Chapter 4097: Final Words
"Even with Red Crow King joining me, we couldn't suppress his soul. This is a huge problem. If he self-detonates his divine source, even if the four of us Half-Ancestors release our divine souls and spiritual power together, we might not be able to contain him. Zhang Ruochen is absolutely an anomaly!"
Soul Mother transmitted her voice to Lady Shiji.
Zhang Ruochen said, "Since you're afraid of death, why not let me leave?"
Soul Mother was shocked again. This was too heaven-defying.
Even a Half-Ancestor's telepathic transmission couldn't escape his perception.
Lady Shiji said, "Not everyone has the courage to make the decision to self-detonate their divine source. Zhang Ruochen should be very clear about what impact his death would have. Without your protection, how many people would die unjustly?"
"It seems you're afraid too, Lady. Why not invite the Nether Ancestor? If He takes action, I certainly won't have any chance to self-detonate," Zhang Ruochen said.
A smile appeared on Lady Shiji's face. "Why would the Nether Ancestor need to act? Zhang Ruochen, do you know that your luck is really quite bad?"
"Oh? How so?" Zhang Ruochen asked.
Lady Shiji said, "Venerable Lord, show yourself!"
In the vast, hazy chaos, a Myriad Forms Formless Seal slowly emerged.
It was like the mark of heaven and earth, containing countless mysteries, releasing wisps of dark mist, becoming the center of the entire world.
The figure of the Darkness Venerable Lord stood on the Myriad Forms Formless Seal, seemingly faint and indistinct, yet exuding an aura that could intimidate souls.
Sensing that aura, different from the other Half-Ancestors present, Zhang Ruochen's expression changed drastically. He tried to speak calmly: "Why is the Venerable Lord here?"
The power of the entire alternate space battlefield seemed to be controlled by the Darkness Venerable Lord. All rules and divine patterns became still, and the atmosphere grew oppressively heavy.
Lady Shiji said, "I cannot completely separate myself from the Darkness Cauldron using my own power alone. I must have an Ancestor proficient in the Way of Darkness to help."
The Darkness Venerable Lord followed, "There are very few war treasures in the world that interest me, and the Darkness Cauldron happens to be one of them. This deal is quite worthwhile."
Zhang Ruochen said, "Cooperating with the Nether Ancestor faction is no different from courting a tiger for its skin. How could the Venerable Lord be so foolish? Aren't you afraid of helping the Nether Ancestor faction nurture another Ancestor?"
"Ancestors aren't that easy to become."
The Darkness Venerable Lord's voice was hoarse and indistinct. "We are allies. The Nether Ancestor faction can be traded with, but not cooperated with. They asked you to act because they wanted to drag you into the water, making you a public enemy of all forces in this era. If I die, anyone who wants to avenge me will definitely come for you first."
"Wrong!"
Lady Shiji gently shook her head. "The Divine Realm is our enemy. The Nether Ancestor faction is the Venerable Lord's most powerful ally. As for the cultivators of this era, they are all ants, not worth fearing."
Then.
Lady Shiji's crystal red lips moved, whispering softly.
After hearing it, a sharp gleam appeared in the Darkness Venerable Lord's eyes. He looked at Zhang Ruochen, as if he could pierce through his body and soul with his gaze. "My other dark hand is with you?"
Zhang Ruochen did not deny it. He had a clear and profound understanding of his situation.
Lady Shiji would not have invited the Darkness Venerable Lord to help her separate the Darkness Cauldron without some safeguard. The only thing that could counterbalance the Darkness Venerable Lord was Corpse Nightmare.
Therefore, Corpse Nightmare was likely hidden in some nearby space.
Escaping today was as difficult as reaching the heavens.
To fake his death and fool an Ancestor, there was only one way left. That method required gambling, and Zhang Ruochen didn't even have a fifty percent chance.
No choice!
He had to gamble with the heavens. If he succeeded, he would break out of the chess game, become a Half-Ancestor, and never again be led by the nose by the Immortals.
A mocking look appeared in Zhang Ruochen's eyes. Pretending to be mad, he laughed lowly: "That dark hand has always been with me, but the Venerable Lord didn't know! If I gave it to you, your cultivation and combat power would surely rise another level. Why would you still need to form an alliance with me?"
"Zhang Ruochen, do you know that this sentence has already angered me?"
