# Chapter 4064: That One
The Five-Colored Pool was not a pool at all, but more like a vast five-colored ocean.
The colors were brilliant and splendid, gorgeous and magnificent.
The pool water was clear, the power of the five elements extremely pure, yet it contained no rules whatsoever, including the rules of the five elements.
This was matter that transcended the rules of heaven and earth!
About fifty zhang from the shore of the Five-Colored Pool stood a temple, built from stone pillars, carved with various ancient patterns and texts.
Some of these patterns were very familiar to Zhang Ruochen—he had seen them on the Universe Cauldron, Earth Cauldron, Heaven Cauldron, Flood Cauldron, and Shaman Cauldron after they were activated.
The temple was solemn and sacred, the aura it emitted causing even Zhang Ruochen to hold his breath, as if the statue of the Empress Nuwa herself sat within the temple, inspiring reverence.
He entered the temple together with Feng Yan.
What came into view was a misty, vast seated statue, exuding a profound and majestic aura.
The seated statue was dozens of zhang tall, with three heads and six arms, bearing a proud and heroic posture. Inside, clouds and mist flowed, accompanied by thunderous roars that shook the ears, showcasing unparalleled destructive energy.
"Is this... Pure Yang Heavenly Venerable?"
An unusual expression appeared on Zhang Ruochen's face.
Pure Yang Heavenly Venerable was a supreme powerhouse in the history of the Wind Clan, once undefeated in an era. Legend said he was a five-colored clay figure molded by Empress Nuwa, who later gained sentience.
The misty seated statue before him was extremely similar to the portrait of Pure Yang Heavenly Venerable.
"It's not Pure Yang Heavenly Venerable. It's the Heaven-Repairing War Soul left behind by Empress Nuwa."
Feng Yan pointed to a stone pillar about one zhang in diameter on the right side of the temple. On it was a line of engraved text: "The heavens have a flaw, the earth has a leak. The heavens are hard to repair, the earth hard to level."
On the left stone pillar was engraved: "Mold the clay figures, repair the heaven's flaw. Forge the war soul, level the earth's leak."
This was not Feng Yan's first time in the temple, yet his emotions were still stirred. "This war soul forged by Empress Nuwa was probably meant for Pure Yang Heavenly Venerable. But Pure Yang Heavenly Venerable and the Nuwa Palace were separated in time and space, never able to unite. Otherwise, both the heaven's flaw and the earth's leak could have been filled and repaired."
Zhang Ruochen said, "Second Brother, what do you think is the heaven's flaw, and what is the earth's leak?"
"The earth's leak should be the Abyss of Darkness. The heaven's flaw..."
Feng Yan pondered for a moment, then pointed upward, his expression solemn: "The heaven's flaw must be the God Realm."
Zhang Ruochen neither agreed nor disagreed. He pointed at Feng Yan and said, "Actually, the Heaven-Repairing War Soul might not have been left for Pure Yang Heavenly Venerable. I think Empress Nuwa left it for you."
"For me?"
Feng Yan shook his head. "Although I inherited part of Pure Yang Heavenly Venerable's five-colored clay body and awakened the three heads and six arms, I can't even get close to the Heaven-Repairing War Soul."
He smiled bitterly and continued, "Big Brother, I still have some self-awareness! Compared to Pure Yang Heavenly Venerable, I fall far short in wisdom, courage, boldness, and comprehension. How could I bear the expectations of Empress Nuwa?"
"You underestimate yourself too much! Perhaps when you were young and lacked experience, you couldn't compare to Pure Yang Heavenly Venerable. But over these years, I know better than anyone how much you've progressed. You're no longer what you once were. You need to have the confidence that says 'if not me, then who.'"
Zhang Ruochen walked step by step toward the Heaven-Repairing War Soul, stopping only when he felt the invisible resistance.
He observed carefully.
He discovered that inside the Heaven-Repairing War Soul, there were forty-five clusters of Dao light, arranged exactly like the nine palaces of the Luo Shu.
As the forty-five clusters of Dao light brightened and dimmed, the Heaven-Repairing War Soul seemed to be breathing.
"It seems the legends are true. The Luo Shu was indeed created by Empress Nuwa, intended to use this technique to repair the heaven's flaw and level the earth's leak. This is the kind of boldness befitting a generation's Shaman Ancestor! Unparalleled talent, stunning through the ages."
