Chapter 4083: Calculation Results
Gai Mie's physique was imposing, like an iron tower or a divine mountain, with long hair scattered over his shoulders. His eyes blazed like two scorching suns, yet they could not conceal the desolation deep within his pupils.
One of the former Supreme Pillars, he could no longer dominate in this era, suppressed by one rising junior after another.
He said, "Why must the Imperial Dust mock me like this? The Half-Ancestor realm is separated by a heavenly moat. The rules of heaven and earth suppress us cultivators who do not belong to this era, keeping us below that realm."
Zhang Ruochen sat above, yet his gaze could only meet Gai Mie's at eye level, given the latter's towering stature. He said, "The Eternal True Ruler, the Spiritual Power Ancestor, his methods are profound and mysterious, seemingly omnipotent. Even he could not help you break through?"
Gai Mie shrugged, his tone carrying a hint of self-mockery: "The Ancestor is naturally omnipotent, but I am a cultivator of the Sword Realm. Why would the Eternal True Ruler truly help me? Does the Imperial Dust still remember the promise he made to me back then?"
"Naturally, I remember! What I have promised, I will surely fulfill."
What was promised was, of course, to assist him in cultivation and overcome the suppression of heaven and earth's rules.
In order to break through.
Zhang Ruochen stood up, his spine straight, his whole body radiating dazzling divine light, his aura pressing forward. He said, "Did the Supreme Pillar not say that if I, the Emperor, lend you a hand in cultivation, you would swear loyalty to the Sword Realm unto death and follow me in campaigns north and south?"
Faced with Zhang Ruochen's aura and gaze, which approached the Ancestor level, Gai Mie could no longer maintain the dignity of a Supreme Pillar. He clasped his hands and bowed: "I am willing to follow the Imperial Dust unto death, obeying only the Imperial Dust's commands."
"Whoosh!"
Without any visible fluctuation, without any movement from Zhang Ruochen.
An invisible hand helped Gai Mie rise.
Zhang Ruochen clasped his hands behind his back and said, "The Supreme Pillar should have returned earlier. If he had returned earlier, perhaps he would have already broken through to the Half-Ancestor realm with my help."
Gai Mie had long heard that Zhang Ruochen had become suspicious and harsh in recent years, so he quickly explained: "Back then, I followed the Imperial Dust's orders, carrying the Desolate Moon to the Eternal Heavenly Kingdom, provoking the three Ancestors into a magical confrontation, and resolving the crisis of the Sword Realm. But after all, I had defected to the Eternal Heavenly Kingdom. How easy do you think it was to leave? The Ancestor would not allow himself to be toyed with."
"Not to mention the Eternal True Ruler, even his several great disciples are not easy to deal with."
"This time, it was only because the Entropy Eruption broke out, causing chaos within the Eternal Heavenly Kingdom, and the Eternal True Ruler's true body was not present, that I found an opportunity to return. Imperial Dust, you must not doubt my loyalty to you."
"If I had not taken the Ancestor's Grand Talisman from Corpse Nightmare, would you have returned or not? That remains to be seen." Zhang Ruochen kept this thought to himself without voicing it.
This was simply human nature, nothing to criticize.
Only with absolute strength could one be worthy of others' allegiance.
Gai Mie bowed again, lowering himself further, and added: "My end is approaching. I beg the Imperial Dust to use the First-Rank Divine Path to assist me."
Zhang Ruochen said, "No rush! Since the Entropy Eruption has occurred, the Calamity of Quantities is only one Eon away. By then, everyone may die. I can see that the Supreme Pillar's blood energy is still vigorous. Holding on for a few more tens of thousands of years is certainly not difficult."
Gai Mie smiled bitterly, about to speak again.
Zhang Ruochen said, "With the Entropy Eruption, the rules of heaven and earth have already loosened further. With the Supreme Pillar's cultivation foundation and my full assistance, breaking through to the Half-Ancestor realm is certainly not difficult."
Gai Mie was well aware that his eight-year absence had greatly diminished his trust in Zhang Ruochen's eyes.
