Chapter 4061: Bad News
The Dark Remnant had departed, taking with it the black hand that had been released from the Divine Realm back then.
The other black hand remained suppressed within the twenty-seventh Celestial World.
"Are you really not worried at all, Chen? I think the Dark Sovereign has likely already guessed that the other black hand is also suppressed here with you," Chi Yao said, her face showing concern.
Faced with an existence about to reach the Ancestor level, no one could be unafraid.
In her view, Zhang Ruochen had missed the chance to kill the Dark Remnant, filling the future with endless variables.
Without the shackles of restraint, raising a tiger would surely bring calamity.
Zhang Ruochen said, "Even if its combat power recovers to the Ancestor level, it will inevitably be the weakest among all current Ancestors. The Divine Realm and the Nether Ancestor Faction know too well how great a threat it is; they will definitely use various methods to suppress it. As long as it is smart enough, it won't use killing to seize the black hand from me—doing so would make it a target for everyone."
"Of course, before that, I must master enough power to prevent it from taking desperate risks."
Chi Yao nodded, "We need to return to the Wuding Divine Sea as soon as possible and forge the Seventy-Two Layer Tower. That way, we can fight even against an Ancestor."
Across the Nether Kingdom, the gods of the Destiny Temple were busy—some moving Nether Towers, some collecting fragments of the Origin Divine Temple, and some searching for their former war artifacts.
But no one dared to claim the Nether Kingdom itself, fearing the curse an Ancestor might bestow.
Void Heaven ascended the Demon Ancestor Ridge. The Sword Origin Divine Tree, three feet above his head, radiated bright light, its branches and leaves lush, giving a top-heavy impression.
Void Heaven's flesh showed signs of petrification.
His skin was rough and prickly, very hard.
Zhang Ruochen frowned, examining him closely, and asked, "Senior Void Heaven, what… what's going on with you?"
"What's going on? What could be going on? Break down to rebuild—Sword Twenty-Five is complete, and soon I will enter the Half-Ancestor realm," Void Heaven said arrogantly.
He certainly wouldn't tell Zhang Ruochen that he had been forced to merge with the Sword Origin Divine Tree.
As a Heavenly Venerable-level being, he had been caught between the Red Crow King and the Nether Sea Spirit, his body severed in two. His lower half had been blasted into a blood mist, becoming nourishment for the Red Crow King.
Half his blood energy and indestructible matter were lost; it would take who knows how many years to recover and return to his peak.
Breaking through to Half-Ancestor had become a distant dream.
Just then, his upper body and the Sword Origin Divine Tree were shattered together by Star Heaven Cliff, mixing the two.
Perhaps because he primarily cultivated the Sword Dao, his blood quickly seeped into the fragments of the Sword Origin Divine Tree.
To survive, to reach the Half-Ancestor realm, Void Heaven conceived a bold idea.
He would use the fragments of the Sword Origin Divine Tree and his own blood energy to rebuild his body. This way, he could not only compensate for the loss of half his blood energy and indestructible matter but also better comprehend the Sword Dao through this method.
Crisis—within crisis lies opportunity.
This might be his chance.
It was an attempt he had never dared to make before but now had no choice but to try.
A life-and-death crisis had pushed him forward ruthlessly.
The process of reshaping his body was far more difficult and painful than Void Heaven had imagined.
Every particle of the Sword Origin Divine Tree contained terrifying Sword Dao intent. During the fusion, his body and divine soul felt as if they were being chopped and slashed a thousand times.
It was with the help of the Golden Lion Ancestor that Void Heaven completed his final transformation.
Not only did he reshape his body, but through the painful enlightenment of a thousand cuts and slashes, his Sword Dao attainment advanced to a higher level, allowing him to master Sword Twenty-Five. Truly, a blessing in disguise.
Zhang Ruochen actually felt some admiration for Void Heaven, saying, "Legend says that after Sword Ancestor, no one has ever cultivated Sword Twenty-Five. With your Heavenly Venerable-level cultivation, Senior Void Heaven, you managed to separate the Red Crow King and Star Heaven Cliff with a single sword strike. The increase in combat power is almost enough to cross realms."
"Not almost! I can indeed cross realms at the Heavenly Venerable level to fight against a Half-Ancestor. If I had mastered over fifty percent of the Sword Dao Essence and become the Sword Dao Overlord, it would be even more stable! Zhang Ruochen, do you think only your First-Rank Divine Path can defy the hierarchy? You underestimate the people of this world too much!"
