Chapter 3971: The Sound of the Plucked String
The Wuding Divine Sea spans no less than a hundred thousand billion li, stretching across the starry sky for who knows how many eons. Within this sea, the place with the richest and densest cosmic meridians is undoubtedly the "Gui Xu" (Returning Void).
This is one of the few places in heaven and earth that can bear the Sword Realm and nourish such a high-level great world!
However, the Sword Realm has only recently been relocated to Gui Xu and has not yet fully merged with the cosmic meridians, the Wuding Divine Sea, and the rules of heaven and earth.
It is like a raft on a river, without rudder or sail, its foundation unstable.
One could say that Qishier Pin Lian chose this time to attack the Sword Realm for a reason.
Once the Sword Realm completes its fusion with Gui Xu, bolstered by the formations of Yunshen Daozhu, the Star Sea Angler, and the Old Drunkard, in time, not to mention Qishier Pin Lian, even a Half-Ancestor would be forced to retreat in defeat.
Of course, Qishier Pin Lian's fundamental goal lies elsewhere.
It lies in the stone figures sealed within the Sword Realm.
Before the emergence of the old clan emperor of the Primordial Path Clan, only a very few knew the true identities of the twelve stone figures before the Great Venerable's tomb and the secrets hidden within them.
In the battle at the Ancient Desolate Ruins City, due to the old clan emperor of the Primordial Path Clan, the Nether River was released.
This undoubtedly indicates that the twelve stone figures, or rather the old clan emperors of the twelve primordial clans, had already pledged allegiance to the Nether Ancestor ten eons ago. Once released, they would surely change the overall situation of the universe, giving the twelve primordial clans, which had dared not act rashly, the resolve to rebel against the upper realms.
Even before the twelve stone figures have fully broken their seals, their combined strike was able to block the power of the Dark Weirdness.
If they were completely unsealed, how powerful would that be?
The universe would inevitably fall into an unprecedented era of chaos. At that time, it would be much easier for the Dark Weirdness to break through the Kunlun Realm and the White Clothes Valley and reclaim its residual body.
The Celestial World left by the Great Venerable, faced with such an overwhelming trend, would collapse like a breached dike, turning into yellow mud and sand.
...
After the Dragon Lord subdued the Darkness Temple, he towed this hall, which could rank among the top ten in the universe, to the Sword Realm.
It is now the foremost hall of the Sword Realm.
However, the Daoist characteristics and faith tenets of the Darkness Temple are destined to prevent its widespread propagation in the Sword Realm; it can only occupy a corner.
The region where the Darkness Temple is located has an eternally dark sky, absorbing all incoming light and heat, and has become the extreme yin and extreme cold place of the Sword Realm.
Six stone figures, as tall as mountains, are now sealed within the hall.
Previously, when the Divine Realm released the second Dark Hand, it caused weird fluctuations across the entire star sea. At that time, the five stone figures suppressed within Zhang Ruochen's Divine Realm World were stimulated, shedding large amounts of stone skin, nearly breaking their seals.
Similarly, the six stone figures suppressed in the Darkness Temple also shed nearly half their stone skin, revealing much of their true forms and emitting various auras of ancient living beings.
For the Sword Realm, this is a matter surpassing all others.
Therefore, these past days, Yunshen Daozhu has not left the Darkness Temple, continuously inscribing runes on the six stone figures, researching methods to reseal them and strategies to obliterate them.
Because he is well aware that if another wave of stimulation occurs, the stone skin on the six stone figures will inevitably fall off completely.
Today, Yunshen Daozhu finally dragged his aged body out from the gate of the Darkness Temple, exhaustion evident in his eyes, his spiritual power heavily depleted.
Kong Lanyou and Luo Ji followed closely, one on each side.
Yunshen Daozhu intended to guide them in spiritual power and formations, so he allowed the two women to stay by his side, helping with auxiliary tasks within their ability.
Any discerning person could see that all this was entirely because of Zhang Ruochen.
Otherwise, such a good fortune as following a Formation Tai Shang would have had Divine Kings and Divine Lords fighting for the chance; how could it possibly fall to them?
