The news of the battle at the Yama Clan’s home star quickly spread across the Hunting Heaven Battlefield, shaking all forces.
The Yama Clan, known as the supreme clan, had always dominated the Hunting Heaven War with absolute advantage, securing the top position among the ten clans. When had they ever suffered such a heavy blow as this time?
Nearly half of their clansmen were killed, and countless Great Saint realm experts were either dead or injured.
Even more humiliating, the first position was unexpectedly taken by the Immortal Blood Clan.
“Zhang Ruochen led a group of Immortal Blood Clan experts in a sneak attack on the Yama Clan’s home star, inflicting heavy losses on them at the cost of zero casualties. This young man cannot be underestimated.”
“First wiping out the Ghost Clan, then slaughtering the Yama Clan, because of one man, he has stirred up endless storms.”
“As far as I know, Zhang Ruochen and the Immortal Blood Clan succeeded because Que and Lanying were also at the Yama Clan’s home star.”
“In any case, the Yama Clan has lost a great deal of face this time!”
…
All the cultivators participating in the Hunting Heaven War, upon hearing the news, sighed with amazement.
In past Hunting Heaven Wars, although there was competition and friction among the ten clans, such brutal battles were rare.
Less than half of the hundred-day period had passed, yet two home stars had already suffered heavy blows. One clan’s strongest warrior had fallen, and several Great Saints at the peak of the Hundred Shackles realm had either died tragically or withdrawn from the battlefield.
No one knew where the flames of war would spread next.
Raksha Clan’s home star.
The Tianluo Divine Kingdom, as the foremost of the seven divine kingdoms of the Raksha Clan, bore the titles of “Kingdom of Ten Thousand Nations” and “Hall of the Clan.” Its national strength far surpassed the other six divine kingdoms, naturally carrying greater responsibilities.
On the home star, nearly one hundred million Raksha clansmen were protected by the Tianluo Divine Kingdom.
Divine Prince Luo Shengtian, with a robust and handsome figure, was considered a striking figure among the men of the Raksha Clan.
He stood like a tiger poised to strike by a jade-green lake, somewhat regretful, sighing softly, “Had I known the Yama Clan’s home star would be so lively, I should have gone too.”
By the lake, snow willow trees grew, their long, white branches drooping down.
A gentle breeze stirred, and the willow branches swayed.
Luo Ji stood under the willows, wearing only a simple green robe, yet exuding an air of beauty and nobility. She smiled, “Brother, you just want to fight, don’t you?”
Luo Shengtian nodded, saying, “At our level of cultivation, apart from breaking through to the Thousand Questions realm, it’s hard to make further progress. Only by fighting with experts of the same level can we find our shortcomings and make strides forward.”
“Que, Lanying, Yan Huangtu, Wujiang, and even the rising star Yan Wushen and Zhang Ruochen, they are all rare opponents of our era.”
Luo Ji gave a faint smile, “In your eyes, Brother, am I not a rising star?”
Luo Shengtian replied seriously, “You, Prajna, Blood Demon, and Jade Bone Heavenly King are still a step behind. Only when you cultivate to the peak of the Hundred Shackles realm will we know who can stand out.”
Luo Ji’s smile faded, her gaze deep, saying, “Zhang Ruochen actively waged war against the Yama Clan. It seems he has grand ambitions.”
Luo Shengtian gave a light snort, “He wants to lead the Immortal Blood Clan to claim the top spot among the ten clans, but that’s just courting destruction. The Yama Clan won’t swallow this insult, and the other eight clans will never allow the Immortal Blood Clan to become the first. Zhang Ruochen is too young, too sharp, and will surely bring disaster upon himself.”
Luo Ji raised her delicate face, looking at the clear blue sky, saying, “Zhang Ruochen killed the Barbarian Sword Great Saint, which shows how resolute his heart is. Those who try to stop him will surely pay a heavy price.”
Luo Shengtian showed a surprised expression, saying, “Do you think he has a chance?”
“I don’t know.”
Luo Ji shook her head lightly, then added, “But he’s not an ordinary person. He always creates miracles. Brother, you probably didn’t expect him to reach a level where he could defeat Wujiang in such a short time, did you?”
Luo Shengtian said, “Sister, you think so highly of him?”
“It’s not about thinking highly of him. It’s just that if he truly succeeds, it would be beneficial for the Raksha Clan,” Luo Ji said.
