Chapter 3967: Does the Hall Master Have Any Last Words?
The black hand released from the divine realm was different from the one suppressed by the Second Confucian Ancestor within the Ten Thousand Beasts Treasure Mirror.
The latter had its inner divine soul and spiritual consciousness worn away by the Immovable Bright King Great Venerable, but after ten eons had passed, a new spirit had been born within it.
This new spirit was weak, so Zhang Ruochen could target its weaknesses, seal its consciousness, and control the black hand.
The former, however, was clearly far more powerful.
Facing a threat of this level in a one-on-one battle, no one in the current universe could possibly be its opponent.
...
Yuanyi Ancient Buddha said, "If the Heavenly Court activates the Heavenly Punishment Divine Light and the Heavenly Tiao Order, drawing upon the power of all living beings, it can surely repel it. The Heavenly Court's Grand Ancestor, the Hall Master, the Temple Master, and the others must have countermeasures prepared."
Zhang Ruochen shook his head. "If the entire Heavenly Court's power were gathered, the black hand would indeed not be a match. But would the black hand confront the Heavenly Court head-on? Impossible. That would hold no meaning for It."
Xuanyuan Second let out a deep laugh. "In the current universe, heroes rise from all sides. The number of exceptionally talented individuals surpasses any era in history. Half-Ancestor-level power cannot be invincible. As long as one's trump cards are strong enough, gathering a few Heavenly Venerable-level figures can block it. If a certain Heavenly Venerable-level figure possesses the absolute resolve to self-destruct their Divine Source, the black hand will also be intimidated."
Zhang Ruochen naturally agreed with this point. "The black hand is terrifying, but not that terrifying. The key lies in how to deduce its purpose in advance and then make targeted arrangements. As it stands, there are no more than two locations."
"First, naturally, the Kunlun Realm—to reclaim the dark remnant body suppressed within the Second Confucian Ancestor's Ancestor Realm."
"Second, the White Clothes Valley."
Zhang Ruochen did not explain to those present why the black hand would attack the White Clothes Valley.
By now, Nutian Shenzun would have received the news and would certainly make preparations in advance.
With top-tier powerhouses like Void Heaven, Feng Tian, Stone Heaven, and Qingtian gathered on the Abyss of Darkness defense line, once the Fate Twelve-Phase Divine Formation was set up, the black hand would absolutely not succeed.
So, was the Kunlun Realm the epicenter of everything?
Zhang Ruochen instinctively felt it wasn't that simple.
If the Dark Weirdness had truly set its sights on the Kunlun Realm from the very beginning, why would Qishier Pin Lian repeatedly send Chi Kunlun and the Nether Hall Hall Master there?
Wasn't that alerting the enemy?
If she made a show of attacking the White Clothes Valley, drawing everyone's attention there, wouldn't that be better?
Then... was their true target the White Clothes Valley?
Cihang Fairy said, "Imperial Dust seems to have overlooked the most important point. You yourself could also be the black hand's target. Capturing you would be far easier than breaking into the Kunlun Realm."
"If that were truly the case, I would welcome it. I just fear the black hand has another goal, and we are overlooking it."
Zhang Ruochen had absolute confidence in his current cultivation level. Of course, he hadn't become arrogant enough to think he could fight the black hand. Rather, he was confident that no one in the world could capture him alive.
He possessed both the certainty and the resolve to fight to the death.
If the black hand targeted him, it would be better than targeting the Kunlun Realm or the White Clothes Valley, as the casualties would not be so devastating.
But this feeling was not pleasant.
Half-Ancestor.
When facing a Half-Ancestor, one could only control how they died, not how they lived. This would be the second urgent problem Zhang Ruochen needed to solve.
Once this problem was resolved, he could truly stand firm in the current universe.
A flash of inspiration struck Zhang Ruochen's mind. "I might know where the black hand's target is!"
...
Wangshan.
The melodious sound of a flute spread through the Zhang Family estate, drifting across the entire Eastern Domain.
No one knew how such a gentle flute sound could travel so far and so fast. Few cultivators even knew the sound originated from the Zhang Family estate.
But to the Nether Hall Hall Master, this pleasant flute sound was like chains entangling his divine soul, layer upon layer, endless.
Then, the music of a bronze bell chimed in, harmonizing with the flute.
Each bell strike sounded like thunder in the Nether Hall Hall Master's ears, as if his eardrums were about to burst.
Ji Fanxin and Bai Qinger stood in the courtyard filled with crimson crabapple blossoms. One played the Heavenly Dao Flute, the other struck the Extinction Bell.
Both possessed immense spiritual power.
Ji Fanxin, in particular, had already reached the peak of the eighty-ninth level, just a step away from the ninetieth—if she so wished.
She only needed to undo the final seal, and her spiritual power would instantly reach the level of Heavenly Round Without Deficiency. As for how far the Primordial Illumination Lotus's original spiritual power had gone beyond the ninetieth level, even she herself was not entirely sure.
However, the reason Ji Fanxin had so quickly consolidated her spiritual power to this extent was due to the Sundial, the Paradise World, and the Saha World.
Cultivating under the Sundial had given her enough time.
