Chapter 4051: The Mark of All Evil Origins
Zhang Ruochen recalled the scene of Gong Nanfeng's heroic death, how he had charged into the Nether Purgatory with his body. That resolve and determination could not have been an act. Therefore, he simply did not believe Baal's words.
If Gong Nanfeng truly wanted to possess him or kill Feng Tian, it would have been far easier an eon ago.
Crossing the River of Time to defy fate and change destiny was no different from making an enemy of heaven and earth, and would be severed by all heavenly and earthly rules. At least, based on Zhang Ruochen's current understanding, this was absolutely impossible.
Countless thoughts flashed through Zhang Ruochen's mind. He smiled and said, "Supreme Pillar probably doesn't know that I have considerable insight into the Path of Fate as well. A First-rank Divine Path can utilize all the profound meanings of the world. Do you think I don't want fifty percent of the Fate Essence?"
"Wanting to seize the Fate Essence from me, Imperial Dust is a bit too overconfident!"
Baal laughed loudly, then lifted the Witch Cauldron, turned sideways, and crashed into the void, breaking free from the constraints of the flowing light rules, disappearing before Zhang Ruochen's eyes.
His speed exceeded the speed of light.
Moreover, Zhang Ruochen could sense that Baal's true body was constantly jumping through space.
Earlier, Baal had been worried that Zhang Ruochen would escape or return to the Nether Kingdom to assist Feng Caiyi, so he had no choice but to fight Zhang Ruochen head-on, trying to force him to stay.
Now it was different.
Since Zhang Ruochen was so eager to seize the Fate Essence from him, Baal could turn the tables, calmly flee, and simply keep him occupied.
From this, it could be seen that Baal had already acknowledged Zhang Ruochen's strength, defining him as an existence on the same level as himself.
If they fought to the death, it would definitely be mutual destruction, or even both perishing.
There was no need to do that.
He only needed to wait for the Nether Sea to defeat Xu Fengjin and Feng Caiyi, or for the Nether Sea's Spirit to severely wound Chi Yao and the Golden Suanni Ancestor. Then Zhang Ruochen, standing alone, would have no choice but to be defeated and die.
In history, when Half-Ancestors fought, they would often go on for thousands or even tens of thousands of years without a decisive victory. The key was that they did not want to die together with their opponent.
The self-destruction of a Divine Source was almost an unbeatable move at the same cultivation level.
At the same time, it was also the reason why top-tier powerhouses could coexist in the world.
"Boom!"
The entire star domain, a space spanning tens of trillions of miles in diameter, suddenly transformed into a transparent sphere.
The invisible spatial sphere rapidly contracted inward.
Space compressed, suppressing Baal's movement speed.
Baal frowned and glanced back.
He saw that, deep in the distant void, the Universe Cauldron was suspended above Zhang Ruochen's head. The space rules of this heaven and earth were completely under its control.
This spatial sphere, nearly one light-year in diameter, was condensed by Zhang Ruochen using the power of the Universe Cauldron.
He wanted to take control of this heaven and earth and imprison Baal within it.
"Haha, Zhang Ruochen, with this move, even those Heavenly Venerable-rank experts of the same realm who encounter you probably wouldn't even have a chance to escape. I truly admire you. But your opponent is a Half-Ancestor!"
"Source of All Evil."
Baal roared, and a complex and mysterious mark appeared on his forehead.
Inside the mark, various different evil forces were contained: evil thoughts, resentment, hatred, anger, sorrow, delusion, false thoughts... ten thousand thoughts converged.
Crying sounds, killing sounds, mournful weeping, malicious laughter... all kinds of sounds that disturbed the mind echoed through the void, directly attacking Zhang Ruochen's divine soul.
"This is an Ancestor Mark, no, it's not quite an Ancestor Mark yet."
Zhang Ruochen observed the mark that flew out from Baal's forehead. He felt as if the mark contained an entire world of all evils. Its Dao charm was extremely profound, and its spiritual power even shook his divine soul.
"This is a Half-Ancestor Mark, something that only those in the middle stage of the Half-Ancestor realm can condense. In the future, it can transform into an Ancestor Mark, helping me achieve the Ancestor Dao Fruit."