Luo Shengtian asked, “What benefit could it bring us?”
“The Immortal Blood Clan represents the lower three clans and the living beings. If they can push the Yama Clan off its supreme pedestal, the status of the lower three clans and living beings in the Hell Realm will rise significantly,” Luo Ji said.
Luo Shengtian pondered, saying, “You mean we shouldn’t attack the Immortal Blood Clan and, at the right moment, should even help them?”
Luo Ji shook her head, with a knowing air, saying, “We can’t help them. The Immortal Blood Clan is in the spotlight now, a target of all. If we help them, we’ll become targets too.”
Luo Shengtian struggled to understand his sister’s intentions, saying, “Then what do you mean?”
“Neither help nor harm.”
Luo Ji smiled, saying, “However, Moro War Emperor has a significant grudge against Zhang Ruochen. We should warn him, lest he be used and heads to the Immortal Blood Clan’s home star.”
“Rest assured, I’ll handle it. Even if Moro War Emperor had ten times the courage, he wouldn’t dare disobey,” Luo Shengtian said, his right fist crackling with lightning.
Luo Ji added, “The Yama Clan and the Immortal Blood Clan are bound to clash, and even the upper three clans and middle three clans might get involved, eager to crush the Immortal Blood Clan. For us, this is an opportunity.”
“What opportunity?” Luo Shengtian still didn’t quite grasp it.
Luo Ji said, “With all the clans’ experts heading to the Immortal Blood Clan’s home star, how much defensive strength will their own home stars have left?”
Luo Shengtian suddenly understood, saying, “Destroy their home stars, and even if our Raksha Clan can’t claim first place, we’ll surely be in the top three.”
“It depends on how many experts Zhang Ruochen and the Immortal Blood Clan can draw away, and when the Yama Clan launches their attack on the Immortal Blood Clan.”
Luo Ji suddenly thought of something and asked, “Brother, are you confident in fusing a Second-Grade Saint Intent?”
Luo Shengtian shook his head with a smile, saying, “A Second-Grade Saint Intent is no easy feat. Even in an eon, few can achieve it.”
Even though he held a Quasi-Emperor Grade Saint Intent Pill, his lack of confidence had kept him from consuming it.
There was only one Quasi-Emperor Grade Saint Intent Pill. Failure meant no second chance.
Luo Ji asked, “Brother, tell me honestly, what are your odds?”
“Without the Quasi-Emperor Grade Saint Intent Pill, I’d have no chance. With it, perhaps a twenty to thirty percent chance,” Luo Shengtian said.
Luo Ji’s eyes gleamed with wisdom, saying, “Every home star holds significant opportunities within. Brother, you’ve been underground, haven’t you?”
Luo Shengtian said, “I have, but found nothing. The Raksha Clan’s home star is completely different from the Ghost Clan’s. There are no secret realms or treasures. Perhaps… our home star has no opportunities…”
“I found something,” Luo Ji said.
Luo Shengtian couldn’t contain his excitement, his face showing both shock and joy, saying, “You found an opportunity?”
“Perhaps.”
Luo Ji opened her right hand, and a halo of light appeared in her snow-white palm.
With a wave of her hand, the halo flew out, landing on the ground, transforming into a crystalline skeleton.
The skeleton, in a seated posture, was that of a Great Saint, each bone capable of enduring through the ages.
The bones were covered with countless tiny dots and lines, with no discernible pattern.
“Just an Immortal Realm Great Saint’s skeleton,” Luo Shengtian said, disappointed.
Luo Ji said, “On a planet without even a Half-Saint, the appearance of a Great Saint’s skeleton doesn’t strike you as unusual, Brother?”
“It is indeed unusual.”
Luo Shengtian examined the skeleton again, noticing the dots and lines, exclaiming softly, “Who would be so bored as to carve so many holes and patterns on the bones?”
“It’s a form of writing,” Luo Ji said.
Luo Shengtian was astonished, saying, “Impossible. I’ve read many texts, but I’ve never seen this kind of writing.”
Luo Ji said, “This writing isn’t recorded anywhere. But I once saw fifty-seven ancient symbols on a stone tablet in the royal clan’s ancestral grounds.”
“I asked Father about them, but he shook his head, unaware of their meaning.”
Luo Shengtian said, “Father has lived for hundreds of thousands of years, with such experience and knowledge. How could there be anything in the world he doesn’t know?”
