Chapter 4176: Another Zhang Ruochen
Yan Wushen bowed respectfully and said, “If the Six Paths Reincarnation Mirror truly exists, Master, rest assured, your disciple will do everything in their power to find it. However, collecting the Nine Cauldrons is the most urgent priority.”
“Of the Nine Cauldrons, we have already obtained three.”
“Furthermore, the ‘Light Cauldron’ is in Feng Caiyi’s hands, the ‘Darkness Cauldron’ and ‘Origin Cauldron’ were taken by the Dark Lord, and the ‘Space Cauldron’ is most likely in the Divine Ancient Nest, held by Ling Yanzi, hidden in an unknown space.”
“As for the remaining ‘Fate Cauldron,’ it vanished without a trace after Zhang Ruochen fell. It was very likely given to Feng Caiyi to aid her in cultivating the Path of Fate and inheriting the Ancestor of Fate’s entire ancestral cultivation.”
“The most difficult to find is undoubtedly the ‘Void Cauldron,’ which leaves not a single trace and has long been lost in the ancient river of history.”
Shi Yan’s gaze appeared murky but was in fact profound. He said, “There’s no need to rush for the Void Cauldron! As for the Darkness Cauldron and Origin Cauldron, I, your master, will personally go and negotiate with the Dark Lord. The most important thing now is to find Feng Caiyi and seize the two cauldrons in her hands.”
Yan Wushen suddenly understood. No wonder, as soon as his master returned, he instructed A Fuya to merge with Feng Caiyi and seize her Dao. It turned out he had already planned this.
Judging by his master’s tone, he seemed very confident about finding the Void Cauldron.
Could it be that he knew its whereabouts?
A Fuya asked, “Ancestor Yan, do you have a way to find Feng Caiyi?”
“Feng Caiyi is a Half-Ancestor. If she hides in the shadows, finding her is as difficult as reaching the heavens. Using secret arts to forcibly calculate and summon her will certainly come at a cost. More importantly, doing so would expose my heavenly secrets and whereabouts, which is not worth the loss,” Shi Yan said.
Yan Wushen said, “If there’s no weakness in the Dao, what about in human nature? Feng Caiyi is the Hall Master of the Destiny Temple. If the Destiny Temple faces a catastrophic disaster, can she turn a blind eye?”
“She can!”
Shi Yan said this very firmly.
A Fuya agreed, saying, “Before the Entropy Calamity occurred, when a disaster struck Luozu Cloud Mountain Realm, Heavenly Mother could immediately return from the Abyss of Darkness. But in the post-Entropy Calamity era, when Luozu Cloud Mountain Realm was devoured by the unknown, Heavenly Mother gave no response at all.”
“In terms of human nature, Feng Caiyi is far colder than Heavenly Mother. What Heavenly Mother could do, Feng Caiyi can naturally do as well.”
“Everyone understands that all this destruction is meant to force them to appear. The purpose of forcing them to appear is definitely to kill them.”
Shi Yan said, “Feng Caiyi has inherited the will of the Ancestor of Fate, inherited the power of the Demon Ancestor, and harbors the hatred of avenging Zhang Ruochen. Therefore, she will do everything possible to improve herself before the Great Calamity arrives. So, her hiding place will not be the cosmic frontier or the starry desert, but definitely a major world abundant with the energy of heaven and earth.”
“There are two places that are most likely.”
“First, Paradise Realm! Since Zhang Ruochen gave her the Victory Crown before his death, if she wants to fully control the power of the Victory Crown, she will definitely seek the Light Esoterica and comprehend the Way of Light. Paradise Realm and the Radiant Divine Temple are places she cannot avoid.”
“Second, the Demon God Realm! Hiding in the Demon God Realm allows her to more perfectly conceal the Demon Ancestor power contained in the Demon Ancestor Ridge. The Demon Ancestor Ridge is the Ancestor Realm of the Demon Ancestor. By refining it into the Gate of Destiny, her strength will naturally advance further.”
A Fuya said, “I can make a trip to Paradise Realm! Since she harbors the hatred of revenge, she has a weakness. If she is indeed in Paradise Realm, it shouldn’t be difficult to find her.”
Shi Yan pondered for a moment, then said, “An Ancestor has returned from the Gray Sea. It is the remnant soul of the Life-Death Elder who has attained the Dao. Before his death, Xuan Yuan Hao Wu entrusted the Heavenly Court Universe to him. When you go to Paradise Realm, you must be extremely careful.”
“The one who severely wounded Murong Dui Ji?” A Fuya asked.
Shi Yan nodded slightly.
