Chapter 4025: The Fate Temple Lord Coronation Ceremony
After ten thousand years in seclusion, the desert sands outside had long since transformed into a lush, verdant primeval forest.
Ancient trees towered to the sky, and flocks of birds gathered.
Xiu Chen Heavenly God and Bai Qinger had been guarding the stone gate all along, building a thatched cottage by the stream to live in.
They had each refined the World Spirit of a Stone God Star, merging the Stone God Star with their Divine Realm Worlds. After nearly an Eon of integration in the real world, they had officially become the masters of those divine stars.
Over the past sixty thousand years, the Sundial had only been activated on a large scale for very brief periods, helping the younger generation of heavenly prodigies rapidly advance their cultivation.
Most of the time, Xiu Chen Heavenly God had been cultivating alongside Zhang Ruochen, striving to break through to the middle stage of Indestructible Infinite.
The moment Zhang Ruochen emerged from seclusion, they naturally sensed it and walked out from the thatched cottage.
Bai Qinger stood by the stream, her white robes as pure as snow, her long black hair naturally cascading down her back, tied only at the waist with a ribbon. That transcendent, carefree aura now carried a hint of mature charm.
Her face was no longer the delicate purity of the past; her heart had become calm and natural, devoid of its former ruthlessness and sharpness.
Xiu Chen Heavenly God stood atop the thatched cottage, her Shura-like ferocity restrained, exuding a tall, heroic beauty.
"Have you broken through to Indestructible Infinite?"
Zhang Ruochen walked leisurely to Bai Qinger's side, a hint of surprise in his heart.
Bai Qinger said, "Xiu Chen Heavenly God activated the Sundial for me alone for two Eons."
"That's right, it was my help. To be honest, I simply couldn't stand Huang Tian. Why should he be the Hall Master of the Stone God Hall?" Xiu Chen Heavenly God said, stroking her hair with an air of arrogance.
Zhang Ruochen's expression was complicated, but he had no intention of blaming her. He only said patiently, "Why bother? That's a huge drain on your lifespan. With your talent, without using the Sundial, you could break through to Indestructible Infinite in at most another hundred thousand years."
Two Eons on the Sundial, plus sixty thousand years in the real world, made three hundred thousand years in total.
That was also three hundred thousand years of lifespan.
Bai Qinger said, "Yes, with your help, I might break through to Indestructible Infinite in another hundred thousand years at most. But then, I might never catch up to Huang Tian. This is my only chance. I want to make one last attempt."
Zhang Ruochen knew the obsession in her heart and understood her experiences since childhood.
Having weathered the vicissitudes of life, everyone knows how hard life can be.
Zhang Ruochen believed that Bai Qinger could understand Huang Tian's state of mind and circumstances back then.
But as a daughter, as a child abandoned by her father from a young age, deep down she must have craved her father's attention. After countless heartbreaks and tears, that longing had transformed into a vow to defeat him.
Neither Bai Qinger nor Huang Tian were good at expressing themselves. Since that was the case, the only way to settle things was through cultivation and combat strength.
Zhang Ruochen said, "When will you go?"
"Since you've come out of seclusion, I'll go today," Bai Qinger said.
Zhang Ruochen thought for a moment, then summoned his Sword Heart and said, "You are my wife, so it's only right that I lend you a hand. Take the Sword Heart with you."
"No need. If I defeat him with the Sword Heart, how could he ever be convinced?"
Bai Qinger's eyes remained clear and resolute. She leaped up, stepped onto the Earth Demon Sparrow, and soared away, disappearing beyond the horizon.
Zhang Ruochen sighed, finding it hard to understand the stubbornness of this father and daughter.
Bai Qinger was one thing, but why couldn't Huang Tian just lose once?
Perhaps if he lost once, Bai Qinger could let go of her obsession.
Xiu Chen Heavenly God said, "You didn't go with her? Aren't you afraid their fight will get out of control? Even if they don't both die, a mutual injury is possible."
"Is that what you want to see?" Zhang Ruochen said.
Xiu Chen Heavenly God floated down lightly from the top of the thatched cottage and said, "I'm not someone who likes to watch the excitement, nor am I someone who likes to stir up trouble. But aren't you afraid that one day she'll become someone like Kong Faning? They have quite a few similarities."
