After an unknown duration of slumber, as if ten thousand years had passed, Zhang Ruochen finally awoke.
He sat up from the ground, his mind a chaotic blur, his body feeling foreign, his thoughts struggling to coalesce.
Who… am I?
Where am I?
…
After sitting still for a long time, Zhang Ruochen’s thoughts finally pieced together.
But his memories stopped at the moment of speaking with Yan Zhe Xian… no, with the Blood Shadow Divine Mother.
What happened after that?
It seemed he and Yan Zhe Xian had kissed… no, kissed each other’s necks, passionately, fervently.
“How could that be?”
At this thought, Zhang Ruochen’s brows furrowed, his heart unable to calm.
Had his masculine energy spiraled out of control again?
Otherwise, how could he have kissed Yan Zhe Xian’s neck?
His hand instinctively touched his neck, still faintly aching.
But the blood vessels bitten by Yan Zhe Xian had healed, leaving no scar.
Sensing something, Zhang Ruochen lowered his head and saw Yan Zhe Xian.
In the Hunting Battlefield, they could only carry one weapon, so they weren’t wearing sacred robes or divine garments. For two Great Sages, if something uncontrollable and intense had happened, their clothes would naturally have been obliterated.
Undeniably, Yan Zhe Xian’s skin was strikingly fair, like divine jade, flawless from head to toe.
Zhang Ruochen glanced only once before averting his gaze.
Nothing worth seeing; women were all the same.
But his eyes soon returned to Yan Zhe Xian, unable to look away.
Her exquisite, breathtaking figure had a noticeable curve at her abdomen, as if she were five or six months pregnant.
Zhang Ruochen, usually composed, felt a chill in his gaze and instinctively formed a palm seal.
*Hiss!*
Divine fire brewed in his palm.
Ultimately, he withdrew his hand, murmuring dejectedly, “Zhang Ruochen, you’re still too weak. Your so-called ruthlessness, your cold-hearted facade—it’s all a pretense. When it’s time to act decisively, you can’t do it.”
He knew clearly that this ill-fated bond with Yan Zhe Xian shouldn’t exist.
A mere entanglement would be one thing, but a child?
If he let Yan Zhe Xian live and give birth, Zhang Ruochen would face endless ties in the Hell Realm, more troublesome than Chi Kunlun and Chi Kongle.
The best course was to decisively kill Yan Zhe Xian and the fetus, preventing it all.
But Zhang Ruochen couldn’t bring himself to kill his own flesh and blood.
Even if the child’s mother hated him to the core.
Even if he hated her just as fiercely.
He couldn’t do it, couldn’t…
“Heaven toys with us. Why her, why this entanglement? Is this a trap set by the gods of the Hell Realm?”
Zhang Ruochen tried to recall, but he couldn’t remember why they kissed each other’s necks or what happened after.
Perhaps the child isn’t mine.
The moment this thought arose, Zhang Ruochen wanted to slap himself. A man could be passionate, even reckless, but he must never shirk responsibility or lack accountability.
“Zhang Ruochen, your ambition is to break free from this cosmic game, to forge new rules and order. What lies before you is just a small problem, a very small one.”
After a fierce internal struggle, he stood calmly, put on a robe, and dressed Yan Zhe Xian in one as well.
Then, Zhang Ruochen surveyed the surroundings.
It was a sealed space, four zhang high, twelve zhang long, and six zhang wide.
The space was filled with a misty glow, shimmering with five-colored light.
He and Yan Zhe Xian were likely inside a stone coffin.
At the coffin’s base were many white, rigid tree roots, fused with the stone, extending along the walls and through the coffin’s lid.
“Are these the roots of the Blood Shadow Divine Mother?”
Zhang Ruochen leaped, striking the stone lid above with a palm.
*Boom!*
A deafening sound reverberated through the coffin.
He fell back to the ground, his arm faintly aching, staring upward in disbelief.
