“You might consider delving deeper into swordsmanship. With the Emperor-Grade Sacred Intent Pill, you could cultivate your Sword Path Sacred Intent to the third grade on its own. Swordsmanship demands purity; the more extreme, the better. It’s not suited for merging with other sacred intents.”
These were the Underworld King’s words to Zhang Ruochen as he left the Ancestor Pool.
Zhang Ruochen sat in the dimly lit cabin, holding the Shen Yuan Ancient Sword, pondering these words repeatedly.
Cultivating a single path’s sacred intent to the third grade, like merging a first-grade sacred intent, was something no cultivator had achieved since ancient times.
Now, with the only Emperor-Grade Sacred Intent Pill in existence, he undoubtedly had a chance to try.
“The Paths of Time and Space are both Eternal Paths. Condensing a third-grade sacred intent for either is nearly impossible. Swordsmanship, however, holds a sliver of possibility.”
“Is it truly possible?”
Zhang Ruochen shook his head lightly, believing his current swordsmanship attainments were far from sufficient.
History was replete with prodigiously talented sword cultivators. Without looking far, eight hundred years ago in the Kunlun Realm, Sword Emperor Xue Hongchen, at the Hundred-Shackle Realm, had surpassed Zhang Ruochen’s achievements in swordsmanship.
“At the very least, I’d need to perfect Sword Eleven and comprehend the Heavenly Sword Soul before attempting it.”
“Oh, and there’s Time Swordsmanship.”
“The Wordless Sword Manual is clearly what Uncle Underworld King meant by pure swordsmanship, while Time Swordsmanship is a divergent, extreme path.”
Zhang Ruochen exhaled deeply, shook his head, and sheathed the Shen Yuan Ancient Sword.
For now, his priority was addressing the flaws pointed out by the Blood Absolute War God: sacred techniques, spiritual power, shackles, and the demi-god body were his current cultivation focuses.
At this moment, he had arrived at the wormhole entrance closest to the Blood Absolute Family, leading to Ice King Star.
His appearance had transformed into that of a gaunt old man in green robes, holding a wooden staff, named “Xun Mu,” a spiritual power master from South Ridge.
The death of Empress Feng, though orchestrated by Zhang Ruochen, made him even more cautious.
In the Hell Realm, far more deities sought his death than sought Empress Feng’s.
Empress Feng, a Destiny Goddess, had died in the Destiny Divine Realm.
If Zhang Ruochen dared to travel openly to Ice King Star, where dark forces thrived, it would be tantamount to suicide.
Thus, before leaving the Blood Absolute Family, Zhang Ruochen made extensive preparations. First, he sent Blood Slaughter to investigate Sword South Realm.
His enemies, unable to divine his whereabouts, would closely monitor the movements of those around him. Blood Slaughter’s trip to Sword South Realm was a misdirection, making them believe Zhang Ruochen had secretly gone there.
This was a feint to the east while striking the west.
Then, Zhang Ruochen took Mo Yin, Lan Xi, Zhou Zhen, Shentu Yunkong, and Great Senluo Emperor into the Qiankun Realm, changed his appearance, and left the Blood Absolute Family alone quietly, publicly claiming he was in seclusion to reach the peak of the Hundred-Shackle Realm.
This was the cicada shedding its shell.
Thus, neither the Ni Xuan Clan nor the deities and Great Saints intent on killing him would know his true destination.
“Master Xun Mu, we’ve reached the spatial wormhole. We’re about to perform a spatial jump. Every cultivator on the ship must pay one sacred stone as a passage fee,” said Ji Chen, the master of the Blood Spirit Ship, aware that Zhang Ruochen was a formidable figure, personally coming to the cabin to collect the fee.
Zhang Ruochen picked up his wooden staff, opened the cabin door, and glared at Ji Chen with a hoarse, aged voice. “Just for passing through a wormhole once, why is it so expensive?”
Though ten billion sacred stones equaled one divine stone, a single sacred stone was a vast fortune for weaker demi-saints.
Charging one sacred stone per cultivator for a wormhole passage was exorbitantly high, far beyond Zhang Ruochen’s expectations.
Ji Chen shrank under Zhang Ruochen’s gaze and said softly, “The fee isn’t set by me; it’s determined by the Blood Absolute Family.”
“Besides, Ice King Star is infinitely far from the Blood Sky Tribe Wing World. It’s said even light takes three thousand years to travel the distance, spanning countless trillions of li, a distance deities cannot cross. One sacred stone isn’t actually expensive.”
“Do you know how much the passage fee is to smuggle from Ice King Star to the Blood Sky Tribe Wing World?”
“How much?” Zhang Ruochen asked.
