Chapter 4084: Making Amends
Yuan Sheng wore a dark blue martial robe that fit tightly like soft armor, with a purple jade belt tied around her slender waist, accentuating her tall and voluptuous figure to perfection.
However, the powerful aura she exuded, along with her sharp and resolute gaze, carried an icy coldness that kept others at a distance.
It was as if even a single extra glance at her would be an offense, punishable by death.
Having long served as the clan's sovereign, she now possessed the bearing of an empress, no longer as naive as she once was.
In the past, all major and minor affairs of the Primordial Path Clan had to be decided by the Great Elder, Yuan Suyin. Yuan Sheng, though bearing the title of clan sovereign, was more like a princess or a female general, wielding little real power.
But today, looking at the three members of the Primordial Path Clan, it was clear.
Yuan Sheng walked at the front, her posture heroic and upright, with no softness in her gaze, making it evident that Yuan Suyin could no longer influence her.
Yuan Sheng's cultivation had also surpassed Yuan Suyin's, stepping into the peak of the Indestructible Infinite realm.
Around her, spiritual rain and divine clouds swirled, and four moon-white stars flickered faintly on her brow. Every move she made could shake space and influence the rules of heaven and earth.
Her beauty was only slightly inferior to that of the Moon God. As she entered the hall, she outshone all the hundred proud daughters of heaven present, like a bright moon compared to fireflies.
Seeing the revelry and indulgence in the hall, with celestial maidens dancing in groups, Jie Zunzhe frowned deeply.
Was this the attitude for a meeting with a clan sovereign?
Too outrageous, too improper... too infuriating. Was being young an excuse for this?
Jie Zunzhe had no idea what trick Zhang Ruochen was playing this time.
In the past, he would have been delighted, but now, he felt that Zhang Ruochen was somewhat losing his way.
Sometimes, Jie Zunzhe wondered if it was the ideas he had instilled in Zhang Ruochen earlier that had caused this, or if he had been influenced by that old ghost, Xu Tian?
Passing through the dozens of young beauties dancing gracefully, they saw ahead, in a pool of wine, Zhang Ruochen, half-naked from the waist up, sitting on the steps drinking, with his lower body completely submerged in the pool.
Seven or eight even more stunningly beautiful women attended to him. Among them were great saint empresses from the Rakshasa Clan and the Undying Blood Clan, as well as a demon clan empress with a tail. Though they were all young prodigies, their cultivation was not low, and their talents were exceptional, each being a ruler of their own domain.
Each of them wore only a single layer of translucent thin gauze, damp and clinging, indescribably alluring.
Zhang Ruochen beamed with joy, holding a demoness with skin as smooth as jade in each arm, his hands roaming freely, feeling their warm, delicate, and elastic immortal bodies, and shouted, "The Eon Calamity has arrived, and the world will eventually be reduced to ashes. None of us will survive, so we should seize the moment and enjoy ourselves. Drink! Drink again!"
Seeing the scene of wine, flesh, and indulgence before him, Jie Zunzhe's Adam's apple bobbed up and down. Then, he roared, "Withdraw! All of you, withdraw!"
The music abruptly stopped, and the dancers stood frozen in fear.
Zhang Ruochen opened his drunken eyes, saw Jie Zunzhe and Yuan Sheng standing by the pool opposite, and seemed to sober up a little. He waved his hand and said, "All of you, withdraw!"
Just as Jie Zunzhe secretly breathed a sigh of relief, he heard Zhang Ruochen shout again, "Dance again tomorrow night! I want to see a new dance—Celestial Maidens Scattering Flowers, Robes Flying, Leaves Falling. Haha!"
Yuan Sheng snorted coldly and turned to leave.
But after taking one step, she stopped and said, "If Emperor Dust thinks he can fool us like fools, then continue your act. I will not play along!"
Yuan Sheng did not believe for a moment that Zhang Ruochen would let the calamity shatter his will and degenerate into such indulgence in wine and women.
Yuan Suyin stopped Yuan Sheng and shook her head at her.
Zhang Ruochen walked out of the wine pool step by step, picked up the clothes on the ground, and draped them over himself. "Let her go. Let's see if she can even leave this hall."
