Chapter 4028: Yin-Yang Road, Void Exhaust Sea
"The battlefield where the Twenty-Four Heavens fought? Hmph, why ask me about it? Go ask Hao Tian and Yan Huanyu—they experienced that battle, they know best."
Void Heaven lifted his teacup, used the lid to strain the leaves, pursed his lips, and took a sip.
Hao Tian had long ago told Yunshen Daozhu about the battlefield of that ancient campaign. Yunshen Daozhu, worried that Zhang Ruochen's curiosity would get the better of him, had only passed the secret to Chi Yao.
If anything unforeseen happened to him and the older generation of cultivators like Hao Tian, Chi Yao could one day relay the secret to Zhang Ruochen.
Yunshen Daozhu's concern was clearly necessary. Later, in the Wuding Divine Sea battle and the Nether Prison battle, he and Hao Tian had indeed come close to falling.
Facing an Immortal, Yunshen Daozhu had no idea how many more days he had to live.
Zhang Ruochen said, "What I'm curious about is, how much does Senior Void Heaven truly understand about the God-Defying Stele substance?"
Back then, the Sixth Patriarch had risked his life to bring back that object—it must have held extraordinary value.
The God-Defying Stele substance could, without any visible trace, erase all inscriptions, Heavenly and Earthly Rules, and Rule Divine Patterns, bearing a striking resemblance to the Way of Nothingness.
In all the world today, who surpassed Void Heaven in mastery of the Way of Nothingness?
That was precisely why Zhang Ruochen believed Void Heaven might truly know some hidden secrets that others did not.
Void Heaven said, "Every secret has a price. Without any benefit, why should I tell you?"
Zhang Ruochen said, "Doesn't Void Heaven want to know the secrets of that ancient campaign of the Twenty-Four Heavens?"
"If I wanted to know, I'd just go find Yan Huanyu. But right now, I don't want to know. If you could lend me the Ancestor Blood Wings for a while, we could discuss it." Void Heaven said.
Zhang Ruochen smiled. "How about we trade a secret?"
"How big a secret is it, worth trading with me?"
"It concerns the old Hall Master of the Truth Divine Temple."
Void Heaven's aged eyes narrowed slightly, his expression growing much more serious.
The old Hall Master of the Truth Divine Temple was the master of both Void Heaven and the Truth Hall Master.
Zhang Ruochen continued on his own, "Before the Great Venerable disappeared, he secretly met with the old Hall Master, the father of the Inverse Heaven God Venerable, and a few other Heavens. On his deathbed, the old Hall Master passed on the secret the Great Venerable had left behind to the Truth Hall Master."
"Does Void Heaven know why the old Hall Master only told this to the Truth Hall Master and not to you? Because the old Hall Master knew very well that the Truth Hall Master was the true bearer of great responsibility, the one worthy of being entrusted."
Void Heaven shook his head, refusing to believe it at all. "Impossible, absolutely impossible. When the old man was alive, the one he valued most was me. I had the highest cultivation, the greatest talent, the deepest wisdom."
"How could the secret left by the Great Venerable not be told to me? That woman—a prodigal who scattered all the Truth Esoterica—could she carry that banner? With her cultivation alone, she cannot bear it."
Void Heaven tried to keep his tone calm, but anyone could hear he was far from calm.
Zhang Ruochen said, "Cultivation is only one aspect; character is the most crucial. The Truth Hall Master's cultivation is far inferior to Void Heaven's, but when facing any powerful enemy, she dares to charge forward without hesitation. In contrast, Void Heaven, you still dare not learn of the Twenty-Four Heavens' battlefield, nor even dare to take over the God-Defying Stele."
"A provocation?" Void Heaven said.
Of course it was a provocation.
Before his cultivation was strong enough, even Zhang Ruochen himself did not want to know about the Twenty-Four Heavens' battlefield.
Void Heaven sneered. "Go on, then. What secret did the old man leave on his deathbed?"
Zhang Ruochen was silent for a moment. When he saw Void Heaven's patience nearly exhausted, he said, "He told the Truth Hall Master that the turmoil since the Middle Ages, the source of all evil, lies at the headwaters of the Santu River."
