Chapter 4205: Irreconcilable Contradictions
The Great Calamity was a blade hanging over the heads of all cultivators.
For the top-tier cultivators, every scheme and arrangement ultimately aimed to resist the Great Calamity and survive into the next era.
Zhang Ruochen was keen to debate this point. "Pessimists are always correct, but optimists forge ahead without looking back. You view the Great Calamity with pessimism, so the measures you take become distorted, extreme, and narrow-minded. They may be correct, but only in the sense of your own understanding."
"For example, once mortals believe the end is near, some become reckless, some sink into hedonism, and some abandon themselves entirely."
"When you make the most pessimistic prediction about something in advance, do you truly believe your current actions are correct?"
The Second Confucian Ancestor replied, "The reason I cannot see the future is precisely because I can see it. The future lies there—will you turn a blind eye to it? You say pessimists are extreme and narrow-minded. What about optimists? Under the most terrifying crisis, aren't optimists just another form of extreme narrow-mindedness?"
Zhang Ruochen fell silent for a moment, then said, "Optimists have their own ways of solving problems. One person's plan is inferior to the collective wisdom of many. The sky hasn't fallen, but people's hearts have already collapsed. That is not the way to solve the problem!"
The Second Confucian Ancestor nodded lightly. "You possess the First-Rank Divine Path of the world, with Wuji giving rise to Myriad Forms, and Myriad Forms encompassing Qiankun. Naturally, you are qualified to speak of collective wisdom. But I am not. Playing chess is a solitary endeavor; too many players lead to chaos. Once a piece is placed, it takes root, and every step moves forward. There is no such thing as retracting a move."
The Second Confucian Ancestor understood clearly that Zhang Ruochen's Wuji Divine Dao could encompass all cultivators in the world.
The more cultivators involved, the greater the combat power unleashed.
Just as back in the Heavenly Court, when Zhang Ruochen, still at the Indestructible Infinite level, used the Taiji Four Symbols Diagram Seal to envelop the thousands of cultivators from the Five Elements Temple, Truth Temple, and Time Temple, and combined the strength of Qiangu Nüdi, Jing Daoren, Xiu Chen Heavenly God, and Chan Bing, he could defy the heavens and suppress a Heavenly Venerable-level opponent.
Outside the Divine Ancient Nest, he used the Wuji Divine Dao to unify the power of Chi Yao, Xiu Chen Heavenly God, Wuwo Lamp, and Zangjin Baihu. With his Heavenly Venerable-level cultivation, he could fight head-on with an Ancestor.
Wuji gives rise to Myriad Forms, and Myriad Forms encompass Qiankun. No other divine path could compare to such a combined attack method, and any Ancestor-level divine formation seemed inferior. At its ultimate extreme, it could integrate the power of all living beings, using that collective force to confront any great enemy, even the Great Calamity.
This was Zhang Ruochen's confidence to face the Great Calamity without fear! But the Second Confucian Ancestor also knew that to bear the weight of all living beings in the universe, one would not only receive their power—how could there be such a risk-free, high-reward endeavor in the world? One would also have to bear their karma, their joys and sorrows, their contradictions and emotions. Otherwise, the power of all living beings could not be unleashed! Could a single individual's will bear such a burden? Making the world live is ten times harder than making the world die.
Minor Calamities and the Great Calamity were the latter. In other words, what Zhang Ruochen wanted to do was ten times harder than initiating a Minor Calamity or the Great Calamity. The Second Confucian Ancestor did not believe Zhang Ruochen could achieve it, nor could he bear the weight of all living beings. In the end, it would only be a farce that gambled with everyone's lives.
Losing would mean total defeat.
His philosophy and Zhang Ruochen's were completely opposed, destined to be irreconcilable contradictions.
One of them had to die to fulfill the other's vision.
Zhang Ruochen knew well that he could not sway the will of a ninety-sixth-level Spiritual Power Ancestor. "Confucian Ancestor, if you do not retract your moves, then the two of us will have to settle this with life and death."
Chi Yao, standing closest, clearly felt the intense battle aura emanating from Zhang Ruochen.
