Chapter 4107: The Elder Master Has Been Captured
Inside an octagonal pavilion hung with eight glazed goat-horn lanterns, Meng Twenty-Eight unfolded a Dao domain spanning dozens of zhang in length and width. Rule divine patterns pushed aside the heaven and earth rules, isolating all external perception.
At the center of the pavilion, Meng Huang'e and Meng Huang'ni both had eyes as sharp as blades, divine radiance spreading in rings as they observed Zhang Ruochen countless times. They used both divine thought probing and spiritual power deduction, stopping just short of soul-searching him.
This was not merely suspicion of his motives—it carried hostility, with the possibility of striking at any moment to suppress him.
"Did Tantra Earth Treasury and Baoyin Earth Treasury really go to the Elder Master's residence?"
Meng Huang'ni's gaze was suspicious and heavy, her aura cold and icy. Every word she spoke rang like a bell or drumbeat, using divine might to intimidate Zhang Ruochen's spiritual will, forcing him to tell the truth.
Zhang Ruochen showed no pretense, neither humble nor arrogant, saying, "This poor Daoist does not know any Earth Treasuries. I only saw those two strange men in lama hats walking into that magnificent and grand Meng family residence."
Meng Huang'e, with her peerless beauty and a temperament far gentler than her sister's, smiled sweetly and said, "Now that is strange! With the cultivation of Tantra Earth Treasury and Baoyin Earth Treasury, even a slight use of their Dao techniques would make them invisible to you. Little Daoist, how do you expect us to believe you?"
Given Meng Huang'e's true age, she was certainly qualified to address the half-saint "Saint Si" as little Daoist.
"Why would those two strange men need to use Dao techniques to hide themselves? As I said, the Second Karmic Heavenly King found this matter suspicious, so after much deliberation, I decided to inform Twenty-Eighth Sir, to repay his kindness in recognizing my talent." Zhang Ruochen said.
Meng Huang'e and Meng Huang'ni naturally would not easily trust this Daoist, who appeared to be only at the peak half-saint level.
The mere fact that he was unafraid of the divine might suppression from a God Venerable-level expert was highly abnormal.
Zhang Ruochen continued, "Twenty-Eighth Sir, is this how the Meng family treats their guests? I kindly offered a warning, yet now I have become the object of suspicion?"
Meng Twenty-Eight looked at Meng Huang'e and Meng Huang'ni, his lips moving as he transmitted a message.
Meng Huang'e's eyes lit up. "So the Daoist is a friend of the Second Karmic Heavenly King. That explains it! Please do not spread what you have told us. We will handle it ourselves."
"Fine! It has nothing to do with me anyway, and I have no desire to get involved."
Zhang Ruochen flicked his wide sleeve and walked away without even offering a bow, showing no respect to the two God Venerables and one Great God of the Meng family.
As Zhang Ruochen stepped out of the Dao domain and disappeared into the shadow of a rockery, Meng Huang'ni asked, "What do you all think?"
"Since this Daoist is from the Western Buddha Realm, the truth of this matter is questionable. It might be a scheme by the Western Buddha Realm against the Earth Desolate Buddhist Sect. Compassionate Sail Venerable appears serene and inactive, but in truth, he is extremely intelligent and should not be underestimated." Meng Huang'e said.
Meng Twenty-Eight said, "What if it is true? Compassionate Sail Venerable and Treasure Pearl Earth Treasury were engaged in debate and discourse, yet Tantra Earth Treasury and Baoyin Earth Treasury quietly left at such a critical moment and went to the Elder Master's residence. That is highly abnormal! Why did they leave? What were they doing? I am not doubting the Elder Master, but... this matter is of great importance and requires careful consideration."
Meng Huang'ni coughed twice and said hoarsely, "Don't you find it strange?"
Meng Huang'e and Meng Twenty-Eight both looked at her, not understanding her meaning.
