Standing before the Inscription Guild, Zhang Ruochen couldn’t help but feel a surge of emotion.
Without this opportunity, reaching his current mastery of the Ways of Space and Time would have required years of secluded cultivation.
After all, adding even a single rule to any holy path at this stage was incredibly difficult, especially for Eternal Ways.
To increase the rules of several Eternal Ways by hundreds of thousands in just seventy-two days was almost unthinkable, something few would believe if told.
This was partly due to the unique nature of that small world, filled with countless spatial inscriptions and time marks.
More crucially, Zhang Ruochen’s own strength and will were extraordinary. Reaching the eighteenth scale monument as a Saint King granted him benefits beyond what most could achieve.
“With treasures like the Divine Sky-Connecting Tree, the Sundial, and the Imperial Divine Ruler, it’s no wonder the Kunlun Realm was so glorious before the medieval era. Perhaps this is exactly why the Hell Realm is so determined to conquer it,” Zhang Ruochen mused.
The Kunlun Realm’s rare treasures were coveted by both the Hell Realm and the Heavenly Court’s various realms.
To them, the Kunlun Realm’s transformation into a Battlefield of Merits was an unmissable feast.
The small world’s altered time flow meant seventy-two days inside equated to less than two and a half days outside, saving significant time.
Otherwise, by the time Zhang Ruochen emerged, the Central Imperial City’s situation might have drastically changed.
Not lingering outside the guild, Zhang Ruochen headed straight for the Ziwei Imperial Palace to meet Jiutian Xuannü, seeking updates on the Central Imperial City, especially Yan Wushen’s whereabouts, and to check on Chi Kongle.
With tens of millions of Hell Realm Saint Realm troops besieging the city, the situation was volatile, calm one moment but at risk of collapse the next, with war liable to erupt at any time.
Soon, Zhang Ruochen met Jiutian Xuannü and Chi Kongle outside the palace.
To his surprise, Yin Yuanchen emerged from the palace as well.
Jiutian Xuannü’s expression was grave, suggesting something significant had occurred.
“What happened?” Zhang Ruochen asked.
“Three hours ago, Xue Wuye was gravely injured and is now clinging to life,” Jiutian Xuannü replied.
Zhang Ruochen’s brow furrowed. He shared a decent rapport with Xue Wuye, bonded by their mutual dedication to the sword path, despite their differing journeys.
Moreover, Xue Wuye had once encountered Saint Monk Xumi, who bestowed upon him time and space imprints, allowing him to wield these powers to some extent.
In a sense, Xue Wuye was also a successor of Saint Monk Xumi.
This alone made Zhang Ruochen willing to befriend him.
“Take me to see Xue Wuye,” Zhang Ruochen said.
Jiutian Xuannü nodded and led the way without hesitation.
The Ziwei Imperial Palace was vast, composed of grand halls and pavilions, reserved for those of high status in the court.
The Zichen Hall, built by Empress Chi Yao for the nine Heirs, was off-limits to most.
At that moment, aside from Huang Yanchen and the deceased Ouyang Huan, the other seven Heirs were gathered in the hall.
Upon entering, Zhang Ruochen saw familiar faces—Gai Tianjiao, Lidi Monk, Beigong Lan—but the atmosphere was heavy, their expressions grim.
Seeing Zhang Ruochen, their gazes shifted subtly.
Chosen as Heirs and nurtured by Empress Chi Yao, their futures had seemed boundless, each with the potential to become emperors or empresses.
Over the years, they had grown rapidly, surpassing or matching the five prodigies on the *Heroes’ Register*.
Yet compared to Zhang Ruochen, their achievements paled.
He nodded slightly, saying nothing, and followed Jiutian Xuannü to a cultivation chamber.
From a distance, he heard sobs.
Without guessing, he knew they came from Xue Wuye’s sword attendants.
Like Sword Emperor Xue Hongchen, Xue Wuye was a charismatic figure, always surrounded by beautiful, highly talented sword attendants.
In the chamber, over a dozen sword attendants wept, their sorrow evoking pity.
Zhang Ruochen’s gaze fell on Xue Wuye.
He lay on an icy jade bed, grievously wounded, his body covered in cracks, blood seeping out, as if a touch could shatter him.
At a glance, Zhang Ruochen saw that Xue Wuye’s three meridians were shattered, his five organs ruptured, and his holy soul severely damaged, barely sustained by a thread of life, unlikely to last long.
“With his meridians destroyed, even the best healing saint pills can’t be administered,” the Saintess of the Sacred Confucian Sect sighed.
The court had no shortage of saint pills and medicines, but Xue Wuye’s condition was beyond help.
Zhang Ruochen approached the bed, silently examining the injuries.
The sword attendants, recognizing his legendary status, saw a glimmer of hope despite their despair.
“Lord Ruochen, please save our young master,” they knelt, pleading in unison.
Zhang Ruochen had them rise, then assessed Xue Wuye’s condition, his heart sinking.
It was worse than he’d feared, nearly irreversible.
Healing Xue Wuye would require the highest-grade Fountain of Life, a large amount of divine spring from the God-Sealing Platform, or equivalent miraculous remedies.
Unfortunately, the Divine Sky-Connecting Tree was not yet fully mature, its Fountain of Life insufficient, and the God-Sealing Platform’s divine spring was nearly depleted, far from enough to heal Xue Wuye.
“Who did this?” Zhang Ruochen asked.
The attacker’s cruelty was extreme, not just aiming to kill but to make Xue Wuye suffer.
Sensing no Hell Realm energy on Xue Wuye, Zhang Ruochen deduced it was someone from the Heavenly Court.
“It was Little Sword Sovereign Guxin Ao from the Sword God Realm. He took a liking to one of Xue Wuye’s sword attendants, leading to a conflict. I arrived too late to intervene,” Yin Yuanchen said.
“This isn’t Young Master Yuanchen’s fault. If you hadn’t arrived in time, Xue Wuye might already be dead,” Jiutian Xuannü added.
Having investigated Yin Yuanchen at Zhang Ruochen’s request, she didn’t view him as an enemy, distinguishing him from other Heavenly Realm cultivators.
Yin Yuanchen sighed, “With the current situation, beautiful women from the Kunlun Realm are often taken by powerful figures from other realms.”
“Not only that, smaller Kunlun families and sects, to join stronger realms, actively offer their beauties to outsiders, trading allure for survival.”
“This emboldens people like Guxin Ao, who believe Kunlun’s women are theirs for the taking. This time, he crossed paths with Xue Wuye.”
“Guxin Ao,” Zhang Ruochen’s eyes narrowed.
He knew the name, the leader of the Sword God Realm, with unmatched sword talent.
The Sword God Realm, ranked among the Western Universe’s top twenty, was a swordsmanship haven with countless sword cultivators and immense heritage, rarely challenged.
Crucially, it aligned with the Heavenly Realm, following its lead. Guxin Ao might have provoked Xue Wuye deliberately to cripple a Kunlun Heir.
