# Chapter 4225: The Softness of Shiji
Shiji Divine Star was a ninth-level main planet, rocky in structure, a hundred times heavier and larger than many great worlds, home to trillions of Stone Clan beings.
Bai Qinger's Divine Realm World had completely merged with Shiji Divine Star, space condensed, Dao laws interdependent, with rule divine patterns woven within the planet's interior.
As long as she wished, she could gather the power of all Stone Clan cultivators on the planet, unleashing combat strength far exceeding her own cultivation level.
Bai Qinger had long cultivated under the Sundial, and the cultivators of Shiji Divine Star were naturally enveloped in time, thus giving birth to many Divine Realm powerhouses.
Now, she herself was a faction!
Zhang Ruochen traversed every domain of Shiji Divine Star, examining each grain of dust, then withdrew.
Bai Qinger waited outside and asked, "Any discoveries?"
Zhang Ruochen pondered something, shook his head, then turned his gaze back to Bai Qinger, a look of realization dawning on his face. "Shiji, if you don't show yourself now, don't blame me for being rude!"
A circle of white light flickered in Bai Qinger's pupils.
Her entire demeanor and mental state shifted accordingly. She smiled warmly and spoke in Lady Shiji's uniquely melodious voice: "In the end, I couldn't fool the Imperial Dust. I mean no harm—I only seek a chance to survive."
Clearly, Lady Shiji wasn't hiding in Shiji Divine Star but within Bai Qinger's body.
Given her cultivation level, combined with her mastery of Darkness and Void Dao, Bai Qinger could never have detected her.
Zhang Ruochen released his Primordial Ancestor pressure, his gaze stern without anger: "This is not how I wanted to meet."
"I was afraid that once I left Qinger's body, the Imperial Dust would ruthlessly destroy me. I had no choice but to use her as a hostage and meet through her. My true body has been completely destroyed, my Primordial Ancestor Dao foundation no longer exists. I pose no threat. Please, Imperial Dust, grant me a path to survival."
Bai Qinger placed her hands at her waist, gracefully lowering into a bow, her posture extremely humble and gentle.
Lady Shiji had always believed that Zhang Ruochen yielded to softness, not hardness.
But claiming her Primordial Ancestor Dao foundation was gone and she posed no threat was an exaggeration. After all, she had left behind her Primordial Ancestor Divine Source and Primordial Ancestor Imprint, hiding within Bai Qinger's body, having made the worst-case preparations long ago, betting part of her chips on Zhang Ruochen.
As long as Zhang Ruochen lived, he would never let anyone harm Bai Qinger.
Zhang Ruochen gazed into the distant star river, speaking softly: "Back then, you didn't leave me a path to survival either."
A look of resentment that shouldn't belong to her appeared on Bai Qinger's beautiful face. "Imperial Dust, that's truly unfair. Back then... I had even removed my dress, how humble I was! How was that any different from begging you? Didn't I leave you another path? It was you who insisted on pursuing the truth, forcing us both into a corner. You knew perfectly well that if I let you go, I would die. Did I have any other choice?"
"At that time, I was the most supreme Half-Ancestor in the world. I had never debased myself for any man like that. To do that for you, a Heavenly Venerable-level cultivator—what more do you want?"
"If only the Imperial Dust had been willing to take a step back back then, to accept me instead of choosing the truth, wouldn't we all have been happy? Perhaps... perhaps our child would have grown up by now!"
Lady Shiji had both a proud side and a gentle, tender side.
Most importantly, she understood Zhang Ruochen well.
With just a few words, she made herself sound like the victim. She deliberately stirred up infinite reverie in Zhang Ruochen's heart, making him recall that time in the Hundred Flowers Garden Small World when she removed her outer robe and long skirt and asked him—did he want to taste the softness of Shiji?
That was an ultimate visual and sensual temptation, capable of shaking any man's heart.
But to pursue the truth, Zhang Ruochen had restrained himself at the time, not even daring to look at her body.
Was there any regret?
There certainly was.
Now, Lady Shiji was hinting to Zhang Ruochen that the words she had spoken back then still held true.