The dark energy within the Darkness Venerable Lord swept across heaven and earth. Without using any divine ability, the space around Zhang Ruochen began to rapidly contract, becoming increasingly viscous, as if it were about to solidify.
This was an Ancestor-level pressure!
Zhang Ruochen let out a long sigh, as if resigned to his fate. "I am at the end of my rope today. The Nether Ancestor faction will not let me live. Haha, one day you will be in the same position! But... I do have a treasure that can restrain cultivators of the Nether Ancestor faction. Before I die, I'll give it to you, just asking for a quick death. Perhaps it will be the key to you slaying Corpse Nightmare and defeating the Nether Ancestor in the future."
Taking out the Mani Pearl, Zhang Ruochen didn't throw it to the Darkness Venerable Lord but instead sent it flying toward Lady Shiji.
Seeing Zhang Ruochen's malicious move, Lady Shiji was slightly surprised, then her face filled with reproach. He was too cunning. Even in such a dire situation, he was still trying to harm her.
The Darkness Venerable Lord naturally knew the value of the Mani Pearl and understood how dangerous these people of the Nether Ancestor faction were.
A Half-Ancestor was not scary.
A group of Half-Ancestors was not scary either.
But if Corpse Nightmare led these Half-Ancestors in casting a curse together, the Darkness Venerable Lord admitted he couldn't withstand it.
Therefore, the moment Zhang Ruochen sent the Mani Pearl flying, the Darkness Venerable Lord condensed a dark hand and grabbed at it through the air.
Strangely, a large hand exuding corpse energy also condensed.
The two hands collided.
The Darkness Venerable Lord let out a deep snort: "Corpse Nightmare, I knew you were hiding in the shadows... Not good, Zhang Ruochen has escaped!"
After sending out the Mani Pearl, Zhang Ruochen immediately flew and landed on the Earth Cauldron.
Under his divine energy's urging, the Earth Cauldron actually scattered, transforming into a mass of source particles, wrapping around his body and easily escaping the Hundred Flowers Garden Small World and the alternate space battlefield.
The Earth Cauldron could refine all material in the world into source particles.
In fact, it could also transform itself into source particles.
After this mass of source particles escaped, it had already deviated far from the spatial coordinates of the Glass Divine Temple, appearing on the banks of the Santu River.
"Ruochen, you chess piece have completely gone out of control. Today, I cannot let you leave again."
Corpse Nightmare appeared first on the Santu River, stepping on the waves. One hand held the Mani Pearl, while the other reached into the void. "You're dead! Your First-rank Divine Path and forty clusters of Dao Light, I'll take them. Perhaps they can help me take another step forward in my cultivation."
The mass of source particles had only recondensed half of the Earth Cauldron and half of Zhang Ruochen's body when Corpse Nightmare used Ancestor Dao techniques to freeze it.
Zhang Ruochen clearly felt his blood and divine matter being plundered by Corpse Nightmare through a method similar to the Blood Devouring Curse. His body grew weaker and weaker.
"Is this the Ancestor's Dao technique?"
"I won't accept this!"
He roared in anger, divine light spraying from his seven orifices, trying to break free from Corpse Nightmare's Ancestor Dao technique.
But it was all in vain, like a beast tied up and placed on a bonfire, about to be roasted and turned into food.
Lady Shiji collected the Hong Cauldron and Wu Cauldron, rushed out of the alternate space battlefield, and hovered in the void, watching Zhang Ruochen, who was screaming in agony. A faint sigh escaped her lips.
Even with unparalleled talent that was invincible in an era, opposing the Nether Ancestor ultimately led to an inescapable death.
History was repeating itself again.
Weak Water Mother and Soul Mother transformed into two beams of divine light, landing beside Zhang Ruochen and the Earth Cauldron, taking the Abyssal Ancient Sword and the Heavenly Demon Stone Knife respectively.
Soul Mother looked back, a trace of pity appearing on her face, tears glistening in her eyes. Her expression was extremely contradictory, very much like Lian Xi's emotions manifesting at this moment.
"Want to seize my Dao? Corpse Nightmare, you'll have to be buried with me."
Zhang Ruochen's bloodshot pupils shot out two beams of lightning. He frantically activated the forty clusters of Dao Light in his Mysterious Womb, and the Five Elements and Four Symbols manifested on the banks of the Santu River.
"Is he going to self-detonate his divine source? No, he doesn't have a divine source... He's going to detonate his Mysterious Womb..."
