Chapter 336: The Trend Is Irresistible
If Zhang Ruochen were in the position of Dead Zen Ancestor, he would face only two choices before him.
Either wait alone in the Underworld to die, or open the passage between Yin and Yang to save himself. Which path should he choose?
Zhang Ruochen gently shook his head and sighed, "For the first time, I feel I've done something I truly regret."
"Regret saving this old monk?" the old monk asked with a smile.
Zhang Ruochen said, "Yes."
The old monk chuckled again and said, "Actually, you don't need to regret it. Think about it: if you had known in advance that this old monk was the leader of the Dead Zen Sect and hadn't saved me, then after I died, the next to die would have been you."
"Secondly, if you hadn't saved this old monk, you would never have been able to cultivate the Five Elements Chaos Body. So, as long as you put in the effort, there will always be a reward."
"If this old monk were you, I would only think it was a very worthwhile thing to do, without a trace of regret."
The old monk said, "Zhang Ruochen, do you know why this old monk left the Brahma Path back then and founded the Dead Zen Sect on my own?"
Zhang Ruochen stared at him and said, "The outside world says you cultivated the Dragon-Elephant Prajna Palm, lost control of the power within your body, fell into demonic possession, and descended into the evil path."
"All nonsense. Rumors can be heard, but they cannot be trusted."
The old monk smiled and said, "Actually, this old monk saw that those so-called enlightened monks of the Buddhist sect were too hypocritical and disdained to associate with them. So, I chose to leave and found my own sect."
Zhang Ruochen sneered mockingly, "At least they wouldn't do whatever it takes to save their own lives, like you. The Buddha once said, 'If I don't go to hell, who will?' Can you do that?"
"But the Buddha didn't go to hell; only people went to hell," the old monk said.
Zhang Ruochen frowned and stopped arguing with Dead Zen Ancestor.
Given his experience, no matter how he debated, he could never out-argue an old monster who had lived for hundreds of years.
The old monk laughed, "Even those famous saints who come to bow to this old monk, I can't be bothered with them. Zhang Ruochen, do you know why this old monk insists on talking so much with you?"
"Why?" Zhang Ruochen asked.
The old monk said, "To be honest, your talent is truly exceptional, and you have a strong will. You will surely achieve extraordinary things in the future. If you were willing to become my disciple, you could enjoy power second only to me in the Dead Zen Sect. In the future, the position of sect leader would also be yours. What do you think?"
A smile appeared on Zhang Ruochen's face as he said, "Back then, you thought the people of the Brahma Path were too hypocritical, so you betrayed the Buddhist sect. But in my eyes, you are too selfish and too narrow-minded. Therefore, I will not become your disciple. There is a saying: 'Those with different paths cannot work together.' You should understand the meaning of this saying better than I do."
The old monk was not angry; instead, he admired Zhang Ruochen even more. He laughed, "Zhang Ruochen, you are the only one since the Medieval Period who has a chance to cultivate to the Tenth Transformation of the Fish-Dragon Realm and forge a divine destiny. If this old monk helps you, you have a great chance of success. But first, you must complete the three kneels and nine bows and become my disciple."
Zhang Ruochen smiled, "You just want to fulfill the second promise you made to me as quickly as possible, to make your mind more at ease. Why use taking me as a disciple as an excuse?"
The old monk laughed silently.
Zhang Ruochen turned around and walked straight toward Mu Lingxi in the distance, without looking back, saying, "Dead Zen Ancestor, the second thing you owe me won't be repaid so easily. I will rely on my own strength to cultivate to the Tenth Transformation of the Fish-Dragon Realm. I don't need your help."
Zhang Ruochen was not afraid that Dead Zen Ancestor would turn hostile. Anyone who was truly evil and cunning must also possess great wisdom and courage. He would certainly not destroy his own promise and state of mind over a Fish-Dragon Realm cultivator.
Doing so would bring him nothing but harm.
Heart Technique Buddha Master's eyes blazed with two golden flames as he walked toward Zhang Ruochen, "Master, since you cannot act, let your disciple do it and eliminate the future threat to our sect."
"Heart Technique."
The old monk stopped Heart Technique Buddha Master and smiled, "Why must you be so extreme? He is unwilling to become my disciple now, but that doesn't mean he won't be willing in the future."
"Once he returns to the Kunlun Realm, he will understand how cruel reality is. The imperial court won't let him go, the Black Market won't let him go, and the Undying Blood Clan won't let him go. Both the righteous and evil paths will have no place for him. When he has no way out, he will definitely come to beg me."
"Did you bring the divine blood?"
Heart Technique Buddha Master immediately took out dozens of drops of divine blood and handed them to Dead Zen Ancestor.
The old monk waved his sleeve, and a powerful Buddhist aura surged out, shattering the seals on the surface of the dozens of drops of divine blood.
The divine blood emitted an incredibly powerful aura, like dozens of blood-red stars flying in the air.
Then, using the Dead Zen Buddhist Dharma, the old monk continuously struck drops of divine blood onto the surface of the black volcano, overlapping them with the Buddhist inscriptions he had carved earlier.
In the distance, Zhang Ruochen came to Mu Lingxi's side and picked up her soft, limp body.
