The spatial teleportation array in the Yasha Clan’s ancestral realm was of extremely high quality, beyond even Zhang Ruochen’s current spatial attainments to construct.
A powerful spatial fluctuation appeared in the pitch-black, boundless cosmic space. Zhang Ruochen and Yan Zhexian materialised at the centre of the fluctuation.
Zhang Ruochen surveyed his surroundings, spotting the light representing the Yasha Clan’s ancestral realm in the starry sky, roughly gauging the distance.
He said, “This is the limit of that teleportation array’s range. Is the direction correct?”
Ji Fanchen, in the guise of Yan Zhexian, transformed into Bai Qing’er’s appearance, nodded gently, and pointed with her jade finger in a direction opposite to the Yasha Clan’s ancestral realm, saying, “Look there.”
Zhang Ruochen cast his gaze.
In the direction Ji Fanchen indicated, there was utter darkness, an eerie void without a single star. Other directions, however, shimmered with starlight.
This contrast made the scene before them profoundly uncanny.
Zhang Ruochen said, “No mistake, this is the legendary Dark Triangle Starfield, the most terrifying forbidden zone at the edge of the Infernal Realm.”
According to the Seven-Handed Elder, the Qiankun Realm was located within the Dark Triangle Starfield.
To the north of the Dark Triangle Starfield lay the Yasha Clan’s ancestral realm. On the star map of the Infernal Realm’s edge, the starfield centred around the Hundred Clans’ Royal City was actually north of the Dark Triangle Starfield.
To the southwest was the Shura Star Pillar Realm.
Of course, the Shura Star Pillar Realm was not adjacent but separated by several light-years, trillions of miles.
To the southeast were the starfields of ancient civilisations like Tianchu and Thousand Stars, also vastly distant.
The true extent of the Dark Triangle Starfield remained unknown. A curious Great Saint once flew along one of its boundary lines for over a thousand years, yet failed to reach its end. Only after encountering a spatial wormhole did he return to the Infernal Realm.
Perhaps only powerful deities knew the specifics of the Dark Triangle Starfield.
The reason it was called a forbidden zone was not due to extraordinary dangers. In fact, monks who entered claimed it was extremely safe.
However, of a hundred monks who ventured in, only one or two returned.
The rest were lost within.
A mortal sailing the sea could at least navigate by the sun or stars. But monks entering the Dark Triangle Starfield completely lost their sense of direction.
Even Great Saints, venturing too deep, risked becoming lost.
“Did the Death Palace of the Temple of Fate set up a spatial teleportation array at the edge of the Dark Triangle Starfield when heading to Jiannan Realm?” Zhang Ruochen asked the Seven-Handed Elder in the Qiankun Realm.
The elder replied, “To my knowledge, no. After all, they deemed Jiannan Realm a barren world of limited value, not worth building a large-scale teleportation array.”
Zhang Ruochen summoned Xuetu from the Qiankun Realm, asking about the information he had gathered.
Before heading to Ice King Star, Zhang Ruochen had sent Xuetu to Jiannan Realm. Having little hope, he had not followed up.
Xuetu said proudly, “As per your orders, Senior Brother, I did visit Jiannan Realm once.”
“You actually went to Jiannan Realm?” Zhang Ruochen was quite surprised.
Xuetu grinned, “Alone, I wouldn’t dare venture into the Dark Triangle Starfield. I secretly followed the Corpse Clan’s monks there. Senior Brother, trust me, I have that much skill. Why else would Empress Xuehou take me as her disciple?”
Jiannan Realm had been sold by the Death Palace to the Ghost Clan’s “Disha Ghost City,” the Bone Clan’s “Zangjin Bone Sea,” and the Corpse Clan’s “Eternal Life Hall,” which Zhang Ruochen knew.
“In fact, Jiannan Realm is only at the edge of the Dark Triangle Starfield, with the closest point to the outside world just three or four hundred million miles away. With a fast enough sacred ship, it could be reached in three or four days.”
“Of course, without knowing Jiannan Realm’s exact location, a monk could wander the Dark Triangle Starfield for ten thousand years and still not find it.”
Suddenly, Xuetu recalled something and said cautiously, “Disha Ghost City, Zangjin Bone Sea, and Eternal Life Hall are building a teleportation array linking Jiannan Realm to the outside world. They likely see it as a key corpse and ghost ranch.”