Void Heaven was now full of confidence, exuding a vibrant, youthful vigor. With the second Sword Twenty-Five in history, he believed he could challenge Zhang Ruochen's First-Rank Divine Path.
Now, he could stay tough all the way.
Void Heaven looked forward to the future, confidence shining on his face, his passion high. He added, "I have named Sword Twenty-Five 'Sword Reaching Eternity.' What do you think?"
Zhang Ruochen said, "What's the reasoning behind that?"
Void Heaven replied, "It means the Sword Dao has reached a height comparable to the Nine Eternal Daos. The reason I'm being so modest, not naming it 'Sword Surpassing Eternity,' is to leave some room for Sword Twenty-Six."
Zhang Ruochen said, "Sword Surpassing Eternity—surpassing the Eternal Daos?"
Void Heaven said, "If the Sword Dao truly reaches that level, shouldn't it surpass the Eternal Daos?"
Feng Tian felt that Void Heaven was a bit too inflated, his state too floaty, and said, "Crossing realms at the Heavenly Venerable level is not that easy. At that time, the Red Crow King was severely wounded by the Life Ancestor, and its strength might not have been at the Half-Ancestor level. Moreover, with powerful enemies all around, the Red Crow King only wanted to escape, so the combat power it could exert was even more limited."
Void Heaven was displeased, his gaze disdainful, and said, "Feng Caiyi, do you want to spar with me? Perfect timing. You've obtained the Parasol Tree Divine Tree and the Demon Ancestor Ridge, greatly increasing your strength. With the Death Overlord Armor and the Life Ancestor's Divine Source added to you, it seems few at the Heavenly Venerable level can match you. Today, let's settle the score and decide the ownership of the Fate Essence."
Previously, Void Heaven had little interest in the Fate Essence, mainly because it was less than fifty percent.
Now that the situation was completely different, he naturally wanted to use an excuse to seize the Essence.
Feng Tian was not one to back down easily, saying, "Sword Twenty-Five may be strong, but can it be stronger than the Ancestral Flame? The Ancestral Flame can burn the Chongming Ancestor to death, proving it has the power to kill a Heavenly Venerable-level being. Do you want to try?"
Void Heaven said, "My control over Sword Twenty-Five is not yet at the level of perfect restraint. If you are struck by a single sword strike, the consequences are hard to predict."
Just as Zhang Ruochen was thinking about how to stop these two, Feng Tian said, "Since you want the Fate Essence so badly, why don't you become the Hall Master of the Destiny Temple?"
Void Heaven quickly waved his hand, avoiding it as if it were a plague, and said, "Forget it. The Fate Essence can stay with you for now. Zhang Ruochen, let me see the cultivation insights you obtained from the Dark Sovereign. Are they real or fake?"
Zhang Ruochen somewhat understood why Feng Tian had taken the position of Hall Master.
With Void Heaven's temperament, making him the Hall Master of the Destiny Temple, forcing him to handle all kinds of trivial matters and bear the responsibility for all cultivators in the entire temple, would be more painful than killing him.
In his view, it was a restraint, a shackle.
If the sword were bound, it would lose its sharpness.
If the Destiny Temple faced a crisis in the future, he wouldn't be able to act as he pleased; he would have to consider a hundred times more issues than now.
"Real, definitely real—at least ninety percent real. I can confirm that. However, Senior Void Heaven, you are only at the Heavenly Venerable level now, so you won't need the cultivation insights of the Ancestor Path for a while. Wait until you reach the Half-Ancestor realm," Zhang Ruochen said.
Void Heaven had long expected that Zhang Ruochen wouldn't be so kind and was about to flare up.
But then he saw Zhang Ruochen take out the Celestial Pivot Needle, twirling it between his fingers, and say, "I'll help you with the… Celestial Pivot Needle… hey…"
Before he could finish, the Celestial Pivot Needle had already been snatched by Void Heaven.
Void Heaven was terrified that Zhang Ruochen might say something like, "The Celestial Pivot Needle was taken by me from the Nether Sea Spirit, so it belongs to me now."
Such shameless behavior was something he was capable of.
Zhang Ruochen shook his head helplessly, then took out the "Fate Heavenly Scripture" and handed it to Feng Tian.
"Since you helped me retrieve the Celestial Pivot Needle, I'll let you keep the Ancestor insights left by the Dark Sovereign for now."