"The headwaters of the Santu River? The Santu River has a headwater?" Void Heaven asked, puzzled.
Sitting nearby, Nutian Shenzun frowned slightly, lost in thought.
Void Heaven said, "The Santu River originates from every great world in the universe, every living planet, formed by the convergence of countless trillions of tributaries. Where could there be a single headwater?"
Zhang Ruochen looked at Nutian Shenzun. "Has the Divine Venerable ever heard the Great Venerable mention anything about the headwaters of the Santu River?"
"No."
Nutian Shenzun shook his head. "To find the headwaters of the Santu River, one would have to trace each tributary one by one. Could it be the Soul Realm?"
The Soul Realm was where the Nether Ancestor had transformed into the underworld—this was no longer a secret.
Zhang Ruochen said, "Probably not. If that battle had taken place in the Soul Realm, the fluctuations would have spread far and wide, and many cultivators would have known about it. The Soul Realm has already been refined and taken away; it cannot be the headwaters of the Santu River. Does Senior Void Heaven have any clues?"
Nutian Shenzun noticed the change in Void Heaven's expression and looked over. "The Dark Lord, Corpse Nightmare, and the Divine Realm have all emerged one after another. The secrets of that ancient campaign of the Twenty-Four Heavens are already semi-public. If Void Heaven has any thoughts, feel free to speak."
Void Heaven pinched his fingers, counting. "If we calculate the time, the Jade Desolate Realm should be opening again."
Nutian Shenzun's expression tightened, and he said a cryptic sentence: "That does have a certain degree of possibility."
The Jade Desolate Realm was one of the five great prehistoric civilization ruins, opening only once per eon.
Every time it opened, it was a monumental event for the gods of both the Heavenly Court and the Hell Realm.
Because in the Jade Desolate Realm, one could find treasures that helped cultivators survive the Eon Calamity.
Gods afraid of failing to cross the Eon Calamity naturally had to seize every opportunity to enter the Jade Desolate Realm. Even those not yet fearing the Eon Calamity had to plan ahead.
The Dragon Lord had taken advantage of the last Jade Desolate Realm opening, when the Hell Realm was vulnerable, to rescue Yunshen Daozhu from the Destiny Temple.
Zhang Ruochen had some understanding of the Jade Desolate Realm's location. Both Heavenly Court gods and Hell Realm gods had to travel along the Santu River to reach it, and there was more than one path.
Aside from when it opened every eon, it was not absolutely impossible to enter at other times.
Legend had it that there was a secret path along the Santu River basin that allowed entry into the Jade Desolate Realm even during non-opening periods. However, it required a very high level of cultivation, and outside the opening period, the Jade Desolate Realm was extremely dangerous.
Void Heaven said, "You want to know my guesses about the God-Defying Stele? Do you know about the Yin-Yang Road?"
Zhang Ruochen said, "The secret path along the Santu River basin leading to the Jade Desolate Realm?"
Void Heaven nodded. "Leaving the Santu River basin and traveling along the Yin-Yang Road for about a billion Divine Spirit Steps brings you to the fork between the Yang Road and the Yin Road. Taking the Yang Road leads to the Jade Desolate Realm. Taking the Yin Road leads to the Void Exhaust Sea."
"The Void Exhaust Sea? I've only seen the comment 'The Yin Road is perilous, devouring gods' in ancient texts. It's said that even God Kings and God Venerables dare not take the Yin Road."
Zhang Ruochen was now quite knowledgeable, having scoured the archives of the Destiny Temple, the Yama Clan, the Undying Blood Clan, and many other major powers. Yet this was the first time he had heard of the Void Exhaust Sea.
This showed how few cultivators had taken the Yin Road and reached the Void Exhaust Sea.
Void Heaven wore a proud expression. "The Void Exhaust Sea lies at the end of the Yin Road. Beyond it is the endless Void World. Saying 'Void Exhaust Sea' might be unfamiliar even to Nutian Shenzun. But if I say it's the territory where the Weak Water Clan once dwelled, you should understand."
Zhang Ruochen's eyes gleamed with sharp light. "The Weak Water originally dwelled in the Void Exhaust Sea?"
