Chapter 961: One Moment, Four Directions Change
Shengshu Cainü lowered her head, appearing deeply conflicted and torn. "I have a question I want to ask you."
"What question?"
Zhang Ruochen felt somewhat surprised. This was the first time he had seen Shengshu Cainü look so indecisive.
Shengshu Cainü asked, "When you came here, was it to save me, or to investigate the secret of the blood beasts?"
Zhang Ruochen smiled, quite candidly. "Both, I suppose."
"Which aspect weighs more?"
Shengshu Cainü wanted very much to ask this question, but after thinking about it, she felt asking it so directly would be too obvious. So, she swallowed the words she was about to speak.
She was Shengshu Cainü, a representative figure of the Confucian Path, a Spiritual Power Saint. How could she ask such an immature question?
Zhang Ruochen did not notice the unusual expression on Shengshu Cainü's face. "Actually, when I heard the news of your fall, I felt quite guilty. At the same time, I didn't really believe you had truly died, so I thought to come to the Endless Abyss and take a look."
"Why would you feel guilty?" Shengshu Cainü asked.
Zhang Ruochen said, "If I hadn't told you that the person who compiled the *Blood Clan Secret Scroll* was the ancestor of the Shangguan Clan, why would you have gone there? If you hadn't gone to the Shangguan Clan, you wouldn't have encountered danger."
"I see."
The light in Shengshu Cainü's eyes dimmed, losing some of its luster.
So, Zhang Ruochen had only come to the First Gradient to save her because he felt guilty.
Given Zhang Ruochen's personality, even if the person in danger wasn't Shengshu Cainü but another cultivator, he would probably have come without hesitation.
He was just that kind of person.
Her place in his heart didn't seem as important as she had imagined.
Zhang Ruochen's expression turned quite serious. "Miss Nalan, did you actually obtain the *Blood Clan Secret Scroll* at the Shangguan Clan? And why did you come to the Endless Abyss? What happened a month ago?"
Shengshu Cainü set aside her feelings of disappointment and gently shook her head. "I didn't see Que Shengwang, but he sent someone to give me a note. On it were written the words 'Endless Abyss.' I couldn't fathom his intentions, so I decided to investigate the Endless Abyss myself."
"However, not long after I left the Shangguan Clan, I was intercepted by several Saint from the Undying Blood Clan. I suspect that someone from the Undying Blood Clan is hiding within the Shangguan Clan, and that person must hold a very high position."
Zhang Ruochen said, "Impossible. With Que Shengwang's cultivation and his understanding of the Undying Blood Clan, how could an Undying Blood Clan member lurk right under his nose without him noticing?"
"I don't know what happened either, but my whereabouts must have been leaked by someone from the Shangguan Clan. Only a few people knew I had visited the Shangguan Clan. As long as I can return to the surface alive, finding that person won't be difficult," Shengshu Cainü said.
Originally, Zhang Ruochen had hoped to resolve some of his doubts through Shengshu Cainü.
But after talking with her, he found himself with even more confusion and questions.
Why hadn't Que Shengwang given the *Blood Clan Secret Scroll* to Shengshu Cainü, instead directing her to the Endless Abyss?
Did it mean the *Blood Clan Secret Scroll* was in the Endless Abyss, or was it a reference to something else?
Most importantly, since Que Shengwang could send someone to deliver a note to Shengshu Cainü, why didn't he meet her in person?
Was Que Shengwang wary of something, afraid to speak openly?
Or perhaps the person who sent the note to Shengshu Cainü wasn't Que Shengwang at all. It was even uncertain whether Que Shengwang was still alive.
Regardless of the truth, both the Shangguan Clan and the Endless Abyss undoubtedly held a great secret.
Zhang Ruochen even had a faint feeling that this secret was connected to the palace coup in the Holy Bright Central Empire eight hundred years ago.
This area was already quite hidden. Even if Xianlan Wang managed to escape, finding this place wouldn't be easy.
Between two cliffs, Zhang Ruochen found a naturally formed triangular stone cave, about ten-odd zhang deep, suitable for temporary shelter.
Zhang Ruochen tidied up the cave a bit and took out some common items from his Space Ring, including clean clothes, fresh water, and healing pills, handing them to Shengshu Cainü so she could recuperate in the cave and restore her Spiritual Power.
Zhang Ruochen didn't go far. He sat at the cave entrance, took out the box he had retrieved from Mei Lanzhu, and studied it again. Still unable to open it, he gave up and put it away.
Now that his cultivation had just broken through to the Third-Rank Half-Saint, he couldn't hope to reach the Fourth-Rank Half-Saint in a short time.
To increase his strength, he had to find other ways.
Zhang Ruochen took out the *Space-Time Secret Scripture* and began studying the second level of the Time Sword Art, the Scale Sword Art.
The Scale Sword Art consisted of only eight moves, known as the "Eight Scale Changes."
