Using spatial teleportation, Zhang Ruochen forcibly breached the array, entering the manor and appearing in the pavilion where the Great Xi King and Hong were seated.
Both were highly alert, instantly sensing Zhang Ruochen’s arrival.
Before they could react, they found the space around them completely frozen, rendering them immobile.
The Great Xi King remained calm, having known Zhang Ruochen was watching nearby, so his appearance now wasn’t surprising.
Yet she understood that, with him revealing himself, she likely couldn’t escape and would once again become his prisoner.
“Zhang… Zhang Ruochen.”
Hong’s expression changed drastically, a trace of fear flickering in his eyes.
It couldn’t be helped, Zhang Ruochen’s fearsome reputation preceded him, who below the Great Saint wouldn’t tremble?
Hong wasn’t weak, his strength at the third tier below Great Saint, yet against Zhang Ruochen, he had no resistance, completely restrained by the True Domain of Space.
But soon, Hong steadied himself, asking gravely, “Zhang Ruochen, you’ve trespassed into my residence, what do you want? The Heavenly Palace’s enforcement team is in the Imperial City, you’d best not act recklessly.”
“Where is Michael now?” Zhang Ruochen asked indifferently.
Hong’s face shifted slightly, he had clung to a faint hope that Zhang Ruochen hadn’t overheard his talk with the Great Xi King, but now he saw his naivety.
The key was, this was all too coincidental, why had Zhang Ruochen targeted him at this moment?
Unless… the Great Xi King was compromised!
Seeing Hong’s reaction, Zhang Ruochen already had his answer without needing a response.
His gaze darkened, unwilling to waste more words, he extended a hand, releasing a wave of spatial power that enveloped the Great Xi King and Hong.
Then, he pulled them into the Jungle Small World, temporarily suppressing them.
He had already taken measures to conceal everything, and with the manor’s existing array, what happened inside was hidden from the outside.
“I hope there’s still time.”
Without a moment’s delay, Zhang Ruochen set off for the Nine-Star Lianzhu Mansion.
Soon, he arrived outside the mansion, finding it eerily calm, everything seemingly normal, with no signs of trouble.
But the more normal it seemed, the more uneasy he felt.
His gaze shifted, and he suddenly noticed something.
On the ground before the mansion’s gate, there were intricate patterns, complex and profound, nearly blending with the floor’s natural designs, almost imperceptible.
“These are… Illusory Truth Talismans and Heaven-Sealing Talismans, drawn by a Talisman Array Master.”
Zhang Ruochen’s expression changed instantly.
Illusory Truth Talismans created illusions to deceive, while Heaven-Sealing Talismans blocked divine perception, isolating all detection.
With these talismans outside the Nine-Star Lianzhu Mansion, the situation was crystal clear.
Without hesitation, Zhang Ruochen acted, releasing a powerful spatial force that shattered the two talismans on the ground, then stormed inside.
As the Illusory Truth Talisman broke, hidden truths were revealed.
A thick stench of blood filled the air, the once grand and imposing mansion halls now lay in ruins, nearly reduced to rubble.
Corpses littered the ground, blood staining the entire Lianzhu Mansion red, as if it had become a purgatory.
The Lianzhu Mansion held a special status, serving as the court’s nerve center in Empress Chi Yao’s absence.
Many Confucian scholars and sages gathered here, handling state affairs and governing the realm.
Confucianism had played a vital role in the court’s stability.
But now, those scholars and sages lay in pools of blood, no trace of life detectable within the mansion.
Even with Zhang Ruochen’s composure, the sight shook him, leaving him standing stunned.
Most of the scholars and sages had wide, bloodshot eyes, filled with anger, grief, and unwillingness.
Stepping into the ruined mansion, Zhang Ruochen’s gaze grew icy as he surveyed the bodies.
He had arrived too late, the Lianzhu Mansion had become a hell, brimming with resentment.
Even if he had rushed straight here upon returning to the Kunlun Realm, it would’ve been too late, what was fated to happen was unstoppable.
Suddenly, Zhang Ruochen reached out, grasping a wisp of gray-black gas.
“Hm? Hell Realm’s aura, could it be the Lianzhu Mansion wasn’t massacred by the Paradise Realm, but by Hell Realm powerhouses?” A glint of surprise flashed in his eyes.
Having heard of the Paradise Realm’s plan from Hong, he had assumed they were responsible.
But now, he detected Hell Realm’s aura, emanating from the wounds of the scholars and sages, with traces lingering throughout the ruined mansion.
Without hesitation, Zhang Ruochen released his spiritual power, meticulously scanning every corner of the mansion.
With his current spiritual strength, no clue could escape his perception.
The next moment, he moved, appearing in the Ninth Mansion.