Yuan Sheng turned around and looked at Zhang Ruochen, who was drinking again, and said coldly, "What does Emperor Dust mean by this?"
Zhang Ruochen tossed the empty bronze cup to the ground with a clatter and said, "Back in Ba Ling, you and Immortal Music Master broke your promise. To seize the Desolate Moon, you nearly trapped and killed me there. Now that you've come to me willingly, do you think you can just leave?"
"Do you really think I, Zhang Ruochen, am easy to deal with? A docile dough with no temper, who repays evil with good and hatred with kindness?"
Jie Zunzhe's expression changed slightly. He had no idea this had happened.
Now he understood why Zhang Ruochen had refused to meet Yuan Sheng and Yuan Suyin.
A bitter look appeared in Yuan Sheng's eyes. Although it was not her who broke the promise but Immortal Music Master, back then on Ba Ling, she had indeed stood with Immortal Music Master.
During the attack on the Abyss of Darkness defense line of the Hell Realm, she had indeed fought against Zhang Ruochen.
Before coming this time, she had mentally rehearsed countless times, ready to set aside her identity as clan sovereign and apologize to Zhang Ruochen.
After all, Zhang Ruochen had helped her far too much.
Many debts could never be repaid.
But after arriving, she was left waiting for days. Finally, through Jie Zunzhe, she managed to see him, only to be met with this act, so different from the person he used to be.
"Bang!"
The hall doors closed.
The three members of the Primordial Path Clan were not panicked, after all, Jie Zunzhe was still there.
Yuan Suyin, proud as she was, lowered her head and bowed to Zhang Ruochen. "The matter at Ba Ling was indeed the fault of the Abyss of Darkness. But fortunately, no real conflict occurred, and everything can still be salvaged. Emperor Dust is broad-minded and magnanimous, surely he will not hold a grudge."
Seeing Yuan Suyin's humble attitude, Jie Zunzhe realized that the Primordial Beings were not only in the wrong but also had a favor to ask. So he closed his eyes and lowered his head, not wanting to get further involved.
Zhang Ruochen sneered. "It didn't happen not because the Abyss of Darkness was kind-hearted, but because my cultivation was strong enough to make you wary. If I were weaker and didn't have Lady Shiji with me, wouldn't I have been reduced to ashes?"
Yuan Suyin did not know how to defend herself. "The Abyss of Darkness only wanted the Desolate Moon and had no intention of harming Emperor Dust."
"Haha!"
Zhang Ruochen laughed loudly. "Well said! Then why did you come to the Wuding Divine Sea instead of Immortal Music Master? If she came, all past grievances would be wiped clean."
"Let's go! If Emperor Dust truly wants to kill us to vent his anger, I, the sovereign, will accept it. But I am not one to be captured without a fight. If it comes to mutual destruction, I will not hesitate for a moment."
Yuan Sheng's heart was extremely pained. She did not know whether she was angry at Zhang Ruochen for no longer being as accommodating, as helpful, as broad-minded, as gentle and warm as before, or if she hated herself for expecting too much, for being too selfish.
Before coming, she had been looking forward to seeing him, imagining all sorts of possibilities.
But never this scene.
Why had it come to this?
"Hua!"
A jade box that Yuan Jieyi had been holding was swept away by a gust of wind and landed in Zhang Ruochen's hands.
The jade box opened.
Ten thousand feet of divine radiance shot out, and Ancestor Rules surged forth, dazzling and strange, yet carrying a yin-cold aura.
"The Ancestor Divine Source of the Yellow Spring Great Emperor. Is this your gift of apology?"
Zhang Ruochen took out the Ancestor Divine Source and examined it in his palm.
The light of the divine source illuminated the entire hall.
The three members of the Primordial Path Clan, who had been about to leave, stopped in their tracks.
Seeing the opportunity for a turnaround, Yuan Suyin said, "The Abyss of Darkness offers this Ancestor Divine Source as an apology, hoping to welcome back the Totem Old Clan Sovereign and Zhenyi Old Clan Sovereign."
The consciousness curses of the Totem Old Clan Sovereign and Zhenyi Old Clan Sovereign had long been dispelled by Zhang Ruochen, but they had been cultivating in the Wuding Divine Sea and had not returned to the Abyss of Darkness.
