The ten Gates of Destiny shone like ten blazing suns, illuminating thousands of miles, with countless rules of fate, like invisible chains, binding the Seven-Star Emperor Palace.
Space seemed frozen, time appeared still.
Back then, when the Temple of Destiny clashed with the powerhouses of the ten dark forces, dozens of Gates of Destiny hung in the sky, but Zhang Ruochen was far away, thousands of miles distant, so he felt little of their terror, unaware of their dreadfulness.
But now, standing at the centre of the ten Gates of Destiny, he finally understood how terrifying that suppression was. It exerted an almost extreme oppression on spirit, cultivation, will, and state of mind.
Without great spirit and cultivation, one could not break through the suppression, facing instant defeat and death.
In his heart, Zhang Ruochen couldn’t help but secretly admire Blood Spirit Immortal, who, under such powerful suppression, could still take the lives of many powerhouses.
Not far away, Fei Zhong’s eyes were filled with fear.
It wasn’t that he hadn’t seen such grand scenes before; on the Great Saint Merit Battlefield, he had witnessed countless top Great Saints from the Heavenly Realm and Hell Realm engaged in fierce combat.
But he had never experienced a situation where just a few of them were surrounded and attacked by more than ten Supreme Realm Great Saints, including the former Divine Son of the Temple of Destiny, the First Life Emperor, and the strongest of the Death God Palace.
For any other Great Saint, there would be no choice but to self-detonate their Saint Source.
Fei Zhong glanced quietly at Bai Qing’er, seeing her remain calm and composed, and thought to himself, “She must be planning to use Zhang Ruochen and Tianyun Si’s Sikong to threaten the Temple of Destiny’s powerhouses, securing a chance to escape. It’s the only way!”
“No more nonsense, fight!”
Bai Qing’er radiated heroic spirit, showing no intention of using hostages to bargain for survival. A pure and radiant light of origin emanated from her, brighter than the ten suspended Gates of Destiny combined, shattering the rules of fate covering the Seven-Star Emperor Palace.
“She dares to… fight…”
Fei Zhong’s eyes nearly popped out, his heart filled with disbelief.
“Swish!”
Bai Qing’er charged out of the Seven-Star Emperor Palace, entering Xingluo’s Dao Domain Star Sea. Wherever she passed, stars annihilated, and the Dao Domain shattered.
Xingluo’s expression grew grave to the extreme, bursting out at a speed exceeding ten thousand times the speed of sound. The supreme power of the Ferocious Blade peaked instantly, thrusting towards the oncoming Bai Qing’er.
Bai Qing’er pressed out a palm, and an article appeared in her palm.
White words, all divine script, floated in the void.
As the words rippled, an ancient voice echoed in the starry sky, expounding the truths of the world, the joys and sorrows of mortal life.
“The Confucian Ancestor’s Prayer to Heaven, how does she master Confucian techniques? And from the Kunlun Realm, no less.” Zhang Ruochen’s brows furrowed.
“Rumble.”
The Ferocious Blade pierced through the sacred script, its edge grazing Bai Qing’er’s jade-white fingers, producing a metallic clang.
On her fingers, countless tiny words appeared, fine as dust, wriggling like tadpoles, unbreakable even by a supreme sacred artifact.
Xingluo’s eyes filled with shock, never imagining that a cultivator below the Divine Realm could confront a supreme sacred artifact barehanded, especially one wielded by him.
As they passed each other, their Dao Domains clashed, producing endless thunder and lightning.
Xingluo immediately sensed danger and turned to pursue her.
But Bai Qing’er had already stepped into the continental world beneath Tianxu Sha’s feet, pointing a finger as if a Buddha enlightening sentient beings, with ten thousand feet of Buddhist light appearing behind her, making her aura incomparably sacred.
Tianxu Sha’s shuttle-shaped weapon, carrying boundless divine power, struck precisely at her fingertip.
“Boom!”
Her fingertip met the divine weapon, sending energy ripples in all directions.
Bai Qing’er retracted her finger, forming a palm seal, and a three-inch golden Buddha with a smiling face appeared in her palm.
“Boom!”
The palm seal struck.
Bai Qing’er then turned her palm into a fist, with one hundred and eight golden-bodied Bodhisattva shadows appearing behind her, merging into her fist’s power. Amidst Buddhist chants, she unleashed one hundred and eight shockwaves.
In a flash, she delivered three strikes, fluid as flowing water.
“Rumble!”
The continental world beneath Tianxu Sha collapsed into fragmented floating islands, his body reeling backward as if struck heavily.
Purified by the Buddhist light, the deathly power on him faded significantly.
“Buddhist Finger, Maitreya Palm, Universal Salvation Fist. These are supreme Buddhist techniques!” Zhang Ruochen’s gaze grew even heavier.
Xingluo caught up to Bai Qing’er, invoking the power of the Ghost God Mask.
