The Book of the Underworld consists of eight volumes, and any single volume is comparable to the peerless arts listed on the Taiyi Divine Merit Rankings.
Legend has it that when all eight volumes are united, one can glimpse the secret of immortality.
Who in the world does not desire to live forever?
The higher one’s cultivation, the stronger that desire becomes.
The Volume of Underworld Soldiers is not only of immense significance to the prestigious Underworld Palace and the Dark Divine Hall, but every supreme existence in the present world would also be interested in it. Once news spreads, countless divinities will surely seek out Zhang Ruochen, inevitably forming a new storm vortex.
Zhang Ruochen had already guessed that the Blood Absolute War God standing before him was actually Huang Tian, so he naturally would not admit it honestly, yet he also did not wish to lie in front of this profoundly perceptive and supremely intelligent great god.
“It seems you have seen through the clues and realised I am not Blood Absolute, so you remain wary of me.” Huang Tian did not revert to his original form and continued to appear as the Blood Absolute War God, standing there.
Yet he possessed a dragon-like bearing and tiger-like stance, in no way inferior to the overwhelming heroic presence that the real Blood Absolute War God originally commanded.
Zhang Ruochen said, “You never intended to deceive me with my grandfather’s appearance. Otherwise, after entering the divine temple, you would not have waited here for me. You would have rushed into the stone hall, checked my injuries, and asked where I have been all these years. If you are going to pretend, you must pretend thoroughly.”
“Therefore, you disguised yourself as my grandfather only to fool the Master of the Underworld Flower Workshop, Yu Qiancheng.”
“You do not want the cultivators of the Twelve Goddess Workshops to know that you have come to Xinghuan Heaven. You do not want the cultivators of the world to know that it was you who killed the Goddess in Rainbow Robes.”
Huang Tian’s domain had long since enveloped the ruins of the divine temple.
Even though the Master of the Underworld Flower Workshop stood inside the stone hall, mere feet away, he could not hear their conversation.
In the eyes of the Master of the Underworld Flower Workshop, the two men beneath the hibiscus tree covered in red blossoms were both extraordinarily heroic: one majestic and divine, the other outstanding and refined, each the finest type of man in the world.
The Blood Dragon War Halberd in Huang Tian’s hand resembled a living demonic dragon, breathing, exhaling waves of energy, generating powerful gusts of wind.
“Whoosh!”
Petals fell from the hibiscus tree, drifting down like rain.
Zhang Ruochen’s gaze settled on the Blood Dragon War Halberd. After careful examination, he said, “This does not seem fake!”
This Blood Dragon War Halberd was identical to the one wielded by the Blood Absolute War God. It could not possibly be an illusion.
Huang Tian said, “This halberd is named Blood Absolute. The materials used are not much different from those of Blood Absolute’s own Blood Dragon War Halberd, and inside it is also sealed a true divine demonic dragon.”
Zhang Ruochen felt a strong sense of absurdity.
The Blood Absolute War God had already been childish enough to name the guardian spirit of the Seven Stars Imperial Palace Huang Tian. Yet, given his wild and unrestrained personality, such behaviour was still understandable.
But Huang Tian, the great god notorious for his ruthless heart, who betrayed Heaven, killed his own teacher, and severed the Heaven-Connecting Divine Tree… could such a person truly act in this childish manner?
He forged this halberd and even named it Blood Absolute, most likely just to frame the Blood Absolute War God.
After killing someone, he could shift the blame onto the Blood Absolute War God.
These two men were truly the unrivalled twin prodigies of the previous cosmic cycle: one shameless, the other sinister. Neither yielded to the other.
“You should know who I am, right?” Huang Tian asked.
Zhang Ruochen nodded.
“Do you know why I killed the Goddess in Rainbow Robes? And why I did it under Blood Absolute’s name?” Huang Tian asked.
Zhang Ruochen replied, “I can roughly guess.”
Huang Tian stood tall and imposing, steady as a mountain and deep as an abyss. His blazing divine eyes revealed an unusual glint. “You can actually guess?”
