What must be faced, in the end, must still be faced.
The Moon God escorted Zhang Ruochen out of the Heavenly Realm, then unsealed the Qiankun Realm within his qi sea.
Zhang Ruochen conjured a spiritual clone, entering the Qiankun Realm, arriving at the imperial tomb forest of the Saint Ming Central Empire, standing before a grand tomb.
When he’d left the Kunlun Realm, Zhang Ruochen had relocated the imperial tomb forest and the Ancestral Shrine of Emperors into the Qiankun Realm.
Now, a tombstone stood before him.
On it were carved the words “Empress’s Tomb.”
Eight hundred years ago, Emperor Ming had told him his mother was buried in the Empress’s Tomb, a claim Zhang Ruochen had always believed without question.
But now, he had to verify it himself.
He stood there for a long time, taking a deep breath before releasing his spiritual power, letting it seep into the tomb to probe.
This was disrespectful to his mother.
Yet he needed the truth, unwilling to remain in the dark forever.
After a while, he withdrew his spiritual power, a bitter, mocking smile spreading across his face as he laughed, “Haha, so Chi Yao didn’t lie, it’s indeed an empty tomb.”
Then, a heart-wrenching roar tore from him, “Father, why did you deceive me? Who is my real mother? Why lie to me? Haha!”
Zhang Ruochen struggled to accept that the Blood Empress might be his birth mother.
The Undying Blood Clan epitomized evil, destruction, and slaughter, feeding on the blood of living beings to boost their cultivation, endlessly plundering, insatiable.
Such a race was a blight, annihilating civilization after civilization.
When all civilizations fell, they too would perish.
Zhang Ruochen loathed and despised this race, but now… an Undying Blood Clan member might be his mother—what a cruel joke.
Unnoticed, the Moon God had entered the Qiankun Realm, appearing beside him, her ethereal starry eyes gazing at the grand imperial tombs, “The Zhang family’s ancestors go beyond this, many formidable figures aren’t buried here.”
Zhang Ruochen reined in his emotions, calming gradually, activating his Heavenly Eye to survey the tomb forest.
The imperial tomb forest was a sacred Zhang family site, inscribed with Greater Saint runes.
In the past, his cultivation too weak, he’d only explored parts of it, unfamiliar with much, even the relocation had been handled by the Dragon Guard Pavilion.
Now, observing anew, he was quietly shocked, nine tombs radiated Greater Saint auras, though their occupants were long dead, the presence remained potent, saint qi seeping from them.
Zhang Ruochen said, “Father told me the tomb forest was established after the Saint Ming Central Empire’s founding, earlier ancestors aren’t buried here.”
The Zhang family’s history clearly stretched far beyond the empire’s.
“I see.”
The Moon God replied, “I’d thought a god should be buried here!”
Zhang Ruochen’s mind turned to a name every Zhang descendant revered, “Moon God, do you mean the Immovable Bright King Sovereign?”
She shook her head, “The era of the Immovable Bright King Sovereign is too ancient, even I never met him, but in the late Middle Ages, the Zhang family produced a god named Calamity Venerable, said to have fallen in a stellar battle against another god, his body brought back to the Kunlun Realm by descendants.”
To her, a god’s corpse returned to the Kunlun Realm should rest in the Zhang family’s tomb forest, hence her earlier remark.
Zhang Ruochen frowned, “I once read an ancient text mentioning a Zhang family ancestral ground, destroyed in the late Middle Ages, its location now lost.”
The Moon God lost interest in the tomb forest, turning to leave, “Your journey to the Kunlun Realm will be perilous, I’ve inscribed divine runes on you, they might help.”
“Divine runes!”
Zhang Ruochen’s eyes lit up, the gloom in his heart swept away.
He’d envied the divine runes on other gods’ children.
With them, it was like having an unbreakable body, nearly impossible to kill.
Now bearing divine runes, he could escape even powerhouses like the Truth God Palace’s top ten divine disciples.
Fantastic!
Truly a Moon God, radiating divine grace more with every glance.
He channelled saint qi, activating the runes, white patterns emerged, covering every inch of his skin, carrying a faint coolness.
Soon, his smile froze.
A chill spread between his legs, intricate divine runes weaving there too.
“This…”
An indescribable sensation stirred in him.
The Moon God’s voice reached him again, “The divine runes aren’t just on your skin, they’re in your qi sea, sealing the Qiankun Realm’s power from leaking out.”
The fleeting whimsy vanished, “Why?”
Sealing his qi sea meant he couldn’t tap the Qiankun Realm’s power?
Its world force was his greatest trump card.