How shrewd was Zhang Ruochen? How could he easily help him?
What if he ended up nurturing a Half-Ancestor for the Eternal Heavenly Kingdom?
Gai Mie lowered his voice and revealed a secret: "The Eternal True Ruler bestowed the Desolate Moon upon Qishier Pin Lian."
Zhang Ruochen was not surprised.
The Eternal True Ruler had given part of the Dark Lord's body and divine soul to Qishier Pin Lian to refine, undoubtedly cultivating her as a blade against the Nether Ancestor Faction.
Giving her the Desolate Moon was only to be expected.
The Desolate Moon itself was a source of calamity, coveted not only by the Primordial Black Dragon and the Dark Lord but also by many cultivators in the universe.
Moreover, Qishier Pin Lian was the daughter of the Immovable Bright King Great Venerable, the woman of Hao Tian, the sister of Nutian Shenzun, and Zhang Ruochen's great enemy... From any perspective, she was an excellent pawn, well worth cultivating.
With a slight manipulation of this pawn, a storm could be stirred.
Gai Mie added, "There is another matter. In the Eternal Heavenly Kingdom, I saw Chi Kunlun."
"Oh!"
Zhang Ruochen became interested.
Gai Mie said, "At the time, he was received by the Divine Martial Envoy, Wu Yan."
Zhang Ruochen said, "What did he go to the Eternal Heavenly Kingdom for?"
Gai Mie shook his head. "Anyone could see that my defection to the Eternal Heavenly Kingdom was an act, so everyone was wary of me. I could never enter their core circle."
Zhang Ruochen pondered for a moment, then smiled. "The Supreme Pillar may go down and rest first. Later, I have an important task to assign."
Gai Mie was well aware that if he did not show some attitude, he would likely be kept at arm's length by Zhang Ruochen.
He said, "I am a Heavenly Venerable-rank cultivator. What need is there for rest? If the Imperial Dust has orders, why not give them now?"
Zhang Ruochen's eyes showed approval. "Good! What I need is exactly this fighting spirit of the Supreme Pillar. I have two extremely important matters that only the Supreme Pillar can handle."
"First, the Sword Realm plans to forge the North Marsh Great Wall into an End-Times Fortress. Troops will be dispatched immediately, and resources from various major worlds will be mobilized."
"Speaking of understanding the North Marsh Great Wall, there should be few in the world who can compare to the Supreme Pillar. Would the Supreme Pillar be willing to take the lead for the Sword Realm and go there first to garrison?"
Gai Mie said, "This matter is my bounden duty. May I ask the Imperial Dust, what is the second matter?"
"Help me find Jiusi Yitianhuang."
Zhang Ruochen's gaze turned cold.
He had never let go of the grudge against the Truth Temple Hall Master.
Gai Mie said, "After the Truth Temple Hall Master died, Bone Yanluo was executed, but Jiusi Yitianhuang vanished without a trace. To be honest, the Eternal True Ruler's senior disciple, the Second Confucian Ancestor, once asked me to join him in deducing Jiusi Yitianhuang's whereabouts, but we failed."
Gai Mie had refined the Great Demon God's Ancestor Heart.
This Ancestor Heart was essentially Jiusi Yitianhuang's first life.
Thus, there was a mysterious connection between Gai Mie and Jiusi Yitianhuang. Of course, Wu Yue and the Moon God, who had refined the remnant soul of the Ancient Moon God, also had such a connection, but it was weaker, and their cultivation was far inferior to Gai Mie's.
"In the universe, there are not many places that can evade your perception and the Second Confucian Ancestor's calculations. Let me try!"
Zhang Ruochen formed a seal with his right hand, and a black-and-white intertwined Taiji mark appeared before his palm.
He struck the seal, hitting Gai Mie's chest.
"Whoosh!"
Gai Mie's heart beat violently, and the blood within him boiled.
Rings of Taiji light traces spread outward, rushing out of the Wuding Divine Sea and into the vast universe at speeds countless times faster than light...