The Paradise World and the Saha World had provided her with ample experience in a short period.
As for Bai Qinger's spiritual power being so strong, the biggest reason was that she had obtained the Divine Heart of the Inverse God Clan's Great Elder.
After being exposed, the Nether Hall Hall Master had initially tried to use Jingxiu's life to threaten them. But the moment the Heavenly Dao Flute and Extinction Bell sounded, his divine soul was restrained, his spirit wounded, and he could no longer hold Jingxiu hostage. Chi Yao struck him down into the Ten Thousand Buddha Formation with a single sword strike.
Now, trapped within the Ten Thousand Buddha Forest, he could not escape. He could only passively endure the continuous attacks of the two divine artifacts on his spirit and divine soul.
Seeing him bleeding from all seven orifices, unable even to stand, and clearly unable to hold out any longer, Ji Fanxin and Bai Qinger finally stopped.
Chi Yao released her divine aura, a series of heavenly realms manifesting above her head. Her long hair scattered like a waterfall, resembling a peerless divine emperor. Holding the Blood-Dripping Sword, she stepped into the Ten Thousand Buddha Forest and approached the Nether Hall Hall Master. "Does the Hall Master have any last words?"
Under the suppression of countless formation inscriptions and divine runes, the Nether Hall Hall Master raised his head with difficulty. Before him stood four stunningly beautiful women, each with a completely different aura.
The only thing they shared was the extraordinary divine power or spiritual power fluctuations they emitted. Any one of them could serve as the realm lord of a top-tier powerful realm.
The Nether Hall Hall Master laughed, a hint of self-mockery in his voice. "This old man once thought he might die at Zhang Ruochen's hands, but he never imagined he would fall at the hands of his women. Ten thousand years ago, with your cultivation levels, which of you could have caught my eye?"
Wu Yue said, "Ten thousand years—everyone has progressed, only the Hall Master has remained stagnant. Shouldn't you reflect? Have you followed the wrong person?"
A glimmer of light flickered in the Nether Hall Hall Master's eyes. "Are you trying to persuade me to surrender?"
"Faced with life and death, it seems everyone becomes foolish. Given that you attacked Imperial Dust when he was assaulting the Infinite Realm in Lihentian, do you think there is any chance you could survive? That remark just now was only meant to make your death more humiliating." Wu Yue's tone was extremely solemn.
The Nether Hall Hall Master stared at Wu Yue with the coldest, sharpest gaze. "With your cultivation levels, you cannot kill me. When darkness descends, I will naturally regain my freedom, and you will suffer—"
"Ah—"
"Pfft!"
Chi Yao's Blood-Dripping Sword pierced through the Nether Hall Hall Master's back, running him through the heart.
Threads of blood were drawn out, continuously merging into the sword's body.
The blade grew increasingly crimson.
"The Hall Master is at the peak of Great Unbound Infinite. Even if we drain all the divine blood from his body, he won't die," Wu Yue said.
"The power of time can wear him away."
Chi Yao walked step by step to the gnomon at the center of the Ten Thousand Buddha Formation. She extended two slender jade fingers, channeling divine energy to activate the gnomon and the time power of the Ten Thousand Buddha Formation.
"Whoosh!"
The Ten Thousand Buddha Formation had been rearranged by Tai Shang. This time power was something the Nether Hall Hall Master, who was below Indestructible Infinite, simply could not withstand.
Feeling his lifespan drain away, fear finally began to stir in the Nether Hall Hall Master's heart. "No, impossible. You neither search my soul nor interrogate me. Don't you want to learn important information from me? You won't kill me. You're just trying to scare me, to force me to speak. Because with your cultivation levels, you cannot search my divine soul."
Bai Qinger revealed a disdainful expression. "I thought the older one gets, the sharper they become. It seems I was wrong."
With that, she turned and left.
Ji Fanxin didn't even bother to say a word, having already left the Ten Thousand Buddha Forest.
Wu Yue's date-red robe fluttered gently in the waves of time. She still felt that the Nether Hall Hall Master should not die so easily; he should die more humiliated and unwilling.
So, Wu Yue said, "Given that Qishier Pin Lian sent you to the Kunlun Realm to die, how much could you possibly know? What you know, we can deduce. What you don't know, I can roughly guess. So, Hall Master, you overestimate yourself. Your life is truly insignificant."
With that, Wu Yue also departed.
Seeing that Chi Yao was about to leave the Ten Thousand Buddha Formation as well, the Nether Hall Hall Master finally panicked, his eyes bloodshot. "Chi Yao, don't you want to know about your son? Chi Kunlun—"
Chi Yao did not turn back, but the heavenly realms above her head all descended upon the Nether Hall Hall Master, crushing his physical body into a pulp of blood and flesh.
Stepping out of the Ten Thousand Buddha Formation, she appeared in the garden filled with crimson crabapple blossoms.
Wu Yue looked toward the depths of Wangshan. "The Nine-Layered Heavenly Realm World is of utmost importance and cannot afford any mistakes. Shouldn't the Empress go there personally to oversee it? With us activating the Ten Thousand Buddha Formation, grinding down a Wen Zhiren is no difficult task."
