On the seventh Dark Star, there were over seven hundred Great Saint-level Heavenly Slaves alone.
In this star domain, the number of Heavenly Slaves below the Great Saint level was unimaginably vast. The Rakshasa Clan and the Upper Three Clans had never found their traces, making them a significant variable.
Just now, they finally revealed a hint.
The million stone swords attacking the Upper Three Clans’ cultivators were not particularly powerful individually. However, each stone sword emitted a distinct aura.
If it wasn’t the Heavenly Slaves below the Great Saint level making a move, Zhang Ruochen couldn’t think of another possibility.
With his ten golden wings unfurled, Zhang Ruochen was about to burst forth with extreme speed to pursue the Heavenly Slaves’ traces.
“Hey, planning to hog all the glory alone? Aren’t you afraid of ending up like the Nether Clan? Are we still cooperating or not?” Luo Ji’s voice, clear and melodious, called out.
Zhang Ruochen turned around and asked, “What does Your Highness mean by that?”
Luo Ji pursed her lips, gave a soft hum, and extended a delicate, snow-white hand, saying, “Take this princess along.”
Zhang Ruochen’s gaze fell on her flawless jade hand.
This hand, coveted by countless cultivators in the Infernal Court, had a crystalline forearm and slender fingers, its skin emitting a faint glow. It was less a hand and more a divine artwork carved from sacred jade.
“Let’s go!”
Zhang Ruochen grasped Luo Ji’s slightly cool wrist, her skin smooth and soft. With his ten golden wings spread, he erupted with extreme speed, transforming into a streak of golden light, charging toward the direction from which the stone swords came.
His speed was so great that countless Great Saints in the Thousand-Question Realm could only watch in awe.
Luo Ji seemed unconcerned with finding the Heavenly Slaves. Being led by Zhang Ruochen, her beautiful eyes shimmered like water, fixed on his sharply defined profile. Whether it was his frosty eyes, his towering nose, or his tightly pressed lips, each feature stirred her heart.
“What a vexing man, why did I have to meet you in this lifetime? This princess, so noble, so beautiful, so extraordinarily talented, so free-spirited, how could I fall into an inescapable web of emotions like those sentimental women?” she sighed softly in her heart.
Zhang Ruochen could sense the fiery affection in Luo Ji’s eyes. In a near-heartless tone, he said, “Your Highness is exceptionally wise and should understand how absurd it is to let a vague prophecy dictate your feelings.”
“Who says it’s just because of a prophecy? This princess genuinely likes you, from the bottom of my heart,” Luo Ji retorted.
Zhang Ruochen didn’t know if her words were true or false. After a moment of silence, he said, “Then you’d better rein in your heart, because we are destined to walk different paths.”
Luo Ji’s eyes dimmed slightly, unable to respond.
Indeed, they could never be together.
Their identities were too unique.
She could be wilful in anything, acting on her whims. But in this matter, her father, the Emperor, would never consent, and the royal clan of the Tianluo Divine Kingdom would vehemently oppose it.
And then there was Zhang Ruochen’s heart.
Luo Ji understood him better than the gods of the Infernal Court. He was too antagonistic toward the Infernal Court, or rather, his steadfast ideals clashed with its ways.
He despised the Infernal Court’s ethos of relentless killing and destruction.
He hoped for a universe where all realms awakened, vibrant with life and peaceful coexistence. He wanted life to be more vibrant, civilizations more radiant, and the world more prosperous.
Since they met, every battle and act of killing Zhang Ruochen undertook was to save others, not for the sake of slaughter or destruction.
The actions of the Infernal Court’s ten clans ran counter to the ideals he held dear.
This destined Zhang Ruochen to never integrate into the Infernal Court. Everything he was doing now could not reflect his true heart.
For some reason, the more Luo Ji thought about it, the more her heart ached, losing all sense of joy. The hand held by Zhang Ruochen wanted to break free.
Finally, she asked, “Have you ever killed the innocent?”
Zhang Ruochen didn’t understand why she suddenly asked this. Expressionless, he replied, “Yes.”
“Have you ever killed for the sake of killing?”
“I haven’t reached the Thousand-Question Realm yet, so why does everyone keep asking me all sorts of questions?” Zhang Ruochen said.
Luo Ji insisted, “Answer me first.”
Zhang Ruochen pondered for a long time, recalling past events, and said, “Yes.”
Luo Ji’s face showed surprise and disbelief. “Why? Someone as kind-hearted as you, doing so many things against your will, can you pass the Thousand Questions and the trial of life and death?”
“Do you know what my true heart is?”
Zhang Ruochen stared into her eyes, lowering his voice. “Sometimes, even I feel lost.”
