# Chapter 4193: Complete Breakdown
Chi Kongle and Yan Ying'er had learned that Zhang Hongchen had recently appeared in the Heavenly Court, which was why they had come to investigate.
As for Zhang Nihe, she was purely driven by curiosity, wanting to meet the older sister who had gained such great fame throughout the universe. She had heard that after Zhang Hongchen joined the God Realm, she had received the most focused cultivation and had made terrifying progress, already reaching the Heavenly Venerable rank.
Among all the siblings, she had the highest cultivation.
There were even rumors that she was the heir of that mysterious Eternal True Ruler, with a status in the God Realm second only to the two Chancellors.
She could even sit on equal footing with Murong Duiji and the Ten Thousand Generations Nine Ancestors.
The three of them had arrived at the Heavenly Palace purely by coincidence.
It was Zhang Nihe who had heard that all the gods of the Heavenly Court Universe had gathered to discuss important matters, and there was a possibility they might invite the legendary Life and Death Heavenly Venerable to appear. So she had forcefully dragged Chi Kongle and Yan Ying'er along to watch the excitement.
In her words: "To behold the glory of an Ancestor!"
"Do you think the Life and Death Heavenly Venerable will actually emerge from seclusion?"
Zhang Nihe looked at the two opposing factions locked in confrontation, a sly smile flickering in her eyes, clearly plotting some mischief.
Yan Ying'er said, "Probably! The Strange Domain has disappeared, shaking the entire universe. Almost all the great figures of the Heavenly Court Universe have arrived. How could the Heavenly Venerable not come out to take charge?"
"I'm not so sure. Over the years, haven't there been plenty of major incidents? Has any of them ever roused him from seclusion?"
Zhang Nihe propped her cheek with one hand, her eyes darting around as she looked at the solemn and contemplative Chi Kongle beside her. She gently tugged at her sleeve with her other hand and said, "Big Sister, what are you thinking? What do you say? If a fight breaks out in the Heavenly Palace, do you think it would rouse the Life and Death Heavenly Venerable?"
"Absolutely not. Don't cause trouble here." Chi Kongle warned sternly.
She knew well that Zhang Nihe would dare to stir up any kind of disaster and do anything.
So she added, "The Heavenly Palace is not the Sword Realm. The cultivation and methods of the Life and Death Heavenly Venerable are not something you or I can withstand."
Feng Caiyi of the Hell Realm, Wang Jingyang—one of the God Realm's Ten Thousand Generations Nine Ancestors—were both supreme experts of the universe. But if the Life and Death Heavenly Venerable wanted to kill them, no one could save them!
Such boldness and methods had kept all factions in check for thirty thousand years, and no one had dared to cause trouble in the Heavenly Court Universe since.
At least not openly.
Zhang Nihe said, "Big Sister, rest assured. I absolutely won't get personally involved. I'll just use some small tricks. Look, the Ji Tian faction and the Primordial Beings faction are having a lively dispute. It's a good opportunity."
"If you don't behave, I'll send you back to the North Marsh Great Wall right now. Have you forgotten what you promised me before we came?" Chi Kongle said.
Zhang Nihe had long experienced this big sister's no-nonsense style of conduct. Growing up, she had received the most punishments from her. Of course, whenever she made a mistake, her big sister would always share half the punishment.
With their father gone, the eldest sister was like a father.
In the past thirty thousand years, although Di Chen had appeared a few more times, he had never returned to the Sword Realm, giving rise to many doubts.
As a result, among the cultivators of the Sword Realm, only two or three out of ten believed that it was the real Di Chen.
Zhang Nihe drooped her head, her face falling. "Sigh, no fun. No fun at all!"
"Oh!"
Yan Ying'er sensed something, her eyelashes fluttering as she looked outside the central divine hall.
A deep, rumbling voice came from beyond the heavens: "Creation Ancestor, Hongchen Sword Venerable, Murong Half-Ancestor, request an audience with the Life and Death Heavenly Venerable."
Terrifying ancestral might emanated from the east.
Like a divine sun rising, it rapidly approached the Heavenly Palace.
