As expected, Master Night Wanderer’s prediction was correct, and Gu Shejing’s attention fell on Zhang Ruochen.
Just as Master Night Wanderer was secretly mustering his spiritual power, preparing to escape, he heard the enchantress from Luo Zu Yunshan Realm say, “Zhang Ruochen, didn’t you say we had the closest relationship? Why didn’t you tell me and came to the Origin Temple alone? Do you know how much this hurts my feelings?”
Master Night Wanderer froze. What was going on?
Why did this enchantress sound so resentful?
Zhang Ruochen replied, “We were indeed allies once, but when I was targeted by various forces at the Goddess Tower on Ice King Star and the Oyin Asteroid Belt, why didn’t I see you, Gu Shejing, step in to help?”
Gu Shejing detected the coldness in Zhang Ruochen’s tone, completely unlike before when he would at least feign affection with her.
Seven Hands Elder crawled out from the depths of the mud, his eyes bloodshot, glaring fiercely at Gu Shejing but not daring to act recklessly, wary of her.
He looked at Zhang Ruochen and said, “Senior Brother, this enchantress stole my treasure. You can’t ignore this. We must call upon the deity to suppress her.”
Gu Shejing’s heart skipped a beat. She released her spiritual power and carefully sensed her surroundings, indeed detecting the pure residual power of a deity in the nearby sea.
Could it be that Zhang Ruochen had already brought the deity from the Blood Absolute Clan to the Origin Temple?
Master Night Wanderer slapped his forehead. How could he forget that the Blood Absolute Clan’s deity was nearby? Why fear a mere enchantress?
With a righteous expression, Master Night Wanderer stepped forward and said, “Master, if we are to fight, just give the order. Are we afraid of Luo Zu Yunshan Realm?”
Across from them, Gu Shejing let out a soft laugh, her slender waist trembling with captivating beauty, and said, “What a mess of titles. How did you take two old monsters as your junior brothers and disciples?”
“Since I accepted him as my disciple, his matters are my matters. Gu Shejing, if you don’t want us to become enemies, return the Divine Incense Mushroom,” Zhang Ruochen said.
Seven Hands Elder felt little emotion. Zhang Ruochen demanding the Divine Incense Mushroom was likely just to claim it for himself. How could he possibly offend Gu Shejing and Luo Zu Yunshan Realm for him?
Seven Hands Elder was well aware of the ambiguous and entangled relationship between Zhang Ruochen and Gu Shejing.
Gu Shejing’s expression grew even more resentful as she huffed, “For an old monster and a single Divine Incense Mushroom, you’re willing to fall out with me? Are you, Zhang Ruochen, truly so heartless?”
Zhang Ruochen stood with his sword, calm and composed, as if the Nether King were truly nearby.
“It’s just a worthless mushroom. What’s so special about it? With my cultivation, I have no use for it. Here, take it back.”
In a petulant, angry manner, Gu Shejing took out the Divine Incense Mushroom and tossed it over.
Zhang Ruochen caught it from a distance and handed it to Seven Hands Elder.
Seven Hands Elder’s wrinkled face froze, catching the Divine Incense Mushroom in a daze, his expression complex as he stammered, “This…”
For someone as calculating as him, he was now at a loss for words.
This was the Divine Incense Mushroom, a supreme treasure. If Zhang Ruochen wanted to keep it, who would dare object? Even if Seven Hands Elder was unwilling, he could only swallow his grievance.
Yet, Zhang Ruochen had truly risked offending Gu Shejing and Luo Zu Yunshan Realm to retrieve it for him and personally handed it over.
This deeply moved Seven Hands Elder, who had always harboured ulterior motives.
“Zhang Ruochen must see through my disloyalty, yet he tolerates me. He must know the value of the Divine Incense Mushroom, yet he reclaimed it for me. Perhaps joining the Blood Absolute Clan is not a bad choice.”