Zhang Ruochen retreated to Feng Yan's side, took out the Five-Colored Glass Cover, and held it in his palm.
There seemed to be some special connection between the Five-Colored Glass Cover and the Heaven-Repairing War Soul, as the light of both intensified noticeably.
Even more strangely, from the Five-Colored Pool outside the temple, five-colored water mist rose up.
Strands of water mist gathered toward the temple.
Feng Yan sensed the anomaly and said nervously, "What's happening?"
Zhang Ruochen smiled. "Just as I guessed, the Five-Colored Glass Cover is indeed related to the Nuwa Palace. Second Brother, did you know that Lady Shiji has asked me for the Five-Colored Glass Cover many times, offering generous conditions, but I never agreed."
"Big Brother should have agreed! If you used the Five-Colored Glass Cover to exchange with Lady Shiji for the Mysterious Cauldron, she might have agreed. I heard that Lady Shiji has always wanted to break free from the Mysterious Cauldron and cultivate an independent self." Feng Yan said.
"If I gave it to her, what would you do?"
Zhang Ruochen released divine flame from his palm, refining the Five-Colored Glass Cover.
In the flames, the Five-Colored Glass Cover became crystal clear, as if about to melt, growing increasingly dazzling and brilliant.
Feng Yan's eyes widened slightly as he looked at Zhang Ruochen with an expression of disbelief. Before he could speak, Zhang Ruochen swung his arm and struck the Five-Colored Glass Cover into Feng Yan's body with a palm strike.
"Boom!"
Feng Yan's feet left the ground as he flew backward, his entire body turning to clay, taking on a five-colored hue.
"Chi chi!"
The Five-Colored Glass Cover gradually merged into his body.
Feng Yan couldn't bear it at all; his clay body cracked.
Outside the temple, the five-colored water mist emanating from the Five-Colored Pool surged rapidly, continuously rushing into Feng Yan's body, repairing the cracks in his clay body.
...
An hour later.
Zhang Ruochen walked out of the temple alone, saying to the inside, "Don't say any words of gratitude. Just focus on your cultivation in seclusion. If one day... I'm no longer here, you'll have to stand alone and support a piece of the world. This is Empress Nuwa's expectation, and also my expectation for you as your big brother."
He turned and closed the temple door.
The Five-Colored Pool outside the temple had already dried up.
Zhang Ruochen walked out of Feng Yan's Divine Realm World, appearing on Truth Mountain. He looked at Xiang Chunan, who was squatting on the ground, and said, "Qing Sixue is in the Sword Realm."
"Really? Big Brother, really?"
Xiang Chunan quickly stood up, grabbing Zhang Ruochen's shoulder, and asked excitedly, "Is she okay? Is she alright? Big Brother, you must not lie to me."
"Jiusi Yitianhuang took her to the Sword Realm! Her physical body and divine soul have been eroded by dark force, but you can trust me—I will definitely be able to save her and return her and the child in her womb to you intact."
Zhang Ruochen's tone was calm, but his eyes showed absolute confidence. He punched Xiang Chunan in the chest and said, "Pull yourself together. The sky hasn't fallen yet! Birth, aging, sickness, and death are unavoidable. You have to be strong and face them. From now on, Truth Divine Temple will have to rely on you to rebuild. No one will shield you from the wind and rain anymore!"
"Although Truth Divine Temple has been destroyed, many disciples are still returning from various major worlds. You are now their support, their spiritual pillar. If you're in this dejected state, what are they supposed to do?"
Xiang Chunan felt deeply ashamed and lowered his voice, "Master should still be alive."
"Meng Ge is a chaotic ancient demon god. He is not a disciple of Truth Divine Temple. You are the one who inherited the Temple Master's Way of Truth! Besides, even if Meng Ge returns, he will have lost a large amount of indestructible matter and divine soul. He will be severely injured and will need to go into seclusion for who knows how many years to recover." Zhang Ruochen said.
Xiang Chunan's mental state recovered. "Big Brother, I have no problem with cultivation. If you ask me to fight against a Heavenly Venerable-level or even a Half-Ancestor, I won't even frown. I, Xiang Chunan, am no coward. But with such a large foundation as Truth Divine Temple, so many cultivators, and such a chaotic situation, I really have no clue."
Zhang Ruochen said, "No one is born a Truth Temple Master. They are all tempered through trials. If you don't try, how do you know you can't do it? You call me big brother, so of course I will help you."