More than a hundred powerful beings, their bodies radiating divine light, broke through space and appeared outside the central divine hall, forming surging waves of rule divine patterns and tidal forces.
The gods of the Heavenly Palace were shaken, looking at each other in dismay and discussing among themselves.
So many God Realm experts appearing together—this was clearly a hostile visit.
Ji Tian saw the three figures at the forefront of the gods standing outside the hall and was overjoyed. He immediately strode out to welcome them.
The gods of his faction followed suit.
Murong Duiji stood at the very center, appearing to be around forty years old. The spiritual power emanating from his body evolved into the nine heavens of stars, as if he were riding a starry sky alongside him, displaying his unparalleled cultivation realm.
The Withering Death Art curse had long been resolved by Murong Overlord, and his spiritual power had advanced further.
Standing to Murong Duiji's left was Zhang Hongchen in her red attire.
She possessed both city-toppling beauty and outstanding bearing, her momentum sharp and fierce.
Behind her stood nine sword slaves.
One of these sword slaves was the corpse of the Blazing Sun Ancestor.
The ancestral body, over a hundred million miles tall, had been compressed by Zhang Hongchen's space rule divine patterns, appearing only about ten meters high. The space there was extremely unstable.
To Murong Duiji's right was the corpse of the Creation Ancestor, one of the Ten Thousand Generations Nine Ancestors.
No one knew the specific name of the Creation Ancestor's corpse; outsiders only called it "Creation Ancestor."
After Wang Jingyang's precedent, who would dare to reveal their true name?
Legend had it that the ten Stone God Stars of the Stone Clan were all formed from the death of Stone Clan ancestors. But in reality, this was not the case. Almost all of them, like the Shiji God Star, were formed from the death of Stone Clan half-ancestors.
One of the Stone God Stars, "Creation God Star," had long been destroyed, and even its star core had been refined by Zhang Ruochen into the Abyssal Divine Sword.
The Creation God Star was naturally not formed from the death of the Creation Ancestor.
However, its star core was formed from a piece of stone that had fallen from the Creation Ancestor's true body—a part of the ancestral stone body.
The Creation Ancestor was the only true ancestor in the history of the Stone Clan.
The Creation Ancestor had a stone body, with a skull-like head. Because his body was too heavy, it pressed and distorted the space around him.
After a brief exchange of pleasantries with Ji Tian, the Creation Ancestor said, "I have come on the orders of the Eternal True Ruler. Go and invite the Life and Death Heavenly Venerable to come out!"
"The True Ruler has emerged from seclusion?"
A young god behind Ji Tian exclaimed in surprise.
The entire Heavenly Palace erupted in uproar.
Some were shocked, some solemn, some joyful.
That the Eternal True Ruler was in seclusion, breaking through to the ninety-sixth level of spiritual power, was no longer a secret. It had spread throughout the universe.
This was the very thing that those who doubted the God Realm and harbored resistance were worried about.
The ninety-fifth level of spiritual power could already be called an Ancestor.
What level was the ninety-sixth?
Throughout history, the greatest and most accomplished ancestors, such as "Murong Buhuo," who was hailed as the number one in talisman dao across the ages, was said to have reached the ninety-sixth level of spiritual power.
The ninety-sixth level!
This was taking another step forward after reaching the Ancestor realm—and a big step at that.
"The Heavenly Venerable is in closed-death seclusion and will not see anyone."
The Dragon Lord walked out from the hall, heroic and upright, every move exuding the bearing of a strong one.
Behind him, Xuanyuan Lian, Bian Zhuang War God, Zhao Gongming, Jing Daoren, True Martial Great Emperor, Hunyuan Tian, Blade Venerable, Feng Yan, Xiang Chunan, Qingsi Xue, Dragon Emperor, Phoenix Emperor, and a host of other top-tier experts of the Heavenly Court Universe stood in a line.
Various divine phenomena manifested, as if countless great worlds of different forms were colliding with each other.
All because the Creation Ancestor's tone had been too arrogant, showing no respect for the Life and Death Heavenly Venerable.
"Go and invite the Life and Death Heavenly Venerable to come out"—did a half-ancestor have the right to say such words?