Zhang Ruochen pondered and asked, “How many experts have these three forces stationed in the Dark Triangle Starfield and Jiannan Realm? Any sacred armies?”
Xuetu shook his head, “For a mere barren world, deploying a sacred army is unlikely. Such corpse and ghost ranches typically have three to five Great Saints managing them.”
“However, because of you, Senior Brother, the three forces have heavily reinforced Jiannan Realm. There are dozens of Great Saints openly present, and surely more hidden experts, though my cultivation couldn’t detect them.”
“From my analysis, even if they sent experts to lie in wait at Jiannan Realm, they wouldn’t be too formidable. After all, when you declared in the Goddess Tower your intent to seize Jiannan Realm, your cultivation and combat strength weren’t as impressive as now.”
Zhang Ruochen gave Xuetu a look of newfound respect.
With his Immortal Realm cultivation, Xuetu had accomplished such a difficult task, displaying remarkable ability. No wonder Blood Absolute War God had sent him to the Sword Tomb to rescue the Nether King.
Xuetu hesitated, “Senior Brother, I have a question, not sure if I should ask.”
“Speak!”
Xuetu, puzzled, said, “Many monks know the Origin Temple will likely appear in the Hundred Clans’ Royal City. At such a critical moment, why abandon the greater prize to seize Jiannan Realm?”
To Xuetu, the Origin Temple was far more important than a mere Jiannan Realm. Even scavenging scraps there would outvalue a barren world.
Zhang Ruochen didn’t answer, saying instead, “How far is this place from the strongholds of Disha Ghost City, Zangjin Bone Sea, and Eternal Life Hall?”
Xuetu felt anxious, thinking Zhang Ruochen failed to prioritise, and wanted to persuade him again. But seeing Zhang Ruochen’s cold gaze, he held back.
Observing the star patterns, Xuetu calculated silently, then pointed, “That direction, about three billion miles.”
“So far?” Zhang Ruochen frowned.
Xuetu said, “Senior Brother, compared to the entire Dark Triangle Starfield, that’s extremely close!”
Zhang Ruochen looked at Ji Fanchen.
She nodded, “The direction matches.”
“It seems the Seven-Handed Elder spoke the truth. The Origin Temple might indeed be in Jiannan Realm,” Zhang Ruochen said.
Xuetu’s ears perked up, his eyes darting, “Senior Brother, what did you just say?”
“Don’t ask what you shouldn’t. Know which kind of people die fastest?” Zhang Ruochen said.
“Understood, I won’t ask. From now on, I’ll follow you and Sister-in-law closely. At the Origin Temple, you take the treasures first, just leave me a sip of the broth.”
Xuetu’s face glowed with excitement, his heart nearly bursting.
He had clearly heard Zhang Ruochen say, “The Origin Temple is in Jiannan Realm.”
Heavens! If true, even trailing Zhang Ruochen for scraps would make Supreme Realm cultivators and demigods envious.
Why the Origin Temple was in Jiannan Realm, he no longer cared to ponder. Zhang Ruochen, a once-in-an-eon genius with great destiny, wouldn’t speak falsely.
What use was having a divine father?
Better to have a once-in-an-eon genius as a senior brother.
Even basking in his destiny could propel one skyward.
Xuetu thought of his father, whose talent wasn’t extraordinary in youth, but being close friends with the young Blood Absolute War God, he not only reached divinity but survived the first eon tribulation, becoming a hegemon of the Blood Sky Tribe.
Xuetu could hardly wait, wishing for extra blood wings to fly to Jiannan Realm immediately.
Zhang Ruochen calculated silently. Even with his current cultivation, using the ten-thousand-times sonic merit armour and travelling at full speed, it would take nearly twenty days to reach the three forces’ stronghold.
“I have a sub-divine ship, a failed creation of my master. It can travel three billion miles in a day.”
Ji Fanchen took out a palm-sized flower ship from her sleeve and tossed it out.
Under sacred energy, the ship rapidly expanded into a hundred-zhang-long vessel. Its wooden structure bore vibrant exotic flowers and plants, strikingly beautiful.
Xuetu was stunned, “This… is a sub-divine ship?”