Having recovered this most important treasure, Void Heaven was in a great mood, kissing the Celestial Pivot Needle repeatedly as if kissing a beauty, letting out loud laughter.
Feng Tian asked, "How does Imperial Dust plan to deal with the Nether Kingdom?"
"How to deal with it? He didn't even dare to take the Nether Sea and Star Heaven Cliff, so naturally, the Nether Kingdom is left here for the Divine Realm to handle. By the way, that Fourth Confucian Ancestor is now a member of the Divine Realm. Hand it over to him and let the Divine Realm and the Nether Ancestor Faction continue fighting." Xiu Chen Heavenly God's voice came from the Sundial, still full of indignation, as if he couldn't be beaten into submission.
Chi Yao noticed something unusual in Zhang Ruochen's eyes, her heart stirred, and she said, "Chen, do you intend to take the Nether Kingdom back to the Wuding Divine Sea?"
Zhang Ruochen did not hide his thoughts from those present, saying, "The current situation is increasingly complex. I must quickly improve my cultivation and break through to the Half-Ancestor realm. The reason I asked the Dark Sovereign for the cultivation method of 'Myriad Forms Formless' is precisely for this purpose."
"The Nether Kingdom is of great use to me in breaking through to the Half-Ancestor realm. I have indeed considered taking it back to the Wuding Divine Sea to observe and comprehend the Dao principles within."
Zhang Ruochen had now cultivated forty clusters of Dao Light, reaching the Minor Derivation realm.
However, Minor Derivation was not yet complete; three clusters of Dao Light were still faint.
Only by fully illuminating these three clusters could he achieve Minor Derivation's Great Perfection and enter the Half-Ancestor realm.
These three faint clusters of Dao Light were cultivated by Zhang Ruochen by emulating the Nether Ancestor, the Dark Sovereign, and the Space-Time Human Ancestor. Therefore, he needed the power of these three to fully illuminate them.
One cluster of Dao Light resembled the "Myriad Forms Formless Seal."
Zhang Ruochen estimated that by refining the Eternal Soul Flame belonging to the Dark Sovereign that he held, combined with the cultivation method of Myriad Forms Formless he had just obtained, he could likely illuminate it and condense his own Myriad Forms Formless Seal.
The second cluster of Dao Light was cultivated by observing the Nether River, so it resembled the "Nether River."
But the Nether River was only part of the Nether Ancestor's Divine Realm World; it also required the Nether Sea, the Nether Kingdom, and the Nether City.
Although the Nether Sea had been entirely ceded to Pan Yuan Ancient God, the Fourth Confucian Ancestor, and the Dark Sovereign, Zhang Ruochen actually possessed a wisp of the Nether Sea's source, stored in the red gourd given to him by Yan Wushen.
Zhang Ruochen did not need to completely replicate the Nether Sea Spirit's Dao; a single wisp was enough.
Earlier, when the Nether Sea Spirit fled to Lihentian and disappeared, Zhang Ruochen had intended to use this wisp. But the Fourth Confucian Ancestor had acted, helping him activate the Truth Cauldron to find the Nether Sea Spirit's aura, so there was no need to reveal it and expose Yan Wushen.
As for the third cluster of Dao Light, it resembled the "Space-Time Divine Martial Mark."
Zhang Ruochen believed that by obtaining the Nether Prison and gathering the complete Seventy-Two Layer Tower, he could illuminate it.
This was because the Space-Time Human Ancestor had spent his entire life's effort forging the Seventy-Two Layer Tower. Although it had been re-refined by the Sword Ancestor, Nether Ancestor, Heavenly Demon, and Immovable Bright King Great Venerable, the Dao of the Space-Time Human Ancestor within the Seventy-Two Layer Tower must still remain.
It could be said that after this great battle, aside from the Nether City, Zhang Ruochen's deficiencies for breaking through to the Half-Ancestor realm were very few.
Chi Yao naturally supported Zhang Ruochen, saying, "The Nether Ancestor only made a brief move, sending the Life Ancestor back to the River of Time. This shows that He is still wary of something and dares not show Himself. Or perhaps He simply doesn't consider those below the Life Ancestor worthy of His attention and disdains to act. If we take the Nether Kingdom back to the Wuding Divine Sea, He probably won't intervene."
"As for Corpse Nightmare, his top priority now should be seizing the Nether Sea and the Nether Sea Spirit. Such a top-tier combat power below the Ancestor level is a loss the Nether Ancestor Faction cannot afford."