This hall was the core of the Lianzhu Mansion, housing the Heaven and Earth Chessboard used to monitor the realm.
Sadly, the hall was empty, the chessboard gone.
There were fewer bodies here, only twenty-some, but their identities were extraordinary, all ancestral figures of Confucianism, revered and worshipped by countless Confucian disciples.
Zhang Ruochen wasn’t very familiar with Confucian powerhouses but recognized the Music Sect Master and Chess Sect Master, two Confucian ancestors as renowned as the Painting Sage Chu Siyuan.
Now, both lay in blood, lifeless.
Their deaths were gruesome, each with a bloody hole in their brow, white brain matter mixed with blood oozing out.
Confucian cultivators mostly trained their spiritual power and righteous aura, their physical bodies frail, far weaker than martial cultivators.
Zhang Ruochen approached the Music Sect Master, his gaze falling to the ground before him.
There, written in blood, were two characters: “Paradise,” the second character incomplete, missing a final stroke, as the Music Sect Master had lacked the strength to finish.
These two characters said it all.
A cold glint flashed in Zhang Ruochen’s eyes, “The Paradise Realm’s methods are indeed flawless, massacring the Lianzhu Mansion yet framing the Hell Realm.”
Such practiced tactics suggested the Paradise Realm was well-versed in such schemes.
Had the Music Sect Master not left this clue before dying, even Zhang Ruochen might have been deceived.
“Wang Shiqi isn’t among them, it seems he’s been taken, through him, the Paradise Realm may have already pinpointed the Peach Tree’s spatial coordinates, I must stop them,” Zhang Ruochen thought.
Besides Wang Shiqi, another person likely knew the Peach Tree’s location, the Saintly Book Talent.
To thwart the Paradise Realm’s plot, he needed to find her and reach the Peach Tree’s growth site swiftly.
The massacre at the Lianzhu Mansion had occurred some time ago, and the Paradise Realm might already have extracted key information about the Peach Tree from Wang Shiqi.
This ruthless plan, if successful, would doom the Kunlun Realm forever.
With no time to think further, Zhang Ruochen flashed out of the Lianzhu Mansion, heading straight for the Ziwei Palace.
“How dare the Paradise Realm be so bold, targeting the Peach Tree so brazenly? No, even if they find the coordinates, they may not act themselves, could the Hell Realm be involved?” The more he thought, the heavier his heart grew, and he quickened his pace.
Recalling the Hell Realm aura in the Lianzhu Mansion, he couldn’t rule out collusion between the Paradise and Hell Realms.
Just as in the past, when the Paradise Realm schemed against the Kunlun Realm, it was the Hell Realm’s Stone Clan’s Huang Tian who felled the Heaven-Connecting Divine Tree.
But such a reckless act, if exposed, would bring severe consequences, hence the Paradise Realm’s efforts to cover up the past and erase traces from a hundred thousand years ago.
“Should I play the Awakener card now?” Zhang Ruochen muttered to himself.
It didn’t take long to reach the vicinity of the Ziwei Palace.
Located at the heart of the Imperial City, the Ziwei Palace converged the realm’s myriad spiritual veins, stretching five hundred miles, majestic and awe-inspiring.
Rising layer upon layer into the clouds, it resembled a celestial palace, guarded by divine inscriptions, ordinary cultivators could only gaze from afar, unable to approach.
Most striking was Empress Chi Yao’s statue, three thousand feet tall, radiating seven-colored divine light, lifelike and visible from anywhere in the Imperial City.
Before the Kunlun Realm fell to the Hell Realm, countless people visited daily to worship the statue.
Kong Lanyou had once destroyed it, but the court quickly rebuilt a grander one, infused with a trace of Empress Chi Yao’s divine power, guarding the palace.
In the entire Imperial City, the Ziwei Palace was the safest place, protected by divine inscriptions and the Blood-Dripping Sword, even Great Saints would struggle to breach it.
Unlike the bustling areas of the Imperial City, the surroundings of the Ziwei Palace were quiet, with no cultivators occupying nearby residences, a sign of respect for Empress Chi Yao.
On a street near the palace, a figure suddenly appeared, blocking Zhang Ruochen’s path.
“Zhang Ruochen.”
Recognizing the figure, Zhang Ruochen was slightly surprised, saying, “Le, why are you here?”
Meeting Le here was unexpected, especially since it felt like Le was waiting for him specifically.
Le said, “Yesterday, I killed a key figure from the Paradise Realm faction, before dying, he tried to trade a secret for his life, revealing something to me. In the Imperial City, there are too few cultivators I can trust, I didn’t know who to tell.”
“Luckily, I heard you crossed the tenth sea of the Sea of Truth, I figured you’d return to the Kunlun Realm today. So, this morning, I waited there. You’re half an hour later than I expected.”
