Chapter 4002: Methods to Counter an Ancestor
"A hundred years ago, when I went to the Space Divine Temple, I noticed a small problem. The height of Buzhou Mountain had actually decreased somewhat."
"I initially thought it was caused by the battle back then and didn't pay much attention to it. But when I entered the mountain a second time, I discovered that the rules of heaven and earth had also undergone subtle changes, which prompted me to investigate further."
"Guess what I found? The interior of Buzhou Mountain had been hollowed out into a massive cavity."
Zhao Gongming had a deep friendship with Zhang Ruochen, and whether for public or private reasons, he would not hide anything from him. He continued, "Based on the shape of that cavity and the remaining markings and imprints, it can be roughly determined that a dragon corpse had been excavated."
"The dragon corpse was enormous, about eighty thousand miles long."
Zhang Ruochen pondered for a moment, then said, "Buzhou Mountain has a long history, traceable back to the Primordial Era. No matter what is buried there, it wouldn't be surprising."
"Such a massive dragon corpse is still very rare. Moreover, Prince Lian has thoroughly searched historical records, and there is no mention of it anywhere. It seems the dragon corpse originated from an extremely ancient era, and its origins are now untraceable."
Zhao Gongming added, "Losing an ancient corpse isn't a major issue. But after a comprehensive investigation, it turns out it wasn't the work of the Space Divine Temple's gods. That's too strange and too dangerous! So, Prince Lian sent me to ask Emperor Chen: what reason led you to have us investigate the Space Divine Temple?"
Zhang Ruochen did not mention Yan Wushen. "I learned some things from the Peacock Heavenly Empress."
A glint of light flashed in Zhao Gongming's eyes. "That matches up! Among the cultivators we suspect, the Peacock Heavenly Empress, who visited the Space Divine Temple, is one of them. I wonder what identity that dragon corpse had, to make her, a giant of the demon race, personally go to steal it."
Zhang Ruochen smiled. "How does War God Gongming plan to handle this?"
"Of course, we must reclaim it in the name of the Space Divine Temple."
Zhao Gongming was no fool. The fact that this matter had caught the attention of someone as important as Zhang Ruochen meant it was definitely not simple.
"Be cautious. You can first report it to the Heavenly Venerable and let him decide. I still have important matters to attend to, so I won't keep War God Gongming for reminiscing. Yao Yao, please see him out."
Zhang Ruochen offered a kind reminder, then walked towards the Sword Pavilion, leaving Zhao Gongming, whose face had drastically changed, rooted to the spot.
It seemed this matter was even more terrifying than he had estimated.
Chi Yao said, "War God, please!"
...
In the first layer of the Sword Pavilion, Room Qingzi Number One.
This room was a hundred zhang in both length and width, the floor covered in gold, the walls all made of jade. Rows of bookshelves held countless sword technique scriptures.
Ten golden pillars, each requiring three people to encircle, supported this first room among the seventy-two rooms on the first floor.
Yunshen Daozhu, Wen Tianjun, Candeng Dashi, Gai Mie, Chan Bing, Chi Xingtian, and the four old clan emperors of the Primordial Beings stood in a circle.
In the center were the sealed four stone heads of the Nine-Headed Stone Man and the Divine Martial Envoy, Wu Shi.
The halo of light on Wu Shi's face was extremely dim.
Countless Half-Ancestor rules, like chains, surrounded him.
"Ruochen has come out of seclusion. How is it? Are your injuries fully healed?" Yunshen Daozhu asked.
"No major issues."
Zhang Ruochen nodded slightly, then stared at Wu Shi. "Wen Tianjun, Grandmaster, have you performed another soul search on him?"
Back then, Gai Mie had devoured part of Wu Shi's divine soul and obtained some of his memories.
But the gains were minimal.
Soul-searching a Divine Martial Envoy would certainly offend the God Realm. But Zhang Ruochen didn't believe that his Grandmaster and Wen Tianjun, with their cultivation levels, would fear such consequences.
Yunshen Daozhu said, "His memories of the God Realm are sealed by a powerful force that cannot be breached."
"Could it be an Ancestor?" Zhang Ruochen asked.
Yunshen Daozhu said, "It's quite possible."
None of the cultivators present had light hearts.
Only the three Half-Ancestors remained calm.
"There were still some gains."
