Chapter 851: The Will of the Wan Clan
At the edge of the Fallen God Tomb Forest, the Ministry of War's army was constructing fortifications. Although the time was short, a towering city wall had already been built, stretching across the ground like a black mountain ridge from afar.
Array towers rose up one after another, forming connections with each other and combining into a grand formation, sealing this region airtight.
On the western side of the fortress, a palace floated in midair.
Soldiers clad in armor could be seen standing in orderly rows on both sides of the palace.
At this moment, a sacred image avatar of Wan Qingtong sat at the very top of the palace.
Wan Qingtong was one of the main commanders stationed at the Fallen God Tomb Forest and also the third most important figure of the Central Domain Wan Clan, ranking only behind the clan leader and an ancestor who had lived for over a thousand years.
Wan Ji, clad in armor, strode into the palace and knelt on one knee. "Reporting to Seventh Great Granduncle, Zhang Ruochen has escaped and has likely already left the Fallen God Tomb Forest. Moreover..."
Wan Ji hesitated for a moment but ultimately told Wan Qingtong how Zhang Ruochen had used the cyan stone stele to suppress the Corpse River.
Wan Ji continued, "If this news spreads, Zhang Ruochen's merit will surpass that of our entire Ministry of War. By then, if the court tries to arrest him, it will invite much criticism. If Her Majesty the Empress learns of this, she will likely be quite displeased."
Wan Qingtong remained remarkably calm. "You mean to suppress the news first?"
"Exactly," Wan Ji said.
Wan Qingtong smiled. "At the time, there were dozens of Half-Saints present. None of them are simple figures. Even if I personally ordered it, I doubt I could make them all keep silent. So rather than suppressing the news, it's better to find a way to capture Zhang Ruochen first."
Wan Ji said solemnly, "Zhang Ruochen is the Heir of Time and Space, wielding the power of space. With my cultivation, it's difficult to even detain him. For others, capturing him is even harder than ascending to heaven. Now that he has fled back to the Eastern Domain, he is like a dragon entering the sea. Finding him alone is no easy task, let alone capturing him."
Wan Qingtong's gaze turned sharp and cold. "Zhang Ruochen's existence concerns the life and death of the Wan Clan. If another faction in the court finds him first, they will surely use him against us. A single crime of deceiving the emperor could plunge the entire clan into an abyss of destruction."
"In the past five hundred years, the Wan Clan has gained Her Majesty's favor and thus been able to wield influence across Kunlun Realm. Countless people envy our current power and want to suppress us. We absolutely cannot let the entire clan fall because of one Zhang Ruochen."
Wan Ji also realized the gravity of the situation. "I will do my utmost to find Zhang Ruochen."
Wan Qingtong added, "I have already reviewed Zhang Ruochen's information. Finding him is not actually that difficult. Zhang Ruochen has a fiancée named Huang Yanchen, one of the Nine Realm Sons and also a disciple of Her Majesty."
"Besides that, Zhang Ruochen also has a mother."
"Huang Yanchen is deeply devoted to Zhang Ruochen and has been taking care of his mother by her side. After becoming a Realm Son, she brought Zhang Ruochen's mother to the Central Domain."
Wan Ji immediately understood. "Seventh Great Granduncle means I should first take control of Zhang Ruochen's fiancée and mother, then spread the news to lure him in?"
Wan Qingtong shook his head. "It's best not to touch Huang Yanchen unless absolutely necessary. After all, she is a Realm Son, and her identity is sensitive."
"However, since Zhang Ruochen's fiancée and mother are both in the Central Domain, he will surely go there as well. So to capture Zhang Ruochen, we can first seal off the three space wormholes leading to the Central Domain."
"Additionally, I have already sent word back to the Central Domain. Wan Zhaoyi should have set up a net spread across heaven and earth by now, waiting for Zhang Ruochen to step into the Central Domain so he can be taken down in one fell swoop."
"This time, the two of you must work together, one ahead and one behind, to capture Zhang Ruochen no matter what. Do not let him escape again."
"Understood. I will pursue Zhang Ruochen immediately and apprehend him as quickly as possible."
Wan Ji immediately withdrew, leading an elite army out of the Fallen God Tomb Forest and heading toward the Liangyi Sect.
The Liangyi Sect had a space wormhole leading to the Central Domain, and Zhang Ruochen had likely gone there.
...