Zhang Ruochen narrowed his eyes, observing closely, also puzzled. Compared to sacred ships crafted by Great Saints, this vessel seemed ordinary and small. How could it be sub-divine?
Was it made of divine wood?
“A ship isn’t stronger just because it’s larger,” Ji Fanchen said.
Gracefully, like an immortal, she floated onto the ship.
Zhang Ruochen and Xuetu followed, stepping onto the deck amidst vibrant flowers, only then sensing its extraordinariness.
The surrounding wood-attributed sacred energy was immensely rich, brimming with life. In some areas, wood-attributed divine energy even seeped from the soil.
“At least three eons old, an Immortal Finger.”
“My heavens, is this the legendary Eternal Life Flower? Even a drop of dew from its petals could extend a dying Great Saint’s life by a century. It’s half a divine medicine, with potential to become true divine medicine.”
At the ship’s centre, under a twenty-metre-tall crimson exotic flower, Xuetu couldn’t resist reaching out.
“Boom!”
His finger triggered a restriction.
Xuetu flew out like a ball, charred and unconscious in the flowerbed.
The ship activated, soaring at unparalleled speed.
The sub-divine ship was naturally not just about fast flight speeds.
Zhang Ruochen explored various areas of the ship, discovering numerous powerful divine patterns and some inscrutable array inscriptions. It was difficult to estimate how strong the defensive and offensive capabilities would be when these divine patterns and array inscriptions were activated.
Perhaps this ship was Ji Fanxin’s confidence in daring to meet Bai Qinger.
…
The starry sky seemed eternally still, with dazzling meteors occasionally streaking past, plunging into the dark, stagnant, black pool-like Great Triangle Star Domain, quickly fading as their light dimmed.
The sub-divine ship sailed along the edge of the dark star domain, covering a hundred thousand miles with each breath.
About a day later, they reached the vicinity of the star domain where the three major forces were stationed.
Zhang Ruochen stood on the ship, gazing into the distance.
There, he saw a black corpse mountain, a metal ghost tower over ten thousand metres tall, and the colossal skeleton of a Great Saint beast, all floating at the edge of the dark star domain.
On the corpse mountain, palaces, caves, and stone bridges were built, along with waterfalls formed from the foul waters of the Yellow Spring.
Around the metal ghost tower, eight floating rope bridges extended in eight directions, with ghost soldiers and generals escorting groups of souls into the tower.
The skeleton of the Great Saint beast was even larger than the corpse mountain and ghost tower. Roads wide enough for galloping horses were constructed on its leg bones, while caves were carved into its ribs.
At the skull’s mouth, there was a massive blood pool. Bone Clan cultivators were pushing living beings into it, their bodies melting, flesh peeling away, transforming into bones and joining the ranks of bone soldiers.
At the centre of the corpse mountain, ghost tower, and Great Saint beast skeleton, a flat floating island was built, connected by iron chains and air bridges.
On the island, over a dozen black-robed undead cultivators were constructing a large-scale spatial teleportation array. Corpse soldiers, ghost generals, and bone troops continuously transported materials to it.
Ji Fanxin sighed, “See that? For the cultivators of the Hell Realm, once they discover a great world, they treat its cultivators, mortals, beasts, and demons as food, prey, or sources of soldiers.”
“They never consider what happens when all the living beings in those great worlds are gone. They’d likely turn on each other, and in the end, the entire universe would fall into silence.”
“This is the fate of those who only know destruction and not creation, who only know death and not life.”
“Do you know why the Shura, Rakshasa, and Immortal Blood Clans are only considered the lower three clans? It’s not because they lack power, but because most of them are living beings.”
Zhang Ruochen understood that she was warning him that the Hell Realm was not a place to linger. If the Hell Realm defeated the Heavenly Court, the first to perish would be the living beings of the Hell Realm.
In the Hell Realm, death was the fundamental ideology.
When living beings helped the undead kill other living beings, they would inevitably be killed by the undead themselves one day.
Zhang Ruochen said, “What happens if one only knows life and not death?”
Ji Fanxin was momentarily taken aback.
As a cultivator of the Way of Life, she had never considered the question in reverse.
