Chapter 966: Qianyuan Mountain
If he were to become the Divine Son, Zhang Ruochen would gain access to the Blood God Sect’s higher secrets and receive a steady stream of cultivation resources, allowing him to conserve his strength while waiting for opportunities.
At the same time, becoming the Divine Son could truly resolve the Blood God Gu, which would save Zhang Ruochen a great deal of trouble.
Regardless of his motives, vying for the position of the Blood God Sect’s Divine Son was something Zhang Ruochen had to pursue.
Thus, Zhang Ruochen nodded to Haiming Dharma King and reluctantly agreed.
“Since you’ve cultivated the Seven Orifices Blood Palm to the sixth orifice, you have about a thirty percent chance of competing against the others to become the Divine Son,” Haiming Dharma King said.
A thirty percent chance was already significant, enough to rank among the top five candidates for the Divine Son.
Zhang Ruochen asked, “Even after cultivating to the sixth orifice, it’s only a thirty percent chance?”
Haiming Dharma King nodded, his voice somewhat hoarse, carrying an intangible yin-fiend aura. He said, “Your physique is formidable, and your comprehension is extremely high. However, the cultivation technique you practice is merely the *Blood Dragon Sutra*, a ghost-grade upper-rank technique. Compared to those prodigies who cultivate king-grade sacred scriptures, you are still at a disadvantage.”
“Your ability to reach the sixth orifice is entirely due to luck. Without this luck, your probability of becoming the Divine Son would likely be at most ten percent.”
“Moreover, during the competition for the Divine Son position, you cannot use the power of the Blood God Gu, which is also a limitation for you.”
Clearly, in Haiming Dharma King’s view, Zhang Ruochen’s success in becoming a Banner Lord was mainly due to the Blood God Gu’s power, combined with some luck.
He didn’t hold a very high opinion of him; even if he had a chance to become the Divine Son, the probability wouldn’t be too high.
Could a prodigy who cultivated a ghost-grade upper-rank technique defeat one who cultivated a king-grade sacred scripture?
The Divine Son needed to excel in all aspects, with no weaknesses.
Haiming Dharma King continued, “The competition for the position of a Divine Son in an ancient sect is far greater than you imagine. Once you become the Divine Son, it’s like a fish transforming into a dragon overnight, rising above others and standing on equal footing with the saints. Not only you, but even the family behind the Divine Son can thrive and gain endless resources.”
“The reason Mei Lanzhu became the Divine Son wasn’t because his talent surpassed everyone in the sect. There are plenty of prodigies who don’t accept him.”
“However, his performance at the Realm Son Banquet was too outstanding. He sat in the tenth seat of the King’s Throne and drank the Great Saint Tongtian Tea personally bestowed by the Empress, greatly enhancing his potential. Beyond that, there were other external factors. With all these reasons stacked together, the position of Divine Son naturally fell to him.”
“This time, in the competition for the Divine Son position, aside from Bai Yu and Yan Kongming, whom you’ve met, there are also some younger individuals and those of higher seniority participating. The competition is unprecedentedly fierce.”
After a moment’s thought, Haiming Dharma King added, “Now that your sacred meridians and energy channels have stabilized, you can’t switch to another cultivation technique.”
“So, for the next month, devote yourself entirely to cultivation. Try to raise your cultivation a bit more and break through to the mid-stage of the third-order Half-Saint. If you need alchemical pills to assist, you can seek them from your Master Ji.”
Zhang Ruochen glanced at Ji Shui and nodded slightly.
He had some goodwill and curiosity toward this Master Ji, who had always stood in the blood mist without ever revealing her true form.
“If you get the chance, go to the Qianzi Heavenly Palace and find a suitable king-grade sacred scripture. Spend more time contemplating it. Even if you can’t directly cultivate it, it can still improve you significantly. In the future, if you truly encounter a great opportunity and reach the Saint realm, there’s still a small chance you could switch to another technique.”
After giving all these instructions, Haiming Dharma King had Ji Shui take Zhang Ruochen away.
Only after Ji Shui and Zhang Ruochen had gone far did Lan Ye’s eyes reveal a gloomy expression. He said in a low voice, “Master, this child is very proud. If he becomes the Divine Son and the threat of the Blood God Gu is lifted, he might not obey discipline.”
Haiming Dharma King’s smile vanished completely, his whole body exuding a cold, fiendish aura. He said, “Even if he becomes the Divine Son, it only means a higher status and richer resources. With his level of cultivation, can he escape my grasp?”