If the gods of the Heavenly Court Universe complied, it would be the greatest joke under heaven.
The Creation Ancestor sneered, "Everyone knows that the Life and Death Heavenly Venerable is in closed-death seclusion! But haven't you heard clearly? This is an order from the Eternal True Ruler. You didn't even bother to report it and directly refused. This shows that you have no regard for the True Ruler at all."
"Not exactly."
The Dragon Lord said calmly, "I just don't have you in my eyes."
"Presumptuous!"
The Creation Ancestor roared, his voice like thunder, shaking many gods in the Heavenly Palace until blood flowed from their seven orifices.
Many formation inscriptions were also triggered by this sonic force, with light pillars rising everywhere.
Xiang Chunan quipped, "Why is it that only one nameless person speaks when the God Realm talks? Where are the others? Afraid of being written into the 'Book of Life and Death' and dying horribly in the Heavenly Palace?"
Over the past thirty thousand years, rumors about the "Book of Life and Death" had grown more and more.
Most cultivators believed that Wang Jingyang's death back then was the work of the Life and Death Heavenly Venerable.
The truth could be concealed for a time, but not forever.
Zhang Hongchen, like ice that had never melted in ten thousand years, said, "Third Uncle, the Life and Death Heavenly Venerable killed Long Lin. The evidence is conclusive. Now that the True Ruler has emerged from seclusion, he naturally wants to settle accounts with him. If you don't invite the Life and Death Heavenly Venerable out today and hand over the Ancestral Dragon corpse, this matter will not end peacefully."
Another stone stirred up a thousand waves.
Long Lin had died many years ago.
He had died right outside the Heavenly Court. Many gods had witnessed that scene back then, but no one knew who had killed him. After that, the Ancestral Dragon corpse had gone missing.
All factions had believed it was the work of the Dark Overlord or the Corpse Demon, and the matter had been dropped.
Now the old case was being reopened, and it was claimed that the evidence was conclusive.
This was different from Wang Jingyang's death.
After Wang Jingyang died, everyone later realized that it was likely the Life and Death Heavenly Venerable's doing. But both the God Realm and the Heavenly Court Universe had remained silent, clearly not wanting to completely break ties.
The relationship could thus be maintained.
But today, with the God Realm arriving in force and bringing up Long Lin's matter, there would be no more room for buffer between the God Realm and the Heavenly Court Universe.
"It seems the Eternal True Ruler really has broken through to the ninety-sixth level!"
This thought surfaced in the minds of many gods.
The Heaven and Earth Altar was about to be completed, and the Heavenly Court Universe's resources had been nearly drained, leaving it without further use.
With the Eternal True Ruler emerging from seclusion and the Hongmeng Black Dragon completely refined, the God Realm had finally freed its hands to deal with the Life and Death Heavenly Venerable, this hidden danger.
All cultivators of the Heavenly Court Universe who understood this turned pale.
Some even felt a sense of impending doom.
They had guessed that with the Strange Domain's disappearance and the Hongmeng Black Dragon completely refined, the God Realm would certainly make a major move at this time. That was why they had gathered at the Heavenly Palace to discuss countermeasures.
But they hadn't expected the God Realm to act so swiftly, directly targeting the Life and Death Heavenly Venerable.
Xiang Chunan laughed, "Long Lin died so many years ago. Where is there any conclusive evidence? Could it be that the God Realm, wanting to eliminate those in the Heavenly Court Universe who don't submit, deliberately fabricated these charges?"
"The evidence has indeed been erased, but more than one witness to that battle still lives."
Zhang Hongchen glanced behind her.
A sword slave walked out from behind the Blazing Sun Ancestor's corpse.
This sword slave was peerlessly heroic, his body as majestic as a divine mountain. His dragon robe fluttered like a war banner, and his face and features were as if carved by knives and axes, full of resolute temperament.
Emperor Ancestor Divine Lord, who had been contemporaries with the Dragon Lord and the Ice Emperor, was hailed as the greatest of that era.
He too had been in his prime, pointing at the world.
Zhuo Wenzhen flew out from the Heavenly Palace, landing beside him. She stepped forward to confirm, gently shaking her head, her eyes filled with disbelief.
