Zhang Ruochen said, “This old man has heard that in Shangqiu there exists a divine technique, peerless and unrivalled, the very essence of Shang Tian’s lifetime cultivation. It is called the Eight Techniques of Tianhuang. If the Heavenly Grandson can send over the complete cultivation method of the Eight Techniques of Tianhuang, this old man might consider giving you the Heavenly Venerable Treasure Gauze.”
“Insolence!”
A divinity from the Paradise Realm rebuked him with a divine voice.
Within the sound waves were woven threads of divine rules.
This divinity’s cultivation was no trifling matter. Pairs of white wings on his back radiated piercing light, containing boundless divine qi within and releasing blazing flames and rosy clouds without. He was a mid-level god of profound foundation.
Regrettably, before Zhang Ruochen there seemed to stand an invisible wall. The divine voice attack struck three feet away from him and vanished completely.
Even Yu Chenjing, Lu Yi, and Shang Xia, who stood close by, remained unaffected and entirely unaware. Had Zhang Ruochen not been blocking the way, the three of them would already have become white bones.
The divinity who had unleashed the divine voice revealed a strange look in his eyes and dared not act rashly again.
When divinities crossed blows, a single probe revealed the depths.
The divine voice he had just emitted, whether in control over the range of the sound waves or in sheer power, far exceeded that of an ordinary mid-level god. Yet it was like a stone dropped into an abyss, no echo returned, unfathomably deep.
Shang Hong possessed extraordinary self-restraint. His divine eyes narrowed slightly as he said, “This seat cannot fulfil the condition you propose.”
Shang Hong turned and departed, ascending the white jade steps directly and entering the Tower of the World’s Divine Maidens.
The cultivators of the Paradise Realm faction all revealed hostile expressions. Some snorted coldly, some chuckled under their breath, and only then did they follow Shang Hong inside.
Lu Yi secretly breathed a sigh of relief and sighed, “Shang Hong is indeed worthy of being the Heavenly Grandson. His bearing and self-possession command admiration. No wonder so many follow a figure like him.”
Yu Chenjing said, “First he called him senior, then Your Excellency. First he referred to himself as this junior, then as this seat.”
“Shang Hong is already angry,” Shang Xia said.
Yu Chenjing said, “Senior, why did you have to offend him? You could simply have said the Heavenly Venerable Treasure Gauze was not on you, and the two sides would not have become enemies as they are now.”
Everyone knew that the Eight Techniques of Tianhuang were Shangqiu’s supreme art, the very foundation of its heritage. How could they possibly be passed to an outsider?
Raising such a condition was tantamount to toying with Shang Hong.
How could Shang Hong not be enraged?
“It was he himself who said this old man could name whatever I wanted. In the end he could not produce it, yet he grew angry himself. It seems Lord Yi Tian did not teach him well. His disposition is too poor!”
Zhang Ruochen knew Shang Hong had not gone far and would certainly hear his words, so he said them deliberately.
There was no helping it. Encountering cultivators from the Paradise Realm always stirred painful memories in Zhang Ruochen’s heart. The two sides had long formed a death feud. No matter how calm his heart, the enmity could not be forgotten.
The blood debt owed by the Paradise Realm could never be forgotten.
To think he actually criticised Shang Hong like this?
To think he even dared blame Lord Yi Tian?
Lu Yi and Shang Xia both turned pale and did not dare say another word.
The Thousand Star Maiden, however, secretly wondered whether she herself had earlier spoken too boldly. This old senior appeared harmless, yet somehow he did not seem like a kindly soul.
Zhang Ruochen stood at the foot of the jade steps, gazing up at the five golden characters that blazed brightly. “Tower of the World’s Divine Maidens! Such powerful momentum. No wonder there are thoughts of refining the First Divine Maiden City into a divine city. Regrettably, that idea is doomed never to come true.”
Zhang Ruochen led the old yellow ox and began climbing upwards.
A cow entering the Tower of the World’s Divine Maidens was hardly strange. Inside were demons, beasts, corpse demons, white skeletons… cultivators of every bizarre form imaginable.
A white-haired old man in grey cloth robes, accompanied by three women of considerable renown and peerless beauty, walking in together, that was the truly strange sight. It instantly drew countless gazes.
