Yan Shen’s divine realm world unfolded as a sea of tricoloured flames, dense with strands of rule divine inscriptions.
In an instant, the surrounding temperature soared.
Fourth Armor Blood Ancestor gave a cold snort. “What is there to fear? That old fellow’s spiritual strength is merely early seventy-fourth order. Any one of us can defeat him alone. The moment he realises four gods have arrived together, his legs will be shaking so hard he will flee rather than show himself.”
Jialin Nan wore a haughty expression. “Quite right. With my cultivation, crushing a Wuma Jiuxing who has been a god for only a thousand years would not require nearly so much effort. Should the old man appear, he will learn the might of the Sword of Order. Ten strokes shall suffice to bring him down.”
Both Fourth Armor Blood Ancestor and Jialin Nan were veterans of countless battles. They were neither truly arrogant nor underestimating their opponent.
The words they spoke served two purposes: to goad Zhang Ruochen out from hiding, and to voice the genuine confidence in their hearts, a confidence that knew no equal.
Which true god had not been a dazzling genius in the Saint realm? None were significantly inferior to Wuma Jiuxing.
Wuma Jiuxing had cultivated for a mere thousand years, yet they had dwelt in the divine realm for tens of thousands, even hundreds of thousands of years. Though all were mid-rank gods, their cultivation far surpassed his. The confidence in their hearts was therefore as unshakeable as bedrock.
Fourth Armor Blood Ancestor drew a supreme sacred artefact, a blood blade. Instantly, a sea of blood spread beneath his feet.
Jialin Nan produced his own supreme sacred artefact, a war sword.
Upon the blade, light blazed and order inscriptions flowed.
They might belittle the enemy with words, but psychologically they treated him with utmost gravity. Carelessness was forbidden.
Many gods possessed no supreme sacred artefact, yet for a true god who had cultivated tens of thousands of years, failing to refine even one would be utterly shameful.
The elven god Kailan Feili was strikingly handsome, his long hair impeccably combed, a bow slung across his back. “Do not forget, that stone cauldron the old man carries is no ordinary thing. One could say Wuma Jiuxing was not killed by him personally, but was suppressed to death by the Six Ancestors Brahmic Script and the Yin Xue Tian imprint upon the cauldron.”
“Haha! The very reason I have come is to seize that stone cauldron. With it in my possession, I too shall slay gods in future.” Fourth Armor Blood Ancestor laughed wildly.
Yan Shen crouched, studying the traces on the ground and the patterns of the spatial array, his gaze fixed upon the temple gate, his pupils burning like twin fireballs.
Standing within the Xingmen Fukun Grand Array, Zhang Ruochen met his stare and sighed inwardly. “Those who reach the divine realm truly are all shrewd beyond measure. Hiding from them is harder than ascending to heaven.”
Knowing concealment was no longer possible, Zhang Ruochen stepped out of the array.
Whoosh!
Spatial ripples emanated from the gate.
The four gods were startled, their smiles vanishing as they braced themselves fully.
They watched as the white-haired old man emerged from empty space, seemingly deaf to everything they had just said, displaying not the slightest anger. “Have the four of you come seeking this old man?”
The gods had considered every possibility.
A sudden ambush, immediate flight, continued concealment.
Yet none had imagined he would simply stroll out openly.
Fourth Armor Blood Ancestor wasted no words. “Indeed! We are here for the Heavenly Venerable’s Treasure Gauze. Hand it over, old man!”
“This old one observes that you are all gods of the Paradise Faction. To speak plainly, I share deep ties of friendship with the Paradise Faction and have no wish to become your enemy,” Zhang Ruochen replied.
Fourth Armor Blood Ancestor had little patience and prepared to strike at once.
Yan Shen stopped him, transmitting secretly, “His spiritual strength is formidable. Any one of us might defeat him individually, but to keep him here and kill him, even together we have no absolute certainty.”
Fourth Armor Blood Ancestor temporarily restrained his killing intent.
Yan Shen put on a smile and cupped his hands toward Zhang Ruochen. “So you are a friend of the Paradise Faction. We nearly injured one of our own by mistake.”
Zhang Ruochen gave a light humph. “This old one was the closest friend of Motong. I once drank and conversed merrily with Yin Yuanchen; we are friends despite the difference in our ages. I personally instructed Fairy Lianxi of the Brightlight Temple in her cultivation and was an important mentor in her life.”
“So that is how it is, so that is how it is.”
Yan Shen hastened to distance himself. “However, Motong was an assassin god of the Tian Sha Organisation and has no connection to the Paradise Faction.”
