Upon entering Goddess First City, the first thing that met the eye was not the embroidered prosperity and splendour of this universe-renowned city of flowers, but a group of slaves escorted from the starry battlefield.
These slaves all possessed considerable cultivation, yet their clothes were tattered and torn. Their expressions were either numb, filled with hatred, or steeped in humiliation.
There were half-saints, saints, Saint Kings, and Great Saints.
Women far outnumbered men.
Each woman was strikingly beautiful, of exceptional appearance. In the past, some had even held exalted positions: sect saintesses, princesses of dynasties.
They were all bound with saint-binding chains, unable to mobilise the saint qi or spiritual force within their bodies. In their wretched and bedraggled state, they were no different from mortal slaves.
Not a trace remained of the former pride and nobility of saint-realm cultivators.
Zhang Ruochen paused, gazing at the slaves standing beneath the city walls. His eyes were turbid, revealing no emotion.
Lu Yi said, “They were all transported from the starry battlefield. Most belong to the ancient civilisation factions. The Twelve Goddess Temples spent a fortune to purchase some of them. Even more slaves have been sent to the divine cities of the ten clans.”
“For the women, if they are obedient and possess sufficiently high talent, they may yet carve out a place for themselves in the Twelve Goddess Temples in the future.”
“The men will all have their saint sources shattered and be forced into the lowliest manual labour.”
Zhang Ruochen nodded and continued walking forward.
Behind him, Yu Chenjing was far from as calm as Zhang Ruochen. Gazing at the female cultivators beneath the walls and the crippled male cultivators, pain filled her eyes. Her body trembled faintly, as though she were seeing her own future.
She was normally a rational and composed person, yet in this moment she very much wished to act and rescue them all.
Shang Xia sighed. “Your Highness the Heavenly Maiden possesses peerless talent and extraordinary wisdom. You must not do anything impulsive. What you could not change on the starry battlefield is even less possible to change here. In truth, being sent to the Twelve Goddess Temples is already fortunate for them!”
Yu Chenjing closed her eyes, unable to bear looking any longer. “I merely hate it! War with the Hell Realm must be cruel, ten times, a hundred times crueler than the former Merit Wars. If the various realms of Heaven could unite as one, how could we have lost so miserably?”
“Look at those demon clan Great Saints behind us. Every one of them possesses supreme cultivation, yet do they show the slightest indignation? Are they thinking how to defeat the enemy, how to stop the war? No! They come to Goddess First City to indulge in pleasure, and may even wish to vent everything on those female cultivators who have only just been captured. It is simply because the flames of war in the Southern Universe are not yet fierce enough. The threat of death and humiliation has not yet fallen upon their heads.”
Shang Xia fell silent.
Goddess First City was indeed magnificent and resplendent, far surpassing the Goddess City on Ice King Planet that Zhang Ruochen had once visited.
More importantly, powerhouses were as numerous as carp crossing the river. At any moment, carriages radiating the aura of Great Saints would pass by.
Zhang Ruochen also detected the presence of many gods.
Though they had concealed their divine might, in Zhang Ruochen’s perception they were like blazing suns residing in ancient buildings engraved with divine patterns.
All false gods.
The power of Heavenly Venerable divine patterns was too great. Within Goddess First City, sensing the aura of a true god was as difficult as ascending to heaven.
“Old fellow, it is you!”
A stone giant, resembling a small mountain, appeared opposite Zhang Ruochen.
“Greetings, divine one.” Lu Yi immediately bowed in salute.
It was none other than Lord Quartzite.
Lord Quartzite’s tone was filled with resentment. “You have caused this lord great misery. Is the Heavenly Venerable Treasure Gauze in your hands?”
Accompanying Lord Quartzite were two other Stone Clan gods, but they had transformed into ordinary human appearances, both imposing and extraordinarily handsome.
“Quartzite, you were actually defeated by him? From what I see, his aura is extremely weak, his flame of life nearly extinguished. How could he possibly have escaped from your hands?” one of the Stone Clan gods said.
He had been scrutinising Zhang Ruochen from the start.
