Chapter 3970: Plan Exposed
Before the Dark Hand arrived, the clash between Wen Tianjun and Di had already shaken the various realms of the starry sky.
The power fluctuations were too fierce, causing the star sea outside Kunlun Realm to tremble violently, with stars constantly flying past.
The divine light radiating from Wen Tianjun and Di was dazzlingly bright. Viewed from afar, they resembled two stars constantly intertwining and colliding, forming a terrifying storm of destruction that tore through the space of three realms.
The *Tongtian Record* that Wen Tianjun cultivated was itself a path of body refinement, so his physical body was naturally formidable. Although it could not compare to a Half-Ancestor's physical body, it was sufficient to rival a Half-Ancestor with an incomplete body.
Wielding the Heavenly Mechanism Brush compensated for Wen Tianjun's gap in soul power compared to a Half-Ancestor, preventing him from falling to soul-based attacks.
This was the fundamental reason the two could contend on equal footing for a short time.
Someone in the starry sky murmured, "Is this the number one of Kunlun Realm back in the day? With such combat power, he is certainly not inferior to Hao Tian and Fengdu Dadi at the same level. No wonder Qingcang, Shi Bei’ya, Yan Renhuan, and the others set up a heaven-encompassing net back then and still couldn't kill him."
"Di is a Half-Ancestor. Even if he is flawed, he is not something a Heavenly Venerable-level can contend with. Given enough time, Wen Tianjun will inevitably lose."
Many cultivators were worried about Wen Tianjun.
Those who had reached the Indestructible Infinite realm were almost all Eon-level geniuses or had encountered heaven-defying opportunities. It could be said they were even more outstanding than Eon-level geniuses, because geniuses could sometimes run out of steam and become ordinary.
Thus, the gap between cultivators who could reach this realm was extremely small, making it impossible to win across realms. In the past ten eons, only Zhang Ruochen had been able to do so.
"Whoosh!"
About three light-years from Kunlun Realm, a space rift a billion miles long was torn open.
Inside the space rift, dozens of tributaries of the Santu River appeared, each connecting to several dozen life-bearing planets.
At that moment, a star releasing scorching energy flew out from the space rift.
The aura released by the planet distorted space under its pressure.
Then came the second, third, fourth...
A full thousand stars lined up in a row, passing through the Santu River tributaries, descending from another starry sky into the star domain where Kunlun Realm was located, joining the battle between Wen Tianjun and Di.
"A thousand stars in a line! Fengdu Dadi has come from Hell Realm. Indeed, wherever Di appears, the Great Emperor's presence is sure to follow."
"No matter how strong Di is, he cannot fight both the Heavenly Lord and the Great Emperor at the same time. Now, it depends on the attitude of the Heavenly Court's All Heavens."
...
Fengdu Dadi's arrival across the star sea exceeded all cultivators' expectations. When the news reached the Heavenly Court, it caused a massive uproar.
After all, Fengdu Dadi had once been the Heavenly Venerable of Hell Realm.
And the star domain where Kunlun Realm was located fell within the sphere of influence of the Heavenly Court Universe.
This was an extremely sensitive matter. If the Heavenly Court did not take a stance, the gods of Hell Realm might be able to freely enter and exit the Western Universe in the future. After all, the defensive line at the Wuding Divine Sea between the Heavenly Court and Hell Realm no longer existed.
The Truth Hall Master, who had arrived near Kunlun Realm, looked at the thousand stars in a line in the starry sky and sighed, "Knowing the Dark Hand is about to descend, he still dares to leave Fengdu Ghost City to fight Di. Truly someone who can be Hao Tian's rival. This kind of boldness is rare in the Heavenly Court."
The Five Elements Temple Master said, "Since Fengdu Dadi has made his move, if the Heavenly Court does not want to be criticized by cultivators across the world, some Heavenly Venerable-level will surely come."
