Chapter: 4102 - Great Wilderness Market
This stretch of the Santu River was exceptionally wide, the current gentle and slow. The river's surface was shrouded in a heavy, gloomy mist, obscuring the opposite bank from view.
The riverbank was overgrown with dark purple ghost grass and nether flowers, a foot in height. Clumps of fist-sized, ghostly blue flames could often be seen drifting among the blossoms.
Within those blue ghost fires were wrapped fierce ghosts, newly born from the Santu River. Some resembled humans, some dogs, some birds...
These fierce ghosts bared their fangs and claws within the ghost flames, devouring each other, all of them savage and ferocious.
Flying past the thicket of ghost grass and nether flowers, a green stone tombstone stood on the riverbank ahead. Faintly visible below the tombstone were flickering candlelight and burning incense and paper money.
A figure dressed in plain white stood before the tombstone, pouring a bowl of wine from left to right into the soil.
Seeing this figure and sensing the terrifying aura emanating from her, all the fierce ghosts trembled in fear, fleeing into the ghost grass and nether flowers, quickly disappearing from sight.
"Another death anniversary has come. Dust, you said you would come to see me. Why haven't you come this year?"
Bore looked at her reflection in the water, her face expressionless, but her eyes gradually grew sorrowful, her gaze moist, as if lost in some memory.
She knew very well that she would never see Zhang Ruochen again.
The path they had walked together had finally reached its end.
The letter Zhang Ruochen had given her was merely a thread to keep her alive. With her personality, she certainly wouldn't resort to desperate measures, but her temperament would surely change drastically. She might walk down some extreme path, ultimately destroying herself.
Behind her, the sound of light footsteps arose.
The candle flame flickered.
Bore's heart trembled, and she immediately turned around.
She saw a figure completely shrouded in a black robe slowly walking out from the ghost grass and nether flowers. The figure wore a bamboo hat, from whose brim hung a layer of purple gauze that obscured the face.
The figure was tall and slender, clearly a woman.
A flash of disappointment passed through Bore's eyes, and she grew inwardly wary. The other party's cultivation was unfathomably deep; she could sense no aura, no fluctuation of power.
This could only mean that the other party's cultivation far exceeded her own.
Bore's cultivation was not low; she had reached the Great Unbound Infinite realm. Even facing an early or middle stage Indestructible Infinite cultivator, she could discern some clues, not be left feeling like a mere mortal.
In the current universe, how many women had cultivation reaching such heights?
"Whoosh!"
Bore summoned the time artifact, the "Gui Ruler," holding it like a sword. Instantly, circles of time imprint light spots appeared like fireflies filling the sky, shaking the nether flowers in the grass into flight.
The woman in the bamboo hat ignored the power of time, walking step by step to stand before Bore. She parted the purple gauze with both hands, revealing a cold yet enchanting face.
Her temperament was very strange. She should have been an icy beauty, possessing an otherworldly sanctity, but her eyes were unpredictable—sometimes seductive, sometimes gloomy, sometimes pitiful.
It was as if, whenever she wished, she could disguise herself as any kind of woman, without any flaw.
"Lian Xi!"
Bore put away the Gui Ruler, saying, "How did you know I was here?"
The purple gauze closed, concealing her face.
Lian Xi walked step by step to the tombstone, saying, "The Imperial Dust's bones have returned to heaven and earth, already turned to dust. Leaving behind a cenotaph only adds to the sorrow. By doing this, you will forever cocoon yourself. On the path of cultivation, how can you ascend to the next level?"
Bore said, "A person must have some thoughts, mustn't they? I thought you would burn a stick of incense for him."
"I will not torment myself over someone who has already died."
Lian Xi added, "Before the Imperial Dust died, he not only gave you the Gui Ruler, but also entrusted the Paradise Realm to your care, didn't he?"
The wind rose.
The wind blew the paper and candles, making the flames dance.
Bore narrowed her eyes slightly, gazing at Lian Xi's vast, smoke-like silhouette in the firelight, and said, "Did you come for the Paradise Realm?"