"Moreover, most of the Nether soldiers and generals have fled, and half of the Nether Kingdom's eighty thousand towers have collapsed. The Nether Kingdom's value to the Nether Ancestor Faction is now quite limited. At least, before seizing the Nether Sea and the Nether River, Corpse Nightmare probably won't turn his spearhead against us."
Suddenly, Zhang Ruochen's expression turned serious, and he said, "My greater purpose in taking the Nether Kingdom back to the Wuding Divine Sea is to find the Nether Ancestor."
The gods of the Destiny Temple were gathering toward the Demon Ancestor Ridge.
Blood Butcher, Que, Qidaoren, Yan Ju, Hai Shang Youruo, and others who had just arrived under the Parasol Tree Divine Tree heard this and their faces changed color. Was this a secret they were supposed to know?
Even if the Nether Ancestor didn't show Himself, a single curse would be enough to kill them ten times over, with curses clinging to them for generations.
Blood Butcher turned and left, the fastest to run away.
Even Void Heaven and Feng Tian's expressions turned grave.
After a brief moment of holding their breath, Void Heaven said, "You suspect the Nether Ancestor is in the Wuding Divine Sea?"
Zhang Ruochen nodded.
Void Heaven said, "Then I'm never going to the Wuding Divine Sea again, even if I'm beaten to death."
Zhang Ruochen said, "Even if the Nether Ancestor is extremely powerful, it's impossible for Him to transfer His power into the World-Destroying Bell without leaving any trace. Perhaps our cultivation is insufficient to sense the transmission of His power. But there are always those in this world who can sense it. To avoid this, there is only one way: He must have stored His power in the World-Destroying Bell in advance. Everyone who has come into contact with the World-Destroying Bell is a suspect."
"Bai Qinger?" Chi Yao said.
Zhang Ruochen shook his head, "It can't be her."
Void Heaven said, "From ancient times to the present, too many people have come into contact with the World-Destroying Bell. How do you know when the Nether Ancestor stored His power in it?"
"That time must be after I went to the Xumi Temple. Because the Life Ancestor went to the future at that time and came to this era. In fact, I think the Nether Ancestor stored His power in the World-Destroying Bell even more recently," Zhang Ruochen said.
Chi Yao said, "Chen seems to have a suspect?"
"We'll talk about it when we return to the Wuding Divine Sea. Many things need to be asked of Qinger first," Zhang Ruochen said.
Just as they finished their discussion, Qidaoren hurried over to report, "The Thunder Lord has escaped!"
During the confrontation between the World-Destroying Bell and the Life Ancestor, the Nether Kingdom had collapsed, and the Demon Ancestor Ridge had been overturned. The Thunder Lord, suppressed beneath the Demon Ancestor Ridge, took the opportunity to flee. At that time, no one could spare the attention to deal with him.
"No matter. This Hall Master can suppress him once, and I can suppress him a second time."
Then, Feng Tian's clear and melodious divine voice rang out across the Demon Ancestor Ridge: "In this battle, the Destiny Temple has achieved a great victory! This Hall Master wants to thank everyone present. It is through your fearless sacrifices that we have seized the Parasol Tree Divine Tree and the Demon Ancestor Ridge, dealing a heavy blow to the Nether Ancestor Faction and buying time for all the gods of the Hell Realm to enter the Jade Amber Realm…"
Blood Butcher quietly approached Zhang Ruochen and transmitted his voice: "Senior Brother, Chan Mingya self-detonated her Divine Source and died. Rest assured, I will protect her clan."
Blood Butcher had clearly misunderstood something.
Zhang Ruochen had indeed had a close encounter with the Destiny Temple's God Venerable Chan Mingya, but it was because Chan Mingya's soul had been devoured by the previous artifact spirit of the Soul-Devouring Lamp, which had taken over her body, creating a misunderstanding.
However, hearing this news, Zhang Ruochen felt a stir in his heart.
Old friends were falling one by one, like leaves in the wind.
"Take good care of her clan," Zhang Ruochen instructed.
…
"Every god who survives will receive generous rewards. What you gained in the Nether Kingdom is yours to keep. In the future, you may freely enter the Demon Ancestor Ridge to cultivate, and you may also receive personal tempering of your body and soul with the Ancestral Flame from this Hall Master."
Just as Feng Tian was still speaking, strands of Heavenly Dao energy gathered, condensing into a clone of Pan Yuan Ancient God before Zhang Ruochen and Void Heaven.