A Fuya was curious and smiled, “Is it really the remnant soul of the Life-Death Elder attaining the Dao? Is it that easy to return to the Ancestor Realm?”
Shi Yan considered for a moment, then said somewhat uncertainly, “Or perhaps it is Xuan Yuan Hao Wu himself! In any case, act cautiously. Although we now share a common enemy, the Light Cauldron and Fate Cauldron cannot fall into his hands. If you discover any trace of Feng Caiyi, do not make a move. Send me a message, and I will personally go to suppress her.”
“Wu Shen, is Ruo Shui still in the Void Exhaust Sea?”
Yan Wushen said, “She wants to use the power of the Void Exhaust Sea to nurture the Ruo Shui Spirit Infant. The last time I went, the Spirit Infant had already exceeded a hundred billion. Give her some more time, and the Ruo Shui Clan will reappear in the world. By borrowing the power of the entire clan, her combat strength will surely rise another level.”
“Without breaking through to the Ancestor Realm, it is all in vain. Go to the Void Exhaust Sea and have her come out of seclusion to make a trip to the Demon God Realm.” After a pause, Shi Yan suddenly asked, “Wu Shen, if we need to select people to infiltrate the God Realm, who do you think is suitable?”
Yan Wushen didn’t know how to answer.
The words “infiltrate the God Realm” were terrifying just to hear, with an unimaginably high mortality rate.
Who would dare to go?
Shi Yan said, “The Eternal True Arbiter has issued an Ancestral Decree, ordering Xuan Yuan Hao Zhen and that Tai Shang of the Yama Clan to clean house. It seems they will be unable to do so. Once that Tai Shang of the Yama Clan goes to confess his guilt, the Yama Clan will be without a leader. After all, it is the supreme clan; someone must take charge.”
“Does Master want me to return to the Yama Clan?” Yan Wushen asked.
“You can’t just stand by and watch the Yama Clan collapse into ruins, can you?”
Shi Yan gazed at the Colorless Realm and the God Realm gate outside the crack, and said, “More importantly, the Yama Clan is full of talented individuals. Many righteous people can be selected who dare to infiltrate the God Realm.”
“Your disciple understands!”
Yan Wushen clasped his fists and bowed deeply. Then, together with Shi Yan and A Fuya, he looked toward the direction of the Yin-Yang Path.
The old clan emperor of the Chaos Clan walked out step by step from the Yin-Yang Path. Although she was a woman, she was tall and sturdy, with large muscles. Her brown skin constantly shifted between solidity and chaos.
“She has actually broken through to the middle stage of Half-Ancestor.” A Fuya found it unbelievable.
After all, the old clan emperors of the Primordial Beings had all been afflicted with the Consciousness Curse.
If they were cursed, how could they still break through in cultivation?
“Her Consciousness Curse has been lifted!” Shi Yan said.
The old clan emperors of the Primordial Beginning Clan, the Hongmeng Clan, and the Heavenly Mechanism Clan all remained expressionless.
But Yan Wushen and A Fuya were secretly shocked.
The old clan emperor of the Chaos Clan arrived beneath the White Bone Divine Temple. Her gaze was not as hollow as those of the other three old clan emperors; it was sharp. She swept her eyes over everyone and finally landed on Shi Yan, retracting her sharpness and bowing respectfully.
She said, “The one in the Jade Desolate Realm sent me to ask Ancestor Yan, how do we rescue the Hongmeng Black Dragon?”
“Does the Divine Emperor truly want to save it?” Shi Yan asked.
The old clan emperor of the Chaos Clan said, “The situation demands it be saved.”
“It cannot be saved! The power of the Seventy-Two Layer Tower can suppress the Nether Ancestor. Until we find a power to counter the Seventy-Two Layer Tower, no one dares to act. If the Divine Emperor has a way, why not tell us?” Shi Yan said.
The old clan emperor of the Chaos Clan said, “The Divine Emperor says that when the Nether Ancestor attacked the Great Nether Mountain back then, he seized three prehistoric divine artifacts left by the ancestors of the Primordial Beginning Three Clans: the Hongmeng War Axe, the Chaos Bell, and the Primordial Beginning Divine Sword. These three divine artifacts all survived the Great Calamity of the previous era without being destroyed. If they can be returned, He will find a way to counter the Seventy-Two Layer Tower.”
Shi Yan did not believe that the one in the Jade Desolate Realm was in a state to contend with the Immortal of the God Realm, nor did he think the other party genuinely wanted to save the Hongmeng Black Dragon. They simply wanted to reclaim the divine artifacts taken by the Nether Ancestor during the Nether Ancient Era.