"The Paradise Realm is the Kasyapa Pure Land, a supreme treasure. With it, the growth of your spiritual power and divine soul over these years has been unmatched by few. Now, it's time for another to take charge."
Lian Xi turned around, saying, "The Paradise Realm does not belong to you. It is a relic of the Imperial Dust. I am qualified to claim a share!"
Bore laughed bitterly, countless thoughts swirling in her heart. "I guessed early on that for the sake of profit, this day would come. I thought it would be those with strong personalities who would strike first. I never expected it to be you. You weren't even a wife who married the Imperial Dust. Where do you get the qualification?"
Lian Xi's voice was utterly devoid of emotion. "Given your talent and aptitude, it would be extremely difficult for you to cultivate to the Indestructible Infinite realm. The Paradise Realm will change hands sooner or later."
Bore said, "I have decided to send the Paradise Realm to the Western Buddha Realm, to hand it over to the Cishan Venerable, returning it to the Buddhist sect, to aid him in attaining the Dao."
"Is the Paradise Realm on you?" Lian Xi asked.
Bore felt an unusual chill. "Are you going to seize it by force?"
"Whoosh!"
The yin-cold soul mist, like a cloud, swallowed Bore whole.
A gale swept past. Aside from the lonely tombstone, everything vanished.
The paper and candles were extinguished, leaving only wisps of green smoke.
"Swish! Swish!"
Two figures, one after the other, appeared by the riverbank.
The Divine Martial Envoy, "Wu Shi," had a divine light shining from his brow, emitting strands of patterns, reconstructing the images of what had just occurred here.
The figures of Bore and that slender black-robed figure materialized.
But all the patterns dissolved as they approached the black-robed figure, making it impossible to glimpse her face or the secrets of heaven.
"What terrifying cultivation. In the current universe, there are only about five such women. Has the Confucian Ancestor deduced the heavenly secrets? Who is it?" Wu Shi asked.
The Fourth Confucian Ancestor shook his head. "The other party's divine soul or spiritual power is extremely powerful. Just now, I dared not release my spiritual power to probe; it would be easily detected by the other party."
Wu Shi was greatly shocked. "A Half-Ancestor?"
"Even if not a Half-Ancestor, they stand at the pinnacle of the Heavenly Venerable rank." The Fourth Confucian Ancestor said, "Are you absolutely certain that was a woman?"
Wu Shi said, "Not necessarily! A cultivator of such a high level, yet unwilling to show their true face, changing their silhouette to mislead us with gender, is possible. Does the Confucian Ancestor think it could be Zhang Ruochen?"
The Fourth Confucian Ancestor had left the Eternal Heavenly Kingdom this time precisely to ascertain whether Zhang Ruochen had truly fallen.
He had learned that before his fall, Zhang Ruochen had sent the Wuwo Lamp to the White Clothes Valley to deliver a letter to Bore.
This kind of treatment was not even afforded to Zhang Ruochen's wives, making it highly suspicious.
Therefore, over the years, he had been hiding in the shadows, wanting to see if Zhang Ruochen would one day appear for a secret meeting with Bore.
Today's situation was naturally suspicious.
Wu Shi asked, "What do we do now? There's no way to determine if the one who took Bore is Zhang Ruochen. Reporting back like this will hardly satisfy the True Arbiter."
The Fourth Confucian Ancestor smiled calmly. "Rest assured! Although that person's cultivation is formidable and their perception sharp, my spiritual power still far surpasses theirs. They won't escape. We'll just follow slowly, and there will be a result."
Whether that black-robed cultivator was male or female, whether it was Zhang Ruochen or not, acting so suspiciously was definitely abnormal, and there must be some secret hidden behind it.
...
The Life and Death Realm Star was a ninth-level life planet, more massive than ten great worlds. It was rich in resources and teeming with powers. Not only were there Saint realm cultivators, but even gods were numerous.
It was located on the banks of the Santu River. Ahead lay the Santu River basin occupied by the Middle Three Clans, and behind lay the star domains inhabited by the Lower Three Clans.