Around Zhang Ruochen, the four symbolic scenes of the Lesser Yin Divine Sea, the Lesser Yang Divine Mountain, the Jade Tree Ink Moon, and the Illusory Star Sea manifested. The Five Elements rules scattered, forming a lotus.
Forty clusters of Dao light operated in a mysterious pattern, deducing myriad changes, seeing the subtle, and perceiving clearly.
Suddenly, his mind seemed to cross a boundary of heaven and earth, and the figure of Jiusi Yitianhuang appeared.
The scene was in an endless, reddish-brown desert. He walked alongside the Old Drunkard, moving forward, leaving long footprints behind them. The Old Drunkard was bound with divine chains, his hair disheveled, covered in sand.
The scene flashed and vanished, eroded and burned away by some terrifying force.
The Taiji Diagram Seal and all divine light disappeared.
Gai Mie gasped for breath, as if suffocating for ten thousand years. Much of his divine blood had burned away, and his face was somewhat pale.
Zhang Ruochen sat back in his seat above, lost in thought.
Gai Mie was inwardly awed. Even the Second Confucian Ancestor could not deduce this result, yet Zhang Ruochen had managed it. He was truly unfathomable now.
Gai Mie said, "Does the Imperial Dust know where Jiusi Yitianhuang went? I am willing to go, suppress him, and bring him back to the Sword Realm for the Imperial Dust's judgment."
"That place, you cannot go! Never mind."
Zhang Ruochen waved his hand. "The Supreme Pillar should go find the Nine Heavens Mysterious Maiden, take a divine medicine to replenish blood energy, and then head to the North Marsh Great Wall to garrison as soon as possible."
"With the Golden Qilin Ancestor in the shadows and Gai Mie in the light, unless an Ancestor personally acts, no one can shake the North Marsh Great Wall."
After Gai Mie left, Chi Yao and Zangjin Baihu emerged from the space.
Chi Yao said, "Have you deduced where Jiusi Yitianhuang and the Nine Heavens Senior have gone?"
Zhang Ruochen nodded. "It is an extremely special place, not in the Heavenly Court Universe, not in the Hell Realm, and not in any Ancestor Realm, yet it still exists within this heaven and earth."
"Is there such a place in the world?" Chi Yao was slightly taken aback.
Zhang Ruochen said, "Yes, the God Realm."
"How is that possible? How could they have gone to the God Realm? Jiusi Yitianhuang cannot be a cultivator of the God Realm faction." Chi Yao said.
Zhang Ruochen said, "That is precisely what makes it strange. To unravel the mystery, I may have to go to the God Realm myself."
"I will go." Chi Yao said.
Going to the God Realm was not difficult.
Every year, the winter solstice sacrifice opened a passage into the God Realm. As long as one's cultivation was strong enough, one could enter through this passage.
The key was that few dared to enter the God Realm.
Because no cultivator who had entered the God Realm without permission had ever returned alive.
Zhang Ruochen shook his head. "The North Marsh Great Wall is the top priority. The Sword Realm also needs you to watch over it. If Jiusi Yitianhuang could survive in the God Realm for eighty thousand years, it means that the God Realm indeed has no Immortals. Or perhaps the Immortals of the God Realm are not within the God Realm itself."
"Do you already have a suitable candidate in mind?" Chi Yao said.
Zhang Ruochen said, "What about Void Heaven?"
"Void Heaven is indeed deeply devoted to the Truth Temple Hall Master, but asking him to risk his life and enter the God Realm to hunt down Jiusi Yitianhuang... I'm afraid he won't go." Chi Yao said.
"Let's set this matter aside for now. At least Senior Nine Heavens is safe for the moment." Zhang Ruochen seemed to have other plans, saying this.
Chi Yao thought for a moment. "What do you think about Kunlun going to the Eternal Heavenly Kingdom? Could it be that the Nether Ancestor Faction and the God Realm still have the possibility of cooperation?"
Zhang Ruochen said, "The Entropy Eruption came suddenly, catching everyone off guard. Faced with the threat of the Calamity of Quantities, even enemies may cooperate if it benefits both sides."