Yunshen Daozhu spoke slowly, "According to Wu Shi's memories after leaving the God Realm, the four Divine Martial Envoys were ordered by an existence called Zhenzai to carry two treasures—the Heavenly Demon Ancestor Divine Source and the Hundred Banners Chaos Diagram—to unite powerful beings from all over the universe to jointly suppress and kill the Great Demon God."
"In other words, they genuinely intended to help us deal with the Ancestor calamity. However, the God Realm had previously released the Dark Hand, so everyone's trust in them is limited. Coupled with the arrogant attitude of the Divine Martial Envoys, things went awry."
"Among this, the point most relevant to us lies with the Hundred Banners Chaos Diagram."
"It is said that gathering a hundred powerful beings to jointly activate this diagram can counter an Ancestor."
"The Hundred Banners Chaos Diagram was originally on Wu Shi, but it is no longer there!"
Everyone's gaze simultaneously turned to Gai Mie.
Gai Mie immediately distanced himself, saying, "I didn't take the Hundred Banners Chaos Diagram. Di, it must be him. He took the Hundred Banners Chaos Diagram before handing Wu Shi over to Emperor Chen!"
Chi Xingtian said, "What did I say? Di's attack on the Kunlun Realm back then was an unforgivable crime. How could we trust him? He's in cahoots with Qishier Pin Lian and the Dark Weirdness."
"Now we can't even explain ourselves. The God Realm will definitely think we ambushed Wu Shi and stole the Hundred Banners Chaos Diagram."
"As I see it, the only way is to capture Di before the God Realm comes knocking. Even if we can't capture him, we must force him to hand over the Hundred Banners Chaos Diagram and the stone blade left by the Heavenly Demon."
Chi Xingtian was extremely covetous of that stone blade, believing it was a treasure only he could inherit.
Even an Ancestor's stone body could be broken by it—how powerful must it be?
"The Sword Realm does have the strength. If we act against Di, count me in."
Gai Mie was well aware of how dangerous the current era was. There were more powerful beings to fear than in the Chaos Ancient Era, so he naturally planned to join the Sword Realm's banner.
At least Zhang Ruochen was a ruler he felt he could trust.
Zhang Ruochen took out a fist-sized piece of rubble and handed it to Yunshen Daozhu. "Grandmaster, this is a small fragment of Di's stone body. Can you use it to deduce Di's hiding place?"
Yunshen Daozhu took the stone and began calculating with his spiritual power.
After a long while, Yunshen Daozhu shook his head gently. "Di's cultivation is at the same level as mine. He possesses concealment methods that can counter deduction. Moreover, he controls the Demon Shrine, which allows him to hide within the River of Time, even in the past or future. Even an Ancestor would find it difficult to locate him unless he actively reveals himself and leaves traces."
A Half-Ancestor, already bearing the character 'Ancestor,' possesses some countermeasures even against an Ancestor, at least the ability to conceal themselves to a certain extent.
Di had survived into this era precisely because he possessed top-tier concealment methods.
Zhang Ruochen asked, "What if we use his head for the deduction?"
"That is worth a try," Yunshen Daozhu said.
All cultivators in the world knew that Di's head was suppressed by Lady Shiji.
Speaking of this, Wen Tianjun said, "The most important thing for us right now is to find a power that can counter an Ancestor and make them wary."
"Self-destructing a Half-Ancestor's divine source certainly has some deterrent effect."
"But if an Ancestor truly targets the Sword Realm, they will never give us the chance to self-destruct our divine sources or divine hearts. If they launch a sneak attack, we will have no means of resistance. Furthermore, even if we self-destruct our divine sources and hearts, it would be equivalent to dragging all the living beings on the great worlds of the Wuding Divine Sea into death with us. A lose-lose situation!"
"Seizing the Hundred Banners Chaos Diagram is one strategy!"
"Earlier, this lord and Island Master discussed it and believe that gathering the Nine Cauldrons or the Seventy-Two Layer Tower might also counter an Ancestor. Or even actively setting a trap to suppress an Ancestor."
"Among the Nine Cauldrons, the Time Cauldron and the Void Cauldron currently have no clues. Gathering them all is as difficult as ascending to heaven. So, we can only start with the Seventy-Two Layer Tower!"
"We already possess the Eighteen-Level Sword Pavilion and the Eighteen-Level Nether Prison. What we lack are the Eighteen-Level Ghost Gate, which fell into Lady Shiji's hands, and the Eighteen-Level Nether Purgatory, which is in Chongming Laozu's hands."
