Chapter 927: Secret Exposed
Not long after, the Second Minister of Works came out of the kitchen carrying two bowls of plain congee, placing them before Indra and Kong Lanyou, along with bamboo chopsticks.
Zhang Ruochen and Kong Lanyou sat facing each other, each eating their vegetarian meal, occasionally glancing at the other. A subtle atmosphere hung between them, neither willing to be the first to break the silence.
Until a black, fat cat shot in from outside the door with a whoosh.
It stood on two legs, its front paws raised high, its round eyes swiveling before fixing on Zhang Ruochen. It walked over.
"Too brutal, too brutal. Zhang Ruochen, do you know? The battle in the Nether King Sword Tomb yesterday was so fierce that this Emperor had to flee into a formation to hide. Otherwise, I wouldn't have escaped either."
Xiao Hei climbed onto a wooden stool, plopped down, grabbed a piece of bamboo shoot, and bit into it. Finding it too bland, he spat it out.
At that time, Xiao Hei must have been with Li Min, preparing to teach her some secrets of cultivating spiritual power.
When the Undying Blood Clan broke into the Nether King Sword Tomb, Xiao Hei immediately took Li Min and hid inside the volcano within the sword tomb.
The formations he had set up in advance came in handy.
That was how Xiao Hei witnessed the brutal war yesterday. He only left the Nether King Sword Tomb and came to the Sikong Meditation Temple after the Undying Blood Clan retreated.
"Do you know? The Undying Blood Clan's army was truly overwhelming. All you could see were dense black specks flying in the sky—impossible to count," Xiao Hei said vividly.
Zhang Ruochen said, "Wasn't there an ancient formation set up by a great power from the Medieval Period at the outer edge of the Nether King Sword Tomb? Didn't it stop the Undying Blood Clan's army?"
Xiao Hei shook his head. "I heard the Undying Blood Clan hired a Formation Heavenly Master who damaged a small part of the ancient formation's inscription patterns. Plus, the Azure Heaven Blood Emperor personally descended and used supreme divine power to tear a hundred-meter-wide opening in the ancient formation, breaking through."
"The patriarch of the Zhenyu Ancient Clan, Wang Beilie, was captured by the Azure Heaven Blood Emperor and refined into a blood slave."
"Wan Zhaoyi used the Heavenly Mandate Talisman to alter the Sacred Dao rules, sacrificing half his own blood and depleting a hundred years of his lifespan to mobilize one-tenth of the power left in the Heavenly Mandate Talisman by the Heavenly Mandate Great Emperor. Yet, he only blocked three strikes from the Azure Heaven Blood Emperor before being severely injured. He barely escaped the Nether King Sword Tomb, barely saving his life."
"Ling Feiyu led the Zhenyu Ancient Clan's members to retreat into the sword tomb, borrowing the power of fifteen Sword Saint ancestors to unleash Great Saint-level strength. She fought the Azure Heaven Blood Emperor for nearly half an hour. At that time, ten thousand swords flew simultaneously, and blood clouds covered the sky—truly a shocking sight. However, Ling Feiyu was ultimately defeated, severely wounded, her fate unknown, her whereabouts lost. The Sky-Burying Sword and Heaven-Slaying Sword also fell into the Azure Heaven Blood Emperor's hands."
Even though Zhang Ruochen hadn't witnessed that battle, he could imagine how earth-shattering it must have been.
Wan Zhaoyi and Ling Feiyu were among the most outstanding talents of the Kunlun Realm in recent centuries. Each had incredible opportunities and heaven-defying trump cards, which was why they could contend with the Azure Heaven Blood Emperor.
No one else was even qualified to make the Azure Heaven Blood Emperor strike.
Zhang Ruochen felt a bit worried for Ling Feiyu.
She had taught Zhang Ruochen a great deal about the Sword Dao. In a sense, Zhang Ruochen and Ling Feiyu could be considered both teacher and friend.
Xiao Hei continued, "The four wardens guarding the Nether Prison all awakened from their slumber and fought the Azure Heaven Blood Emperor and that mysterious Formation Heavenly Master for a long time."
The four wardens had extremely long lifespans, each immensely powerful, and they were the last line of defense for the Nether Prison.
Hearing this, Zhang Ruochen grew tense.
"One of the four wardens fell in battle, and the other three were severely injured. Just as the Azure Heaven Blood Emperor was about to open the Nether Prison's gate, a white-haired female demon flew in from beyond the sky. With a single strike, she crushed one hundred thousand Undying Blood Clan members."
"At that moment, the bodies of the Undying Blood Clan fell like rain, clattering down, turning the sword tomb into a slaughterhouse."
Xiao Hei let out a long breath, patted his furry chest with his paw, and continued, "Do you know? That female demon kills without blinking. She looks terrifying—three heads, six arms, three zhang tall, and three zhang wide at the waist..."
Kong Lanyou interrupted him, "According to you, wouldn't that female demon be square-shaped?"
"Hehe! Smart, you are. Yes, square... square..."
Xiao Hei's gaze shifted to Kong Lanyou, and he immediately sucked in a breath of cold air, as if someone had grabbed his throat, unable to speak.
Wasn't this that female demon?
Xiao Hei froze for a moment, thinking he was hallucinating. He turned to look at Zhang Ruochen, then back at Kong Lanyou.
This time, he saw clearly.
Xiao Hei swallowed a mouthful of saliva, licked his lips with his tongue, lay down on the wooden stool, and let out a "Meow!"