Meng Huang'ni's eyes were deep. "The Elder Master and the Third Master have never been on good terms. Over the years, there have been many conflicts between the Elder Master's lineage and the Third Master's lineage. For something as serious as a curse, why would the Third Master inform the Elder Master and even have the Elder Master personally come to the Hell Realm to deliver the message to us? As soon as the Elder Master arrived, he told the three Earth Treasuries of the Earth Desolate Buddhist Sect about the Third Master's curse. Now everyone knows."
Meng Twenty-Eight nodded in agreement. "Among the gods of the Meng family, we three are the Third Master's direct line. The Elder Master should not have known about the curse!"
Meng Huang'e looked toward the inner hall, blazing with divine radiance for ten thousand zhang, and said, "It seems we need to investigate the Elder Master's residence to confirm whether Tantra Earth Treasury and Baoyin Earth Treasury really went there and why they chose this time. However, the Elder Master's cultivation and status are not comparable to ours. If we investigate without absolute certainty, I worry..."
"Boom!"
The Heavenly Dragon Ship, hundreds of miles long, shook violently.
Twenty-seven sacred mountains and twelve palace complexes all rose with dense formation light beams. Countless talisman patterns appeared in space, enveloping the ship.
The might of three Indestructible Infinite-level experts erupted in the distance. In an instant, cultivators below the divine realm were forced to the ground, losing consciousness.
Even the gods below the Great God level knelt, unable to stand.
Meng Twenty-Eight looked toward the indestructible Buddha light at the horizon, horrified. "It's the auras of the Second Karmic Heavenly King, Tantra Earth Treasury, and Baoyin Earth Treasury. They have already clashed. That's the direction of the Elder Master's residence. This is trouble! If three Indestructible Infinite-level experts fight, the Heavenly Dragon Ship will turn to ashes in an instant."
"Swish! Swish!"
Meng Huang'e and Meng Huang'ni vanished, rushing toward the center of the Buddha light.
Compassionate Sail Venerable and Treasure Pearl Earth Treasury, who had been debating in the inner hall, arrived even before them. Only the Meng family Elder Master remained in the inner hall, calming the emotions of the gods.
"Everyone, rest assured. Since Compassionate Sail Venerable and Treasure Pearl Earth Treasury have gone, there will be no battle. The Second Karmic Heavenly King, Tantra Earth Treasury, and Baoyin Earth Treasury are all great Buddha cultivators of true nature. If this were in the void of space, I would very much look forward to a spectacular Dharma duel between them. Haha!"
Though the Meng family Elder Master wore a smile, his heart was cold and heavy. He never expected that the Second Karmic Heavenly King would go to the Underworld Envoy's side and happen to see Tantra Earth Treasury and Baoyin Earth Treasury.
With the Underworld Envoy aboard the Heavenly Dragon Ship, he naturally had no worries about any unforeseen incidents.
It was merely a matter of acting early or late.
Compassionate Sail Venerable and the Second Karmic Heavenly King were too troublesome. They should have been suppressed and imprisoned long ago.
The only thing that made the Meng family Elder Master uneasy was that, despite such a major incident, the Underworld Envoy had not sent any divine thought instructions. He tried to communicate through transmission but received no response.
"Could the Underworld Envoy have already left the Heavenly Dragon Ship?" the Meng family Elder Master thought to himself.
An existence with such unfathomable cultivation as the Underworld Envoy would naturally not inform him of their actions or whereabouts.
The Meng family Elder Master was well aware that all the cultivators on the Heavenly Dragon Ship were sacrifices destined for the Blue Fall Pass. The outcome was already decided. If anything happened to this batch of sacrifices, the consequences would be beyond his ability to bear.
Outwardly, the Meng family Elder Master chatted and laughed with the gods, but inwardly, he was contemplating countermeasures to deal with the worst-case scenario. He was completely unaware that the Mortal Dust Monk had already disappeared from the inner hall.
Leaving the inner hall, Zhang Ruochen helped Mortal Dust remove the golden divine rope from his body. "This rope, imbued with Buddha pattern imprints, can at most restrain a Tai Bai Great God. You couldn't even break this?"
"It's not that I couldn't break it; there was no need. Didn't you say, unless necessary, we should not reveal our strength?" Mortal Dust stretched his arms and rubbed his shoulders, unconcerned about having been beaten by the Nine Spirit Buddha Children earlier.
