Chapter 4065: All Connected to the Nether Ancestor Faction
Zhang Ruochen did not go to the Dragon Nest with Wen Tianjun. After returning to Wuding Divine Sea, he went straight to the Bright Moon Dust Heart Hall.
He extracted the dark force from Qing Sixue's body, instructed Zhang Su'e to take good care of her, then exited the room and arrived at the foot of the divine mountain.
Not far away was the Hanging Sky Waterfall.
Sacred trees densely surrounded the area, with lush branches and leaves, and colorful flower beds.
This was where Wu Yue had received Qing Sixue earlier, and dark aura still lingered even now.
Wu Yue, Bai Qinger, and Ji Fanxin stood quietly by the lake, each peerlessly beautiful, like celestial maidens or divine palace consorts.
"Whoosh!"
Zhang Ruochen raised his right hand, and streaks of fate light appeared in his palm as the River of Time materialized beneath his feet.
A divine soul thought flew out from his body, merged into the fate light, and traveled along the River of Time into the past.
He wanted to peer into what had happened here.
That divine soul thought burned away on the River of Time and never returned.
But Zhang Ruochen had already seen what transpired—just as Wu Yue had said, after a darkness, Jiusi Yitianhuang had vanished without a trace.
Wu Yue was the first to approach, her fragrant presence wafting, her red lips parting: "Husband, what is the result?"
"All heavenly secrets and auras were swallowed by darkness. However..."
Zhang Ruochen narrowed his eyes and said, "Jiusi Yitianhuang definitely did not leave on his own. This dark force does not belong to him either. An external power he could not resist sent him away!"
Bai Qinger's eyes revealed shock. "Jiusi Yitianhuang is at the Heavenly Venerable level. Even a Half-Ancestor would find it nearly impossible to send him away so silently. Was it an Ancestor making a move?"
"It should be an Ancestor. Only an Ancestor could be so silent, leaving even Imperial Dust unable to probe the heavenly secrets. But which Ancestor could it be?" Ji Fanxin said thoughtfully.
Zhang Ruochen said, "How many Ancestors are there in the world? A Half-Ancestor, using a formation or a powerful divine artifact, might also be capable."
"A Half-Ancestor? After Wen Tianjun left, the only Half-Ancestor in Wuding Divine Sea at the time was Master Candeng. It shouldn't be him—Master Candeng came personally and couldn't explain what happened either. With his cultivation and character, he wouldn't lie." Bai Qinger said.
Zhang Ruochen said, "Qinger, how do you know that Wuding Divine Sea only had Master Candeng as a Half-Ancestor at that time? The fact that Grandmaster went to the Jade Emperor Realm is top secret, known to no more than five people."
Bai Qinger said, "The opening of the Jade Emperor Realm is the biggest event of the present age. Even Hao Tian had to go there personally. It would be unreasonable for the Sword Realm not to send a Half-Ancestor. Guessing this isn't difficult—why does Imperial Dust have to suspect me?"
Bai Qinger was not a woman who could tolerate being wronged or humiliated.
Zhang Ruochen's questioning felt like a stab to her heart, and her tone naturally turned cold.
"Zhang Ruochen, I heard you're back. What happened at the North Marsh Great Wall? Huh... everyone's here!"
Xiao Hei's voice arrived before he did.
After passing through the flowers and ancient trees and seeing everyone present, he straightened his clothes and restored the dignified bearing of the Divine Fall Sect Leader.
Sensing the strange atmosphere, Xiao Hei cautiously asked, "What's going on? Everyone looks unhappy. Has something happened that this Sect Leader doesn't know about yet?"
Zhang Ruochen's gaze was cold and sharp. He took out the World-Destroying Bell, placing the sixty-five bronze chime bells by the lakeshore, tapping them with his fingers, producing faint chimes.
Walking along the World-Destroying Bell, Zhang Ruochen recounted what had happened at the North Marsh Great Wall.