With his current physical strength, he couldn’t break open a coffin lid with one strike?
Fortunately, he had used minimal force. A full-powered strike might have rebounded enough to injure him, as if he’d hit himself.
“Not good.”
Zhang Ruochen darted to Yan Zhe Xian, propping himself on his wrist, leaning to listen to her abdomen, his expression grave.
The sound of that strike was thunderous, the rebound force immense. How could a fragile fetus withstand such an impact?
He blamed himself for being so reckless.
Thankfully, the fetus’s heartbeat remained normal, its vitality strong.
Zhang Ruochen exhaled in relief.
Suddenly, he sensed something and swiftly retreated to the coffin’s opposite corner, standing upright, hands behind his back, exuding a cold aura.
Yan Zhe Xian opened her eyes, slowly sitting up.
Her state was no better than Zhang Ruochen’s had been, her memories of before the blackout vague.
Moments later, she noticed her abdomen and Zhang Ruochen standing afar, instantly snapping awake.
As a Great Sage, she wasn’t like ordinary women—no screams, no tears.
More decisive than Zhang Ruochen, she struck at her abdomen.
Zhang Ruochen’s lips twitched, a flash of anger in his eyes, ready to intervene.
Something strange happened.
The fetus, as if sensing danger, emitted a blood-red divine light, repelling Yan Zhe Xian’s hand, leaving it bloodied.
“Such powerful divine energy—a natural divine fetus,” Zhang Ruochen thought, elated.
Yan Zhe Xian’s eyes reddened, preparing a second strike.
Zhang Ruochen’s anger intensified. Even a tiger doesn’t eat its young—how could Yan Zhe Xian be so ruthless?
“This child carries the divine power and essence of the Blood Shadow Divine Mother after her death. You can’t kill her. Shall I try?”
*Clack, clack!*
Zhang Ruochen approached, pretending to draw a sword from his violet-gold gourd.
Too dangerous!
He had to get close and suppress her by surprise.
Yan Zhe Xian didn’t strike again, sensing the fetus’s heartbeat—a girl, alive, gently kicking, vibrant, evoking an unprecedented closeness.
This fleeting bond of blood was profound; she knew she could never strike again.
There’s love at first sight, but the bond between mother and child is infinitely deeper. A single movement from the fetus forged an unbreakable tie.
“Yan Zhe Xian, you’re a Yanluo—how can you be so weak? This child is the spawn of that detestable Zhang Ruochen. Will you really give birth to her?”
Her heart found its answer. Taking a deep breath, she looked up at Zhang Ruochen, who approached with a sword, and said sharply, “You dare? If you harm her, I’ll detonate my sacred source, and we’ll perish together.”
Zhang Ruochen was stunned.
Yan Zhe Xian, you change too fast!
One moment ready to kill the child, the next ready to die protecting her.
To confirm she wouldn’t harm the fetus, he said coldly, “This cursed spawn cannot stay. She’ll be a shackle on my heart, a stumbling block on my cultivation path. She must die.”
His body radiated killing intent, his eyes bloodthirsty.
Yan Zhe Xian said resolutely, “Zhang Ruochen, you heartless, cold-blooded beast. No wonder you could kill Barbarian Sword Great Sage without hesitation and slaughter Heavenly Slaves. She’s your daughter, yet you can strike her.”
“A man must be ruthless. Today, I’ll kill not only her but you. I’m a millennium genius with boundless prospects. I won’t let you two affect my resolve,” Zhang Ruochen said firmly.
His sword hummed.
Yan Zhe Xian glanced at the sealed space, saying, “You’re disgusting, utterly devoid of a man’s responsibility. I know I’m no match for you, but my spiritual power surpasses yours. You can’t stop me from detonating my sacred source. Take one more step, and we die together.”
At that moment, Yan Zhe Xian seemed to forget her own violation, focused only on protecting the fetus.
She despised Zhang Ruochen even more.
