When Cang Mang left, he took the Swallow Pair Flight Painting with him.
Zhang Ruochen held the Buddhist treasure of ages, the Mani Pearl, in his hands. He fell into deep contemplation.
The Mani Pearl truly carried the weight of ancient times, inherited over billions of years. It was the supreme treasure left by the Buddhist founder. Not only the foremost of the seven treasures, it was even more precious than the Buddha ancestor’s sarira, more valuable than the Bright Mirror Platform, the Bodhi Silver Flower Tree, and the Third Ancestor’s Glazed Lamp.
Yet such an item, one that would drive all the Buddhas of the world mad, had been willingly delivered into his hands.
Cang Mang knew he possessed the Swallow Pair Flight Painting. He clearly had not mistaken the person.
The Young Lord he sought must be Zhang Ruochen.
But who was Cang Mang’s master.
Was it the Spirit Swallow who brought the Mani Pearl to the Abyss of Darkness.
Or…
The descendant of the Spirit Swallow.
Zhang Ruochen found it hard to believe that the Spirit Swallow could still be alive today, undying.
Unless, like Tian La, she had met the Immovable Mingwang Great Venerable in her youth, when he had already lived endless ages.
If that were the case, the Immovable Mingwang Great Venerable would be far too improper in his old age.
As a heavenly venerable, what woman could he not have. Even the strongest and most beautiful woman of that time, Yin Xuetian, had fallen for him. Why did he always pursue young girls.
Thus, Zhang Ruochen believed more that the Spirit Swallow was a remarkable woman no less than Yin Xuetian. Cang Mang’s master was most likely a descendant of the Spirit Swallow.
After all, with the aid of the Time Ice Silkworm, Yin Xuetian had lived through fifteen kalpas. Yet tens of thousands of years ago, her lifespan had reached exhaustion. By then, Yin Xuetian’s age was nearly two million years.
At Zhang Ruochen’s current age, it was hard to fathom what two million years meant. Sometimes, after cultivating a century under the sundial, he felt like a decrepit old man, muddled and dazed for a long time before recovering.
Could the Spirit Swallow have lived longer than Yin Xuetian.
Probably not.
Moreover, who could prove that the Spirit Swallow and the Immovable Mingwang Great Venerable had only Sumi the Holy Monk as their offspring. And that offspring had even become a monk.
The greatest doubt in Zhang Ruochen’s heart was not here.
His biggest doubt was why the master Cang Mang spoke of wanted to stop him from going to the Great Nether Mountain.
To make a powerhouse like Cang Mang serve as a servant, how terrifying must that master’s cultivation be. What status and position did she hold in the Abyss of Darkness.
If such an existence willed to protect Zhang Ruochen, who in the Abyss of Darkness could kill him.
What harm was there in going to the Great Nether Mountain once.
In Zhang Ruochen’s mind, the withered face of Yun Qing Ancient Buddha’s corpse appeared. Back then, why had Yun Qing Ancient Buddha, carrying the Swallow Pair Flight Painting, entered the Abyss of Darkness and died.
Could it be related to going to the Great Nether Mountain.
Was the Great Nether Mountain so perilous that even Cang Mang’s master could not protect him there.
This was too shocking to hear.
Zhang Ruochen let out a long sigh. He forced himself not to think too much.
The Great Nether Mountain was a place where even heaven-level powerhouses went and never returned. He, a seventy-first step mental power god spirit, what use was there in thinking more.
Unless his mental power reached the ninetieth step, becoming a powerhouse like Tian Nan Life-Death Ruins or the Void Great Tribulation Palace, then he could ponder more. Because he could not only think, but also go.
Now, if not for Tian La awakening and her aura deterring the strange beasts. If not for Cang Mang’s protection, devouring and slaying the divine realm powerhouses threatening Zhang Ruochen along the way. Zhang Ruochen doubted he could even reach the Ancient Desolate Ruins City.
His thoughts settled. Zhang Ruochen released his mental power to probe. He discovered something interesting.
This was actually a dark space continent.