Another Stone Clan god said, “Old man, hand over the Heavenly Venerable Treasure Gauze. This seat is Heilin of the Stone Clan.”
Zhang Ruochen asked faintly, “If I do not hand it over, are you perhaps planning to seize it by force?”
The Stone Clan god named Heilin replied, “This is Goddess First City. We must still give face to Empress Bai. How could we possibly engage in divine battle within the city? But you should know the power and influence behind us three gods. Once you leave Goddess First City after offending us, how much longer do you think you can live?”
“Look at me. How much longer do you think I can live?” Zhang Ruochen countered.
This question caused the eyes of all three Stone Clan gods to freeze.
“Since you will not act, this old man will take his leave first!”
Zhang Ruochen led the old yellow ox and walked past them.
Lord Quartzite looked back. His stone face was filled with helplessness. “Using threats is utterly ineffective against this old fellow. He is not afraid of death at all. If we truly push him into a corner and he detonates his divine heart, he will drag us down with him in death.”
“Not just us. Even some great gods shudder at people like him,” one of the Stone Clan gods sighed.
Heilin’s gaze was cold and sharp. “At least he admitted the Heavenly Venerable Treasure Gauze is on him. There will be opportunities.”
Lu Yi was now extremely curious. Could the Heavenly Venerable Treasure Gauze truly be in the senior’s hands?
She did not dare ask this question.
Although this old senior was very approachable, she was merely a Great Saint and had to understand hierarchy. Otherwise, she would surely be disliked by him.
In the carriage, Yu Chenjing fell into shock, staring fixedly at the white-haired old man leading the ox.
She then alighted and approached Zhang Ruochen. First, she bowed respectfully. “This junior is Yu Chenjing of the Thousand Star Civilisation. May I ask how the senior is addressed and from whence such an exalted person comes?”
Zhang Ruochen said nothing and continued walking on his own.
Shang Xia had also alighted and followed beside him.
Yu Chenjing hurriedly added, “The Heavenly Venerable Treasure Gauze is of great importance. The Thousand Star Civilisation is willing to exchange it at any cost. Senior may name any condition.”
“The Heavenly Venerable Treasure Gauze is not on me,” Zhang Ruochen said.
Yu Chenjing replied, “Senior’s cultivation is profound. Even the three great gods of the Stone Clan are beneath your notice. Why deceive this junior?”
“Earlier, the reason I did not deny the Heavenly Venerable Treasure Gauze was on me was that I did not wish to waste words on them. Because even if I said it was not on me, they would not believe it and would continue to pester me,” Zhang Ruochen explained.
Yu Chenjing remained half-convinced.
After all, the three Stone Clan gods had sought out Zhang Ruochen to demand the Heavenly Venerable Treasure Gauze. They must have had some certainty to act so.
Lu Yi asked, “What matter has Senior come to Goddess First City to attend to?”
“I wish to meet Bai Qing’er once,” Zhang Ruochen said.
The three women walking beside him all froze.
A thousand years ago, Bai Qing’er had emerged from nowhere, single-handedly unleashing a storm of blood in the mortal realms and even causing the Temple of Origin to appear before the world.
Over the past thousand years, legends about her had emerged endlessly.
Some said she was stunningly beautiful, with immortal muscles and divine bones, surpassing even her mother, Empress Bai.
Some said she was one of the five Yuanhui-level geniuses of this kalpa, able to stand equal with Que of the Temple of Destiny and Yin Yuanchen of Paradise Realm.
The Myriad Years Evaluation of Starcliff Cliff placed her in the third volume, calling her the most elegant and peerless woman born in this kalpa.
Of course, the true reason Bai Qing’er’s name shook the world and no one dared disregard her was not her beauty or talent, but her master: the Star Sea Angler.
Supreme Lord Yan Luo, the Great Tribulation Palace of the Void.
The Star Sea Angler, the Ruins of Life and Death in Tiannan.
Among these four, the other three were towering figures of the Hell Realm. Their disciples and grand-disciples were all top-tier powerhouses, respectively representing the three great forces of the Yan Luo Clan, the Temple of Destiny, and the Death Clan.