A sharp gleam flashed in the Truth Hall Master's eyes. "If the Wuding Divine Sea side can seize the opportunity, we might be able to use this chance to completely cripple Di."
The Five Elements Temple Master was not so optimistic. His worry grew stronger. "It's not that simple. The Qishier Pin Lian has yet to appear, and the Dark Hand's whereabouts are still unknown. As it stands, Di's attack on Kunlun Realm might just be a diversion. What exactly are they plotting?"
"If we cannot predict it in advance, something that could completely change the structure of the universe might erupt. By the way, where did Di Chen go?"
...
Hu Zhen stood at the base of a cliff hundreds of meters high. Behind him was a pitch-black precipice, and above his head stretched an endless sea. The planet beneath his feet was only a thousand miles in diameter—a dead star with no life.
The sea above his head was precisely the Wuding Divine Sea.
Even though it was tens of billions of miles away, the Wuding Divine Sea's waters still covered the entire sky's field of vision.
In reality, this dead star was suspended above the Wuding Divine Sea.
But in the universe, there was no inherent concept of up, down, left, or right.
As an ancient Hall Master of the Space Divine Temple, Hu Zhen had cultivated a unique pair of divine eyes. Even without mobilizing divine qi, he could see through space and observe scenes in the infinitely distant void.
At this moment, he was observing the star domain where Kunlun Realm was located.
Because he did not use his divine soul or divine qi, he naturally did not have to worry about exposing his heavenly secrets or aura.
Hu Zhen was over thirty meters tall, with eyes as crystalline as rubies. After observing for a moment, he turned and walked into the valley beneath the cliff.
Deep in the valley, the Qishier Pin Lian, dressed in Buddhist robes, guided strands of black mist with her fingers, like threads, drilling into a Daoist sitting cross-legged on the ground.
That Daoist was short and plump, wearing an apricot-yellow "well"-patterned Daoist robe.
Hu Zhen reported, "Eternal Envoy, as you expected, Wen Tianjun is indeed in Kunlun Realm, and Fengdu Dadi has also rushed over."
"And?"
The Qishier Pin Lian did not stop executing her secret technique.
Hu Zhen said, "Kunlun Realm should have a Tiantian Wuque sitting in command. The defensive power and activation speed of the realm-protecting formation far exceed the last time we broke in. However, it probably isn't Yunshen Daozhu."
"Huaying Cangjie will definitely be stationed at the Wuding Divine Sea. There is no doubt about that," the Qishier Pin Lian said.
Hu Zhen expressed some concern, "I heard that old fellow's spiritual power is said to be number one in the current era. Could he have sensed in advance that we have come to this starry sky?"
"If his spiritual power had reached that level, he would be at the ninety-fourth rank, not the ninety-third. Then we would have no need to break into the Wuding Divine Sea. Breaking in would be suicide," the Qishier Pin Lian said calmly.
Hu Zhen looked at the seated Daoist, whose face was deathly pale, and asked, "Has his spiritual will not been broken yet?"
"He is an Indestructible Infinite. Breaking his spiritual will is not difficult, but controlling him to self-detonate his divine source requires completely rewriting his consciousness and thoroughly erasing his will. Without the dark power bestowed by that Daren, even I could not do it easily," the Qishier Pin Lian said.
Hu Zhen said, "Is it really necessary to have him self-detonate his divine source to break the Wuding Divine Sea's formation?"
"Otherwise? Do you think the number one in spiritual power and number one in formations in this era are undeserved reputations?" the Qishier Pin Lian retorted.
Hu Zhen grew impatient, "Since the Kunlun Realm side has already made its move, if we delay too long, they will surely detect something. If we do not act now, we may miss the opportunity."
The seated Jing Daoren, who could not move, suddenly trembled violently, and black blood gushed from his mouth.
The blood vessels on his face became visible, like a black net spreading across his entire body.
Joy appeared in Hu Zhen's eyes, knowing that success was near.
"Boom!"
