Chapter 3984: Intent to Go to the Netherworld
"That Divine Martial Envoy most likely truly comes from the Divine Realm."
The Dragon Lord looked up at the sky, deep worry in his eyes, and recounted the strange burning state his Divine Martial Mark had uncontrollably entered earlier.
"At that time, his main target was probably you. But even so, I had to fully mobilize my Rule Divine Patterns and Profound Meaning just to withstand it."
"That flame seemed to originate from nowhere, formless and shadowless, transmitted from the Divine Martial Mark into the Divine Sea, then pressing toward the Divine Source."
"In that state, I could only use fifty percent of my full combat power; the other fifty percent had to be used for self-defense. I communicated with the Empress, and she needed to use one hundred percent of her power just to resist."
Zhang Ruochen hadn't expected that the mere appearance of a Divine Martial Envoy could be so perilous.
The Divine Realm was too terrifying!
Although the cultivators of the world were numerous, aside from a very few individuals, everyone else could have their life and death controlled by it.
This was even more horrifying than the calamity of an Ancestor.
One could imagine that, given the weight the Divine Realm held in the hearts of cultivators across the world, and with their martial arts qualifications and very lives and deaths in others' hands, a Divine Martial Envoy need only use a little trickery to subdue billions of cultivators for their own use.
Compared to this, the Quantity Organization was utterly insignificant.
Fortunately, the Divine Realm currently had no intention of dealing with them; they still had time to catch their breath, to understand the Divine Realm, and to find a way to break free from the shackles of the Divine Martial Mark.
The Dragon Lord said, "There is one thing that Divine Martial Envoy didn't get wrong. Perhaps we truly can unite the Heavenly Court and the Hell Realm, organize a group of strong individuals, and rush to the Nether Prison to take the initiative, not giving the Great Demon God a chance to escape. Ruochen, only you can do this!"
Zhang Ruochen told the Dragon Lord some secrets from recent years. "Years ago, Gai Mie went to the Nether Prison and sent back word that the prison entrance had been sealed and could not be broken."
"Thirty thousand years ago, Fengdu Dadi broke through to the Half-Ancestor realm and also secretly went to the Nether Prison. After investigating the sealing power at the entrance, which belonged to Hao Tian, Heavenly Mother, and Lady Shiji, he chose to leave."
"After returning, Fengdu Dadi visited the Wuding Divine Sea, where I and my Grandmaster received him."
"Both Half-Ancestors agreed that the probability of the Great Demon God escaping the Nether Prison alive was extremely low. Because Hao Tian, Heavenly Mother, and Lady Shiji were able to delay his emergence for twenty thousand years, it meant the Great Demon God's power couldn't be too strong. Under these circumstances, the Great Demon God couldn't stop them from self-destructing their Divine Sources."
"In other words, once the Great Demon God began to assault the exit of the Nether Prison, showing signs of escaping, one of Hao Tian, Heavenly Mother, or Lady Shiji would surely self-destruct their Divine Source to perish together with him."
"Of course, variables do exist."
"For instance, Ba Er, Jiusi Yitianhuang, and Gu Yanluo might cooperate with Hao Tian and the others to devour the Great Demon God, or they might submit to him."
"Furthermore, Fengdu Dadi has full confidence in Hao Tian and Heavenly Mother but is skeptical of Lady Shiji. He believes Lady Shiji may not have the resolve to die, and her stance may not be as firm as Hao Tian's or Heavenly Mother's."
"Then there are the Nether Sea, the Ruo Water, the Nether Refining Purgatory, and the Ghost Gate. How did they break through the sealing power of the three Half-Ancestors to enter the Nether Prison, and what impact will they have on the situation?"
"The disturbance in the Nether Sea undoubtedly represents the attitude of the Nether Ancestor. And the Nether Ancestor is very likely the Immortal behind the Great Demon God. This will be a severe challenge for Hao Tian, Heavenly Mother, and Lady Shiji."
"Fengdu Dadi originally intended to use the Sword Pavilion to go to the Nether Prison again. He believes that there might be some mysterious spatial channel between the seventy-two layers of the tower, transcending the Space Rules, which is why the Nether Sea could enter the Nether Prison via the Nether Refining Purgatory without breaking the seal."
"My Grandmaster has another concern. He believes that while the calamity of an Ancestor is terrifying, what is even more frightening is the Dark Aberration that could recondense its remnant body at any time."
"The dark power of the Dark Great Triangle Star Domain has been completely devoured, so the Dark Aberration's strength must have increased significantly. The Kunlun Realm and the White Clothes Valley absolutely cannot afford any mishap."
"Even more so, the Dark Aberration and the Dark Hand must not be allowed to merge. Therefore, the most important thing at that time was to help Lamp Wrecking Master first suppress the Dark Aberration in the Sword God Temple."
The Dragon Lord was hearing this for the first time. "If Lamp Wrecking Master, Fengdu Dadi, and Island Master join forces, suppressing the Dark Aberration in the Sword God Temple shouldn't be difficult."
