Previously, Zhang Ruochen had conjured a blazing sun with his righteous aura, repelling Shu Yong. Though he barely acted, the display stunned everyone, ensuring no one dared underestimate him.
Coupled with the Kunlun Realm’s growing strength, he naturally drew Yu Chenjing’s attention.
Zhang Ruochen said, “As far as I know, the Heavenly Realm is holding the Mortal Assembly to counter the Hell Realm’s Ten Realms War Challenge. Since the Hell Realm has already declared war, is it still necessary for the Heavenly Realm to respond to this challenge?”
Yu Chenjing noted his deflection, clearly a polite refusal of her earlier invitation.
Yet, with her quick wit and graceful composure, she showed no disappointment, smiling as she replied, “It’s precisely because the Hell Realm has declared war that we must respond.”
“Why?” Zhang Ruochen asked.
The so-called “Ten Realms War Challenge” was something Zhang Ruochen had heard of.
It was a direct challenge issued by the Hell Realm to the Heavenly Palace, proposing that the Hell Realm and the Heavenly Realm each offer five great worlds, totaling ten.
Each side would send ten warriors below the divine realm to fight ten battles.
Winning a battle would secure one great world.
More crucially, the five great worlds offered by the Hell Realm—Qingling Great World, Dust Realm, Sansheng Realm, Haoming Great World, and Fire Cloud Realm—were all seized from the Heavenly Realm on the Merit Battlefield.
These five worlds still housed countless living beings, including some Saint Realm cultivators.
If the Heavenly Realm refused the challenge, the Hell Realm would, on the designated day, order the slaughter of all beings in these five worlds, refining them into ghosts, war corpses, and blood pills, broadcasting the act across the realms via the Ten Thousand Realms Divine Eye.
Yu Chenjing, holding a red fan, sipped Jade Bee Nectar, her voice clear and pleasant, “There are three reasons.”
“First, a war engulfing the entire cosmos is imminent. If the Heavenly Realm doesn’t respond, it will lose morale from the start. Imagine the mindset of those fighting when the war erupts? A defeated spirit leads to swift collapse.”
“Second, while the Hell Realm boasts its ten Epochal Representatives, the Heavenly Realm’s gods foresaw this five hundred years ago and took action across all realms.”
“The Paradise Realm faction launched the Demigod Plan.”
“The Truth Temple established the God-Sealing Camp.”
“The Pangu Realm opened the Nuwa Divine Realm.”
“The Demon God Realm activated the Ancestral Blood of the Demon Ancestor, cultivating ten elite warriors.”
“The Myriad Ruins Realm has been battling to provoke the Myriad Ruins Lord for a century.”
…
“The Hell Realm’s Ten Realms War Challenge may well serve the Heavenly Realm. If the Heavenly Realm can defeat the Hell Realm in these battles, it will greatly aid the coming all-out war.”
Yu Chenjing continued, “Third, among the five great worlds offered by the Hell Realm, Sansheng Realm and Fire Cloud Realm are near the Ancient Civilization faction’s star domain, holding immense strategic value.”
“Since the Middle Ancient era, battlegrounds between the Heavenly and Hell Realms have always been chosen from the Heavenly Realm’s vassal worlds. This time, the Hell Realm offering five great worlds is unprecedented. So why not fight?”
Zhang Ruochen fell silent for a moment, nodded with a smile, and said no more.
To him, while the Heavenly Realm’s worlds had prepared in advance, cultivating Epochal Representatives wasn’t just a matter of resources. Forcing their creation was no easy task.
Yu Chenjing was about to invite Zhang Ruochen again when a deafening dragon roar erupted on the Scarlet Fire Dragon Ship, causing the entire sea to churn.
Zhang Ruochen keenly sensed the cosmic rules boiling, rushing toward a single point.
“Such powerful energy fluctuations.”
Zhang Ruochen vanished from his seat, reappearing on the deck, gazing in all directions.
Under the moonlight, the cosmic saint energy coalesced into thousands of dragon shadows, a spectacle like ten thousand dragons returning to their nest, surging toward a cabin on the ship.
Moments later, a tall, imposing dragon clan man emerged from the cabin, his form shifting between human and dragon.
“Second Brother, what happened?” Ao Xukong stepped forward to ask.
The crowd realized the man’s identity, their eyes filled with reverence.
Ao Yi, the Second Prince of the Heavenly Dragon Realm’s Five-Clawed Golden Dragon lineage.
Ao Yi’s gaze locked onto Zhang Ruochen, his eyes sharp as lightning, saying, “You’re strong. Will you fight me?”
The crowd was stunned. Ao Yi, a peerless powerhouse, was roused by Shu Qianchi of the Kunlun Realm?
They had already held Zhang Ruochen in high regard, but even Yu Chenjing hadn’t expected him to be significant enough for Ao Yi to personally challenge him.
Ao Yi was the most dazzling figure in the Heavenly Dragon Realm since the Middle Ancient era.
Zhang Ruochen thought to himself that the dragon clan truly bred battle maniacs, shaking his head, saying, “You’re not in good condition. Let’s wait for another time.”
