Chapter 852: The Current Situation
Upon hearing this, Han Qiu immediately understood. That Lin Yue, the proud son of the Liangyi Sect, was truly Zhang Ruochen.
Whether it was Lin Yue's sword path or Zhang Ruochen's time and space power, both could shake the world, leaving the younger generation's talents and prodigies far behind in the dust.
When these two merged into one, how astonishing would his talent become?
Han Qiu's starry eyes grew exceptionally bright as she said, "I had long suspected that Lin Yue might be you, but I always found it too unbelievable, so I dared not acknowledge it. If I had known earlier, when you were pursuing me back then, I should have agreed."
Zhang Ruochen smiled and shook his head, about to tell her that the Lin Yue who had pursued her was already dead.
But Mu Lingxi walked out from an abandoned pavilion, her delicate and exquisite face carrying a very playful smile. "Oh? Zhang Ruochen actually took the initiative to pursue you?"
Han Qiu was slightly startled to see Mu Lingxi.
The Holy Maiden of the Demon Sect was appearing together with Zhang Ruochen at the Liangyi Sect. What were they here to do?
However, Han Qiu's mental fortitude was quite impressive. She quickly recovered, extending a soft, boneless jade arm to loop around Zhang Ruochen's wrist, and said with a somewhat proud tone, "That's right! When Zhang Ruochen pursued me, he even fought several times out of jealousy. Holy Maiden, are you jealous?"
Mu Lingxi just rolled her eyes at her. She knew what kind of man Zhang Ruochen was. He would never take the initiative to pursue any woman.
Even she and Huang Yanchen hadn't received such treatment, let alone Han Qiu.
Zhang Ruochen immediately coughed dryly twice and began to speak of serious matters. "Miss Han, the reason I came to find you this time is to ask you about some things, and also to hope that you could help me with a task."
With that, Zhang Ruochen took a three-inch-long piece of coral from his Space Ring and handed it to Han Qiu.
Inside the coral, crimson blood threads swam about, like tiny flood dragons.
Zhang Ruochen never liked owing favors. Since he was asking Han Qiu for help, he naturally had to give her some compensation.
Han Qiu released her spiritual power to probe the blood threads within the coral.
"Sacred Dragon Blood... No, could this be the legendary Dragon Emperor Blood?"
Han Qiu's fingers trembled slightly as she looked up at Zhang Ruochen in great surprise. From inside the coral came an extremely powerful dragon aura and blood energy, as if it would devour her entire body.
Zhang Ruochen said, "That's right, it's a drop of Dragon Emperor Blood."
Back then, when Zhang Ruochen obtained the Divine Dragon Bone, he had made a deal with the Half-Dragon Human Clan, exchanging for three drops of Divine Dragon Blood and twenty drops of Dragon Emperor Blood.
The three drops of Divine Dragon Blood had all been used up.
Of the twenty drops of Dragon Emperor Blood, fifteen remained.
Unlike Divine Blood, Dragon Emperor Blood was more easily absorbed by cultivators in the Fish-Dragon Realm, greatly benefiting their cultivation advancement.
As long as Han Qiu refined that drop of Dragon Emperor Blood, she could, in a short time, raise her cultivation to the eighth or even ninth transformation of the Fish-Dragon Realm.
"Such a precious treasure, casually given away. Just how abundant are this guy's cultivation resources?"
Han Qiu was also quite intelligent. Her expression turned very serious. "Zhang Ruochen, I already owe you a favor. If you truly need my help, just give the order. There's no need to give such a heavy gift the moment we meet. Dragon Emperor Blood... tell me, should I accept it or not?"
Zhang Ruochen stared at her for a long moment. "Alright, then I'll speak plainly. During the months I was missing, I went to the Underworld and learned many secrets unknown to the outside world."
"I can tell you very clearly that within ten years, the next great calamity is very likely to arrive. The entire Eastern Domain, or even the entire Kunlun Realm, could be completely destroyed."
Han Qiu's expression turned very grave, because she knew Zhang Ruochen was not someone who liked to joke. If he said this, there must be a reason.
So she asked, "Is it related to the Underworld?"
"Exactly."
Zhang Ruochen nodded. "Your physique is the Dark Body. A fully developed Dark Body gathers endless dark force and yin-sha energy, allowing you to freely travel between the Kunlun Realm and the Underworld, summon ghosts and undead, and use saint corpses as soldiers. Therefore, I very much hope that you can cultivate the Dark Body to its great perfection as soon as possible."
The Dark Body would continuously accumulate dark force, growing stronger the further it developed.
Of course, cultivators with the Dark Body were also prone to early death. Many perished before they could grow, consumed by the backlash of dark force.
However, Zhang Ruochen still had high hopes for Han Qiu. She had already cultivated to the Fish-Dragon Realm, having passed the most dangerous period, reaching the minor perfection of the Dark Body.
