# Chapter 4036: Space Anomaly
In the spacious enclosed room, an oil lamp flickered like a single bean, its flame swaying.
Zhang Ruochen held the gourd in the palm of his right hand.
The red gourd, the size of a palm, was carved from red crow wood and inscribed with many profound runes.
The gourd lid in particular was heavily sealed.
After opening it, a wisp of black water flowed out from within.
Zhang Ruochen waved his fingers, releasing the Taiji Four Symbols Diagram Seal to seal off the heavenly secrets, then used his fingers to guide this wisp of black water, making it flow before his eyes as he carefully observed it.
"It carries the aura of the Nether Sea," said Chi Yao.
She stood beside the lamp, her skin appearing as white and delicate as jade wax under the lamplight.
"It is a wisp of Nether Sea source essence, extremely refined, with a thick aura containing rules," Zhang Ruochen said with a slight smile as he put the black water back into the gourd. "Yan Wushen has quite the audacity, daring to send something so important to the Yama Clan right under the noses of the Corpse Demon and the Nether Sea Spirit."
"With this, I can study the Dao methods cultivated by the Nether Sea Spirit, thus knowing both ourselves and our enemy."
"With this, I can calculate the approximate location of the Nether Sea."
Chi Yao understood very well that the Sword Realm urgently needed the Eighteen Layers of Nether Purgatory to forge the Seventy-Two Layer Tower and counter the Primordial Ancestors.
Only by mastering the means to counter the Primordial Ancestors could they truly establish themselves in the universe. Otherwise, as deities, they would be unable to sleep or eat peacefully every day. The cultivators below would be filled with fear and anxiety.
The Hundred Banners Chaos Diagram, the War Ancestor Divine Army, the Power of All Living Beings, and the Half-Ancestor Grand Formation could indeed counter Primordial Ancestors to a certain extent. But if a Primordial Ancestor truly set their sights on the Sword Realm, would they be given the opportunity to activate these measures?
A legendary war artifact like the Seventy-Two Layer Tower, as long as a Half-Ancestor sat within it, could contend with a Primordial Ancestor.
This kind of confidence, foundation, and combat power was entirely different.
And the Eighteen Layers of Nether Purgatory were held in the hands of the Nether Sea.
Chi Yao asked, "Are you going to calculate now?"
Zhang Ruochen shook his head. "The Nether Sea Spirit is such a terrifying existence. The moment I calculate its location, it will immediately sense it, then sever the heavenly connection and leave its original place."
"Therefore, this wisp of Nether Sea source essence can only realize its value at a specific time."
"Yao Yao, this journey to the North Marsh Great Wall is extremely dangerous. It's not too late to change your mind."
Chi Yao, dressed in talisman robes and form-fitting attire, revealed a smile that could melt all heavy atmosphere. "It is precisely because it's dangerous that I must accompany you. With my current cultivation, I won't be your burden. Besides, relying on your strength alone to activate the power of the Twenty-Seven Layer Heavenly Realm World would be very taxing, wouldn't it? Let me help you!"
The Nine Layer Heavenly Realm World of the White Clothes Valley in the Kongming Realm had been taken by Zhang Ruochen.
Now, the Twenty-Seven Layer Heavenly Realm World had merged together, jointly suppressing the two dark hands of the Dark Lord.
At the same time, the Twenty-Seven Layer Heavenly Realm World, together with the Sword Heart suspended within it, formed Zhang Ruochen's strongest trump card. With the sword in hand, he could walk the world.
Back when he cut down the Dark Lord, he had only used the ancestral power of the Eighteen Layer Heavenly Realm World to drive the Sword Heart. After that single strike, Zhang Ruochen was struck by the backlash force and fell into an unconscious state.
The difficulty of mastering the ancestral power of the Twenty-Seven Layer Heavenly Realm World was unimaginable.
Zhang Ruochen knew he couldn't persuade Chi Yao.
She was too independent-minded; once she decided something, she would never change it.
"Since you're coming, you must listen to everything I say. Do not leave beyond eighteen zhang from me."
