Chapter 4181: A Powerful Figure Emerges from the Divine Realm
Shang Tian appeared at the foot of Heavenly Punishment Divine Mountain. Seeing the "Life-Death Heavenly Venerable" within the mountain, his gaze calmed down.
He said, "The Imperial Dust is not dead, having reappeared in the world, intending to sever the Radiant Heaven and Earth Divine Rope to rescue the Primordial Black Dragon. May I ask the Heavenly Venerable, how should the Heavenly Palace respond?"
"This is a good thing, no need to panic."
Zhang Ruochen shifted his form and appeared at the foot of the mountain.
Xuan Yuan Lian followed him down the mountain and said, "That's right! Zhang Ruochen's friendships span the world. He has distributed benefits and scattered wealth countless times, nurturing powerful figures personally across all clans and realms. He has campaigned far and wide, faced life and death many times, and removed numerous hidden dangers for the universe. His comrades and brothers-in-arms range from Half-Ancestors down to Half-Saints. In terms of influence among the cultivators of the world, almost no one can compare."
"His action to rescue the Primordial Black Dragon carries extraordinary significance, representing a line of thought and ideology opposed to the Divine Realm. It is enough to influence the decisions of many cultivators."
"In the current universe, where everyone worships the Eternal True Ruler, reveres the Divine Realm, and pays homage to the Seventy-Two Layer Tower, his appearance is extremely timely!"
"The network of connections, favors, and influence Zhang Ruochen has accumulated over these two hundred thousand years will have a far greater impact on the Divine Realm than his own cultivation and combat power."
Zhang Ruochen smiled and said, "Young Master Lian's words are quite objective."
Shang Tian's expression remained unchanged. "The Paradise Realm is the western gateway of the Myriad Realms Star Domain. If Zhang Ruochen continues this attack, the Paradise Realm will surely suffer severe damage. If it provokes an Ancestor from the Divine Realm, triggering an Ancestor-level battle, the Paradise Realm's world-protecting grand formation may not be able to withstand it."
The Myriad Realms Star Domain is the star domain centered on the Heavenly Court, gathering the myriad realms and heavens of the Heavenly Court Universe.
"Activate the Myriad Realms Zhou Tian Grand Formation, mobilize the gods from all realms, and dispatch them to guard the hundred realms surrounding the Paradise Realm."
After saying this, Xuan Yuan Lian observed Zhang Ruochen's expression and added, "I await the Heavenly Venerable's decision."
"Do as you say. Go ahead." Zhang Ruochen said.
Watching Xuan Yuan Lian leave, Shang Tian lowered his voice. "What exactly is going on? This Imperial Dust—his heavenly secrets, his aura, even his divine abilities and Dao methods—are all exactly the same as the real Imperial Dust."
Shang Tian suspected this was Zhang Ruochen's own doing.
With the means of an Ancestor, creating a powerful enough doppelganger is not difficult.
But wasn't he afraid the Ancestors of the Divine Realm would intervene?
Especially that Longevity Undying One who controls the Seventy-Two Layer Tower, looming like a dark cloud over Shang Tian's head, always seeming ready to press down and devour him.
Zhang Ruochen looked up at the white clouds in the sky, able to see the scene deep within the starry sky. "I have a general idea. No need to pay it any mind for now."
In all the world, there were only two people who could match Zhang Ruochen's heavenly secrets and aura.
One was Chi Yao, and the other was the Flower-Refining Divine Plant, Mo Yin.
If Chi Yao were disguised, with her Half-Ancestor level of cultivation, once she made a move, she could not fool the old, undying giant figures of the universe.
After all, it was not her true body. No matter how well it matched, there would always be flaws.
But this Zhang Ruochen—even Zhang Ruochen himself could not see through the flaws.
At least, across the spatial distance of an entire star domain, no flaws were visible.
If it were Mo Yin in disguise, then Zhang Ruochen's last shred of wishful thinking would be completely gone. Ji Fanxin would inevitably be that "Fanxin" who, according to Gandharva, had escaped from the Gray Sea.
Because Mo Yin was closest to Ji Fanxin.
