“Meaning?”
Zhang Ruochen immediately realised that a divine beast sleeping inside the Ghost Clan’s home star was no coincidence.
The Burial Gold White Tiger said, “It seems you don’t know.”
“Please enlighten me, Senior?” Zhang Ruochen asked.
The Burial Gold White Tiger said, “You’ve fused with the Extreme Burial Gold Qi, which merely grants you the qualification to meet me. But I have a test for you. If you can pass it and return here, I will naturally tell you everything.”
Zhang Ruochen frowned, unable to fully grasp the meaning behind the Burial Gold White Tiger’s words.
A test?
What kind of test?
He was about to ask what benefits passing the test would bring.
But the Burial Gold White Tiger spoke first, “You should first ask what my test is. Because if you can’t pass it, you’re not qualified to know what you could gain.”
His thoughts and intentions had been seen through?
Zhang Ruochen’s mental strength had reached the late stage of the sixty-fourth tier, with formidable mental defences. Unless his thoughts and memories were forcibly seized, even a god couldn’t peer into his mind.
If someone could see through his heart, what secrets could he hide?
A chill ran through him. If the gods of the Infernal Realm already knew his true thoughts…
He dared not think further.
The Burial Gold White Tiger said, “You’re afraid, I can sense it. But you needn’t be so fearful. Even gods aren’t omnipotent.”
“Gods can plunder your memories and probe your heart. But reading your thoughts at will isn’t so easy. Only those with mental strength at the eightieth tier could possibly do so.”
“After all, your will is strong. Breaking your mental defences is easy, but breaking your willpower is far harder.”
“Mental strength gods at the seventieth tier are exceedingly rare. Those at the eightieth tier are exceptional figures, to whom you’re no different from an insect in their eyes. Would you bother reading an insect’s thoughts?”
Sensing no hostility from the Burial Gold White Tiger, Zhang Ruochen calmed down and asked, “So your mental strength exceeds the eightieth tier?”
The Burial Gold White Tiger replied, “No! Though I’m a divine being, mental strength isn’t my forte. I can peer into your thoughts because you’ve absorbed my Extreme Burial Gold Qi, which has merged with your body, mental strength, saint soul, and even the saint path rules you’ve cultivated.”
It added, “Of course, my mental strength isn’t far from the eightieth tier.”
Among gods, those with mental strength below the seventieth tier are countless.
Just as among Great Saints, those below the sixtieth tier dominate. Great Saints like Wujiang, Yu Huang, and Xi, who reached above the sixty-fourth tier in the Hundred Shackle Realm, are rare existences in the Infernal Realm over millennia, standing at the pinnacle.
They not only have the potential to become gods but, at the same age and realm, surpass many gods in excellence and power.
Of course, this is only true for now.
Whether one becomes a god is closely tied to talent, but not guaranteed.
Throughout history, countless prodigies with astonishing talent failed to reach the divine realm. Some had flaws in their heart; some strayed onto the wrong path. Some died untimely deaths. Some were consumed by inner demons; others exhausted their potential, fading into mediocrity.
Conversely, those with above-average talent, due to their larger numbers, often have more who reach the divine realm.
The Burial Gold White Tiger claimed mental strength wasn’t its strength, yet said it was close to the eightieth tier. Zhang Ruochen was deeply shaken, thinking, this Burial Gold White Tiger is no ordinary divine beast.
Such a powerful divine beast didn’t refer to itself as “this deity” or “this god” but simply as “I,” without the condescending disdain, which gave Zhang Ruochen a slight sense of affinity.
Clearing his mind of distractions, Zhang Ruochen asked, “What is the test you have for me, Senior?”
The Burial Gold White Tiger said, “You’re participating in the Infernal Realm’s Hunt for Heaven, right? I want you to defeat the strongest cultivator in this battlefield, bringing at least one of their hands to me. Then, you’ll naturally understand what you can gain. Go!”
Zhang Ruochen wanted to ask more, but suddenly felt his body lighten. The next moment, his feet landed on solid ground.
Where was the Burial Gold White Tiger?
He stood by the bank of the golden river from which he came, raising his hand to find the purple-gold gourd in his palm. The gourd seemed to have absorbed the Extreme Burial Gold Qi, its golden glow now more intense.
“Defeat the strongest cultivator in this battlefield… Who’s the strongest? Que, or that Heaven’s Slave Chi Emperor in the Ten Thousand Deaths and One Life Realm? Or perhaps the Burial Gold White Tiger meant itself?”
Zhang Ruochen shook his head, thinking it shouldn’t be that devious.
“No matter, first return to the surface.”
…
Three days had passed since Zhang Ruochen entered the depths.
After waves of offensives, the Ghost Clan’s home star’s protective array was breached. Eight of its nine continents were shattered, some turned into magma oceans, others into vast deserts, lifeless and devoid of spirits or ghosts.
