Fei Zhong, having become one of the foremost powerhouses below the divine realm, naturally possessed the ability to perceive the mysteries of fate and understand the profound truths of the world. It was only the overwhelming reputation of Yan Yu that had kept him in check.
When Gong Nanfeng revealed the identity of the false Yan Yu, Fei Zhong was naturally enraged beyond measure.
A towering figure of the Dwarf Clan, a being revered as “Emperor of the Mortal World when no gods emerge,” had been toyed with by a few Great Saints of the Hundred-Shackle and Thousand-Inquiry Realms, resulting in the destruction of his painstakingly crafted puppet clone. This was an unprecedented humiliation.
It must be known that Fei Zhong’s cultivation strength and status in the Celestial Court far surpassed the likes of Wu Zu of the Broad Cold Realm or the Great Emperor of Annihilation.
Fei Zhong roared, “Who are you?”
“I am Yan Yu, the Half-God Divine,” Zhang Ruochen said, shoving Gong Nanfeng aside, determined to maintain the facade.
Unfortunately, the dark clouds formed by the dark matter explosion had dissipated considerably, becoming thin. If he were truly Yan Yu, the dark energy would surely be eternal, like a black hole, devouring all light and heat.
“I’ll kill you,” Fei Zhong bellowed.
His voice transformed into sound waves, each of his four words taking on a distinct form: the Azure Moon Disciple, the Golden Armoured Knight, the Divine King Lifting the Cauldron, and the Heavenly Ghost Grinding the Mill.
Each word manifested as a high-tier Thousand-Inquiry Saint Technique.
The Azure Moon Disciple stood a thousand zhang tall, its head crowned with an azure moon, casting light for tens of thousands of miles.
The Golden Armoured Knight exuded a chilling killing intent, with the illusory shadows of thousands of troops and horses behind it, bursting forth with unstoppable momentum.
…
The radiance of the azure moon surged like a tidal wave, forcing Yan Zheixian and Yan Huangtu to retreat, unable to withstand its power.
Zhang Ruochen let out a soft sigh, activating the divine power within him. Behind him appeared an immense blood phoenix divine shadow.
This was a manifestation of divine power.
Zhang Ruochen’s current body was crafted by the Blood Empress, using the divine blood of a Blood Phoenix God, nurtured over eight hundred years to reach the state of a half-divine body. The strength of Zhang Ruochen’s half-divine body was, to a large extent, tied to that blood phoenix.
Recently, Zhang Ruochen had been studying its mysteries, seeking to unleash the full power of his half-divine body.
With a thunderous boom, Zhang Ruochen struck with full force, using his palm to shatter the Azure Moon Disciple above, then slicing through the Golden Armoured Knight, sweeping away the Divine King Lifting the Cauldron and the Heavenly Ghost Grinding the Mill.
In four consecutive strikes, he broke Fei Zhong’s four saint techniques.
It appeared seamless, but anyone could see that “Yan Yu” had struggled. A strand of his hair was cut by the Golden Armoured Knight’s blade, narrowly escaping decapitation.
This was merely an attack formed from a casual shout by Fei Zhong.
Fei Zhong saw through the false Yan Yu’s true strength, his eyes burning with rage. If he didn’t kill this man today, a heart demon would surely take root.
“Enough! With me here, how dare a Great Saint from the Celestial Realm act so arrogantly?”
Black Corpse Brake extended an arm, transforming it into a black dragon claw hundreds of miles long, intercepting Fei Zhong as he moved to kill Zhang Ruochen.
This claw was imbued with dense dragon and corpse energy, containing countless rules.
Fei Zhong looked up, feeling as though the scaly sky was pressing down, crushing his dao domain inch by inch until it slammed heavily onto him.
Fei Zhong was sent plummeting by the claw, his saint energy becoming chaotic.
“The Ten Undead Brakes are indeed terrifying. I’m no match for him,” Fei Zhong thought.