Only the Star Sea Angler had always remained mysterious, seemingly detached from all major powers. Even in the great war a hundred thousand years ago, he had only acted two or three times against gods of the Heaven side, and solely for personal grudges.
He appeared not particularly interested in the war between Heaven and Hell and had not actively chosen to side with the Hell Realm.
He was a supreme powerhouse that both Heaven and Hell wished to win over.
Thus, he appeared among the Twenty Heavens of Heaven and also among the Twenty Heavens of Hell.
Only he alone enjoyed such treatment.
Yet the Star Sea Angler had never appeared personally to declare his stance.
The Star Sea Angler had only two openly acknowledged disciples: the Cliff Master of Starcliff Cliff and Bai Qing’er. One could imagine how sought-after Bai Qing’er was now.
Seeing their expressions so unusual, Zhang Ruochen did not think much of it. “This old man has some connection with Young Master Bai. I believe meeting her once should not be difficult. Is Young Master Bai in Goddess First City?”
Yu Chenjing gazed at Zhang Ruochen’s back, inwardly displeased. So the Heavenly Venerable Treasure Gauze truly was in his hands. This old fellow, lifespan exhausted and half-dead, was actually still harbouring designs on Bai Qing’er.
Lu Yi said, “Under normal circumstances, with Senior’s cultivation, meeting the Young Master would naturally not be difficult. However, with the Linglong Assembly imminent, far too many gods wish to pay respects to the Young Master. Unless… unless the Heavenly Venerable Treasure Gauze truly is in Senior’s hands, the Young Master will certainly wish to meet you.”
Zhang Ruochen had never shown interest in the Linglong Assembly or the Heavenly Venerable Treasure Gauze, so he had never asked much.
Now, at last, he inquired, “What exactly is the use of the Heavenly Venerable Treasure Gauze? Why do so many cultivators fight over it?”
Before Lu Yi could speak, a resolute voice rang out. “The Heavenly Venerable Treasure Gauze is the skin of Xinghuan Heavenly Venerable. With it, the Twelve Goddess Temples can fully awaken the Heavenly Venerable divine patterns once inscribed by Xinghuan Heavenly Venerable and refine Goddess First City into a divine city. The protective power formed could envelop the entire Xinghuan Heaven.”
“In these chaotic times of cosmic turmoil with war raging everywhere, for the Twelve Goddess Temples to protect themselves, what could be more important than the Heavenly Venerable Treasure Gauze?”
“This one is Shang Hong. Is the Heavenly Venerable Treasure Gauze truly in Senior’s hands?”
Upon hearing the name Shang Hong, Yu Chenjing, Shang Xia, and Lu Yi all paled dramatically and immediately bowed in salute.
Shang Hong approached with a large group of cultivators, including several gods.
Even these gods clustered around Shang Hong like stars around the moon. The other Great Saints renowned in the mortal realms were mere lackeys.
One of the gods spoke in an unkind and arrogant tone. “The Heavenly Grandson asks you a question. Why do you not answer at once?”
“Heavenly Grandson? Which Heavenly Grandson? I do not know him.”
Zhang Ruochen had guessed the other’s identity and deliberately spoke thus.
“Old fellow, you truly have no eyes! The one before you is the direct grandson of Shang Tian of Paradise Realm, the own son of Lord Yitian.” That Paradise Realm god cupped his hands in a hollow salute, filled with awe towards Shang Tian and Lord Yitian.
The so-called Shang Tian was clearly the former Merchant Ancestor.
Zhang Ruochen feigned sudden realisation. “Oh! So Merchant Ancestor has achieved the Heavenly Venerable realm! The Heavenly Venerable Treasure Gauze is indeed on this old man, but something so precious—how could it be casually given to you?”
Shang Hong detected the implication in his words. He knew the deterrence of a Heavenly Venerable had already made the other yield. Now it was merely a matter of bargaining.
Thus, he smiled. “Senior may name whatever you desire.”