Xiao Hei's eyes widened in disbelief. "The World-Destroying Bell tolls, Ancestor-level duel, and the Nether Ancestor killed the Fate Ancestor? How thrilling is that? This is too absurd—how did you survive an Ancestor-level battle?"
Wu Yue somewhat understood why Zhang Ruochen suspected Bai Qinger. It was clear that the Nether Ancestor's power had long been stored within the World-Destroying Bell. As the bell's former owner and a disciple of Shi Yan, how could Bai Qinger escape suspicion?
But Wu Yue felt something was off.
Zhang Ruochen was no longer the hot-headed youth he once was. If he truly suspected Bai Qinger, how could he speak such words without evidence?
That would show a complete lack of subtlety.
So what was his purpose?
"Stirring the grass to startle the snake, luring the snake out of its hole?"
Wu Yue understood in her heart. From Zhang Ruochen's perspective, everyone present, including Xiao Hei, was closely connected to this matter and bore the greatest suspicion.
Ji Fanxin said, "The World-Destroying Bell alone proves nothing. It was originally Imperial Dust himself who took it from Qinger. If the Nether Ancestor could calculate even this, then with His methods, storing power in the bell without anyone noticing would hardly be difficult."
Ji Fanxin and Bai Qinger had once joined forces on Ice King Star to counter Wu Wei and Qing Chengyun's assassination attempt, sharing a life-and-death bond, so she naturally spoke up for her.
Her tone carried considerable dissatisfaction with Zhang Ruochen.
She continued, "The Starry Sky Angler and Gong Nanfeng's concealment of their identities has made you lose trust in everyone around you. Truth Divine Hall Master's death, Jiusi Yitianhuang's sudden disappearance—the sense of crisis coming from all directions has deepened this mindset."
"Imperial Dust isn't questioning Qinger; you're testing, questioning all of us present."
"But Imperial Dust, if you can't even trust us, who can you trust?"
Xiao Hei regretted rushing over. What kind of battlefield of Shura was this?
At the same time, he somewhat understood why Zhang Ruochen had warned him not to get involved in the conflicts among these women. None of them were easy to deal with, none had weak personalities. If they united, Zhang Ruochen might not even be a match.
"If there's nothing else, this Sect Leader will take his leave!"
Xiao Hei cautiously stepped back.
Zhang Ruochen said, "Take the World-Destroying Bell. Bring it to the Divine Fall Sect and seal it away."
"Ah!"
Xiao Hei looked wronged. "You're not suspecting this Sect Leader of being connected to the Nether Ancestor, are you? Although I once called myself the Heaven-Slaying Earth-Destroying Emperor, that was purely for intimidation—I never killed indiscriminately."
Zhang Ruochen stared at him silently.
Xiao Hei added, "Fine, there is a bit of a connection. My ancestor was the Undying Bird among the Chaos Ancient Demon Gods, barely counting as a cultivator of the Nether Ancestor faction. But that's how many generations of birds ago? The connection is very limited."
"The Fourth Confucian Ancestor has arrived at the Dragon Nest. Wen Tianjun, Dragon Lord, and the Empress have all gone there. Aren't you going to pay your respects?" Zhang Ruochen said.
Xiao Hei didn't know about the Fourth Confucian Ancestor's emergence and was greatly shocked. "Wasn't the Fourth Confucian Ancestor long dead? Zhang Ruochen, don't joke like that."
"Whether it's a joke, go to the Dragon Nest and see for yourself. Don't rush—take the World-Destroying Bell with you."
Without giving Xiao Hei a chance to refuse, Zhang Ruochen waved his sleeve, and the sixty-five bronze chime bells flew over, hanging all over Xiao Hei's body, impossible to shake off.
"If you don't dare to seal them in the Divine Fall Sect, then give them away. Best to send them out of Wuding Divine Sea." Zhang Ruochen hinted.