Before, it was his shamelessness, his base tactics.
Now, it was his refusal to take responsibility, wanting to kill his woman and child.
Worse than a beast.
An outrage to gods and men.
Worthy of divine retribution.
“Wait… why do I think bearing his child makes me his woman? We’re strangers. It’s all the Blood Shadow Divine Mother’s fault—without her, this cursed bond wouldn’t exist.”
Zhang Ruochen seemed cowed, or perhaps awakened by her words, showing remorse, “You’re right, the child is innocent. After the War of the Hunt, come with me to the Blood Sky Clan. After the child is born, you can return to the Yanluo Clan.”
Yan Zhe Xian understood: after the child was born, she’d be Zhang Ruochen’s, and Yan Zhe Xian could leave, as if nothing had happened.
The child would have nothing to do with her.
She was furious. Did Zhang Ruochen think she couldn’t raise a child? The Yanluo Clan was supreme, her grandfather a god, her great-grandfather an ancient god, her great-grandmother a Supreme.
What right did the Blood Absolute Family have to take her child?
No chance.
But fearing to provoke Zhang Ruochen, this beast, into harming the child, she placated, “Fine! As long as you don’t kill her, we can discuss anything.”
*Whoosh!*
In an instant, Zhang Ruochen appeared before her, his sword striking her body 144 times.
Yan Zhe Xian saw only sword light, unable to defend.
“Zhang Ruochen, you can’t be so cruel. Please, spare her… she’s innocent… how can you be so heartless…”
She wept, crying out.
Her voice broke.
Moments later, she realized Zhang Ruochen hadn’t killed the fetus, only sealed her cultivation with sword energy, locking even her spiritual thoughts in her sacred heart.
Only then did she understand she had no chance to detonate her sacred source before Zhang Ruochen.
Too fast!
Faster than her spiritual power.
But at least he hadn’t killed the fetus—Zhang Ruochen still had a shred of humanity.
Yan Zhe Xian was exceptionally clever but too young, lacking experience. Though a Great Sage, she spent most of her time in seclusion or studying talisman arts in the clan’s sacred grounds.
Even in combat, her opponents were clan members.
In the Yanluo Clan, who dared harm her? Who dared scheme against her?
Her worldly experience was less than that of a teenage girl, far inferior to Yan Wushen or Yan Huang Tu.
Otherwise, Zhang Ruochen wouldn’t have fooled her so easily.
His earlier move surprised him—his speed had increased. He immediately used spiritual power to introspect, wondering if he’d progressed during his slumber.
Upon inspection, he was utterly shocked.
What had happened?
“The Blood Shadow Divine Mother said the home star’s legacy wasn’t mine, but… why has my cultivation improved so much?”
His sacred path rules had increased by over a billion, totaling five billion.
Though still far behind Yan Huang Tu and Wu Jiang, this saved him decades of cultivation, boosting his combat strength significantly.
The rules of the five elements—metal, wood, water, fire, and earth—had grown most, multiplying several times.
An even greater surprise awaited.
His Five Elements Chaos Immortal Sacred Body had strengthened, its elemental powers purer. Every drop of blood, every inch of skin, every bone seemed forged from the purest five-element forces, free of impurities.
Even his demigod body and the phoenix’s divine blood had fused with the Five Elements Chaos.
His body was like chaos, the five elements like mist.
Before, his constitution wasn’t a true innate Five Elements Chaos Immortal Sacred Body, cultivated later with impurities. Now, it was purer than even an innate one.
Zhang Ruochen trembled with excitement.
Such a body perfectly matched the Yin-Yang Five Elements Sacred Intent, giving him a sliver of hope to cultivate a first-grade sacred intent.
At that moment, he eagerly wanted to fuse the Sacred Intent of Earth to ascend further.
He thought again of the White Cang Blood Soil.
The Blood Shadow Divine Mother had said it was right before him.
Where was it?