For a while, Zhang Ruochen fell into deep thought. Matters he rarely considered were now unearthed by Luo Ji, causing him great turmoil.
His mind was filled with stray thoughts.
Luo Ji watched him. Though he appeared calm, he occasionally frowned or looked lost. Unable to bear seeing him so troubled, she said, “I don’t know what you’ve been through. But the Zhang Ruochen I know has always been resolute and inwardly strong. I believe you’ve already found the path you want to take and won’t be as lost as before.”
Her simple, straightforward words caused a great stir in Zhang Ruochen’s heart.
Such words, coming from Luo Ji, a woman he had hurt multiple times, felt especially precious and warm. Throughout his life, what he lacked most was encouragement and recognition.
Something only a child would need, yet it moved Zhang Ruochen deeply.
Because no one had ever treated him as a child.
“Instead of spending so much time analysing me, think about your own heart. Talking about ‘fated ones’ so casually only makes you seem as childish as a kid.”
Zhang Ruochen’s gaze turned cold. He quickly composed himself, releasing his mental power to probe the area they passed, leaving no trace unnoticed.
“Putting on airs,” Luo Ji muttered under her breath.
The Dark Star greatly suppressed mental power.
Even with Zhang Ruochen and Luo Ji’s sixty-fifth-tier mental strength, they could only probe a very limited area. Thus, it took them half a day to find traces left by the Heavenly Slaves in the vast cosmic space.
Luo Ji summoned the Evil Rakshasa Qi, drawing a massive strip-shaped stone to her side. Sensing its aura, she said, “They’ve already left and hidden again.”
Zhang Ruochen said, “We can only probe a hundred miles at a time. The area where the Heavenly Slaves could hide spans millions of miles. Without a decade, finding them is nearly impossible.”
Luo Ji nodded. “And if they’re constantly moving, it’ll be even harder to find them.”
Zhang Ruochen pressed his hands to his temples, fully activating the Rules of Truth and channeling them into his eyes.
Whoosh—
His eyes opened, bursting with star-like brilliance.
Even in a space filled with dark forces, with the Eyes of Truth, he could see ten thousand miles away. Concealment arrays and barriers couldn’t hide from him.
After observing all six directions, Zhang Ruochen closed his stinging eyes and said, “They’ve left this area.”
“This is tricky! No one knows which direction they went. If we chase the wrong way, we’ll only get further away.” Luo Ji shook her head lightly.
Zhang Ruochen and Luo Ji both knew that compared to the Dark Star, guarded by Emperor Chi, the Heavenly Slaves below the Great Saint level were easier to eliminate.
Moreover, with their vast numbers, they were worth tens of millions of merit points.
In terms of merit points, they were no less valuable than the seven hundred Great Saint Heavenly Slaves on the Dark Star.
Finding them would mean winning half the battle of merit.
Zhang Ruochen’s gaze sharpened. “We must find them.”
Whoosh—
He released tens of thousands of mental power thoughts, condensing them into avatars that flew in all directions like a swarm of bees leaving the hive.
“The environment here is unique. If your mental power avatars fly beyond a hundred miles, you’ll lose perception and control over them. Even if they’re destroyed, you won’t know who did it,” Luo Ji warned.
Because she was controlling the Death Legion in the Yin God Lotus, she didn’t release mental power avatars.
Zhang Ruochen nodded. “I understand, but I’ll periodically recall the avatars. If an avatar from a certain direction doesn’t return, it indicates a problem in that direction. At least we’ll know which way to pursue.”
This was a long chase and search, testing Zhang Ruochen’s patience and perseverance.
Three days passed, and Zhang Ruochen lost two hundred mental power thoughts, yet he still hadn’t caught up to the Heavenly Slaves.
When he recalled his mental power avatars again, one of them returned with Emperor Blade Prison and a Saint King Heavenly Slave.
They had met on the way.
Zhang Ruochen vaguely recognized the Saint King Heavenly Slave as a cultivator from the Jiannan Realm.
Emperor Blade Prison smiled. “Great Saint Ruochen, you must be searching for the Heavenly Slaves below the Great Saint level hiding on the seventh Dark Star, right?”
“It seems you bring good news,” Zhang Ruochen said.
Emperor Blade Prison glanced at Luo Ji cautiously. “Your Highness is here too.”
Zhang Ruochen said, “The Heavenly Slave forces on the seventh Dark Star are formidable, and the Upper Three Clans are involved. So, I’ve allied with Her Highness. The Immortal Vampires and the Rakshasa Clan will jointly eliminate the Heavenly Slaves. We’re on the same side, no need for secrecy.”
Emperor Blade Prison laughed heartily. “I was worried that the Immortal Vampires alone would face great risks in eliminating the Heavenly Slaves. With Her Highness leading the Rakshasa Clan, our chances are much greater!”