"Big Brother, why don't you become the Truth Temple Master..."
Zhang Ruochen gave him a cold look.
Xiang Chunan immediately lowered his head. "Alright, I won't let Big Brother and Master's wife down!"
"Chunan, Big Brother can't always help you. You have to walk your own path. There are still many challenges ahead."
Zhang Ruochen said this with profound meaning, then, with both hands raised in the air, particles of truth matter emanated from his body, gathering between his ten fingers.
A fierce wind suddenly arose, and the sky changed rapidly.
With Truth Mountain as the center, all the truth rules throughout the Heavenly Court were boiling, unusually active.
"What's happening?"
"The truth rules between heaven and earth are gathering madly. Is the Truth Master about to appear?"
...
The gazes of all the gods in the Heavenly Court turned toward Truth Mountain, filled with curiosity.
At the mountain's peak, the Heart of Truth was re-condensed between Zhang Ruochen's hands. It was a diamond-shaped crystal the size of a fist, with one hundred twenty-nine thousand six hundred facets.
All the truth radiance was released from this crystal.
Zhang Ruochen's complexion was slightly pale as he handed the Heart of Truth to Xiang Chunan.
"Big Brother... what are you doing?" Xiang Chunan didn't take it.
Zhang Ruochen said, "Back then, it was on this very Truth Mountain that the Temple Master gave the Heart of Truth to me. With the power of the Heart of Truth, I gained a cultivation speed far faster than ordinary people, allowing me to analyze techniques, comprehend the Heavenly Dao, distinguish right from wrong, and receive tremendous help in all aspects, including cultivating the First-Rank Divine Path. It can be said that the Temple Master's righteousness and her selfless help made me who I am today. So even when the Temple Master was later very strict, I have always been grateful in my heart."
"Now, I have stripped the Heart of Truth matter from my body and re-condensed it. Although it is not as complete as the original Heart of Truth, I believe it will greatly aid your future cultivation."
Xiang Chunan felt that Zhang Ruochen was acting strangely today, as if he were settling his affairs. He shook his head. "I don't want it! The Heart of Truth isn't something just anyone can refine. Since Master's wife chose you, it means she has great expectations for you."
Zhang Ruochen said, "I have my responsibilities, and you have yours. She has great expectations for me, and I will not disappoint her. Now I have great expectations for you. The Heart of Truth is not for you—it's for Truth Divine Temple. If you cannot support Truth Divine Temple, I will take it back from you in the future."
With a wave of his hand, Zhang Ruochen struck the Heart of Truth into Xiang Chunan's body.
"Hua!"
Truth radiance bloomed on Truth Mountain.
After a long while, Zhang Ruochen left the Truth Sea alone and appeared before Xuanyuan Lian. "I won't stay long in the Heavenly Court. Help him out."
"Don't worry! You don't need to tell me this. No one dares to cause trouble in the Truth Heaven Domain."
Then, Xuanyuan Lian asked, "Are you alright?"
Zhang Ruochen frowned. "You can tell?"
"Your condition is very bad. Were you injured at the North Marsh Great Wall? Why did you have to strip the Heart of Truth at a time like this?" Xuanyuan Lian's brows were furrowed, deeply concerned.
She wanted very much to help Zhang Ruochen, but found herself unable to do anything.
Zhang Ruochen was indeed severely injured.
Not only from his battles with the Nether Sea Spirit and Baal, but the most serious injury was from blocking that tribulation lightning for Gong Nanfeng. Even now, there was still a bloody hole in his chest beneath his clothes.
"It's nothing. What does a little injury like this mean to someone at my level of cultivation?"
Zhang Ruochen didn't explain further.
He was increasingly able to understand the mindset of people like Hao Tian. Many times, silence wasn't because of indifference, but because there was no way to tell too many people.
Even if he told them, it wouldn't make any difference.
As expected, Bone Yama ultimately failed to escape and was suppressed by Void Heaven. Pan Yuan Ancient God, who had rushed to Lihentian to intercept him, only managed to grab two leg bones.
Pan Yuan Ancient God and Wen Tianjun returned to the Truth Heaven Domain one after the other.
"Void Old Ghost is only one step away from the Half-Ancestor realm! Even Sword Twenty-Five—I might not be able to withstand it." Pan Yuan Ancient God was filled with emotion.