"Sooner or later, this day will come, but it doesn't have to be today. If the two of us fight to the death, no matter who wins, the other will pay a terrible price, only to let the hidden ones reap the benefits."
After a pause, the Second Confucian Ancestor continued, "If all the Ancestor-level powerhouses in the universe united to attack, the Divine Realm might not be able to withstand them. But you and the Heavenly Mother have already made your move—what about them?"
"Precisely because they all harbor their own agendas, the Divine Realm has been able to grow so powerful."
"In that case, why not eliminate these petty schemers before the decisive battle?"
Chi Yao said, "Confucian Ancestor, are you trying to use our hands to kill? Or do you want us to stand by and watch as the Divine Realm picks off the Ancestors one by one, dividing and conquering?"
The Second Confucian Ancestor smiled. "In the most dangerous times, they did not lend you a hand, nor did they even show up to voice support. What use are such allies? Wouldn't it be better if they were dead?"
Chi Yao was not misled by the Second Confucian Ancestor. "But as long as they live, they pose the greatest threat to the Divine Realm. Just like today—if not for their existence, would the Confucian Ancestor be speaking to us in a negotiating tone? Would you have made any concessions?"
The Second Confucian Ancestor's gaze fell on Zhang Ruochen. "Imperial Dust, would you be willing to play a game of open chess with me?"
The Heavenly Mother approached Zhang Ruochen and whispered, "The Seventy-Two Layer Tower and the one behind it are the greatest threats. The time for a decisive battle is not yet ripe. Without drawing that one into the game, even if we defeat the Second Confucian Ancestor, we would only be making a wedding dress for someone else, with no chance of victory."
Without even knowing who the opponent was, how could there be any chance of victory?
The Ancestor hidden in the shadows that the Second Confucian Ancestor spoke of might very well include the Immortal of the Divine Realm.
Could someone who had cultivated their Spiritual Power to the ninety-sixth level truly be completely subservient to the Immortal? Could they truly be of one mind?
Without obtaining the Nine Cauldrons, Zhang Ruochen naturally would not confront the Immortal of the Divine Realm head-on.
Before the decisive battle, Zhang Ruochen still had several things to do and several people to see, which coincidentally aligned with the Second Confucian Ancestor's thoughts.
Both had their concerns and deeper schemes. So, each would take a step back.
Zhang Ruochen said, "Confucian Ancestor, how do you propose we play this game of open chess?"
The Second Confucian Ancestor replied, "The construction of the Heaven and Earth Altar will still take some time. And you, at present, probably don't have the confidence to confront the Divine Realm, do you? So, for the time being, let's keep our Ancestors from fighting. We'll deploy our forces and let those below the Ancestor level do battle."
"You can send cultivators to destroy the Heaven and Earth Altar, while I will mobilize my forces to eliminate potential threats among the current cultivators who have a chance to attain the Ancestor realm."
"Let's see who succeeds first—whether the Divine Realm finishes building the Heaven and Earth Altar and initiates the Minor Calamity, or whether you gather enough strength to launch a decisive battle against the Divine Realm."
"Over these thirty thousand years, you have incarnated as the Life and Death Heavenly Venerable, supporting the Divine Realm's construction of the Heaven and Earth Altar. Wasn't all of that just to buy time for the cultivators of the world? Don't you also need time to master the power of all living beings and integrate their strength? Now, I am granting you that time."
Zhang Ruochen said, "So the fundamental reason for building the Heaven and Earth Altar is that it serves as the medium for the Divine Realm to initiate the Minor Calamity?"
"You can choose not to believe it, but you cannot deny that the Divine Realm has expended such great effort, gathering materials from across the universe to build the Heaven and Earth Altar, purely to deceive its opponents."
The Second Confucian Ancestor continued, "Just now, I have already revealed a very small fraction of the Heaven and Earth Altar's power. If it were fully activated, would it be any different from a Minor Calamity?"
"Confucian Ancestor, you have been so candid. It seems you truly intend to play a game of open chess." Zhang Ruochen directly pointed out the Second Confucian Ancestor's deepest motive. "But the most critical victory in this game has never been on the board."