Baal struck out with the "Mark of All Evil Origins," and the surrounding space rotated with it. In an instant, it broke through the spatial sphere.
A single thought arose, and the Half-Ancestor divine Qi surged.
Baal's body moved like flowing light, shuttling through time and space, crossing countless billions of miles, and completely rushed out of the spatial sphere.
This simple movement technique simultaneously contained the power of flowing light, space, and time. It seemed like only a single breath had passed, but in reality, Baal had traveled for several days and nights; otherwise, it would have been impossible to cross such a vast distance.
Zhang Ruochen sighed inwardly. One-on-one, it was almost impossible to keep a Half-Ancestor who was determined to flee.
If they continued fighting like this, even if it took ten or a hundred years, he would never be able to seize the Fate Essence from Baal.
"Supreme Pillar, fleeing before a junior like me is truly unbecoming. If Meng Ge and Gai Mie find out, they will surely mock you." Zhang Ruochen's divine voice resounded through the starry sky.
Baal was not provoked. "The one who laughs last is the true winner. Being able to seize Imperial Dust's Witch Cauldron is already quite satisfying for me."
The distance between the two grew even greater, exceeding one light-year, a distance that even Heavenly Venerable-rank experts and Half-Ancestors could not easily cross.
Zhang Ruochen suddenly stopped. A Space Teleportation Array detached itself from the cauldron body of the Universe Cauldron above his head.
"Whoosh!"
Array light flickered, and Zhang Ruochen disappeared.
Baal's pupils contracted, sensing something was wrong.
Zhang Ruochen reappeared, already deep within the Nether Kingdom, standing above the turbulent Nether Sea.
The Nether Sea hovered above the Nether Kingdom, its sea area vast, with pillars of water cascading down, seemingly trying to connect with the array light pillars rising from the eighty thousand Nether Towers.
It must be known that the eighty thousand Nether Towers not only represented the array itself and the Nether Kingdom but also the power of tens of thousands of Nether General gods and countless Nether soldier armies.
If the array inscription patterns of the eighty thousand Nether Towers converged on the Nether Sea, the consequences could be imagined.
Under Zhang Ruochen's urging, the Universe Cauldron expanded to the size of a planet, thousands of miles in diameter, and descended rapidly.
Its speed was too fast.
The cauldron's feet ignited, like a meteor striking the earth.
"Boom!"
The Nether Sea suffered this blow, and a large area of its waters sank, then was pierced through by the Universe Cauldron. In the sea, countless avatar thoughts of the Nether Sea's Spirit were shattered into nothingness under this strike.
The Universe Cauldron pierced through the Nether Sea, landed on the ground of the Nether Kingdom, created a huge crater, and kicked up a dark cloud of dust.
Taking this opportunity, Void Heaven regained the Sword Source Divine Tree from within the Nether Sea.
Holding the divine tree in his arms, he was ecstatic, but still couldn't help but put on a stern face and snort coldly: "Just an avatar of the Nether Sea's Spirit, I, this Heavenly Lord, can handle it myself. Did you need to interfere?"
"Fine, I'll leave the Nether Sea to you. If it gains control of the arrays within the Nether Kingdom and converges the power of all the Nether Generals and soldiers, then we'll all die."
Zhang Ruochen flew towards the Demon Ancestor Ridge.
"I am not only a Heavenly Venerable-rank expert but also a spiritual power master with a perfect Tiantian Wugue realm. If you want to control the array in front of me, even the Array Tai Shang would have to come."
Void Heaven activated the power of Nothingness, using its force to sever the connection between the Nether Sea and the eighty thousand towers of the Nether Kingdom. Then, he urged the Sword Source Divine Tree.
Every particle of light rain that fell from the tree was in the shape of a sword.
All the sword-shaped light rain flew into the Nether Sea, intending to cut down the divine soul thoughts distributed within the sea area.
Zhang Ruochen landed on the top of Taibai Peak in the Demon Ancestor Ridge, summoned the Parasol Tree Divine Tree from within his Divine Realm World, and waved it towards Feng Tian. "Inside the divine tree, there is the ancestral flame left by the Demon Ancestor, which is the spirit of the divine tree. It can easily incinerate beings with a spiritual power level of ninety-three. You can try to communicate with it, but remember, you must be very careful."