Haiming Dharma King was a man with a strong desire for control, unwilling to tolerate any betrayal. Even if Gu Linfeng truly became the Divine Son, if he was disobedient, he had ways to kill him without anyone knowing.
Ji Shui did not take Zhang Ruochen to the Youzi Heavenly Palace; instead, she headed toward the direction leading out of the Juegu Snow Mountain.
Zhang Ruochen activated his movement technique, closely following Ji Shui, and asked, “Master Ji, where are we going?”
Ji Shui’s body was shrouded in blood mist, as if she had no real physical form. She said indifferently, “Master has already negotiated with Palace Master Qi. For now, you don’t need to return to the Youzi Heavenly Palace; you must prepare fully for battle. Over the next month, I will guide your cultivation until the day of the Divine Son competition.”
Ji Shui didn’t tell Zhang Ruochen where they were going, and Zhang Ruochen didn’t press further.
Ji Shui’s cultivation was very strong. Zhang Ruochen felt that her realm was even deeper than Lan Ye’s.
Moreover, the technique she practiced was quite peculiar. Even Zhang Ruochen couldn’t see through her true realm. Of course, that was because he hadn’t activated his Heavenly Eye.
Leaving the Juegu Snow Mountain, the two transformed into streaks of sacred light, flying through the air at maximum speed.
The Blood God Sect had a long history, having produced more than one Great Saint in the past. Its founding patriarch was even a god, so the territory it occupied was naturally vast, claiming many sacred mountains and blessed lands.
After flying over a thousand li, Ji Shui gradually slowed down, gliding downward and landing on the ground.
Zhang Ruochen also descended, standing beside her, and looked ahead.
It was a very majestic mountain, rising abruptly from the plain, extending above the clouds, its full height impossible to gauge.
The part of the mountain exposed below the clouds was already over six thousand meters, appearing grand and imposing, emitting a purple-green spiritual light.
“Purple cloud energy! There must be a sacred vein beneath this mountain,” Zhang Ruochen said in surprise.
The clouds floating in the sky were not real clouds but a sea of energy condensed from the world’s sacred qi, covering an area of three hundred li, turning this place into a celestial realm.
For an ordinary sect, finding a place with abundant spiritual qi to establish its mountain gate was already quite good.
A force that possessed a sacred vein was a true behemoth, with ancient heritage, incomparable to newly rising sects with only a few thousand years of history.
“This mountain is called Qianyuan Mountain, guarded by the Qianzi Heavenly Palace, one of the Ten Cross Heavenly Palaces. Within the mountain, billions of volumes of the Blood God Sect’s scriptures are stored. From the foot to the midsection, some cultivation cave heavens have been opened. Disciples who have made contributions to the Blood God Sect have the opportunity to cultivate here for a period,” Ji Shui explained as she walked toward Qianyuan Mountain.
Zhang Ruochen said, “It seems I haven’t made any contributions to the Blood God Sect.”
Ji Shui continued, “The Sect Leader has issued a sacred decree. Before the Divine Son competition, any disciple identified by the Qianzi Heavenly Palace as having the potential to become the Divine Son may enter Qianyuan Mountain for cultivation.”
Arriving at the foot of Qianyuan Mountain, an old man as thin as a withered tree stood at the entrance to the mountain, wearing robes representing the Qianzi Heavenly Palace.
According to Ji Shui, this was Elder Xu of the Qianzi Heavenly Palace, with the cultivation of a ninth-order Half-Saint, considered a senior-level figure in the Qianzi Heavenly Palace.
Anyone coming to Qianyuan Mountain must obtain Elder Xu’s approval to enter.
Additionally, others had arrived before them.
There were three groups in total.
The first group consisted of Chengxu Dharma King’s seventh disciple, Wu Ji, and Wu Ji’s disciple, Bai Yu.
Bai Yu possessed the Flying Immortal Saint Body, a prominent figure in the Blood God Sect, proud and arrogant.
Clearly, he was also one of the candidates for the Divine Son, qualified to enter Qianyuan Mountain for cultivation.
During the competition for the Banner Lord position, Bai Yu had fought Zhang Ruochen once and suffered severe injuries, losing face and plummeting in status within the Blood God Sect.
Seeing Zhang Ruochen again, Bai Yu naturally showed anger and snorted coldly, “What a narrow path for enemies.”
Zhang Ruochen ignored him, remaining calm and composed. (To be continued.)