"Imperial Dust lives up to his name."
The Second Confucian Ancestor smiled. "The outcome on the board can determine about twenty to thirty percent of the final result! But both sides need this time, and both must make concessions."
The Divine Realm's strength was clearly far superior to the current Imperial Dust faction.
By agreeing to delay the decisive battle, to keep the Ancestors from fighting, and to let those below the Ancestor level decide the fate of the Heaven and Earth Altar, they were making concessions.
Because the Imperial Dust faction's strength below the Ancestor level was clearly greater.
And the concession Zhang Ruochen needed to make was that while the Divine Realm dealt with the other Ancestors, he and the Heavenly Mother could not intervene. This was the hidden transaction outside the board!
From the Divine Realm's perspective, they were simply swapping the order of killing Zhang Ruochen and the Heavenly Mother first versus killing the other Ancestors first. This was something Zhang Ruochen had earned through his own strength.
If he were only at the "You Shi You Zhong" level of combat power, would the Divine Realm have backed down? The Hongmeng Black Dragon would have been the fate of him and the Heavenly Mother.
Zhang Ruochen said, "This game seems more favorable to me, so there's no reason not to agree. But before this final game begins, the Confucian Ancestor should first return the two World Trees."
"Imperial Dust, you are pushing your luck! The Divine Realm paid a great price to obtain those two World Trees. How could we possibly return them?"
The Second Confucian Ancestor said, "Why don't we each take another step back? Return the cultivators and living beings on the two World Trees to you, and you return the Ancestral Dragon Corpse and the Headless Kasyapa?"
The Glazed Divine Temple disappeared into the World Tree where the Yama Outer Heaven was located.
Soon after, Lady Shiji, Yan Wushen, and Corpse Yan, who was hiding in the Void World, regrouped.
Corpse Yan stood at the bow of the ship, muttering, "It must be the Dark Lord. He must have been cooperating with Zhang Ruochen as early as thirty thousand years ago. The so-called re-condensation of the Origin Cauldron actually also re-gathered the material particles of Zhang Ruochen's body. When Zhang Ruochen was on the verge of death back then, he had actually merged with the Origin Cauldron."
"From the very beginning, it was a trap."
"Before he came to see you, he had already set everything up."
Lady Shiji stood outside the Glazed Divine Temple, using a demonic shrine to conceal her true form, hiding in the intangible flow of time, trying to hide herself as much as possible. The current Zhang Ruochen gave her an intense sense of crisis.
His divine power and aura were enough to shake the hearts of any cultivator.
She said, "It's hard to believe that someone like the Dark Lord would give up the Origin Cauldron. Would he give up the chance to devour the material particles of Zhang Ruochen's body?"
"Even more unbelievable is that Zhang Ruochen dared to entrust his life and death to the Dark Lord." Yan Wushen thought for a moment and said, "There is only one explanation: the Dark Lord might also have been kept in the dark, being just another part of Zhang Ruochen's scheme."
"This plan to fake his death and escape was set in motion by Zhang Ruochen as early as an Eon ago. Feigning eighty thousand years of depression and stubbornness was meant to deceive you into underestimating him."
"It was precisely because of this eighty-thousand-year foreshadowing that you had already planted the seed of underestimation in your hearts, leading to such a flaw."
"Everything was to break free from the chessboard, accumulate strength, and complete the final transformation. He succeeded. You were all used by him. He is the most terrifying of the hidden chess players."
Lady Shiji looked at Yan Wushen with a slightly strange expression. Although what he said was true, there was a sense of schadenfreude in his tone, even a hint of mockery.
She didn't mind. But Corpse Yan was an Ancestor, Yan Wushen's master.
Was Yan Wushen no longer afraid to speak to him in such a tone?
Corpse Yan seemed not to notice the disrespect in Yan Wushen's tone, speaking without any emotion. "You are not wrong at all. Is this the only mistake I have made? If I think carefully about the actions of the Life and Death Heavenly Venerable, I can actually find clues. But it was precisely because I was convinced that Zhang Ruochen was dead that I allowed him to hide his identity for thirty thousand years."
