When Saint Xueqi drove the Nine-Dragon Carriage back to Hanhai Manor, Guchenzi, Saint Yixuan, and Emperor Yu were already waiting outside.
Seeing Zhang Ruochen step down from the carriage, Saint Yixuan laughed heartily, as if welcoming a returning hero. “The battle on Mo Street has made you famous across the realm. At the Hunting Heaven Banquet, no one will dare underestimate our Xuetian Tribe again.”
The clash between Zhang Ruochen, Xu, and Saint Yanhong on Mo Street had drawn the attention of many monks and spread like wildfire through the major forces in Hanye City.
The Xuetian Tribe monks gathered around looked at Zhang Ruochen with changed expressions.
Respect mingled with awe.
The gaze reserved for the strong.
Yet Zhang Ruochen’s face showed no trace of joy, only solemnity and preoccupation. “Let’s discuss inside.”
Guchenzi, Emperor Yu, and Saint Yixuan sensed something amiss, their smiles fading as they followed him into Hanhai Manor and then into the Seven-Star Emperor Palace.
The journey was silent, the atmosphere heavy.
In the grand hall, Zhang Ruochen sat at the head like an emperor, still silent, deep in thought.
Guchenzi asked, “What happened? Are Xu and Saint Yanhong’s strengths far greater than they appear?”
Zhang Ruochen shook his head slightly and finally spoke. “Xu and Saint Yanhong didn’t use their true bodies or full power. It was merely a probing skirmish, so it’s hard to gauge their depths. However, I can roughly estimate their combat strength is at least equal to, if not greater than, Emperor Yu’s.”
“Xu hasn’t even condensed a third-grade holy intent, and he’s stronger than me? You probably haven’t seen how I severed Yue Tinghai’s arm with my bare hands. Want to test me?” Emperor Yu snorted, unconvinced.
Ignoring the battle intent radiating from Emperor Yu, Zhang Ruochen said, “Xu possesses the Immortal Chaos Ghost Emperor body, capable of absorbing endless ghosts. On Mo Street, he showed only a fraction of his power, but clues suggest he’s absorbed over ten million ghosts into his Chaos Ghost Emperor body.”
“Based on my analysis, those ghosts weren’t ordinary; they were at least cultivators in life.”
“Every million ghosts can form a Qianwen Realm-level Ghost Emperor soul. If ten such souls combine with a Qianwen-level high-tier holy technique, even your third-grade holy intent couldn’t withstand it, could it?”
“I’ve studied Xu’s records in detail. His Emperor Mirror Heaven-Piercing Eye is a Qianwen-level high-tier holy technique. With it, he once severely injured a Qianwen Realm Great Saint from the Charming Realm on the Merit Battlefield.”
A flash of shock crossed Emperor Yu’s eyes, unprepared for the extent of Xu’s Immortal Chaos Ghost Emperor body’s power.
Guchenzi said, “Emperor Yu just broke through to Hundred-Shackle Realm Great Perfection and hasn’t had time to cultivate Qianwen-level high-tier holy techniques. In terms of foundation, he’s indeed behind Xu. But if Xu can’t condense�
System: condense a third-grade holy intent, he will surpass Emperor Yu in time.”
Saint Yixuan, visibly frustrated, said, “If only I hadn’t let him take the Chaos Spring back then, he wouldn’t have grown this powerful.”
Guchenzi, still puzzled, furrowed his brow. Since Zhang Ruochen escaped Xu and Saint Yanhong’s ambush, their strength, even if greater than Emperor Yu’s, should be limited. With the combined might of the Xuetian Trio, they should hold their own.
So why was Zhang Ruochen so shaken?
Zhang Ruochen said, “After breaking through Xu and Saint Yanhong’s blockade, I encountered another monk, far stronger than both.”
“Who? Wujiang?” Guchenzi asked.
Zhang Ruochen shook his head. “No, Wujiang is far inferior. Even the three of you combined with me might not be his match.”
Emperor Yu, Saint Yixuan, and Guchenzi were stunned.
Knowing Zhang Ruochen wasn’t one for jests, his grave words implied careful analysis.