It could be said that the Life and Death Realm Star was the dividing point between the living beings' territory and the undead territory of the Hell Realm.
Such a main star, with an excellent geographical location and abundant resources, did not belong to any single clan of the Hell Realm. Living beings and undead gathered here, large and small clans coexisted. Walking the streets of the ancient city, one could even see humans, demons, and angels.
Especially after the top cultivators of the Lower Three Clans and Middle Three Clans had moved away from the surrounding star regions, the Life and Death Realm Star became the only main star within thousands of light-years, growing even more prosperous.
The Great Wilderness Market was located between the Heavenly Wilderness Sacred City and the Earth Wilderness Sacred City, thousands of miles from both sacred cities, serving as a transit point.
The market consisted of only one main stone street, about seven or eight miles long. Many cultivators came and went, their realms not high, with cultivators from the Hell Realm making up half.
Cultivators from the various races of the Heavenly Court Universe accounted for less than one-tenth.
The remaining cultivators were of all strange kinds, most not in human form. Even those who looked human had clothing, accessories, and languages that were extremely niche, not belonging to any major race in the universe.
Clearly, they came from the Heavenly Wilderness or the Earth Wilderness.
Zhang Ruochen, dressed in a gray-white Daoist robe, sat outside a small shop called "Heavenly Wilderness Eater." He had ordered two or three specialty foods from the Heavenly Wilderness.
He had finally condensed a physical body.
Having not eaten or drunk for many years, he greatly missed the flavors of the mortal world.
"How is it all raw food?"
Fan Chen, sitting across from Zhang Ruochen, frowned deeply. He opened a wineskin, took a sip, and lost his appetite.
The small shop had no waiters, only the owner, who looked to be in his sixties or seventies, with a cultivation at the Fish-Dragon realm.
The shop owner smiled apologetically. "Over in the Heavenly Wilderness, almost everything is eaten raw. You just dip it in a special sauce, and it's very delicious."
"Shopkeeper, have you been to the Heavenly Wilderness?" Zhang Ruochen asked.
The shop owner said, "When I was young, I was fortunate enough to go once with a fleet of the Meng Clan. The boat fare was too expensive. That time, the goods I acquired just covered my costs."
Zhang Ruochen asked, "Since the shopkeeper has been to the Heavenly Wilderness, have you heard of the Biluo Pass?"
The shop owner thought carefully, then shook his head. "Never heard of it! If the Daoist truly wants to inquire, you'll have to find the Meng Clan. The entire Heavenly Wilderness is under the control of the Meng Clan. There's nothing they don't know."
"Thank you. Go about your business!" Zhang Ruochen said.
Fan Chen asked, "Are you going to the Heavenly Wilderness?"
Zhang Ruochen nodded.
"Didn't you just merge your physical body and consciousness? Your divine soul is incomplete, you have no divine source or divine energy, no rule divine patterns, no Dao methods. Don't you want to go into seclusion and recover your cultivation as soon as possible?" Fan Chen said.
Zhang Ruochen said, "Is this a major matter?"
"Isn't this a major matter?" Fan Chen countered.
Zhang Ruochen said, "Alright, it is a major matter! But it is very difficult!"
"Precisely because it's difficult, you need to focus. Spend more time on it, and you will surely succeed." Fan Chen encouraged.
Zhang Ruochen shook his head. "The difficulty I speak of is not the difficulty of recovering my cultivation. Rather, to recover my cultivation, I need to absorb too much heaven and earth energy and too many heaven and earth rules. It will be very hard to hide from the perception of the Ancestor. Once sensed, the secrets will be deduced, and all will be lost."
Fan Chen suddenly understood. "I see! You're going to the Heavenly Wilderness because it's far enough away to hide from the Ancestor's perception, preventing them from sensing you. I've heard that when Fengdu Dadi was charging towards the Heavenly Venerable rank, and when Wen Tianjun was severely injured, they both traveled to the cosmic borderlands, not wanting to be taken advantage of by their enemies when they were weak."
Zhang Ruochen said, "This method is useless against an Ancestor! An Ancestor's thought can reach the entire universe. The cosmic borderlands are not a lawless place."