"To be precise, the Weak Water is the Yin Road. To reach the Void Exhaust Sea, one must pass through the Weak Water." Void Heaven said.
Nutian Shenzun mused, "I have heard of this. But every cultivator who has been to the Yin-Yang fork has been warned by their predecessors that the Yin Road is a path of death—whoever goes there dies. So the true situation is unknown to anyone."
Void Heaven said, "The Weak Water is the Yin Road, connecting to the Void Exhaust Sea. Of course, whoever goes there dies. The strength of the Weak Water is at the Half-Ancestor level. Not to mention the Weak Water Clan, with its many powerful members. Back then, when the Inverse Heaven God Venerable destroyed the Weak Water Clan and took the Weak Water, he brought many Heavens and gods with him, and countless died."
"I understand!"
Zhang Ruochen's expression turned serious. "The Void Exhaust Sea or the Jade Desolate Realm might very well be the battlefield of that ancient campaign of the Twenty-Four Heavens. The Inverse Heaven God Venerable destroyed the Weak Water Clan and suppressed the Mother of Weak Water precisely to clear obstacles for that campaign forty thousand years ago."
"Because the Inverse Heaven God Venerable already knew that the severely wounded Nether Ancestor would appear at the Void Exhaust Sea or the Jade Desolate Realm at that time."
At this moment, Zhang Ruochen finally understood what Shi Tian had meant when he said, "The Weak Water must be destroyed for deep-seated reasons. The Inverse Heaven God Venerable did not merely take the Weak Water to form the Heavenly River to protect the Heavenly Court."
Everything was a preparation for that battle forty thousand years ago.
Unfortunately, all the Heavens fell, yet they still could not kill the severely wounded Nether Ancestor.
Although Shi Tian had said that the first Mother of Weak Water was cultivated by the Dark Lord, and the Weak Water was one of the Dark Lord's methods to harvest all life for self-nourishment.
But the Dark Lord had been defeated and dismembered several million years ago.
It was more reasonable that the Weak Water had fallen under the Nether Ancestor's control.
Whether the Mother of Weak Water of today was still the same as during the Dark Lord's era was also unknown.
Zhang Ruochen said, "Void Heaven mentioned the Yin-Yang Road and the Void Exhaust Sea. What does that have to do with the God-Defying Stele substance?"
Void Heaven said, "The God-Defying Stele substance is very similar to the Void Exhaust Sea."
"Similar in what way?" Nutian Shenzun asked.
Void Heaven said, "The Void Exhaust Sea has matter and the energy of Heaven and Earth, but it has no Heavenly and Earthly Rules. Have you ever seen a place where even Heavenly and Earthly Rules cannot exist?"
Nutian Shenzun's lips were as sharp as blades. "If that's the case, then Ruochen's guess might indeed be correct. It seems it's time to go have a talk with Yan Huanyu."
"You should have gone long ago! You're a Half-Ancestor—what are you afraid of? If the sky falls, it's still up to you Half-Ancestors to hold it up." Void Heaven said.
"No, that's not right."
Zhang Ruochen looked at Void Heaven with a deep, serious gaze. "Since the Weak Water once guarded the Yin Road, and since the Yin Road was so dangerous, how did Void Heaven reach the Void Exhaust Sea?"
Nutian Shenzun said, "Presumably, Void Heaven went to the Void Exhaust Sea after the Weak Water was taken away?"
"At the time the Weak Water was taken, Void Heaven's cultivation should not have been very high. He wouldn't have had access to such great secrets. Without knowing such secrets, would he dare to take the Yin Road?"
Zhang Ruochen continued, "Since Void Heaven knows that the Yin Road is the Weak Water, it means he had already reached the Void Exhaust Sea before the Weak Water was taken."
Void Heaven said, "Is it possible that I heard this secret from someone else?"
"Heard it from whom? The old Hall Master of the Truth Divine Temple? He wouldn't even tell you the secret of the Santu River's headwaters—would he tell you this?" Zhang Ruochen said.
Void Heaven knew his combat power was no match for Zhang Ruochen, so he was furious but couldn't vent it.