When entering the Abyss of Darkness, Zhang Ruochen and the Yanluo Clan’s cultivators had passed here. Not only had they left the Ancient Desolate Ruins City, but they were already very close to the abyss exit.
It was the outermost of the outer regions.
Cang Mang had considered it thoroughly. This was to urge Zhang Ruochen to leave quickly.
Unfortunately, Zhang Ruochen did not fly upward. Instead, he went downward, re-entering the depths of the Abyss of Darkness. He could not leave just like this. Yan Wushen, Xiao Hei, Gushai Jing, and Chi Yao were still in the Ancient Desolate Ruins City.
Zhang Ruochen had never been one to abandon friends and flee danger alone.
Unless the friends were stronger than him, and his staying would be a burden.
Or they were not true friends at all.
Indeed.
Zhang Ruochen already regarded Yan Wushen as one of his truest friends.
Xiao Hei could at best count as a truest nuisance friend. He often caused trouble in small matters, but in big ones, he was reliable.
In the past, Zhang Ruochen and Yan Wushen might have been enemies. But from now on, Zhang Ruochen did not want to be his enemy. After all, men as straightforward, open, and genuine as Yan Wushen were rare even in Heaven Realm. Encountering one in the Infernal Realm was all the more worth cherishing.
If Yan Wushen could invite him to drink twelve blossoms of flower wine, Zhang Ruochen would drink freely, until Yan Wushen cried.
After an unknown time passed, Zhang Ruochen arrived at the largest dark space continent in the outer region of the Abyss of Darkness. Here, even with his mental power after becoming a god, he could not probe the edges. It was simply like a great world.
A great world covered in thick glaciers.
Zhang Ruochen remembered that beneath the glaciers was Yin Xuetian’s temporary dojo, with stone temples, stone pagodas, stone bridges built, and a divine army sealed in Time Ice Silkworm silk.
Zhang Ruochen stopped here because he discovered large numbers of strange beasts appearing on this dark space continent.
“Rumble.”
Strange beasts ran across the ice plains, flew in the skies. Their numbers were so vast, it was like a beast tide, all surging beast shadows connecting to the limits of Zhang Ruochen’s vision.
“Roar.”
Jiao-type strange beasts appeared, soaring in the firmament, their bodies like mountain ridges.
What surprised Zhang Ruochen was that the direction they rushed toward was the location of Yin Xuetian’s temporary dojo.
Something must have happened to draw the strange beasts together.
Zhang Ruochen’s strong curiosity and his urgent desire to rush to the Ancient Desolate Ruins City began to waver.
…
Yin Xuetian’s temporary dojo was actually well hidden. If not for Jue Miao Chan Nu’s deliberate guidance, back then, neither Xue Tu nor the Yanluo Clan’s cultivators could have found it.
Though the temporary dojo had heavenly patterns left, it was only temporary after all. The heavenly patterns were not complete.
The first time Jue Miao Chan Nu came here, she discovered a path that could bypass the heavenly patterns. But this path could only lead to the outermost stone temple in the dojo.
Deeper in, she could not go.
For temporary refuge and healing, it was sufficient.
With the heavenly patterns blocking, even if Wu Jiang and Mo Ha Yan had ten times the courage, they would not dare intrude.
But Jue Miao Chan Nu clearly underestimated Wu Jiang and Mo Ha Yan’s wisdom and methods.
Especially Mo Ha Yan, this god spirit who seemed not very strong in combat.
Mo Ha Yan was a god spirit of the Dark Temple. Because the Abyss of Darkness and the Dark Temple were in the same star domain, the Dark Temple had deep research on strange beasts.
Mo Ha Yan was particularly adept at beast taming.
He might not tame jiao-type strange beasts, but ordinary strange beasts, he truly did not take seriously.
In Yin Xuetian’s dojo, Mo Ha Yan scattered seeds of Dark Night幽兰. Under divine energy’s urging, the seeds took root, sprouted, and bloomed into colourful, fragrant flowers.
The scent of Dark Night幽兰 flowers had a fatal allure for strange beasts.
