Yan Huangtu and Yan Zheixian watched Bai Qing’er step out of the stone pavilion, their eyes filled with deep wariness.
Bai Qing’er glanced at them, “You saw everything just now, didn’t you?”
“I didn’t expect Miss Bai to not only possess peerless beauty but also have reached such a terrifying level of cultivation,” Yan Huangtu said, his gaze sharp and cold, wary but not fearful.
Bai Qing’er shook her head with a smile, “Will you two end it yourselves, or shall I do it personally?”
“You demoness, you’re too arrogant. The Yanluo Clan will surely send a powerhouse to take your life,” Yan Zheixian said.
Bai Qing’er replied, “Yan Yu? I hope to meet him soon. Now, you still have a chance to end it yourselves. If I act, you may not leave whole corpses.”
Yan Huangtu gritted his teeth, intending to detonate his saint source.
But the moment the thought arose, a powerful mental force intervened, disrupting his saint energy and pushing his mental state to the brink of collapse.
Yan Zheixian fared no better, her eyes becoming vacant, as if she had turned into a clay figure.
They wanted to resist, but they had no strength to do so.
“Forget it, I’ll send you on your way myself,” Bai Qing’er said.
Zhang Ruochen stepped forward, positioning himself in front of Yan Huangtu and Yan Zheixian, releasing the “Star Sea Without Shore” truth form, dispelling Bai Qing’er’s mental suppression.
Instantly, Yan Huangtu and Yan Zheixian recovered.
They gasped heavily, as if they had just walked the edge of death.
They looked at Zhang Ruochen with strange expressions.
Bai Qing’er asked, “What are you doing?”
“I want to save their lives,” Zhang Ruochen said.
Bai Qing’er replied, “You can barely protect yourself. What makes you think you can save them?”
“Do you really think I have no strength to fight?” Zhang Ruochen said.
Bai Qing’er studied him, smiling faintly, “Finally unable to hold back, ready to call on the Burial Gold White Tiger?”
“If it comes to that, it’ll be mutual destruction,” Zhang Ruochen said.
Bai Qing’er looked at Yan Huangtu, then at Yan Zheixian, closely examining the Yanluo Clan’s prodigy, “You’re protecting her unborn child, threatening me for it? If I let you succeed this time, won’t I be constrained by you every time?”
“Just this once, I only want to save their lives,” Zhang Ruochen said firmly.
Yan Zheixian stared at Zhang Ruochen’s back, slightly moved.
She knew how powerful Bai Qing’er was and understood that with Zhang Ruochen’s current cultivation, defying her will could cost him his life.
Yet, it was precisely because Zhang Ruochen’s cultivation was far inferior to his opponent’s, and he still stood up without hesitation, that touched her heart, subtly shifting the prejudice she had always held against him.
Perhaps she hadn’t truly understood Zhang Ruochen before.
Bai Qing’er studied Yan Zheixian for a long moment, smiling, “Miss Zheixian, I’m curious. You’re clearly a maiden, so why are you pregnant?”
Yan Zheixian’s heart surged with shock, her carefully hidden secret exposed by Bai Qing’er’s words.
Zhang Ruochen’s expression remained unchanged, but he turned to look at Yan Zheixian.
Seeing her eyes, he instantly understood that this wasn’t Bai Qing’er’s trick. There was indeed something unusual about the child in Yan Zheixian’s womb.
Bai Qing’er looked at Zhang Ruochen, “She deceived you. Do you think she deserves to die?”
“Indeed, the child in my womb has nothing to do with him,” Yan Zheixian said, lifting her head defiantly, her eyes free of fear.
She didn’t want to drag Zhang Ruochen down and sought to distance herself from him.
Zhang Ruochen couldn’t die.
Only if he lived could he, at the right moment, keep Bai Qing’er in check to some extent.
Otherwise, she doubted even her second uncle, Yan Yu, could defeat Bai Qing’er.
“You heard her? I’m giving you a chance to kill her yourself,” Bai Qing’er said, stepping aside with her hands behind her back.
Zhang Ruochen carefully recalled the events in the stone coffin with Yan Zheixian, gradually piecing together the truth, roughly understanding what had happened.
It was likely related to the Blood Shadow Divine Mother.
“Why hesitate? Has Zhang Ruochen become so indecisive about killing?” Yan Zheixian said.
Yan Huangtu stood silently, knowing words were useless.
If Zhang Ruochen insisted on saving them, there might still be a chance. But now, the situation had changed, and survival seemed impossible. Zhang Ruochen wouldn’t risk death to defy Bai Qing’er.
Now wasn’t the time to challenge her.
Ignoring Yan Zheixian, Zhang Ruochen approached Bai Qing’er, spreading his hands and saying loudly, “Everyone in the world knows Yan Zheixian is my woman, carrying my child. If I kill her now, a mother and child, what will the world think of me? I won’t bear that reputation.”
“Don’t worry, no one will spread the word,” Bai Qing’er said.
