Xue Tu glanced toward Zhang Ruochen and saw no anger in him. He raised his voice, “Well slain! A Heavenly Court deity daring to infiltrate the Hell Realm, what audacity. She deserved death, and more.”
“With your cultivations, you cannot yet erase my spiritual will. If you wish to kill me, then we perish together!” Si Tu Yun Lin’s voice emanated from the crimson blood mist.
“Goddess, this emperor comes to lend you aid in slaying her.”
Xue Tu crouched on the ground like a toad in an odd pose, opening his mouth wide and inhaling deeply.
Wisp after wisp of divine blood qi surged ceaselessly into his mouth and nose.
Having just stepped into the divine realm, Xue Tu needed vast amounts of blood qi to consolidate his realm and temper his divine body. He refused to believe she would not die once her blood qi fully drained away.
Zhang Ruochen knew the arrow was nocked and must fly; they had no choice but to kill her. Otherwise, if Si Tu Yun Lin self-detonated her divine source, the consequences would be unimaginable. Thus, he unleashed the soul-devouring bells, driving them with his spiritual power to suppress her divine soul and will, preventing any true self-detonation of her divine source.
Pan Ruo invoked the destiny mysteries within her, channeling them into the Destiny Severing Staff to erode Si Tu Yun Lin’s spirit with the power of the mysteries.
…
Under the combined efforts of the three deities, they finally slew Si Tu Yun Lin utterly, reducing her to ashes.
Having just broken through, yet able to partake in slaying a true god, Xue Tu was wildly exhilarated. He claimed Si Tu Yun Lin’s white jade divine sword and declared, “With this sword, this emperor shall proclaim to all cultivators that today we have slain a god! Henceforth, the Great Slaughter War God Emperor shall shake the cosmos!”
Among deities, those who could slay true gods naturally held greater fame in the divine world.
And inspired greater dread.
“Give me the sword!” Zhang Ruochen said.
The boiling blood in Xue Tu’s body cooled instantly. He said, “Senior brother, I have slain a god today and need proof of it. This sword is the finest evidence. Look, the goddess has already reclaimed her divine source.”
“You have absorbed nearly all her blood qi, reaping immense gains. Yet I stand here empty-handed. Slaying the god was our joint effort of three; why have all the benefits gone to you two?” Zhang Ruochen intended to persuade with reason.
Xue Tu pondered and found the logic sound. Though reluctant, he handed the white jade divine sword to Zhang Ruochen.
Without Zhang Ruochen’s potent spiritual suppression, Si Tu Yun Lin might have self-detonated her divine source, killing him and Pan Ruo as well. He had indeed contributed greatly.
The white jade divine sword was a king-grade sacred artifact, but its material was extraordinary, forged from rare origin substance. Moreover, it had already nurtured supreme inscriptions within, holding potential to become a supreme sacred artifact.
Notably, supreme sacred artifacts divided into three grades: Heaven-Suppressing, Primordial Chaos, and Sub-Divine.
The vast majority of supreme sacred artifacts were Heaven-Suppressing grade.
To reach Primordial Chaos grade, the material of a supreme sacred artifact must be a heavenly wonder, and the crafting process at initial forging demanded utmost precision.
For instance, the materials for forging the Abyss Submersion Sword and Blood Drip Sword, Creation Divine Iron, were such heavenly wonders.
Of course, even Heaven-Suppressing grade supreme sacred artifacts were exceedingly rare. Many lower and mid-tier true gods possessed none.
The supreme sacred artifacts Zhang Ruochen currently held were all Heaven-Suppressing grade.
Xue Tu searched the ground for Si Tu Yun Lin’s one thousand and eighty silver miniature swords, only to find them already claimed by Zhang Ruochen. In the end, he picked up only a few bloodstained fragments of her divine robe.
As Zhang Ruochen refined the sword spirit of the white jade divine sword, he asked, “What exactly happened to you? You said you were scouting ahead, so how did you enter the Desolate Ancient Ruins City alone? And why break through here? Do you not know how dangerous it is?”