After receiving the Parasol Tree Divine Tree, Feng Tian's eyes were fixed on the heroic and handsome figure on top of Taibai Peak. She whispered softly, "You shouldn't have come."
"If I didn't come, who would help you charge into the Half-Ancestor realm? Who would help you defy fate and change your destiny? The encounter of one eon is too short; I want to get to know you a little longer. To see if you are the bloodthirsty Death God Venerable, or the Destiny Temple Master who wants to change the world? Or perhaps..."
At this point in his speech, Zhang Ruochen sensed something and looked towards the North Marsh Great Wall.
He found that Baal had not pursued him into the Nether Kingdom but had instead joined forces with the Nether Sea's Spirit to attack Chi Yao and the Golden Suanni Ancestor.
It had to be said that these old fellows were all cunning and would not fall for the bait. They were very clear about how to seize the initiative and would not give Zhang Ruochen the time to rescue the gods of the Destiny Temple from the Nether Kingdom.
If he tried to rescue them, at the very least, Chi Yao would fall under the combined attack of the Nether Sea's Spirit and Baal.
"Shua!"
Zhang Ruochen rode the wind away, and a Space Teleportation Array flickered beneath his feet as his figure disappeared.
"Or what? You didn't even finish before leaving." Feng Tian said.
Her veiled face showed no expression. But Xue Ye Wutong, Xue Tu, and others all understood that at this moment, Feng Tian must be feeling joy inside.
How could she not be joyful?
Zhang Ruochen had clearly come to the North Marsh Great Wall for her. Any woman would be overjoyed.
Lian Xi stood tall and straight, holding her spear, staring at Feng Tian who was studying the Parasol Tree Divine Tree. Naturally, she felt a bit of jealousy in her heart and muttered to herself, "It's a pity that the situation is critical now, otherwise we might have been able to see a good show."
"What good show?" Que asked curiously.
Lian Xi said, "Feng Tian has always been cold and proud, cultivating the Path of Death and becoming a venerable. She has the title of Death God among the cultivators of the Heavenly Court. If a woman like her were to actively throw herself into a man's arms, wouldn't that be a good show?"
Que was not interested in women and could not understand the subtlety Lian Xi was talking about.
However, Feng Tian was now the Temple Master of the Destiny Temple, representing the faith of all cultivators in the Hell Realm. With such status, how could she throw herself into Imperial Dust's arms like an ordinary woman?
At least, openly, she probably wouldn't.
Xue Tu said, "I've seen this show before! Back in the Kunlun Realm, the Great Xi King was so cold and powerful, commanding the wind and rain, and was indifferent even to a proud son of heaven like Shang Zihong. But later, in the Hell Realm, didn't she still become my senior brother's..."
Seeing Lian Xi's gaze growing colder and frost forming on his skin, Xue Tu quickly changed his words: "She became my senior brother's most beloved and indispensable confidante. Empress Xi, Mother of Souls, I was just joking. Please don't be angry. It's all my fault for having a loose tongue."
With the Thunder Duke suppressed, the pressure on everyone had eased, which was why this banter had arisen.
As Feng Tian's disciple, how could Xue Tu not take the opportunity to tease Lian Xi in front of his master?
Feng Tian didn't care at all how the cultivators below looked at her. Her gaze was fixed on the Nether Sea.
Although Void Heaven's cultivation was high, he could not completely prevent the Nether Sea from controlling the array. At the same time, many powerful Nether Generals were rushing out from the eighty thousand Nether Towers, gathering.
It must be known that the eighty thousand Nether Towers and the eighty thousand gods represented a very terrifying combat power.
Feng Tian said, "If you have time to bicker, you should be doing the real work. Right now, within the Nether Kingdom, three Nether General armies are gathering. You will set out immediately and scatter them all."
Que said, "Temple Master, Imperial Dust has already opened a gap in the Nether Kingdom. We can take this opportunity to lead the gods and escape from the Nether Kingdom. Once we escape, we won't have to worry about the arrays within the Nether Kingdom anymore, and we can immediately return to the Hell Realm."