So, he said, “The Nether Ancestor has already fallen. Of the three prehistoric divine artifacts, only the Chaos Bell remains, but it has been split into sixty-five parts and is held by the Doomsday Priests of the God Realm. It has long lost its ancient power.”
The divine artifacts that the old clan emperors of the Primordial Beings had reclaimed after breaking free from their stone seals, including the “Primordial Beginning Divine Sword” in the hands of the old clan emperor of the Primordial Beginning Clan and the “Hongmeng War Axe” in the hands of the old clan emperor of the Hongmeng Clan, were merely divine-level imitations.
Yan Wushen had long known that the Jade Desolate Realm concealed a terrifyingly powerful existence, suspected to be an Immortal from the previous era.
The reason the Jade Desolate Realm could produce treasures that helped cultivators survive the Eon Calamity was related to that existence.
The Eon Calamity was a minor tribulation under the will of heaven and earth.
That existence likely possessed the power to resist the will of heaven and earth and break the laws of heaven and earth.
Among the twelve Primordial Clans, three were born in the Primordial Beginning period when heaven and earth were first split apart: the Hongmeng Clan, the Chaos Clan, and the Primordial Beginning Clan.
The Hongmeng Clan was somehow connected to the “Hongmeng Black Dragon.”
As for the Primordial Beginning Clan, based on calculations from ancient texts left by the Primordial Beings, it was likely related to “Lady Houtu.”
Both the Hongmeng Clan and the Primordial Beginning Clan bore traces of prehistoric Immortals. How could the Chaos Clan be any different?
Yan Wushen had initially thought that existence had submitted to the Nether Ancestor, which was why the Nether Ancestor faction had been operating in the Jade Desolate Realm all along. But now it seemed more like a cooperative relationship.
Had it become a cooperative relationship only after the Nether Ancestor’s death?
“Being able to lift the Consciousness Curse of the old clan emperor of the Chaos Clan, that ‘Divine Emperor’ must at least be at the Ancestor level. The Ancestor Great War twelve Eons ago erupted in the Jade Desolate Realm; there must have been a reason for that.” Yan Wushen thought to himself.
He developed a great interest in the Hongmeng War Axe and Primordial Beginning Divine Sword mentioned by the old clan emperor of the Chaos Clan.
Divine weapons that could withstand the Great Calamity of the previous era must be extraordinary. He wondered where the Nether Ancestor had hidden them.
The conversation between the old clan emperor of the Chaos Clan and Shi Yan continued, but it was destined to yield no results.
The fact that the Divine Emperor of the Jade Desolate Realm had not come in person already indicated their attitude toward rescuing the Hongmeng Black Dragon.
Green Deer God King followed Lady Shiji, riding a divine ship along a tributary of the Santu River upstream.
The Santu River had countless tributaries, and Green Deer God King had no idea which major world or planet this one led to.
Through the gauze curtain, Green Deer God King asked, “Lady, who are we going to see? Ancestor Yan?”
Lady Shiji was languid and sleepy, lying on a palanquin bed, her voice extremely soft: “Don’t rush. You’ll know when we get there!”
Green Deer God King showed a bitter smile: “How can I not be anxious! Even an Ancestor like the Hongmeng Black Dragon has been chained. The world is undergoing great changes, and the God Realm might launch a Minor Calamity at any moment. Can Ancestor Yan stand against it?”
Green Deer God King had personally witnessed the fragments of the Seventy-Two Layer Tower, which Lady Shiji had collected for centuries in the Earth Desolate Universe, being forcibly taken away by a terrifying and unknown force. It was utterly shocking.
But this number one beauty of all ages remained very calm, sleeping when it was time to sleep, eating when it was time to eat, with an incredibly stable mindset.
“Are you doubting Ancestor Yan’s strength?”
There was a hint of amusement in Lady Shiji’s tone.
Green Deer God King’s expression changed: “I wouldn’t dare. How could I doubt an Ancestor... Huh, it’s getting foggy!”
Lady Shiji’s drowsiness faded. She sat up from the jade bed, then walked out of the gauze curtain to the ship’s bow. Her eyes were extremely bright, and she said, “We’ve arrived!”
Passing through the white fog, the scene ahead changed dramatically.
It was no longer a corpse river, nor was there the foul stench of decay. Instead, it was a boundless expanse of clear water.
The current was gentle, like a lake or a pond.
The water surface resembled a sea of flowers, blooming with colorful exotic blooms, their fragrance overwhelming. Lotus flowers were the most common, their leaves as large as green islands. Wisps of white mist formed smoke bridges, weaving between some hundred-meter-tall alien plants, creating a vast and ethereal beauty.
“Wait for me on the divine ship.”