As a rogue cultivator for over twenty thousand years, Seven Hands Elder had always refused to join any faction, even rejecting invitations from deities, because he trusted no faction, let alone deities.
In his view, every cultivator in the world was selfish.
Zhang Ruochen might also be selfish, but after following him for so long, Seven Hands Elder could see that Zhang Ruochen was never stingy with his followers.
He also saw that Zhang Ruochen was different from other cultivators in the Hell Realm. This young man had ideals and grand ambitions.
Such a person, if he did not fall, would surely achieve greatness.
“Thank you, Senior Brother.”
After a long pause, Seven Hands Elder put away the Divine Incense Mushroom and deeply bowed to Zhang Ruochen.
This voluntary bow said everything.
Master Night Wanderer was unaware of the profound change in Seven Hands Elder’s mindset but was shocked by Gu Shejing’s actions. Was Zhang Ruochen’s charm so great that even the heir of Luo Zu Yunshan Realm would willingly return the Divine Incense Mushroom for him?
Moreover, Zhang Ruochen had actually given it back to Seven Hands Elder.
“Following Zhang Ruochen might really be worthwhile. At least I won’t have to worry about him forcibly taking my treasures. Plus, I can leverage the Blood Absolute Clan’s influence to intimidate enemies,” Master Night Wanderer thought to himself.
“Let’s go!”
Zhang Ruochen gave Gu Shejing a deep look and turned to leave.
His priority was to rendezvous with Ji Fanxin as soon as possible. Finding the Origin Mystery would be ideal, but if not, they had to leave the Origin Temple quickly.
After all, deities from the Paradise Realm and Hell Realm could arrive at any moment.
Master Night Wanderer, quick on his feet, hurriedly collected the divine corpse.
With a flash of red, Gu Shejing appeared beside Zhang Ruochen, explaining, “At the Goddess Tower on Ice King Star, you were the one who stepped forward to confront Bai Qinger. How can you blame me for not helping? Besides, you were hit by the Heavenly Dao Arrow shortly after appearing, and I had no time to act.”
“And at the Oyin Asteroid Belt, the one who attacked you was just a Lan Ying. You were more than capable of handling it. Was it necessary for me to intervene?”
“You, Zhang Ruochen, a genius of the Yuan Epoch, should have the magnanimity of one. I returned the Divine Incense Mushroom. Can’t you see how much you mean to me? Are you still going to stay angry?”
Gu Shejing pouted, lightly tapping Zhang Ruochen’s chest with her delicate fist.
If the cold and aloof Gu Shejing had appeared, Zhang Ruochen might have truly cut ties with her, ending all contact.
But this playful, charming Gu Shejing made it impossible for him to stay angry.
Much of his initial resentment dissipated.
Zhang Ruochen paused and said, “What you owe me is more than just a Divine Incense Mushroom.”
“You mean soul power?”
Zhang Ruochen nodded.
Gu Shejing smiled charmingly and said, “You saved my life, so of course I’ll repay the soul power I owe you. But this is the Origin Temple. If I give it to you now, my cultivation and combat strength will plummet. How will I handle the task we need to accomplish together?”
Zhang Ruochen had already guessed that Gu Shejing sought him out and acted this way because she had something crucial to discuss.
Now, she finally revealed it!
Zhang Ruochen asked, “A task we need to accomplish together? What’s that?”
Gu Shejing’s expression turned serious as she said, “Before coming to the Origin Temple, a deity from Luo Zu Yunshan Realm sent me a message about a secret.”
Seven Hands Elder, Master Night Wanderer, and Blood Slaughter, pretending to be vigilant of their surroundings, were actually straining their ears, not daring to miss a single word from Gu Shejing.
She continued, “The deity found records about the Origin Temple in an ancient iron book from Luo Zu Yunshan Realm.”
“The book said the Origin Temple was once glorious, revered by all realms, worshipped by billions of clans, incredibly powerful, with influence comparable to the current Heavenly Palace and Destiny Temple.”