Pan Yuan Ancient God's expression was extremely grim, and he said, "Imperial Dust, something terrible has happened. Jiusi Yitianhuang and Bone Yanluo infiltrated the Heavenly Court, destroyed the Truth Temple, and both the Hall Master and Meng Ge have fallen."
"What did you say?"
Void Heaven's face turned deathly pale in an instant. He staggered back three steps, unable to accept this bad news.
It was too sudden.
Caught off guard, without time to set up a psychological defense, Void Heaven was as if struck by a sword, exposing his most instinctive reaction. Otherwise, with his cultivation and mental state, he would not have lost his composure to such a degree.
…
Jing Daoren stood by the dried-up Truth Sea, his eyes filled with grief.
The once ten-layered sea had become parched and cracked.
The once magnificent and majestic Truth Temple had collapsed into ruins, corpses strewn everywhere, blood gathering into rivers, pouring into the Truth Sea from all directions.
The world was a sea of blood.
The Truth Mountain at the center of the Truth Sea had collapsed. Xiang Chunan knelt on the ground, holding the Truth Hall Master's corpse, roaring at the sky.
The Truth Hall Master's once tall and robust body had become shriveled, all his essence and blood energy drained, even his Divine Source dug out. He had suffered unimaginable torture before his death.
Clearly, Bone Yanluo and Jiusi Yitianhuang had used extreme measures to deal with Meng Ge.
No one knew what had actually happened at that time.
Xiang Chunan had been in the Heavenly Palace, so he had escaped the disaster. When he returned to the hellish Truth Temple, he searched everywhere but only found the Truth Hall Master's corpse, unable to find Qing Sixue or his master Meng Ge.
He didn't need to guess the result. Facing a Heavenly Venerable-level being, Qing Sixue couldn't have left a corpse. As for his master Meng Ge, if he were still alive, Jiusi Yitianhuang and Bone Yanluo wouldn't have been able to leave so calmly.
But Xiang Chunan simply couldn't accept this outcome. His reason was gone, and like a madman, he rummaged through the ruins.
Xuan Yuan Lian arrived at the shore of the Truth Sea. Seeing this scene, she was both deeply grieved and furious to the extreme.
If Hao Tian were in the Heavenly Court, how would they dare?
Jing Daoren's heart was very bitter, and he said, "It was Night Curtain! Jiusi Yitianhuang used Night Curtain to cover the Truth Temple. There was no one stronger than him in the Heavenly Court, so no one noticed the problem. If the Chongming Ancestor hadn't betrayed us, with his spiritual power, he should have been able to detect it."
"Why mention the Chongming Ancestor? Why not mention the Yunshen Daozhu? If he were still in the Heavenly Court… sigh…" Xuan Yuan Lian said.
Before this, she had also been assassinated.
Fortunately, she had broken through to Indestructible Infinite and had been hiding her cultivation in front of others, so she escaped the disaster.
At that time, she sensed something was wrong and immediately discussed with the various Heavenly Venerables remaining in the Heavenly Court, deciding to activate the Heavenly Punishment Divine Light.
But this was no small matter. Once the Heavenly Punishment Divine Light was activated, everyone would know the Heavenly Court was weak. With Hao Tian not in the Heavenly Court, the consequences were unpredictable.
The various Heavenly Venerables each had their own considerations, making it extremely difficult to reach a consensus.
While they were still deliberating, the tragedy at the Truth Temple had already occurred.
Jing Daoren's heart was even more pained than Xuan Yuan Lian's, and he said, "Before the Heavenly Venerable left, he said that if something happened to the Heavenly Court, we should immediately seek help from the Sword Realm."
"I have already sent a message to Wen Tianjun," Xuan Yuan Lian said.
Jing Daoren tentatively said, "How about I contact Xu Fengjin? He came from the Truth Temple… forget it, pretend I didn't say anything… There's no reason to notify a cultivator from the Hell Realm about matters of the Heavenly Court. It would only invite ridicule."
Recommend a new book by a fantasy god: "Hunting Immortals and Demons," first released on Qidian. Welcome to read.
Synopsis: In this world, there are immortals and demons.
Immortals plunder heaven and earth, demons bring disaster to the world. When immortals and demons appear, the world falls into chaos, and the people have no means to live. This is called the calamity of immortals and demons.
Lu Yan holds a Dao book, walks out of a mountain village, merges all martial arts under heaven into one, and says, "Gentlemen, would you like to join me in hunting immortals and demons?"
(End of chapter)