Zhang Ruochen completely relaxed. He was no longer as tense and uneasy as before. Even if the other party truly was a treacherous great demon, what of it? At worst, he would only die.
He said, “Does it have something to do with the Ni Gods Clan?”
Upon hearing the words “Ni Gods Clan”, Huang Tian’s divine might surged forth.
Before this divine might, Zhang Ruochen felt like a small wooden boat in the vast ocean, one that could be capsized and shattered in an instant.
Yet there was no fear in Zhang Ruochen’s eyes. He continued, “As expected! The great god knows that Empress Bai is a member of the Ni Gods Clan. If I am not mistaken, the group of divinities led by Lord Yi Tian used this secret to control you. Therefore, you could not personally kill the Goddess in Rainbow Robes and had to frame my grandfather instead.”
Huang Tian stared fixedly at Zhang Ruochen.
He clearly stood motionless, his face showing no emotion, yet he gave the sensation of an oncoming storm.
Zhang Ruochen felt as if he could not breathe. Before his eyes, it seemed the heavens were collapsing and the earth was splitting, yet he still stood proudly, meeting Huang Tian’s gaze.
So what if he is a great god? I am a god too.
“Was it Yu Yao who told you?” Huang Tian asked.
Zhang Ruochen replied, “It has nothing to do with her! Not only you can perceive the hidden secrets of the world. I can also glimpse some of them.”
“Is that so? How much more do you know?” Huang Tian’s tone was calm.
This question actually stumped Zhang Ruochen!
After all, he had only overheard a few sentences between Shang Hong and Empress Bai, then deduced this possibility based on Huang Tian’s pattern of behaviour.
Zhang Ruochen said, “That is all! As for the rest, is it not for the great god to tell me? Otherwise, why would the great god have Divine Master Yu Yao pass a message asking me to meet you at the Lake of Heavenly Venerable Mi Shan?”
Gradually, the boundless divine might dissipated.
A trace of desolation appeared on Huang Tian’s face. He released his grip on the halberd, looked up at the tree full of red blossoms, and said, “I do not wish to tell my story to anyone, nor do I need to tell anyone. How much do you know about the Ni Gods Clan?”
Zhang Ruochen answered, “The Ni Gods Clan was originally a holy clan. They gained the name ‘Ni Gods’ only because of the Ni God Heavenly Venerable thirty thousand years ago and the Ni God Stele established when Heaven was founded.”
Huang Tian’s emotions flared. He declared, “The Ni Gods Clan represents the betrayal by the gods of Heaven towards their ancestors. It represents the deepest shame of Heaven and the myriad realms. No, the Hell Realm is included too. The gods of the Hell Realm are also betrayers. At least they still possess some sense of shame. They destroyed all records of the Ni Gods Clan and forbade future generations from speaking of them.”
“Thirty thousand years ago, under the leadership of the Ni God Heavenly Venerable, the twenty-four heavens of Heaven and Hell marched together into the unknown, solely to prevent the Quantity Tribulation that arrives once every fifty thousand cosmic cycles.”
“When the Quantity Tribulation comes, the universe suffers great destruction, all beings cease to exist, and heaven and earth return to deathly silence and primordial chaos.”
“They were defeated! Of the twenty-four heavens that marched forth, only three remained.”
“Yet it was not a complete defeat. At the very least, they bought this world two hundred thousand years of respite, delaying the great destruction until ten thousand years ago.”
“The great destruction ten thousand years ago targeted only the Holy Realm and the myriad heavens. It did not affect the Hell Realm. Clearly, the force driving that great destruction had already grown weak. That is why it lasted only three months before hastily ending.”
“Legend claims that the top experts of Heaven’s myriad realms joined forces and repelled that force. But I simply do not believe this legend. At that time, the gods of Heaven were struggling merely to survive the great destruction. How could they have had strength left to fight?”
“Heavenly Venerables fell, the twenty-four heavens were all defeated, and no heroes remained in the world.”
