“Sacrifice heaven and earth.”
The cultivators of the old Saint Ming division, standing in various directions, simultaneously roared out, a deafening sound that resounded throughout the entire Sacred Wood Peak.
Immediately after that, all of them shot out at the same time, striking out a holy qi and injecting it into the Kaiyuan Deer Cauldron.
A scorching golden aura was emitted from the Deer Cauldron.
If one were to look from ten thousand miles away, then, the Peakless Mountain turned completely golden, with a powerful power fluctuation that continuously escaped.
In an instant, Autumn Rain was refined into its original form by the Kaiyuan Deer Cauldron, turning into an incomparably huge Flame Divine Tree. Within the Flame Divine Tree, a faint divine power surged out, but despite this, it was still unable to escape from the Kaiyuan Deer Cauldron.
Inside the Flame Divine Tree, Autumn Rain’s compromising voice came out, “Zhang Ruochen …… let me live, and I’ll be at your disposal in the future.”
Hearing these words, those Saint realm powerhouses who had once been on better terms with Qiu Yu were incomparably despicable in their hearts.
One must know that even just an ordinary Saint would value their reputation and temperament more than their lives.
For Autumn Rain, as the Sycamore Divine Tree, and even more so, the future Spiritual Root of Heaven and Earth of the Kunlun Realm, to beg for forgiveness from his own enemy was really unacceptable to many cultivators.
The Spiritual Root of Heaven and Earth was not just a medium to connect the Spirit of the World and the rules of Heaven and Earth, but it was also a representation of the spiritual will of a world.
Allowing Qiu Yu to represent the spiritual will of the Kunlun Realm was unacceptable to the vast majority of cultivators present.
“I don’t need you to work for me.”
Zhang Ruochen stood underneath the Kaiyuan Deer Cauldron and spoke in a cold voice, then, raising his head, he slowly raised his hands up, ready to open the world gate of the Qiankun Realm, allowing the Heaven Receiving Divine Wood to absorb the power of the Wutong Divine Tree.
However, just as Zhang Ruochen looked up at the sky, he saw thirty-three incomparably bright stars appearing above the dome of the sky.
That was …… Chi Yao’s Star Soul Divine Seat.
On the ground, other cultivators, too, detected the Star Soul God Constellation that was flickering above the sky dome, and all of them trembled in their hearts.
“The Empress …… Empress is about to return to the Kunlun Realm ……”
A Saint Ancestor of the Fire Nation was incomparably elated and let out a long whistle of excitement, then, respectfully kneeling down on the ground, he bowed down to the Star Soul Divine Constellation, saying, “Greetings to the Empress, greetings to the True God.”
Even the Sacred Ancestor knelt down, and naturally, all those other Fire Race cultivators all knelt down and bowed.
In the next moment, there was a vast and boundless divine might that surged out from the thirty-three stars, transforming into rays of starlight that fell to the ground, enveloping the piece of heaven and earth where Peerless Mountain was located.
“Greetings to the Empress!”
“Greetings to the True God!”
At the top of the Sacred Wood Peak, all the cultivators all revealed looks of fear and trepidation as they knelt on the ground, no cultivator could fight against the will of the gods.
At the bottom of the mountain, Shi Qianjie, Fire Venerable, Deadly Zen Old Ancestor, Vice Pavilion Master, Murong Ye Feng, and Golden Geibi, who were fighting, all stopped, and even they knelt on the ground under the shock of the divine might.
In fact, with a Great Saint’s cultivation and spiritual will, as long as they weren’t deliberately targeted by a deity, it was possible to fight against the divine might, or at least keep from kneeling.
However, the few Great Saints present were able to sense that the Star Soul Divine Throne above the celestial dome was not only radiating divine might, but also a surge of divine fury.
No one could be so foolish as to intentionally call out to a deity.
What’s more, kneeling and bowing to a deity was not something to be ashamed of.
“Wow.”
A seven-coloured divine light flew out from the starry sky where the thirty-three stars were located and descended into the sky above the Sacred Wood Peak, condensing into the figure of Empress Chi Yao.
Empress Chi Yao stood on top of a seven-coloured divine cloud, wearing a divine garment, with her long black hair bundled on top of her head, with a pair of eyes that were more beautiful than the stars, and a majestic and divine aura all over her body.
In this part of the world, there was only one person who didn’t kneel, and that was Zhang Ruochen.
“Chi Yao ……”
Zhang Ruochen’s eyes were all bloodshot as he stood at the top of the Sacred Wood Peak, propping up his body with his sword and trying to fight against the divine might with his powerful will.