Ten million miles away from this dead star, space was blasted into a circular hole, like a blooming halo of light.
The Qishier Pin Lian and Hu Zhen both turned their gazes there.
"Boom! Boom! Boom..."
The seven additional layers of space barriers set up by the Qishier Pin Lian were successively shattered.
With a gust of wind sweeping across the dead star, Zhang Ruochen's figure had already appeared above the stone cliff, just in time to look down at the Qishier Pin Lian and Hu Zhen in the valley.
Hu Zhen looked up, his eyes narrowing as he gazed at the straight and upright figure. His gaze involuntarily turned toward the Wuding Divine Sea, his heart full of worry.
Such a strong spatial fluctuation—how could it not alert the formation grandmaster of the Wuding Divine Sea?
In contrast, the Qishier Pin Lian remained calm, not even deliberately looking at Zhang Ruochen. "I am quite surprised you could find this place," she said.
The wind on the cliff was fierce, and his robes fluttered.
Zhang Ruochen said, "I could only guess that your target was the Wuding Divine Sea, but I could not pinpoint your exact location. After all, the spatial techniques and concealment methods here are indeed sophisticated. But you should not have taken Jingxiu's divine soul and blood. The heavenly secrets contained in them cannot be hidden by you. Within a certain range, I could sense them."
"I see. So Jingxiu was the flaw you deliberately left behind. Did you tamper with his divine soul and blood? But why did I not detect it?" The Qishier Pin Lian did not fully believe Zhang Ruochen.
Zhang Ruochen had no intention of explaining further. His gaze fell on Jing Daoren, sensing his extremely abnormal state, severely eroded by darkness.
That dark power was of the same origin as the power that had controlled the ancient Hall Masters of the Space Divine Temple and Old Drunkard in the Sword God Temple.
The Qishier Pin Lian said, "Zhang Ruochen, you have come too late after all. At the same time, you have made a fatal mistake."
"Oh? Is that so?" Zhang Ruochen said.
The Qishier Pin Lian said, "Chan Bing must have stayed in Kunlun Realm, right? You are well aware that any place can go wrong, but the two beings suppressed in the Nine Heavens Realm World cannot."
"You guessed right on that point," Zhang Ruochen said.
The Qishier Pin Lian said, "In that case, how dare you come alone? Isn't that no different from seeking death?"
Zhang Ruochen glanced up at the Wuding Divine Sea above.
The Qishier Pin Lian said, "Among the gods of the Wuding Divine Sea, only Huaying Cangjie and Yu Linsheng are worthy opponents. But to suppress the Stone Man, would Huaying Cangjie dare to leave the Wuding Divine Sea? Guarding the many great worlds within the Wuding Divine Sea also requires cultivators to control the formations."
"Whoosh!"
As if to confirm the Qishier Pin Lian's words, every great world in the Wuding Divine Sea began to radiate formation light, raising one barrier after another.
This was to activate the defensive formations to their strongest state.
"Go! Self-detonate your divine source and break the Wuding Divine Sea's formations."
The Qishier Pin Lian pointed a finger at Jing Daoren's brow. The next moment, Jing Daoren's eyes opened, with no whites, completely pitch black.
"Clang!"
Almost simultaneously, Zhang Ruochen's sword shattered the spatial order power around the Qishier Pin Lian, appearing behind her.
The Abyssal Ancient Sword was blocked by a suddenly appearing heavenly pillar, the two clashing to produce powerful energy ripples.
With the heavenly pillar as the center, this thousand-mile-diameter dead star was torn in two.
The Qishier Pin Lian stood on the other side of the heavenly pillar. Beside her, Jing Daoren, who had been sitting cross-legged, had risen to his feet, turning into a pillar of flame and flying toward the Wuding Divine Sea.
The Star Sea Angler's figure appeared above the Wuding Divine Sea, transmitting a message to Zhang Ruochen: "No need to worry about him. I will suppress him myself. You must not clash head-on with the Qishier Pin Lian. Find an opportunity to return to the formation first."
