Zhang Ruochen ignored the crowd’s discussions and gazes, sitting on a chair to meditate and heal. He reflected on his battle with Yan Wushen, pondering the insights and sensations gained.
During the fight, though he had fallen into a demonic state, surprisingly, his rationality had not entirely vanished.
It was the Heart of Truth that preserved his last shred of clarity.
After the battle, when Xue Jue War God planned to take him to the Fulu Divine Palace to have a divine lord suppress his inner demons with the Way of Destiny, it was also the Heart of Truth that enabled him to recover on his own.
However, the assassination of Empress Feng by Wujian Pavilion coincided with his life-and-death duel with Yan Wushen, inevitably raising suspicions of a connection. Thus, Zhang Ruochen played along, feigning ignorance of the events and attributing everything to his inner demons.
The battle with Yan Wushen was unprecedentedly exhilarating and unrestrained, like a dragon soaring through the heavens, freely unleashing all he had learned. He gained many insights that needed careful digestion.
“I can fool others, but not Grandfather.”
Recalling Xue Jue War God’s earlier gaze, Zhang Ruochen felt a shiver. Those eyes seemed to possess the power to see through all the mysteries of the universe.
A faint fragrance wafted over.
Soft footsteps approached.
Without turning or releasing his spiritual power, Zhang Ruochen’s mind conjured a picturesque figure. Clad in red, with flowing ribbons, her face veiled in illusion, her form blending with the rules of heaven and earth, she was like a breeze or a wisp of air.
It was as if a red robe moved without a body.
Yet her presence was undeniably real.
“Has Young Master Ruochen heard of the *Divine Reserve Scroll*?” Gu Shejing’s voice came from behind.
Her voice was like a young girl’s, cheerful and melodious; like a child’s, clear and innocent; yet, upon closer reflection, it carried the weight of one who had endured the trials of the mortal world, rich with life’s experiences.
A simple question evoked a multitude of sensations in Zhang Ruochen.
Among Luo Ji’s close friends, he considered her the most formidable, her cultivation level still inscrutable. However, her ability to dispel Feng Qingli’s spiritual attack with a wave of her sleeve proved her strength surpassed Feng Qingli’s.
Zhang Ruochen said, “Of course, it’s one of the six heavenly books of the Destiny Divine Hall. It’s said that the names of all monks with even a one-in-ten chance of achieving divinity automatically appear on it.”
“The *Divine Reserve Scroll* has four ranks: A, B, C, and D, with A being the highest. Over seventy percent of those in rank A achieve divinity. Young Master Ruochen is ranked eighty-seventh in rank D, with less than a twenty percent chance of becoming a deity,” Gu Shejing said softly, stepping within a zhang of Zhang Ruochen.
The fragrance grew stronger.
Zhang Ruochen had little interest in the *Divine Reserve Scroll* and doubted its reputed mystique. Could a single book truly encompass the vast universe?
Still, hearing his low ranking surprised him somewhat.
Gu Shejing chuckled, “An eon-level genius renowned across the realms, yet only ranked in D. Truly astonishing.”
Her laughter held no mockery.
It seemed more like curiosity and intrigue.
Zhang Ruochen said, “Indeed, astonishing.”
“In fact, the *Divine Reserve Scroll*’s rankings are not fixed. By addressing one’s flaws and balancing strengths and weaknesses, the probability of achieving divinity can gradually increase,” Gu Shejing said.
Zhang Ruochen understood this was her true intent.
He asked, “In your esteemed opinion, what flaws do I need to address?”
“Don’t call me fairy. You can call me witch,” Gu Shejing said.
Zhang Ruochen finally looked up, meeting her gaze, and his heart skipped a beat.
Before him, red clouds filled the sky, strands of demonic energy twisting within the red gauze. Her face was obscured, but he felt a bone-chilling cold and a despair-inducing aura of death.
It was denser than the deathly aura of Great Saints from the Ghost, Death, Bone, or Corpse Clans.
Earlier, Luo Ji had introduced Gu Shejing, saying she came from the Luo Zu Cloud Mountain Realm, reputedly the Rakshasa Clan’s most ominous land.
It was said to have formed from the fallen body of Demon Ancestor Luo Hou.
Gu Shejing said, “Inner demons. I heard you went to fight Yan Wushen to the death because your mind was overtaken by inner demons. They are the greatest obstacle on your path to divinity.”
Zhang Ruochen remained calm. “Can you help me eliminate my inner demons?”