Zhang Ruochen took out the Eternal Soul Flame belonging to the Dark Lord, which had originally been suppressed in the Dragon Nest, preparing to refine it. "I'm still not entirely at ease with Xiu Chen. You go control the divine ship. Stop at the North Pole Main Star."
Chi Yao walked out of the room, and outside was pitch black.
In the distance, scattered stars operated in the void of the universe. When close, the stars appeared enormous, with majestic mountain ranges and thousands of miles of glaciers, creating a strong visual impact.
---
Zangjin Baihu stood at the ship's bow, head raised high, gazing into the distance, motionless like a stone lion.
"Not leaving beyond eighteen zhang? Is it that dangerous?"
Chi Yao naturally knew how terrifying those Heavenly Venerable-rank and Half-Ancestor beings were. They could easily break the boundaries of time and space, even create alternate dimensions.
But their journey was secretive, and Zhang Ruochen had used his spiritual power to seal off the heavenly secrets.
Who could discover their whereabouts?
Who would dare to attack?
Chi Yao took a step, about to head toward the ship's formation control hub, when suddenly she sensed an abnormal, subtle spatial fluctuation coming from the room.
"Clang!"
Summoning the Blood Drop Sword, Chi Yao swung it horizontally without hesitation.
The blood-red sword energy struck the wooden door.
Strangely, the sword energy transformed from sharp to soft, then dissolved into the wooden door.
This was absolutely impossible!
Chi Yao had already cultivated the Twenty-Four Layer Heavenly Realm World, reaching the peak of Indestructible Infinite. How formidable was this strike? It could split apart not just a wooden door, but an entire star domain.
"Chen Ge, what happened?"
Chi Yao raised her sword again.
"Rustle!"
Layer upon layer of Heavenly Realm Worlds manifested above her head, existing simultaneously in reality and illusion, magnificent and splendid, displaying nine-colored radiance. A vast and wide Chaotic Divine River flowed between the Heavenly Realm Worlds.
"Don't worry. In today's world, there aren't many who can do anything to Zhang Ruochen."
Zangjin Baihu said this verbally, but had already rushed over, the "Burial" character on its forehead releasing bright golden divine radiance, complementing the nine-colored glow above Chi Yao's head.
Chi Yao's aura increased by another three parts, her power fluctuations doubling.
This was the combined combat technique she and Zangjin Baihu had cultivated!
"Boom!"
Before the Blood Drop Sword could even approach the wooden door, space had already twisted the sword body, pulling it out of control and shifting it to the right.
Chi Yao had never seen anyone wield spatial power to such an earth-shattering degree. Even Zhang Ruochen might not be able to do it.
She held the sword with both hands, blood dripping from her ten fingers, feeling completely unable to move the Blood Drop Sword.
Gradually, that spatial power spread toward Chi Yao's fingers and arms, as if trying to immobilize her with spatial force.
---
Just moments ago, the moment Chi Yao left the room.
The flame of the lamp on the table rapidly grew larger.
The flame turned into a fireball.
In the center of the fireball, endless darkness appeared, and a majestic, domineering headless figure manifested within the darkness.
She wore ancient armor, had two arms, but no hands.
The aura emanating from her was more terrifying than any Half-Ancestor Zhang Ruochen had ever seen. She was like the master of darkness, like the most primordial taboo of the universe.
Zhang Ruochen sat cross-legged on the ground, holding the black Eternal Soul Flame in one hand, while his other hand had just slightly raised. The next moment, terrifying spatial power had already coiled around his arm.
Space was split into strands, as if invisible vines were flowing over Zhang Ruochen's body.
"Do you think I would give you another chance to use the Sword Heart?" said the Dark Lord's remnant body.
She was clearly right before his eyes, yet gave the illusion of being deep within space, sometimes near, sometimes far, constantly shifting.
Perhaps, when one's spatial mastery reached such heights, there was no such thing as "near" or "far." It was what was called Myriad Forms Formless.
Zhang Ruochen maintained his cross-legged sitting posture, speaking calmly with a smile, "How did the Lord find me?"
