Since the outbreak of the war between Heaven and Hell, the situation has grown ever more intense. Both sides have committed an increasing number of cultivators to the battlefield.
At the very beginning, some predicted that in the early stages of the war, large-scale battles between gods would not occur.
Yet the reality is that in only a few decades, the number of true gods fallen from both Heaven and Hell has reached double digits.
The number of false gods who have perished is beyond counting.
Of the ten clans of Hell, nine have gathered large numbers of gods in the Asura Star-Pillar Realm, ready to rush to the battlefield at any moment.
Within the Asura Star-Pillar Realm lies a camp belonging to the Rakshasa clan.
Luo Yan stood outside a glittering crystal palace. She wore a crystal crown and a pale-green divine robe, held an ancient staff, and gazed at the starry sky. Huge black patches floated there.
Each black patch was an ancient civilisation continent. Linked together, they formed a starry defence line that held back the otherwise unstoppable Asura Star-Pillar Realm.
The starfield between Heaven’s starry defence line and the Asura Star-Pillar Realm was the Starry Battlefield.
Fierce fighting erupted there every day. Vast numbers of corpses were transported back.
Outside the palace, the altars were covered with the bodies of Rakshasa cultivators. Sacrificial priests chanted ancient scriptures. Then the altars blazed, the flames bright.
Beside Luo Yan stood a beautiful woman clad in snow-white holy robes. She was Princess Qi, of the Yuegu Divine Kingdom, one of the seven great divine kingdoms of the Rakshasa. She and Luo Yan were extremely close, bosom friends since childhood.
Though Princess Qi was not Luo Yan’s equal, she was nevertheless gifted. Her cultivation had already reached the Supreme Paramount Realm of Great Saint.
Princess Qi smiled. “There is really no need to feel sad. Our losses are heavy, but Heaven’s are no less so. Once we breach the starry defence line, will not all the resources on those ancient civilisation continents be ours for the taking? By then, we will only grow stronger.”
Luo Yan continued gazing at the stars, unable to feel happy. She seemed to speak to herself. “The Heavenly River has ceased to flow. The Gate of Destiny has collapsed. These are clearly ominous signs in heaven and earth. The future may be far more perilous than we imagine.”
“No matter how great the peril, Father and the others will bear it. Why should we worry so much?”
A bewitching Rakshasa smile, standard for her race, appeared on Princess Qi’s exquisite snow-white face. The Rakshasa soldiers guarding the palace and altars stared in a daze, as though their souls had been stolen.
In pure beauty, Princess Luo Yan naturally surpassed her.
But in recent years, Princess Luo Yan had smiled less and less. By comparison, Princess Qi seemed more lively and alluring.
Feng Qingli, disciple of the Goddess of Heavenly Sound, crossed the white-stone square and hurried to the foot of the palace steps. She held a transmission talisman.
“Your Highness, there is news from Prince Shenhuangzi in Xinghuan Heaven.”
“By my reckoning, the Linglong Assembly should be over by now. It is time for news,” Luo Yan said.
She extended a jade-white hand to receive it.
Feng Qingli did not hand over the talisman. Her expression was rather strange. “I have one piece of good news and one piece of bad news. Which would you like first?”
Luo Yan and Feng Qingli were very close. Luo Yan knew her to be straightforward and had never seen her act so evasively.
Princess Qi gave a little laugh. “Qingli, since when do you play such games?”
Luo Yan said, “The good news first.”
“Cai Yi Shen fell in Xinghuan Heaven, killed by the God of Blood Absolution. And the God of Blood Absolution went to Xinghuan Heaven precisely to meet Zhang Ruochen.” Feng Qingli said.
A buzzing rang in Luo Yan’s mind. “Zhang Ruochen has appeared?”
Feng Qingli nodded. “Zhang Ruochen entered First Divine Maiden City together with the God of Blood Absolution. Moreover, he killed Taro, a divine general under Qingxuan Spiritual God.”
Luo Yan broke into a radiant smile. “Well killed.”
That smile could overturn nations. Her laughter was pleasant and gentle, filled with enchantment.