“Life and death must coexist, and there needs to be a balance between them. Three hundred thousand years ago, the Twenty Heavens could maintain this balance, and the universe thrived. That balance was broken, and now someone, or a group of people, must restore it and establish a new order.” Zhang Ruochen gazed at the stars as he spoke.
Ji Fanxin looked at him, feeling that at this moment, he exuded a unique charm, a fatal allure, like nectar to a bee or a flame to a moth.
At that moment, she was the greedy bee and the irrational moth.
“Of course, with our current cultivation, we don’t need to think about such things. In this unbalanced era, we can’t even control our own fates, let alone the universe.”
Zhang Ruochen drew the Ancient Abyss Sword, its blade cold as frost, and glanced at Ji Fanxin, saying, “With your mental strength, can you stop them from sending messages?”
“It shouldn’t be a problem,” Ji Fanxin, veiled, replied softly.
Xue Tu, who had been pretending to be unconscious, suddenly sprang up and said, “Senior Brother, I want to fight alongside you.”
With a swish, Zhang Ruochen ignored him, performing a Great Spatial Shift, covering a thousand miles with each step.
In an instant, he arrived near the stronghold of the three forces, hovering in the void, radiating divine fire as brilliant as the sun.
On the central floating island, the dozen black-robed undead setting up the spatial teleportation array were the first to sense his power fluctuations and looked over.
“Why has a sun suddenly appeared?”
“No, it’s a Great Saint, a very powerful one.”
“Who is it? Such a strong aura. Is it someone from your Longevity Hall?”
While the lower-cultivation undead cultivators were still discussing, a massive black sword, ten thousand zhang long, appeared above them, as if it could cleave the heavens and earth, slashing down.
“Quick, activate the defensive array!”
…
With a deafening boom, the Ancient Abyss Sword, now in its giant form, split the black corpse mountain in two. Palaces collapsed, stone bridges broke, waterfalls sprayed, and countless Corpse Clan cultivators scattered into the void.
The giant sword swept horizontally, shattering the Great Saint beast skeleton.
Huge bone fragments flew into the distant starry sky.
Only powerful Saint Realm bone cultivators flew out like specks of light, roaring with fury and cursing coldly.
Zhang Ruochen struck a third blow, targeting the metal ghost tower over ten thousand metres tall.
Inside the tower, a prominent ghost figure activated the defensive array. Strange, dense patterns appeared on the tower’s surface, glowing with dark light.
With a loud crash, the giant sword was halted dozens of zhang from the tower, unable to break through the dark light.
A deep voice echoed from the tower, shaking the cosmos, “Zhang Ruochen, you’ve actually delivered yourself to us. I’ve been waiting for you.”
“So it’s Zhang Ruochen.”
The dozen black-robed undead on the central floating island united, unleashing spatial powers. Dense spatial rifts formed a storm, surging towards Zhang Ruochen.
Zhang Ruochen grabbed at the void, and the Ancient Abyss Sword returned to its original size, landing in his hand.
Then, merging with the sword, he ignored the oncoming spatial storm, transforming into a swift sword light and charging towards the metal ghost tower.
The sword light pierced through the spatial storm, growing brighter.
It took the form of a massive flower.
“One Thought, Flower Blooms!”
The giant flower struck the tower’s surface, causing the dark array light to tremble violently. Sword rays shot out like needles, piercing the array and entering the tower.
All the undead in the star domain stared at the ghost tower, utterly shocked.
How could Zhang Ruochen be this powerful?
The tower’s defensive array couldn’t stop him.
After a brief silence, a booming sound rang out as the metal ghost tower collapsed layer by layer from top to bottom, reduced to metal fragments.
Two figures, one white and one black, flew out from the tower’s base, locked in fierce combat.
The white figure was naturally Zhang Ruochen.
The black figure, clad in ghost armour with flowing black hair, was a powerhouse at the One Life, Ten Thousand Deaths Realm, Meng, a feared figure in both the Heavenly Court and Hell Realm.
He was the Ghost Lord’s sixth son, Xu’s elder brother, and Miao’s younger brother.
Seeing this, the undead scattered across the star domain realised the danger. Zhang Ruochen was far stronger than they had anticipated.
Some cultivators sent out communication talismans.
The talismans didn’t travel far before inexplicably halting, then exploding into jade powder.