In the inner hall, someone finally reacted.
"That monk escaped?"
"Who saved him?"
"Quick, chase him! We must bring him back."
A series of exclamations and commotion followed.
A string of sharp sounds of wind breaking rang out as the Nine Spirit Buddha Children transformed into nine beams of golden light, flying out of the hall one after another, searching in nine different directions.
All were Great Gods.
Regardless of whether they were Treasure Pearl Earth Treasury's children, being able to gather nine such individuals and train them to the Great God level indicated at least two things.
First, Treasure Pearl Earth Treasury was a master of teaching and transmission, comparable to the respected heavens of the Heavenly Court and Hell Realm. This was because the Nine Spirit Buddha Children were not particularly old.
Second, Treasure Pearl Earth Treasury must be a person of consistency—outwardly unrestrained and generous to her disciples. The resources required to train the Nine Spirit Buddha Children were a terrifying number.
The Earth Desolate was resource-poor, far inferior to the Heavenly Court and Hell Realm, so the resources could only come from her, the master.
As for why the Nine Spirit Buddha Children only aged in years but not in appearance, it was most likely related to the particularity of their cultivation technique, which made Zhang Ruochen very curious.
At this moment, all the talisman patterns and formations on the Heavenly Dragon Ship had been activated by the earlier Indestructible Infinite divine might. Divine light was everywhere, and the world was hazy.
Divine thoughts and spiritual power were severely obstructed.
Even though the Nine Spirit Buddha Children were all extraordinary and had considerable cultivation, they could find no trace of Mortal Dust.
Zhang Ruochen and Mortal Dust hid by a pond not far from the inner hall, watching the hall entrance.
There, divine lamps shone brightly, illuminating the area like daylight.
The Meng family Elder Master, using some unknown technique, emerged from the hall like a semi-transparent humanoid mass of water.
This was what Zhang Ruochen saw!
Mortal Dust's physical eyes could see nothing; he could only sense an unusual energy aura drifting out of the hall, allowing him to determine its precise location.
Other gods would have no perception at all.
"What a brilliant technique. It must be the Meng family's Formless Formless Heavenly Movement Art. Who said that under the Meng Heavenly Venerable, only the Third Master of the Meng family had reached Indestructible Infinite? This Elder Master is the one who truly hides his depth." Zhang Ruochen smiled.
From within the inner hall, the Meng family Elder Master's voice could still be heard.
Clearly, the Elder Master had left a doppelganger to deal with the low-realm gods who could not see through his true body and doppelganger.
Mortal Dust said, "Sneaking around and acting suspiciously—this is not the style of an Indestructible Infinite. Where is his true body going?"
"Capture him and ask him directly, won't we know?" Zhang Ruochen said.
Mortal Dust said, "Are you serious?"
"Not me. You."
Zhang Ruochen made a gesture of invitation, with an encouraging look.
Since Tantra Earth Treasury and Baoyin Earth Treasury's whereabouts had been exposed, and the Underworld Envoy might have already left the Heavenly Dragon Ship, the Meng family Elder Master naturally could not sit idly by.
It would be difficult to deal with both the Second Karmic Heavenly King and Compassionate Sail Venerable at the same time.
But using this incident to capture the Second Karmic Heavenly King first would be an excellent strategy.
Then, Compassionate Sail Venerable, alone and helpless, would be at his mercy.
Just as he thought this, the surrounding lights dimmed slightly. The Meng family Elder Master felt a dangerous perception, as if powerful enemies were closing in from all directions.
"Who?"
Ignoring that he was in the Formless Formless Heavenly Movement Art, the Elder Master shouted.
"Ten Thousand Buddhas Illuminate the Universe!"
A Buddha sound, even deeper than his shout, came from all directions.
At the same time, golden Buddha shadows of various forms enveloped the heavens and earth—some meditating, some holding seals, some sleeping, some glaring angrily...
"Whoosh!"
In an instant, the light of ten thousand Buddhas fell upon him.