The Rakshasa soldiers stared in intoxicated fascination, their minds blank. They felt no scenery in the world could be more beautiful.
“That fellow Zhang Ruochen must have nine lives. Even Qingtian struck personally, yet he still lives.” After saying this, Princess Qi remembered Luo Yan’s relationship with Zhang Ruochen and hurriedly blinked apologetically.
Luo Yan was in high spirits and did not take offence. “To kill Taro shows not only that he is alive and well, but that his cultivation has not been entirely lost.”
“Killing a mere false god is no great feat. If Zhang Ruochen truly wanted revenge, why did he not kill Qingxuan Spiritual God?” Princess Qi lifted her chin proudly. “In this princess’s view, Zhang Ruochen has probably become a false god. His gifts are wasted, his potential gone. How is he still worthy of you, Yanyan?”
Luo Yan shared the same worry, her fine brows knitting.
Yet what concerned her was that Zhang Ruochen might fall into depression and lose all ambition.
“Is the bad news that?” she asked.
Annoyance appeared on Feng Qingli’s face. “I think Princess Qi is quite right. How is Zhang Ruochen worthy of you? Your master should ask Fuliu Divine Venerable to cancel this marriage.”
Luo Yan smiled sweetly. “Even if Zhang Ruochen has become a false god, I believe that by cultivating only spiritual force he can still become a Tai Shang and remain one of the supreme powers of heaven and earth.”
Feng Qingli stuffed the transmission talisman into Luo Yan’s hand. “See for yourself!”
Luo Yan took it and looked closely.
On the talisman appeared a scene condensed by Luo Shengtian’s spiritual force.
In the scene, Zhang Ruochen held the hand of a veiled graceful woman. With overwhelming presence he declared, “There is no need to hold tomorrow’s Linglong Assembly. Bai Qing’er will be my wife, Zhang Ruochen’s wife. None of you have the strength to contend with me.”
At the same time, Luo Shengtian’s furious voice rang from the talisman. “Break the engagement! Break it! It must be broken! We were already betrothed, yet for the sake of a woman from the Twelve Mansions of the Divine Maiden he dares act so arrogantly. Where does that leave you? Where does that leave the face of our Tianluo Divine Kingdom? Break it! Break it!”
Feng Qingli said, “See? I wager that for these past decades Zhang Ruochen has been enjoying himself in the Twelve Mansions with Bai Qing’er. Poor Your Highness led troops personally to attack Kunlun just to avenge him, yet he never even sent a single letter!”
Princess Qi licked her lips with the tip of her fragrant tongue and laughed. “This Zhang Ruochen is rather interesting. His cultivation is ruined, yet he still has such mysterious confidence. Yanyan, break the engagement. Let him marry that low-born woman from the Twelve Mansions. They suit each other perfectly.”
Luo Yan turned and fixed her gaze upon her.
Though her eyes were not cold, Princess Qi felt a chill run through her body. Her legs trembled involuntarily beneath her skirt.
She had never seen such a terrifying look in Luo Yan’s eyes.
After all, she was merely a Great Saint, while Luo Yan was a god.
Luo Yan crushed the transmission talisman to powder. “You underestimate Zhang Ruochen far too much, and Bai Qing’er as well. What manner of person is Bai Qing’er? Disciple of the Star-Sea Angler. A thousand years ago, the moment she appeared she threw Hell into bloody turmoil and left even the Temple of Destiny in disgrace.”
“The number of men in this yuanhui who could catch her eye can probably be counted on one hand.”
“That she is willing to marry Zhang Ruochen, do you think it is merely because he is the grandson of the God of Blood Absolution? If so, why does she not marry my royal brother? Is his background not greater than Zhang Ruochen’s?”
“It can only mean that Zhang Ruochen is outstanding enough to have conquered her.”
Luo Yan felt something and raised her head to the starry sky. She saw an astral soul divine throne grow dim.
“Another true god has fallen,” Princess Qi exclaimed.
What on earth had been happening these past few days? True gods were falling one after another.