Chi Yao fixed her phoenix-like eyes on Wu Yue. "My family matters are my own to handle. Children grow up and have their own thoughts—that is normal. How to resolve it is my decision, and it is none of the Tangzhu Wu Yue's concern."
The title "Tangzhu" was undoubtedly a jab, referring to Wu Yue's former position as the Tangzhu of the Spirit God Hall of the Darkness Temple.
Wu Yue said, "Is the Empress misunderstanding something?"
Chi Yao said, "Thank you for coming to help. It shows that you truly stand on Chen Ge's side. For that alone, I can accept you. But put away your petty cleverness, and don't play such games. There are some things you will never be able to contend for. My children may make mistakes, but you don't even have that chance."
Hearing Chi Yao's utterly merciless words, Wu Yue's smile did not fade, but her gaze sharpened considerably.
Bai Qinger and Ji Fanxin, who seemed indifferent to the matter, wore contemplative expressions.
Chi Yao's heart was far less tough than her exterior suggested. Her thoughts had already flown to the Snow Hibiscus Divine Tree Garden in the Nine-Layered Heavenly Realm World. She only hoped that Chi Kongle had enough ability to persuade Chi Kunlun to turn back from the wrong path.
...
"Kongle, you've finally returned!"
Chi Kunlun's eyes were filled with unconcealed joy. His feelings for this sister, who had been born and raised alongside him, far surpassed those for his other siblings.
He had been worried that Chi Kongle might be threatened by Qishier Pin Lian's curse while outside.
Now, that worry had completely vanished.
Chi Kongle wore a distant, aloof expression. "Brother, didn't you hear what I just said?"
Chi Kunlun felt the coldness emanating from Chi Kongle, and the smile on his face gradually faded. "Kongle, what's wrong with you?"
"I said, I have objections. Do you hear me clearly now?"
Chi Kongle had long cultivated in the Hell Realm and trained on the Starry Sky Battlefield. Without a sharp mind, she would not have survived to this day.
Her father had urgently summoned her back to the Kunlun Realm via divine sound transmission and instructed her to participate in the struggle for the Space-Time Chaos Lotus. How could she not guess the reason?
From any perspective, Chi Kunlun was the best candidate to wield the Space-Time Chaos Lotus.
If her father did not want him to control it, it could only mean that this brother had a serious problem.
Chi Kongle said, "You said that Father has decided to choose a new generation of leaders, someone who must bear the responsibility of suppressing the Heavenly Venerable-level sword cultivator and the dark weirdness remnant body, and be prepared to sacrifice themselves at any moment. On this point, I have objections!"
"Then, Senior Sister, what is your view?" Yeyou Master chimed in, as if playing the straight man.
Chi Kongle said, "I believe that Big Brother overestimates himself! At best, we are merely soldiers guarding the Nine-Layered Heavenly Realm World. The fate of the Heavenly Venerable-level sword cultivator and the dark weirdness remnant body—whether they are imprisoned for eternity or break free and escape—we cannot decide. Not even sacrificing ourselves can decide it!"
The cultivators present all exchanged glances, realizing that Chi Kongle had come with ill intentions.
Logically, she should be the last person to target Chi Kunlun.
Xiao Qi, perched on the branch of the Snow Hibiscus Divine Tree, laughed. "Interesting. Now it's truly interesting!"
"That statement isn't without reason!"
Zhang Hongchen found a seat and sat down, fingers combing through the two strands of hair on her chest, looking as if she was ready to watch a good show.
Yan Ying'er had the best relationship with Chi Kongle and was also someone who loved stirring up trouble. "Sister Kongle, how about you take charge of the Space-Time Chaos Lotus? I'll definitely support you."
Xue Wuye released an invisible wall of space rules, then said to Nalan Danqing, "Something's not right. Why would Kongle return at this time? It's too coincidental. And—"
"And as soon as she returns, she clashes head-on with Kunlun, picking faults. This was premeditated, done on purpose." Nalan Danqing said.
Xue Wuye smiled. "It seems others have already made arrangements, while we foolishly thought we had seen through the essence. Today's play better not go wrong... I always feel like there's a clash of swords and shadows. What is all this?"
Sui Han joined in. "Now we're split into two camps. Yan Ying'er, Ye Luochen, and Yeyou Master from the Hell Realm are clearly supporting Kongle. What about us? It's hard to decide. What do those two up there really mean? We can't figure it out at all."
Nalan Danqing said, "Now do you understand why Imperial Dust and the Empress mentioned 'winning the crowd's allegiance' after discussing strength? This is the meaning of our presence here!"
"Cainü, you must know some secrets, right? This kind of high-stakes game could involve enormous matters. If we choose the wrong side, who knows if it will bring disaster." Sui Han said with considerable worry.
Nalan Danqing gently shook her head.
"Be grateful that it was Kongle who stepped forward. If it were Zhang Chuanzong or Yan Ying'er, that would truly be frightening—it could actually bring trouble."
Xue Wuye had such troubles himself, so he was well aware of the dangers involved. Because of the infighting among descendants, he had already executed many cultivators involved.
(Chapter End)