Nowhere to escape, impossible to resist.
The Meng family Elder Master did not lose consciousness, but his body could not move. His arms remained in a posture of pushing forward with both palms. Every inch of his flesh seemed to be pressed down by a Buddha, unable to mobilize power or circulate divine energy rules.
Too terrifying!
What kind of person could render him powerless with a single divine ability?
Even if it was a carefully planned ambush, it was not something an ordinary Indestructible Infinite could achieve.
"Fortunately, this is the Heavenly Dragon Ship. Surely he wouldn't dare..."
Just as this thought crossed the Elder Master's mind, a black cloth bag, made of unknown material, was pulled over his head. Then, he was carried away by an unknown cultivator.
The Meng family Elder Master wanted to cry but had no tears. He, a dignified Indestructible Infinite, someone who could stand shoulder to shoulder with the heavens in the Heavenly Court Universe or Hell Realm, had been ambushed and bagged.
Had he encountered bandits?
The Elder Master was certain that no second Indestructible Infinite in the world would suffer such a humiliating fate.
His divine thoughts could not be released, and his spiritual power was locked within his divine heart.
"Bang!"
He was thrown to the ground somewhere, rolling several times.
The Elder Master was furious to the point of madness. When he found he could speak, he said in a deep voice, "Who are you people? Why ambush me? There are many powerful experts on the Heavenly Dragon Ship. Do you think no one sensed you using divine abilities and techniques?"
"How does he know there's more than one of us?" Mortal Dust asked in surprise.
Zhang Ruochen was speechless. "When you carried him earlier, I gave you a hand."
"I see. I thought I hadn't completely sealed his divine thoughts." Mortal Dust sighed in relief.
The Elder Master still had the bag over his head, unable to see outside. "Sir, with the ability to use such a divine ability, you must be a famous existence in the universe. Using such underhanded means is truly despicable. Why not dispel the divine ability and let us fight honorably?"
Zhang Ruochen crouched down, close to him, and said, "We invited the Elder Master here to ask a few questions. If you answer well, we will naturally let you go."
Mortal Dust asked from the side, "And if he answers poorly?"
Zhang Ruochen said, "Then we send him to the Yama Clan, hand him over to Meng Naihe, and let him deal with this good son who has colluded with the Nether Ancestor faction."
"Who are you people?"
The Elder Master was clearly calmer than before.
Zhang Ruochen did not waste words with him and asked, "What is the Nether Ancestor faction's purpose in taking the Saha World, the Pure Land World, and the Lamp of Birth and Extinction?"
"Sir, you should ask the cultivators of the Nether Ancestor faction, not me." The Elder Master sneered.
"Quite a hard mouth." Zhang Ruochen said.
Mortal Dust sighed. "If he refuses to admit it to the death, there's not much we can do. Even if we send him to the Yama Clan and hand him over to Meng Heavenly Venerable, the result will probably be the same."
Zhang Ruochen said, "How about you soul-search him?"
Hearing this, the Elder Master's heart trembled. He was actually a bit afraid and was about to say something to get through it.
But Mortal Dust said, "Soul-searching is evil and perverse. No, no. How can a monk do such a thing? That's even worse than taking by force!"
The Elder Master breathed a sigh of relief but cursed inwardly, vowing that once he escaped, he would tear these two bastards apart, break their bones, and scatter their ashes.
Their methods were too dishonorable, lacking the style of a strong expert.
Then, a third person's voice sounded: "A man who would sell out his family to break through to Indestructible Infinite. A man who would curse his own brother to seize power and profit. Do you think such a person has a hard backbone? With such a person, such a mindset, even if he breaks through to Indestructible Infinite with the help of the Nether Ancestor faction, he is only a false Indestructible. Soul-searching him would be an easy task."
Zhang Ruochen and Mortal Dust looked toward the direction of the voice.
A paper figure, three feet tall, walked in step by step.
This paper figure was drawn with blood and then cut out from paper.
With every step it took, the blood burned.
"So it's the Fourth Confucian Ancestor!"
