Below the Heaven-Connecting Divine Tree in the Qiankun Realm.
A nine-inch-tall azure jade tower hovered in mid-air, delicate and exquisite, emitting a faint layer of azure light.
The branches and leaves of the Heaven-Connecting Divine Tree swayed gently, and a vast voice rang out, “With your current cultivation, if you unseal it, you may not be able to suppress the Azure Sky Pagoda.”
“I want to try. If I can’t subdue it with my own strength, I hope Senior Divine Tree can lend me a hand,” Zhang Ruochen said calmly.
With that, Zhang Ruochen began to break through the layers of seals on the surface of the Azure Sky Pagoda.
With a sharp sound, the small tower trembled violently.
Instantly, the surrounding world quaked, ripples spreading through the air. Zhang Ruochen felt as though he were standing in a spatial storm, unable to steady himself, his body seemingly on the verge of being torn apart by the force.
He broke the final seal.
With a thunderous boom, a surge of supreme power burst forth, crashing into Zhang Ruochen.
Prepared for this, Zhang Ruochen raised the Eight-Dragon Fan. The fan’s leaves spun rapidly, blocking the supreme power, while his body retreated dozens of miles.
Moving the Eight-Dragon Fan aside, he looked ahead.
The Azure Sky Pagoda had grown as massive as a mountain peak, its azure light flowing, exuding a terrifying and overwhelming aura as it bore down on him.
Zhang Ruochen was no longer the man he once was and felt no fear. Wrapping himself in the Eight-Dragon Fan, he transformed into a streak of golden light and charged forward.
With a loud crash, the Eight-Dragon Fan smashed open the tower’s gate, carrying Zhang Ruochen inside.
Within the tower lay a misty world, with stars floating above Zhang Ruochen’s head, arranged in a peculiar pattern.
Ripples spread beneath his feet as he walked, saying, “I’ve heard that the artifact spirit of the Azure Sky Pagoda vanished long ago, and now only a trace of its consciousness remains within. A mere trace of consciousness dares to oppose me? It won’t end well for you.”
“Young man, though I am but a trace of consciousness, I have existed for 100,000 years.”
With a sudden whoosh, the stars in the sky above plummeted downward.
They grew larger, resembling real stars, radiating an awe-inspiring, majestic force. Let alone Zhang Ruochen, a Seven-Step Saint King, even a Great Saint might be crushed to death.
“Qiankun Realm, lend me your strength.”
Zhang Ruochen formed a palm with his right hand and thrust it upward. Instantly, the Qiankun Realm churned with wind and clouds, dark clouds blotting out the sky as the vast power of the world converged towards the Azure Sky Pagoda.
The falling stars disintegrated one by one, turning into fragments of stone that rained down.
Behind the stars, an azure Bi’an beast emerged.
“Are you the consciousness of the Azure Sky Pagoda’s artifact spirit?”
Zhang Ruochen summoned his Sword Soul, which flew forward.
The three-inch-tall Sword Soul appeared above the azure Bi’an beast, holding a longsword, poised to strike at any moment.
The Sword Soul could not only attack a cultivator’s Saint Soul but also an artifact’s spirit.
Yet the Sword Soul held back.
A fully intact Azure Sky Pagoda with its spirit consciousness preserved would undoubtedly wield far greater power than one without.
If he could subdue it, he would do everything in his power to do so.
The azure Bi’an beast suddenly let out a long sigh, “Zhang Ruochen, your growth has been at least twice as fast as I estimated.”
“So, you’re not planning to resist anymore?” Zhang Ruochen asked.
The azure Bi’an beast replied, “You have the power to destroy me. Why would I keep resisting?”
“Spineless,” Zhang Ruochen nearly blurted out, but instead he laughed and said, “As far as I know, the artifact spirit of the Azure Sky Pagoda is the guardian of the Chi Family. I’m an enemy of the Chi Family. Aren’t you afraid that once I control the Azure Sky Pagoda, I’ll use it to wipe out the Chi Family first?”