Guchenzi, thinking aloud, said, “How is that possible? Wujiang ranks fifth in the Hundred-Shackle Realm Great Perfection. Those stronger are only Luoshengtian, Yan Huangtu, and Lanying.”
“Luoshengtian ranks above Wujiang, but they’ve never fought. Based on past records, Luoshengtian’s edge, if any, is slight. And if he wanted to test you, he’d have done so on the Life-Death Battle Platform, not now.”
“Yan Huangtu, ranked third, rarely fights publicly; his last recorded battle was 120 years ago. His current strength is uncertain.”
“But since you went to Jiayin City and likely tested strengths with Yan Wushen, Yan Huangtu has no reason to act now, so he’s unlikely.”
“That leaves the Cosmic God Fetus, Lanying.”
“Lanying has many legends; in the same realm, he instils fear, an almost invincible foe.”
“I met Lanying once when we were both Saint Kings, on the verge of breaking into Great Saint. I was a top-tier prodigy, confident no peer could defeat me.”
“But Lanying left a deep impression. With one sword, he killed a Great Saint I’d fought to a draw, cleanly, like the embodiment of slaughter.”
“I thought then that even six of me together couldn’t block his six swords.”
“If there’s an opponent the Xuetian Trio and I can’t defeat, it’s likely Yan Huangtu or Lanying, with Lanying being the most probable.”
Emperor Yu’s expression turned cold. “Back then, Lanying must have used external aid. At the Hunting Heaven Banquet, external aids are barred, and only one weapon is allowed, diminishing Lanying’s advantage. I don’t believe he could instantly kill you with your current cultivation.”
Saint Yixuan added, “Exactly. With our trio’s strength, no being below Qianwen Realm could defeat us together. Only you and Yan Wushen might manage it in the future.”
“I suspect you encountered a Qianwen Realm banquet guest.”
Zhang Ruochen had reviewed Lanying’s records and was certain he hadn’t cultivated the Way of Nothingness, so it couldn’t be him.
As for a Qianwen Realm guest…
Zhang Ruochen had considered this but dismissed it.
Qianwen Realm guests don’t participate in the hunt, so they’d have no reason to test him. Moreover, the black figure’s parting words—“A so-called Eon-level genius, nothing more”—revealed his character:
Highly confident, competitive, fame-driven, envious, and dismissive of Zhang Ruochen and Yan Wushen’s “Eon-level” genius titles.
If he were a Qianwen Realm Great Saint, cutting Zhang Ruochen’s hair wouldn’t be noteworthy, given the vast cultivation gap.
Zhang Ruochen said, “Have you forgotten the mysterious first-ranked Hundred-Shackle Realm Great Perfection?”
Guchenzi frowned. “The Hundred-Shackle Realm Great Perfection list, compiled by Star Sea World, initially included forty-seven Great Saints. As hidden experts emerged, it expanded to fifty-eight.”
“But the top ten rankings never changed, indicating their strength far surpasses other Great Perfection Great Saints.”
“The most mysterious is the first-ranked, listed only as ‘Que.’”
“At first, everyone thought his name was Que. But a deity’s divination failed to identify him. So, it’s believed Star Sea World left the top spot vacant for you or Yan Wushen, as your dominance would claim it upon reaching Great Perfection.”
Zhang Ruochen asked, “A deity couldn’t divine him?”
“Absolutely true,” Guchenzi confirmed.
Zhang Ruochen said, “If he’s a Nothingness Controller, perfectly mastering its power, could a deity divine him?”
“This…” Guchenzi was at a loss.
All monks revere the power of Nothingness due to its rarity and mystery, inspiring awe and uncertainty about how to counter it.
For instance, if a Time cultivator appeared once per Eon, and no one knew how to counter Time’s power, they’d revere Time Controllers similarly.
But Time cultivators, though rare, aren’t that scarce.
Even Time Controllers emerge once or twice per era.
With more study of Time, ways to counter it reduce its mystique.
Emperor Yu said, “If he’s a Nothingness Controller, undetectable by deities, how would Star Sea World know of him?”