Chi Xingtian laughed, "Legend has it that Emperor Chen has a very special relationship with Lady Shiji. Since you're confident you can retrieve Di's head from her, you might also be able to get the Ghost Gate back. After all, the Ghost Gate has been an inherent possession of the Kunlun Realm since ancient times. If possible... why not bring Lady Shiji to the Wuding Divine Sea as well? Having one more Half-Ancestor would make dealing with an Ancestor much easier."
Chan Bing said, "The Ghost Gate and the Destiny Mirror were originally refined by the Immovable Bright King Great Venerable. Emperor Chen, as the Great Venerable's descendant, asking for the Ghost Gate back is only natural. From a standpoint of strength, Lady Shiji has no reason not to return it."
"You all are trying to set me up!"
Zhang Ruochen smiled. "Lady Shiji is a Half-Ancestor. With a Half-Ancestor's pride, if I try to pressure her with strength, it will surely backfire. Don't meddle in this. I'll go try. Faced with the pressure of the Dark Weirdness and the Ancestor, Lady Shiji should choose to huddle together for warmth."
Wen Tianjun said, "In that case, I will go negotiate with Chongming Laozu. We have a bit of a connection from back then. Let's see what price he asks."
Zhang Ruochen had already deduced that the Eighteen-Level Nether Purgatory and the Nether Sea were suppressed in the Demon God Realm.
Currently, the Demon God Realm's reputation in the Heavenly Court Universe was unparalleled.
Chongming Laozu was even being called the number one under Haotian.
Zhang Ruochen asked, "I'm very curious. With his ninety-third level spiritual power, how could Chongming Laozu suppress the Nether Sea and snatch the Eighteen-Level Nether Purgatory right under the noses of a host of powerful beings? What exactly happened in this hundred-year war?"
The Nether Sea's power was terrifying. It had once broken the Rakshasa Star Pillar Realm and carried away the Heavenly River and the Ghost Gate. No one in the Heavenly Court Universe or the Hell Realm could stop it. It was clearly a Half-Ancestor-level force.
With the help of the demon hordes from the Southern Universe, Chongming Laozu might be able to fight the Nether Sea, but suppressing it was nearly impossible.
Suppressing a Half-Ancestor requires at least two to three times the power.
"Emperor Chen, you underestimate Chongming Laozu too much!"
Chan Bing had witnessed that battle firsthand. "Along with the Demon Ancestor Ridge, the Parasol Divine Tree left by the Demon Ancestor also emerged. The Demon Ancestor was one of the Nine Great Ancestral Witches!"
"Jiwang could use the power within the Dragon Nest to block the Dark Hand's attacks. Chongming Laozu, relying on the Demon Ancestor Ridge, the Parasol Divine Tree, and the gods of the Southern Universe, gained the power to suppress the Nether Sea. This is the pinnacle of power below an Ancestor. If Emperor Chen underestimates him and ends up opposing him in the future, you will suffer a great loss."
"In fact, Lady Shiji and Yan Huanyu also made a move. Chongming Laozu essentially waited for the opportunity to strike."
Wen Tianjun further confirmed this point, then added, "Perhaps the means left by the Nine Great Ancestral Witches can counter an Ancestor, but Jiwang and Chongming Laozu cannot fully unleash them yet."
Chi Xingtian's eyes lit up. "Isn't that another path to strive for countering an Ancestor? The Dragon Lord's cultivation speed isn't slow. The Heavenly Venerable rank and Half-Ancestor are both achievable."
Wen Tianjun acted decisively and immediately set off for the Demon God Realm.
Yunshen Daozhu asked Zhang Ruochen about Zhao Gongming's matter.
Zhang Ruochen recounted the incident of the dragon corpse being dug up from Buzhou Mountain, then looked at the four old clan emperors of the Primordial Beings. "I heard that during the Ancient Desolate Era, an Ancestor of the Primordial Beings was killed by an Ancestral Witch and buried in Buzhou Mountain. Do any of you have definite information about this?"
The Fire Clan old clan emperor said, "It's too far back, completely unverifiable. The scattered fragments of information passed down are mostly unreliable."
The Gold Clan old clan emperor said, "Seventy years ago, this old man met a few old friends, but they were affected by the consciousness curse within them, lost their reason, and attacked us fiercely. Emperor Chen was able to dissolve the curse within us. Could you, in memory of the Wood Clan old clan emperor who gave his life in the Nether Prison to deal with the Nine-Headed Stone Man, help the Primordial Beings once more?"