Zhang Ruochen had also heard something about the fate of the Ni Gods Clan, and anger filled his heart.
Huang Tian continued, “Everyone knows the Quantity Tribulation has not truly passed. Yet the Hell Realm still launched war against Heaven’s myriad realms.”
“You suspect the Hell Realm has already been controlled by the force driving the Quantity Tribulation? But that should not be possible. The Hell Realm has people of extraordinary vision and ability. They could not fail to see the clues, and no one could control them.” Zhang Ruochen said.
Huang Tian replied, “Those people of extraordinary vision and ability either died in battle alongside the Ni God Heavenly Venerable, such as the Four Heavens of Hell, or they perished through assassination and schemes, such as the Divine Venerable of Life, the Divine Venerable of Auspiciousness, and the Old Patriarch Yan, or they chose silence, such as the Undying War God and the Great Emperor Fengdu.”
“The remainder chose the extreme path.”
“What is the extreme path?” Zhang Ruochen asked.
Huang Tian explained, “The ten great clans of the Hell Realm all require war and slaughter to grow stronger rapidly. They wish to annihilate Heaven’s myriad realms, elevate their own power to the utmost limit, and rely on the strength of the Hell Realm alone to resist the world-destroying force behind the Quantity Tribulation.”
“The most fundamental driver of this war has never been any conspiracy or scheme. It is the desire in the hearts of Hell Realm cultivators: the desire to grow stronger, the desire for slaughter, the desire for blood.”
“Perhaps some force is pushing events, but that force is merely awakening the desires already in their hearts.”
“What does all this have to do with the Ni Gods Clan?” Zhang Ruochen asked.
Huang Tian answered, “Because they believe it was the Ni God Heavenly Venerable who provoked the great destruction ten thousand years ago. Faced with a calamity they cannot withstand, they shift all blame onto the ancestors who once fought for them.”
“If the Ni Gods Clan is exterminated, not only might war with the Hell Realm cease, it might even appease the anger of that unknown force.”
“And the Hell Realm even more strongly wishes the Ni Gods Clan did not exist. They too want to use this to appease that unknown force and buy more time. Thus, the Ni Gods Clan became the sacrificial victim of an entire era…”
He sank into his own emotions.
After a long while, Huang Tian let out a long breath and said, “Yet their sacrifice was not entirely meaningless. At the very least, it bought ten thousand years of peace and prosperity. Everyone strengthened themselves as quickly as possible. Today, the power of both Heaven and Hell surpasses what it was ten thousand years ago.”
Zhang Ruochen said, “I believe that among the highest levels of Heaven and Hell, there must be powerful beings who have already submitted to that unknown force. Otherwise, how could the gods of Heaven and Hell reach such an absurd and pitifully weak consensus?”
Huang Tian stared deeply at Zhang Ruochen, making him feel slightly guilty. Zhang Ruochen hurriedly added, “What I mean is, their submission might only be a kind of faith, like the faith Hell Realm cultivators have in destiny or the faith Paradise Realm cultivators have in light.”
“Why not guess more boldly? That they have betrayed this world entirely, simply to gain the chance to survive with their cultivation until the next Quantity Tribulation?” Huang Tian said.
Quantity Tribulation power is a unit of time, the duration of one complete cosmic cycle.
It is fifty thousand cosmic cycles.
Huang Tian pulled the Blood Absolute War Halberd from the ground. With a powerful shake of his arm, the halberd pointed at Zhang Ruochen. A heaven-shaking dragon roar resounded as he declared, “Once the identity of the Ni Gods Clan is exposed, both Heaven and Hell will hunt them down. So tell me, where exactly did you learn this secret?”
Zhang Ruochen clearly sensed the killing intent radiating from Huang Tian and had no doubt that a single thrust could pierce straight through him.
At this moment, how could he dare conceal anything or play childish tricks? He said, “I overheard the conversation between Shang Hong and Empress Bai.”
Huang Tian did not doubt him. “In that case, if I kill you, the secret dies with you. Give me one reason I should not kill you!”