Kailan Feili added, “Since you are a friend of the Paradise Faction, why not hand the Heavenly Venerable’s Treasure Gauze to us? We can all shake hands and make peace. Would that not be best for everyone?”
“Precisely,” Yan Shen nodded.
“Very well! This old one has placed the Heavenly Venerable’s Treasure Gauze inside the temple. Please follow me.”
Zhang Ruochen took the lead and walked toward the gate.
The four gods, however, halted.
How could men of their cunning believe he would so easily surrender the treasure?
Moreover, their divine sight was keen. They had long since examined the area thoroughly and knew a spatial array guarded the gate.
“What is the matter, my lords? Do you not trust this old one?” Zhang Ruochen stopped abruptly and looked back.
Yan Shen smiled. “Why not enter alone, retrieve the Heavenly Venerable’s Treasure Gauze, and hand it to us?”
Jialin Nan’s tone was icy. “Exactly. If you are sincere, present the treasure with both hands. As for the Blade Venerable, we can plead on your behalf.”
“In the end, you simply do not trust this old one.”
Zhang Ruochen gave a long sigh. “I regard you as friends, yet you guard against me at every turn. Are all gods of the Paradise Faction so narrow-minded? It seems the younger generation, Yin Yuanchen and Fairy Lianxi, far surpass you elders in excellence.”
Then he continued, “Have you considered this? If I have no intention of giving you the Heavenly Venerable’s Treasure Gauze, once I enter the temple I certainly will not come out again. Will you not still have to go in after me?”
The four gods exchanged sound transmissions.
“The old fellow keeps making excuses. He clearly does not wish to surrender the treasure. Stop listening to his nonsense. Strike now and cut him down,” said Jialin Nan.
Yan Shen cautioned, “We must not act rashly! We still do not know whether the Heavenly Venerable’s Treasure Gauze is on his person or hidden elsewhere.”
“Continuing this stalemate achieves nothing!” said Kailan Feili.
“I shall go in with him.”
Fourth Armor Blood Ancestor continued, “Whatever trick he tries to play, he is only a spiritual-strength god with limited physical power. If necessary, at such close range I can cleave his body and divine heart in two in an instant. One slash of my blood blade will drain every drop of his blood and end him.”
“I agree! In close combat, Fourth Armor Blood Ancestor ranks among the very strongest of mid-rank gods. Killing a spiritual-strength god would be like slaughtering a pig or a dog,” Jialin Nan said.
Moments later, Fourth Armor Blood Ancestor strode forward gripping his blood blade and laughing. “Old sir, I shall accompany you inside. Lead the way!”
One of his hands settled heavily on Zhang Ruochen’s shoulder.
His divine realm world unfurled beneath their feet, becoming a sea of blood that enveloped Zhang Ruochen.
Were it not for uncertainty about the location of the Heavenly Venerable’s Treasure Gauze, Fourth Armor Blood Ancestor would gladly have split Zhang Ruochen open right then, taken his divine heart, and gone to the Blade God Realm to present himself before the Blade Venerable.
Seeing Fourth Armor Blood Ancestor exercise such caution, not only restraining the white-haired elder but also enveloping him in his divine realm world, Yan Shen relaxed completely. All worry left him, and a smile spread across his face.
Not far away, atop a small reddish-yellow hill, Bai Qing’er stood wrapped in black gauze. She watched Zhang Ruochen and Fourth Armor Blood Ancestor vanish through the temple gate and sighed faintly. “There will never again be a Fourth Armor Blood Ancestor in this world.”
Beside her stood a three-foot-tall emerald turtle.
Lord Turtle King’s true body was space emerald formed over hundreds of millions of years. Having survived the trial of the Origin Divine Temple by sheer luck, he had trained for a thousand years with the Star Sea Fisherman and Bai Qing’er in the Border Wilderness Universe and had now stepped into the divine realm.
He had gained immeasurable benefits from the Star Sea Fisherman.
Stammering, he said, “Y-y-young lady, c-c-could we have u-u-underestimated F-F-Fourth Armor Blood Ancestor?”
“In any other place, with his profound cultivation, let alone Zhang Ruochen, even if I struck personally I would have no absolute certainty of killing him. But here, inside the Nine Yin Evasion Arrays laid by Master Fangcun, his death is inevitable.”
Bai Qing’er shook her head lightly. “I had thought the four gods of the Paradise Faction would pose a genuine threat to Zhang Ruochen, enough to corner him and awaken his will to survive. Yet now it is clear that in wits they lag several levels behind him. They cannot threaten him at all.”
“Sh-Sh-Shang Hong…” Lord Turtle King began.
Bai Qing’er knew what he meant to say. “A man like Shang Hong? He will not walk so easily into the trap. He will not come.”
