Chapter 4115: Three Reflections Heaven
Standing on the broad banks of the Santu River, Three Reflections Heaven gazed up at the colossal planets hanging in the sky like behemoths, a smug smile curling at the corners of his lips.
These life-bearing planets had been relocated from various star regions of the Heavenly Wasteland, the fruit of tens of thousands of years of his scheming.
If it were only this, it wouldn't be enough to make him proud.
What truly pleased him was that, after the death of Ksitigarbha King, the entire Heavenly Wasteland and Earthly Wasteland had fallen under his control. Even if Meng Naihe were to return in the future, he would be utterly helpless.
He appeared to be a youth of fifteen or sixteen, yet his eyes exuded a seasoned, chilling coldness. Any cultivator who met his gaze would inevitably tremble with fear.
As the second-strongest of the Heavenly Clan, second only to the chief, "Two Lords Heaven," Three Reflections Heaven had been active for years in the Heavenly Wasteland and Earthly Wasteland, occasionally even venturing into the Heavenly Court Universe and the Hell Realm.
Across the entire universe, he deemed very few cultivators worthy of his notice.
If not for the Nether Ancestor's orders to remain low-key and move in the shadows, he would have long since trampled the Heavenly Court and Hell Realm's various Heavenly Venerables to make a name for himself.
As the terminus of the Santu River, countless tributaries had carried the bones of beings from planets and great worlds across the universe for eons, depositing them here to form the bone plains beneath his feet.
The deathly aura here was so dense that ordinary living beings would die the moment they set foot on it.
Thus, from beneath the plains, countless Ghost Clan, Garuda Bone Clan, and Kinnara Corpse Clan had crawled forth.
These were the three most numerous of the Eight Divisions Followers in the River of Forgetfulness and the Gray Sea.
"Lord, Dhatu Ksitigarbha wishes to see you!"
The divine thought transmission had barely reached Three Reflections Heaven's ears when—
"Boom!"
A blinding golden lightning bolt surged from the horizon, crashing down before Three Reflections Heaven, condensing into Dhatu Ksitigarbha's tall, bamboo-thin figure.
Dhatu Ksitigarbha strained to open his eyes wide and roared, "Where is the Nether Envoy? I demand to see her."
Three Reflections Heaven had already met with the Soul Mother and naturally knew what had happened aboard the Heavenly Dragon, and why Dhatu Ksitigarbha was so enraged.
For an Indestructible Infinite peak-level existence to have his consciousness sea shattered and his memories erased was an utter humiliation.
Moreover, it was a sign of the Nether Envoy's distrust in him!
Feigning ignorance, Three Reflections Heaven asked in surprise, "Why are you so furious, Ksitigarbha? What business do you have with the Nether Envoy?"
"That's none of your concern. Just summon the Nether Envoy," Dhatu Ksitigarbha said.
Zhang Ruochen quietly arrived a hundred zhang away, standing beside the two Ghost Clan Upper-Level Gods who had led Dhatu Ksitigarbha here, not daring to approach Three Reflections Heaven any further.
Zhang Ruochen had encountered too many top-tier powerhouses. On Three Reflections Heaven, he sensed an extremely dangerous aura.
One more step forward, and he would likely be detected.
"Truly a Heavenly Venerable-rank."
Having once reached the Heavenly Venerable-rank realm himself, Zhang Ruochen knew full well how terrifying this level was. He dared not underestimate Three Reflections Heaven in the slightest.
In his current state, facing a Heavenly Venerable-rank head-on, the outcome was uncertain.
Moreover, this was Three Reflections Heaven's territory. Who knew how many experts were hidden on this bone plain?
Zhang Ruochen glanced at the two Ghost Clan Upper-Level Gods beside him. They were no different from the Ghost Clan of the Hell Realm, but their bodies flowed with the power of a curse.
In fact, the entire River of Forgetfulness and the entire bone plain were saturated with curse power.
"If you don't summon the Nether Envoy now, I won't hold back!"
Dhatu Ksitigarbha roared, and rings of golden Buddha light radiated from behind his head.
The divine might of an Indestructible Infinite peak-level existence erupted, suppressing all the Eight Divisions Followers on the River of Forgetfulness, forcing them to kneel and tremble.