The moment Zhang Ruochen saw the paper figure, he knew who had come from the God Realm.
This was undoubtedly good news!
Although the Fourth Confucian Ancestor was an unfathomable person, at least on the surface, he was bound by his own morality.
With him charging forward in the open, Zhang Ruochen could stay behind the scenes and watch from the sidelines.
"You are talking nonsense! I have never sold out my family. The Third Brother's curse has nothing to do with me. If you want to convict someone, you can always find an excuse. Who are you?" the Elder Master roared.
The paper figure walked step by step to the Elder Master and said, "Some things don't need to be witnessed personally. They can be deduced using spiritual power. Meng Eldest, you have one last chance. Tell us everything you know, and then we will hand you over to Meng Naihe for judgment. You might still have a chance to live."
"Don't pin your hopes on your Underworld Envoy coming to save you. She has already obtained everything she needs and left the Heavenly Dragon Ship long ago."
The paper figure extended a hand, hovering above the Elder Master's head.
Threads of spiritual power, like flames and light filaments, fell down, very brilliant, continuously burrowing into the Elder Master's body.
As the paper figure's hand lifted upward, the Elder Master's divine soul was directly pulled out halfway. This scene looked very much like a puppet on strings, a master performing a trick.
Even more bizarrely, this master was a paper figure.
The Elder Master could not see outside at all. He only felt that the other party was radiating a half-ancestor aura, pressing down on him until his heart stopped beating, unable to breathe, and his divine soul was uncontrollably being peeled away.
Ever since he had defected to the Nether Ancestor faction, his spiritual will had been destroyed by the Underworld Envoy. How could he resist the pressure of a half-ancestor?
Just as his divine soul was about to be completely pulled out of his body, the Elder Master's voice became sharp. "I'll talk! I'll tell you everything I know. But I really don't know the purpose of the Underworld Envoy taking the Saha World, the Pure Land World, and the Lamp of Birth and Extinction. I only know she is going to the Blue Fall Pass to handle something extremely important."
Zhang Ruochen asked, "Where is the Blue Fall Pass?"
"Beneath the Heavenly Closure, south of the Gray Sea. The Eight Divisions Followers, life and death both difficult." The Elder Master recited.
Mortal Dust said, "What is that? I don't understand a word."
"The Gray Sea. Find the Gray Sea, and you will find the Blue Fall Pass. The death aura there is thicker than even the Santu River region of the Hell Realm. Legend says it is the end of the Santu River." The Elder Master said.
Zhang Ruochen was clearly not satisfied. "Is that all you know? Why did Tantra Earth Treasury and Baoyin Earth Treasury join the Nether Ancestor faction? How many people in the Earth Desolate are involved in this?"
The Elder Master said, "The Earth Treasury King has passed into nirvana. The Earth Desolate has no leader. The Eight Divisions Followers subdued Tantra Earth Treasury and Baoyin Earth Treasury. In the face of life and death, what reason is needed? They had no other choice. I am the same. I was forced into it. If I did not submit, my entire family would have been reduced to ashes by the curse, just like the Holy Clan back then."
"I didn't ask you. Why are you complaining?" Zhang Ruochen continued, "What is this about the Eight Divisions Followers?"
The Elder Master said, "I don't know much either. In fact, before the Entropy Calamity occurred, to me, the Eight Divisions Followers and the Blue Fall Pass only existed in legends. After the Entropy Calamity, these things gradually appeared in reality."
"I have only met the Tian family member of the Eight Divisions Followers. It was he who broke my spiritual will and forced me to submit. He said he could help me break through to Indestructible and help me take control of the Meng family, but the precondition was that the Meng family must obey him."
"This was undoubtedly an attempt to create a puppet, making the entire Meng family his vanguard, turning the Heavenly Desolate into a natural barrier for the Blue Fall Pass, drowning all information. How could I agree?"
"But he said that if I was unwilling, the Eight Divisions Followers would curse the Meng family to eliminate the hidden danger. That would not be difficult. However, if that happened, many things in the Heavenly Desolate and the Blue Fall Pass would no longer be hidden!"