Were true gods so easy to kill?
“It is Yan Shen!” Luo Yan said. “Something has happened again in Xinghuan Heaven!”
Whoosh!
Whoosh!
One transmission light talisman after another flew from the starry sky.
“The God of Blood Absolution and Divine Emperor Duotian are fighting on Moyan Star. Stars are shattering. A divine source has detonated. It is a battle to the death.”
“Luotuo Nebula. Zhang Ruochen has captured Yan Shen!”
Princess Qi and Feng Qingli were stunned by the flood of messages. Their hearts pounded.
“How is that possible? Yan Shen is a veteran middle god who cultivates the Three-Corpse God-Refining Scripture. How powerful must Zhang Ruochen’s spiritual force be to capture him?” Princess Qi cried.
Feng Qingli said, “It is impossible! Even if Zhang Ruochen became a god through spiritual force, it has only been a few decades. Reaching the seventy-first order would already be extraordinary. To contend with a middle god, his spiritual force would need to reach at least the seventy-fourth order.”
Luo Yan’s beautiful eyes rippled. Countless conjectures flashed through her mind. She smiled. “Two mere Great Saints think to fathom the affairs of gods?”
Suddenly her smile vanished. She grew solemn. “This is bad!”
“What is bad?” Feng Qingli asked.
“The Twelve Mansions of the Divine Maiden are about to face great calamity. It seems I must make a trip there,” Luo Yan replied.
Both Feng Qingli and Princess Qi realised the crucial point. The latter said, “If you know the Twelve Mansions are about to suffer catastrophe, why wade into these troubled waters?”
Luo Yan smiled. “Because if Bai Qing’er wishes to survive this crisis, she will have to beg me. To miss such a delightful opportunity would be a lifelong regret.”
…
The Three Lives Realm.
Master Yeyou reported the news from Xinghuan Heaven to the God of Blood Absolution one item at a time.
The God of Blood Absolution stroked his chin. “So he intends to kill Duotian. Hmm, not bad. If he succeeds, below the Immeasurable Realm, apart from a handful of truly ruthless characters, every other great god will feel fear in their hearts the moment they see me.”
Master Yeyou said, “I fear it will not be so easy. Divine Emperor Duotian is the son of Shang Tian and ruler of the Great Shang Divine Dynasty.”
The God of Blood Absolution glared. “What do you know? That old fox Huang Tian is utterly treacherous. Once he decides to act, he is certain to have a way to kill Duotian, even if that way is perishing together.”
Cold sweat broke out on Master Yeyou’s face. He hurriedly explained, “This grandson means that Shang Tian will surely sense it and intervene.”
“Relax. Anywhere else, Duotian might not die. But in the Xinghuan Heaven starfield, even if Shang Tian tries to rescue him, he will be blocked. Do you think there is any other reason the news was delayed so long before reaching us?”
The God of Blood Absolution smiled, then grew serious. “However, since Ruochen has decided to take Bai Qing’er, he is now tied to the Twelve Mansions of the Divine Maiden. Their days ahead will not be easy. I wonder whether the titles of Star-Sea Angler’s disciple and Heavenly Grandmother’s envoy will be of any use?”
After a moment’s thought, he said, “A true powerhouse must still be stationed there. Take my Grand Clan Executioner Token to the Wanqi Blood Sea and deliver it to the Prison-Gold Heavenly God. Tell him to go to Xinghuan Heaven and lend support. Remember, his true body must go.”
The Wanqi Blood Sea is one of the seven great blood seas of the Bloodsky Clan.
The Prison-Gold Heavenly God is a great god of the Grand Void Realm, a thunderous name among the Immortal Vampires. Master Yeyou had naturally heard of him. His face filled with envy as he smiled obsequiously. “Ancestral Master truly cares for Master with the deepest affection, rare in this world. Once the Prison-Gold Heavenly God appears, even if Empress Bai is unwilling to marry her daughter to Master, she will have no choice!”
“Of the entire Blood Absolution family, you are the cleverest.” The God of Blood Absolution laughed heartily.