Just as this thought crossed his mind, Black Corpse Brake’s second claw swept horizontally.
From the dragon claw surged millions of dragon shadows, roaring and charging.
“Open Heaven, Break Sun,” Fei Zhong declared.
He raised his battle axe above his head, unleashing a supreme high-tier saint technique. Countless bolts of lightning poured from the axe, each like an electric river spanning tens of thousands of miles.
Zhang Ruochen, Yan Huangtu, Yan Zheixian, and Gong Nanfeng fled rapidly. This was a peak battle below the divine realm, and even a single stray bolt of lightning could be disastrous.
Zhang Ruochen glanced back, seeing a thousand-mile-long axe shadow, as if cleaving through chaos, slashing toward the half-dragon, half-human black figure standing in the air.
“You, Fei Zhong, are far from enough,” Black Corpse Brake roared, transforming into its true black dragon form.
Its massive dragon body unleashed boundless divine might. With a single claw, the axe shadow shattered into a shower of light raining down for thousands of miles.
Fei Zhong spat blood, fleeing rapidly into the distance.
“Want to escape? Not so easy,” the black divine dragon said, its speed far surpassing Fei Zhong’s. In an instant, it caught up, spitting out a treasure seal glowing with radiant light. Four ancient dragon clan divine runes flew from the seal, striking Fei Zhong again and halting his escape.
Fei Zhong knew that among the Ten Undead Brakes, Black Corpse Brake’s combat strength ranked near the bottom, but its speed was among the best. Escaping today would be difficult.
“If we keep fighting, it’ll be mutual destruction,” Fei Zhong said gravely.
The black divine dragon showed no fear, “Before you detonate your saint source, answer my question. What happened with Zhang Ruochen’s death? Was the Tian Shu Needle taken by you?”
Clearly, Gong Nanfeng’s earlier mention of “Brother Ruochen” hadn’t led them to connect it to Zhang Ruochen.
After all, no one believed Zhang Ruochen could survive the Heavenly Dao Arrow.
Even if Black Corpse Brake or Fei Zhong were struck by it, they would likely perish.
Gong Nanfeng, Yan Zheixian, and Yan Huangtu couldn’t help but glance at the false Yan Yu.
Zhang Ruochen said, “It’s said that Black Corpse Brake was cultivated by the Temple of Destiny using the divine corpse of a pureblood black dragon, born solely for slaughter, fearless of death. His combat strength is indeed extraordinary, easily defeating Fei Zhong.”
Yan Zheixian knew Zhang Ruochen was deliberately changing the subject to avoid revealing the truth. She rolled her eyes, “Fei Zhong is far from Black Corpse Brake’s match. Does that mean we don’t need to flee?”
“No, the more this is the case, the more we must flee, and the farther, the better,” Zhang Ruochen said.
Yan Huangtu agreed, “Exactly. If Fei Zhong is cornered, he’ll detonate his saint source, taking Black Corpse Brake down with him. The destructive power of a Supreme Realm Great Saint’s self-destruction is beyond what we can withstand.”
“Let’s go now,” Zhang Ruochen said.
He released his saint energy, enveloping the three of them. As he turned, his gaze froze. Unbeknownst to them, a figure was seated behind them.
They hadn’t noticed earlier.
Bai Qing’er sat in the void, beneath her a stone bench, a stone table, and a stone pavilion.
The bench, table, and pavilion materialised from nothing before their eyes. It was as if she could create worlds, mysterious and wondrous.
On the stone table appeared a teapot and teacups.
Boiling tea emerged in the teapot.
The tea’s fragrance wafted through the cosmic void, forming misty bridges.
Outside the pavilion, a rock garden and pond appeared. Soil condensed on the ground, sprouting vibrant spirit flowers and saint trees, their branches laden with vermilion fruit.
Soon, an island-like paradise emerged from nothing, bit by bit.
Even with Yan Huangtu and Yan Zheixian’s experience, they were left speechless, their hearts shaken.