Zhang Ruochen said, "What about Void Heaven? Isn't he attending the Temple Master's funeral?"
"He left. He returned to the Hell Realm. He has deep prejudices against the gods of the Heavenly Court and doesn't want too much contact. He believes that we all bear undeniable responsibility for the Temple Master's death." Pan Yuan Ancient God said.
Many gods present lowered their heads.
Wen Tianjun collected the fragments of Meng Ge's remains and reshaped his physical body.
Neither Bone Yama nor Jiusi Yitianhuang had the ability to break Meng Ge's Dao in a short time, so Meng Ge's Qi Sea and Divine Source remained in a hidden state.
After his physical body was reshaped, his consciousness quickly recovered.
But he had suffered severe damage to his vitality and was in a very low state.
Pan Yuan Ancient God handed over the two leg bones of Bone Yama to him to replenish the lost indestructible matter and divine soul.
Jing Daoren brought back several ribs and a section of arm bone, also giving them to Meng Ge.
After the Truth Temple Master's funeral, Zhang Ruochen and Wen Tianjun set off on their return journey together.
"What does Wen Tianjun think of the Fourth Confucian Ancestor?" Zhang Ruochen asked.
Wen Tianjun gazed at the vast starry sky, his expression complex. "I was just about to ask you the same thing. I saw the painting that Qing Su sent back. At the North Marsh Great Wall, I also sensed his aura. Is he really still alive?"
"Although I never met him in the medieval era, it should be genuine." Zhang Ruochen said.
Wen Tianjun said, "I once studied under the Third Confucian Ancestor, learning spiritual power and the Confucian path. That was the first time I saw him. He was still young then, only a few decades old, but he had already displayed extraordinary talent and brilliance. Ji Wang, Qing Chan, and Xuan Yi all fell short compared to him—either lacking in spiritual power cultivation or in virtue."
Back then, when the Dragon Lord admitted that his talent was inferior to the Fourth Confucian Ancestor, Zhang Ruochen thought it was just modesty.
But coming from Wen Tianjun, it clearly carried more weight.
In that era, breaking through to the ninety-first level of spiritual power was enough to be titled an Ancestor, which already said a lot.
Zhang Ruochen said, "Does Wen Tianjun acknowledge the virtue of the Fourth Confucian Ancestor?"
"I do."
Wen Tianjun spoke these two words without hesitation. "At least, before he appeared in this era, I absolutely acknowledged it."
Wen Tianjun and the Fourth Confucian Ancestor were both cultivators from the Kunlun Realm. Although their ages differed by hundreds of thousands of years, they had nearly a million years of friendship, and their understanding of each other must have been extremely deep.
A person can disguise themselves temporarily, but not for nearly a million years.
Wen Tianjun continued, "If you asked Tai Shang and Ji Wang this question, they would give the same answer. I don't know why he joined the God Realm, why he disappeared for so many years, or why he didn't return to the Kunlun Realm to see us old friends. But even now, I still believe he has his reasons and his difficulties."
A friendship of a million years was too deep! Even if the Fourth Confucian Ancestor now represented the God Realm, even if he were to become an enemy of the entire universe, people like Wen Tianjun would still give him a chance to explain.
This kind of trust—Zhang Ruochen, who hadn't experienced that era, found hard to empathize with.
Zhang Ruochen said, "What if... just what if... the Eternal True Ruler is a Confucian ancestor that the Fourth Confucian Ancestor couldn't refuse? Would that be the reason you're looking for?"
Wen Tianjun's body trembled slightly, and a sharp light burst from his eyes. "You mean that one? That's impossible. The time and lifespan simply don't match up."
Zhang Ruochen said, "We cannot underestimate the methods of the Immortals. Even chaotic ancient demon gods can appear in this era, let alone him. I'm just speculating, without any evidence."
Zhang Ruochen was certainly not guessing randomly.
After all, in the Ten Thousand Beasts Treasure Mirror, that one had clearly left an inscription, stating that together with the Human Ancestor, they had slain the Dark Sovereign and suppressed his hands and eyes.
With such a close relationship with the Human Ancestor, and being able to make the Fourth Confucian Ancestor willingly obey, how could Zhang Ruochen not speculate about him?
"Don't guess anymore. I'll go ask him myself. Ji Wang sent a message—he's arrived at the Dragon Nest!" Wen Tianjun said.
(End of Chapter)