He gestured to the gaunt Saint King Heavenly Slave.
Intimidated by the holy aura of Zhang Ruochen and Luo Ji, the Saint King Heavenly Slave didn’t dare look up, trembling as he said, “The gathering place of the Heavenly Slaves has been found. Please, Great Saint Ruochen, don’t forget your promise.”
Among Heavenly Slaves, aside from their shared status as prisoners, there was no camaraderie.
In their eyes, other Heavenly Slaves were no different from the cultivators of the Infernal Court.
Thus, it was normal for a Heavenly Slave from the Jiannan Realm to betray others to secure a chance of survival for his homeworld’s billions of beings.
The Saint King Heavenly Slave led Zhang Ruochen, Emperor Blade Prison, and Luo Ji over a distance of more than a hundred thousand miles before slowing down and stopping.
Zhang Ruochen looked around. “Are we here?”
“We’re in the vicinity,” the Saint King Heavenly Slave replied.
Luo Ji smiled. “It seems we’ve been chasing in the right direction; we’re already so close to them.”
Emperor Blade Prison activated his Blood煞 Qi, his golden hair shining brighter, his pupils turning blood-red as he locked his gaze on a pitch-black cosmic rock a thousand miles away.
The cosmic rock, a hundred miles long, was extremely dark and shaped like a crouching turtle.
The Saint King Heavenly Slave, still keeping his head low, pointed to the rock. “They’re hiding there! The cosmic rock is inscribed with highly advanced concealment array patterns.”
“The mental power of Heavenly Slaves is sealed, so how can they set up arrays?” Emperor Blade Prison asked.
The Saint King Heavenly Slave replied, “They used holy blood to inscribe the array patterns.”
Zhang Ruochen looked at Luo Ji. “Where are the Rakshasa Clan’s cultivators?”
“I’ve sent word to them; they’re heading this way,” Luo Ji said.
Suddenly, the previously still cosmic rock began to move slowly.
Its speed increased.
Emperor Blade Prison’s expression changed. “What’s happening? Have they sensed something? Are they trying to escape?”
In a few breaths, the hundred-mile-long cosmic rock reached the speed of sound.
And it was still accelerating.
The Saint King Heavenly Slave panicked. “Once that cosmic rock is fully activated by the saints on it, it can reach a hundred times the speed of sound, covering a thousand miles in an instant. Even I won’t be able to find it again.”
“To reach a hundred times the speed of sound in the Dark Star’s region,” Emperor Blade Prison remarked.
Zhang Ruochen’s ten golden wings spread, his body radiating dazzling light as he prepared to pursue.
“Wait.”
Luo Ji stopped him, her gaze fixed on the bowed Saint King Heavenly Slave. “Be careful of a trap; don’t fall into the Heavenly Slaves’ scheme.”
“Her Highness is indeed the brains of the Tianluo Divine Kingdom’s generation. You’re right; we nearly overlooked that. Heavenly Slaves hate the Infernal Court’s cultivators to the core and may not serve us wholeheartedly.”
Emperor Blade Prison stepped in front of the Saint King Heavenly Slave, pointing at his brow to inject a strand of mental power, searching his memories.
“It’s useless. If it’s a trap, the stronger Heavenly Slaves would have erased parts of his memory, leaving no such flaws for us to find,” Luo Ji said.
As expected, Emperor Blade Prison found nothing unusual. “Perhaps we’re being too sensitive. These lowly Heavenly Slaves wouldn’t dare play tricks in front of us.”
“We can’t wait any longer. Even if it’s a trap, we must stop them.”
To be cautious, Zhang Ruochen had Emperor Blade Prison and Luo Ji stay put and act as needed. Then, alone, he chased after the hundred-mile-long cosmic rock.
Moments later, Zhang Ruochen caught up, drawing a Binary Monarch Holy Weapon-grade war sword.
The sword spun rapidly between his hands, its body covered in dense monarch-grade inscriptions, emitting a piercing blue radiance.
Swish!
The sword flew out, splitting into hundreds of sword shadows.
Boom!
About five hundred meters from the cosmic rock, the sword struck a blood-red array membrane. As the array membrane became visible, the true scene within it appeared before Zhang Ruochen’s eyes.
The so-called cosmic rock was, in fact, a magnificent stone city, a hundred miles long.
The stone city, entirely snow-white, as if covered in frost and snow, exuded an ancient, weathered charm.
“The Snowstone Ancient City, that’s Emperor Lei’s true body. To think Emperor Lei has been refined into a nest for Heavenly Slaves…”
In the distance, Luo Ji and Emperor Blade Prison both gasped in shock.
Emperor Lei’s true body was an ancient stone city.