Xue Tu sighed deeply, stuffing the rags into his bosom, then recounted.
“That day, I scouted alone. Relying on my mighty cultivation and shrewd mind, I swiftly located the Desolate Ancient Ruins City. The sight before me truly terrified me; never had I seen so many god corpses. But in the end, through my unyielding spiritual will, I suppressed the fear in my heart…”
Zhang Ruochen said, “Enough prattle. Get to the point.”
“The point is, ač-class strange beast discovered me. With no choice, I fled into the Desolate Ancient Ruins City for refuge. But the instant I crossed the massive stone city gate, spatial fluctuations arose, teleporting me to this place.”
Zhang Ruochen revealed a look of sudden realisation, finally understanding why Yan Wushen and the others had vanished abruptly after entering the city gate.
That massive stone city gate was undoubtedly problematic, likely a sophisticated spatial teleportation array. Xue Tu and Yan Wushen must have triggered something upon entry, sending them away.
Xue Tu continued, “Here, I encountered tremendous fortune, finding a peculiar exotic fruit. After swallowing it, my cultivation surged wildly; I could not suppress the power within, forcing me to break through. Otherwise, I would never have done something so unreliable!”
Xue Tu naturally omitted how he had cowered underground for half a month amid the god corpses, lying motionless like a corpse out of sheer terror.
Zhang Ruochen said, “You truly dare eat anything.”
“Senior brother, it was a grand opportunity! That exotic fruit grew from the crown of an ancient great god’s head, radiating divine light for a thousand li, its fragrance irresistible. Obtaining this fruit and surviving the divine tribulation, this journey was worth it.” Xue Tu said.
Zhang Ruochen asked, “What was your divine tribulation?”
“It should have been a heart tribulation! When I saw you, senior brother, risking life and limb to block the true god for my sake, my heart tribulation passed in an instant.” Xue Tu’s eyes deepened with profound gratitude as he gazed at Zhang Ruochen.
Seeing that look, Zhang Ruochen felt gooseflesh rise all over and retreated two steps.
Pan Ruo said, “Divine tribulations are never so simple. Let me ask you: was that exotic fruit shaped like a lion, its surface covered in lightning patterns?”
“How does the goddess know?” Xue Tu looked astonished.
Pan Ruo said, “Your luck is truly extraordinary! That exotic fruit is the Heavenly Lion Divine Fruit. Among treasures aiding breakthrough to divinity, it ranks in the top three, exceedingly rare. Only on a great god’s corpse can it possibly grow, and even then, it requires many other conditions.”
Xue Tu felt even more fortunate to have come to the Abyss of Darkness with Zhang Ruochen. He said, “In any case, today I must thank senior brother and the goddess. This debt of gratitude, Xue Tu owes greatly!”
“Still calling her goddess?” Pan Ruo said.
Xue Tu paused briefly, then understood. He said repeatedly, “Senior sister-in-law! Senior sister-in-law! Senior sister-in-law…”
Chi Yao despised the deities of the Hell Realm. Seeing Xue Tu’s glib tongue, her fine brows furrowed as she snorted, “What I meant is, upon stepping into the divine realm, the so-called goddess title automatically abdicates. Henceforth, no need for such address.”
Xue Tu sent a mental message to Zhang Ruochen in a low voice, “The goddess has quite the temper today. Did something unpleasant happen between you two?”
Zhang Ruochen naturally knew the current Pan Ruo was Chi Yao.
Chi Yao’s temperament resembled Huang Yanchen’s more closely than the more reserved Pan Ruo.
“Women are just like that, fickle and changeable. No need to provoke her; she will still give you the cold shoulder.” Zhang Ruochen said.
Chi Yao seemed aware her earlier reaction had been excessive, so she reined in her emotions and said, “This place is not safe for lingering. We must leave at once.”