The first level of the Time Sword Art, the Instant Sword Art, was merely nine hundred simple sword forms that weren't connected to each other. Moreover, each form only incorporated a single Time Imprint, so its power was naturally limited.
The Scale Sword Art was far more powerful than the Instant Sword Art. It contained more Time Imprints, was more intricate in its variations, and each move was profoundly deep. Mastering each move doubled the power of the sword technique.
The first move of the Eight Scale Changes was called "One Moment, Four Directions Change."
According to the *Space-Time Secret Scripture*, when this move was cultivated to Great Perfection, executing the sword technique would affect the flow of time within a radius of one hundred zhang.
If the eighth move, "Eight Moments, Life and Death Change," was mastered, it could even achieve time stasis for a short period.
The true marvel of the Scale Sword Art wasn't just about changing the flow of time.
The sword technique's subtlety was comparable to a Sacred Art.
Each move contained twenty-five forms and one hundred and twenty-five variations.
This wasn't Zhang Ruochen's first time studying the Scale Sword Art. He had been practicing it for a long time but had never managed to master the first move.
Simultaneously fusing five Time Imprints into a single sword move was no easy task.
"I can now fuse four Time Imprints into the sword technique. Just one more step, and I'll succeed."
Zhang Ruochen put away the *Space-Time Secret Scripture*, grabbed the Abyssal Ancient Sword, closed his eyes, and felt the stillness of the world around him.
"Time and space are not isolated; the four directions have their bounds."
Zhang Ruochen captured Time Imprints, fused them into the sword technique, and thrust the sword forward. A faint ripple spread outward.
"Shua, shua."
He practiced continuously, without stopping.
For an entire day, Zhang Ruochen thrust the sword at least a thousand times, but he still hadn't mastered the first move, "One Moment, Four Directions Change."
The difficulty of the second level of the Time Sword Art far exceeded his imagination.
Next, Zhang Ruochen continued studying the *Space-Time Secret Scripture*, feeling he was on the verge of a breakthrough, just a tiny bit away.
"Roar!"
The howl of a blood beast, deafening, came from a deep ravine in the distance.
The surrounding black cliffs all shook.
Zhang Ruochen felt a sharp pain in his eardrums, his vision went dark, and his blood qi churned. If not for his powerful physique, he would have been severely injured.
How could there be such a terrifying blood beast in the First Gradient?
He immediately closed the *Space-Time Secret Scripture*, leaped up, and ran up the stone cliff as if on flat ground, reaching a height of over one hundred zhang.
"Chi!"
The Abyssal Ancient Sword pierced into the stone wall, leaving only half the blade exposed.
Zhang Ruochen grabbed the hilt, pressed his body against the cliff, and looked toward the direction of the beast's howl.
In the distance, a massive blood-colored light surged from the bottomless ravine, illuminating hundreds of miles in a dark red hue.
Thick blood mist formed a cloud of qi, rolling within the ravine. Faintly, a pair of enormous wings could be seen flapping in the blood mist.
Even from such a great distance, the wings were visible, indicating the immense size of that blood beast.
Moreover, Zhang Ruochen saw a small black dot on the beast's back.
That black dot seemed to be... a person.
Even from so far away, the blood beast's roar had nearly injured Zhang Ruochen. That blood beast was certainly many times more powerful than the Yunjin Beast.
How could a person be standing on the back of such a powerful blood beast?
Who was that person?
The blood beast flew out of the ravine, turning into a blood-red flame that shot into the sky and disappeared into the darkness.
The blood light in the ravine gradually faded until it vanished completely.
Zhang Ruochen inhaled a breath of cold air. "That location... could it be the entrance to the Second Gradient? Who was that person standing on the blood beast's back?"
Zhang Ruochen estimated the distance. The ravine where the blood light had erupted was about one thousand three hundred li away.
"Not good. That blood beast's roar must have traveled at least several thousand li. It might attract Xianlan Wang here."
Zhang Ruochen immediately pulled out the Abyssal Ancient Sword, slid down the cliff, and landed back on the ground.
Shengshu Cainü had also been startled by the beast's roar and came out of the cave.
She had completely washed off the blood grime and changed into a clean white silk robe, tied with a jade belt that accentuated her slender waist.
Her black hair was also clean, falling softly on both sides of her cheeks, reaching down to her waist.
Graceful, beautiful, holy, refined, pure—any words of praise could be used to describe her, yet none could fully capture her beauty.
Compared to her disheveled state yesterday, she was like a completely different person.
Zhang Ruochen was momentarily stunned when he saw her face. After all, Shengshu Cainü rarely dressed in women's attire, and every time she did, it was breathtaking, giving her a completely different aura.
"What happened?" Shengshu Cainü asked.
Zhang Ruochen said, "Just now, a blood-red strange light appeared, spreading for hundreds of li. That strange light might have come from the Second Gradient of the Endless Abyss, or it could be residual blood qi left by Xue Hou."
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