Chapter 4164: Hongmeng Pays a Visit
The Divine Wood Garden was located halfway up the Wanshou Divine Mountain, forming a small independent world of its own.
Even the Daoist disciples of the Five Elements Temple, while within the mountain, could only see parts of the ginseng fruit tree’s branches and leaves through the clouds and mist, as if they stretched across the sky.
The ginseng fruit tree had a trunk as thick as a mountain peak, with countless silver-glowing root hairs hanging down.
Standing beneath the ginseng fruit tree, Zhang Ruochen unfolded a corner of the newly condensed Five Elements Earth Divine Realm World and stepped inside.
The Ancestral Dragon corpse was sealed within.
Its body was too massive, each drop of blood incredibly heavy.
Only the Divine Realm World of a powerhouse like Zhang Ruochen could contain it.
“Who exactly are you? Are you Xuan Yuan Tai Wu?”
Within the Ancestral Dragon corpse, Long Lin’s consciousness had recovered, and its divine soul had reassembled. It had been struggling all along, but the surface of the dragon body was wrapped in layers of order, suppressing it tightly.
Some of that order had condensed into chains.
The order chains were connected to space.
Zhang Ruochen had no intention of conversing with it. He soared into the air and landed on the head of the Ancestral Dragon corpse.
His right index finger pointed outward.
“Whoosh!”
A beam of light shot from his fingertip, striking the top of the Ancestral Dragon corpse’s head.
“Roar!”
A earth-shattering dragon roar erupted from the corpse’s mouth, as if it were enduring extreme agony. It bellowed, “Even if you are an Ancestor, you can never break my spiritual will. The True Ruler will arrive soon, and when that happens, you will pay a terrible price.”
To perform a soul search, one must first break the spiritual will.
Given Long Lin’s cultivation and status, it had already accessed the core secrets of the Divine Realm. Before killing it, Zhang Ruochen naturally had to delve into its sea of consciousness to investigate.
The Eternal Heavenly Kingdom was merely the tip of the iceberg that the Divine Realm revealed to the universe.
More hidden and formidable forces lay concealed in the mist.
As the number one figure of the current era, bearing the greatest responsibility for the world, Zhang Ruochen could no longer rely on others. He had to personally uncover the mist, to know himself and know his enemy.
This was the work of a chess player.
Long Lin’s cultivation had reached the peak of the Half-Ancestor realm. Although this achievement was built on possessing the Ancestral Dragon’s body and Ancestor Divine Source—making it far easier than for other Half-Ancestor peak cultivators—it was still remarkable, giving it grounds for pride.
It had absolute confidence in its spiritual will.
But it underestimated Zhang Ruochen’s mastery of the Dao.
Above the sea of consciousness within its skull, the beam of light transformed into a Taiji Four Symbols Diagram Seal, like a heavenly millstone, constantly grinding away its consciousness.
Long Lin felt its consciousness loosen and begin to blur. Panicked, it snarled, “This is not the Black and White Life-Death Seal. You are not the Life-Death Elder. Who are you?”
“Boom!”
Suddenly, the space above its head exploded.
A scroll painting appeared!
It was the Star Moon Array Diagram that the Second Confucian Ancestor had given it.
As the diagram unfolded, a bright starry sky appeared above Zhang Ruochen, with real stars pressing downward.
Zhang Ruochen did not stop the Taiji Four Symbols Diagram Seal, continuing to grind away its spiritual will. “Impressive! You secretly broke the seal a little, pretending weakness to ambush me?”
The other’s calmness unsettled Long Lin.
“This array diagram was given to you by the Second Confucian Ancestor, wasn’t it? The Star Moon Chess Formation! I have already experienced it and broken the game. How could this diagram trap me?”
Zhang Ruochen simply reached out, and his hand pierced through the chess game, crossed the starry sky, and grabbed the scroll.
The entire starry sky was withdrawn.
When the Second Confucian Ancestor had gone to the Sword Realm years ago, he had used the Star Moon Chess Formation to trap Zhang Ruochen’s divine soul consciousness. It had taken Zhang Ruochen seven days to thoroughly study the chess game and break free.
This array diagram was meticulously refined by the Second Confucian Ancestor, far more powerful than the chess game from back then.
But Zhang Ruochen was also far stronger now.
In less than an hour, Zhang Ruochen shattered Long Lin’s spiritual will. However, the moment he entered its sea of consciousness, some memories within began to burn.
He could not stop it.
Someone had set up a mechanism to destroy the true secrets.
This was within Zhang Ruochen’s expectations. Just like himself, he had placed similar measures in the sea of consciousness of every cultivator who knew his true identity.
Everyone’s goal was the same.
Although the most critical memories burned away, it indirectly proved that besides the Eternal True Ruler, an Ancestor, the Divine Realm harbored an even more terrifying existence.
Because Long Lin’s memories of the Eternal True Ruler remained intact.
The Eternal True Ruler had no reason to hide anything in Long Lin’s sea of consciousness.
Zhang Ruochen walked through Long Lin’s sea of consciousness, observing carefully.