“You can’t destroy the Chi Family. When the true body of the artifact spirit returns, no one will be able to control the Azure Sky Pagoda. I’ve already sensed its presence—it should return soon,” the azure Bi’an beast said.
The mysterious disappearance of the artifact spirits of the Kunlun Realm’s supreme saint artifacts had long been a perplexing riddle for Zhang Ruochen.
Now, it seemed that riddle was about to be solved.
Zhang Ruochen hurriedly asked, “Where did the artifact spirit of the Azure Sky Pagoda go?”
“I don’t know.”
The azure Bi’an beast shook its head and added, “But the connection between us has reappeared, which means it will soon emerge.”
If the Azure Sky Pagoda’s artifact spirit hadn’t been destroyed and was about to reappear, what about the spirits of the other supreme saint artifacts?
Would they emerge together?
Where had they been for these 100,000 years? Why had they abandoned their vessels?
With a sizzling sound, Zhang Ruochen unleashed the Pure Extinction Divine Fire, a blend of azure and white, forming a massive fireball that enveloped the azure Bi’an beast, bringing it under control.
He then withdrew from the tower and opened his palm.
The mountain-sized Azure Sky Pagoda shrank back to nine inches, landing in his hand.
“With a supreme saint artifact in my grasp, there’s nowhere in the Kunlun Realm I can’t go.” Zhang Ruochen stood with one hand behind his back, brimming with newfound confidence, exuding the air of an emperor.
Next, Zhang Ruochen turned his attention to studying the God-Extinguishing Cross Shield and the Myriad Beasts Treasure Mirror.
His mental power had barely entered the God-Extinguishing Cross Shield before he retreated immediately. The artifact spirit within was a true spirit, not merely a consciousness.
It was in slumber.
Yet the aura it emitted was utterly terrifying.
If he awakened it, the consequences could be disastrous.
He might not even have time to summon the Qiankun Realm’s power before it annihilated him.
Zhang Ruochen placed a layer of sealing power on the God-Extinguishing Cross Shield’s surface and asked the Heaven-Connecting Divine Tree to wrap it with a root, anchoring it to the ground, before he felt at ease.
The Myriad Beasts Treasure Mirror, however, was an extraordinary treasure. It contained layered spatial structures, each layer divided into palace-sized compartments.
Within those compartments were wild beasts.
Ordinary beasts were one thing, but the third layer was filled entirely with saint beasts.
The fourth layer housed eighth-tier wild beasts, all at the Saint King realm.
Though Zhang Ruochen’s mental power couldn’t penetrate the fifth layer, he saw shadows of beasts below in the fourth layer, as if separated by a sheet of ice.
It was highly likely that the fifth layer’s compartments sealed ninth-tier beast emperors. The mere thought sent a shiver down his spine.
Zhang Ruochen’s mental clone paused in the fourth layer, standing outside the compartment of a blood bat.
The blood bat, at the Nine-Step Saint King realm, had a ferocious appearance. It roared at Zhang Ruochen, spewing thick blood mist from its mouth.
A spatial barrier separated them.
Of course, while the barrier could stop other cultivators, it couldn’t hold back Zhang Ruochen, a master of space.
Using Spatial Shift, he crossed the barrier and appeared before the blood bat.
With a screech, the blood bat grew even more frenzied. Its wings blazed with fire, its claws turned crimson, and it attacked Zhang Ruochen wildly.
Zhang Ruochen tried to communicate with it but failed.
In the end, he resorted to force. Using Spatial Shift, he appeared above the blood bat and struck it with a palm, knocking it unconscious to the ground.
“In theory, mastering the Myriad Beasts Treasure Mirror should allow me to control the beasts inside,” Zhang Ruochen mused, puzzled.
Ultimately, his understanding of the Myriad Beasts Treasure Mirror was too limited. If Xiao Hei were here, it could surely clear up his confusion.