Zhang Ruochen, more aware of Bai Qing’er’s terror, stared intently at her in the pavilion. His mental energy communicated with the Burial Gold White Tiger, “This time, I’m afraid I’ll need to borrow your power.”
“I think you’d better not waste this one chance. Brute force is the lowest approach. This woman is supremely clever yet excessively arrogant. She may not kill you. If you can handle her with your own strength, you won’t immediately turn to me when facing stronger enemies in the future. Of course, if you can’t cope, I won’t stand by, but I’ll be quite disappointed in your abilities,” the Burial Gold White Tiger said.
Zhang Ruochen’s heart calmed quickly. He ascended the steps and entered the stone pavilion.
He sat directly across from Bai Qing’er, picking up the teapot and pouring a full cup.
Bai Qing’er’s beautiful eyes showed a hint of surprise, and she smiled, “Young Master Ruochen, seeing me, you show not a trace of fear?”
“Why should I fear? In the future, either I’ll be yours, or you’ll be mine. When family meets, isn’t it better to be casual?” Zhang Ruochen said.
Bai Qing’er’s smile bloomed like the morning sun’s radiance, “Aren’t you curious how I found this place?”
“I think the issue lies with either Shang Yue or Shang Xia,” Zhang Ruochen said after a moment’s thought. “It’s Shang Xia, isn’t it? Did you already guess the Heavenly Dao Arrow couldn’t kill me?”
Bai Qing’er said, “As the guide of the Burial Gold White Tiger, how could a single Heavenly Dao Arrow kill you?”
“So you already knew,” Zhang Ruochen said.
Bai Qing’er replied, “I only learned by chance after arriving at Ice King Star. Congratulations, Great Saint Ruochen, guarded by a divine spirit. Your future is boundless.”
“You know I’m guarded by a divine spirit, yet you dare oppose me?” Zhang Ruochen’s gaze sharpened.
Bai Qing’er said lightly, “The Burial Gold White Tiger in this era is but a sick cat, destined not to roar across the heavens. At least for now, I don’t fear it. If it appears and opposes me, it will surely die.”
The Burial Gold White Tiger’s voice rang in Zhang Ruochen’s ears, “I take back what I said. If you fight this woman, I’ll help you with all my strength, no limits. But you must be absolutely certain of victory. You cannot lose.”
Bai Qing’er wasn’t entirely boasting.
If she were powerful enough to force the Burial Gold White Tiger to use power beyond the world’s rules, it would face heavenly punishment, risking death.
She saw through both the Burial Gold White Tiger and Zhang Ruochen.
Zhang Ruochen said, “You knew the Heavenly Dao Arrow couldn’t kill me, yet you deliberately sent Shang Xia to retrieve my body. Did you predict I’d capture her instead of killing her?”
Bai Qing’er said, “With Shangguan Que in my hands, you wouldn’t kill Shang Xia. You need a bargaining chip to negotiate with me.”
“So, in the Goddess Tower, you deliberately hinted that my master was in your hands?” Zhang Ruochen stared into her eyes, trying to see through her heart with the Way of Truth.
But he saw only two abysses. Countless illusions appeared before him, his consciousness blurring, lulling him into sleep.
Bai Qing’er’s lips curved slightly.
“Chi Yao, I treated you like my beloved, why would you kill me?”
Zhang Ruochen roared, lunging forward, sitting up from the bed.
He realised he had fallen into a dream.
A nightmare!
In the dream, he was attacked by many cultivators, including Xiao Hei, Chi Yao, Kong Lanyou, A Le, Feng Yan, Xiang Chunan, the Blood Empress… Finally, Chi Yao’s sword pierced his forehead.
Waking, he found himself on a golden bed in an opulent room, ancient paintings hanging on the walls.
“Dust, another nightmare?”
Princess Lin, the consort of Yunwu Commandery’s king, entered in palace attire, her eyes full of concern.
“Mother?”
