Chapter 4030: The Return of Ming Bone
"Did the Imperial Dust come to the Glazed Glass Divine Temple just to scare me with these two pieces of news? If you have a purpose, speak frankly."
Lady Shiji did not believe Zhang Ruochen had made a special trip just to deliver these two pieces of information.
The news about the Hongmeng Black Dragon, in particular, had been withheld for sixty thousand years.
If it were merely to convey information, a divine thought transmission would have sufficed!
Zhang Ruochen said, "How about accompanying me to the Sword Realm, Empress?"
Lady Shiji was slightly taken aback, then let out a soft laugh: "Can the Sword Realm withstand the Eternal Heavenly Kingdom and the Hongmeng Black Dragon? On the Abyss of Darkness defense line, my aura, along with that of Fengdu Dadi and Nutian Shenzun, interweaves in the void. Even against an Ancestor, we have the power to resist, enough to hold out until the Fate Twelve-Phase Divine Array is formed."
"What advantage does the Sword Realm have?"
The Heavenly Mother had already returned to Luozu Cloud Mountain Realm and was not on the Abyss of Darkness defense line.
Zhang Ruochen said, "I am the Sword Realm's greatest advantage! Empress, your cultivation has advanced greatly. In terms of realm alone, you are likely the farthest-reaching and most deeply accumulated among all Half-Ancestors in the current universe."
"But Empress, you are not in harmony with the Heavenly and Earthly rules of this era. Among all Half-Ancestors, your probability of breaking through to the Ancestor realm is the lowest."
"My Wuji Divine Dao can solve this problem."
This time, Lady Shiji did not immediately refute. After a long silence, she said, "Imperial Dust, staring like this is hardly dignified, is it?"
Zhang Ruochen turned around.
In the vast, hazy mist, Lady Shiji walked out from the water along the stone steps, unhurriedly picking up the dress draped over the screen and putting it on.
In truth, at Zhang Ruochen's level of cultivation, turning around or not made little difference.
If he wished to see, a single thought would suffice.
But since she was already shrouded by rules and order, appearing only as a blurry figure, what was there to see?
If he wanted to look, Zhang Ruochen would do so openly and honestly, without resorting to such a superfluous gesture.
"Alright, we can sit down and talk slowly."
When Lady Shiji's voice sounded again, she had already appeared in a four-story ancient pavilion on the opposite shore of the lake.
Zhang Ruochen entered the ancient pavilion and looked at Lady Shiji, whose hair was still damp. Her crystalline, jade-like immortal face was dotted with beads of water. She sat beside a long table made of emerald-like material.
"You know full well that the three Half-Ancestors on the Abyss of Darkness defense line are indispensable. You know I cannot possibly go with you to the Sword Realm. By making this request deliberately, your purpose is to test my state of mind and will, to see if I will be crushed by the Eternal True Ruler and the Hongmeng Black Dragon. At the same time, you are probing the likelihood that I might submit to you in the future."
Lady Shiji's bright eyes and white teeth were fixed on Zhang Ruochen as he entered, a faint, confident smile on her lips.
Zhang Ruochen had to admire Lady Shiji's temperament. Faced with the potential threat of an Ancestor, she could still maintain a calm and rational mind, instantly seeing through his intentions.
"I intend to gather the Nine Cauldrons to strike at the Ancestor—this is known throughout the world! The most crucial link of the Nine Cauldrons lies with you, Empress. With your support, what fear is there of an Ancestor?"
Zhang Ruochen sat down by the window, carefully admiring her beauty.
Lady Shiji said, "The whole world knows this. How could Corpse Nightmare and the Eternal True Ruler not know? Will they give you this opportunity? So, Imperial Dust, your situation is even more perilous than mine."
"At present, those two are the greatest opponents. They need me to eliminate each other. Before breaking through to Ancestor, I am actually the safest." Zhang Ruochen said.
Lady Shiji said, "Are you so confident that you are irreplaceable?"
"The fact that I am still alive is the best proof." Zhang Ruochen said.
Lian Xi brought in a pot of flower nectar, placed it on the long table before Lady Shiji, and did not withdraw, standing quietly to one side.
Lady Shiji opened the porcelain pot and filled a small cup.
The fragrance of flowers filled the room.