Zhang Ruochen said, "In reality, after my Grandmaster's spiritual power stabilized, his spiritual thoughts entered a different space-time to fight alongside Lamp Wrecking Master. Thirty thousand years ago, Fengdu Dadi's participation almost succeeded in resealing the Sword God Temple. But the Dark Hand, released by the Divine Realm, intervened, and the battle of wits fell into a stalemate again."
"This Half-Ancestor-level battle of wits has lasted for thirty thousand years... no, it's been fifty thousand years."
"Not long ago, my Grandmaster told me that the battle is about to end. He asked me to be ready at any moment to mobilize the War Ancestor Divine Army to help. The time for the final battle to suppress the Dark Aberration has come."
"But just at this critical juncture, the Divine Martial Envoy from the Divine Realm appeared, and the Nether Prison has become active again."
Zhang Ruochen let out a long sigh.
The Dragon Lord said, "Are you suspecting that there is an Immortal hiding in the shadows who doesn't want the Dark Aberration to be suppressed?"
Zhang Ruochen said, "I'm more worried that they will help the Dark Aberration recondense its body, restoring its Ancestor-level strength. How would we deal with that then? Do we really have to entrust our fate entirely to the Immortals? I'm unwilling, absolutely unwilling."
The Dragon Lord could feel the weight on Zhang Ruochen's heart. "If only Wen Tianjun could break through to the Half-Ancestor realm! Ruochen, you should have faith in Hao Tian, Heavenly Mother, and Island Master. They are all heroes of their eras."
"Every generation has its own responsibilities. Don't try to shoulder everything yourself. Haven't we all been preparing diligently? The higher one's cultivation, the greater the responsibility. Isn't everyone working together to hold up this crumbling world?"
Zhang Ruochen forced a smile, then suddenly said, "If I go to the Nether Prison, Uncle Dragon, who do you think can lead the War Ancestor Divine Army to the different space-time at any time to fight the decisive battle against the Dark Aberration?"
The Dragon Lord knew Zhang Ruochen had already made his decision and didn't try to dissuade him. "Senior Yu's spiritual power has reached the ninety-third level. He would be the most suitable to lead the divine army and activate its combined attack formations."
Zhang Ruochen shook his head. "Senior Yu must remain in the Wuding Divine Sea. Otherwise, Qishier Pin Lian and the others will definitely not miss the chance to exploit the situation."
The Dragon Lord frowned. "Chan Bing is a candidate, but I suspect she will lead the Snow Domain Star Sea Divine Army to accompany you to the Nether Prison. As for someone else who can lead the divine army to face the Dark Aberration..."
"What about A Fuya?" Zhang Ruochen asked.
The Dragon Lord wasn't surprised. "This matter is no small thing."
Zhang Ruochen said, "After I leave, the only one who can still carry the banner of the divine army is her. She possesses an Ancestor's Divine Body, and the War Ancestor Divine Army was originally trained by her. The armor and weapons were all forged according to her secret methods. She is the most suitable to lead the War Ancestor Divine Army."
"I want to give her this opportunity, both as a sign of respect for her as a former Ancestor and as a final test for her. Even if she has ulterior motives, the various Camp Masters and Banner Masters can still restrain her."
...
The Dragon Lord went to the Divine Dragon Realm, while Zhang Ruochen and Qiangu Nüdi headed to the Sword Realm.
"During your seclusion, Empress, how about I have Chi Yao temporarily take command of the Qiangu Camp?" Zhang Ruochen asked.
Qiangu Nüdi said, "Are you trying to stop Chi Yao from accompanying you to the Nether Prison this way?"
"I can't hide it from you, Empress." Zhang Ruochen smiled.
Back in the Ancient Desolate Ruins City, when the Immovable Bright King Great Venerable's Celestial World was born, Chi Yao absorbed the Nine-Colored Chaos Divine River within that world, successfully condensing her Twenty-First Celestial Vault.
At that time, she had only used a tiny fraction of the Nine-Colored Chaos Divine River's power.
Over the years, with the aid of the Sundial's time power and her extraordinary martial arts comprehension, she had already cultivated the Twenty-Second Celestial Vault, reaching the Indestructible Infinite realm.
One hundred and thirty years ago, Chi Yao entered the Sundial again, preparing to condense the Twenty-Third Celestial Vault and break through to the middle stage of Indestructible Infinite.
Calculating the time, she had been in seclusion under the Sundial for forty thousand years.
Zhang Ruochen knew Chi Yao's strong-willed nature. She always wanted to catch up to him, to help him, to share his burdens.
At the same time, she didn't want to disappoint the expectations of Xumi Saint Monk or the perfected "Bright Emperor Scripture" of the Immovable Bright King Great Venerable. So, she wouldn't emerge from seclusion until she succeeded.
But cultivation was something that couldn't be rushed. Forty thousand years had passed, and she still hadn't condensed the Twenty-Third Celestial Vault. If she continued to persist so stubbornly, it would become very dangerous.
That was why Zhang Ruochen planned to force her out of seclusion this time.
(End of chapter)