Zhang Ruochen replied, “I don’t believe that. If I become a god in the future, a war god of the Immortal Blood Clan, and you use this to threaten me, I’d be at a disadvantage.”
“Fine, if you won’t act, I will,” Bai Qing’er said.
“No,” Zhang Ruochen stepped in front of her again.
“You’re testing my limits?” Bai Qing’er asked.
“No, he’s trying to save Yan Zheixian’s life because the child in her womb carries his bloodline, making it his biological daughter,” Gong Nanfeng stepped forward, speaking firmly.
Zhang Ruochen said, “What are you talking about?”
Gong Nanfeng explained, “The child in her womb was conceived from your blood, Yan Zheixian’s blood, and the divine power and essence of the Blood Shadow Divine Mother. You are undeniably the child’s biological father.”
Zhang Ruochen took a deep breath, staring at Bai Qing’er, “You heard him. Her life, I’m protecting.”
“The reincarnation of the Blood Shadow Divine Mother, how interesting,” Bai Qing’er said, shaking her head lightly. “Unfortunately, they must die. While I want to temper myself, I don’t want to provoke the ancient gods of the Yanluo Clan. Killing to silence them is the best solution. Zhang Ruochen, why not consult the Burial Gold White Tiger to see if it’s willing to perish with me?”
“I’ve made it clear. Her life, I’m protecting,” Zhang Ruochen said.
“You disappoint me. Since you seek death, I’ll grant it.”
Bai Qing’er lightly pushed out a palm, and snowflakes began to fall.
Zhang Ruochen felt space collapsing, the universe crumbling, heaven and earth inverting. Each snowflake was like an icy planet, capable of crushing not only him but all beings in the world.
“Red Dust Flying Snow,” Gong Nanfeng exclaimed nearby.
Bai Qing’er could remotely kill Black Corpse Brake. Once she acted, it would be earth-shattering.
A radiant golden light erupted from Zhang Ruochen, his body turning into a golden figure, his hair flowing with golden divine light, his battle intent soaring to the heavens.
With a tiger’s roar, the Yin-Yang Five Elements Saint Will merged into his right arm, forming an unparalleled palm seal.
He struck with a palm.
As the palm seal emerged, the shadow of the Burial Gold White Tiger appeared on him, exuding a majestic aura that could tear the heavens and earth.
With a deafening boom, their palms collided.
Zhang Ruochen’s golden tiger eyes locked with Bai Qing’er’s breathtakingly beautiful star-like eyes in a close confrontation.
They parted.
Bai Qing’er stood unmoved, her long hair fluttering, like an immortal in the snow. Zhang Ruochen flew back dozens of miles, still standing upright, but golden blood trickled from his mouth.
“You didn’t die from one palm? Stronger than Black Corpse Brake. Try another,” Bai Qing’er said.
With one hand behind her back, she drew a circle with her right hand, her palm manifesting a cycle of the five elements, faintly echoing Zhang Ruochen’s Yin-Yang Five Elements Saint Will.
Gong Nanfeng rushed between them, “Stop! There’s another way. We can erase their memories.”
Bai Qing’er retracted her palm seal, staring at Gong Nanfeng, gesturing for him to continue.
Gong Nanfeng said, “They’re too weak. Miss Bai has no need to kill them. You only want to silence them. Erasing their memories will suffice.”
“I’ve heard the Way of Destiny can restore memories,” Bai Qing’er said.
Gong Nanfeng smiled, “Even with the Way of Destiny, memories can only be restored within a certain time. Besides, if you use the Tian Shu Needle’s power to erase their memories, even a Divine Lord couldn’t restore them.”
“The artifact spirit is here, so the Tian Shu Needle must be nearby, right? On you?” Bai Qing’er asked.
“Miss Bai is so clever, how could you not know the Tian Shu Needle is with Brother Ruochen?” Gong Nanfeng said naturally, pointing at Zhang Ruochen.
Zhang Ruochen glanced at Gong Nanfeng, “The Tian Shu Needle is indeed with me, but Miss Bai already checked my spatial ring and didn’t find it, did you?”
“If I want to find it, I will,” Bai Qing’er said.
Zhang Ruochen replied, “I have billions of treasures, many with spirits and inner spaces. How long would it take you to find the Tian Shu Needle? And I might not have hidden it among them.”
“Give me the Tian Shu Needle, and I’ll spare their lives,” Bai Qing’er said.
Gong Nanfeng said helplessly, “Brother Ruochen, give it to her. You can’t keep it. I’ve deduced that your sea of qi hasn’t healed. If you keep fighting, your sea of qi might shatter, and your cultivation could be lost. Do you really want to perish with her? I understand your desire to protect the divine artifact for the Temple of Destiny, but we’re too weak to compete.”
“Shut up,” Zhang Ruochen glared at him.
Gong Nanfeng looked aggrieved, closing his mouth, muttering to himself, “I’m trying to help you, why glare at me?”
Zhang Ruochen retrieved the Tian Shu Needle, sealed by the Xuanwu Heaven-Swallowing Array, from his sea of qi. After a moment’s hesitation, he gave a bitter smile and handed it to Bai Qing’er.