Seeing Pan Ruo suddenly so composed again, Xue Tu could not help nodding inwardly, thinking his senior brother truly understood women; fickle indeed.
“Hoo!”
Aé“ wind blew, ghost clouds veiling the divine light.
From the ghost clouds came the eerie “gurka” cry, stabbing at Zhang Ruochen’s saint soul.
“Not good, it is that ghost-class strange beast again. It has actually come here.” Zhang Ruochen’s face paled instantly, visions flashing in his mind of the Black Lion Divine Beast and Yuan Cang True God dying inexplicably.
Chi Yao acted with utmost decisiveness, seizing Zhang Ruochen’s wrist. The winding Nether River manifested beneath her feet, carrying them away at maximum speed.
Xue Tu did not understand why Zhang Ruochen and Pan Ruo were so terrified. He said, “We are all deities; what is there to fear? Ghost-class strange beast… what, ghost-class strange beast…”
Upon hearing of the ghost-class strange beast’s terror, Xue Tu’s scalp numbed. His eight pairs of blood wings unfurled on his back as he pursued Chi Yao and Zhang Ruochen.
Beneath the blood wings, silver light flickered.
Their speed evidently could not match the ghost-class strange beast. Soon, they were enveloped in ghost qi. The ghost qi was bone-chilling; upon mere contact with their bodies, their blood threatened to freeze, divine qi circulation growing sluggish.
“Gurka!”
This time, Zhang Ruochen finally beheld the ghost-class strange beast’s form.
It was a skull the size of a mountain, floating in the ghost clouds, its mouth harbouring a blood-red tongue, an ancient character at its brow.
Seeing that character, Zhang Ruochen felt both shock and doubt.
For it was a “Zang”å, identical to the one on the forehead of the Zang Jin White Tiger.
It was prehistoric script.
Frost formed on Xue Tu’s back, his body shuddering with cold. He said, “Senior brother, the character on its forehead matches the Zang Jin White Tiger’s exactly. Perhaps they are kin. Why not go negotiate with it?”
Negotiate?
This ghost-class strange beast’s aura surpassed even Jin Ju Great God’s terror. Negotiating with it would be tantamount to seeking death.
The presence of the “Zang” character could only mean this skull was likely a prehistoric remnant.
The skull drew ever nearer, its stench overpowering, the corrosive force it emanated unstoppable even by divine qi.
Chi Yao halted, turning to gaze back with a sharp, piercing look. She said, “We cannot escape. Only a desperate fight remains.”
Zhang Ruochen glanced at Chi Yao’s jade hand gripping his wrist, then shifted his gaze to her face. Myriad thoughts swirled in his mind; he truly could not fathom what she intended, what she schemed.
But in an instant, those thoughts cleared.
Zhang Ruochen knew the situation was dire, so he summoned the pigeon-egg-sized dark spacetime substance, suspending it before him, ready to hurl it forth.
“No choice; we must use the final trump card.”
Xue Tu, entwined by wisps of ghost qi and struggling to breathe, produced a phoenix feather in the next moment.
The phoenix feather erupted with scorching, terrifying energy, shredding the ghost qi. Then, it transformed into a blaze, carrying Xue Tu away at speed.
“It is a feather from the Death God Venerable!” Chi Yao said.
“Senior brother!”
Xue Tu called to Zhang Ruochen. A strand of hair from his head dangled down, extending to a thousand zhang. Zhang Ruochen seized the hair, then wrapped an arm around Chi Yao’s slender waist. The two leaped up, landing on the phoenix feather.
The phoenix feather contained vast speed-class god-venerable divine patterns, erupting in ultimate velocity that even the ghost-class strange beast could not match.
Though merely a single feather from a god-venerable, it held greater value than the god-venerable corpses in the Desolate Ancient Ruins City, dead for unknown ages and severely corroded by dark forces into mud-like rot.
Only a living god-venerable was a true god-venerable.