The Dragon Lord, Yu Divine King, Yu Ling Shen, and the clan leaders of the Hundred Clans Royal City all waited outside the Darkness Temple, the atmosphere heavy as they awaited Yunshen Daozhu's decree.
Further away, Saint realm cultivators from various clans and realms were rapidly assembling, war drums thundering, black banners fluttering.
The Dragon Lord stood outside the temple gate, his golden hair neat, his eyes deep and profound, exuding an air of distinguished nobility. He said, "Tai Shang, Ruochen and Qishier Pin Lian have already clashed!"
Yunshen Daozhu glanced towards the starry sky and said, "Fortunately, Ruochen arrived in time and saw through Kong Faning's scheme. Otherwise, today the Wuding Divine Sea would have flowed with rivers of blood, and who knows how many great worlds would have been destroyed."
The Dragon Lord could naturally imagine the tragic scene after Jing Daoren self-destructed his divine source to break the defensive formation. He said, "Although she is the Great Venerable's daughter, because of her, the Kunlun Realm has suffered three bloody calamities in ten eons, making her an enemy of the entire realm. Since she has come to cause trouble again, why not take this opportunity to make her pay with her life?"
Yunshen Daozhu's face was grave, and he remained silent for a long time.
The Dragon Lord knew very well that with Tai Shang's spiritual power, he could launch spiritual attacks across trillions of li, engaging Qishier Pin Lian in a battle of spiritual power and divine souls.
However, these days, Tai Shang's spiritual power had been heavily depleted, and the defensive formations of the Wuding Divine Sea were being controlled by the Star Sea Angler, the Star Cliff Lord, and Xu Wenzhi.
Therefore, the Dragon Lord did not raise this matter.
More importantly, the Dragon Lord knew exactly what Tai Shang was worried about. Qishier Pin Lian had meticulously laid out her scheme in the Wuding Divine Sea. Since she had shown herself, could the Dark Hand have also arrived?
This was the external crisis.
Internally, the six stone figures could break their seals at any moment, and no feasible solution had yet been found. Even if they were to be refined and killed, it would take a great deal of time to deal with them one by one.
Time!
The most critical issue was that they did not have that much time.
Yunshen Daozhu said, "Lady Shiji once fought Qishier Pin Lian. With her abilities, she still could not take Qishier Pin Lian's life. At that time, Qishier Pin Lian was not yet at the Heavenly Venerable rank."
"Unless we can set a trap in advance and lure her into a formation, even a Half-Ancestor would find it as difficult as ascending to heaven to kill her. And even if we could lure her into a killing formation, with the power of her self-destructing divine source, she could trade her life for mine."
"Qishier Pin Lian is the Eternal Flower, born in the Sea Stone Star Dock. Her longevity and accumulated wealth are certainly not inferior to those of the Primordial Illumination Divine Lotus. One represents time, the other represents origin."
"Kong Faning seized Qishier Pin Lian, thereby cutting off the shackles of the Withering Death Art and gaining an eternal body. More importantly, Qishier Pin Lian had also absorbed the Chaos Lotus, which represents space, achieving the unity of time and space."
"Mastering either the Way of Time or the Way of Space allows one to roam freely between heaven and earth, making it difficult for those of a higher realm to kill them. Mastering both paths, unless she makes a fatal mistake herself, no one can kill her."
Everyone could hear the helplessness in Yunshen Daozhu's words.
The Dragon Lord smiled bitterly and said, "Ruochen also masters the two paths of time and space. His Wuji Divine Dao has boundaries yet is boundless, and will surely make Qishier Pin Lian have nowhere to escape."
"If Ruochen can catch up to Qishier Pin Lian in cultivation and be at the same realm as her, then indeed there is a chance." Yunshen Daozhu said.
Kong Lanyou obviously had absolute confidence in Zhang Ruochen, so she mustered her courage and said, "But... Emperor Dust suppressed the mysterious sword cultivator of the Heavenly Venerable rank in the Heavenly Court."
Yunshen Daozhu showed no sign of displeasure; he was very happy to see a junior propose a different opinion. At the very least, it showed the ability to think independently, rather than being a mere appendage of the strong.
