was almost invincible in the current era. The rage in his heart was instantly extinguished. He only felt an icy coldness all over his body, a sense of powerlessness and despair as if facing the entire world alone.
Qishier Pin Lian saw through the change in Chi Kunlun's mood, saying, "The Divine Realm appeared and released the Dark Hand, but it had no good intentions. It was using our faction to sweep away the stubborn cultivators of this era. Therefore, if there is a choice, we currently do not want to fight Zhang Ruochen to the point of mutual destruction."
"Go to the Kunlun Realm and retrieve the Time-Space Chaos Lotus for me. Rescue the sword cultivator and the remnant body of Darkness in the Second Confucian Ancestor's Ancestor Realm. Then I will spare your family."
Chi Kunlun said, "Why should I believe you?"
"I said, unless absolutely necessary, I currently do not want to fight you to the point of mutual destruction, allowing others to benefit from the conflict." Qishier Pin Lian said.
Chi Kunlun said, "If your words could be trusted, I would not have needed to ask this question."
"Why waste words with him."
The Nether Hall Hall Master's figure flickered. With a sweep of his sleeve, he sent Jing Xiu flying to the ground. He summoned a long blade and placed it on Jing Xiu's neck, saying, "Kid, you have no choice but to do things for us!"
Even with the Nether Hall Hall Master's cultivation, a single sleeve strike was more than Jing Xiu could bear.
Lying on the ground, he was covered in blood.
Chi Kunlun gritted his teeth and stared fixedly at the Nether Hall Hall Master, like a starving wolf about to lose its reason, saying, "Go ahead and kill him! If Grandfather dies, Mother will surely sense it. Then we will fight to the death in the Western Buddha Realm!"
Qishier Pin Lian waved her hand, signaling the Nether Hall Hall Master to step back, saying, "Our goal is to save people, not to kill. Chi Kunlun, I, this seat, can swear by the pure reputation of the Sixth Patriarch that as long as you accomplish the conditions I have set, within one Eon, I will not touch a single member of your family. Of course, your father is an exception. His threat is too great!"
"You should know that I, this seat, deeply respect the Sixth Patriarch. This oath is by no means a joke."
"You should also know that today, you truly have no other choice."
Chi Kunlun looked at Jing Xiu, who was lying in a pool of blood, suppressed and unable to speak. He withdrew his war sword, saying, "Fine, I agree to it!"
Seeing Chi Kunlun about to walk out of the Buddhist courtyard, the Nether Hall Hall Master shot a speck of Nether light into Chi Kunlun's body, saying, "You had better not be clever and tell your father about this. Doing so will get many people killed."
After walking out of the Buddhist courtyard, Chi Kunlun paused slightly, then turned into a streak of light and rushed out of the Western Buddha Realm.
The Compassionate Navigation Fairy watched all of this in silence, deeply aware that she could change nothing. She even secretly speculated whether the Sword God Hall was also hidden somewhere in the Western Buddha Realm.
Faced with such terrifying enemies, even Zhang Ruochen, let alone Hao Tian, would probably find it difficult to break the deadlock.
"Greetings, Immortal Envoy!"
An ancient Hall Master of the Space Divine Temple, with four arms, arrived in the Buddhist courtyard.
Behind him, space trembled, and a corner of his Divine Realm World appeared, saying, "This is the great world that Jin Ling sent back, collected from the Northern Universe."
Qishier Pin Lian stared at the great world carried within the ancient Hall Master's Divine Realm World.
In that great world, all living beings had been sacrificed.
Rivers and oceans had all turned blood-red.
Soul mist floated in the clouds, gray and hazy, emitting heart-wrenching cries.
Throughout the entire world, no trace of humans, birds, beasts, fish, insects, or ants could be seen. Not even corpses remained. Only raging fires burned in the wilderness and dense forests.
Qishier Pin Lian said, "I have checked. There is no trace of being followed. Tell them to be cautious. Although collecting blood qi and souls for Lord Darkness is important, once locked onto by a Heaven Round No Lack... no one can save them."
...
At the Celestial Watchtower, Blood Soil.
Zhang Ruochen summoned the Heaven and Earth Chess Platform and activated it with divine qi.
The chess platform slowly rotated above the blood soil, gradually resonating with the world's rules here.
Back then, the old clan emperor of the Primordial Path Clan had used the method of "body transforming into world rules" to initially mobilize the various killing methods in the blood soil.
Zhang Ruochen intended to emulate this, using the special nature of the Heaven and Earth Chess Platform to communicate with the world's rules in the Celestial Watchtower. Then, through the chess game, he would control the power of the entire Celestial Watchtower.
The successive Confucian Ancestors of the Confucian path could use the Heaven and Earth Chess Platform to control a great world, or even an entire star domain, using stars as chess pieces, living beings as chess pieces, and world rules as chess pieces.
It could be said that with this divine artifact, Zhang Ruochen could completely establish an inscription hub to control all the power within the Celestial Watchtower.
Just as the Heaven and Earth Chess Platform began to intertwine with the world's rules of the Celestial Watchtower...
"Boom!"
An anomaly occurred.
From the depths of the blood soil, an unknown force erupted, shattering the connection between the Heaven and Earth Chess Platform and the Celestial Watchtower.
Zhang Ruochen's entire body shook violently. He retreated repeatedly until he was outside the blood soil.
"Such a strange power. Could it be that the Ancestor Yin Zhen is buried beneath this blood soil?"
Zhang Ruochen looked at the blood soil above. In the blood-red mist, lightning flashed and thunder rumbled. Ancient killing divine lights left by powerful beings pierced through heaven and earth. All rules were boiling.
Zhang Ruochen intended to summon the Abyssal Divine Sword to forcibly suppress the boiling rules and inscriptions.
A Fuya said, "Why rush? It would not be too late to wait until the reincarnation of the Blood Shadow Divine Mother arrives. If the Ancestor Yin is truly buried in the blood soil, forcing the matter would be very risky."
Zhang Ruochen suddenly thought of something and transmitted a divine thought: "A Le, bring Blood Butcher to the Kunlun Realm."
After a moment's thought, he added, "Tell him not to be afraid. It is not a trial."
Back during the Kunlun Realm merit war, Blood Butcher had been arrogantly unstoppable. Suddenly being summoned by Zhang Ruochen, given Blood Butcher's personality, he would surely think that the cultivators of the Kunlun Realm were settling old scores. It would be strange if he dared to come.
Walking out of the Celestial Watchtower, Qing Su appeared before Zhang Ruochen, saying, "Master, the Yuqing Ancestor and Taiqing Ancestor, as well as the Feng family head and the deputy hall master of the Truth Divine Temple, two groups of people, have come to visit the Zhang family together. Which group would Master like to see first?"