"Then why are you going to the Heavenly Wilderness? To find that Biluo Pass?" Fan Chen asked.
Zhang Ruochen said, "You ask too many questions."
"Do I?"
"Yes!"
"Really that many?"
Zhang Ruochen didn't answer. He felt that the Can Deng Master hadn't sent him a helper, but a burden.
Even though he was worried about being sensed by the Ancestor and couldn't act easily, he still didn't want to travel with a monk full of questions.
The Mahabrahma Deva of old was not like this!
A piece of news spread through the Great Wilderness Market, causing an uproar.
"The Red Crow King of the Nether Ancestor Faction infiltrated the Undying Divine City, attempting to assassinate the clan leader of the Undying Blood Clan, but was instead suppressed. The Void Heaven is mighty!" A Great Saint wearing the ritual robes of a Destiny Temple priest proclaimed loudly, met with unending applause.
Someone questioned, "Was it the Void Heaven who suppressed the Red Crow King? Legend has it that the Red Crow King is a Half-Ancestor."
"So what if he's a Half-Ancestor? Even Half-Ancestors have their superiors! The Red Crow King faced the only Sword Twenty-Five since the Sword Ancestor. The Void Heaven simultaneously wields the Sword Heart and the Sword Source. In a charging assault, who below the Ancestor dares to receive it? The Void Heaven wields the Heavenly Mechanism Brush, with a spiritual power that is perfectly round and flawless. A single stroke is like a divine prison, enough to imprison even a Half-Ancestor."
...
"After Xue Tu took control of the Fierce Terror Divine Palace, the entire atmosphere of the palace has truly changed." Zhang Ruochen looked at the ritual robes of that Destiny Temple Great Saint, noticing the emblem of the Fierce Terror Divine Palace.
The Void Heaven's return from the God Realm was definitely good news.
Perhaps the Heavenly Demon had already been rescued, merely hidden in the shadows.
The fact that the Void Heaven dared to suppress the Red Crow King, unafraid of Corpse Nightmare, indicated some things.
The heaviest stone in Zhang Ruochen's heart fell. He could finally set off for the Heavenly Wilderness with peace of mind, to find the Biluo Pass.
The cosmic borderlands were not a single place.
In reality, no matter which direction one traveled from the Heavenly Court Universe or the Hell Realm Universe, as long as one went far enough from the star-dense regions, it was called the cosmic borderlands.
The former Extinction Star Sea was the cosmic borderlands.
Further north of the North Marsh Great Wall was the cosmic borderlands.
Further west of the Abyss of Darkness was also the cosmic borderlands.
The Heavenly Wilderness was above the Yellow Spring Star River.
The Earth Wilderness was below the Yellow Spring Star Sea.
Both were extremely far from the Hell Realm, with sparse stars and scarce resources, but they could still nurture many races and powers.
"Shopkeeper, the bill!"
Zhang Ruochen stood up and headed towards the southern market of the Great Wilderness Market, intending to visit the Meng Clan.
Fan Chen caught up, saying, "I have one more question. Who am I, really? The Can Deng Master said you know who I am."
"Xuanyuan Second!"
Zhang Ruochen suddenly stopped, looking at the figure that had just walked past him.
"My name is Xuanyuan Second?" Fan Chen said happily.
Zhang Ruochen had been maintaining his Wuji circle, so no information from their conversation could leak out.
Seeing that Zhang Ruochen didn't answer him, Fan Chen followed his gaze towards the back of the figure ahead, who was wearing a large red kasaya. That person held a thick staff in hand, and above the kasaya was a huge skull.
Fan Chen said cautiously, "His aura is completely concealed. He is a formidable Bone Clan expert. How could such a Bone Clan expert practice Buddhism? Why would he come to the Great Wilderness Market?"
Zhang Ruochen seemed lost in thought, then said, "Since you are both of the Buddhist faith, you should have many common topics. Why not go and ask him?"
"Alright! I like asking questions! But I still have one more question: Is my name really Xuanyuan Second?" Fan Chen asked.