The Dragon Lord laughed and said, "Didn't you say it yourself? That was in the Heavenly Court. The mysterious sword cultivator was trapped within the Heavenly Court and couldn't escape. Moreover, the gods of the Time Divine Temple, Truth Divine Temple, and Five Elements Temple were suppressing his actions. Naturally, he couldn't escape that calamity!"
"Besides, it has been less than two eons since the remnant soul of the Dark Weirdness seized Taiqing. How can his combat power and foundation compare to Qishier Pin Lian?"
After speaking, the Dragon Lord sighed inwardly.
He knew very well that before the artifact spirit of the Sundial broke through to the Indestructible Infinite realm, it would be nearly impossible for Zhang Ruochen to catch up to Qishier Pin Lian in cultivation.
Even more worrying was that the Nether Ancestor and the Dark Weirdness had apparently begun to cooperate. If the Withering Death Art on Qishier Pin Lian were completely removed, her cultivation speed would surely advance by leaps and bounds.
Who in the world could kill her?
If she was not killed, the calamity would be endless.
The "Withering Death Art" originated from the Nether Ancestor, which was naturally the Dragon Lord's speculation. Even if it wasn't, with the Nether Ancestor's abilities, removing the Withering Death Art would certainly not be difficult.
Yunshen Daozhu was constantly observing the battle in the starry sky and said, "There's no rush. Look, with the help of three Indestructible Infinite-level figures—A Fuya, Xuanyuan Second, and the Wuwo Lamp—Ruochen already has the power to contend with Qishier Pin Lian. After this battle, he will stand firmly at the pinnacle of the universe, and no one will be able to question him."
Clearly, as a formation master, Yunshen Daozhu would not evaluate a person's strength solely based on their cultivation realm.
The fact that Zhang Ruochen could always have several Indestructible Infinite-level followers by his side was entirely due to his personal charisma. In this regard, even Yunshen Daozhu and Nutian Shenzun could not help him.
And this, was it not also a part of his strength?
The Dragon Lord murmured to himself, "Legend has it that the Space-Time Chaos Lotus has an extraordinary connection with Qishier Pin Lian and the Chaos Lotus. It was left by the Saint Monk and is a treasure that can restrain Kong Faning. I wonder if Ruochen has it with him."
A flash of light passed through Yunshen Daozhu's eyes, and he let out a soft exclamation of surprise. He looked towards another direction in the starry sky and smiled, "So Ruochen had already arranged a backup plan. Then today might indeed be the day of Qishier Pin Lian's fall. In that case, we must do our utmost to protect the Wuding Divine Sea, leaving him with no worries, so he can truly engage in a life-and-death battle with Qishier Pin Lian."
Yunshen Daozhu knew better than anyone that the Dark Hand's target must be the Wuding Divine Sea, the Sword Realm, and the six stone figures in the Darkness Temple.
This was the true main battlefield, concerning the life and death of over a thousand great worlds.
"All gods, hear my command: return to your mother realms and activate the formations to channel the power of all living beings."
"All saints, hear my command: enter the formations."
...
With the Golden Chuan Armor donned, the threat of the Stainless Dust Whisk was greatly reduced.
Zhang Ruochen held the Abyssal Divine Sword in one hand, while the other hand, wearing the Kirin Fist Gloves, was clenched into a fist. Countless bolts of lightning coursed around him.
The Taiji Four Symbols Diagram provided him with an endless stream of power, allowing him to clash head-on with Qishier Pin Lian.
The Abyssal Divine Sword, the Kirin Fist Gloves, and the Heavenly Pillar—each collision created a world-shattering force, knocking down stars and piercing through the three realms.
Among those most afraid were undoubtedly the cultivators of the Thousand Star Civilization.
The six hundred main stars of the Thousand Star Civilization were suspended above the Wuding Divine Sea. At this moment, along with other great worlds, they were rapidly flying towards the sea surface, implementing a strategic contraction.
What the Heavenly Court had not yet done, the Sword Realm had already done first: to move all great worlds into the waters of the Wuding Divine Sea, forming a Thousand Worlds Grand Formation to weather the difficult times together.
"Whoosh!"