"When you tried to refine the Dark Soul Flame, I naturally could perceive the heavenly secrets and lock onto your spatial coordinates," said the Dark Lord's remnant body.
The voice came from the abdominal cavity.
Zhang Ruochen said, "It is my honor to see the Lord's true body. Actually, I thought the Lord had already died at the hands of the Eternal True Ruler..."
"Hmph!"
With this sound wave came, Zhang Ruochen's divine soul shook, and his eardrums were nearly shattered.
Zhang Ruochen showed no fear, continuing, "The more the Lord displays her power, the more it reveals the nature of bluster. Over these sixty thousand years, this dark remnant body has indeed been nurtured back to its peak, its might awe-inspiring."
"But in that battle sixty thousand years ago, the Lord suffered a complete defeat. First, she was schemed against by the God Realm, not only failing in the fusion but also suffering severe injuries."
"Then, her head and Eternal Soul Flame were taken by the Eternal True Ruler, and she fled like a bereaved dog. Truly pitiable and lamentable."
What had been in the Sword God Temple before was precisely the Dark Lord's head and most of her soul spirit. Their importance exceeded that of this dark remnant body before him.
Because the head and soul spirit had escaped back then and had not been suppressed, retaining their complete strength.
This dark remnant body had been suppressed in the Second Confucian Ancestor's Ancestor Realm, sealed in the Heavenly Court's Celestial Academy. It had been refined by the Second Confucian Ancestor back then, and later by the Immovable Bright King Great Venerable who went to the Celestial Academy. When it emerged sixty thousand years ago, its power was naturally at its weakest state.
Sixty thousand years later today.
The techniques and aura intensity displayed by this dark remnant body were undoubtedly at the pinnacle of Half-Ancestor level.
This was the terror of an Immortal. Undying and indestructible, even if the divine soul was ground away, a new consciousness could be reborn many years later.
Her application of power and understanding of the Heavenly Dao were unmatched by anyone except other Immortals.
The dark remnant body had to admire Zhang Ruochen for deducing everything so accurately. "Don't you know what fear is? Aren't you afraid of death?"
"Why should I be afraid? I could cut you down sixty thousand years ago, let alone now," said Zhang Ruochen.
The dark remnant body said, "It's different! You are progressing, and so are all the cultivators in the world. But I am progressing even faster, because no one in the world understands the laws of the myriad Dao better than I do."
The "I" she spoke of now clearly did not include the Dark Weirdness and Dark Hand that had been with her sixty thousand years ago.
After years of separation, their consciousnesses must have become highly independent.
Perhaps this was one of the reasons for the fusion failure sixty thousand years ago!
Who wouldn't want to fight for dominance?
"Since you're so powerful, why haven't you made a move? Because you have no confidence at all."
A smile appeared on Zhang Ruochen's face, and he continued, "So, the Lord has come seeking cooperation!"
"You are very clever, but you got one thing wrong," said the dark remnant body. "The reason I didn't make a direct move is not that I lack the confidence to kill you, but that I don't want to expose my whereabouts and attract those two. What I fear are the Primordial Ancestors, not you."
Zhang Ruochen said, "The Lord won't kill me. You still need to use my power to help you deal with the Nether Ancestor Faction and the God Realm. Of course, I don't think the Lord has the strength to kill me, even if you have the upper hand now."
The dark remnant body was silent for a moment, then said, "An alliance of the weak is more solid than an alliance of the closest kin. Because only by cooperating with each other can we survive. My existence can help you share at least half the pressure."
"You must understand, even though I have fallen to this state, my threat to the Nether Ancestor and the God Realm still exceeds that of any party in the Sword Realm, the Heavenly Court Universe, or the Hell Realm."
Ancestral rules and ancestral divine energy flowed within Zhang Ruochen's body. His arm, which had been bound by spatial power, broke free from the dark remnant body's Dao techniques.
Sitting cross-legged at the center of the continuously operating Taiji Four Symbols Diagram, Zhang Ruochen showed a thoughtful expression. "When it comes to cooperation, I never turn anyone away. The Lord has come to the right person!"