Seeing the Burial Gold divine rule patterns, Gu Ye Jing’s beautiful eyes lit up slightly. She thought to herself, “My master was right. Zhang Ruochen has indeed become the guide for the prehistoric divine seed, the Burial Gold White Tiger, with a god always by his side. Why would he need another protector?”
She extended her jade hand, her five fingers gently twisting, retracting all the deathly demonic qi back into her body.
“May I pay my respects to Senior Burial Gold White Tiger?” Gu Ye Jing asked.
Zhang Ruochen withdrew the Burial Gold divine rule patterns, immediately understanding that Gu Ye Jing hadn’t intended to truly attack but was testing him.
There was no hiding it. The emergence of the Burial Gold White Tiger and the Swastika Azure Dragon was known to many gods in the Hell Realm.
Of course, this didn’t include the gods of the ten dark forces or the various minor clans.
The matter of the prehistoric divine seed had only been discussed by the Fortune God within the Temple of Destiny.
Zhang Ruochen shook his head, saying, “Senior Burial Gold White Tiger doesn’t like to be disturbed.”
Gu Ye Jing could understand. After all, it was a god; how could a Great Saint meet one just by wishing?
“With a god protecting you, it seems Bai Qing’er’s plans against you will come to nothing,” Gu Ye Jing said with a giggle, sitting down on a chair, reclining lazily with an astonishing curve at her chest.
Zhang Ruochen was well aware that the Burial Gold White Tiger’s power was limited and had only promised to act once.
Thus, hearing Gu Ye Jing’s words, his heart tightened. He asked, “What scheme is Bai Qing’er plotting now?”
“It’s not a scheme but an open strategy,” Gu Ye Jing replied.
Zhang Ruochen pressed, “What’s going on?”
“You’ve managed to infiltrate the Twelve Goddess Houses, and you haven’t heard?” Gu Ye Jing said, surprised.
Zhang Ruochen shook his head.
Gu Ye Jing sighed softly, saying, “That makes sense. With a god protecting you, why would you care about the schemes of a Supreme Realm Great Saint? Why not ask Senior Burial Gold White Tiger to strike and clear out Goddess City?”
Zhang Ruochen coughed dryly twice, saying, “Senior Burial Gold White Tiger is a god, not my hired thug.”
Gu Ye Jing, sharp as ever, picked up on something and showed a look of realisation.
It seemed that, although Zhang Ruochen was the guide for the Burial Gold White Tiger, it wouldn’t intervene to deal with other Saint Realm cultivators.
If a god were truly at Zhang Ruochen’s side, ready to act at any moment, he wouldn’t be trapped in Goddess City.
Even on Ice King Star, Zhang Ruochen could walk unchallenged, beating others without anyone daring to touch him.
It made sense. Gods typically couldn’t meddle in mortal affairs.
If the Burial Gold White Tiger attacked cultivators from other Hell Realm factions, the gods of those factions wouldn’t let it slide.
Realising this, Gu Ye Jing’s wariness of Zhang Ruochen lessened.
“In that case, you’d better hear this.”
Gu Ye Jing said, “Yesterday, the leaders of eighteen factions entered the Goddess Tower together, pressuring Bai Qing’er and Ye Manman. With no choice, Bai Qing’er revealed the truth.”
“What truth?”
Zhang Ruochen had a bad feeling.
Gu Ye Jing said, “Bai Qing’er claimed that the Supreme Origin Divine Crystal originally came from Seven-Handed Elder, circulating into the gambling city of the Goddess Tower.”
“But Seven-Handed Elder was killed by her. Who can prove her words are true?” Zhang Ruochen said with a laugh.
Gu Ye Jing stared into Zhang Ruochen’s eyes, smiling charmingly, and said, “But Bai Qing’er said Seven-Handed Elder isn’t dead. Instead, you hid him in the Purple Gold Gourd. That’s how he escaped the Fate Divine Domain, and even the Division of Destiny couldn’t track him. Because you, Zhang Ruochen, are one of the few who are hard to track.”
“I think her story makes sense and is quite reasonable.”
“Based on your earlier excuses to me and Bai Qing’er’s story, I’ve pieced together what might have happened. You and Seven-Handed Elder teamed up, using spatial techniques to steal five Supreme Origin Divine Crystals from the seventeen-layer prohibition, and you killed Tan Fei, who was holding the crystals.”
“Bai Qing’er caught wind of this and chased you down. In the process, you killed Cang Baizi, and Bai Qing’er killed Xing Qian. In the end, you and Seven-Handed Elder escaped. Due to her status, Bai Qing’er couldn’t pursue you openly, so she used her connection with the Death High Priest to mobilise the Judgment Division against you.”
“But the Division of Destiny’s intervention allowed you and Seven-Handed Elder to escape.”
“You knew Bai Qing’er would keep coming for you to seize the Supreme Origin Divine Crystal, so you used me to counter her. And Bai Qing’er, knowing the crystal is with you, sealed off Goddess City to prevent your escape.”
“Am I right?”
Clap! Clap! Clap!
Zhang Ruochen clapped while inwardly marvelling. Gu Ye Jing was indeed Luo Ji’s close friend, sharp-minded. Though some details were off, the general direction was correct.
Remaining calm, Zhang Ruochen said, “Quite the imagination. It seems, Miss Gu Ye, you don’t believe me but trust Bai Qing’er.”
“Because her story is more convincing than yours. Not only do I believe her, but the leaders of the other seventeen factions trust her more too,” Gu Ye Jing said, her round eyes fixed on Zhang Ruochen’s handsome face, waiting for his rebuttal.