Mo Yin's true form was the ancient relic species, "Shi Shenghua."
As for Ji Fanxin, the reason she was called the Hundred Flowers Fairy was that any plant near her would grow rapidly, even become spiritualized, and transform into a Saint.
She possessed a mysterious power to turn decay into magic, and a life aura that could turn a thousand miles of barren land into a colorful sea of flowers.
Shi Shenghua, being a ferocious plant, had no mental obstacles. As long as there was a continuous supply of flower fertilizer nutrients, staying by Ji Fanxin's side could double its growth rate.
As for the Primordial Illumination Divine Lotus's help to cultivators in comprehending the Dao, Zhang Ruochen's Wuji Divine Dao still dared not claim to have surpassed it.
"If it really is her, how many times has she bloomed now?"
Zhang Ruochen secretly calculated Mo Yin's current cultivation realm.
Legend has it that Shi Shenghua blooms nine times. Each time it blooms, its cultivation realm undergoes earth-shattering changes.
The first bloom produces a fruit called the "Void Body."
The second bloom produces the "Physical Body."
The third bloom produces the "Dharma Body."
The fourth bloom produces the "Hundred Thousand Incarnations."
The eighth bloom triggers a transformation back to ancestral form, producing the "Primordial Ancestral Body."
Not the Ancestor of Ancestors, but the ancestor of ancestors.
It would transform into the form of its primordial ancestor, recreating the terrifying devouring ability of the "Devouring Cloud Demon Vine."
In the primordial era, the universe was vast and misty, without stars or great worlds, like an ocean where various substances and energies mingled together.
The Devouring Cloud Demon Vine devoured the clouds of primordial qi.
Each cloud was like a modern cosmic nebula.
As for the ninth bloom, in the endless, long river of time in the universe, it had never appeared. No one knew what form it would evolve into.
Shang Tian said, "Feng Yan and Xiang Chunan have already gone to the Paradise Realm. As the current number one powerhouse of the Paradise Realm, this old man must return. I came here to take my leave of the Heavenly Venerable."
"You want me to go to the Paradise Realm to take charge?" Zhang Ruochen asked.
Of course, he did.
Otherwise, why would he have said that just now?
Shang Tian said, "This old man does not force others. The Heavenly Venerable indeed has reasons not to go. No one can easily put down their grudges."
"Each generation has its own grudges. How many generations have passed in the Paradise Realm? Our accounts have long been settled. After Ke Luo died, my grudges with the Paradise Realm also came to an end."
After a moment's thought, Zhang Ruochen added, "You old bastard, are you deliberately provoking me?"
Speaking of grudges, the Paradise Realm, including Shang Tian, had a deep, sea-like hatred with Zhang Ruochen.
Of course, the hatred with Shang Tian mainly stemmed from the "Demon Corpse" and "Divine Corpse" of the Three Corpses. But the current Shang Tian was actually dominated by the spiritual consciousness of the "Origin Corpse." The spiritual consciousness of the "Demon Corpse" and "Divine Corpse" had mostly faded away.
Among them, the "Divine Corpse" had self-destructed its Divine Source in the Gray Sea and had already been annihilated.
The reason Shang Tian and Zhang Ruochen could put down their hatred and shake hands in peace was due to both their internal alignment of ideals and a compromise forced by external circumstances.
"I would never dare to act rashly before an Ancestor."
Shang Tian quickly bowed.
"Let's go. I am quite interested in the Paradise Realm."
Zhang Ruochen said this suddenly, with a meaningful tone.
About three trillion miles away from the Paradise Realm, in the void, "Mo Yin," disguised as Zhang Ruochen, was about to strike a third sword to completely sever the Radiant Heaven and Earth Divine Rope.
At that moment, a dazzling light suddenly erupted from the direction of Lihentian.
Countless talismans turned into a purple-cyan tidal wave of talismans, rushing along the Radiant Heaven and Earth Divine Rope toward her at speeds far exceeding light.
The Divine Realm had finally made its move.
Mo Yin was not alarmed but delighted. The sword Dao power condensed in her hand slashed horizontally.