With Zhang Ruochen's current cultivation, he no longer had those former concerns. Back then, he hadn't dared to look at Lady Shiji's body because he knew he would fall into it, would briefly sink into her beauty.
Zhang Ruochen spoke in a half-joking tone: "But your body has been ground to dust beneath the Seventy-Two Layer Tower—I'm afraid it's no longer soft."
Seeing Zhang Ruochen smile, Lady Shiji felt greatly relieved. She lowered her head and spoke softly: "The Imperial Dust underestimates a Primordial Ancestor. As long as one hasn't died, cultivating a new body is no difficult task."
Zhang Ruochen sighed inwardly. Facing a beautiful woman, as long as she was sufficiently obedient and gentle, it was indeed a good remedy for anger.
He withdrew his smile. "For a person to survive, they need sufficient value. An ordinary woman, as long as she's beautiful enough, can indeed survive. Beauty is her value."
"But a Primordial Ancestor is different. A Primordial Ancestor is not an ordinary woman—the more beautiful, the more dangerous."
"If the threat outweighs the value, I will still show no mercy."
"You want a path to survival—I can give it to you, but you must prove you have greater value. First, come out of Qinger's body!"
Bai Qinger showed hesitation.
Zhang Ruochen didn't even look at her. "At our current distance, if I want to pull you out of Qinger's Sea of Heart, can you really resist?"
"Naturally, I trust the Imperial Dust."
After Bai Qinger spoke these words, a ball of blood-colored light flickered at her heart.
A palm-sized Finite Primordial Ancestor Imprint slowly floated out.
Lady Shiji stood at the center of the Primordial Ancestor Imprint, wearing a light blue dress and jade hairpin, with butterfly flower decorations painted on her face. As she landed on the ground, her body became normal human size, and she absorbed the Primordial Ancestor Imprint into her body.
Bai Qinger's expression returned to normal. Her chest heaved as she caught her breath, then she glanced at the tall, aloof Lady Shiji beside her, who didn't look like someone who had been severely injured, still possessing the mystery and depth of a Primordial Ancestor.
She quickly walked to Zhang Ruochen's side, putting distance between herself and Lady Shiji.
No matter what, Lady Shiji was a Primordial Ancestor—not to be underestimated.
Zhang Ruochen looked Lady Shiji up and down, his gaze possessing the power to see through all illusions in the world, as well as the authority to overpower all cultivators under heaven.
Lady Shiji's current body was condensed from extremely dense blood qi, Primordial Ancestor divine soul, and Primordial Ancestor rules, close to half of her true body.
More importantly, this body possessed a Primordial Ancestor Divine Sea and Divine Source.
"You clearly proved the Primordial Ancestor Dao, yet you pretended to be a False Ancestor and kept this card up your sleeve. You've truly inherited the essence of the Immortal." Zhang Ruochen said.
Lady Shiji smiled sweetly and bowed again: "Thank you for the compliment, Imperial Dust."
Zhang Ruochen shook his head. "A dignified Primordial Ancestor, debasing herself to this extent just to survive—it seems too false. Shiji, what are you really thinking?"
"Given the Imperial Dust's current height and your relationship with the young lady, bowing to you is only proper."
Facing the doubt, Lady Shiji seemed unconcerned, still lacking the authority and pride of a Primordial Ancestor. "Besides, I have never possessed the transcendent mindset of a Primordial Ancestor. It was the Nether Ancestor and the young lady who pushed me step by step to today's height. We've known each other for years—don't you understand my character? I have never had the heart to compete or fight. I only want to retire to the Hundred Flowers Garden, gather flowers in the morning, nap in the afternoon, and watch the moon at night."
Zhang Ruochen was skeptical. "Are you the Nether Ancestor's person, or Fanxin's person?"
"Isn't it the same? They are inseparable." Lady Shiji said.
Just as Zhang Ruochen was about to ask further, Lady Shiji spoke first: "Regarding matters of the Nether Ancestor and the young lady, the Imperial Dust should ask the young lady—she knows everything. I only recognize one principle: if the young lady marries the Imperial Dust, then I also belong to the Imperial Dust."