The planets in the sky quaked violently.
"Calm yourself, Ksitigarbha. I'll take you to her now. Let's go!"
Three Reflections Heaven looked at the panicked Eight Divisions Followers around him, sighed helplessly, and led Dhatu Ksitigarbha downstream along the Santu River.
Zhang Ruochen naturally followed closely behind.
The Santu River here was wider than anywhere else, over a hundred thousand li across, easily comparable to a sea.
The space here was stable, no less than the Heavenly Court.
Three Reflections Heaven and Dhatu Ksitigarbha moved with Divine Spirit Steps, but each step could only cover about a hundred li, as their techniques were suppressed and space rules weakened.
For beings of their level, this was excruciatingly slow.
It wasn't just space rules; all heavenly and earthly rules were weakened.
After walking for an unknown distance, thick black fog rose ahead, obscuring their vision and the terrain of the bone plain. The Santu River beside them grew more turbulent, its roar deafening.
Three Reflections Heaven suddenly stopped, his smile vanishing, his eyes like a hawk about to strike.
"Why have you stopped?" Dhatu Ksitigarbha asked.
"We've arrived," Three Reflections Heaven said.
"Arrived? Where is the Nether Envoy? I don't see her," Dhatu Ksitigarbha said.
Three Reflections Heaven sneered, turning to face the direction where Zhang Ruochen stood. "Won't you show yourself?"
A single gaze locked onto time and space.
Zhang Ruochen chuckled, materializing from the space. "As expected of a Heavenly Venerable-rank. You found me."
Three Reflections Heaven scrutinized Zhang Ruochen. "How could I not? Have you no respect for me, sir? Knowing I am a Heavenly Venerable-rank, you approached within a hundred zhang and followed me all the way. Such disdain—what gives you the confidence?"
The shock within Three Reflections Heaven was beyond words.
In truth, he hadn't detected Zhang Ruochen at first.
It was only after noticing something off about Dhatu Ksitigarbha's state that he grew alert and sensed faint traces in the fluctuations of the world behind him.
To silently approach within a hundred zhang of a Heavenly Venerable-rank, let alone within a hundred Divine Spirit Steps, was an extraordinary feat of cultivation.
"No disdain. I, this humble Daoist, have been very cautious and respectful."
Zhang Ruochen walked step by step toward Three Reflections Heaven.
The distance was closing.
Launching a surprise attack on a Heavenly Venerable-rank was nearly impossible.
Zhang Ruochen's only chance to take down Three Reflections Heaven was to close the distance, deny him the opportunity to use divine abilities or mobilize rules, and seize control firmly in his own hands.
Fight him with physical strength.
The closer the distance, the greater the chance of victory.
To Three Reflections Heaven, this Daoist exuded no divine power, his cultivation unfathomable. Watching him approach step by step, he felt an overwhelming pressure like a crashing wave.
But as a Heavenly Venerable-rank, Three Reflections Heaven was proud and confident. He would not be crushed by the other's aura.
Retreating even a single step was out of the question.
"His eyes have completely locked onto me. The moment I mobilize divine energy and rules, I'll have to face his overwhelming assault. Can the River of Forgetfulness withstand such power?"
Three Reflections Heaven wasn't afraid of Zhang Ruochen, but he was deeply worried that their battle would destroy the River of Forgetfulness and the life-bearing planets in the sky. If he delayed the Nether Ancestor's plans, the punishment from above would be severe.
Without offerings, he himself would become the offering.
Three Reflections Heaven said, "I'm curious—what happened aboard the Heavenly Dragon? Why is Dhatu Ksitigarbha in this state?"
Zhang Ruochen had already reached a distance of eighty zhang from Three Reflections Heaven. "The Nether Envoy shattered Dhatu Ksitigarbha's consciousness sea and erased his memories. He felt utterly humiliated. Now, he has reformed and will no longer align with the Nether Ancestor faction."
Dhatu Ksitigarbha nodded in sudden realization, his eyes gleaming with wisdom, finally understanding something.
Three Reflections Heaven wouldn't believe a word of Zhang Ruochen's nonsense.
To completely transform the spiritual consciousness of an Indestructible Infinite peak-level existence—such a method was terrifying, something even a Half-Ancestor might not possess.