Unfortunately, his cultivation and spiritual power were still too weak compared to the deities, and he was simply unable to fight against Chi Yao; his legs were constantly trembling and bending, as if he was about to fall to his knees.
A cold, craggy look appeared in Empress Chi Yao’s eyes, locking onto Zhang Ruochen’s body, “To dare to destroy the Ling Xiao Heavenly King’s Mansion, you really have a lot of guts.”
With every divine sound that came out, the divine might that Zhang Ruochen endured became one point stronger.
Suddenly, Zhang Ruochen let out a loud roar, a look of absolute determination appeared in his eyes as he swung his sword out, and with a poof, chopped off his legs.
“Boom.”
Zhang Ruochen’s body lost the support of his legs and fell heavily to the ground.
Some of the cultivators present were secretly impressed, while others were secretly laughing at Zhang Ruochen for being a fool.
Didn’t you see that the Great Saints were all kneeling at the feet of the Empress? Kneeling to a deity wasn’t something to be ashamed of, so why would one need to chop off one’s legs?
In the Kaiyuan Deer Cauldron, Qiu Yu was ecstatic and let out a laugh, ”Zhang Ruochen, this eunuch said long ago that you are seeking your own death by making an enemy of the entire Kunlun Realm. Now that the Empress has returned, you and those audacious Sacred Ming rebels all have to die. Haha ……”
Qiu Yu was laughing, but, halfway through his laughter, he could no longer laugh.
This was because, he saw that Zhang Ruochen’s side, there was another person who remained standing, surprisingly resisting the Empress’s divine might.
To be exact, she was not a person, but a beautiful Ghost King.
In the centre of that Ghost King’s brow, there was a blood moon mark, and she stretched out a snow-white finger, gently pointing it towards Zhang Ruochen’s legs.
In an instant, Zhang Ruochen’s broken legs were renewed.
Zhang Ruochen could not feel the suppression of the divine might at all and stood up again. Obviously, it was the Blood Moon Ghost King who had blocked the divine might from Chi Yao’s body, and thus, he was able to remain standing.
“In the presence of a god, one can be so calm, and moreover, one can still shelter Zhang Ruochen. Just what kind of existence is it?”
“No wonder Zhang Ruochen dared to destroy the Ling Xiao Heavenly King’s Mansion and attack the Peerless Mountain, so it turns out that he has a big backer.”
“It couldn’t be a god as well, could it?”
……
All the cultivators present in the imperial court, the old Sacred Brightness Ministry, the Devil Cult, and the Fire Race …… all revealed incredulous expressions. Their gazes were fixed on the Blood Moon Ghost King, all of them speculating about her identity.
The Blood Moon Ghost King and Empress Chi Yao looked at each other, and two strands of divine might intertwined in that space between them. Zhang Ruochen clearly saw that a crack appeared in that space, as if it was about to turn into spatial debris.
After the initial test, they did not move to attack further, but, instead, withdrew their divine might at the same time.
The Blood Moon Ghost King said, “I thought that you would die in the Heavenly Court Realm, but I didn’t expect that you would return to the Kunlun Realm so quickly, it seems that the Sacred Path between the Kunlun Realm and the Heavenly Court Realm has already opened up.”
Empress Chi Yao, with her feet on the seven-coloured divine clouds and her head on the thirty-three stars, asked, “Why are you sheltering Zhang Ruochen?”
The Blood Moon Ghost King’s voice was clear and cold as he said, “I’m sheltering him because I naturally see his potential. How about letting him to me?”
“Impossible.”Empress Chi Yao said.
The Blood Moon Ghost King said, “What if, I have to save his life?”
Empress Chi Yao said, “This is the Kunlun Realm, and my Star Soul Divine Throne is right above me, providing me with a constant supply of divine power. Are you sure you want to start a divine battle with me for a Saint?”
The Blood Moon Ghost King was fearless as he said, “Once the divine War is opened, I can assure you that the living beings in a million miles around will die out. There are quite a few Saints and Great Saints gathered here, right? If, however, all of them fall, how can you still go to the Heavenly Court Realm to fight for a place? You’ve already been to the Heavenly Court Realm and should understand that there, our strength doesn’t matter at all. What matters is, their strength.”
The Blood Moon Ghost King and Empress Chi Yao each had their own scruples, and in the end, instead of exploding into a godly battle, they could only choose to compromise and agree to each other’s conditions, signing a divine contract.