Just as Zhang Ruochen was deliberating,
Chi Yao walked in from outside. "Old Clan Emperor, your words are mistaken! First, the hatred between your Twelve Primordial Clans and the Great Demon God runs deeper than ours, doesn't it? Going to the Nether Prison to kill him cannot be considered helping Emperor Chen. You were avenging your own shame and planning for the future of the Twelve Primordial Clans. Dealing with the Ancestor calamity is everyone's responsibility. How did it become Emperor Chen's personal affair?"
"Second, you want to save six old clan emperors, each with extraordinary cultivation. That's not one matter, but six. And six extremely difficult matters fraught with considerable danger."
Yunshen Daozhu, Chan Bing, Gai Mie, and others revealed faint smiles and successively left the Sword Pavilion.
They could see that Chi Yao was not stopping Zhang Ruochen from helping the Twelve Primordial Clans, but rather negotiating terms with the four old clan emperors.
If it were Zhang Ruochen, he might have already agreed!
After all, dissolving the consciousness curse of the six old clan emperors was itself an act against the Nether Ancestor Faction, requiring no additional conditions. Coupled with the Wood Clan old clan emperor's fall, Zhang Ruochen must have felt some guilt.
When you're under someone else's roof, you have to lower your head.
The Earth Clan old clan emperor frowned deeply. "If you have any conditions, Empress Chi Yao, please state them directly."
Zhang Ruochen gently shook his head at Chi Yao. "Four elders, I, Zhang Ruochen, have always kept my promises. Since I invited you to the Nether Prison back then, the debt of gratitude for dissolving your consciousness curse is considered settled. There is no longer any debt between us."
"As for the other six old clan emperors, I will help if I can. You only need to agree to two conditions from me. First, the Twelve Primordial Clans must absolutely not side with any of the Nether Ancestor, the Dark Weirdness, or the God Realm."
"Of course."
The four old clan emperors spoke almost simultaneously.
Zhang Ruochen continued, "If one day the Twelve Primordial Clans go to war across the universe, you must not be enemies with the Sword Realm. I am well aware that asking for a verbal promise in the face of a universe-level war seems extremely naive. But I still hope you four can make this promise."
Seeing that Zhang Ruochen wasn't making exorbitant demands, the four old clan emperors secretly breathed a sigh of relief. At the same time, they felt immense admiration for the young man before them.
The Fire Clan old clan emperor's eyes held more respect, and his voice was hoarse: "Emperor Chen's righteousness is lofty! I don't care about others, but this old man and the Fire Clan accept your two conditions today. In the future, if anyone violates today's words, this old man will be the first to deal with them."
The Water Clan old clan emperor, with his cheerful personality, laughed, "Emperor Chen, why not mention some other conditions? Acting like this, our Primordial Beings will owe you a huge favor. How will we ever repay it?"
...
Chi Yao watched Zhang Ruochen laughing and chatting with the four old clan emperors, a faint smile secretly appearing at the corner of her mouth.
She had come to play the bad cop, giving Zhang Ruochen the chance to play the good cop.
When it came to negotiating interests, what could the Twelve Primordial Clans give Zhang Ruochen, given the resources and treasures he now possessed?
Would each clan send a beauty?
The greatest value of the Twelve Primordial Clans currently lay in these powerful old clan emperors. By winning them over with goodwill, if the Sword Realm faced a calamity in the future, or if Zhang Ruochen needed their help, how could they refuse?
Talking about interests is no different from taking advantage of someone's vulnerability. It is ultimately fleeting and would instead provoke resentment and even grudges from these old fellows.
The Wood Clan old clan emperor had sacrificed himself to save the four old clan emperors before him.
The four old clan emperors had set aside their pride to beg Zhang Ruochen to rescue the other six. Clearly, none of them were selfish individuals.
Even if, in the worst-case scenario, they didn't remember this debt of gratitude, dissolving the consciousness curse within the six old clan emperors would weaken the Nether Ancestor Faction and add another force in the universe to counter the Immortal, which would still benefit the Sword Realm.
After reaching an agreement with the four old clan emperors, Chan Bing approached Zhang Ruochen. "I'm sorry. It's hard to say... Emperor Chen, I'm afraid I won't be able to fulfill my promise of an Eon. I have to return to the White Clothes Valley!"
Zhang Ruochen could certainly understand. He smiled, "I like the way you address me as Emperor Chen. Wait a little longer. I'll go with you to the White Clothes Valley. In this era, even a Heavenly Venerable-rank traveling alone isn't very safe."
(Chapter End)