Zhang Ruochen asked, “What secret?”
“The Paradise Realm is seeking the Peach Tree’s spatial coordinates, targeting Grand Tutor Wang Shiqi and the Saintly Book Talent.”
“I already know this, I’m here at the Ziwei Palace for this reason, the Paradise Realm has massacred the Lianzhu Mansion, taken Wang Shiqi, and stolen the Heaven and Earth Chessboard, the court can no longer track anyone’s movements,” Zhang Ruochen said.
With the chessboard, both Heavenly Court and Hell Realm powerhouses were mostly within monitoring range, allowing quick responses to any activity.
Without it, tracking their movements was nearly impossible, making the situation far more chaotic.
Le pondered briefly, a cold killing intent flashing in his eyes, “Since Wang Shiqi’s been taken, the Peach Tree is in grave danger, only by knowing its location can we stop them.”
“We need to ask the Nine Heavens Mysterious Lady,” Zhang Ruochen said.
At once, he and Le set off, appearing before the Ziwei Palace’s gate in a blink.
The palace was as usual, divine inscriptions flickering, Empress Chi Yao’s statue radiating divine light, lending it sanctity and majesty.
“Greetings, Lord of the Eastern Region.”
The gate guards bowed to Zhang Ruochen.
His fame now shook the myriad realms, Kunlun Realm cultivators universally recognized his title as Lord of the Eastern Region, viewing him as an invincible war god, most holding genuine respect for him.
Zhang Ruochen was familiar with these guards, having stayed in the Ziwei Palace for a time.
But as his gaze swept over them, a strange glint appeared in his eyes.
They were the same people.
Yet in the depths of their eyes, he detected something unnatural.
Before, he might not have noticed, but having refined the Heart of Truth, his insight surpassed many Great Saints, allowing him to spot it.
These guards felt like puppets on strings, lacking vitality, for reasons unknown.
As he pondered, a figure emerged from the gate, approaching.
It was none other than Yin Yuanchen.
“Brother Zhang, crossing the tenth sea of the Sea of Truth, ascending the Mountain of Truth, and earning the Truth Temple’s reward, truly congratulations,” Yin Yuanchen said with a smile.
Zhang Ruochen’s mind was still racing, but his gaze turned to Yin Yuanchen, saying, “Brother Yin’s news travels fast.”
“The news has spread across the myriad realms, how could I not know? Now that you’re back, we must drink to celebrate,” Yin Yuanchen said.
His gaze shifted to Le, asking, “And this is?”
“He’s Le, my friend,” Zhang Ruochen said.
Yin Yuanchen sized Le up, saying, “A friend of Brother Zhang must be extraordinary, I’m Yin Yuanchen.”
Le’s expression remained cold, offering only a slight nod in response.
As they spoke, the three entered the Ziwei Palace, feeling as if they’d stepped into another world, the saintly aura so dense it nearly liquefied.
Zhang Ruochen asked, “Where’s the Nine Heavens Mysterious Lady? I have urgent business with her.”
“I was just about to mention, not long ago, she left the Ziwei Palace, leaving a letter for me to give you, so I’ve been waiting here, now I can finally complete my task,” Yin Yuanchen said with a smile.
He produced a letter and handed it to Zhang Ruochen.
From the moment he saw Yin Yuanchen, Zhang Ruochen’s mood had been low, and now, staring at the envelope, dense truth rules appeared in his pupils.
After a long pause, he sighed, his eyes filled with disappointment, saying, “Yuanchen, I thought we were alike, that we could be friends.”
He had always liked Yin Yuanchen, feeling they were similar, both ostracized, their actions often misunderstood.
Through their time together, Zhang Ruochen had genuinely considered him a friend, his first from the Paradise Realm.
But reality was often cruel, and painful.
As he spoke, Yin Yuanchen’s gentle, smiling eyes turned sharp, brimming with edge, striking with lightning speed, pressing the envelope toward Zhang Ruochen, decisive and without hesitation.
“Swoosh.”
Yin Yuanchen’s speed was like a flash of lightning.
“Crackle.”
In the process, the envelope ignited, turning to ash.
From the ashes, a talisman emerged.
At such close range, with Yin Yuanchen’s terrifying speed, no one could dodge.
The envelope, crafted by a Supreme Saint, should have been flawless. But Yin Yuanchen hadn’t anticipated Zhang Ruochen’s Heart of Truth, which saw through this ruse.
In his plan, once Zhang Ruochen took the envelope, the hidden talisman would suppress him. No matter his strength, he’d kneel, powerless, suffering the talisman’s curse, his saintly rules dissolving, his path reduced to ruin.
Since the plan was exposed, Yin Yuanchen shifted tactics, striking first.
“Zhang Ruochen, you’ll take this talisman whether you want to or not.”
…