“A mental power Great Saint is hiding in the shadows.”
More cultivators sent out talismans like a rain of signals, hoping to summon reinforcements.
But no matter how many talismans flew out, they all exploded and were destroyed in a certain area.
Fear spread.
Zhang Ruochen must have brought powerful allies, intending to wipe them all out, leaving none alive.
As they prepared to flee in different directions, Meng’s scream rang out.
The battle was decided.
Zhang Ruochen executed an extraordinary sword technique, summoning time imprints from the heavens and earth.
The imprints formed a bright moon, and under its light, time seemed to freeze. Meng stood motionless, pierced through the chest by Zhang Ruochen’s sword.
Meng’s ghost body shattered under the sword’s energy.
His soul was obliterated by Zhang Ruochen’s sword soul, scattered completely.
He fell entirely, with no chance to reform his ghost body.
The heavens and earth fell silent, and all the cultivators present were stunned.
That was Meng, the Ghost Lord’s sixth son, a powerhouse of the One Life, Ten Thousand Deaths Realm with the potential to become a god, killed just like that by Zhang Ruochen?
It felt too surreal; no cultivator wanted to believe it was true.
It must be an illusion.
Only when Zhang Ruochen emerged from a cloud of ghost mist, seizing Meng’s Saint Source, did they snap awake, fleeing in all directions like mad.
With a whoosh, Zhang Ruochen refined Meng’s remnant soul within the Saint Source. Purple vines covered in thunder and fire light sprouted from his back.
The vines split from one to a hundred, a hundred to ten thousand, ten thousand to a million, soon covering a thousand miles, forming a sea of vine leaves and thunder fire, ensnaring and imprisoning one undead after another.
Zhang Ruochen strode forward, and behind him, Moyin’s enchanting, seductive figure appeared, her eyes wild with excitement. All the vines extended from her hair.
She treated the undead cultivators as nourishment, consuming them and converting them into Saint Path Rules within her body, rapidly increasing her cultivation.
The Saint-Eating Flower’s cultivation method was entirely different from other cultivators. After merging with a Dharma body, it reached the Supreme Realm, but it only had one trillion Saint Path Rules in its body.
However, given enough high-quality nourishment, it could continuously improve its cultivation.
Other cultivators were different. They needed to accumulate Saint Path Rules over a long period in the One Life, Ten Thousand Deaths Realm. The more rules accumulated, the stronger the initial Supreme Dharma Body they could condense, and the higher their potential in the Supreme Realm.
Generally, the upper limit was two to three times the initial Supreme Dharma Body.
For example, a Great Saint who accumulated three trillion Saint Path Rules at the peak of the One Life, Ten Thousand Deaths Realm could use them to form a Supreme Dharma Body.
Their upper limit in the Supreme Realm would then be between six trillion and nine trillion Saint Path Rules.
They could never reach ten trillion to become a demigod.
Without becoming a demigod, they could not become a god.
Thus, Great Saints with ambitions to become gods typically aimed to accumulate four trillion Saint Path Rules at the peak of the One Life, Ten Thousand Deaths Realm before breaking through. However, most could not achieve this.
A black light flashed as the Shenyuan Ancient Sword wove through dense vines. With the clanging of metal collisions, the weapons of struggling Saint Realm undead were devoured and refined by the sword one by one.
When Xuetu arrived, the battle was already over. Seeing the sea of thunder and fire vines before him, a surge of heat rushed from his heart to his head.
No mistake!
Following Zhang Ruochen indeed brought good fortune.
During the Hunt for Heaven, the Saint Devouring Flower’s strength was merely at the Thousand Inquiries Realm Great Saint level. How long had it been? Now, its power likely surpassed even peak Life-Death Realm Great Saints, perhaps even reaching the Supreme Realm.
Ji Fanchen stowed the sub-divine ship and landed on the floating island housing the spatial teleportation array.
Around the array, black-robed undead corpses and skeletal remains lay scattered, all slain by Zhang Ruochen. Only one black-robed Ghost Clan member stood frozen, bound by the Nether Light Curse.
Zhang Ruochen activated the Sundial, slowing the flow of time on the island, then meticulously studied the teleportation array, nodding repeatedly, “Brilliant, truly brilliant. Your mastery of spatial teleportation arrays surpasses even mine.”