“What if he was cultivated by Star Sea World or the Temple of Fate?” Zhang Ruochen suggested.
“Not impossible,” Guchenzi admitted, his expression grave. “Nothingness might not always evade divine divination, but if the Temple of Fate conceals a monk’s fate, even the mightiest deity can’t divine them.”
“This Que will be the greatest variable at the Hunting Heaven Banquet,” Zhang Ruochen said.
He keenly sensed the black figure’s deep hostility.
In the following time, Zhang Ruochen activated the Sundial again, fully refining the Twelve Blossoms’ potency and attempting to break his first shackle.
Using the Way of Truth, he identified his first shackle in his right arm.
Before drinking Twelve Blossoms, he’d taken Divine Wanderer Pills and tried dozens of times without success.
In the Sundial, after about a year, he fully absorbed the Twelve Blossoms’ potency.
Taking another Divine Wanderer Pill, he still couldn’t break the shackle, but it trembled slightly, unlike its previous inertness.
A promising start!
“Next, I’ll grind it down. If an iron rod can be ground into a needle, I refuse to believe I can’t break one shackle,” Zhang Ruochen thought.
Amid great anticipation, May 7 arrived.
The Hunting Heaven Banquet, a grand event, thrilled monks across the Infernal Realm, wherever they were. The tribes’ representatives became the talk of the realm, embodying their hopes and each faction’s honour.
The Xuetian Tribe’s representatives—fifty Great Saints and fifty Saint Kings—assembled, ready to depart, brimming with momentum.
Some rode Great Saint-level beasts, followed by dozens of saint slaves in king-grade sacred armour, capes billowing.
Others rode king-grade sacred war chariots, accompanied by four beautiful saint cultivators.
Each representative was ostentatious, displaying their might, wealth, and dominance, aiming to outshine other factions in grandeur.
At that moment, the Seven-Star Emperor Palace, resized to a normal palace, was carried out of Hanhai Manor by eighteen Six-Tribulation Ghost Kings.
Instantly, the Xuetian Tribe’s monks were overshadowed.
“That’s… the Seven-Star Emperor Palace, once Blood Absolute War God’s residence. Look, the figure in the hall is Zhang Ruochen!”
“My heavens! Has the War God passed the palace to Zhang Ruochen, designating him the Blood Absolute Family’s heir?”
The Xuetian Tribe monks erupted in excitement.
Few knew Zhang Ruochen controlled the Seven-Star Emperor Palace, and their silence amplified the shock now.
Next, the subdued Shentu Yunkong and Hong emerged from the palace, standing as guards in armour by the gate.
Zhou Zhen, slightly higher in status, stood outside in plain robes.
Inside, Lanxi and Moyin stood like maids to Zhang Ruochen’s left and right—one ethereal as an immortal, the other seductive as a demon consort.
“Eighteen Six-Tribulation Ghost Kings are one thing, but displaying five Great Saints—some as guards, some as maids—is he not afraid of being attacked by other factions’ representatives?” Saint Yixuan said, both envious and jealous.
Though Zhang Ruochen’s body sat in the Seven-Star Emperor Palace, his consciousness entered Blood Absolute War God’s divine realm.
Blood Absolute War God said, “The Undying Blood Clan’s gods have agreed to let you wield the Supreme Sacred Artifact, but with two conditions.”
“First, the Undying Blood Clan must rank in the top five at the Hunting Heaven Banquet.”
“Second, you must help Empress Feng secure the goddess position.”
“If neither is achieved, the Xuetian Tribe will bear all responsibility. Regardless of its performance, it will rank last among the ten tribes, receiving the least resources.”
Zhang Ruochen said, “Those conditions are too harsh.”
“But I’ve agreed,” Blood Absolute War God replied.
Zhang Ruochen’s eyes sharpened, but after a brief pause, he said with resolve, “I’ll complete both tasks and ensure the Xuetian Tribe doesn’t bear this burden.”
“You need only achieve one to meet the goal. The second condition is relatively easier,” Blood Absolute War God said.