Of course, the dialogue between the two gods could only be heard by themselves from start to finish, and outsiders had no idea what they were exchanging.
It was only after the signing of the divine Spirit Contract that the Blood Moon Ghost King was to say to Zhang Ruochen, “Bring the two old men from Alchemy and Brewing with me and go to the Heavenly Court Realm now.”
Zhang Ruochen furrowed his brows and said, “No, I must first access all of the Sacred Ming’s old ministries into the Qiankun Realm, and then, I can leave with you.”
“This is impossible, the Divine Spirit Contract I signed with that Queen of yours can only save your life alone.”The Blood Moon Ghost King said.
Zhang Ruochen’s eyes were quite firm as he said, “If we leave them in the Kunlun Realm, will Chi Yao spare them? Without accessing them into the Qiankun Realm, there’s no way I’ll go with you.”
The Blood Moon Ghost King revealed a displeased expression and said coldly and sharply, “Zhang Ruochen, you have to understand one thing, in front of the gods, mortals do not have any say and can only obey. Unless you want to die here.”
“So what if I die, so what if I live?”Zhang Ruochen looked indifferent.
“Choosing to die is undoubtedly cowardice. Choosing to live, you can at least fight for it.”
The Blood Moon Ghost King walked to King Ming Jiang’s side with unhurried and unhurried steps, and as she spoke, then, one of her jade hands was cupped into a palm blade, and she swung it towards King Ming Jiang’s neck, chopping it.
“What are you …… doing? Are you forcing me?”
Zhang Ruochen roared, his five fingers tightened as he grabbed the Sinking Abyss Ancient Sword and charged towards the Blood Moon Ghost King.
However, he had only taken one step when his entire body was unable to move, unable to stop the Blood Moon Ghost King at all, and could only watch as the Blood Moon Ghost King plucked off the head of the Ming Jiang King.
At this moment, Zhang Ruochen fully realised what helplessness was, there was no moment like now when he longed for a strong power to fight against the gods.
The Blood Moon Ghost King appeared cold and walked towards Mu Lingshi’s again, his palm cupping into a palm blade once more.
“Roar-“
A long whistling sound came out of Zhang Ruochen’s mouth, and his body trembled as he tried to break free from the Blood Moon Ghost King’s suppression, but he simply couldn’t do it.
The Blood Moon Ghost King’s palm, instead of swinging down and chopping, was only placed on Mu Lingshi’s neck as he faintly said, “Firmly remember the helplessness in your heart at this moment. It’s not enough to have the Heart of the Reverse God and the Guts of the Reverse God, one must also have the Power of the Reverse God.”
“In front of the great power, all beings are pawns, if you want to live, if you want to protect your loved ones, friends, and loved ones, you have to make yourself stronger and become the most useful piece. Right now, you are a pretty good pawn for me. Therefore, you have the qualifications to have a dialogue with me, and you will also be able to receive my shelter.”
The Blood Moon Ghost King walked back over to King Ming Jiang and received his head back towards him.
Instantly, King Ming Jiang turned back into a complete body with a terrified look in his eyes as he said, “Greetings to the True God.”
The Blood Moon Ghost King didn’t even bother to look at King Ming Jiang as he continued to say to Zhang Ruochen, “Very unwilling, right? It can’t be helped, reality is so cruel. If you want to not be someone else’s pawn, it’s even more important to keep becoming stronger, and when you’re strong to a certain extent, you may not be unable to jump out of the chessboard and become the chess executor. Now, you choose to die, or choose to live? Choose to be a coward, or choose to fight?”
Zhang Ruochen stared coldly at the Blood Moon Ghost King, not saying a word.
The Bloodmoon Ghost King added, “Don’t worry, it’s impossible for Empress Chi Yao to kill those cultivators from the Sacred Brightness Central Empire because, she had to gather the power of the entire Kunlun Realm’s Half-Saints and above to do something. Also because of this reason, she absolutely cannot allow you to access the cultivators of Sacred Ming, into the Qian Kun Realm, that is her bottom line.”
“What is she going to do?”Zhang Ruochen asked.
The Blood Moon Ghost King didn’t hide it and said frankly, “It’s the same thing as what I asked you to do.”
Zhang Ruochen understood, it seemed that what the Moon God was going to make him do was more important than he had imagined, and since this was the case, he still had more room for negotiation.
Even if all beings were just pawns in front of the god, Zhang Ruochen had to save the lives of those cultivators from the Sacred Brightness Central Empire, it was a responsibility.