Her eyes grew redder and redder, tears unable to be suppressed.
"Father... you... how can you all..."
Zhuo Wenzhen tightly grasped Emperor Ancestor Divine Lord's hand.
Once, this hand had been the place she felt safest, able to hold up even if the sky fell.
It had been a haven from wind and rain.
But now, it was ice-cold, no longer carrying the warmth and weight it once had.
Zhang Hongchen said coldly, "Back then, Long Lin and Emperor Ancestor Divine Lord went together to visit the Life and Death Heavenly Venerable. But Long Lin was killed, while Emperor Ancestor Divine Lord managed to escape. After returning to the Imperial Dao Great World, he went into seclusion to cultivate and no longer obeyed the God Realm's orders. Why is that?"
"Father has done nothing to betray the God Realm!"
Zhuo Wenzhen gritted her teeth, her gaze as cold as frost, as if she wanted to tear Zhang Hongchen apart.
Zhang Hongchen ignored her. "He was accepted as a disciple by the Eternal True Ruler, received the God Realm's benefits, obtained the best cultivation resources, and his cultivation advanced by leaps and bounds. Yet he concealed the cause of Lord Long Lin's death and stopped following the God Realm's orders. How is this different from betrayal? Were the God Realm's resources so easy to take? Once you walk this path, there is no turning back! Including you—you must be an accomplice, right?"
"You go too far! What right do you have to refine my father into a sword slave?"
Zhuo Wenzhen was grief-stricken and knew she would not survive today. She let out a long roar, mobilized all her divine qi and rule divine patterns, and a time finger sword shot toward Zhang Hongchen's brow.
A desperate gamble.
If she could take revenge in a surprise attack, then even dying in the Heavenly Palace today would be worth it!
Zhang Hongchen didn't even look at her. She merely moved her mind, and the sword inserted into Emperor Ancestor Divine Lord's head emitted a piercing tremor.
Then.
Emperor Ancestor Divine Lord's pupils burst forth with truth divine radiance, and ten thousand sword lights flew out from his skin. He charged forward and, with just two palms, shattered Zhuo Wenzhen's physical body.
Just as the third palm was about to fall, Zhuo Wenzhen would surely have been annihilated in both form and spirit.
"Stop!"
A slender figure crossed space and appeared, exchanging a palm strike with Emperor Ancestor Divine Lord.
It was Chi Kongle!
Chi Kongle carried the broken-bodied Zhuo Wenzhen back and handed her to the Qingyusheng of the Red Cloud Flying Immortal Valley.
Zhang Hongchen stood proudly alone, her eyes slanting coldly. "I sensed you were inside long ago. You're like a lingering ghost."
"Even if you want to kill her, you shouldn't have used Emperor Ancestor Divine Lord to do it. Hongchen, how have you become so cruel?" Chi Kongle said.
"Are you blind? She attacked me first! Who does she think she is, worthy of me deliberately arranging a father-daughter killing method? When you crush an ant, do you consider whether to use your hand or your foot? There's no need!"
Zhang Hongchen continued, "Besides, Chi Kongle, have you forgotten whose disciple she is? She is the disciple of Qishier Pin Lian. She deserves to die. When she served as the God Realm's Doomsday Ritual Master, her methods were far more ruthless than mine. Even if I deliberately arranged a father-daughter killing drama to kill her, it wouldn't be too much, would it?"
Chi Kongle said, "You have disappointed me greatly! The path you are walking now—how is it any different from Qishier Pin Lian's?"
"What right do you have to say that to me? If my mother hadn't blocked the Time Corpse of Qishier Pin Lian for you, the one lying in the coffin now would be you. You owe me a debt you can never repay in this lifetime."
Zhang Hongchen's emotions surged, her gaze and words sharper than swords.
"Enough!"
Feng Yan stepped forward, his eyes deep and dark. "Is there no one left to control you two? If you want to fight, go to the Netherworld and set up your own arena. If you want to argue, find a private place to do it. Don't embarrass Big Brother here."