"Tell me, could I refuse? Is this selling out my family? This is a curved path to save the Meng family!"
"Too much talk. I didn't ask you about this." The paper figure said, "What did the Tian family cultivator you met look like? What was his name? What was his cultivation?"
Zhang Ruochen was thinking about whether it might be a Nether Ancestor faction cultivator he had dealt with before.
Then, the Elder Master said, "His name is San Ying Tian. He is a human, very young and handsome, even somewhat demonic. His cultivation is extremely terrifying, unfathomable. His curse techniques are at the peak. He claims to have received guidance from the Nether Ancestor."
"Received guidance from the Nether Ancestor?"
Doubt appeared in Zhang Ruochen's eyes.
The Elder Master said firmly, "It should not be false. That person is very proud of this and holds the Nether Ancestor in the highest esteem. I suspect that if the Nether Ancestor told him to die, he would not hesitate to self-destruct his divine source."
"Another headache-inducing person." Zhang Ruochen muttered to himself.
As an Immortal, having any depth of foundation was not surprising.
The Nether Ancestor had trained the Great Demon God and Corpse Nightmare to the Ancestor level. With just this ability, if He wanted enough soldiers, He could certainly train them.
Even a cunning rabbit has three burrows. How many eons had the Immortal operated in the universe? How could He have only one force?
Did the Nether Ancestor truly trust Corpse Nightmare, who had reached the Ancestor realm?
If the Blue Fall Pass really contained something that made the Nether Ancestor wary, then it was not surprising that the Nether Ancestor had deployed as much power there as possible.
Now, what Zhang Ruochen could not figure out was what role the Soul Mother played in all this.
Did Corpse Nightmare know about everything she did?
If Corpse Nightmare knew, had he also come to the Heavenly Desolate?
Zhang Ruochen said, "It seems you really don't know much. In that case, it's time to send you on your way!"
Zhang Ruochen always kept his word. He planned to hand the Elder Master over to Compassionate Sail Venerable and let him and the Second Karmic Heavenly King take him to the Yama Clan.
The road ahead was too dangerous. They could not be involved.
But to the Elder Master's ears, it sounded like Zhang Ruochen was going to kill him.
He quickly said, "I am still useful! I am useful. You probably don't know that a major event is about to happen at the Blue Fall Pass, requiring many sacrifices. All the cultivators on the Heavenly Dragon Ship will be transported there for the offering. What does that mean? Aren't you looking for the Blue Fall Pass? Isn't this an opportunity to go there?"
"As long as I don't die, I can continue to lead the team. But if I die, won't the Nether Ancestor faction know that something has changed?"
Zhang Ruochen rubbed his chin. He had not expected the Elder Master to be so useful.
He had planned to send him away, but now it seemed he would have to continue using him.
The paper figure withdrew its hand. All the spiritual power flame threads disappeared, and the Elder Master's divine soul returned to his body.
Its body turned, facing Zhang Ruochen and Mortal Dust, and said, "In truth, the power I left in this paper figure is limited. I cannot actually soul-search an Indestructible Infinite. I was just bluffing him."
Zhang Ruochen could naturally see this.
Because the paper figure had already begun to burn.
The paper figure said, "The Heavenly Dragon Ship is now in your hands. I have already followed the Underworld Envoy to the Blue Fall Pass. I will leave special diagrams along the way, hoping they will be of help to you."
Zhang Ruochen said, "Senior, aren't you curious about our identities?"
"Haha, when we meet at the Blue Fall Pass, I will naturally find out."
The paper figure exhausted all its divine energy and burned completely to ashes.
Mortal Dust let out a long breath and asked, "What now? How do we deal with him?"
"What else? Just leave him here. Elder Master, do you know who attacked you?" Zhang Ruochen said.
The Elder Master, suppressing his rage, said, "Of course, it was an unknown Buddha cultivator from the Earth Desolate."
"See? How clever the Elder Master is."
As footsteps faded away, silence returned.
If you can't tell Meng Huang'e and Meng Huang'ni apart, just remember that I am young and beautiful, while you are old and ugly.