A massive ghost god figure rose behind him, delivering a heaven-shaking strike that bent the void.
Bai Qing’er’s right hand drew a circle, forming a thousand-foot Yin-Yang Taiji diagram, neutralizing the ghost god’s strike. Simultaneously, her left hand formed a lotus seal, blocking the Heavenly Fate Halberd swung by Wuyue Life Emperor.
The four figures fought faster and faster, becoming thousands of afterimages, their techniques and spells visible only to Supreme Realm Great Saints.
This battle left Fei Zhong dumbfounded.
Ten Supreme Realm Great Saints from the Temple of Destiny, upholding ten Gates of Destiny, exerted their full strength to suppress Bai Qing’er. Yet, even so, Bai Qing’er fought three against one, facing Xingluo, Wuyue Life Emperor, and Tianxu Sha without falling behind.
Gong Nanfeng quietly moved closer to Zhang Ruochen, his expression somewhat strange.
Zhang Ruochen glanced at him disdainfully, signaling him to stay away.
Gong Nanfeng transmitted, “Brother Ruochen, the moment you’ve been waiting for has come. Why not act?”
Zhang Ruochen didn’t transmit, speaking directly, “What are you talking about? I don’t understand.”
Gong Nanfeng looked anxious, saying, “At a time like this, with our relationship, can’t we be open? Now is the best opportunity. The Temple of Destiny’s powerhouses have suppressed Bai Qing’er. If you act, this demoness is sure to die.”
“I’m only at the Hundred-Shackle Realm.” Zhang Ruochen said.
Gong Nanfeng said, “You’re the only cultivator Bai Qing’er fears, so she dares not kill you. If you merge with the Burial Gold White Tiger, you can pose a fatal threat to her.”
“My sea of qi is still injured. Forcing a fight might ruin my cultivation.” Zhang Ruochen shrugged helplessly.
Gong Nanfeng glanced at the battlefield in the star sea, his expression growing more urgent, “The opportunity won’t come again. Don’t you want to kill that demoness and escape?”
“I can leave anytime I want.” Zhang Ruochen said.
Gong Nanfeng felt Zhang Ruochen was utterly spineless, missing such a rare opportunity.
Gritting his teeth, he said, “Fine, let’s escape now. Fei Zhong shouldn’t be able to stop you.”
“Escape? Why escape? I want to marry her, so I need to stay by her side to have a chance. As they say, proximity breeds opportunity.” Zhang Ruochen looked at Gong Nanfeng with a puzzled expression.
Gong Nanfeng felt like he was going to explode with frustration, deeply despising Zhang Ruochen.
That demoness is so terrifying, and you actually want to marry her? Can you handle her?
Hearing Zhang Ruochen’s words, Fei Zhong could guess that Gong Nanfeng was likely trying to incite Zhang Ruochen against Miss Bai.
How outrageous.
This Sikong from Tianyun Si may not have high cultivation, but he’s quite bold.
Fei Zhong stepped forward, grabbing Gong Nanfeng from behind like lifting a chicken, slamming him to the ground and stepping on him, his battle axe raised to strike.
“Hold on!”
Zhang Ruochen stopped Fei Zhong.
Gong Nanfeng, curled up in fear, his face pale as paper, whispered, “Brother Ruochen, save me.”
“This traitor has rebellious intentions and must be killed. Why do you stop me, Young Master Ruochen?” Fei Zhong said.
Zhang Ruochen said, “He’s the spirit of the Tianzhu Needle, of great use to Miss Bai. He can’t be killed.”
After much persuasion, Fei Zhong was finally convinced.
But while the death penalty was spared, punishment was not.
Fei Zhong kneaded Gong Nanfeng into a fist-sized lump, tossing it in his hand, with screams worse than a slaughtered pig coming from the “dough.”
Fei Zhong was a sensible man, knowing that though Bai Qing’er was fighting the Temple of Destiny’s cultivators, she could still hear Zhang Ruochen and Gong Nanfeng’s conversation. Even mental transmissions couldn’t escape her perception.
That’s why he needed to show absolute loyalty.
Zhang Ruochen had spoken that way earlier because he knew that even mental transmissions would be overheard by Bai Qing’er.
The Temple of Destiny’s powerhouses making a move was indeed an opportunity, but not a good one.
Because Zhang Ruochen could see that Bai Qing’er was merely using the Temple’s powerhouses to hone her skills, holding the initiative from start to finish.
Moreover, this opportunity was what Gong Nanfeng was waiting for, not what Zhang Ruochen awaited.
The two people Zhang Ruochen was waiting for had not yet arrived!
To achieve great things, one must know patience and recognize the best moment.
Especially when one’s strength is inferior to the opponent’s.