Zhang Ruochen looked at the familiar yet strange figure, feeling his current state was odd, yet everything seemed so real.
Princess Lin gently stroked his forehead, soothing him.
Zhang Ruochen basked in the warmth of maternal love, leaning closer. Suddenly, a sharp pain struck his head. Princess Lin’s face turned grotesque and terrifying, her fingers crushing his skull.
His soul flew from his body, seeing his corpse on the bed, skull shattered, blood flowing.
Princess Lin laughed maniacally, her voice chilling.
…
“Mother, why would you kill me?”
Zhang Ruochen roared, sitting up from the bed, gasping heavily.
Mu Lingxi, lying beside him in a fitted moon-white nightgown, sat up, her clear eyes filled with confusion, “What’s wrong?”
Zhang Ruochen touched his forehead, then looked at Mu Lingxi, pulling her into his arms, exhaling deeply, “Just a dream.”
With a sudden stab of pain in his chest, Zhang Ruochen pushed Mu Lingxi away, staring wide-eyed at the heart in her hand, then down at the bloody hole in his chest, his voice hoarse, “Why… why…”
Mu Lingxi tilted her head, sneering, “I’m also of the Immortal Blood Clan. I crave blood. Your heart should be delicious, shouldn’t it?”
…
The nightmares continued relentlessly, each time starting anew.
Yan Huangtu and Yan Zheixian couldn’t hear the conversation in the pavilion, but they recognised Bai Qing’er, knew her identity, and were aware of her conflict with Zhang Ruochen over the supreme source divine crystal, making them irreconcilable.
Suddenly, Zhang Ruochen collapsed onto the stone table, falling into a deep sleep, his body trembling, shouting in terror, his feet kicking, his hands twitching.
Gong Nanfeng calculated with his fingers, his face changing drastically as he looked at Bai Qing’er, “Disaster! Bai Qing’er is a source controller, having cultivated the Thirteen Chapters of Cloud Dream. Zhang Ruochen is trapped in her Seven-Soul Fear Dream.”
“That demoness is indeed trouble,” Yan Zheixian said, summoning her talisman brush to draw runes.
Gong Nanfeng stopped her, his face bitter, “Her cultivation is formidable. Even the three of us together would be crushed by a single finger.”
Yan Zheixian stared at Zhang Ruochen, writhing in agony, “What then? You must ask Black Corpse Brake to act. Only he can save Zhang Ruochen now.”
Being so close to Bai Qing’er, Gong Nanfeng had deduced much about her, but the more he knew, the graver his expression became. When Yan Zheixian urged him to seek Black Corpse Brake’s help, he remained silent, only shaking his head slightly.
Bai Qing’er heard Gong Nanfeng’s words, her gaze falling on him, instantly seeing through him, “No wonder you could deduce my secrets. I wondered who you were. So, you’re the artifact spirit of the Tian Shu Needle.”
Gong Nanfeng gave her a smile uglier than a cry.
Black Corpse Brake and Fei Zhong had already sensed Bai Qing’er’s presence and ceased fighting, but their mental energy enveloped the area, probing her cultivation level.
“You dare probe me? Such audacity,” Bai Qing’er said, her voice clear and gentle.
Sitting on the stone bench, she extended a hand into the void. A phantom universe appeared in her palm, with countless billions of saint dao rules flowing within, absorbing the mental energy of Black Corpse Brake and Fei Zhong.
Fei Zhong was horrified, his mental energy flowing uncontrollably.
Never had such a terrifying thing happened.
Could even a god do this?
“This woman is too strange. We can’t sit idly by. Shall we act together?” Black Corpse Brake said.
“Agreed,” Fei Zhong replied decisively, swinging his battle axe. A thousand-mile-long axe shadow slashed toward the stone pavilion.
Black Corpse Brake controlled the treasure seal, which grew to the size of a city, crushing layers of space as it followed the axe shadow toward Bai Qing’er.