Ji Chen replied, “Ten times. Ten sacred stones.”
Standing on the Blood Spirit Ship hovering in midair, Zhang Ruochen looked back to see a line of Blood Spirit Ships stretching endlessly, queuing for the wormhole jump.
Looking forward, ships emerged from the wormhole in a steady stream.
“No wonder the Ni Xuan Clan refuses to relinquish Ice King Star’s assets. Just the daily passage fees from this wormhole amount to a fortune comparable to a divine stone mine,” Zhang Ruochen thought.
As he pondered, a clear voice sounded nearby. “Since Master Xun Mu finds it expensive, I’ll cover his passage fee!”
A young man, about two metres tall, clad in Hundred Saints Blood Armour, approached and tossed a sacred stone to Ji Chen.
Ji Chen caught it, eyes filled with reverence, bowing repeatedly before hurrying away.
“I am Ji Wenwu from the City Lord’s Mansion of Ji Feng Saint City in South Ridge,” the man introduced himself, then said, “I noticed your spiritual power is impressive, so it seems unlikely you can’t afford one sacred stone…”
Before he could finish, Zhang Ruochen snapped, “Isn’t one sacred stone money? The Blood Absolute Family is too greedy, charging so much.”
Slam.
He shut the door and returned to the cabin.
Ji Wenwu stood outside, stunned.
He had hoped to befriend someone with strong spiritual power, but he hadn’t expected such a cold reception. Not only was the man stingy, but his temper was also peculiar.
A Great Saint with three pairs of blood wings emerged from another cabin door, transmitting, “Wenwu, the City Lord summons you. There’s important business.”
Ji Wenwu brushed off his frustration and hurried over.
The City Lord of Ji Feng Saint City, Yue Lin Blood Emperor, was a peak Ten Thousand Deaths Realm powerhouse. Who could have imagined he’d travel to Ice King Star on such an ordinary Blood Spirit Ship?
Zhang Ruochen overheard the transmission, both surprised and curious.
A Saint City’s lord, whether in cultivation or cunning, was no ordinary Great Saint.
However, having no connection with Yue Lin Blood Emperor, Zhang Ruochen had no interest in investigating further. Near the wormhole, the Chaos Space Worm, long dormant, began to stir, and he needed to study it closely.
…
Ji Wenwu cautiously entered the cabin, crossing a dark, misty barrier. His vision widened, and powerful sacred path auras hit him, forcing him to his knees.
Tense to the extreme yet maintaining composure, he said, “May I know why the City Lord summoned me?”
His eyes stole an upward glance.
In the cabin sat seven cultivators.
The City Lord wasn’t in the central seat but sat with the Vice City Lord and the Grand Commander on the left’s three seats.
The three on the right were also formidable Great Saints. Ji Wenwu glanced at them, and his eyes stung as if scorched by the sun.
In contrast, the black-veiled cultivator in the central seat emitted no aura, like a mortal.
But for someone accompanied by the City Lord, Vice City Lord, and Grand Commander to Ice King Star, how could they be ordinary?
With his Saint King cultivation, Ji Wenwu simply couldn’t see through them.
Yue Lin Blood Emperor said, “Miss, if you have questions about Ice King Star, ask Ji Wenwu. Though his cultivation isn’t high, he’s lived there for over a century. He knows everything that isn’t too confidential.”
The black-veiled cultivator nodded and asked, “I have one question. Has Xia Yu gone to Ice King Star?”
“Emperor Yu?”
Ji Wenwu was slightly stunned, then nodded repeatedly. “Shortly after the Hunting Heaven Battle, Emperor Yu went to Ice King Star, reportedly to buy ice beasts and blood crystals for the Xia Clan. As you know, blood crystals are much cheaper there than in the Blood Sky Tribe Wing World.”
“That’s enough. You may leave,” the black-veiled cultivator said coldly, waving a hand.
After Ji Wenwu retreated, Yue Lin Blood Emperor said, “Blood crystals, blood food, and blood medicine are the Immortal Blood Clan’s greatest needs, inseparable from us. It’s reasonable for Xia Yu to go to Ice King Star for blood crystals.”
The black-veiled cultivator fell silent, extending a slender, snow-white, exquisitely beautiful hand to lift a teacup and take a sip.
The three Great Saints on the right were Fei’er Tianding of the Rakshasa Clan, Huanxu Blood Emperor of the Demon Sky Tribe, and Yun Huan Iron Blood King of the Underworld Clan.
These were the three powerhouses who, alongside Bai Qing’er at the Goddess Tower, had schemed against Seven Hands Elder, each a titanic figure in the Saint Realm, capable of shaking the heavens with a stomp.