Ao Yi’s body flickered between human and dragon forms, scales appearing and vanishing, his head alternating between dragon and human.
Ao Yi said, “I only took a minor injury. It’s no issue.”
Exquisite Fairy, concerned, asked, “Second Brother, who could injure you? A god?”
Ao Yi shook his head, saying, “They were strong, but not a god.”
“Not a god! Was it an ambush?” another Great Saint asked.
No one believed anyone below the divine realm could injure Ao Yi in direct combat. Even an ambush capable of harming him was rare.
Ao Yi said, “It wasn’t an ambush.”
“How is that possible?”
“Who could have such skill?”
“Second Brother, when did you fight this person? Why didn’t we notice?”
…
Ao Yi explained, “The fight happened just now. They tested my cultivation with one move and then retreated. That move crossed a void, striking my Domain of the Way. Naturally, you didn’t notice we’d fought. I returned a strike through the void, but I don’t know their identity or if my strike hit them.”
So it was a recent clash.
Thus, it wasn’t Shu Qianchi who roused Ao Yi, but another mysterious powerhouse.
That night, Zhang Ruochen stood on the deck in deep thought, using the Fate Mysteries to deduce the identity of the mysterious figure who fought Ao Yi. Unfortunately, their origins were vast, their fate obscured, making it impossible to deduce.
“The Heavenly Realm is indeed full of hidden dragons and crouching tigers, not to be underestimated.”
Muttering this, Zhang Ruochen grew more eager for the Mortal Assembly.
Ao Yi’s energy fluctuations alone rivaled those of Starfall or Yuan Qianmo. While his combat ability was unknown, it was unlikely a weakness.
Moreover, Zhang Ruochen sensed strong Truth Mysteries emanating from Ao Yi.
In the dead of night, Yu Chenjing approached him on the deck, extending another invitation.
Zhang Ruochen and Yu Chenjing had crossed paths many times, including some absurd incidents. He’d considered revealing his identity and returning the “marriage contract” written on her skirt.
But with powerhouses like Ao Yi on the Scarlet Fire Dragon Ship, he restrained himself for now.
The next day, at dawn, the ship slowed.
The sea grew crowded with cultivators—some riding mounts, others driving saint carriages or steering saint ships, all heading toward the archipelago ahead.
When passing the Scarlet Fire Dragon Ship, they either kept their distance or came to pay respects, showcasing the Heavenly Dragon Realm’s immense influence in the Heavenly Realm.
Zhang Ruochen and Shu Yong, both dressed as Confucian scholars, stood side by side on the deck at the ship’s bow.
Shu Yong, a top-tier powerhouse, wasn’t truly drunk, saying, “Scholar Shu, do you know who I most want to meet at the Mortal Archipelago?”
Zhang Ruochen, uninterested, asked, “Do you have any divine stones, Brother Shu?”
“Why talk of such mundane things?”
Shu Yong shook his head with a smile, saying, “Legend has it the Lord of the Mortal Peerless Tower, in his Great Saint days, climbed the Mountain of Truth, becoming one of the few Truth Emissaries in the universe.”
“It’s said he acquired a library of the Confucian Ancestor, filled with countless texts.”
“It’s said he possesses a Mortal Pen, capable of writing all the ways of the mortal world and knowing all its changes. It’s said…”
Zhang Ruochen interrupted, asking, “Do you know where I can exchange for divine stones?”
Shu Yong frowned, displeased, saying, “Aren’t you even slightly curious about the Lord of the Mortal Peerless Tower? Don’t you want to enter the Confucian Ancestor’s library and read those rare, singular texts?”
“Of course, I’m somewhat curious. A Truth Emissary must possess over one percent of the Truth Mysteries,” Zhang Ruochen said, shifting gears, “But I’m really short on divine stones.”
“I’m short too!” Shu Yong said.
Zhang Ruochen was stunned. A top powerhouse of a realm, and you lack divine stones?
Shu Yong sighed, “The Book Realm can’t compare to those great worlds with divine veins. Our world can’t produce divine stones. To get them, we must trade treasures with other great worlds.”
Hearing his plight, Zhang Ruochen almost wanted to offer comfort.
Shu Yong suddenly had an idea, whispering, “I don’t have divine stones, but the Thousand-Star Heavenly Lady has plenty. If you borrow from her, with her generous nature, she’d likely gift you a good amount.”
Zhang Ruochen was speechless. After rejecting Yu Chenjing’s invitations twice last night, how could he face her to borrow divine stones?
He felt a pang of melancholy.
To think that he, Zhang Ruochen, would fall to such a state.
Shu Yong said, “If you’re too proud to ask, I’ll speak to her for you.”
“No! We scholars, no matter how destitute, must never lose our pride or bow for divine stones,” Zhang Ruochen declared righteously.
Shu Yong nodded earnestly, his admiration growing, then his eyes lit up, saying, “If Scholar Shu has any rare treasures, you could visit the Mortal Sea Market. It’s one of the Heavenly Realm’s largest trade hubs, and with the Mortal Assembly approaching, it’s bound to be bustling. Securing a few divine stones shouldn’t be hard.”
“If all else fails, I can sell calligraphy to lend you a hand.”