"The original Kong Faning always hid her true feelings, showing a personality far gentler and more amiable than Bai Qinger. Otherwise, there wouldn't have been so many people who respected her, loved her, and regarded her as a close friend."
These words made Zhang Ruochen pause for a moment.
After a long while, a look of realization dawned on his face. "I understand. Perhaps Huang Tian thinks the same way. He feels that Qinger needs an outlet for her emotions, and then time can slowly wear away the resentment in her heart."
"When the Great Venerable disappeared back then, Kong Faning lost her emotional outlet. She transferred all her hatred onto Xumi Saint Monk and the Kunlun Realm Zhang Clan. But at that time, her cultivation wasn't enough, so she could only choose to suppress and hide her emotions. The longer she suppressed them, the more painful and twisted her heart became, and the more violently they erupted when they finally broke free."
"Unfortunately, Saint Monk was never the Great Venerable. He simply couldn't be the one to untie the knot."
Zhang Ruochen said, "Qinger won't become Kong Faning. She never pretends to be someone she's not. She fully expresses her emotions. Maybe that's what Huang Tian wants."
"This battle should draw a line under it all. Let the father and daughter resolve it themselves."
Xiu Chen Heavenly God said, "I've already stepped into the middle stage of Indestructible Infinite. What about you? If you haven't broken through yet, be careful not to be caught up."
"Putting on airs in front of me? Do you think entering the middle stage of Indestructible Infinite in just sixty thousand years is entirely the result of your own hard work?" Zhang Ruochen shook his head, deciding to take Xiu Chen Heavenly God down a peg.
Ever since she reached Indestructible Infinite, she had been getting more and more arrogant.
Now that she had advanced another level, who knew what trouble she might stir up.
For the past sixty thousand years, Zhang Ruochen had spent most of his time in seclusion, cultivating hard.
Each session of seclusion lasted at least ten thousand years.
After finding the path to break through to the Heavenly Venerable rank, everything had gone smoothly. He only needed to continuously observe and accumulate, constantly condensing Dao Light.
His main subjects of observation and analysis were the seven heads of the Nine-Headed Stone Man, as well as the six stone man remnants from Tianmu, Lady Shiji, and Meng Ge, and the Ancestor Divine Source in Hao Tian's possession.
These fourteen parts had helped Zhang Ruochen condense fourteen clusters of Ancestor Dao Light. He had essentially "stolen" most of the Ancestor Dao of the Nine-Headed Stone Man.
It was precisely because Zhang Ruochen's cultivation over the years had been so closely tied to the Nine-Headed Stone Man that he had kept Xiu Chen Heavenly God and Bai Qinger by his side.
Every Ancestor Rule he analyzed and comprehended, he would draw out himself, transforming it into his own rules.
This process was equivalent to demonstrating the Stone Clan's Ancestor Dao to Xiu Chen Heavenly God and Bai Qinger, like teaching them to write by holding their hands.
The two of them naturally benefited immensely.
Xiu Chen Heavenly God sensed the dangerous aura and immediately smiled gently. "I'm just curious, that's all. I've always remembered your help over the years, Imperial Dust."
Zhang Ruochen looked at her strangely and took a silent deep breath. "Not bad. You can be both firm and soft. It makes it hard for me to find a reason to knock you down a peg."
"If the Imperial Dust wants to hit me, go ahead. I won't fight back."
A seductive charm appeared on Xiu Chen Heavenly God's face.
Zhang Ruochen couldn't look at her anymore. He changed the subject. "What major event is happening in Kongming Realm? Where has everyone gone?"
"Aren't you a Heaven Round No Lack? Don't you know that Feng Tian has broken through to the Heavenly Venerable rank and is holding a Hall Master Coronation Ceremony at the Destiny Temple? All the major forces in the Hell Realm have sent envoys to congratulate her! I thought you came out of seclusion because of this," Xiu Chen Heavenly God said.
The Destiny Temple had not crowned a Hall Master for many years.