"My relationship with the young lady is like the Imperial Dust's relationship with Mo Yin and Lian Xi."
Zhang Ruochen said, "A Primordial Ancestor, yet merely an appendage living for others—are you content with that?"
"The Imperial Dust seems to have forgotten what I said in the Hundred Flowers Garden Small World. The Nether Ancestor's kindness to me is as heavy as a mountain. I have absolute respect for her. Even if she told me to die, I would not hesitate."
Lady Shiji's eyes held no sharpness, only softness and haziness: "You guessed correctly—my first life was indeed Su Zilian. Without the Nether Ancestor, Su Zilian would not have survived, would not have cultivated to the Heavenly Venerable level, and would have died in childhood."
Zhang Ruochen said, "What is the origin of Shiji Divine Star?"
"Su Zilian was weak and frail from childhood, born with deficiencies. Even with the Nether Ancestor's favor, cultivating to the Heavenly Venerable level was her limit. But fortunately, the Nether Ancestor created the Nine Lives Nine Deaths Yin-Yang Divine Dao. After Su Zilian died, her body turned to stone, and her second life became the Stone Clan. From then on, Lady Shiji existed in the world. In that life, my cultivation reached the Half-Ancestor level."
Lady Shiji continued: "The body crushed by the Seventy-Two Layer Tower, and the Divine Source it contained, were refined from the Half-Ancestor Divine Source cultivated in that second life, containing the most Primordial Ancestor divine qi and Primordial Ancestor rules."
Zhang Ruochen lost interest in Lady Shiji. "Where is Fanxin? I want to see her. Whether you live or die doesn't depend on you—it depends on her."
"After the young lady's identity was exposed, she must have left her original residence. But I believe she will definitely come to find you on her own, and she will also go to take Nihe away."
In the magnificent star sea, the gods of Sword Realm gathered at "Chaotian Que," the gods of the Yama Clan gathered at "Yama Outer Heaven," and the gods of the Primordial Beings gathered at "Time-Space Ridge."
Chaotian Que, Yama Outer Heaven, and Time-Space Ridge were all flying toward the Heavenly Court.
The results of this battle felt different to the gods of the three factions—some rejoiced, some worried.
To the gods of Sword Realm, it was naturally a great victory. Moreover, after the Imperial Dust returned, he had an invincible momentum, consecutively defeating three Primordial Ancestors: Corpse Nightmare, Dark Sovereign, and Eternal True Ruler.
The forces below the Primordial Ancestor level in the God Realm were utterly defeated. The three divine armies were almost completely annihilated, and of the Ten Thousand Generations Nine Ancestors, only Hidden Corpse and Eternal Day escaped.
The massive Primordial Ancestor corpse of Heavenly Duke now lay horizontally outside Chaotian Que, being drained dry by the Time-Space Chaos Lotus and the Blood-Dripping Sword, causing those cultivators who had once feared the God Realm like tigers to have soaring morale and completely changed demeanor.
Chi Yao organized the battle results and casualties, dispensing rewards and punishments.
Then, she received representatives from the Yama Clan and Primordial Beings who had come to visit the Imperial Dust—more than a dozen people, all old acquaintances of the Imperial Dust. Of course, this included Yan Zhexian and Yuan Sheng.
Soon, Zhang Ruochen, Lady Shiji, and Bai Qinger emerged from the depths of Chaotian Que to meet everyone.
Seeing Lady Shiji, various expressions appeared in the hall—some heavy, some puzzled, some astonished.
Zhang Ruochen didn't bother to explain, greeting everyone one by one.
"Second Uncle, from now on, the Yama Clan will have to rely on you to hold it up. Yan Wushen isn't fit to be clan leader—he can't handle the clan's trivial matters and will probably dump everything on you." Zhang Ruochen joked.
Yan Yu didn't dare to be called "Second Uncle" by a Primordial Ancestor!
But his mental state was profound enough to remain unperturbed: "I would like to recommend Zhexian, to invite her back to sit in the Tai Shang Qingyun Hall, but I'm afraid the Imperial Dust won't let her go."
Zhang Ruochen looked at the stunning figure in talisman robes beside Yan Yu.