The first wave of battle aftermath at the Heavenly Venerable level caught up with the six hundred main stars of the Thousand Star Civilization that were still evacuating, shaking their atmospheric layers.
"Thousand Star Slash!"
Led by the Thousand Star Divine Ancestor, with the Star Cliff Lord presiding over the ancestral formation, the power of countless gods was gathered to activate the civilization's first divine artifact and slash it out.
The Thousand Star Slash cleaved through the battle aftermath, dispersing the power of Qishier Pin Lian and Zhang Ruochen.
Fortunately, they successfully withdrew inside the defensive layer of the Divine Throne Planet.
The Thousand Star Divine Ancestor breathed a sigh of relief and said, "This is truly a case of gods fighting, mortals suffering. At this level of confrontation, we old fellows are completely unable to help and nearly became a hindrance."
The Star Cliff Lord said, "If we enter Emperor Dust's Taiji Four Symbols Diagram Seal, we could still be of help."
The Thousand Star Divine Ancestor showed a hint of interest but quickly shook his head. "Although Qishier Pin Lian is terrifying, she cannot break into the Wuding Divine Sea. Let's wait for Tai Shang and the Star Sea Angler to make arrangements. In any case, protecting the realms is the top priority now."
Entering the true era of chaos, the Thousand Star Divine Ancestor deeply realized the importance of strength. The number of gods and the foundation of the Thousand Star Civilization surpassed that of the Kunlun Realm, which had suffered multiple calamities, but the gap in top-tier experts was vast.
In the past, the Thousand Star Divine Ancestor could still rely on the strength of the Thousand Star Civilization to gain the title of one of the Twenty Heavens, standing shoulder to shoulder with those Indestructible Infinite-level beings.
But now, the times were advancing rapidly, with experts emerging constantly. Without the cultivation of the Indestructible Infinite realm, it was impossible to be listed among the Heavens.
For these reasons, much of the arrogance in the Thousand Star Divine Ancestor had been worn away.
Watching Zhang Ruochen fiercely battling Qishier Pin Lian in the starry sky, he felt even more fortunate.
Fortunately, he had been wise enough back then to arrange the marriage between Yu Chenjing and Zhang Ruochen, which had even produced a son.
"Although Jing'er has extraordinary talent, her chance of impacting the Indestructible Infinite realm is slim. Passing on the lineage is the key to the Thousand Star Civilization's survival in this chaotic era."
The Thousand Star Divine Ancestor resolved to pour all the foundation resources of the Thousand Star Civilization onto Zhang Chuanzong.
...
The Heavenly Cauldron flew out, suspended above the Ji Gate, releasing a Divine Fate Radiance that actually suppressed Qishier Pin Lian's cultivation and combat power.
"Radiance of the Wuwo, seize souls and captivate spirits. Borrow my ancestral qi and half-ancestral qi, use the light of fate to annihilate all enemies in the world."
A chanting voice rose from the Wuwo Lamp.
The ancestral qi released by A Fuya and the half-ancestral qi released by Xuanyuan Second all converged towards it.
The moment the Wuwo Lamp flickered, Qishier Pin Lian's vision went dark, and Zhang Ruochen seized the opportunity to punch her flying thousands of li away.
On his fist, dozens of lightning dragons erupted, as if trying to tear her apart.
"Boom!"
A sound like a plucked string echoed across the starry sky.
A Fuya, holding a divine artifact-level longbow, was heroic and peerlessly beautiful, elegant yet exuding the demeanor of an empress. She followed the traces of the Great Dao's origin and shot the Hongtian Arrow.
In that instant, all the rules in the universe seemed to disappear.
The Hongtian Arrow broke through the rules of time and space, struck Qishier Pin Lian, and pierced through her heart.
Qishier Pin Lian was sent flying again, her arms spread wide, countless petals manifesting behind her.
The eight Nether Phases from the "Eight Volumes of the Nether Scripture" appeared in the eight directions around her.
"As expected of the First Queen. After fusing with the ancestral flesh, your combat power has reached this level. Unfortunately, I am an eternal lotus of heaven and earth, without a heart. That arrow of yours is meaningless and cannot harm me in the slightest!"
(End of this chapter)