Lady Shiji smiled, feeling that this master-disciple pair was becoming more and more peculiar.
Yan Wushen said coldly, "Lady, you can still smile? With Zhang Ruochen's current combat power, it would be difficult for you to escape from his hands, wouldn't it? If you fall into his hands, you will probably become the next A Fuya."
"Or perhaps the next Xi Hou, or Wu Yue. Isn't that right?"
Lady Shiji was clearly very calm, still in the mood to joke with Yan Wushen. "Before that battle broke out, I had a pretty good relationship with Zhang Ruochen. That battle was also initiated by him, seeking me out to use me for his golden cicada shedding its shell. A man like him, who yields to softness but not to hardness, is actually not that scary."
"I truly envy the Lady's optimism, and I also envy the Lady's beauty as a source of pride." Yan Wushen said.
Lady Shiji was not angered, smiling in response.
Corpse Yan spoke, "The Divine Realm has great designs for the three World Trees. They will not let go of the one at Yama Outer Heaven. Wushen, you have no enmity with Zhang Ruochen, and you have Chi Kunlun as a buffer in your relationship. I think you should go back and continue to guard the Outer Heaven."
Yan Wushen said, "Then, Master, how do you and the Lady plan to deal with Zhang Ruochen's revenge?"
Corpse Yan said, "Zhang Ruochen's confrontation with the Divine Realm is not over yet! If this battle continues to develop, it will inevitably trigger a chain reaction, leading to a final collision between the Sword Realm, the Heavenly Court Universe, the Hell Realm, and the Divine Realm. No matter the outcome, both sides will be severely weakened. In that case, I will not only not fear him, but I will also use this opportunity to make them all die without a burial place."
Yan Wushen could deduce the development of this battle.
If it really evolved to that point, Corpse Yan might indeed become the biggest winner.
No matter how strong the Immortal of the Divine Realm was, he would definitely not be able to withstand Zhang Ruochen self-destructing his Divine Source, ending up with the same fate as the Nether Ancestor.
It was an unshakable law that Zhang Ruochen and the Heavenly Mother would sacrifice themselves for the world, an inevitability when things developed to a certain point.
Yan Wushen said, "We can all deduce this outcome. Can Zhang Ruochen and the Second Confucian Ancestor not calculate this account? What if this battle doesn't happen?"
Corpse Yan said, "If it doesn't happen, Zhang Ruochen needs us even more to help him contain the Divine Realm. The Heaven and Earth Altar has only shown a fraction of its power, yet it is already earth-shattering, possessing the ability to destroy the world. There are no eternal enemies in the world... You should go now!"
Yan Wushen took his leave and left the Void World. When he returned to the starry sky of the real world, he immediately put away the arrogance on his face, and his eyes gradually regained their calm.
He looked back at the spatial rift behind him and muttered to himself, "I was so disrespectful to them, yet they showed no emotion at all. Truly figures who have lived for endless years, with deep and terrifying minds."
Zhang Ruochen's return, and the overly calm reactions of Corpse Yan and Lady Shiji, had given Yan Wushen the idea of testing them.
So, he had deliberately shown his edge and mocked them to the fullest. He wanted to provoke them and see what their trump cards were.
"They were so eager to send me away, obviously because there are some things they don't want me to know."
As Yan Wushen thought about it, a smile appeared on his face. "Let Zhang Ruochen dig out the answers then! His return has truly made this world interesting. How could we not drag the Immortal into the game?"
When Zhang Ruochen was alive, he was always the most eye-catching one. Yan Wushen could easily and comfortably hide in the shadows, focusing on cultivation.
After Zhang Ruochen's death, Yan Wushen could no longer hide. He was targeted by many Ancestors and could only survive in the cracks. Even facing his own master, he had to be extremely vigilant and cautious.
Now that Zhang Ruochen was back, Yan Wushen suddenly felt that he could relax again.
No.
As soon as this thought arose, he cut it off. Zhang Ruochen had already stepped into the Ancestor realm. How could he slack off? Even if surpassing him was hopeless, he had to catch up first, at least to see his back.