Although Weak Water Mother and Soul Mother knew that with an Ancestor present, Zhang Ruochen could hardly execute a mutually destructive divine ability, they still sensed danger and immediately fled far away.
"Reverse the cultivation path, scatter the Dao techniques, destroy this heaven and earth and time and space."
Zhang Ruochen's hair was disheveled, his entire body burning.
The forty clusters of Dao Light broke through the suppression of the Ancestor Dao technique, rushed out of his body, flew chaotically in the starry sky, crashed into the Five Elements and Four Symbols, then annihilated and disappeared.
Seeing this, Corpse Nightmare frowned: "The Dao Light has disappeared, the Five Elements have disappeared, the Four Symbols... the Four Symbols have turned into Taiji..."
At this moment, even Corpse Nightmare's Ancestor divine soul couldn't suppress Zhang Ruochen.
"Reversing the First-rank Divine Path, cannot be stopped. Leave quickly!"
A spatial gate appeared behind Corpse Nightmare.
He took a step back and entered it.
For a figure of Zhang Ruochen's caliber to self-detonate, even an Ancestor had to show respect and dared not withstand it head-on.
Just before the spatial gate closed, Corpse Nightmare saw the Taiji Diagram Seal dissipate, turning into Wuji. The Wuji circle tore apart Zhang Ruochen's body and the Earth Cauldron, continuously expanding into the universe.
Wherever the Wuji circle passed, stars collapsed one by one, and the universe grew increasingly dark.
It was no different from a Calamity of Quantities.
When the forty clusters of Dao Light flew out of Zhang Ruochen's body, the terrifying fluctuations they formed were sensed by countless top-tier powerhouses in the universe, who all cast their gazes over.
Each of the forty clusters of Dao Light was tens of thousands of times brighter than an ordinary star, with powerful fluctuations.
When the Wuji circle destroyed the starry sky, it directly shook the entire world, shocking everyone.
"How... how is this possible... Zhang Ruochen self-detonated..."
Even with Fengdu Dadi's state of mind, he could hardly speak smoothly, showing how shocked he was. He immediately flew out of Fengdu Ghost City and rushed toward the center of the energy fluctuations.
Fate Divine Mountain. "Swish! Swish!"
Feng Tian and Xiu Chen Heavenly God rushed out of the divine temple one after another, standing side by side.
Their eyes stared blankly at the starry sky that was growing increasingly dark.
The rules of heaven and earth around them, affected by this, had already boiled over.
This was a universe-level upheaval, triggering celestial phenomena.
"Impossible... impossible..."
Feng Tian shook her head, her body trembling slightly, unable to accept this result.
She had always hidden her inner feelings, never losing composure like this, never exposing her worry, fear, and terror like this.
It was as if the sky had collapsed, as if light and all life in the world had disappeared!
Xiu Chen Heavenly God's face was pale, biting her teeth, repeatedly muttering in regret: "I didn't know, I didn't know it would come to this. If I had known... I would have gone with him... I really didn't know..."
Feng Tian asked in a deep voice: "What exactly happened? Do you know something?"
Slowly, Xiu Chen Heavenly God took out the Victory Crown from her sleeve and handed it to Feng Tian, her eyes fixed on the ground. "Actually, I didn't come to the Destiny Temple to catch up with you. Zhang Ruochen sent me to give you the Victory Crown. He said, 'If Ruochen falls like dust, this crown shall be your phoenix crown.' I don't know what he was thinking, or why he did this. I just felt that a heavy treasure like the Victory Crown couldn't just be given to you casually..."
"Pfft!"
Feng Tian could no longer hear the rest of Xiu Chen Heavenly God's words. Her chest heaved violently, and a mouthful of blood spurted out.
It took a long time for her to calm her emotions. Taking the Victory Crown with slightly trembling hands, she said: "Xiu Chen, you have ruined a great matter. If Zhang Ruochen falls, you will go and be buried with him!"
"I thought he was joking. Who would have thought... Wait for me..."
Xiu Chen Heavenly God felt unprecedented guilt. Recalling Zhang Ruochen's various actions and words before, they were clearly arrangements for his own death, as if he were going to his doom.
If she had given the Victory Crown to Feng Tian earlier, there might have been a turning point.
"Zhang Ruochen, you must not die, or Feng Caiyi will definitely kill me!" Xiu Chen Heavenly God muttered as she chased after Feng Tian.
White Clothes Valley.
Nutian Shenzun had already rushed toward the center of the destructive storm, while Chan Bing stayed behind in the valley.