"Yes, Master, we have already captured the Demon Ancestor Ridge and the Parasol Tree Divine Tree, and suppressed the Thunder Duke. There is no need to continue staying in this dangerous place." Xue Tu said.
"What if the Nether Sea carries the Nether Kingdom and chases us to the Hell Realm?"
Feng Tian continued, "You simply don't understand the fundamental reason why Imperial Dust came to the North Marsh Great Wall. If it were just this Temple Master and Void Heaven coming, taking the Demon Ancestor Ridge and the Parasol Tree Divine Tree, we could indeed leave. But since Imperial Dust has come, there must be a larger strategic goal."
"So far, many strong members of the Nether Ancestor Faction have not appeared. Yan Wushen, A Fuya, the Mother of Weak Water, and those ancient tribal old emperors who were cursed with consciousness—do you know why?"
A gleam of light flashed in Que's eyes. "The Jade Desolate Realm has opened. They have gone to the Jade Desolate Realm."
"If they were already waiting in the Jade Desolate Realm, then what would be the consequences when the gods of the Heavenly Court, Sword Realm, and Hell Realm enter the Jade Desolate Realm?" Feng Tian said.
Que said, "The top powerhouses of the Heavenly Court, Sword Realm, and Hell Realm will definitely enter the Jade Desolate Realm together. The threat shouldn't be too great... But if that's the case, then the Heavenly Court Universe, the Wuding Divine Sea, and the Yellow Spring Star River will be in danger! Do we really have to stay here to prevent the Nether Kingdom from chasing us to the Hell Realm?"
Feng Tian said, "Don't forget, the threats to the Heavenly Court Universe, the Wuding Divine Sea, and the Yellow Spring Star River are not only from the Nether Ancestor Faction but also from the God Realm, the Abyss of Darkness, Jiusi Yitianhuang, Gu Yanluo, and various other parties. We must start a great war at the North Marsh Great Wall, drawing the attention of all parties here."
"The Nether Kingdom, the Demon Ancestor Ridge, the Nine Cauldrons, the Nether Purgatory, the Celestial World, the Ancestor Divine Source, the Ancestor Realm, the Celestial Pivot Needle, the Mani Pearl... There are too many treasures here that tempt them. Who wouldn't want to reap the benefits without effort?"
"This battle is far more dangerous than you imagine. You'd better be mentally prepared. However, I think Zhang Ruochen still has a backup plan. At the very least, the Heavenly Court will definitely send strong experts to help."
...
The Golden Suanni Ancestor had a massive body, but its speed was not slow. Under the siege of the Nether Sea's Spirit and Baal, it actually carried Chi Yao and escaped.
The Nether Sea's Spirit and Baal pursued closely.
"Two Half-Ancestors, your opponent is me."
In the distance, Zhang Ruochen slapped the Sundial with his palm. Light exploded, and a sea of time imprint light appeared, intercepting the two of them.
"Whoosh——"
The Sundial carried rivers of time, releasing terrifying and boundless power, flying through the sea of time imprint light and crashing into the Nether Sea's Spirit.
The Nether Sea's Spirit condensed a Nether Ancestor light shadow in front of itself to block, but was still sent flying.
"Shua!"
Zhang Ruochen crossed space and appeared before Baal. With one hand holding a sword and the other clenched into a fist, he launched dozens of attacks in succession.
Baal held the Auspicious Ruyi in one hand and the Witch Cauldron in the other, neutralizing Zhang Ruochen's attacks one by one.
He sneered, "Zhang Ruochen, do you know that the Auspicious Ruyi represents luck, represents the ability to seek good fortune and avoid disaster? I can predict all your divine powers and techniques in advance. This is the power of fate. How can you fight me? Moreover, the Auspicious Ruyi itself is a divine artifact I forged, and I can use it as I please... Ah..."
"Pfft!"
A second Zhang Ruochen appeared in the space, standing behind Baal, piercing his chest with the Golden Staff.
It was not an avatar.
It was a time-space technique Zhang Ruochen had used before, creating a new time-space that belonged to him.
Two time-spaces, two Zhang Ruochens.
Time and space only experienced a slight misalignment and would soon recover, but it was enough to determine the outcome.
(Chapter End)