Luo Ji continued, “So I asked Mother. She told me the fifty-seven symbols on the stone tablet are the Raksha Clan’s most ancient characters, the foundation of our later complete writing system.”
Luo Shengtian pointed at the skeleton, saying, “So the writing on it is the same as the symbols you saw on the stone tablet?”
Luo Ji shook her head again, saying, “No, it’s even older than the writing on the stone tablet. But there’s a subtle connection between them, enough to decipher it.”
“You’ve deciphered it?”
Luo Shengtian knew his sister was far smarter than him.
Moreover, Luo Ji had obtained a divine source and part of a divine star soul in the Kunlun Realm, making her spiritual power stronger than his, and her understanding of texts likely surpassed his even more.
Thus, he held great expectations.
Luo Ji took out a piece of beast hide and handed it to Luo Shengtian, saying, “Time was short, so I only deciphered the ancient text on the skull. Take a look. If you can gain some insight, it might help you more easily fuse a Second-Grade Saint Intent.”
Luo Shengtian opened the beast hide and blurted out, “The Gui Zang?”
“Exactly, the Gui Zang.”
Luo Ji’s eyes flickered, and she inadvertently glanced at the sky above.
…
In the Temple of Destiny, the gods of the Raksha Clan, upon hearing these two words, were struck with profound shock.
“The Gui Zang! The Gui Zang! The text on that skeleton is actually the Gui Zang.”
“It must be the complete Gui Zang, the primordial chapter. The Gui Zang preserved by the Raksha Clan today is less than a tenth of the primordial chapter, and it’s all fragments written by later gods based on their own insights.”
“The emergence of the complete Gui Zang will surely usher in a new era for the Raksha Clan’s cultivation system.”
…
Divine thoughts surged toward the Raksha Clan’s home star.
“Rumble.”
Luo Yan, sitting in his divine realm, exhaled a breath of evil energy, transforming it into a thundercloud storm that dispersed all the divine thoughts.
He then roared, “What are you all trying to do? The Gui Zang was deciphered by my daughter. Are you trying to steal it?”
“Back then, many gods studied that skeleton in person, but your knowledge was too limited to discern anything. That’s why we buried it on our home star, waiting for the one destined for it.”
“Clearly, my daughter is the one the Gui Zang has been waiting for, as fate has decreed.”
At this moment, Luo Yan was in high spirits, his words tinged with pride and a hint of schadenfreude.
In truth, after the skeleton was discovered in an ancient realm of the Raksha Temple, he had studied it himself but found nothing. He hadn’t realized the holes and lines on the skeleton were characters.
While it was true there was a stone tablet in the royal clan’s ancestral grounds inscribed with fifty-seven symbols, it lay fallen and unremarkable, and Luo Yan had never studied it closely.
Moreover, the writing on the skeleton and the fifty-seven symbols were entirely different, at least to his eyes. Who could have known his daughter was so clever as to connect the two and decipher them into text?
Several Raksha Clan gods had studied the skeleton.
They immediately tried to recall the holes and lines on it, but to their shock, despite their perfect memory, they couldn’t.
The images in their minds were blurry.
It was as if an invisible force had erased part of their memories.
“The ancient sage who inscribed the text on the skeleton must have been an extraordinary figure. After countless ages, the divine power left on the skeleton still hasn’t faded,” one god sighed.
Luo Yan, beaming, turned to Tianyin and whispered, “Is the text on the skeleton really related to the fifty-seven symbols on the ancestral tablet?”
Tianyin, knowing her daughter well, shook her head lightly, saying, “You actually believed her! How could Ji’er not know the importance of the Gui Zang? Knowing the gods are watching the Hunting Heaven Battlefield, do you think she’d tell the truth?”
Luo Yan was momentarily stunned, then showed an embarrassed expression.
Tianyin continued, “Among the gods who saw the skeleton, those with strong spiritual power must have memorized the text. If they try to decipher it based on the fifty-seven ancient symbols, they’ll find nothing.”
Luo Yan said, “So the text on the skeleton isn’t the Gui Zang?”
“Not necessarily.”
Tianyin shook her head again, saying, “It might be, or it might not. Only that clever girl likely knows the truth. It’s even uncertain whether the skeleton’s secret lies in the holes and patterns on its surface.”
“But one thing is certain: she must have uncovered the skeleton’s secret. After all, fusing a Saint Intent is no small matter. She wouldn’t lead her brother down a false path.”