Xiao Hei didn't understand what Zhang Ruochen was implying at all. Unable to remove the bronze chime bells, he could only head to the Dragon Nest first—Wen Tianjun would surely have a way.
As Xiao Hei ran, the bronze chime bells clashed against each other, ringing endlessly like firecrackers along the way.
The news of the Fourth Confucian Ancestor clearly shocked Wu Yue, Bai Qinger, and Ji Fanxin as well, but they didn't show it on their faces, still silently sulking with Zhang Ruochen.
Wu Yue was the first to break the heavy atmosphere. "From what Husband just described, the Nether Kingdom battle was extremely perilous, with Heavenly Venerable-level and Half-Ancestor casualties and Ancestor-level duels. Was Husband injured? And why didn't Chi Yao and Golden Kylin Ancestor return to Wuding Divine Sea together?"
Zhang Ruochen said, "I sustained some injuries, but nothing serious. It's fine."
Wu Yue's eyes were full of concern. "How about not going to the Jade Emperor Realm for now? Rest and recover properly—stop rushing around. You're putting too much pressure on yourself. It's time to take a break and adjust."
"Are you blaming me too, saying that because I'm under too much pressure, I'm targeting Qinger?" Zhang Ruochen laughed coldly, stubbornly. "Rest assured, I will definitely uncover the Nether hidden in the Sword Realm. I don't believe He left no trace at all."
Bai Qinger said, "Imperial Dust may not yet know that along with Jiusi Yitianhuang, the Darkness Temple and Senior Jiu Tian guarding it have also disappeared."
"I know."
Zhang Ruochen's form flickered and vanished before the three women.
Bai Qinger let out a long sigh. "He's severely injured, likely even his divine soul damaged, yet he's desperately hiding it, unwilling to tell us. What do you think he's trying to do?"
"I can sense that after returning this time, he's heavy with worry. He must have already sensed something." Wu Yue said.
Ji Fanxin said, "What I said earlier was too harsh. The responsibility on his shoulders is something we can't truly understand. Any decision he makes cannot afford to be wrong—one mistake, and many people will die because of it. Like this time, his decision to go to the North Marsh Great Wall indirectly caused Truth Divine Hall Master's death, didn't it? If he hadn't gone, Panyuan Ancient God wouldn't have gone either, and Jiusi Yitianhuang and Bone Yama wouldn't have had the chance to destroy Truth Divine Hall."
"No one will think that way, but he will. He's the type to take blame upon himself, so he's destined to live in pain."
"Regarding Jiusi Yitianhuang's matter and the Nether Ancestor's power within the World-Destroying Bell, it all shows that a terrifyingly powerful figure is still hidden among those around him. It's only right that he suspects everyone."
Wu Yue said, "The three of us are more or less connected to the Nether Ancestor faction. We'll probably be distanced by Imperial Dust from now on. Qinger, what do you think about Senior Jiu Tian?"
Bai Qinger said, "Do you think the problem lies with Senior Jiu Tian?"
Wu Yue smiled. "It's hard not to suspect him. Although the three of us can't easily clear ourselves, our cultivation levels can't possibly reach the Half-Ancestor level. But Jiu Tian is different—at his age, it's possible he's hidden his cultivation like Shi Yan. That's the first point."
"Second, who has the deepest friendship with Shi Yan if not him?"
"Third, during the late Middle Ages, all members of the Inverse God Clan were cursed to death, except for his lineage, which remained unaffected."
"Of course, the most important thing is that Senior Jiu Tian disappeared together with Jiusi Yitianhuang. Until he's found, his suspicion is greater than anyone's."
Bai Qinger didn't agree with Wu Yue's analysis. "If all of this was really done by Senior Jiu Tian, why would he stop Jiusi Yitianhuang? And after stopping him, why choose to leave? It doesn't make sense."
"So, the most important thing now is to find Jiusi Yitianhuang and Jiu Tian. Then the truth will naturally come to light." Ji Fanxin said. (Chapter End)