Juemiao Channa and Bore wanted to follow Nutian Shenzun, but were stopped by Chan Bing. With such a major event happening, even Zhang Ruochen was forced to self-detonate, showing how terrifying the enemy was.
Even Nutian Shenzun had to be extremely careful going there. What difference would it make for Juemiao Channa and Bore to go? It would be suicide.
"Don't worry, Zhang Ruochen has many trump cards. He won't fall so easily."
Chan Bing comforted them, but her own heart had already sunk to the bottom.
The scene in the universe just now was clearly Zhang Ruochen destroying his Dao and self-detonating. If Zhang Ruochen died, it would be a huge matter. No one knew what kind of storm it would trigger next. Preparations had to be made in advance.
Juemiao Channa looked at the yellow leaves continuously falling from the tree. Her heart calmed down faster than anyone else's. She sat back under the Bodhi tree, picked up a wooden stick, struck a wooden fish, closed her eyes, and chanted scriptures.
Bore, however, did not have such a good state of mind. Ignoring Chan Bing's obstruction, she resolutely headed out of the valley.
Death, she did not fear.
If Zhang Ruochen was dead, then death was no longer a terrible thing.
"For these eighty thousand years, you've been hiding something in your heart! You can fool Lingxi, but you can't fool me. I should have talked to you properly long ago. Why didn't you let me know the truth? Is it because my cultivation isn't enough? Or do you not trust me at all? But we've been through so much. Don't we even have the simplest trust? Chen Ge, wait for me. This time, I'll listen to you. If you tell me to return to the Sword Realm, I'll return to the Sword Realm. If you tell me to return to Kunlun, I'll return to Kunlun."
Bore had transformed from Huang Yanchen into her current self, entered the Hell Realm, and cultivated the Path of Fate. All of this was to resist fate and rewrite the scene she had seen in the Pool of Fate.
For this, she had already lost too much.
She had lost her family and her own life.
If Zhang Ruochen fell, then all her thoughts and pursuits would end here. What meaning would the future hold?
Before Bore could leave the valley, she encountered the No Self Lamp, which had come to deliver a letter.
All the high-level members of White Clothes Valley immediately gathered around.
"What exactly happened? Why aren't you with Emperor Dust?" Bore asked.
"How would I know? He asked me to deliver a letter to you, and then he disappeared! Now, I'm also confused. He finally qualified to be my master, but he self-detonated and died young. I'm quite frustrated too. Who do I complain to?" No Self Lamp said.
Chan Bing said: "Emperor Dust's letter might contain the truth."
Bore quickly asked: "Where is the letter?"
From inside No Self Lamp, a folded white letter paper flew out, carrying a faint orchid fragrance.
With an extremely complex mood, Bore slowly unfolded the letter. Her bad feeling grew even stronger!
Zhang Ruochen wouldn't send a letter for no reason.
"Yanchen, fate cannot be escaped, just as you saw in the Pool of Fate."
"I foresee that this journey will be hard to survive. Arriving at the Abyss of Darkness defense line, I hesitated, unsure whether I should come to White Clothes Valley to see you. I feared that seeing you would stir up past memories and leave me unable to face death."
"I still remember, Fengwantai, Golden Jade Leaf, Fire Cloud Jade, Green Fire Black Tortoise..."
"And that touch of deep blue in the Western Courtyard summer, the youthful mischief of the Qianshui engagement, the helplessness of parting with the Chen family, the regret of pushing you to become a Realm Son at Liangyi Sect, the pain of cutting robes at the palace gate, and the complex emotions and melancholy of meeting Bore again."
"When I was young, perhaps in the Eastern Domain Sacred City, or perhaps at Liangyi Sect, there was a moment when I regarded you as the most important person in my life."
"Later, walking countless paths, seeing countless faces, experiencing countless hardships, I still feel that the summer afternoon in the Western Courtyard had the most gentle sunlight, warm and cozy, the most leisurely and carefree period of life."
"Unfortunately, at the time, I thought it was just ordinary."
"If I am lucky enough to survive, I will surely return to marry you, fulfilling that promise of three lifetimes, three reincarnations, unchanging."
"If I do not return, naturally my blood will stain the alien sky, my bones hard to keep. You must live well, erect a stele for me by the Santu River. If on the annual memorial day, the wind blows the paper and candlelight wildly, it will be me coming to see you! Ruochen's final words."