Zhang Ruochen said, “First, I don’t even know Seven-Handed Elder. Why would I work with him?”
“You met him at the gambling table.”
“Because of me, he lost hundreds of thousands of divine stones. Does that count as knowing him? We’re more like enemies!”
“There’s a saying: you don’t truly know someone until you’ve fought them. For the Supreme Origin Divine Crystal, even enemies can cooperate,” Gu Ye Jing said.
Zhang Ruochen gave a wry smile, “Even so, Bai Qing’er’s attack on Seven-Handed Elder clearly happened first. How did it become after the crystals were stolen?”
Gu Ye Jing countered, “How do you know which came first? Unless you were involved in both?”
Zhang Ruochen felt exasperated, unable to explain. He had to admit, Bai Qing’er’s “open confession” was a ruthless move.
The whereabouts of the Supreme Origin Divine Crystal were now known to all factions, but it also turned Zhang Ruochen into their common enemy. Their focus shifted from the Goddess Tower to him.
Zhang Ruochen laughed, saying, “There’s a fatal flaw in Bai Qing’er’s story.”
“Please, do tell.”
“Since the five Supreme Origin Divine Crystals came from Seven-Handed Elder, he must still have more. Why would he risk stealing the five that were already in the hands of seventeen major factions?”
Gu Ye Jing rested her chin in her hand, staring closely at Zhang Ruochen, and said, “Because you and Seven-Handed Elder wanted to monopolise the Origin Temple, keeping other factions out. How else will you argue?”
Zhang Ruochen fell silent.
“Oh, my dear Ruochen, we’re so close. Why can’t you just tell the truth? The Origin Temple is a monumental hidden treasure. How could the Xue Jue Family handle it alone? Let Luo Zu Yun Shan Realm take a share, share the risks, and face the unknown dangers together. Wouldn’t that be better?”
Gu Ye Jing pursed her lips, gently shaking Zhang Ruochen’s arm, acting like an innocent girl next door.
Zhang Ruochen sighed deeply, “Here’s the truth. The five Supreme Origin Divine Crystals were stolen by Bai Qing’er, no doubt about it. Tan Fei was killed by her dream technique.”
“As for Seven-Handed Elder, I did help him escape the Fate Divine Domain. In return, he gave me one Supreme Origin Divine Crystal.”
“So, the one truly aiming to monopolise the Origin Temple is Bai Qing’er, not me or Seven-Handed Elder. Besides, that old man and I aren’t on such good terms. We don’t trust each other.”
Gu Ye Jing pondered for a moment, carefully analysing.
Comparatively, Zhang Ruochen’s words seemed slightly more credible than Bai Qing’er’s story.
But she didn’t fully believe him.
She only felt the truth was getting closer.
Gu Ye Jing said, “So, Seven-Handed Elder has already left?”
“With his strong mental power, I couldn’t keep him even if I wanted to,” Zhang Ruochen shrugged helplessly.
Gu Ye Jing smiled, “So, you have one Supreme Origin Divine Crystal?”
Zhang Ruochen nodded, saying, “Our relationship is close, so I’m sharing this secret with you.”
Gu Ye Jing seemed to forget that Zhang Ruochen had used her to counter Bai Qing’er, nearly getting her killed by Wu Ma Jiu Xing’s blade, or that not long ago, she had been taken advantage of by his hands and cursed him.
Her face lit up with a smile as she said softly, “Indeed, we’ve been through life and death together.”
“I need your help to find the Origin Temple,” Zhang Ruochen said.
Gu Ye Jing nodded, saying, “We’re the best of allies.”
If Luo Ji’s other friends saw Zhang Ruochen and Gu Ye Jing alone in a room, gazing at each other affectionately, they’d surely curse them as an adulterous pair.
Suddenly, Gu Ye Jing’s expression turned serious, and she said solemnly, “Zhang Ruochen, you’re in big trouble!”
“Oh? What do you mean?”
“You know why Bai Qing’er chose this moment to reveal the truth? It’s all to force you out. If you don’t show yourself, all the factions will believe her story is true—because you don’t dare to appear!”
Zhang Ruochen said, “So that’s her open strategy? If I show myself, I’ll face a siege, and the one Supreme Origin Divine Crystal I have might not be safe. If I don’t, it’s as good as admitting I stole the five crystals with Seven-Handed Elder. So, staying hidden, though cowardly, is the best choice. Once my Chaos Space Insect recovers, I can escape.”
Gu Ye Jing shook her head, saying, “You can’t hide anymore. Sikong from the Division of Destiny is coming to Ice King Star soon, bringing the divine artifact, the Tian Shu Needle. In its presence, all your tricks will be useless.”
“They’re going this far? Using a divine artifact?”
Zhang Ruochen couldn’t stay calm, itching to treat Bai Qing’er like Lan Xi and give her a thorough thrashing. This woman was too vicious, her every move pushing him to a dead end.
“Using the Tian Shu Needle isn’t just to find you but also to track down the gravely injured Wu Ma Jiu Xing. All three divisions of the Temple of Destiny are coming, with countless experts. It’s said that top Great Saints from the Twelve Divine Palaces are also arriving, claiming to purge the Wujian Pavilion to avenge the fallen Goddess Feng Li. This storm is growing bigger, and I even suspect gods might be quietly involved!” Gu Ye Jing said.
Zhang Ruochen grabbed Gu Ye Jing’s arms, saying, “We’re the best allies, the closest of partners. You have to help me. How about we steal the Tian Shu Needle?”