Countless strange beasts charged toward the dojo one after another, paving the way with blood and bones. Finally, they probed out the route Jue Miao Chan Nu used to enter the dojo.
Mo Ha Yan laughed. “I said, in Jue Miao Chan Nu’s weakened state, how could she break into a dojo dense with heavenly patterns. There must be a hidden path.”
Wu Jiang said, “Remove the Dark Night幽兰 flowers. If we attract large numbers of jiao-type strange beasts, trouble will be big.”
Mo Ha Yan waved his hand. The Dark Night幽兰 flowers in the dojo all withered.
In truth, the Dark Night幽兰 flowers had always only bloomed in the outer perimeter of the dojo. He could not scatter seeds deeper into the dojo.
…
The stone temple was not large, only three zhang long and wide.
It was not built exquisitely, nor did it enshrine gods or Buddhas. There was only a white stone divine platform.
It was more like a stone bed than a divine platform.
Jue Miao Chan Nu sat cross-legged on the divine platform. Her condition was extremely poor, withered even more severely, and she had burned half her body, left in tatters.
She was simply like a wooden puppet carved, and much of it burned by flames.
The blood talisman small sword still pierced her chest. It was this sword’s suppression that made her face not only the Withering Death Absolute, but also the power of god venerable blood and talismans.
Jue Miao Chan Nu had not died, so she could smell the flower fragrance, hear the strange beasts’ cries outside, and know that Wu Jiang and Mo Ha Yan would eventually break in.
But this time, she had no way back.
Being hunted by these two minor figures, Wu Jiang and Mo Ha Yan, she felt unwilling in her heart, yet helpless too. She even sadly discovered that though her cultivation was supreme, she had not a single friend worth trusting.
The only one loyal to her, Jiang Qing, had self-detonated his divine source and died.
If there were even one trustworthy god spirit outside, she would not have fled here for refuge. She had thought of escaping the Abyss of Darkness and immediately sending a message to the Hades Hall, summoning the Hades Hall god spirits nearest to the Abyss of Darkness for rescue.
But she felt that the Hades Hall god spirits coming to rescue her, seeing her in this state, would likely make the same decision as Wu Jiang.
Kill her, seize everything she had. Such temptation, no god spirit could resist.
A god spirit could not have moments of weakness.
Once they did, they must never tell anyone, not even kin.
In the eyes of the greedy, vicious, insidious, there was no kinship.
Just like a hundred thousand years ago, in the divine war between Heaven and Hell, many god spirits died at the hands of their own side’s god spirits. It was just that Kunlun Realm’s god spirits suffered the most.
The strong looked down on weakened weaklings. But the weak eyed weakened strong ones.
Because the weak all wanted to become strong.
“Bang.”
Jue Miao Chan Nu’s heart was urgent to heal. But the more urgent, the less effective, and with her mind disturbed, she immediately suffered backlash from the Withering Death Absolute.
Her body like withered wood exploded in half, leaving only the upper body and head.
It was then that footsteps sounded. Wu Jiang and Mo Ha Yan entered the stone temple.
Wu Jiang was cautious. He held the Dark Domain Heavenly Net in one hand, the Iron Bar Divine Sword in the other. Seeing Jue Miao Chan Nu’s tragic state on the divine platform, he smiled. “Yin Xuetian left a dojo here back then, yet never thought it would become a burial ground for her descendant.”
Thinking of the Three Lives Gate, thinking of Jue Miao Chan Nu’s supreme cultivation, and the countless treasures on her, Wu Jiang was already excited to the point his divine soul trembled.
It was a pity that the current Jue Miao Chan Nu was not beautiful at all. Otherwise, to enjoy the delicate body of this supreme cultivation, noble status great god would be a grand pleasure in life.
What Wu Jiang desired to enjoy was no longer a woman’s body, but the bullying of the weak over the strong, trampling her dignity to fulfil his inner satisfaction and pleasure.
But if Jue Miao Chan Nu were truly in a delicate, stunningly beautiful form sitting there now, Wu Jiang swore he would be scared to legs weak, perhaps kneel and beg for life.