“The Qiankun Realm’s world spirit is awakening, you’re meant to be its master, not its envoy, to rule it, you must suppress its spirit with your own strength, commanding it, not borrowing its power to fight.”
She floated upward, exiting the Qiankun Realm.
Zhang Ruochen mulled her words, after a while, his spiritual clone left too, merging back into his body.
The Moon God returned to the Heavenly Realm, while Zhang Ruochen, with Zhenmiao Little Taoist, Tunxiang Rabbit, and the Demonic Ape, reached a planet by the Heavenly River, then took a sacred path linking the Heavenly Realm to the Kunlun Realm, arriving at a nearby planet.
This planet, Tianquan Star, was recently established by the Heavenly Palace, Merit God Palace, and Kunlun Realm as the Merit General Station.
It housed spatial teleportation arrays, a merit points exchange hall, and more, all serving the Kunlun Realm’s merit war, various worlds setting up outposts here.
Though the Kunlun battlefield opened days ago, Tianquan Star bustled, teeming with arriving cultivators.
“The Kunlun Realm’s full of opportunities, with luck, this king might snag a Greater Saint legacy.”
“I hear there are Middle Age relics—ten-thousand-pattern saint weapons, even supreme saint weapons, grabbing a few would boost my strength immensely.”
“A bunch of clowns, are you bandits? Don’t forget why we’re going—to fight, our enemy’s the Hell Realm, I’m aiming for the Saint King Merit List this time.”
…
Cultivators heading to the Kunlun battlefield harboured varied goals—some coveted its treasures, others sought tempering, others fame.
Zhang Ruochen ignored them, heading straight to the Merit General Station.
After verifying his identity, the receptionist gave him an odd look, eyes flickering with surprise, excitement, gravity, and awe.
After a pause, the receptionist cautiously asked, “The Kunlun Realm has seventy-two merit sub-stations, which one does Lord Ruochen wish to visit?”
“You’re from the Kunlun Realm?” Zhang Ruochen inquired.
The receptionist replied, “The lower staff here are recruited from the Kunlun Realm, it’s our war, we must contribute.”
Zhang Ruochen pressed no further, “I’m going to the Heavenly Demon Ridge in the Eastern Domain, which sub-station’s nearest?”
Though a remote, barren place, Heavenly Demon Ridge gained fame through Zhang Ruochen and Luo Xu.
The receptionist said, “The Thirteenth Merit Sub-Station, built in the royal city of Qianshui Commandery, is closest.”
“Qianshui Commandery.”
Murmuring the name, Zhang Ruochen’s gaze grew complex.
Via the spatial teleportation array, he travelled from the General Station to the Thirteenth Sub-Station, stepping out onto the royal city’s streets.
Qianshui Commandery, a top Eastern Domain commandery, boasted a grand royal city, its walls towering like mountains, now fortified manifold with the merit station.
Years ago, the Four Directions Commandery marched a million-strong army against Yunwu Commandery, seizing twelve cities in ten days.
The Yunwu Commandery King, desperate, brought Zhang Ruochen to Qianshui’s royal city for aid, to survive the crisis, Zhang Ruochen had joined the thirteenth princess’s martial recruitment contest.
Recalling that contest, a cold, icy figure surfaced in his mind.
His heart ached sharply.
Without that contest, perhaps the ensuing grudges and passions wouldn’t have followed.
Wandering the crowded streets, his thoughts swirled, his body numb like a puppet, while Tunxiang Rabbit and the Demonic Ape, back in the Kunlun Realm, bounced about excitedly, toppling countless stalls.
Back when his three meridians were crippled, enemies swarmed to hunt him down, everyone knew Qianshui’s Princess Huang Yanchen was his wife.
To flush him out, foes—led by the Undying Blood Clan—stormed the royal palace, slaughtering her clan, capturing the king and queen.
That ordeal finally opened his heart fully to Huang Yanchen, daring to truly love.
Unknowingly, he reached the palace gates, years later, faint bloodstains lingered on the walls, unwashed by rain.
He’d thought he’d forgotten her, but here, an urge to enter surged—perhaps stepping in, he’d see her as before.
Maybe clashing swords, cold glares, silent stares, or… strangers passing by.
Yet he didn’t cross that threshold.
Last year, through this gate, her face glowed with peach blossoms.
Now, her face is gone, only the blossoms laugh in the spring breeze.
“It’s over, over…”
Zhang Ruochen turned, walking away from the palace, his retreating figure desolate, perhaps a hurdle he’d never surmount.
…
Regarding Huang Yanchen, Xiaoyu will surely provide closure—whether as strangers or foes with swords drawn, it won’t end with a mere “she’s dead.”