It was as if he was saying he was just a cat and hadn't said anything just now.
But Kong Lanyou wasn't about to let him off so easily. She extended a slender jade hand, patted Xiao Hei's head, her pupils flickering with traces of Saintly light. "You're not a flesh-and-blood body. You must be some kind of spiritual entity, having undergone at least a hundred thousand years of baptism. Tell me, why are you staying by Zhang Ruochen's side? What's your purpose?"
With her cultivation level, Kong Lanyou could naturally see through Xiao Hei's true form. Few living beings could hide from her eyes.
Xiao Hei indeed had an undying body, but someone of Kong Lanyou's level could still scatter his soul and spirit.
At this moment, Xiao Hei was trembling all over. He quickly said, "Zhang Ruochen, aren't you going to explain for this Emperor? Otherwise... otherwise, this Emperor will have to spill your secrets."
Xiao Hei indeed knew many of Zhang Ruochen's secrets. Zhang Ruochen's heart tightened slightly. "Senior Kong, Xiao Hei is the artifact spirit of one of my treasures. Don't worry, he won't harm me."
"But now, I'm even more curious about what secrets he knows about you."
Kong Lanyou gently pursed her red lips, smiled, and looked at Xiao Hei again. "Didn't you just call me a female demon? That's right, I am a female demon. Tell me, what are Zhang Ruochen's secrets? If you speak, I can help you regain your freedom, even reshape your physical body."
Kong Lanyou naturally wanted to get the information she wanted from Xiao Hei's mouth.
"Can you really help this Emperor regain his freedom?" Xiao Hei was tempted, a bright light flashing in his eyes.
Xiao Hei had seen Kong Lanyou in action. Even in the Medieval Period, she was an absolutely terrifying fierce figure.
With her supreme cultivation, she might indeed be able to help him escape the seal of the Cosmic Divine Wood Map.
"Of course."
Kong Lanyou observed Zhang Ruochen's expression as she spoke, "But it depends on whether the secrets you reveal are valuable enough."
Xiao Hei was quite pleased. "The secrets this Emperor will reveal are definitely what you want."
Zhang Ruochen's expression hardened. "Xiao Hei, do you want to be sealed back into the scroll?"
"Zhang Ruochen, this Emperor hates your deceptive behavior the most. If there's something, why can't you say it directly? When you were hiding things from that Wood girl, this Emperor wanted to tell her."
Then, Xiao Hei looked at Kong Lanyou. "This Emperor will tell you, Zhang Ruochen is no longer a virgin. Zhang Ruochen has countless beautiful women by his side, but this Emperor swears to the heavens—this secret, I'm telling you first."
As he said this, Xiao Hei even raised a cat paw, as if truly swearing to the heavens.
Clearly, Xiao Hei thought Zhang Ruochen and Kong Lanyou had some special relationship, so he blurted out what he considered the most earth-shattering secret.
Hearing this, Kong Lanyou was slightly stunned. Clearly, the secret Xiao Hei told her exceeded her expectations.
Then, she looked at Zhang Ruochen with a rather peculiar gaze.
Not far away, the three young monks eating breakfast all stopped, pricking up their ears to hear more "secrets."
At this moment, Zhang Ruochen's forehead was covered with dense black lines. He took a deep breath.
Slowly, he took out the Cosmic Divine Wood Map and continuously infused Saint Qi into it. The surface of the scroll lit up with one inscription pattern after another.
Sensing something was wrong, Xiao Hei let out a strange cry and turned into a black shadow, rushing out of the dining hall.
"Zhang Ruochen, this Emperor was just telling the truth. Why do you have to get angry? Maybe the female demon lord doesn't mind at all?"
"Swoosh—"
The Cosmic Divine Wood Map flashed with light, and a powerful force emanated, pulling Xiao Hei back and sealing him into the scroll world.
"Zhang Ruochen, you hypocrite! You sealed this Emperor! This Emperor was just exposing your true face, so no more women fall for your tricks. You have many more unspeakable secrets. You have one foot in two boats. You've seen the body of the Sacred Book Talented Woman. You subdued the Blood Moon Ghost King to satisfy your own desires. You even deliberately provoked that little girl Li Min... You're nothing but a beast... a beast..."
Xiao Hei was furious, roaring in the scroll world.
Of course, his words only reached Zhang Ruochen's ears, unheard by outsiders.
Hearing Xiao Hei's words, Zhang Ruochen remained very calm. In truth, he wasn't that angry. He was just worried that Xiao Hei, with his big mouth, would continue and expose even more secrets.
At this stage, Kong Lanyou was already somewhat suspicious of his identity, just not entirely certain. Once she confirmed Zhang Ruochen's identity, no one knew what she would do next.
After all, Kong Lanyou was no longer the innocent little girl she once was. Now, she looked down on the world's heroes, decisive in killing. Even if she still had a special feeling for Zhang Ruochen, she had her own opinions and firm will.
Whether she wanted to be good to Zhang Ruochen or bad to him, with Zhang Ruochen's current cultivation, he couldn't resist her.
Though they were close at hand, the gap in their cultivation made the distance between them seem vast.
(Alright! Today, I'm still a few hundred words short. Please wait a moment. I'm really crying! Also, the two rounds of red envelopes on WeChat have been sent out. The second round should have been a big one, right? Did any readers who grabbed them get a little excited?) (To be continued.)