In the eyes of Immortal Music Master and the various sovereigns of the Abyss of Darkness, the two old clan sovereigns were undoubtedly under house arrest.
Using an Ancestor Divine Source to exchange for two top-tier combatants was definitely not a loss.
Zhang Ruochen smiled. "The two old clan sovereigns are free individuals. As long as they are willing, you can take them back anytime. Elder Jie, will you take them?"
Jie Zunzhe finally opened his eyes and chuckled happily. He had thought today would turn ugly, but Zhang Ruochen had changed his mind because of an Ancestor Divine Source.
Great!
A happy ending for all.
"Come, I'll take you to them. Suyin, I told you, this is nothing. My Ruochen is not that narrow-minded. He was just joking with you earlier!" Jie Zunzhe said.
Zhang Ruochen held the Ancestor Divine Source and muttered to himself, "What a pity. The Primordial Beings will be annihilated before the calamity. But then again, there's nothing to pity. When the calamity comes, all races will vanish from the universe."
As they walked out of the hall, Yuan Sheng, Yuan Suyin, and Yuan Jieyi all had Zhang Ruochen's words lingering in their minds. But the most important thing now was to first see the two old clan sovereigns.
The current Zhang Ruochen was truly unpredictable, too difficult to deal with. If they pressed him further, there might be more complications.
On the way to the Seventy-Two Layer Tower.
Yuan Suyin secretly transmitted her voice and asked, "What is wrong with Zhang Ruochen? Why has his temperament changed so drastically?"
Jie Zunzhe said, "Who knows? It's been like this for eighty thousand years! Perhaps the broken promises of you Primordial Beings were one of the reasons, dealing him a heavy blow."
Yuan Suyin's eyes burned with anger. She had endured humiliation in front of Zhang Ruochen, but now she had to put up with this old man's sarcasm?
"Let's go to the Seventy-Two Layer Tower first to receive the two old clan sovereigns. I will personally visit Emperor Dust again to apologize," Yuan Sheng said.
Yuan Sheng simply did not believe that Zhang Ruochen had become like this. She planned to send the others away and visit him alone to uncover the truth.
Jie Zunzhe, on the other hand, was thinking about how to give Xue Tu a hard time. Gathering a hundred young beauties at once—even someone as strong-willed as him felt his mind waver. Zhang Ruochen's divine soul had been damaged in the Ancestor Battle, and his spirit was already unstable. How could he withstand this?
...
An hour later.
Jie Zunzhe, Yuan Sheng, Yuan Suyin, and Yuan Jieyi returned to Zhenlu Island.
Zhang Ruochen seemed to have known they would come back and said, "Didn't you see the two old clan sovereigns? Why are you back so soon?"
Yuan Sheng said calmly, "You knew all along, didn't you? The two old clan sovereigns transmitted their thoughts. The cultivation environment in the Seventy-Two Layer Tower suits them perfectly, and Emperor Dust's First-Rank Divine Path may help them break through to higher realms. They will not leave the Wuding Divine Sea for now."
"Slap!"
Zhang Ruochen clapped his hands. "Then I can't help it!"
Yuan Suyin said, "May I ask Emperor Dust, what did you mean by what you said earlier?"
"What did I say earlier?" Zhang Ruochen asked, puzzled.
Jie Zunzhe did not want Yuan Suyin to be put on the spot and said, "You said that the Primordial Beings would be annihilated before the calamity."
"Did I say that?" Zhang Ruochen asked.
"Yes."
At least three voices answered in unison.
Yuan Sheng dared not take Zhang Ruochen's words lightly. She felt that his earlier muttering was deliberately meant to warn her. So she clasped her hands and bowed. "Please, Emperor Dust, enlighten me."
Zhang Ruochen raised his right hand and gently beckoned her with his finger.
Although Yuan Sheng was disgusted by his frivolous manner, she still walked over and stopped three steps in front of him.
Zhang Ruochen curled his lips into a sinister smile. "Come closer. I'll only tell you."
Yuan Sheng frowned but took two more steps forward.
Zhang Ruochen leaned his face close, placing his lips near her ear, but instead of speaking, he took a deep breath. Then he walked toward Jie Zunzhe and Yuan Suyin, laughing. "The Primordial Black Dragon is in great trouble. You Primordial Twelve Clans have only a few years left to live!"