“Perhaps I should ask Senior Heaven-Connecting Divine Tree.”
Zhang Ruochen withdrew his mental power from the Myriad Beasts Treasure Mirror and stood beneath the divine tree, posing his question.
A branch of the Heaven-Connecting Divine Tree descended, wrapping around the Myriad Beasts Treasure Mirror. After a moment, its vast voice resounded, “Zhang Ruochen, the Myriad Beasts Treasure Mirror is a unique spacetime treasure. You must have noticed that the flow of time inside differs from the outside—it’s almost in a state of temporal stasis. That’s why the wild beasts left there by that god from the Middle Ages haven’t died to this day.”
“But to control the beasts within, two conditions must be met.”
“What are those two conditions?” Zhang Ruochen asked.
“First, each compartment in the mirror is sealed with an enchantment. Your power must be sufficient to break the seal to summon the beasts inside.”
“Second, you must become the master of the Myriad Beasts Treasure Mirror to wield its power and control the beasts it holds.”
Zhang Ruochen asked, “How do I become its master?”
“The Myriad Beasts Treasure Mirror has an artifact spirit that will automatically choose its master.”
Zhang Ruochen said, “But I haven’t detected the artifact spirit of the Myriad Beasts Treasure Mirror.”
“That’s because it has already chosen a master, and the spirit has fused with that master’s Saint Soul,” the Heaven-Connecting Divine Tree explained.
Zhang Ruochen thought of Ying Huo and suddenly understood, muttering to himself, “So that’s how it is.”
Had he known the Myriad Beasts Treasure Mirror had chosen Ying Huo as its master, he would never have let Qiu Yichi take her away, no matter what.
“Damn it.”
Zhang Ruochen quickly added, “So, to become its new master, I’d have to kill its previous owner?”
“That’s correct.”
The Heaven-Connecting Divine Tree continued, “However, fusing with the artifact spirit of the Myriad Beasts Treasure Mirror has both advantages and disadvantages. I don’t recommend it. If possible, you’d be better off controlling the mirror’s master, thereby gaining command over all the beasts within.”
Zhang Ruochen didn’t know what the disadvantages were, but given the Heaven-Connecting Divine Tree’s vast knowledge, there must be a reason for its caution.
Just as Zhang Ruochen prepared to leave the Qiankun Realm with the Azure Sky Pagoda, the Heaven-Connecting Divine Tree spoke again, “Recently, I’ve recalled some things. 100,000 years ago, during a great calamity, some prodigies from various sects and ancient religions survived by entering a state of slumber. Their Saint Souls seem to have been preserved through special means, awaiting the right moment to awaken.”
“What?”
Zhang Ruochen’s mind reeled, stunned beyond measure by this revelation. Suddenly, countless thoughts flooded his head.
“Slumber… Saint Souls…”
He recalled the Ancient Divine Mountain of the Liangyi Sect, the Blood God Altar of the Blood God Sect, and the ancient corpses floating on the surface or frozen in icebergs deep within the Yin-Yang Sea.
At the Blood God Altar, Zhang Ruochen had once fought Xue Lingxian, the eldest disciple of the Blood God from 100,000 years ago.
Back then, he’d assumed it was merely a spiritual projection of Xue Lingxian. But now, hearing the Heaven-Connecting Divine Tree’s words, a chilling thought struck him. Could that have been Xue Lingxian’s Saint Soul?
The Ancient Divine Mountain of the Liangyi Sect also seemed capable of preserving ancient Saint Souls, keeping them from fading.
In the past, Zhang Ruochen would never have believed the dead could return to life.
But after witnessing the power of the “Chaos Spacetime Lotus,” he knew that as long as the body and Saint Soul remained, resurrection wasn’t impossible.
Hadn’t Xiao Hei come back that way?
Could it be that many peerless powerhouses from the Kunlun Realm’s ancient sects, religions, and Middle Age families were about to awaken, returning in this era of war and chaos?