Three Reflections Heaven had already devised a countermeasure, continuing to lure the enemy closer. "And you, Daoist? Who are you? Neither the Heavenly Court Universe nor the Hell Realm has anyone like you."
"Me? Haha, I am Saint Si."
Zhang Ruochen walked to within fifty zhang.
Three Reflections Heaven said, "Did you come with the Fourth Confucian Ancestor?"
"You could say that."
Zhang Ruochen's expression remained calm, but inwardly, he sensed trouble.
If even Three Reflections Heaven knew the Fourth Confucian Ancestor had come to this star region, it meant the Soul Mother had already clashed with the Fourth Confucian Ancestor and been identified.
If the Fourth Confucian Ancestor hadn't suppressed the Soul Mother, allowing her to escape to the Emerald Fall Pass, then with the strength of the Eight Divisions Followers, even the mighty Fourth Confucian Ancestor would find it hard to fight so many alone.
Without the Fourth Confucian Ancestor to hold off the experts at Emerald Fall Pass, Zhang Ruochen's chances of rescuing people and reclaiming the Saha World, the Bliss World, and the Lamp of Life and Death would be slim.
Both harbored ulterior motives, maintaining a tacit understanding as they exchanged questions and answers.
This time, it was Zhang Ruochen's turn to ask.
Zhang Ruochen said, "Your cultivation is profound, surpassing many Heavenly Venerables of the Hell Realm and Heavenly Court Universe. May I ask your position among the Eight Divisions Followers?"
"What position could it be? Each of the Eight Divisions has a chief, all immensely powerful, beings of cosmic stature. I am merely a pawn beneath the Heavenly Clan chief, doing dirty work—nothing worth mentioning," Three Reflections Heaven said with a smile.
Zhang Ruochen said, "Is that so? Yet I've heard you once received guidance from the Nether Ancestor himself. Would someone insignificant catch the Nether Ancestor's eye?"
A flicker of reverence passed through Three Reflections Heaven's eyes, then turned into intense coldness as he looked at Zhang Ruochen.
If the other party knew even this secret, it meant not only had Dhatu Ksitigarbha fallen, but the Meng family's eldest had also been exposed.
"Even Meng Huang'e couldn't defeat him? Has the Heavenly Dragon completely fallen under the control of the Divine Realm?"
As this thought crossed Three Reflections Heaven's mind, he began to doubt whether, even with his divine artifact treasure, he could deal with this terrifying opponent.
The longer Three Reflections Heaven locked eyes with Zhang Ruochen, the more he sensed Zhang Ruochen's dreadfulness.
This Daoist seemed able to peer into his heart and see through his thoughts.
"I can't wait any longer!"
Three Reflections Heaven circulated divine energy within his body, raising both hands, ready to unleash the "Nether Luo Heavenly Net."
This was the foremost treasure of the Heavenly Clan.
Two Lords Heaven had given it to him to deal with Meng Naihe, as no one knew when Meng Naihe might return to the Meng family.
Zhang Ruochen would never give Three Reflections Heaven the chance to mobilize divine energy, let alone allow him to unleash a divine artifact.
The moment Three Reflections Heaven's arms began to rise, Zhang Ruochen appeared before him, his palm pressing directly toward his face.
Though it was only physical strength, Zhang Ruochen's palm shattered the space here, sending cracks spreading into the distance like a broken mirror.
Forced into a corner, Three Reflections Heaven had no choice but to form hand seals and clash head-on with Zhang Ruochen.
"Boom!"
The two earth-shattering forces collided.
Endless divine energy and rules erupted from Three Reflections Heaven's body, layers of protective divine light enveloping him. Yet he still couldn't withstand the force, hurtling backward like a meteor.
With divine energy and rules protecting him, Three Reflections Heaven wasn't severely injured, only his arms aching and numb, his blood energy unstable.
"Attack together!"
As Zhang Ruochen pursued Three Reflections Heaven, he called out to the stunned Dhatu Ksitigarbha.
Summoning the Forgetfulness Demon-Subduing Staff, Zhang Ruochen swung it at Three Reflections Heaven, who had yet to stabilize himself.