Yuan Suyin and Yuan Jieyi both changed color and said in unison, "Please speak plainly, Emperor Dust."
Zhang Ruochen said, "If not for the Primordial Black Dragon, the threat of the Primordial Twelve Clans would not be great. As vassals of the Nether Ancestor, they might still have a chance to survive until the calamity arrives."
"But Immortal Music Master, in her cleverness, awakened this ancient Immortal. She thought that with an Ancestor backing them, the Primordial Beings could return to the upper realm, sweep across the universe, and restore the glory of their ancestors. Little did she know that this act disrupted the Nether Ancestor's plans and exceeded the expectations of the God Realm."
"Would the Nether Ancestor and the God Realm not eliminate such an unforeseen variable ahead of time?"
"The Primordial Black Dragon is indeed powerful, but in the end, it is a severely weakened Immortal who has even lost the Desolate Moon. There is no need for the Nether Ancestor to act personally. Corpse Nightmare and the Eternal True Ruler joining forces would be enough to deal with it."
"When Ancestors clash, it is rare in history. What living beings in the Abyss of Darkness could survive?"
The three members of the Primordial Path Clan all felt suffocated.
Yuan Sheng urgently said, "Impossible. How could the God Realm join forces with the Nether Ancestor faction?"
Zhang Ruochen said, "Why not? Not only could the God Realm and the Nether Ancestor faction join forces, but when the time comes, the Heavenly Court Universe and the Hell Realm might also take advantage of the chaos. After all, the Primordial Beings are ambitious and a threat to all major powers. Eliminating them early removes a variable—a happy ending for everyone."
Yuan Jieyi said, "Emperor Dust, this is no joke. Have you obtained any information?"
None of those present were fools. They all understood that what Zhang Ruochen said was highly possible.
Given his cultivation and status, he would not speak without reason.
If it were before the Eon Calamity, the various factions could still take their time.
But with the Eon Calamity erupting, any drastic measures could be taken. Because time was truly running out!
To become stronger, one had to prey on others.
The Primordial Beings were undoubtedly the most likely to be surrounded and devoured by the wolves.
If they could seize the Primordial Black Dragon's power of immortality, it was entirely possible for the God Realm and the Nether Ancestor faction to join forces.
Zhang Ruochen said, "The Eternal True Ruler came to the Wuding Divine Sea not long ago and borrowed the Ten Thousand Beasts Treasure Mirror from me. Other than the Primordial Black Dragon, I cannot think of anyone else worthy of him using that secret artifact."
Yuan Sheng's heart trembled.
If Zhang Ruochen's speculation was true, then the God Realm and the Nether Ancestor faction's attack on the Abyss of Darkness was imminent.
After a brief discussion, Yuan Jieyi transformed into a beam of divine light and flew out of the Wuding Divine Sea.
Yuan Suyin said, "If the Abyss of Darkness is wiped out, it will do no good for the Sword Realm. Emperor Dust has a deep connection with the Primordial Beings. Why not extend a helping hand in this time of crisis? The Primordial Twelve Clans will be eternally grateful."
In the current world, the number of beings who could contend with the God Realm and the Nether Ancestor faction was few.
And Zhang Ruochen was one of them.
If they could persuade Zhang Ruochen to lend his full support, with his cultivation and connections, combined with the power of the Primordial Twelve Clans, they might have a chance to force back the Eternal True Ruler and Corpse Nightmare.
Zhang Ruochen laughed. "Can the words of the Primordial Beings be trusted? Your gratitude only exists when you need me."
Yuan Sheng felt a pang in her heart. Despite Yuan Suyin's silent signals, she remained silent. She had never expected Zhang Ruochen to help, after all, the Primordial Beings had wronged him first.
That he had warned them of the danger in advance was already the utmost kindness.
Jie Zunzhe, deep in thought, said, "If the God Realm and the Nether Ancestor faction join forces, no power in the universe can oppose them. Perhaps... the Primordial Twelve Clans should first consider how to preserve their seeds and continue their race. Suyin, you and Yuan Sheng shouldn't go back!" (Chapter End)