Constructing an array spanning hundreds of millions of miles was more complex than a ninth-grade formation.
It required formation mastery at the Earth Master level.
Spatial attainment had to be exceptional.
Mental strength needed to exceed the sixty-ninth tier.
All three conditions had to be met, along with vast quantities of rare spatial materials, to create such an array.
Undeniably, the Ghost Clan Great Saint was a remarkable talent.
Xuetu landed on the island, laughing, “Senior Brother, you may not know, this Master Night Wanderer is a figure on par with the Gambling God Seven-Handed Elder, one of the twelve eccentric rogue cultivators of the Infernal Realm. Only someone with your spatial mastery could detain him. For others, it’s like climbing the heavens. Disha Ghost City must have paid a steep price to hire him for this array.”
In truth, Xuetu was astonished. He knew Master Night Wanderer’s mental strength reached the sixty-ninth tier, with cultivation likely at the peak of the Life-Death Realm.
Even if Zhang Ruochen’s spatial mastery outstripped Night Wanderer’s, preventing his escape, how could a curse immobilise him?
“Zhang Ruochen is truly unfathomable, hiding some extraordinary trump card. Master Night Wanderer, with experience escaping a pseudo-god, couldn’t flee from him,” Xuetu thought, deeply shaken, feeling a mix of awe and fear.
Of course, Xuetu didn’t know that restraining Night Wanderer was a joint effort between Zhang Ruochen and the Seven-Handed Elder.
The elder had used the Ten Thousand Curses Heavenly Pearl to cast the Nether Light Curse.
Night Wanderer could never have anticipated that Zhang Ruochen’s inner world harboured an expert with mental strength equal to his own, catching him off guard and leading to his downfall.
Zhang Ruochen’s spatial mastery indeed surpassed Night Wanderer’s, though he focused more on offensive techniques than teleportation arrays.
“Zhang Ruochen, give me a quick death. This master will never yield. Kill me, refine my soul, let it scatter!” Night Wanderer’s voice was hoarse, yet resolute.
Ji Fanchen showed admiration, “Master Night Wanderer is as legendary, fearless of death. Such a figure, even in the Infernal Realm, is a hero. If there’s no past enmity, let him go!”
Clearly, unlike other Paradise Realm monks, Ji Fanchen didn’t believe every Infernal Realm monk deserved death.
This was why she continued to treat Zhang Ruochen as a friend rather than an enemy.
Night Wanderer’s gaze sharpened, “This master needs no pity from any monk. For divine stones, I agreed to build this array for Disha Ghost City, only to fall to their enemy. It’s fate. What joy in life, what fear in death? It’s not my first time.”
Xuetu’s heart was shaken again, witnessing a truly fearless figure who viewed life and death so lightly.
Beyond admiration, he could find no words to describe his feelings.
The Seven-Handed Elder transmitted to Zhang Ruochen with a laugh, “Trust me, if you try to kill him, he’s the biggest coward. He claimed to have escaped a pseudo-god, but in truth, he knelt, wept, called the pseudo-god ‘father,’ and offered all his divine stones to be spared. That pseudo-god was younger than him.”
Zhang Ruochen, expressionless, approached Night Wanderer, the Shenyuan Ancient Sword in hand, “Fine, I’ll grant your wish. Your soul will feed my eighteen Six-Tribulation Ghost Kings.”
“Zhang Ruochen!”
Night Wanderer suddenly roared, tears streaming down as he said earnestly, “I’ve heard humans are compassionate. Since you have human blood, I beg you, after killing me, protect a certain planet.”
“That planet holds humans I secretly saved. Their world was destroyed, homes lost, families torn apart. If I die, the Ghost Clan monks will slaughter them, devouring their souls. Please, protect that planet. I beg you!”
“Alright, I promise,” Zhang Ruochen gripped the sword with both hands, summoning the Earth Sword Soul, adjusting his stance to strike.
“Zhang Ruochen!”
Night Wanderer shouted again, “You… you haven’t asked where that planet is.”
“No matter. With the Blood Absolute Clan’s resources, I’ll find it.”
Zhang Ruochen adjusted his stance again.
Ji Fanchen, unable to bear it, stopped him, “Zhang Ruochen, can you spare him for my sake?”