Zhang Ruochen could tell she had been in a state of deep thought.
"What exactly do you want me to do?" Lady Shiji asked.
Zhang Ruochen said, "Give me the Desolate Moon. I will take it to the Abyss of Darkness, and then sit back and watch the tigers fight."
Although the Desolate Moon had once belonged to Zhang Ruochen, he had already traded it with Lady Shiji for the Ghost Gate.
Such a treasure, concerning immortality and even more so Lady Shiji's path to Ancestor, how could she easily hand it over?
Stating the interests and consequences and then offering to help her break through to the Ancestor realm were two necessary steps.
Lady Shiji saw through Zhang Ruochen completely, saying, "Taking the Desolate Moon to the Abyss of Darkness will bring you no small benefit, won't it? And me, what do I get? Zhang Ruochen, my path is not the only one."
"If I join the Eternal Heavenly Kingdom, it remains to be seen whether that True Ruler will choose me or Qishier Pin Lian."
Zhang Ruochen's eyes narrowed, his gaze becoming sharp, as if thousands of swords and blades were hidden within his pupils. He said, "If Empress makes such a choice, it would actually make things easier for me. Because when the time comes to suppress you, I won't have to consider past favors and friendships."
Regardless, in the battle against the Soul Mother back then, it was indeed Lady Shiji who had saved everyone.
Then Zhang Ruochen added, "Does Empress truly believe I would completely entrust my fate to Corpse Nightmare and the Eternal True Ruler? Does the Sword Realm really have no means to counter an Ancestor? The mutual fear between Corpse Nightmare and the Eternal True Ruler is not that simple."
Lian Xi felt an immense pressure emanating from Zhang Ruochen, her heart trembling. It was hard to imagine that he now dared to threaten a Half-Ancestor.
Everything seemed so natural.
As if he truly possessed such power.
No, not as if.
Every word he spoke carried significant weight in Lady Shiji's eyes; otherwise, she would have already turned hostile.
Lady Shiji's gaze drifted to the opposite shore of the divine lake, looking at the temple entrance. She said, "He's back. It seems he might have brought back some not-so-good news. How about we hear what he has to say first?"
Lian Xi quickly walked out of the Glazed Glass Divine Temple to receive him.
...
"Let me state this first: I am definitely not going to the North Marsh Great Wall." Void Heaven tucked his hands into his sleeves, leaned back in his chair, and closed his eyes to rest.
"This is my own affair; it has nothing to do with you."
Feng Tian mobilized the Ancestor Divine Qi contained within the Fate Ancestor Divine Source, activating the Heaven Cauldron, and carefully observed the flickering patterns on the cauldron's body. She said, "The Fate Ancestor Divine Source combined with the Heaven Cauldron should not be weaker than the Demon Ancestor Ridge."
Nutian Shenzun did not believe Feng Tian would act recklessly, nor that she would knowingly walk into a trap. He said, "It's too dangerous. Is it absolutely necessary to go?"
Feng Tian's expression was solemn as she put away the Heaven Cauldron. She said, "The most dangerous moment has already arrived. Haven't the two of you realized it yet?"
Void Heaven's brow furrowed, a flash of shock in his eyes. He said, "You mean the opening of the Jade Desolate Realm?"
Feng Tian said, "The Jade Desolate Realm concerns whether countless gods across the entire universe can survive the Eon Calamity. Especially in this eon, with the Sundial being activated on a large scale, many gods have consumed vast amounts of their lifespan to rapidly increase their cultivation. They urgently need the treasures within the Jade Desolate Realm to face the calamity."
"The large-scale entry of gods into the Jade Desolate Realm means that the Heavenly Court, the Sword Realm, and the Hell Realm will be internally weakened. The divine armies will be difficult to maintain, the power of the formations will greatly diminish, and the collective strength of all beings will be depleted. Under such circumstances, how can we counter the harvesting by the Eternal Heavenly Kingdom and the Nether Ancestor faction?"
"At the same time, will the gods entering the Jade Desolate Realm be hunted?"
"If we ignore the opening of the Jade Desolate Realm and no one enters to seek treasures, then in the next eon, at least thirty percent of the top-tier gods in the universe will die in the Eon Calamity."
"The dilemma we are about to face is a double bind. If handled poorly, the Minor Calamity launched by the Immortal will descend immediately."