Han Qiu was not as optimistic as Zhang Ruochen. She sighed softly. "Cultivating the Dark Body to great perfection is no easy task. If I hadn't been cultivating the Liangyi Sect's foundational code, the *Taiji Primordial Dao*, to balance the power within my body, I might have already been devoured by the dark force."
Zhang Ruochen said, "If you come with me, I can help you, assisting you in cultivating the Dark Body to great perfection as quickly as possible."
Han Qiu was slightly surprised. Her clear, black-and-white eyes slanted toward Zhang Ruochen, and she smiled with red lips and white teeth. "Only today do I see that you are also an ambitious man. Tell me, do you want to take me under your command, or are you trying to seduce an innocent girl?"
Standing nearby, Mu Lingxi rolled her eyes again.
Zhang Ruochen's face showed no trace of a smile. "I just think that one person's strength is ultimately limited. We should unite more people and do our utmost to accomplish something meaningful."
In the Underworld, Zhang Ruochen had been pondering this question.
Since Chi Yao could use a large amount of resources to cultivate the Nine Realm Sons, then he, too, possessed abundant resources. Why couldn't he seek out top-tier geniuses and cultivate a few experts comparable to the Realm Sons?
He had the sapling of the Sky-Connecting Divine Tree, the Cosmic Divine Wood Map with its tenfold time acceleration, and a large amount of Divine Blood. These should not be used solely for his own cultivation; he should also build his own power.
If the great calamity truly came in the future, he wouldn't be trapped in a situation of fighting alone.
Bu Qianfan, Cheng Yue Xing Shi, Ao Xinyan, Han Qiu, and A Le—all of them possessed extraordinary physiques with limitless potential. They were all within his consideration.
However, Bu Qianfan and Ao Xinyan each had large families behind them. Uniting them would not be easy.
Relatively speaking, Han Qiu and A Le would be easier.
Moreover, they had some prior connection. As long as Zhang Ruochen could provide them with sufficient cultivation resources, he believed he could win them over.
Seeing Han Qiu's hesitation, Zhang Ruochen smiled. "You don't have to answer me right now. You can think it over, and when you've made up your mind, come find me."
After all, Zhang Ruochen was now just a fugitive with many enemies, naturally incomparable to the deeply rooted Liangyi Sect.
Why would Han Qiu leave a superior cultivation holy land like the Liangyi Sect to cultivate alongside a fugitive with no fixed abode? Who knew if one day Zhang Ruochen would be captured by the imperial court and die a violent death?
Han Qiu nodded. "Fortunately, you didn't force me to give you an answer right now. Otherwise, I really wouldn't know how to reply. Tell me, what else did you come to find me about?"
"I want to know what has happened in the months I've been away," Zhang Ruochen said.
Over the next two hours, Han Qiu told Zhang Ruochen many things.
First, although the Liangyi Sect had repelled the various Ghost Kings from the Underworld, dozens of Ghost Kings had still escaped, leading the remaining ghost soldiers and generals into the vast Eastern Domain Sacred Land and Eastern Domain Evil Land.
The entire Eastern Domain, in every county and prefecture, was plagued by ghosts, causing immense disaster. In the short term, this turmoil could not be quelled.
Second, the Dead Zen Sect in the Southern Domain and the Undying Blood Clan in the Northern Domain had also established their foundations and territories, making a comeback and openly opposing the imperial court, causing great upheaval.
Now, only the Central Domain and the Western Domain were relatively calm, but even there, undercurrents surged. Some evil forces and ambitious families were secretly contacting the Dead Zen Sect and the Undying Blood Clan, seeking to overthrow the rule of the First Central Empire.
Thus, even the Central Domain and the Western Domain were not peaceful.
If one year ago, the Kunlun Realm was still a time of peace and prosperity, now it felt like an era of chaos was about to descend.
Logically, Zhang Ruochen should have been looking forward to this day. Only then would he have the chance to take revenge on Chi Yao and even reestablish the Holy Bright Central Empire.
But when he thought of the threat from the Underworld, he could not be happy.
He wished even more that the Kunlun Realm could be united as one, standing together to face the great calamity that might soon arrive, rather than consuming itself in internal conflict.
Zhang Ruochen said, "The Empress's cultivation is number one in the world. Where do these people get the audacity to openly oppose the imperial court?"
Han Qiu's expression was somewhat strange, and she lowered her voice. "I heard a rumor, but I don't know if it's true or false."
"What rumor?" Zhang Ruochen asked.
Han Qiu said cautiously, "It is said that the Empress can no longer fight anyone. If she does, the Heavenly Dao rules will kill her."
"After the Middle Ages, no one can become a god. Anyone who approaches godhood will inevitably die. The current Empress is one such person. However, she used some secret method to conceal her cultivation, thus evading the Heavenly Dao's gaze. Once she makes a move, the Heavenly Dao will discover her and kill her."