There were many reasons: perhaps their cultivation wasn't convincing enough, or they were too focused on cultivation to care about worldly affairs, or the Path of Fate wasn't their main path...
Another important reason was that countless cultivators from the Ten Clans believed in and cultivated the Path of Fate, and were greatly influenced by the Destiny Temple. To become the Fate Hall Master, one had to gain the support of the Ten Clan Patriarchs.
For this coronation ceremony, Nutian Shenzun would definitely attend. For Feng Tian to become the Hall Master, she needed the support of both him and Void Heaven, the two major powers. Only then could the Destiny Temple play an active and proactive role in the major affairs of the Ten Clans of Hell.
Zhang Ruochen looked up at the blue sky above. "Let's go. We'll attend too."
Xiu Chen Heavenly God showed a delighted expression and smiled. "You've finally dared to face her? Or are you going to stop her coronation and take her back to the Sword Realm?"
"You talk too much."
Zhang Ruochen tore through space with a wave of his hand. Moments later, he and Xiu Chen Heavenly God entered the Fate Divine Domain and arrived at the foot of the Fate Divine Mountain.
On the Wujin Square at the foot of the mountain, cultivators streamed in from all directions.
There were not only cultivators from the major forces of the Ten Clans of Hell, but also gods from the Sword Realm and a few major worlds of the Heavenly Court, all bearing generous congratulatory gifts.
In the past sixty thousand years, some cultivators from major Heavenly Court worlds who didn't have deep enmity with the Hell Realm had begun to interact with it, no longer locked in a life-or-death struggle.
Blood Butcher, clad in battle armor and radiating vitality, personally sat in charge of the Gate of Destiny, receiving important divine guests.
At that moment, the ones chatting with him were Yan Yu and Yan Huangtu of the Yama Clan.
"Congratulations to Feng Tian on ascending to the Hall Master's throne. The Destiny Temple should have had a Hall Master long ago!" Yan Yu said.
Blood Butcher laughed. "And congratulations to Patriarch Huanyu. I heard that Patriarch Huanyu has comprehended the Book of Life and Death and stepped into the Half-Ancestor realm. With a Half-Ancestor sitting in the Yama Clan, both ends of the Yellow Spring Star River are stable!"
Because he had married Yan Ting, Blood Butcher had a fairly good relationship with the Yama Clan.
At that moment, a Heavenly Gate opened above the Fate Divine Domain.
From the Heavenly Gate, streams of holy light poured down. Spiritual flowers fell, and the heavenly music of zithers and harps sounded. Everyone's attention was drawn.
Three figures descended from the Heavenly Gate and landed on Wujin Square.
Standing at the front was the Divine Martial Envoy, "Wu Ying."
Behind him were a man and a woman.
The man was quite old, with white hair. The gods of the Hell Realm were no strangers to him—he was the former master of the Earth Evil Ghost City, "Ghost Lord."
The woman wore a veil, but her ethereal beauty, white dress, and colorful ribbons led many gods to recognize her.
She was Zhuo Yunzhen, daughter of the Divine Ancestor Divine Lord of the Imperial Dao Great World. A former disciple of the Flying Immortal Valley, she cultivated spiritual power and had now joined the Eternal Heavenly Kingdom, becoming a disciple of the Eternal True Ruler's third disciple.
Yan Huangtu's eyes were filled with hostility as he looked at the three uninvited guests. He sneered, "Are the defensive formations of the Fate Divine Domain so weak that any stray cat or dog can barge in? Did the Destiny Temple invite them?"
The gods of the Hell Realm on the square all released their divine Qi and summoned their war weapons.
"Whoosh! Whoosh!"
The sound of breaking wind rang out one after another.
The Judgment Venerable and the Heavenly Fate Venerable led the gods of the Two Divisions and arrived at the foot of the Fate Divine Mountain in an instant, forming a divine army formation, surrounding the three uninvited guests in layers upon layers.
Ghost Lord let out a low laugh. "Envoy Wu Ying is here on the orders of the True Ruler, bearing generous gifts to congratulate Feng Tian on ascending to the Hall Master's throne. Why are you all so nervous? Is this the Destiny Temple's way of treating guests?"