Zhang Hongchen's gaze fell on Feng Yan, a slight smile curling at her lips. "Since Uncle Feng has said so, Chi Kongle, how about we have a fight? I also want to see if you've made any progress over the years."
Among the crowd, Zhang Nihe showed a delighted expression, pulling Yan Ying'er as she eagerly prepared to join.
Chi Kongle narrowed her eyes, and behind her manifested the magnificent light and shadow of the Shura Star Column Realm, as if the entire universe were being propped up.
"Is there no end to this?"
Feng Yan walked down the steps step by step, standing between the two.
The other cultivators present all watched quietly, none of them getting involved.
First, because this was the Zhang family's domestic affair, outsiders had no right to interfere.
Second, Zhang Hongchen and Chi Kongle's cultivations were too high, and their personalities were each more eccentric than the other. Not everyone dared to comment. They might get cut down by a sword and not even know why.
Third, their backgrounds were too terrifying.
Behind Zhang Hongchen was likely that Immortal of the God Realm.
Chi Kongle's biological mother, Empress Chi Yao, was the master of the Sword Realm. Over the years, her cultivation had grown increasingly profound, already able to sit on equal footing with ancestors.
Only Feng Yan was present.
He had a deep friendship with Zhang Ruochen, being a sworn brother from their youth, with the seniority and closeness clearly established. At the same time, he was one of the Twenty Heavens of the Heavenly Court, with unfathomable strength.
Among the new generation, only Yan Emperor, Zhenyuan Great Venerable, and Cihang Venerable had been listed among the Heavenly Court's Heavens.
Seeing that Feng Yan had subdued these two proud daughters of heaven, the Dragon Lord spoke unhurriedly, "Have you soul-searched Emperor Ancestor Divine Lord?"
If not for soul-searching, how could Zhang Hongchen have spoken of conclusive evidence?
But the Dragon Lord's question was extremely skillful.
First, Emperor Ancestor Divine Lord's spiritual will was powerful. Even someone of Murong Duiji's spiritual power level might not succeed in soul-searching him.
Only an ancestor would have a better chance.
But Emperor Ancestor Divine Lord was the Eternal True Ruler's disciple. Who would dare to soul-search him?
Had Murong Overlord never suspected Emperor Ancestor Divine Lord?
He certainly had.
But precisely because Emperor Ancestor Divine Lord was the Eternal True Ruler's disciple, no one in the God Realm had dared to touch him for thirty thousand years.
Despite Zhang Hongchen's heaven-defying talent and terrifying cultivation speed, the Dragon Lord knew that she was absolutely no match for Emperor Ancestor Divine Lord now and had no ability to refine him into a sword slave.
So there was only one answer.
The one who had soul-searched Emperor Ancestor Divine Lord was the Eternal True Ruler.
In the entire God Realm, only the Eternal True Ruler could deal with him. Only the Eternal True Ruler could decide how to deal with him—for example, refining him into a sword slave to kill the chicken and scare the monkey.
This was telling the world the fate of traitors.
At the same time, it shifted the anger of the Heavenly Court Universe cultivators onto Zhang Hongchen, because she was Zhang Ruochen's daughter. Zhang Ruochen's reputation in the universe would inevitably suffer.
The God Realm camp was not lacking in clever people.
Murong Duiji saw through the Dragon Lord's purpose, knowing he wanted to use this opportunity to damage the Confucian Ancestor's reputation for benevolence and righteousness. So he said, "It was the Divine Lord who repented before his death, feeling he had wronged Lord Long Lin, and voluntarily confessed everything."
The Dragon Lord had been waiting for this sentence. "So now it's a case of dead men telling no tales?"
But on the head, a sword was inserted.
Only the hilt was exposed.
This was a sword slave!
Using the slave's body to nurture the sword, using the sword's intent to control the slave.
"Emperor Ancestor Divine Lord!"
"You... you actually killed Emperor Ancestor Divine Lord. He was the Eternal True Ruler's disciple..."
"Emperor Ancestor Divine Lord was such a world-shaking talent. He unified the Imperial Dao Great World, reached the Heavenly Venerable rank, and breaking through to half-ancestor in the future would have been as easy as taking something from his pocket. Who would have thought it would end like this."