If he had not seen with his own eyes that part of the memories had burned to ashes, he would have thought Long Lin’s memories were complete.
Because in Long Lin’s sea of consciousness, Zhang Ruochen saw the never-before-visited landscapes of the Divine Realm and the Eternal Heavenly Kingdom, saw its secret conversations with the Eternal True Ruler, and saw too many hidden truths unknown to others.
“It seems Gai Mie was not lying. The one who activated the Seventy-Two Layer Tower is indeed connected to the Divine Realm. Who is that being in the Divine Realm? Why hide so deeply? With cultivation high enough to suppress the Nether Ancestor, what are they still worried about? Why not reveal themselves?”
Zhang Ruochen exited Long Lin’s sea of consciousness and reappeared atop the Ancestral Dragon corpse’s head.
If the Divine Realm harbored another great terror, then the Second Confucian Ancestor had lied.
How could he trust a Confucian Ancestor full of lies?
“Is it truly hard for a righteous one to uphold virtue?”
Zhang Ruochen shook his head slightly and sighed, his resolve to stop the construction of the Heaven and Earth Altar growing firmer.
With its spiritual will broken, Long Lin’s essence, energy, and spirit had severely declined. It could no longer resist Zhang Ruochen and lay completely prostrate on the ground.
Zhang Ruochen walked step by step to the base of one of its horns.
The Ancestral Dragon’s head was larger than a star.
Its horns were naturally enormous, millions of miles long, emitting a dazzling golden light that could blind ordinary gods.
When Zhang Ruochen had fought Long Lin, he had noticed its horns were extraordinary. Now, upon closer inspection, he found it even more astonishing.
“The Ancestral Dragon Qi and Ancestor Rules contained in these horns are incredibly powerful. From the ancient times to now, more than ten thousand eons have passed. No matter how strong the Ancestral Dragon was, the power in its corpse should have largely dissipated by now.”
Zhang Ruochen discovered that these horns were entirely different from the rest of the Ancestral Dragon’s head.
This reminded him of the pair of Ancestor Blood Wings left behind by Yin.
But those wings had retained Yin’s Ancestor blood energy and power only because the Houtu Wedding Gown had wrapped them.
Even so, some essence of those Ancestor Blood Wings had been lost, no longer representing the full power of Yin’s wings at their peak.
The River of Time corrodes everything in the world.
Mysterious iron turns to mud; divine bones become dust.
Just like the Sword Ancestor’s skeleton, it had long decayed. Simply preserving it was already remarkable.
Zhang Ruochen’s heart stirred, and he thought of a possibility.
“Could it be from the battle twelve eons ago?”
Zhang Ruochen felt the only possibility was that these horns had been cut off in an era not far from the present.
Coincidentally, the Immovable Bright King Great Venerable had used the Wu Cauldron about twelve eons ago to summon several Witch Ancestors to his era, sparking a earth-shattering Ancestor battle with the Immortal.
The Nether Ancestor had been severely wounded in that battle, its form shattered, and it was sent to the future.
Was the Immortal who participated in that battle only the Nether Ancestor?
The Immortal behind the Divine Realm was likely there too.
If the Immortal was so severely wounded, could the Witch Ancestors who crossed the River of Time have escaped unscathed?
It was entirely possible that the Ancestral Dragon’s horns were cut off then.
Zhang Ruochen finally understood some of the mysteries of that Ancestor battle.
For example, since the Immovable Bright King Great Venerable had not died, why did he not personally intercept the Nether Ancestor at the Void Exhaust Sea, instead sending the Twenty-Four Heavens?
Probably because there was another Immortal.
If that Immortal truly came from the Divine Realm, then the Immovable Bright King Great Venerable had to deal with the Second Confucian Ancestor as well, and the pressure he bore was unimaginable.
Zhang Ruochen walked along the back of the Ancestral Dragon corpse, stopping occasionally.
He found that some scales on the corpse were as extraordinarily defensive as the horns.
Clearly, in that battle twelve eons ago, not only were the Ancestral Dragon’s horns cut off, but part of its flesh and scales were likely taken by the Immortal of the Divine Realm, creating the terrifying combat power of the Ancestral Dragon corpse.
Long Lin’s divine soul strength was far inferior to Hao Tian and Er Jun Tian. If not for the Ancestral Dragon power within the corpse, how could it have twice broken through Zhang Ruochen’s arrangements?
The first time, it broke through the space covered by the Black and White Life-Death Seal.
The second time, it secretly broke Zhang Ruochen’s seal and ambushed him with the Star Moon Array Diagram. If Zhang Ruochen had not already studied the Star Moon Chess Game, it might have escaped!
These two breakthroughs showcased the Ancestral Dragon’s power to the fullest, forcing Zhang Ruochen to act cautiously, without any carelessness.
Returning to the base of the horns, Zhang Ruochen observed the profound Ancestor Rules flowing on their surface, preparing to comprehend the Ancestral Dragon’s Dao to cultivate his forty-sixth cluster of Dao Light.
At the same time, he had to quickly break Long Lin’s Dao and completely annihilate it.