“No. Any monk holds grudges. Sparing him invites endless trouble,” Zhang Ruochen said firmly.
Ji Fanchen replied, “I’ll use the favour you owe me to trade for his life.”
“That’s no small favour,” Zhang Ruochen said.
“I know,” Ji Fanchen replied.
Zhang Ruochen sighed inwardly, understanding why Mandala Flower God sealed her cultivation and mental strength, forcing her to train from the lowest realms.
She lacked tempering.
Someone like her, against cunning divine old foxes or even Xuetu, could be easily outwitted.
Of course, among her peers, Ji Fanchen was exceptionally wise. It was just that Night Wanderer was too crafty, exploiting human weaknesses.
From the moment Zhang Ruochen only subdued him without killing, Night Wanderer knew he wouldn’t die.
Thus, he feigned fearlessness to earn respect, increasing his chances of survival.
When Zhang Ruochen moved to kill, he switched tactics, playing the emotional card to stir compassion and make Zhang Ruochen hesitate.
After all, killing him would doom a planet of humans.
Without the Seven-Handed Elder’s insight into Night Wanderer, even Zhang Ruochen, with his Heart of Truth, might have been deceived, let alone the life-embracing Ji Fanchen.
Seeing Zhang Ruochen hesitate, Night Wanderer spoke righteously, “Lady, no need to plead for me. I escaped a pseudo-god, yet fell to a Hundred Shackles Realm Great Saint. Meeting such an unparalleled prodigy satisfies me. To die by the hand of a once-in-an-eon genius is my honour.”
His voice choked, “Zhang Ruochen, after killing me, go to that planet immediately. The humans there can’t survive a moment without me. Please, I beg you! Kill me now!”
“You heard him. He seeks death,” Zhang Ruochen said to Ji Fanchen, raising his sword to strike.
Before the sword fell, Night Wanderer dropped to his knees, raising a hand, shouting, “Father, wait!”
Ji Fanchen and Xuetu froze, staring in disbelief.
What was happening?
Zhang Ruochen was slightly taken aback, not by Night Wanderer’s kneeling—he’d expected the cowardice—but by how quickly Night Wanderer had partially undone the Nether Light Curse, regaining mobility, though his mental strength and cultivation remained bound.
Truly an eccentric genius.
Night Wanderer pressed his hands to the ground, kowtowing three times, then looked up, teary-eyed, at Zhang Ruochen, “I’ve thought it over. I can’t abandon those humans. For them, I must live, even if it means kneeling or calling someone father. I must endure.”
“Father, will you accept me? From now on, I’m at your command.”
Ji Fanchen and Xuetu realised the legendary eccentric “Master Night Wanderer” was no stalwart, his fear of death surpassing even mortals.
Ji Fanchen felt ashamed and angry, a cold glint in her eyes.
She thought she’d seen enough of the world to read hearts, but clearly, her experience was lacking.
She soon regained calm, convincing herself this would only make her grow, vowing not to repeat the mistake.
Night Wanderer, at least twenty thousand years old, calling Zhang Ruochen “father” made Zhang want to strike him down for real.
Zhang Ruochen knew Night Wanderer was a talent, like the Seven-Handed Elder, irreplaceable in certain fields.
More importantly, he was a rogue cultivator.
Such a talent, if harnessed, would be invaluable.
Zhang Ruochen crouched to eye level, “From the start, I never intended to kill you.”
Night Wanderer’s eyes flashed with cunning.
Zhang Ruochen patted his shoulder, “I don’t want such an old adopted son, but I’ll make an exception and take you as a named disciple.”
Knowing he’d been outplayed, Night Wanderer dropped his façade, sneering coldly.
To survive, he could kneel, call someone father.
In dire times, drastic measures.
What was more important than survival?
But inwardly, he scorned a Hundred Shackles Realm Great Saint.
Zhang Ruochen said, “My cultivation is low, perhaps unworthy of being your master. But consider this: as my disciple, you’d be Saint Monk Xumi’s grand-disciple. Not every monk qualifies for that. If you want to advance your spatial mastery or achieve divinity, think carefully. Your lifespan is running short, isn’t it?”
With that, Zhang Ruochen returned to studying the unfinished teleportation array.