This sword contained the power hidden by "the Lady," colliding with the overwhelming tidal wave of talismans.
"Hua!"
The sword light stretched a hundred thousand miles, splitting the tidal wave of talismans.
Countless talismans exploded in the void, the sound of thunder ceaseless, and destructive energy spread in all directions.
Many talismans flew past Mo Yin's front, back, left, and right, heading straight for the Paradise Realm.
The gods of the Paradise Realm all stood on the sea of clouds outside the realm, releasing divine qi, fully activating the world-protecting divine formation.
Seeing the tidal wave of talismans rushing toward them, their faces collectively changed color.
"Each talisman has the power to destroy a star. Is this the work of the Eternal True Ruler?"
"Besides a Spiritual Power Ancestor, who could paint talismans into a sea?"
"This tidal wave of talismans is enough to destroy one star domain after another, turning a universe dark and empty."
"Boom!"
"Boom, rumble!"
The tidal wave of talismans collided with the Paradise Realm.
Outside the realm, countless stars and Divine Throne planets turned to ash.
The Paradise Realm brightened several times in an instant, constantly under attack by the talismans.
On the sea of clouds.
One god after another spat blood, falling to the ground like rain.
On the vast world surface, Saint realm cultivators in magnificent temples, assisting the gods in supporting the world-protecting formation, also fell in droves.
Gods from the Heavenly Court Universe rushed from all realms, but none dared approach the Paradise Realm.
They could only go to the hundred realms closest to the Paradise Realm, gathering the power of the realm formations, and strike beams of light that pierced through the star domain, hitting the tidal wave of talismans.
"Ancestors dueling, mortals suffer. Fortunately, the Paradise Realm is strong enough, or it would have surely split apart, turning into patches of starry wasteland."
"The Imperial Dust can split the talisman sea with a single sword. He probably has Ancestor-level combat power too."
"The Ancestors of the Divine Realm can't do anything to him."
Mo Yin looked into the distance and saw the figure who had unleashed the tidal wave of talismans.
That figure walked out from the gate of the Divine Realm, standing majestically above the Seventy-Two Layer Tower, his whole body radiant with divine light, like the master of all living beings, towering above all races.
He had long, flowing hair, an aged face and form, and on his wrinkled face was a complex, profound silver talisman pattern.
"Murong Buhuo!"
Mo Yin uttered these four words in Zhang Ruochen's voice, full of surprise.
After the corpses of the Ancestral Dragon and the Ancestral Yaksha King appeared one after another, many gods speculated that the Divine Realm must have dug up even more Ancestor remains to nurture new spirits.
This was the best way to cultivate an Ancestor!
Because the starting point was high enough.
It was using the nutrients of the Ancestor's corpse to grow a "new seedling."
The reason Mo Yin was surprised was that Murong Buhuo's remnant soul had appeared before. Now, Murong Buhuo's divine corpse had emerged from the Divine Realm, displaying a spiritual power intensity that had clearly reached the terrifying level of ninety-five steps.
He was a Spiritual Power Ancestor!
If not for the power hidden by the Lady, she would not have been able to split the tidal wave of talismans just now.
Zhang Ruochen, on his way to the Paradise Realm, stopped and looked at the figure in Lihentian, showing no surprise at all. "Murong Buhuo's corpse and divine heart are indeed in the Divine Realm. Why do I feel a sense of familiarity?"
"Familiarity?" Shang Tian asked.
Zhang Ruochen said, "Perhaps it's because I saw Murong Buhuo's remnant soul before."
Murong Buhuo's remnant soul had long descended from Lihentian to the Real World, but when it attacked the Kunlun Realm, it was instead suppressed. The divine heart cultivated by the remnant soul was obtained by the daughter of Wen Tianjun, Princess Shen Ba.
And this one who walked out of the Divine Realm was a combination of Murong Buhuo's Ancestor divine corpse and Ancestor divine heart, countless times more powerful than the remnant soul.
In the starry sky, Void Heaven and Jing Daoren were terrified, immediately fleeing into the Void World and heading for the Heavenly Court.