"Could it be to suppress the Nether Sea in the Eternal Heavenly Kingdom?" Chi Yao said.
Zhang Ruochen shook his head. "Compared to the Nether Sea, the Nether Ancestor Faction probably wants to retrieve the Nether Kingdom more. Kunlun did not return to the Sword Realm but went to the Eternal Heavenly Kingdom instead, which means it is definitely not about the Nether Sea. Perhaps... it has to do with the Ten Thousand Beasts Treasure Mirror."
"What do you mean?" Chi Yao said.
Zhang Ruochen said, "The God Realm and the Nether Ancestor Faction have a common enemy, one even greater than the Dark Lord."
Jie Venerable appeared at the door, wearing a purple-gold crown and a golden-threaded robe, looking spirited. He had heard half the conversation and asked, "What enemy is so formidable? Never mind that. Zhang Ruochen, the envoys from the Abyss of Darkness have been here for a few days. It's not good to keep them waiting, is it?"
Chi Yao knew that the common enemy of the God Realm and the Nether Ancestor Faction that Zhang Ruochen spoke of was the one in the Abyss of Darkness.
The Second Confucian Ancestor, using the Ten Thousand Beasts Treasure Mirror and visiting the Eternal Heavenly Kingdom with Chi Kunlun, was likely all to suppress the Primordial Black Dragon.
The envoys from the Abyss of Darkness arriving at this critical juncture was quite meaningful and profound.
"I will go arrange the matters of forging the End-Times Fortress first. You can talk with Jie Venerable."
Chi Yao bid farewell, bowing slightly to Jie Venerable before leaving.
"Tsk, tsk. Look at Chi Yao now, so sensible, respecting the old and loving the young. Unlike you, so arrogant you have no bounds!"
Jie Venerable found a place to sit and complained, "The envoys from the Abyss of Darkness crossed the entire Hell Realm, a journey fraught with danger. They came from afar, yet were blocked at the door by a mere Sword God. That's not good, is it? I have personally come forward now. Don't you think you should give me some face?"
"Has Yuan Suyin come?" Zhang Ruochen said indifferently.
Jie Venerable coughed dryly twice. "Private matters are private, public matters are public. I know the difference. I heard, I only heard, that they brought several generous gifts this time, showing a desire to make amends."
"Then invite them in!" Zhang Ruochen said.
"Alright!"
Jie Venerable laughed heartily and rushed out excitedly.
Given Zhang Ruochen's temperament in recent years, Jie Venerable was genuinely worried that he would not sell him face. But Yuan Suyin had already begged him, and if he could not win Zhang Ruochen over, where would he put his old face?
Before long, with Jie Venerable striding proudly at the lead, Yuan Suyin, Yuan Sheng, and Yuan Jieyi entered the hall together.
The hall was resplendent, with orioles singing and phoenixes dancing, a scene of decadent luxury.
The hundred heavenly proud daughters of the younger generation sent by Xue Tu were all peerless beauties of their era, talented and beautiful, carefully selected by him from the most gifted women of various clans.
Among them, four were even Divine Maidens of the Destiny Temple.
After all, the Destiny Temple selected Divine Maidens and Divine Sons every thousand years.
With Xue Tu's current cultivation and status, arranging the fates of a few Divine Maidens was a simple matter. Who dared to disobey?
There was a Shura clan Divine King's disciple in white robes striking the chime bells, a Death clan beauty priestess playing the zither, and princesses from the Angel and Demon clans playing flutes and xiaos.
In the great hall, dozens of heavenly proud daughters in colorful clothes, with bells hanging from their necks, wrists, and ankles, danced gracefully. Each had a slender waist, long legs, full chests and hips, beautiful curves, and charming figures.
To dance for the Imperial Dust was, if willing, an honor and an opportunity to showcase oneself. If unwilling, one had to convince oneself that it was necessary.
For the wrath of the Fierce Horror Divine Palace's Palace Master, the Great Slaughter War God Emperor, was not something they or the forces behind them could withstand.
(End of Chapter)