Because of the massive consumption of sacred qi, Mu Lingxi was very weak, leaning against Zhang Ruochen's chest, her bright eyes fixed on the distant Dead Zen Ancestor and Heart Technique Buddha Master.
"Zhang Ruochen... is that old monk really Dead Zen Ancestor?" Mu Lingxi asked.
"Mm."
Mu Lingxi asked, "What is he doing?"
Zhang Ruochen's gaze also locked onto Dead Zen Ancestor.
At this moment, he finally understood why every Half-Saint of the Dead Zen Sect carried a drop of divine blood.
They had all brought the divine blood to the Ghost God Valley to hand over to Dead Zen Ancestor.
But what did Dead Zen Ancestor intend to do with the divine blood?
"Let's leave this place first."
Zhang Ruochen spread his dragon wings, held Mu Lingxi, and used his movement technique to rush out of the black volcano.
Following the experience from before, Zhang Ruochen quickly crossed the magma ocean and reached the shore.
The moment Zhang Ruochen's feet touched the ground, the black flames behind him began to shake violently, and the mountain body continued to rise.
"Rumble."
At the same time, the magma ocean churned violently, sending golden waves dozens of meters high.
From the center of the ocean, a shocking divine might radiated outward in all directions. Centered on the Ghost God Valley, all the tombstones within tens of thousands of miles shook and emerged from the ground.
Throughout the Underworld, undead spirits howled everywhere, making piercing sounds.
Zhang Ruochen stood on the shore, his body radiating a five-colored chaotic light, staring in shock at the distant black volcano.
As the mountain body continued to rise, the black volcano finally revealed its true form—it was a corpse shaped like a human. The corpse wore black armor, standing like a giant that touched the sky and earth, standing on the sea surface.
Compared to the corpse, Zhang Ruochen, standing on the shore, was like an insignificant speck of dust.
Earlier, the part exposed above the sea surface was only the top of the corpse's head.
The volcanic crater on the top of the corpse's head still spewed golden magma, flowing downward continuously. It could be imagined that back then, the Qiangu Nüdi must have pierced through its head with a single sword strike, killing it here.
"Could this be... the legendary divine corpse..." Mu Lingxi took a deep breath.
"It should be."
Zhang Ruochen nodded and said, "Dead Zen Ancestor came to the Underworld precisely to find the divine corpse and refine it into a battle corpse."
Dead Zen Ancestor stood on the bridge of the divine corpse's nose, looking down, and said loudly, "Zhang Ruochen, if you regret it now and become my disciple, this old monk can take you away from here and return to the Kunlun Realm."
Heart Technique Buddha Master stood on the left shoulder of the divine corpse, his hands clasped together, his body radiating white Buddhist light, appearing extremely sacred.
Zhang Ruochen stood on the ground, merely smiling faintly, but did not respond.
Dead Zen Ancestor shook his head, looking quite disappointed, and said no more. He mobilized the Dead Zen Buddhist Dharma to control the divine corpse. The divine corpse took a giant step forward, crossing a vast distance in a single stride and stepping out of the Ghost God Valley.
The powerful divine might between heaven and earth gradually dissipated, and the pressure on Zhang Ruochen and Mu Lingxi vanished instantly.
Mu Lingxi said, "How can Dead Zen Ancestor be sure he can return to the Kunlun Realm? Could it be that with his level of cultivation, he can break the spatial barrier above the Corpse River?"
"With his level of cultivation, whether he can break the spatial barrier is hard to say. But the power of the divine corpse can certainly break it," Zhang Ruochen said.
Mu Lingxi pouted slightly and said, "That's true. Dead Zen Ancestor controls the divine corpse, which means he wields a power beyond the saintly level. In today's world, who can still fight him?"
"Don't underestimate the various medieval aristocratic clans and ancient tribes of the Kunlun Realm. They have been passed down from ancient times to the present, maintaining their prosperity because they all have extraordinary means to protect themselves in great calamities."
Zhang Ruochen added, "Besides, Dead Zen Ancestor has only initially controlled the divine corpse. Refining it into a battle corpse will require a massive amount of resources and time. At least within a few years, he won't succeed."
Mu Lingxi asked again, "Then how do we leave the Ghost God Valley?"
"Now that the divine corpse is no longer in the Ghost God Valley, the space here will gradually stabilize. Moreover, the divine might that was pressing down on us will quickly disappear. By then, with our cultivation, we can easily climb the cliffs and leave the Ghost God Valley," Zhang Ruochen said.
Next, Mu Lingxi took a piece of sacred stone in her hand, absorbed the sacred qi from it, and began to recover her cultivation.
The magma ocean, however, began to cool rapidly, especially at the edges, where it turned dark gold and gradually solidified into rock.
The divine corpse had been stored here for a hundred thousand years, undoubtedly imbuing the surrounding things with strong divine properties.
Just this magma ocean alone contained a large amount of divine power. Once it cooled and turned into rock, any piece broken off and brought back to the Kunlun Realm could fetch a high price.
This kind of rock could be used as the foundation for formations, greatly enhancing their power.
It could also be used to build altars, making them more sacred.
Dead Zen Ancestor looked down on these things, but Zhang Ruochen did not. So much rock imbued with divine power would surely be useful in the future.
Of course, if he could fish out fragments of the divine corpse's armor or a piece or two of divine bone from the magma ocean, that would truly be a priceless treasure.