Once back in the Heavenly Court, they would have the protection of the Life-Death Heavenly Venerable.
"I long suspected that the Second Confucian Ancestor took Murong Buhuo's divine corpse and divine heart to the Divine Realm. But is it that easy to cultivate to the ninety-fifth step of spiritual power?" Void Heaven was both panicked and insanely jealous.
Jing Daoren said, "Murong Buhuo, when alive, was at the ninety-sixth step of spiritual power and was the number one talisman master in history, ancient and modern. The remnant soul of a single spiritual power thought left in Lihentian is stronger than you. The spiritual power thoughts contained in the divine heart are countless times more than the remnant soul. What do you have to compare?"
Void Heaven was rendered speechless.
He only felt that Jing Daoren was becoming more and more arrogant, completely not treating him, a Half-Ancestor, with any respect, and was in dire need of a lesson.
Of course, the two of them were panicked.
One possessed the Murong family's clan-suppressing divine artifact, the "Stainless Dust Whisk," and the other possessed Murong Buhuo's "Heavenly Mechanism Brush."
Now that Murong Buhuo's divine corpse had emerged, how could it not take back the Stainless Dust Whisk and the Heavenly Mechanism Brush?
Jing Daoren's eyes rolled around. "Old Ghost Void, how about we split up and go into hiding?"
"Why?"
Void Heaven asked in confusion, "Do you have the confidence to evade a Spiritual Power Ancestor?"
Void Heaven considered himself second only to Ancestors in hiding and escaping, but facing a Spiritual Power Ancestor, he was still very fearful, feeling it was not safe.
Jing Daoren said, "Look, this is what I think. If I am attacked by Murong Buhuo, the Life-Death Heavenly Venerable will surely come to my rescue, after all, I am the head of the Five Elements Temple and one of the righteous leaders of the Heavenly Court. But you... you are now on the same side as Black and White Daoist and Xuan Yuan the Second. If you are attacked, would the Life-Death Heavenly Venerable dare to save you? He would definitely avoid you. Don't drag me into this..."
"Slap!"
Void Heaven slapped Jing Daoren heavily on the head, veins bulging on his face in anger.
Damn it, so Jing the Second was looking down on him.
Damn it, if it weren't for helping him seize the foundation stone of the main altar back then, how would he have offended the Divine Realm? How would he have become famous alongside Black and White Daoist and Xuan Yuan the Second?
In Murong Buhuo's left and right eye pupils, there was each an Ancestral Talisman. Across the vast space, he looked at "Zhang Ruochen."
Just now, in the mysterious heavenly mechanism, he had heard Zhang Ruochen's muttered words.
"Ancestor Buhuo has long passed away. I am the one who inherited his remains and spiritual power divine heart to reach the supreme realm of the ninety-fifth step. Naturally, I cannot forget my roots, so I call myself Murong Dominator."
His tone was steady, not loud.
But it passed through the distant space and clearly entered Mo Yin's ears, as if right beside her.
"Murong Dominator?"
Mo Yin smiled. "Isn't it just a descendant of Murong Buhuo, seizing the corpse of their ancestor? Regardless, you have cultivated to the ninety-fifth step without disgracing Murong Buhuo's reputation. Today, I, the Emperor, will come and meet you."
Murong Dominator said slowly, "Imperial Dust! You must know, from the moment you drew your sword to cut the divine rope, this became a life-and-death struggle, not a one-on-one game of chess. The Divine Realm will use its full power to suppress and kill you here."
In an instant, from the gate of the Divine Realm, one terrifying figure after another walked out.
Each one emitted Ancestral might.
The headless skeleton of Buddha Patriarch Kasyapa walked out first, its whole body golden, ten thousand Buddhist rings behind it, and the Sanskrit sound from its abdomen echoing throughout the universe.
The corpse of Blazing Sun Ancestor, towering a billion miles, emitted light millions of times brighter than ordinary stars, its heat melting everything.
One after another.
All living beings in the universe were suffocated by the Ancestral might.
The Divine Realm, standing above the myriad heavens and realms, transcendent and supreme, had finally revealed its true power.