Lady Shiji stepped onto a smoke bridge and walked deep into the sea of flowers, arriving at a lotus leaf green island.
On the lotus leaf, pavilions stood in clusters, and corridors stretched for miles.
Green Deer God King squinted, carefully gazing at that lotus leaf green island.
He could faintly see several figures, but the space was filled with profound and unfathomable rules and order, blurring his vision.
“What formidable cultivation! However, the layout here doesn’t seem like Shi Yan’s style,” he thought to himself.
On the other side, Lady Shiji stopped at the center of the corridor, her gaze sweeping over the three people sitting in the corridor house, a hint of surprise appearing in her eyes.
The two women sitting on the left and right were a green-robed flute player and a Demon Butterfly Princess, both of whom she had seen before.
The handsome man sitting on the chair between the two women was none other than Zhang Ruochen.
Lady Shiji bowed in the distance and said, “I have brought Green Deer God King. He knows best what happened in the Gray Sea.”
In the distance stood a slender, graceful white-clad figure, back to everyone, like a beautiful painting of a fairy’s silhouette.
She said, “Just tell me.”
So, Lady Shiji recounted in detail the information provided by Green Deer God King and Bore.
The white-clad figure said, “So, Zhang Ruochen’s death was caused by the Nether Ancestor faction, and many already know this.”
Lady Shiji responded cautiously, “I’m afraid so, after all, the Abyssal Ancient Sword was exposed. This is my responsibility, and I am willing to accept any punishment.”
“This is not your responsibility. It was a grave mistake made by Shi Yan on his own initiative. How important is Zhang Ruochen? How could he make life-and-death decisions about him?” the white-clad figure said.
Lady Shiji was intimidated by the coldness in her tone and slightly bowed, saying, “Once one’s cultivation reaches the Ancestor Realm, they always think they are someone important and act without restraint. However, the God Realm is powerful, and there are rumors that the Second Confucian Ancestor is breaking through to the ninety-sixth level of Spiritual Power. It is a time when we need people. Lady, please spare his life for now.”
“In the Eternal Heaven battle, the Hongmeng Black Dragon was chained, and the twelve Primordial Clans suffered heavy losses. The God Realm’s prestige has reached an unprecedented peak. I believe we must do something, or else all cultivators in the universe will defect to the God Realm, worship the God Realm, and believe in the God Realm.”
“The Heavenly Venerable-level and Half-Ancestor-level cultivators in the universe dare not show themselves, losing their control and influence over the lower-level cultivators. If the God Realm seizes the opportunity to grasp the great momentum and the power of all beings, the consequences will be unimaginable.”
The white-clad figure said lightly, “What do you think of Zhang Ruochen’s influence in the universe?”
Lady Shiji glanced at the Zhang Ruochen who was smiling at her from not far away and said, “If the Imperial Dust were still alive, he would naturally be a banner.”
“Then let Zhang Ruochen come back to life! If he goes to rescue the Hongmeng Black Dragon, it will be enough to show the cultivators of the world a path and give them another choice.”
The white-clad figure asked, “What do you think of this Zhang Ruochen?”
Lady Shiji had already used her divine thoughts to probe the Zhang Ruochen before her. His heavenly secrets and aura were exactly the same as Zhang Ruochen’s, and his cultivation was extremely high. At least with her cultivation, she could not tell the difference. This was undoubtedly the Lady’s handiwork! Such a feat was nothing short of heaven-defying.
Lady Shiji said, “I just wonder about his Dao techniques.”
“Whatever Zhang Ruochen knows, she knows,” the white-clad figure said.
Zhang Ruochen stood up, his voice clear and pleasant to the ear: “I once parasitized my master for many years, sharing a body, our blood and souls intermingling. The Dao techniques he cultivated are the Dao techniques I cultivated. His heavenly secrets and aura are also my heavenly secrets and aura.”
Zhang Ruochen’s appearance slowly changed, turning into a seductive woman.
It was the Refined God Flower, Mo Yin.
Lady Houtu is the ancestor of the Primordial Beginning Clan. This was mentioned when Zhang Ruochen first entered the Abyss of Darkness and passed through White Cang Ridge with Yuan Sheng. That chapter talked about many things related to the twelve Primordial Clans.
Heavenly Duke was mentioned when writing about the Thunder Clan. The Six Paths Reincarnation Mirror was mentioned when writing about the Ancient Desolate Ruins City. The Great Demon God’s Dao being related to the Six Paths Reincarnation Realm was also written at that time.
These chapters are all summaries of the previous plot through dialogue, so they are almost all repetitive content. But there’s no choice; the span is too large, and everyone has almost forgotten, so it must be written again.