“If you come with me to the Luo Zu Cloud Mountain Realm, removing your inner demons would not be difficult,” Gu Shejing said.
Zhang Ruochen pondered for a moment. “What price would I pay?”
“I’ve heard Young Master Ruochen possesses several *Heavenly Demon Stone Carvings*. I’d like to borrow them for study,” Gu Shejing said.
So, she was after the *Heavenly Demon Stone Carvings*.
Zhang Ruochen neither confirmed nor denied possessing them, saying, “The Luo Zu Cloud Mountain Realm is extraordinary, surely housing countless demonic techniques and secret texts. The technique you cultivate seems no less than the *Heavenly Demon Stone Carvings*.”
Gu Shejing sensed his polite refusal and said, “My technique, the *Necromancer Diagram*, is indeed comparable to the *Heavenly Demon Stone Carvings*. Yet, my ranking on the *Divine Reserve Scroll* is far below Blood Demon’s.”
“Blood Demon?” Zhang Ruochen mused. “He ranks high on the *Divine Reserve Scroll*?”
“Second in rank A,” Gu Shejing said.
Zhang Ruochen understood.
Blood Demon, with just over a thousand years of cultivation, held such a high rank in the Hundred-Shackle Realm on the *Divine Reserve Scroll*. Naturally, people attributed this to his simultaneous cultivation of nine *Heavenly Demon Stone Carvings*.
Zhang Ruochen sighed. “Since you know my ranking on the *Divine Reserve Scroll*, you must have investigated me. If so, you should know that, though I was once a monk of the Kunlun Realm, that was my past life. That life ended in the Kunlun Realm. Even if I had the *Heavenly Demon Stone Carvings*, they’d be lost.”
“You needn’t rush to refuse. You can think it over. The Luo Zu Cloud Mountain Realm truly has ways to help you eliminate your inner demons.”
Gu Shejing glided back, then added, “A word of caution, Young Master Ruochen: the first in rank A on the *Divine Reserve Scroll* is Yuan Qianmo, closely tied to Yan Zhexian.”
The fragrance faded, and she was gone.
Zhang Ruochen knew his inner demons were indeed a hurdle on his path to divinity. But with the Heart of Truth guarding him, he wasn’t overly concerned for now.
Moreover, Xue Jue War God had said the Way of Destiny could suppress inner demons.
Next, Zhang Ruochen planned to focus on comprehending the Way of Destiny, both to counter his inner demons and to prepare for receiving the mysteries of destiny.
Without a strong foundation in the Way of Destiny, one could not bear its mysteries.
This was likely why Divine Lord Fulu had not yet bestowed the thirty ten-thousandths of destiny mysteries upon him.
As for Gu Shejing’s parting words, Zhang Ruochen paid them little mind.
For the foreseeable future, he planned to enter seclusion to cultivate.
First, to heal his injuries.
Second, to reach the perfection of the Yin-Yang Five Elements Saintly Will.
Third, to break through to the peak of the Hundred-Shackle Realm.
Once he reached the peak of the Hundred-Shackle Realm, fully unleashing his half-divine body’s power, Zhang Ruochen might not be invincible below the divine realm, but he would fear no one.
“Yuan Qianmo, first in rank A on the *Divine Reserve Scroll*. I hope he’s not one to hold grudges,” Zhang Ruochen thought, not wishing to gain a powerful enemy for no reason.
If Yan Wushen heard this, he’d likely burst from his coffin. “A grudge? For a mere divine lord’s betrothal, you fought me to the death. Now, you’ve gotten Yan Zhexian pregnant, and Yuan Qianmo can’t kill you to quell his hatred?”
Luo Ji approached, smiling curiously. “What did Xiao Jing say to you?”
“She wants to borrow the *Heavenly Demon Stone Carvings*,” Zhang Ruochen said directly, hiding nothing.
Luo Ji understood how much Zhang Ruochen valued the Kunlun Realm’s legacy treasures and would never let them fall into the hands of Hell Realm monks. She said, “I’ll talk to her.”
“No need. I’ve already refused her,” Zhang Ruochen said.
Luo Ji replied, “You don’t know her. She’ll stop at nothing to get what she wants. Fortunately, we get along well enough. I might be able to dissuade her.”
Zhang Ruochen did not stop her.
Luo Ji’s status was extraordinary—her father was the Rakshasa Clan’s great emperor, her master a divine lord. Even Gu Shejing, from the Luo Zu Cloud Mountain Realm, would likely tread carefully.