Seeing Nutian Shenzun and Zhang Ruochen looking at him more and more strangely, as if he were the Immortal himself, Void Heaven knew he could no longer hide it. "Fine, I'll tell you. Actually, I don't know exactly what happened either. After stepping into the God Realm, I awakened some vague memories about the Void Exhaust Sea."
"So, this is my guess. Is it possible that I was born as a spirit body or a ghost clan member in the Void Exhaust Sea? But at that time, I was still very weak, my consciousness hazy. Well... after all, the Yin Road and the Void Exhaust Sea are considered part of the Santu River."
"Is it precisely because I was born in the Void Exhaust Sea that my master named me 'Void Wind End'?"
Zhang Ruochen said, "That possibility does exist. However, with the old Hall Master of the Truth Divine Temple's cultivation in that era eleven eons ago, I'm afraid he couldn't have crossed the Weak Water to reach the Void Exhaust Sea."
Void Heaven stood up and roared, "Zhang Ruochen, do you have to pin the crime of being an accomplice of the Immortal on me?"
Light footsteps sounded.
A faint fragrance drifted.
Feng Tian walked in from outside, wearing a veil. Under the blessing of the Fate Divine Light, her figure was graceful and hazy.
A jet-black jade divine crown bound her hair, her cape trailed on the ground, and between her brows was a dazzling phoenix mark. Her eyes were full of curiosity as she glanced at Void Heaven.
"What are you looking at? I have nothing to do with the Immortal. Zhang Ruochen just covets my Heavenly Mechanism Brush and Sword Source Divine Tree, so he wants to make an example of me."
Void Heaven felt he couldn't explain himself anymore and deeply regretted saying those words earlier.
Most crucially, Void Heaven felt that as long as Zhang Ruochen continued to fan the flames, Nutian Shenzun and Feng Tian might join forces with Zhang Ruochen to suppress him right here.
One surnamed Zhang, one about to be surnamed Zhang.
In the entire Destiny Temple, he was the only outsider.
Zhang Ruochen stared at Feng Tian for a moment before calming Void Heaven down. "Calm down, Senior Void Heaven. You've lived for over a million years—why are you so agitated? Don't we know your ways?"
"I'm not questioning you. I'm telling you that the old Hall Master of the Truth Divine Temple couldn't reach the Void Exhaust Sea, but someone from that era could. He might be the one who brought you out of the Void Exhaust Sea!"
Void Heaven was stunned. "The Immovable Bright King Great Venerable?"
Zhang Ruochen nodded. "In that era, the Great Venerable was searching the entire universe for the Immortal. It's not surprising that he reached the Void Exhaust Sea. Bringing you out of the Void Exhaust Sea and entrusting you to the old Hall Master for teaching would be perfectly reasonable."
"Moreover, if the battlefield of the Twenty-Four Heavens truly was the Void Exhaust Sea, it further proves that the Great Venerable went there. Only by having been there and understood it could he have calculated that location."
Void Heaven sat back down on the round chair, muttering softly, "Impossible, it shouldn't be. Doesn't that mean I still owe your Zhang family a favor?"
Feng Tian sat down on the fourth round chair, unfastened her jujube-red embroidered phoenix cape, revealing a slender neck like a white swan's, cold and proud.
As she removed the jet-black jade fate crown, her long hair fell loose, and much of the Destiny Hall Master's authority dissipated, replaced by a softer, more feminine charm.
Although Void Heaven was muttering under his breath, his eyes were fixed on Feng Tian's every move.
Zhang Ruochen couldn't stand it anymore and nudged him with his elbow. "Since Void Heaven has memories of the Void Exhaust Sea, why don't you lead the way, and we'll go investigate?"
"Are you crazy? That's suicide!" Void Heaven said.
Zhang Ruochen said, "What are you afraid of? The Nether Ancestor? Or Corpse Nightmare?"
"Anyway, I'm definitely not going until I reach the Half-Ancestor realm." Void Heaven said.
...
"Stop arguing. Come look at this—it's a congratulatory gift sent by the Eternal True Ruler."
Feng Tian's gaze was calm as still water. She took out a note and placed it on the table in front of the three of them.
(End of Chapter)