Void Heaven was obsessed with cultivation, while Nutian Shenzun had spent recent years taming the Styx River and consolidating his realm. Neither was as adept as Feng Tian at grasping and analyzing the situation.
This was also why Feng Tian could serve as the Hall Master!
Her energy was all devoted to handling the great affairs of the world.
"Therefore, I believe that before the Jade Desolate Realm opens, we must first make the Eternal Heavenly Kingdom and the Nether Ancestor faction go to war."
Feng Tian took out a divine message talisman and placed it on the table. She said, "This is a message talisman that Xu Kun War God earlier sent to Zhang Ruochen, which I intercepted."
Nutian Shenzun and Void Heaven extended their divine thoughts to examine the contents of the talisman.
Xu Kun War God told Zhang Ruochen that the Chongming Ancestor, acting on Corpse Nightmare's orders, had gone to the North Marsh Great Wall, using the Demon Ancestor Ridge to bear the North Marsh Great Wall, intending to collect it.
Feng Tian said, "So, even without the Eternal True Ruler's note, I still have to go to the North Marsh Great Wall and personally ignite this great war. Even if it truly is a trap!"
Void Heaven muttered to himself, "The North Marsh Great Wall is one of the prehistoric civilization relics, stretching across endless starry skies, existing for who knows how many billions of years. With Chongming Ancestor's cultivation, he certainly cannot collect it, but with the Demon Ancestor Ridge, it's hard to say. What is their goal?"
Nutian Shenzun stood up, gazing at the brilliant and dazzling sea of stars. He said, "Ming Bone has returned! From the looks of it, he escaped from the Abyss of Darkness."
...
Before Lian Xi could lead the way, Ming Bone had already rushed into the temple, arriving at the Hundred Flowers Garden. He said, "Zhang Ruochen, you are too unscrupulous. You've ruined me, old man. I nearly couldn't make it back to the upper realm."
Ming Bone's originally flowing white hair had been burned clean off, and even his skull was charred black, like the bottom of a pot.
A top-tier expert at the Heavenly Venerable rank, reduced to such a state, showed just how dangerous his encounter in the Abyss of Darkness had been.
Zhang Ruochen frowned and said, "How am I unscrupulous? We haven't seen each other for a hundred thousand years. How have I harmed you?"
"A hundred thousand years ago, a hundred and ten thousand years ago, didn't you say there was a soft persimmon carrying a lot of treasures—the Victory Crown, the Yellow Spring Seal, the Ancestor Divine Source, the Life-and-Death Double Coffin, the Radiant War Halberd? Believing your nonsense, I stayed in the Abyss of Darkness. And that so-called soft persimmon? It was rock hard! I nearly died at its hands!"
Ming Bone climbed up the ancient pavilion, grabbed the porcelain pot on the long table, and downed the flower nectar in one gulp. Then he added, "That soft persimmon was at the Heavenly Venerable rank, far stronger than me by who knows how many times."
Zhang Ruochen was well aware of the situation in the Abyss of Darkness. He said, "How many years has it been? You're still holding a grudge? Besides, back then, you were the one who insisted on staying in the Abyss of Darkness. It had nothing to do with me. What happened to you? Your bones are almost cooked?"
Ming Bone waved his bony arm and said, "Don't even mention it. Bad luck all around. I was doing fine as the mountain lord of Great Dark Mountain, when suddenly the sky collapsed and the earth split. The entire Great Dark Mountain crumbled. Luckily, I ran fast, or I would have been buried underneath!"
From the moment Ming Bone entered, Lady Shiji's expression had turned very unpleasant, filled with disgust and aversion.
Always one to love beauty and cleanliness, she naturally could not tolerate Ming Bone's rudeness.
Although Zhang Ruochen was also quite unrestrained, at least he was clean and very handsome.
Only now did Lady Shiji speak, saying, "Great Dark Mountain collapsed? Great Dark Mountain is imbued with the rules and order left by the Nether Ancestor. Even an Ancestor might not be able to destroy it."
"That's the fact! Great Dark Mountain collapsed, and Nether Fire surged from the depths, burning everything. Luckily, my old bones are strong, or I would have been buried in that sea of fire!" Ming Bone said.
(End of Chapter)