Fei’er Tianding, with ten bone wings on his back, asked curiously, “Miss, have you changed your mind? Instead of confronting the Blood Absolute Family directly in the Blood Sky Tribe Wing World, you plan to capture Xia Yu on Ice King Star to lure Zhang Ruochen out?”
Huanxu Blood Emperor laughed loudly, slamming the table. “Excellent! Xia Yu, the Blood Sky Tribe’s top beauty of this generation and Zhang Ruochen’s cherished companion, would be perfect to capture. We can have some fun and enrage that little bastard Zhang Ruochen.”
Yun Huan Iron Blood King glanced at the black-veiled cultivator, sensing something. “Miss, do you suspect Xia Yu’s trip to Ice King Star has another purpose?”
The black-veiled cultivator said, “According to my intelligence, Xia Yu didn’t return to the Xia Clan after leaving the Destiny Divine Realm but went straight to Ice King Star, clearly for something urgent. Is buying blood crystals and ice beasts so pressing?”
“The more she conceals, the more it suggests her true purpose is significant,” Yun Huan Iron Blood King said.
The black-veiled cultivator continued, “The Blood Absolute Family’s assets on Ice King Star have always been controlled by the Blood Absolute War God’s wife, Ni Xuan Clan. Yet recently, Great Saint Qing Sheng granted them to Zhang Ruochen.”
Huanxu Blood Emperor laughed. “Great Saint Qing Sheng is trying to seize control of the Blood Absolute Family’s power, sowing discord to pit Zhang Ruochen against the Ni Xuan Clan for his own gain.”
Yun Huan Iron Blood King said coldly, “Do you think Great Saint Qing Sheng is a fool, or Zhang Ruochen? If Qing Sheng did this, he’d offend both Zhang Ruochen and the Ni Xuan Clan. Could he remain acting patriarch?”
“Exactly. There’s only one possibility: Zhang Ruochen requested this of Qing Sheng,” the black-veiled cultivator said.
Huanxu Blood Emperor was shocked, finding it hard to comprehend. “Though Zhang Ruochen is talented, his cultivation is still weak. He dares to challenge the Ni Xuan Clan now?”
The black-veiled cultivator said, “Since the Blood Empress and the Underworld King returned from the Kunlun Realm, the Ni Xuan Clan has lost influence in the Blood Absolute Family. Apart from Ice King Star, nearly all their power has been stripped. With two true gods backing him, why would Zhang Ruochen fear the Ni Xuan Clan?”
“However, I don’t believe Zhang Ruochen is so eager to confront the Ni Xuan Clan at this stage. I think his choice of Ice King Star serves another purpose. Having Qing Sheng grant him the assets is a cover for his true intent.”
“What is his true intent?” Huanxu Blood Emperor asked.
The cabin fell silent for a long while.
The black-veiled cultivator said, “Only Xia Yu can give us that answer. Perhaps, knowing Zhang Ruochen’s true purpose will make dealing with him much easier.”
Yue Lin Blood Emperor, City Lord of Ji Feng Saint City, frowned. “Capturing Xia Yu could be done by any one of us here. Why did you bring us all along, Miss?”
“My intelligence indicates Blood Slaughter secretly went to Sword South Realm. If I’m correct, Zhang Ruochen won’t stay hidden in the Blood Absolute Family for long. His next move is likely Sword South Realm. At the Goddess Tower, he boldly declared he’d wrest Sword South Realm from Miao’s hands.”
“We could wait in Sword South Realm for Zhang Ruochen to walk into our trap.”
The black-veiled cultivator said, “In the past, I might have thought so. But I’ve dealt with Zhang Ruochen half a time. He’s no simple figure. He escaped Miao’s killing scheme with ease and left the Destiny Divine Realm alive despite the Judgment Division’s targeting. Would such a person easily reveal his plans?”
“With the Blood Absolute War God and the Blood Empress in the Jade煌 Realm, he’ll be even more cautious, not easily exposing his movements.”
Yun Huan Iron Blood King’s eyes flashed with surprise. “Miss, do you suspect Zhang Ruochen will go to Ice King Star?”
“Whether he goes or not, capturing Xia Yu gives us the upper hand, holding his throat. The wormhole jump is starting. I’m now quite looking forward to this Ice King Star trip,” the black-veiled cultivator said, her voice consistently emotionless, her thoughts razor-sharp.
The Blood Spirit Ship shuddered violently as immense spatial pressure squeezed from all directions, bearing down on every cultivator aboard.
A distance of three thousand light-years, nearly six trillion li of cosmic void, was traversed, reaching a place infinitely far from the Blood Sky Tribe Wing World, beyond even a deity’s perception.