Yet no one dared utter a single offensive word.
The stranger the scene, the more it proved that old man was not to be provoked.
In the Reception Hall, Lu Yi asked another tower master-level expert to take Zhang Ruochen and Yu Chenjing to a place to rest for the time being. She herself went straight with Shang Xia to pay respects to Bai Qing’er.
She did not dare bring Zhang Ruochen and Yu Chenjing directly to see Bai Qing’er. She had to seek permission first.
The Linglong Grand Assembly was held once every three thousand years. It was the greatest event of the Twelve Divine Maiden Pavilions.
This year’s Linglong Grand Assembly was especially extraordinary. The tower masters of all one hundred and eighty towers had naturally been summoned back. Every one of them was a powerhouse among great saints. From this alone one could see the might of the Twelve Divine Maiden Pavilions, something ordinary great worlds simply could not compare to.
It was therefore no surprise that they could occupy the Xinghuan Heaven.
The tower master who received Zhang Ruochen and Yu Chenjing was named Yiman, a great saint of the elf race.
The other tower masters were all receiving divinities like Shang Hong, figures either of formidable background or towering reputation. Yiman naturally wished to make the acquaintance of such personages. If a divinity took a fancy to her and a romance blossomed, her status and voice within the Twelve Divine Maiden Pavilions would rise greatly in future.
Of course, if true love developed and they became husband and wife, nothing could be better.
Precisely for this reason, receiving a mere Yu Chenjing and an old man of no renown put Yiman in a foul mood. She felt she had missed a great opportunity.
Chances to meet young and promising divinities did not come every day.
Yet Yiman did not show any of this on her face. She led the way while explaining to Zhang Ruochen and Yu Chenjing the famous stories of past luminaries that had taken place in each palace and hall of the Tower of the World’s Divine Maidens, as well as the distinctive features of every scenic spot.
The layout and arrangement of the Tower of the World’s Divine Maidens were broadly the same as those of the Divine Maiden Tower in the Divine Domain of Fate. Cloud pagodas and flying islands hung high, while flower boats and moon lanterns drifted on the lake.
Though night had not fully fallen, the entire Tower of the World’s Divine Maidens was already ablaze with lights. From all directions came the clamour of crowds, accompanied by the music of strings and winds.
What a vivid portrait of the mortal world, lost in drunken revelry and splendour.
The Divine Maiden Tower in the Divine Domain of Fate had only nine palace clusters, whereas the Tower of the World’s Divine Maidens had twenty-one, several times larger in scale.
Yiman walked shoulder to shoulder with Yu Chenjing and took the initiative to ask, “Will Lord Tai Zhen attend the Linglong Grand Assembly?”
Expectation shone in her eyes.
Yu Chenjing had not reached the divine realm. No matter how outstanding her talent, she could not compare with divinities of Shang Hong’s level. Yet Lord Tai Zhen of the Thousand Star Civilisation was a figure of the highest order, a divine powerhouse whom women throughout the world admired and adored.
Yu Chenjing smiled. “The Linglong Grand Assembly is such a grand occasion. Tenth Uncle will naturally come.”
The dissatisfaction in Yiman’s heart instantly vanished.
Lord Tai Zhen, the legendary Yu Taizhen. If through Yu Chenjing she could meet this divine powerhouse who possessed the qualifications of a god-king, it would unquestionably be a tremendous stroke of fortune.
While crossing an arch bridge that resembled a bright moon, Zhang Ruochen caught sight of the twenty-second palace cluster. It was pitch black, filled with broken walls and ruins, yet brimming with boundless mystery.
Zhang Ruochen pointed and asked, “What place is that?”
Yiman was slightly startled. “Senior can actually see that place?”
Yu Chenjing looked over with her Origin Divine Eyes, yet saw only darkness, nothing at all.
“That is the ruins of the Starry Heaven Venerable Hall,” Yiman said.
Her face was filled with reverence, and she gained a new understanding of this white-haired elder. No wonder Lu Yi had insisted she receive him. He was truly no ordinary cultivator.