Zhang Ruochen used the Formless Thirty-Six Transformations to change into the appearance of an ordinary soldier and easily left the Fallen God Tomb Forest.
Only after entering the vast, towering mountains did he revert to his original form, standing atop a mountain peak surrounded by cliffs on all sides, looking back toward the Fallen God Tomb Forest.
"The Ministry of War reacts quickly. In such a short time, they've built three layers of defensive fortifications on the outskirts of the Fallen God Tomb Forest. As long as it's not a being on the level of the Ghost King of the First Beginning, other undead will find it nearly impossible to enter the Eastern Domain," Zhang Ruochen remarked.
He had to admit that the current First Central Empire was at least ten times stronger than the Sacred Bright Central Empire of old. It was a true colossus.
Eight hundred years ago, the Central Domain had nine provinces, and the Sacred Bright Central Empire had only occupied three of them.
Now, the First Central Empire ruled the entire Kunlun Realm, so the difference was naturally like heaven and earth.
Mu Lingxi rested her chin on her fingers, looking quite displeased. "We went through life-and-death trials to go to the Underworld and retrieve the stone talisman left by Qiangu Nüdi to suppress the Corpse River. Not only did those Ministry of War people not thank you, but they want to capture you instead. It's infuriating."
Zhang Ruochen smiled. "What we did was never about seeking credit from anyone. As long as it can reduce the number of innocent deaths, that alone is worth celebrating."
Next, Zhang Ruochen and Mu Lingxi headed toward the Liangyi Sect. Along the way, every village, town, and city they passed was deathly still and eerily silent, with hardly a living soul in sight.
In some cities, they did find corpses.
But those corpses had all turned into dried husks, clearly drained of blood. Without needing to guess, it was the work of the Undying Blood Clan.
This disaster had hit the sects in the Fallen God Mountain Range the hardest, with nearly all of them annihilated.
Only when they reached the mountain gate of the Liangyi Sect did Zhang Ruochen finally see some outer disciples. They were transporting corpses, carting them into large pits and covering them with simple layers of dirt.
The outer areas of the Liangyi Sect had become completely desolate. Mountains had been blasted apart, rivers severed, and once-fertile medicinal fields turned into scorched earth. Even though months had passed, ghost fires still burned across the land.
Fortunately, the Liangyi Sect had withstood the attacks of the ghost kings from the Underworld. Though they had suffered heavy losses, their foundation remained intact.
Zhang Ruochen did not appear as Lin Yue, since the news that Zhang Ruochen was still alive had already spread. By now, many were likely suspicious of Lin Yue's true identity.
From now on, the identity of Lin Yue could no longer be used.
Just then, among the Liangyi Sect disciples, Zhang Ruochen spotted an exceptionally beautiful figure.
In the distance, Han Qiu, dressed in a clean Daoist robe, was directing the outer disciples in purifying ghost fires and repairing the damaged medicinal fields.
Her cultivation had improved significantly, reaching the sixth transformation of the Fish-Dragon Realm, making her one of the outstanding holy transmission disciples.
Han Qiu's spiritual perception was sharp. She quickly sensed a pair of eyes watching her from behind. Naturally, she was curious—who would dare to set their sights on her?
When she turned around and saw Zhang Ruochen in the distance, she was slightly startled.
Then Han Qiu glanced around, noticing that the outer disciples had not recognized him, and breathed a sigh of relief.
After all, not many had seen Zhang Ruochen's true face.
Zhang Ruochen smiled faintly at her and spoke in the tone of an outer disciple, "Senior Sister Han Qiu, there are some things I'd like to discuss with you."
Since he had been away for months and the Eastern Domain had undergone such tremendous changes, he naturally wanted to find someone to learn about the current situation and plan his next move.
Han Qiu's lips curved into a smile. She left the Liangyi Sect's mountain gate with Zhang Ruochen and headed to Shentai City.
Shentai City had been reduced to ruins. Corpses lay scattered across the streets, and not a single living person could be seen.
Once they arrived here, Han Qiu no longer held back. She smiled and said, "Just now, I thought it was some blind outer disciple trying to eat swan meat, staring at me from behind. I never expected it to be Senior Brother Lin Yue, who has been missing for months."
Clearly, Han Qiu was testing Zhang Ruochen, wanting to know if he really was Lin Yue.
Zhang Ruochen did not hide it from her. He smiled slightly. "Seeing that I'm still alive, aren't you surprised at all?"