The best method was to use the Earth Cauldron to refine Long Lin’s divine soul into Half-Ancestor Divine Pills.
Although Zhang Ruochen had no use for them himself, he could give them to lower-level cultivators to help them strengthen their divine souls and comprehend the Half-Ancestor Dao.
Time was truly pressing. Any means to enhance their side’s strength could not be ignored.
“So soon!”
Zhang Ruochen sensed something and vanished from atop the Ancestral Dragon corpse, returning beneath the ginseng fruit tree.
The entire Divine Wood Garden turned into night, with only the ginseng fruits on the tree emitting light.
Several dozen zhang away, Hongmeng Black Dragon stood beneath the thatched hut, with a human body and a dragon head. A black river flowed around its body. Although it had completely restrained its aura, the ancient charm and transcendent momentum it exuded could not be matched by any other cultivator.
Hongmeng Black Dragon said, “You wanted to see my true form. Here I am!”
“Why only you? Where is the Dark Lord?” Zhang Ruochen asked.
Hongmeng Black Dragon walked forward step by step, endless darkness advancing toward Zhang Ruochen. “Do you think I alone am not qualified?”
Zhang Ruochen said, “Let me guess. I think the Dark Lord has already gone to the Eternal Heavenly Kingdom first.”
“Correct.”
Hongmeng Black Dragon admitted, “With someone like Long Lin suppressed, the Eternal True Ruler can still stand by and do nothing. Aren’t you curious?”
“Why should I be curious?” Zhang Ruochen said.
Hongmeng Black Dragon said, “Aren’t you curious about your enemy?”
“When did I ever say the Eternal True Ruler is my enemy?” Zhang Ruochen said.
Hongmeng Black Dragon said, “Everything you do opposes the Eternal Heavenly Kingdom.”
Zhang Ruochen waved his hand. “I have no intention of opposing the Eternal Heavenly Kingdom. I just want to use some methods to force the Divine Realm to reveal its true strength.”
Zhang Ruochen knew very well that Hongmeng Black Dragon had come to invite him to attack the Eternal Heavenly Kingdom together.
He did not want to be used.
Zhang Ruochen spoke earnestly, “I must advise you: attacking the Eternal Heavenly Kingdom means opposing the Divine Realm. That mysterious existence who activated the Seventy-Two Layer Tower to suppress the Nether Ancestor is likely the Immortal behind the Divine Realm. Do you have the confidence to deal with it?”
Hongmeng Black Dragon squinted and sneered, “You want to stand by and watch, or perhaps watch from the sidelines while others fight? Do you think the Eternal True Ruler is doing nothing? He is likely trying to break through to the ninety-sixth level of spiritual power!”
“Once he succeeds, his combat power, perception, and deduction will achieve a qualitative leap.”
“When that happens, the first person he will deal with is not me or the Dark Lord, but you!”
“Yes, the Divine Realm likely has an Immortal hidden in the shadows, with unfathomable strength. But precisely because of that, you should cooperate with us.”
“You experienced the battle at Di Huang Universe yourself, didn’t you? An Ancestor self-destructing their Divine Source can even kill the Nether Ancestor.”
“With three Ancestors joining forces, we can act with impunity. We no longer have to hide. Even the Immortal will have to retreat.”
Zhang Ruochen said, “Speaking of that, I have a question for you. Can the Immortal be killed? Is it possible the Nether Ancestor is still alive?”
Hongmeng Black Dragon frowned slightly, clearly displeased that Zhang Ruochen was changing the subject. But since it still needed Zhang Ruochen to deal with the Eternal True Ruler, it chuckled lightly and patiently said, “The Nether Ancestor’s realm is extremely high. If compared to spiritual power levels, it probably reached the ninety-seventh level. For a newly ascended Ancestor like Dizang Wang to self-destruct their Divine Source before Him is nothing short of a miracle. Even a successful self-destruction could never kill Him.”
“However, the Nether Ancestor was not at its peak. It had long been severely wounded to a state of extreme weakness.”
“The self-destruction of an Ancestor’s Divine Source, combined with the Ancestor Flame and Lan Ai Tong Fen, would be enough to annihilate its form and spirit.”
“But you are also an Ancestor. You should understand how extraordinary the Ancestor level is, let alone the Nether Ancestor, who is two levels higher.”
“I think the Nether Ancestor’s spiritual consciousness has not been destroyed. Just like a planet, no matter how thoroughly it is destroyed, it will exist in some form in this world—whether as rock, dust, or gas.”
“But for the Nether Ancestor to reassemble its consciousness, it would take millions or tens of millions of years, if not more.”
“Perhaps, after hundreds of millions of years, the Nether Ancestor could return and cultivate a new life. But what meaning would that have? The Great Calamity is already upon us!”
“So, the Nether Ancestor is completely in the past. The Divine Realm and the Eternal Heavenly Kingdom are the true enemies we must face. You are right. We should force the Divine Realm’s true power to reveal itself. Now is the perfect opportunity.”
“With the three of us Ancestors joining forces, we will first trample the Eternal Heavenly Kingdom, then sweep through the Divine Realm. Do you think that Immortal can still hide?”