Yan Zhexian wasn't afraid of Zhang Ruochen at all. She met his gaze and said, "The world is not yet settled, the future is uncertain. Second Uncle, it's too early to talk about this now. Imperial Dust, Eternal Day has escaped. Please use the Book of Life and Death to curse him to death."
"Please, Imperial Dust, curse Eternal Day to death!" Yuan Sheng echoed loudly.
Zhen Yi, the old clan emperor, was killed by Eternal Day, even his divine bones stripped away.
Yuan Dao, the old clan emperor, also died in this battle.
With Yuan Sheng's aggressive personality, if she had high enough cultivation, she would have pursued him alone long ago.
Zhang Ruochen deliberately teased Yuan Sheng, putting on an arrogant and serious expression: "I am the number one person in the world today. At the very least, a Primordial Ancestor is worthy of being my opponent. Attacking a cultivator below the Primordial Ancestor level? That would be too undignified. No, no—I can't afford to lose face."
Some people actually believed him. Jie Tian, sitting in the corner, shouted: "The Imperial Dust is a Primordial Ancestor! Do you need you to teach him how to do things? Are you trying to unite and force him? If I were a Primordial Ancestor, I wouldn't even deign to look at an ant like Eternal Day. Just one glance would be enough honor for him!"
Yan Zhexian immediately fell silent.
Yuan Sheng wanted to say more but was stopped by Xian Le Shi.
Zhang Ruochen laughed heartily, dispelling the solemn atmosphere in Chaotian Que. He walked up to Yuan Sheng, grabbed her wrist, and comforted her: "Zhen Yi, the old clan emperor, and Yuan Dao, the old clan emperor, won't die in vain. Eternal Day won't escape. A large group of Hell Realm experts, led by Ming Bone and Undying War God, are pursuing him. Also, there's that group of Yue Le Shi that Yan Wushen has taken in!"
Yuan Sheng found the familiar feeling of Zhang Ruochen from before. Knowing she had been tricked, she glared at him angrily: "I want to go too!"
"I disagree." Zhang Ruochen said.
Yuan Sheng said, "You don't think I'm strong enough?"
Zhang Ruochen shook his head. "I want to see Chunian. If you, his mother, aren't there, letting me meet him alone—no matter how high my cultivation—I'll still be nervous."
Chunian was the name Yuan Sheng had given to her child with Zhang Ruochen.
Yuan Sheng's heart was finally melted by Zhang Ruochen's warmth and sincerity. She embraced him, sobbing softly, pouring out years of resentment and pain.
The other cultivators tactfully left, leaving only Zhang Ruochen and his divine consorts.
A few days later.
Zhang Ruochen led the cultivators of Chaotian Que, Yama Outer Heaven, and Time-Space Ridge to arrive at the Heavenly Court.
In the Heavenly Palace, all gods had already gathered.
Standing at the front, Pan Yuan Ancient God, Dragon Lord, Meng Ge, Jing Dao Ren, Zhenwu Great Emperor, and other Heavenly Venerables exchanged glances, then bowed together, shouting: "Welcome, Imperial Dust!"
"Welcome, Imperial Dust!"
Then, the gods, heavenly soldiers, and heavenly generals in the Heavenly Palace knelt on one knee in orderly layers outward, their voices thundering like rolling thunder.
The sound spread outward, reaching Truth Heaven Domain, Five Elements Temple, Time Divine Temple, Space Divine Temple, Array Destruction Palace...
Throughout the entire Heavenly Court, the Four Great Continents, countless heavens and holy domains—all cultivators, whether just emerging from seclusion, walking on the road, or sailing on boats—all bowed and paid homage toward the Heavenly Palace.
Might covering the universe, all gods united in reverence.
At this moment, the once sickly youth of Yunwu Commandery, the displaced Sacred Bright Crown Prince, the Eon-level great villain burdened with curses, finally stood atop the Heavenly Palace, welcomed by cultivators from all realms.
Outside the Heavenly Palace, banners fluttered in the wind, drums thundered, resounding with vigor.
Listen—the horn has sounded, heralding the era of the Imperial Dust. It has arrived!