Zhang Ruochen's arrival had exposed the Qishier Pin Lian's plan, giving the Star Sea Angler and Yunshen Daozhu ample preparation. That was already achieving the goal, and he could retreat in glory.
But Zhang Ruochen did not believe the Qishier Pin Lian would give him a chance to return to the Wuding Divine Sea.
"Swish!"
The Qishier Pin Lian's figure moved like a phantom, shifting to Zhang Ruochen's right. Holding the Stainless Dust Whisk, she swung it with lightning speed.
The Stainless Dust Whisk was forged by Murong Buhuo and was the Murong clan's supreme treasure, later falling into Jing Daoren's hands.
The whisk's silver strands were sharper than divine sword blades. When wielded by a Heavenly Venerable-level, its power was terrifying, capable of slicing a cultivator's physical body into thousands of pieces in an instant.
If Zhang Ruochen were hit, he would naturally not escape that fate.
And once his physical body was shattered, it would be even harder to avoid being captured by the Qishier Pin Lian.
The Qishier Pin Lian knew that her plan had been exposed prematurely, rendering the strategy of having Jing Daoren self-detonate his divine source useless. Thus, capturing Zhang Ruochen became the second plan she was forced to activate.
The silver strands of the Stainless Dust Whisk, made from an Ancestor's hair, grew longer and longer, like a heaven-encompassing net, sealing off all of Zhang Ruochen's escape routes.
Just a light touch left a deep bloody gash on Zhang Ruochen's cheek.
With a wave of his hand, Zhang Ruochen unleashed the Four Directions Universe Seal.
This artifact of the Space Divine Temple had once belonged to the Qishier Pin Lian. As it spun rapidly, it created a narrow space for Zhang Ruochen.
"Bang! Bang!"
The silver strands struck the Four Directions Universe Seal, continuously cutting through space.
The Qishier Pin Lian naturally would not prolong the fight with Zhang Ruochen. She directly stepped into the space supported by the Four Directions Universe Seal and casually swung the heavenly pillar.
Zhang Ruochen was already locked on, with no way to avoid it. He had to take it head-on.
"Boom!"
Zhang Ruochen's blood boiled. Gripping his sword with both hands, he met the attack, his eyes never leaving the Qishier Pin Lian's.
The scene the Qishier Pin Lian had anticipated did not occur. Although blood seeped from between Zhang Ruochen's clenched teeth, he was not severely wounded by her strike.
The Ji Gate hovered behind Zhang Ruochen, and the Taiji Four Symbols Diagram Seal appeared beneath his feet.
Among the Four Symbols, Xuanyuan Second stood on the Shaoyang Divine Mountain, clad in golden armor.
The Snow Domain Star Sea Divine Army stood among the stars of the Sun Illusory Star Sea.
The Wuwo Lamp floated beneath the Jade Tree and Ink Moon.
And in the Shaoyin Divine Sea stood the exquisite figure of A Fuya, constantly releasing Ancestor Divine Qi and Ancestor Rules.
"You are indeed much stronger than that mysterious sword cultivator who returned through possession. But although Chan Bing is not here, the Beginning Queen is. Kong Fanni, today, the grievances between you and my Zhang Clan should be settled!"
Zhang Ruochen gathered the power of the four directions, his arms surging with strength, and forced the Qishier Pin Lian back.
"Do I, Xuanyuan Second, not deserve to have my name mentioned?"
Xuanyuan Second had come on this journey with Zhang Ruochen to repay the debt of saving his life in the Western Buddha Realm.
"Lend me the Jin Chuan Armor."
Zhang Ruochen had a bad feeling. The Qishier Pin Lian was far too calm. This was not how someone should behave when a plan fails.
Therefore, he decided to take the initiative, determined not to give the Qishier Pin Lian another chance to employ her schemes.