Zhang Ruochen stopped watching the battle outside and returned to the Seven-Star Emperor Palace, needing to secretly prepare something during this opportunity. Only with full preparation could he seize the moment when it came, delivering a fatal blow to Bai Qing’er.
…
Xingluo, battle-hardened, saw through Bai Qing’er’s intentions, realizing her cultivation was unfathomably deep, using them to refine herself. Her aura grew thicker by the moment.
“Use the Four Forbidden Scrolls!” Xingluo shouted.
The ten Supreme Realm Great Saints standing in the ten Gates of Destiny each took out a piece of an ancient scroll, channeling their full power to activate it.
The ten pieces formed a single scroll.
The scroll stretched ten thousand feet, casting down white mist like rain or a waterfall, enveloping Bai Qing’er.
The Four Forbidden Scrolls, a treasure of the Tianming Division, could be used against gods.
The four prohibitions—space, spirit, soul, and rules—were forged by the cultivators of the Temple of Destiny’s four divine palaces working together.
Under the four prohibitions, even the mightiest enemies could only surrender.
Enveloped by the Four Forbidden Scrolls, Bai Qing’er was indeed frozen beneath the scroll, like a stone statue, unable to move.
Even her soul and mental fluctuations vanished.
“What a formidable demoness, finally suppressed! I’ll slay her.”
Tianxu Sha rushed into the white mist, channeling the power of his inner world, his aura surging, approaching pseudo-god level, the pinnacle below divinity.
Fei Zhong sensed danger and wanted to act.
If Bai Qing’er were killed, how could he survive?
But sensing the fluctuations from Tianxu Sha, he had to give up. With his cultivation, charging in was no different from suicide.
Just as Tianxu Sha’s shuttle was about to pierce Bai Qing’er’s brow, the Four Forbidden Scrolls shook violently. Beneath the scroll, boundless chaotic energy emerged, centered on Bai Qing’er, forming a misty, chaotic spectacle.
“Not good, it’s the Chaos Dawn!”
Xingluo’s face changed drastically, trying to call back Tianxu Sha, but it was too late.
The Chaos Dawn referred to the second-grade holy intent, “Chaos Dawn Holy Intent.”
The Four Forbidden Scrolls could bind all things in heaven and earth, but not chaos.
“Dong!”
A melodious bell tolled from the depths of the chaos.
Tianxu Sha’s body exploded.
Where his body shattered, space began to expand, revealing glimpses of a vast world through spatial rifts.
“The legend is true. Tianxu Sha is indeed the world spirit of a great world, with the world within his body. Once he dies, the world will manifest, appearing in the starry sky of Ice King Star.” Fei Zhong thought.
“I am a world spirit; you cannot kill me.”
Tianxu Sha’s body quickly reformed, the expanding space contracting, the spatial rifts disappearing.
“Dong!”
Tianxu Sha retreated rapidly, but a second bell tolled, and his body exploded again.
At the chaos’s center, two rows of bronze bells appeared, sixty-five in total, exuding an ancient charm, as if existing since the dawn of creation.
“Chaos dawns, all things begin, heaven and earth are established.”
Bai Qing’er stood beside the bells, striking them with her fingers.
“Dong!”
“Dong!”
…
The bells rang rapidly, each toll shattering Tianxu Sha’s body.
After twenty-seven explosions, Tianxu Sha’s vitality was extinguished, unable to escape the chaos. A vast world, billions of miles wide, gradually manifested in space.
Everyone thought Tianxu Sha’s dying release of his world could suppress Bai Qing’er.
But the world was absorbed by the chaos, merging into Bai Qing’er’s holy intent.
As ten thousand miles appeared, ten thousand miles were consumed.
As a hundred thousand miles appeared, a hundred thousand miles were consumed.
Xingluo said with great difficulty, “It’s a complete second-grade holy intent. I never imagined, in our era, a Supreme Realm epoch-level genius would emerge, invincible below divinity. Let’s go. With our strength, we can’t kill her. No need for pointless sacrifice.”
“We may want to leave, but others may not let us.” Wuyue Life Emperor’s face showed resolve, with a bitter smile, “You take them and escape. I’ll hold her off. If this woman is from the Heavenly Realm, she must be eliminated today, no matter what.”
Xingluo gave Wuyue Life Emperor a deep look, understanding his intent, and said, “It hasn’t come to that. Though she’s reached epoch-level, I still sense flaws in her power, not as strong as legends suggest. Otherwise, she’d have killed Tianxu Sha in one strike, not twenty-seven.”
“Go, don’t hesitate. Find Yuan Qianmo and Yan Yu. Only the three of you together can subdue her, uncover her purpose, kill her, and avenge me. Of course, if I can kill her, that would be ideal.”
Wuyue Life Emperor, resolved, charged into the chaos, his body burning, his silhouette tragically heroic.
“Monks of the Tianming Division will defend the Temple of Destiny with their lives, unwavering unto death.”