Her palm brushed over it, and the array inscriptions, which Zhang Ruochen couldn’t break, snapped one by one, dissolving in moments.
The artifact spirit resisted fiercely, the Tian Shu Needle emitting blinding divine light, struggling to escape her grasp.
Bai Qing’er didn’t suppress the spirit, instead looking at Gong Nanfeng.
Gong Nanfeng gave a pained smile, nodded, and whispered something to the Tian Shu Needle. It calmed, its divine light retracting, lying quietly in Bai Qing’er’s palm.
Using the Tian Shu Needle’s power, Bai Qing’er erased the memories of Yan Huangtu and Yan Zheixian. With a wave of her sleeve, a cold wind swept them away, transforming them into two streaks of ghostly light heading toward Ice King Star.
Bai Qing’er looked at Zhang Ruochen, “I kept my promise, didn’t I?”
“If you hadn’t, I’d have fought to the death,” Zhang Ruochen said.
Bai Qing’er said, “I’m curious. What was your real reason for saving them? Their memories are erased, they won’t thank you.”
Zhang Ruochen’s golden light faded, and he wiped the blood from his mouth, “Why? Didn’t you already say?”
“I said?” Bai Qing’er, despite her supreme intelligence, looked puzzled.
Zhang Ruochen smiled, “I was testing your limits.”
Bai Qing’er’s face grew colder.
Zhang Ruochen continued, “You’re strong and clever, my greatest enemy right now. But I don’t know you well. I needed to understand you. This test showed me you’re not entirely unafraid of me. That’s likely why you didn’t kill me.”
“If I had unhesitatingly killed Yan Zheixian and Yan Huangtu?” Bai Qing’er asked.
Zhang Ruochen paused, “That would mean your heart is flawless, fearless of life or death, unstoppable by anyone or anything.”
“You think I fear death?” Bai Qing’er asked.
Zhang Ruochen replied, “Fearing death is human nature. But you’ve never faced life-or-death, so you fear it more. Your state in the Ten Thousand Deaths and One Life Realm is incomplete. Isn’t that why you stir up chaos, to address your weakness?”
After a long pause, Bai Qing’er laughed, “While you tested me, didn’t you notice I also tested the Burial Gold White Tiger’s current strength?”
“And?” Zhang Ruochen asked.
Bai Qing’er said, “Within the world’s rules, it’s far from threatening me. Zhang Ruochen, leave.”
“Where to?” Zhang Ruochen asked.
Bai Qing’er replied, “I’ve obtained the supreme source divine crystal and the Tian Shu Needle. You’re of no value now. Go wherever you want, just don’t stay by my side.”
“I’m not leaving. I’ll stay with you,” Zhang Ruochen said.
Bai Qing’er said, “I fear the Burial Gold White Tiger, but if you stay by my side, I have plenty of chances to kill you before it can react. Aren’t you afraid of death?”
“Of course I fear death. But I know you won’t let me leave,” Zhang Ruochen continued. “You only took one supreme source divine crystal. How could you let me go? You don’t want your identity exposed. If you let me leave, the Twelve Goddess Pavilions would be annihilated in an instant.”
“You’re letting me go just to capture me again, to achieve the goal of capturing me thrice, making me fully submit to you.”
“To avoid being captured a third time, I’ll stay by your side from now on.”
“You want to find a chance to kill me?” Bai Qing’er asked.
Zhang Ruochen said, “There’s no irreconcilable feud between us. Why kill you? Actually, I want to marry you.”
“You have that idea…” Bai Qing’er trailed off, stepping into the void toward Fei Zhong, “Since you’re awake, stop pretending to sleep.”
Gong Nanfeng approached Zhang Ruochen, whispering, “Do you really want to marry her?”
Zhang Ruochen glanced at him, pushed his face away, and refused to speak.
Before Gong Nanfeng and Zhang Ruochen’s eyes, Fei Zhong, the once-mighty Supreme Realm Great Saint, cut out his own tongue and knelt humbly before Bai Qing’er.
Bai Qing’er returned, Fei Zhong following subserviently like a servant.
She said, “Zhang Ruochen, you’re clever. Tell me, how can I storm the Source Divine Temple without anyone knowing my true identity?”
“You need a new identity,” Zhang Ruochen said.
“What kind of identity?” Bai Qing’er asked.
“Haven’t you already thought of it? You spared Fei Zhong and keep him by your side to show the world you’re a cultivator of the Celestial Court,” Zhang Ruochen said.
Bai Qing’er asked, “Who are the source controllers of the Celestial Court’s myriad realms?”
Before Zhang Ruochen could answer, Bai Qing’er’s appearance transformed into that of Fairy Hundred Flowers, Ji Fanchen, “The Ancient Illuminating Divine Lotus is more convincing. Besides, Fairy Hundred Flowers traveling with Zhang Ruochen won’t raise suspicion. If there’s doubt, it’ll be whether Zhang Ruochen has betrayed the Hell Realm. Staying by my side comes at a cost.”