Blood Butcher strode forward to stand opposite the three, unyielding to the pressure of Wu Ying's aura. He said calmly, "Others may not know the rules of the Destiny Temple, but you do. Anyone who trespasses into the Fate Divine Domain must die."
Ghost Lord laughed loudly. "That's just your rule! The rule of the God Realm and the Eternal Heavenly Kingdom is that there are no rules in heaven and earth."
Over the past sixty thousand years, the God Realm had been using various methods to expand its influence.
First, they spread the faith of "Eternal Indestructibility." As long as one was a believer, they could obtain a Divine Martial Mark.
Second, they established the Eternal Heavenly Kingdom in the Colorless Realm of Lihentian, attracting elite talents from all major forces.
Besides the four Divine Martial Envoys, the extremely mysterious "True Ruler" and His three disciples would also appear from time to time to give lectures.
It was said that many cultivators who listened to the True Ruler's lectures quickly broke through their cultivation bottlenecks.
Some even seemed to have an epiphany, transforming from mediocre talents into extraordinary prodigies, becoming the rising stars of the younger generation.
Sixty thousand years ago, after the Chongming Ancestor was defeated and fled, he left behind a huge mess in the Southern Universe. The Eternal Heavenly Kingdom took the opportunity to absorb many demon clan gods.
In the distance, Xiu Chen Heavenly God let out a soft snort. "Ghost Lord really does love to flip-flop. He goes wherever the benefits are. And you know what? After flipping a few times, his cultivation has actually made great progress! The Eternal Heavenly Kingdom is using him as a benchmark."
Zhang Ruochen said, "Quite a few cultivators from the Sword Realm have defected to the Eternal Heavenly Kingdom, haven't they?"
Xiu Chen Heavenly God said, "The Eternal Heavenly Kingdom is too good at seducing people's hearts, and they offer tangible benefits. There are many things the Sword Realm simply can't provide."
"For example, the Divine Martial Mark."
"Every living being in every major world, every descendant of every god, needs a Divine Martial Mark to cultivate."
"After the God Realm began meddling in the affairs of the universe, it became much harder for the new generation to obtain Divine Martial Marks. Those young people who yearn to cultivate and desire longer lifespans have no choice but to join the Eternal Heavenly Kingdom."
"Also, I've heard that cultivators with sufficiently high talent or outstanding contributions have the opportunity to enter the God Realm for cultivation. Even I find it tempting, let alone others."
"But don't worry. Those who can't cultivate martial arts can still cultivate spiritual power. So, almost all the defectors from the Sword Realm were marginal figures who weren't doing well anyway. They wanted a different way of life, which is understandable. We should look at this issue with a more inclusive mindset!"
Zhang Ruochen said, "Are you teaching me how to do things?"
"No, I'm just stating the facts. But..."
Xiu Chen Heavenly God's gaze fell on Zhuo Yunzhen. "The Divine Ancestor Divine Lord is no marginal figure. His most outstanding daughter has joined the Eternal Heavenly Kingdom. That's a very dangerous signal. It shows that even Heavenly Venerable-level figures in the Heavenly Court are starting to stir. How can the Hell Realm be any different?"
"The God Realm's move is too brilliant. They've combined faith, interests, and coercion into one, playing their cards openly against the Heavenly Court, the Hell Realm, and the Sword Realm. Compared to this, the Quantity Organization, which the Nether Ancestor faction created back then, is a million miles behind in terms of tactics."
"This should be the most direct reason why Feng Caiyi must be crowned Hall Master!"
Zhang Ruochen said, "You're getting more and more knowledgeable! How about you analyze their purpose in coming to the Destiny Temple?"
"Do I even need to analyze it? They're here to cause trouble."
Xiu Chen Heavenly God put on an air of all-knowing wisdom and continued, "The Destiny Temple is electing a Hall Master to expand the influence of the Faith of Fate and compete with the Eternal Heavenly Kingdom. If, on the very day of the coronation ceremony, the Hall Master is defeated by a Divine Martial Envoy, think about it—won't the Destiny Temple lose all its dignity? In the end, Feng Caiyi has only just broken through to the Heavenly Venerable rank. How could she possibly be a match for Wu Ying?"