As for how Luo Ji and Gu Shejing became close friends and whether their bond was truly deep, Zhang Ruochen did not ask.
A deafening uproar erupted in the southern wing, with countless monks shouting, as if something extraordinary had happened.
“What’s going on? Yan Wushen has already fallen, and they’re still so excited? Wasn’t their engagement banquet canceled?”
“Are they trying to cause trouble?”
…
The guests at Zhang Ruochen and Luo Ji’s engagement banquet were intrigued and immediately sent people to investigate.
Moments later, the scouts returned.
“What happened?” Xue Qi Great Saint asked.
The scout said, “It’s said that a divine envoy from Destiny Divine Mountain has arrived to escort Ban Ruo to the Divine Hall.”
“Now?” Xue Qi Great Saint exclaimed.
“Yes.”
“Just her?”
“Yes.”
The monks in the northern wing were all shocked.
With Feng Li assassinated, the divine envoy from Destiny Divine Mountain came to fetch Ban Ruo. What did this mean?
Was Ban Ruo about to rise from misfortune and become the new goddess?
This was no longer a possibility but a certainty.
Ban Ruo becoming a goddess had profound implications, sending representatives of the lower three clans’ major forces into deep thought. They inscribed communication talismans, sending messages like a meteor shower to all corners.
Cheers and excitement spread from the southern wing to the northern wing.
Ban Ruo, graceful and poised, dressed in festive red, entered the northern wing. Behind her followed a large group of Nether and Death Clan monks.
The divine envoy from Destiny Divine Mountain, bathed in starlight, stood waiting to the side.
The crowd looked at Ban Ruo, whispering among themselves.
“Why is she here in the northern wing?”
“Show some respect to the new goddess, or you’ll face consequences later.”
“Look at the smug faces of the Death and Nether Clans. It seems Ban Ruo came to show off.”
Zhang Ruochen and Luo Ji walked side by side to meet her.
Ban Ruo gazed at them, watching as they approached, her face cold and devoid of emotion, as if carved from stone.
Luo Ji, tall and charming with a captivating smile, said, “Congratulations, Your Highness Ban Ruo, for turning misfortune into fortune. It seems you’re to assume the role of goddess. May I ask why you’ve come?”
Ban Ruo looked at Luo Ji for a long time before saying, “Princess Luo Ji, with your peerless beauty and captivating charm, you’re truly the desire of every man. Marrying you is Zhang Ruochen’s fortune.”
Luo Ji’s crystalline red lips curved slightly. “Brother Dust is an eon-level genius, one in an era. Marrying him is my fortune.”
Zhang Ruochen’s heart tightened. Luo Ji was acting unusually.
Why the sudden affectionate address of “Brother Dust”?
Had she guessed something?
Both Zhang Ruochen and Ban Ruo maintained composed expressions, but the air felt tense, not entirely natural.
“Your Highness Ban Ruo also had a chance to marry an eon-level genius. What a pity, what a pity,” Luo Ji said.
Ban Ruo walked to a saint jade table, picked up a jug of fine wine, filled three cups, and raised one. “I came only to toast the new couple, especially Zhang Ruochen. Without you, I might not have this chance to become a goddess. What should I wish for? May you two be together for a hundred years.”
She drank the cup in one gulp.
Behind her, the Nether and Death Clan monks burst into laughter.
“Well said, a hundred years of harmony, a hundred years of harmony. Haha!”
Everyone could see Ban Ruo’s words carried hidden meaning, a clear declaration of war against Zhang Ruochen. “A hundred years of harmony” was fitting for mortals, but for Great Saints, a century was but a fleeting moment.
Ban Ruo left with the divine envoy.
The monks at her and Yan Wushen’s engagement banquet did not disperse but grew even more festive, drinking and laughing.
Soon after, divine beings like Xue Jue War God, Blood Queen, Emperor Luo Yan, and Tian Yin arrived at the outer hall of the Fulu Divine Palace. Under Divine Lord Fulu’s witness, Zhang Ruochen and Luo Ji completed their engagement ceremony.
The date for the formal wedding would require further discussion.
Unlike an engagement, a formal wedding could not be rushed and required extensive preparations.
After the engagement banquet, Xue Jue War God summoned Zhang Ruochen alone in his divine realm and asked, “In your battle with Yan Wushen, did you grasp the true meaning of the Yin-Yang Five Elements Saintly Will?”
With that single question, he saw through Zhang Ruochen.
The claim of inner demons overtaking his mind and forgetting the battle was clearly a lie that could not fool Xue Jue War God.