“Impressive. The Tower of the World’s Divine Maidens is actually built over the ruins of the Heaven Venerable Hall. No wonder after entering the tower I cannot sense anything beyond a hundred paces. It must be the lingering power of the Heaven Venerable affecting my spiritual force and perception,” Yu Chenjing said.
Some pride and satisfaction appeared on Yiman’s face. “It is not built outside the ruins. In fact, parts of the Tower of the World’s Divine Maidens and the Heaven Venerable Hall ruins overlap. For example, the place that will be the liveliest tonight, the Divine Cloud Battle Platform.”
“Why will the Divine Cloud Battle Platform be the liveliest place tonight?” Yu Chenjing asked curiously.
Yiman replied, “Because tonight there will erupt a battle between gods that will shake the ages.”
“That does sound interesting!” Yu Chenjing said.
Yiman continued, “Heavenly Grandson Shang Hong challenges Hai Shang Minggong of the Temple of Fate. To call it merely interesting would be an understatement. It is simply the strongest confrontation of this aeon.”
Hai Shang Minggong. Zhang Ruochen had heard the name.
He was once a divine son of the Temple of Fate, becoming a god even earlier than Divine Maiden Qing Feimi seventy thousand years ago.
In this aeon, if one were to choose the cultivators of highest talent, Zhang Ruochen and Yan Wushen could not be overlooked.
But if one were to choose those of highest cultivation and strongest battle power, one could not overlook the older generation of divine sons and divine maidens of the Temple of Fate such as Qing Feimi and Hai Shang Minggong.
The showdown between Shang Hong and Hai Shang Minggong could indeed be counted as a clash between peak powerhouses of this aeon, yet to call it the strongest confrontation, Yu Chenjing could not agree.
Yiman led Zhang Ruochen and Yu Chenjing to a palace where all manner of rare delicacies and fine wines were immediately served.
Naturally, there was no shortage of musicians and dancing beauties.
Learning that figures such as Shang Hong, Hai Shang Minggong, and Yu Taizhen would all come to Xinghuan Heaven for the Linglong Grand Assembly, and adding the earlier encounters with Lord Shiying, Divine Spirit Qingxuan, Lord Ailian, and Wu Ma Jiuxing, Zhang Ruochen realised he had unwittingly stepped into another great maelstrom.
Thus he asked Yu Chenjing, “Little Yu, this old man has one puzzlement. The Linglong Grand Assembly is held once every three thousand years. It is not especially unusual. How can it attract so many divinities? These divinities all possess extraordinary talent and exceptional disposition. They do not seem the sort to be swayed by mere beauty.”
Hearing this mysterious senior address her so intimately, Yu Chenjing felt flattered and hurriedly replied, “Senior may not know, but ordinary beauty naturally cannot attract figures like Shang Hong and Hai Shang Minggong. Bai Qing’er, however, is different!”
Zhang Ruochen’s brow furrowed even more deeply. “How so?”
Yu Chenjing’s expression grew grave. “The war between the Hell Realm and the Heavenly Court grows ever more brutal. Full-scale eruption is only a matter of time. Xinghuan Heaven is fated not to remain aloof forever as it does now. Empress Bai Hou is supremely wise and clearly foresaw this long ago. Therefore, a hundred thousand years ago she began holding the Linglong Grand Assembly, gathering the treasures of the universe and repeatedly forging the First Divine Maiden City.”
“Only by forging the First Divine Maiden City into a true divine city, using the power of a divine city to envelop the whole of Xinghuan Heaven, can it avoid being easily conquered in future. This protects themselves and also increases the bargaining chips they hold.”
“Facing life-and-death survival, not long ago after Bai Qing’er returned from the Border Wilderness Universe, she announced that whoever can personally present the Heavenly Venerable Treasure Gauze to her at the Linglong Grand Assembly, regardless of who they are, regardless of beauty or ugliness, regardless of race, cultivation, or character, she will marry them as wife.”
“There is only one restriction. They must be a cultivator born in this aeon.”
Zhang Ruochen’s heart ached as though stabbed by a blade. He closed his eyes and let out a long sigh.
As expected of her.
She truly meant what she said.
No wonder…
No wonder Huang Tian himself had acted to seize the Heavenly Venerable Treasure Gauze.