Both the upper and middle three clans’ cultivators sustained heavy injuries.
Prajna, Yuan Fei Great Saint, Fire Charm Yin Ji, Great Senluo Emperor, and White Jade Mad Lion gathered, hiding in a star mist about a hundred thousand miles from the Ghost Clan’s home star.
“The Ghost Clan’s Great Saints are gradually returning to defend their star. We can’t keep raiding. Your Highness Prajna, isn’t it time to retreat?” White Jade Mad Lion’s voice was weary.
Three days ago, he was attacked by Ye Changzai and Four-Eyed Ghost Emperor, suffering the gravest injuries. Only his escape skills saved him from death on the Ghost Clan’s star.
Fire Charm Yin Ji, wounded by Yan Hong Great Saint, lost her former allure and vitality. Blood stained her beautiful face, her aura far weaker than at her peak. Her injuries wouldn’t heal quickly.
Regretting her involvement, she said, “We’ve destroyed most of the soul spirits on the Ghost Clan’s star. They’ve lost their edge in this Hunt for Heaven. Why must we eradicate the souls on the last continent? I agree with White Jade Mad Lion, we should retreat now.”
Prajna’s gaze was cold, and she shook her head, “No, Zhang Ruochen hasn’t been found yet.”
“Yan Hong Great Saint said he died deep within the Ghost Clan’s star. That’s likely true,” Fire Charm Yin Ji said.
Having faced Yan Hong Great Saint, she knew her terror. Even as a peak Hundred Shackle Realm cultivator, she couldn’t last a few rounds. Zhang Ruochen, no matter his prowess, likely met his end.
Prajna said, “Impossible! The Yandao Saint Fruit, Quasi-Emperor Saint Will Pill, and that gourd on Zhang Ruochen weren’t found on Yan Hong Great Saint. That means she never saw his body, it’s just her assumption.”
“In this Hunt for Heaven battlefield, besides the Emperor-grade Saint Will Pill in Que’s hands, what’s more valuable than Zhang Ruochen’s body?”
“Are you willing to leave empty-handed?”
Yuan Fei Great Saint, slightly pale, advised, “Your Highness Prajna, I understand your feelings. I too want Zhang Ruochen’s treasures and to explore what extraordinary things lie within the Ghost Clan’s star. But we’re all heavily injured.”
“The last continent on the Ghost Clan’s star now hosts nearly a hundred Ghost Clan Great Saints, guarded by two Supreme Saint Artifacts. Even at our peak, storming it would yield no good.”
“This time, our achievements are remarkable. We’ve not only eliminated Zhang Ruochen but dealt a heavy blow to the Ghost Clan. There’s no need to drag this out.”
Prajna’s gaze fixed on the Ghost Clan’s star, her face expressionless, but her fingers tightly clenched, betraying her intense emotions.
In the distance, the once ghostly black star now bore massive cracks, emitting golden light.
“I’m still unwilling. The Yandao Saint Fruit and Quasi-Emperor Saint Will Pill on Zhang Ruochen are treasures that can’t be found again in the heavens and earth, invaluable to me.”
Prajna turned to Yuan Fei Great Saint, bowing respectfully.
“What are you doing, Your Highness?”
Yuan Fei Great Saint quickly helped her up.
Prajna said, “I’d like to borrow the *Scroll of Reality and Illusion* to infiltrate the depths of the Ghost Clan’s star and find Zhang Ruochen’s body.”
“No! The golden mist escaping from the depths is something even I can’t withstand. Even with a Supreme Saint Artifact, it’s extremely dangerous,” Yuan Fei Great Saint said.
Prajna smiled, “As the saying goes, fortune lies in danger. The Quasi-Emperor Saint Will Pill and Yandao Saint Fruit are worth the risk. Besides, I’ve cultivated the Gate of True Self, which can mitigate the golden mist’s effects. I can give it a try.”
Yuan Fei Great Saint, Fire Charm Yin Ji, Great Senluo Emperor, and White Jade Mad Lion admired Prajna’s resolve. They also understood why she was doing this.
If they were still in the Immortal Realm, not yet condensing their Saint Will, they might also risk everything for a chance.
After all, for Prajna in the Immortal Realm, obtaining Zhang Ruochen’s Yandao Saint Fruit and Saint Will Pill would allow her to cultivate a stronger Saint Will, yielding immense benefits in the Immortal and Hundred Shackle Realms.
Prajna added, “Rest assured, if I’m unlucky and die inside the Ghost Clan’s star, losing the *Scroll of Reality and Illusion*, all my treasures left outside will be yours as compensation.”
Yuan Fei Great Saint sighed, about to hand over the *Scroll of Reality and Illusion*, when White Jade Mad Lion suddenly shouted, “Heavens! Who did that? Look, the last continent on the Ghost Clan’s star was struck by a golden handprint, sinking it!”