“The Origin Temple had three divine artifacts: the Heavenly Flute, the Earth Sparrow, and the Star Sword, each with immense power, capable of piercing a realm or destroying a star field.”
“As the Origin Temple vanished, the three artifacts were lost.”
“Thus, the deity speculated that the three artifacts might be in the ruins of the Origin Temple.”
“Now, the top experts from various factions have gone to the central area of the Origin Temple to seek the Origin Mystery. There’s no need for us to join the fray. If we can find one of these artifacts, wouldn’t that be a tremendous gain?”
Seven Hands Elder, Master Night Wanderer, and Blood Slaughter were visibly excited, their blood boiling. Divine artifacts, legendary treasures. If they found one, wouldn’t they dominate the vast universe?
Zhang Ruochen, far more composed, said, “Why share this secret with me? Even if the Origin Temple ruins hold these three supreme artifacts, finding them with our cultivation would be extremely difficult.”
Gu Shejing replied, “Before coming to you, I already pinpointed an area where the Earth Sparrow, one of the three artifacts, might be hidden. However, that area is filled with powerful residual spatial array patterns. I tried breaking through twice but failed both times.”
“So, you thought of me?” Zhang Ruochen asked.
Gu Shejing pouted, “You came to the Origin Temple alone. When did you ever think of me?”
With the news of the divine artifact, Blood Slaughter’s earlier frustration vanished. He stepped forward, mediating, “Senior Brother, Sister-in-law, at such a critical moment, stop bickering.”
Gu Shejing didn’t mind the term “sister-in-law” at all, even giving Blood Slaughter an approving smile.
But Blood Slaughter felt a chill down his neck, as if a sword hung there, thinking Gu Shejing’s smile hid a dagger. He quickly restrained himself and said, “You two, focus on the important matter.”
Zhang Ruochen pondered for a moment and said, “I have more pressing matters to attend to.”
He was certainly tempted by the divine artifact.
But he knew time was critical, and he had to find Ji Fanxin first. Since he invited her to the Hell Realm, he had to ensure her safe return.
Master Night Wanderer hurried over and said, “Master, what could be more important than finding a divine artifact?”
“Finding the flute’s sound,” Zhang Ruochen replied.
Seven Hands Elder suddenly understood. He was going to find the Hundred Flowers Fairy.
It seemed that in Zhang Ruochen’s heart, the Hundred Flowers Fairy held far more weight than this enchantress from Luo Zu Yunshan Realm.
This situation was now unsolvable!
Though Ji Fanxin had disguised herself as Bai Qinger, after travelling together, how could Seven Hands Elder, with his cunning, not see through her true identity?
Gu Shejing looked thoughtful and said, “In the area where the Earth Sparrow might be hidden, I think I faintly heard a flute. The sound was enchanting, yet it came and went, elusive.”
“Is that true?” Zhang Ruochen asked.
Gu Shejing put her hands behind her back and said, “Our holy souls are connected. You should be able to sense whether I’m telling the truth.”
…
Outside Jiannan Realm, at the edge of that chaotic zone.
In the dark universe, a dazzling glow floated.
The angel deity Theolenzhe stood at the centre of the glow, channeling divine power to activate the array towers positioned in eight directions.
Whoosh!
Whoosh!
…
The array towers, as tall as mountains, lit up layer by layer, releasing countless spatial inscriptions, weaving into a massive spatial teleportation array.
The spatial fluctuations from the array caused the space thousands of miles away to tremble faintly.
“Once the spatial teleportation array activates, the Hell Realm deities hiding nearby will surely sense it. Time is tight. I must quickly bring the deities of the Paradise Realm faction here.”
Theolenzhe’s divine source flew out from his energy sea, radiating light and heat as bright as a star.
Using the divine source to directly power the spatial array, the eight towers began to rotate slowly.
…