"Always on the path forward, never stopping for a moment." Yan Wushen strode away.
Lady Shiji glanced at the closed spatial rift and said, "Yan Wushen is truly the unparalleled genius second only to Zhang Ruochen. His ambition is really high. With his current cultivation and strength, he might even be able to contend with an Ancestor."
Corpse Yan naturally knew that Lady Shiji's words had a deeper meaning. "When a disciple's cultivation is high, they will inevitably have their own opinions. How can they be as obedient as before? An obedient child is destined not to achieve great things."
Lady Shiji smiled charmingly and said softly, "Is the Demon Ancestor the same towards the Lady?"
Sending Yan Wushen away was naturally to prevent him from knowing about the "Lady."
"Your words are truly a stab to the heart! I was able to break through to the Ancestor realm entirely thanks to the Lady's full support. This kindness is even greater than that of the Nether Ancestor. How could I have any disloyal thoughts? If I really had other intentions, wouldn't it have been easier to make a move during the Lady's time in the mortal world?" Corpse Yan said.
Lady Shiji said, "Do you dare?"
Corpse Yan was not a completely emotionless good-natured person. First, he was provoked by Yan Wushen, and now Lady Shiji was also unceremoniously rebuking him.
Even a clay figure has three parts of anger, let alone an Ancestor?
Corpse Yan raised his eyelids, looking at Lady Shiji like a hawk, and said with a cold, sinister smile, "Have you broken through to the Ancestor realm?"
Lady Shiji did not answer, feeling the heavenly secrets in the universe, and said, "What a pity. Zhang Ruochen and the Second Confucian Ancestor have restrained themselves. I'm afraid we won't see a decisive battle between their forces today. It seems they have reached some kind of agreement. Next, you are in danger! Let's go, see the Lady."
Zhang Ruochen and the Second Confucian Ancestor valued different things.
Zhang Ruochen valued the cultivators and living beings on the World Trees, while the Second Confucian Ancestor cared more about the World Trees themselves. Each took a step back, both within each other's bottom lines.
However, how could Zhang Ruochen return the most precious Ancestral Dragon Corpse and the most powerful Headless Kasyapa to the Divine Realm?
After some bargaining, Zhang Ruochen finally agreed to use the "Ancestor Yaksha King" and "Eternal Day" from the Ten Thousand Generations Nine Ancestors to trade for the Hell Realm cultivators on the two World Trees.
"Whoosh!"
The star sea was illuminated by the divine glow of Feng Tian, colorful and magnificent. She had arrived! Carrying the Chi Halberd, with blazing flame wings burning fiercely on her back.
Zhang Ruochen looked over and saw the undisguised look in Feng Caiyi's eyes—a pair of cold, murderous eyes.
If not for the Second Confucian Ancestor standing opposite, if not for countless eyes watching this direction, if not for the hidden killing intent and delicate situation, Zhang Ruochen suspected she would have directly attacked with her halberd.
Zhang Ruochen himself hated being deceived the most, so he could very well understand the feelings of Feng Caiyi, Chi Yao, and the others.
In the end, he had become the kind of person he hated the most!
Chi Yao moved forward, blocking Zhang Ruochen. She was worried that Feng Caiyi might lose sight of the situation and attack Zhang Ruochen at this moment.
Zhang Ruochen seemed to have reached an agreement with the Second Confucian Ancestor, each making concessions, but the situation was extremely delicate. A single misstep could invite a thunderous attack from the other side.
A verbal agreement—whoever took it seriously would lose!
Compromise was only because there was no opportunity. So, until all the cultivators on the two World Trees were evacuated, Zhang Ruochen and the Second Confucian Ancestor kept their auras locked on each other, confronting each other across the star sea.
Seeing Chi Yao's attitude, Zhang Ruochen's mind raced, and he immediately came up with a countermeasure to drive a wedge between the tiger and the wolf.
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The reason I am telling you this data is because I couldn't see the Qidian data before, and many readers lacked confidence. I want to tell the readers who are following this book that your judgment is not wrong. The reason the rankings are not at the very top is entirely my fault—it's because my update speed is too slow. Updates are more important than anything else!