Three Reflections Heaven barely raised his right arm to block. A "crack" sounded as his arm bone fractured, his arm turning into a bloody mess.
"Boom!"
Zhang Ruochen leaped, putting all his strength into a strike on Three Reflections Heaven's head.
Three Reflections Heaven's legs sank, forming a horse stance, his body as steady as a bell. He took the blow on his skull.
"Boom!"
It was like a divine bell striking.
The ground beneath Three Reflections Heaven shattered, sinking into the Santu River. But his skull remained intact, as hard as a divine artifact.
He had withstood it!
Zhang Ruochen was knocked back, slightly surprised, looking at the Forgetfulness Demon-Subduing Staff in his hand.
"With only physical strength, it's hard to break through a Heavenly Venerable-rank's defense."
A Heavenly Venerable-rank's defense wasn't just physical; it also included the interwoven rules within their body and the accumulated Dao techniques of countless years.
Zhang Ruochen's physical strength was indeed formidable, but not enough to crush a Heavenly Venerable-rank with pure force.
After all, a Heavenly Venerable-rank's power encompassed physical strength, divine energy, rule power, soul power, and the most formidable order power and esoteric power.
The combination of these multiple forces constituted the overall divine power of a Heavenly Venerable-rank.
"This old bastard underestimates me! He dares to fight me with only physical strength, not even activating the inscriptions inside the Forgetfulness Demon-Subduing Staff—utterly insulting!"
After stabilizing his disadvantage, Three Reflections Heaven glanced at the bone plain.
He saw that the clash between him and Zhang Ruochen had activated all the Ancestor Divine Patterns and Nether Ancestor Order within the space of the bone plain, intertwining and filling the entire River of Forgetfulness.
The Ancestor Divine Patterns were like dense threads.
The Nether Ancestor Order condensed into vines growing toward the sky, flickering with dark light, blooming with dazzling Nether Flowers, causing the bone plain to undergo earth-shattering changes.
Caught within, it was like being trapped in a jungle, all perception becoming blurred.
"So the Nether Ancestor had already made arrangements!"
With no more worries, Three Reflections Heaven relaxed completely. With a flick of his sleeve, he unleashed the Nether Luo Heavenly Net, striking at Zhang Ruochen as he charged again.
"Capture all gods and Buddhas in the heavenly net; gather all spirits into the Nether Luo."
The Nether Luo Heavenly Net was impenetrable, interwoven in space as if sentient, enveloping Zhang Ruochen.
And it contracted rapidly.
"Whoosh!"
In that instant, Zhang Ruochen's body, like some primordial beings, dissolved into particles of the world's origin, slipping through the gaps of the Nether Luo Heavenly Net.
"How is that possible? It's not something that can be passed through by turning into particles... Who are you?"
Three Reflections Heaven panicked, spitting out a blinding sword-shaped divine radiance to block Zhang Ruochen, who had recondensed into his Daoist form.
The sword-shaped divine radiance was dispersed by Zhang Ruochen with a wave of his hand.
He raised the Forgetfulness Demon-Subduing Staff and struck Three Reflections Heaven's head again, the sound crisp, like tapping a wooden fish.
The sonic storm that radiated out told the world that this blow was terrifying, something only a Heavenly Venerable-rank could withstand.
"If one blow can't scatter your soul, I'll strike ten times. If ten can't, I'll strike a hundred."
Zhang Ruochen chased after Three Reflections Heaven, beating him relentlessly—from the sky to the ground, then onto the Santu River.
Dhatu Ksitigarbha, following behind, inexplicably felt a pang in his head every time Saint Si's staff struck Three Reflections Heaven's head.
Why was this so strange?
Shang Tian stood on the bone plain about a thousand li from the battlefield, as Nether Flower vines continuously grew from beneath his feet, each strand woven from Nether Ancestor Order, tough to the extreme, indestructible even by divine artifacts.
He let the Nether Flower vines engulf him, his eyes fixed on the Saint Si Daoist chasing and beating Three Reflections Heaven, as if trying to see through him.
Too strong. With only physical strength, he could chase down a Heavenly Venerable-rank, leaving him utterly helpless.
Was Hao Tian Heavenly Venerable's physical body this strong?