Dark clouds hung overhead, grey mist pressing down upon the city.
Boom!
A rotting divine corpse, taller than a mountain, revealed half a hideous face within the grey mist, its colour blackish-brown.
Beneath its feet, the Heavenly Court’s saint armies scattered in all directions like ants.
A decayed hand dozens of zhang long seized a great saint brimming with blood qi and, amid the great saint’s terrified scream, tossed him straight into its mouth.
More divine corpses charged out from the deathly grey mist. Each one trod upon a shattered divine-realm world: some upon cities of devils, some upon fields of white bones, some upon boundless deserts. They smashed the Heavenly Court forces into disarray.
Countless saint soldiers became food for the divine corpses.
Fortunately, most of the saint troops had already been frightened far away by Zhang Ruochen’s earlier ferocity, so the casualties from this wave of divine corpses were not overly severe.
“Too terrifying. Why have all the gods of the Corpse Clan descended upon Xing Huan Tian together?”
“These Corpse Clan gods came with Zhang Ruochen.”
…
The Third Armour Blood Ancestor glanced back. In his field of vision alone contained over a hundred divine corpses.
Farther away, divine light piled high, corpse qi soared into the heavens, and an overwhelming murderous aura made even a peak upper god like him feel dread in his heart.
“Impossible. Why do I not recognise a single one of these Corpse Clan gods?” Some Heavenly Court gods felt utterly bewildered.
The gods of the Heavenly Court had no idea what was happening, but Zhang Ruochen understood perfectly.
These were not Corpse Clan gods at all.
They were the divine corpses that had lain outside the Rain Chen Divine Temple. Once Zhang Ruochen took away the Yin Concealment Nine Arrays, they broke free of their suppression, burst out from underground, and pursued him here.
Two or three million years ago, they had very likely been gods serving the second and third disciples of Xing Huan Tianzun. They all perished in a great battle and were buried at the Rain Chen Divine Temple.
In that era, the four great disciples under Xing Huan Tianzun must each have been among the supreme powerhouses of the universe.
The gods within their factions would naturally have been numerous.
After so many years, like the old corpse ghost and Yu Longxian, they had become evil divine corpses filled with extreme malice. Their will to slaughter was immense, uncontrollable by any force.
As for why they followed Zhang Ruochen all the way here, even he did not know the reason.
Of course, most probably they wanted to devour him as well.
Seeing how wary the Heavenly Court gods were, Zhang Ruochen immediately roared, “Gods of the Corpse Clan, hear my command! Follow me and fight until heaven and earth are overturned. Leave every Heavenly Court god as a corpse in Xing Huan Tian!”
Fearing his deception would be exposed, Zhang Ruochen did not dare come into contact with the evil divine corpses. He chased after the Third Armour Blood Ancestor and shouted, “Third Armour old bastard, weren’t you going to stop me from leaving? Why are you running now? If you have guts, don’t flee. Fight me to the death.”
While pursuing the Third Armour Blood Ancestor, Zhang Ruochen secretly transmitted to Bai Qing’er, “Do you know what the Tianzun Haoyue Platform and the Thousand Stars Huan Tian Array are?”
Bai Qing’er did indeed know. “In the scripture tower of the Twelve Sanctuaries of the Goddess, I once read an ancient record. The Tianzun Haoyue Platform is a landmark structure within Xing Huan Tianzun’s palace, built by Xing Huan Tianzun for his wife, the Moon God. The platform reaches into the starry sky, accompanied by the bright moon and a thousand stars.”
“Moon and stars sharing the same sky was, three million years ago, the foremost marvel of Xing Huan Tian. Unfortunately, it has been destroyed. The ruins are very likely buried deep within the rubble of the Heavenly Goddess Tower.”
There was no need for Bai Qing’er to explain: Zhang Ruochen already knew that the Moon God of antiquity was not the present Moon God.
Yet the current Moon God knew of the Tianzun Haoyue Platform, which showed that the ancient Moon God and the present one were not entirely unconnected.
Bai Qing’er continued, “As for the Thousand Stars Huan Tian Array, it is not really a secret in Xing Huan Tian. Almost every major sect has heard the legend.”
“The legend says that the Thousand Stars Huan Tian Array is a cosmic grand array that Xing Huan Tianzun spent his entire life arranging. Once the array hub is found and activated, it can connect all the saint veins and divine veins of Xing Huan Tian and awaken the spirit of the world. At that moment, it would be as if Xing Huan Tianzun himself had returned to life, guarding Xing Huan Tian against any external enemy.”
“Sadly, it is only a legend. Even someone with my master’s spiritual strength searched the entire Xing Huan Tian and found nothing. Otherwise, why would the Twelve Sanctuaries of the Goddess have spent countless resources forging divine cities?”
“However…”
Zhang Ruochen pressed, “However what?”
“Do you remember the mural on one of the stone walls inside the underground Tianzun palace? It was an array diagram.”
“Of course.”
Bai Qing’er said, “On that diagram I discovered the geographical veins and rivers of Xing Huan Tian. That array diagram is very likely the legendary array chart of the Thousand Stars Huan Tian Array.”
Joy surged in Zhang Ruochen’s heart. “An array placed together with the Thousand Stars Alignment Contemplation Diagram and the Undying Curse engraving must be the Thousand Stars Huan Tian Array. This time, Xing Huan Tian may truly have a sliver of hope!”
“Even if we have the array chart, without locating the array hub it is still meaningless,” Bai Qing’er said.
Zhang Ruochen was now almost certain. “No, the array hub should be at the Tianzun Haoyue Platform. I will send you into the Goddess City right now. Go to the ruins of Xing Huan Tianzun palace and search for the remains of the Tianzun Haoyue Platform. Whether we can hold Xing Huan Tian depends on you! I will do everything in my power to buy you time.”
Outside the Goddess City, array inscriptions were dense, space itself chaotic.
The Third Armour Blood Ancestor fled with extreme difficulty. When he looked back, Zhang Ruochen was driving the Yin Concealment Nine Arrays in close pursuit.
Behind Zhang Ruochen, grey mist filled the sky, and the Corpse Clan gods radiated boundless divine might.
The sight left the Third Armour Blood Ancestor’s heart trembling. He cursed inwardly, “Damn it! Why are Zhang Ruochen and the Corpse Clan gods chasing only me? Can’t they see the other Heavenly Court gods?”
“Third Armour Blood Ancestor, you cowardly rat. I shall let you live today! Next time I see you, I will make sure you die without a burial place.”
Leaving those ruthless words, Zhang Ruochen changed direction and charged toward the walls of the Goddess City.
Bai Qing’er had already used spiritual power to communicate with Yu Rumor. She said to Zhang Ruochen, “Come into the city with me. Together we should be able to find the Haoyue Tianzun Platform much faster.”
Bai Qing’er did not want Zhang Ruochen to throw his life away for her sake.
At least inside the Goddess City, the city arrays could still hold for a while longer. It was safer than outside.
“Very well!”
If there truly was a way to break the siege, Zhang Ruochen naturally did not wish to confront the great gods of the Heavenly Court.
Boom!
The Yin Concealment Nine Arrays suffered an attack. Overwhelming divine power pierced through the arrays and struck Zhang Ruochen and Bai Qing’er.
Both of them were blasted backwards, their advance halted.
“I’m sorry, Martial Uncle. I was careless just now! But… but the opponent’s attack was simply too strong!” A Ji appeared beside them, his face bitter, hurriedly explaining to Zhang Ruochen.
Zhang Ruochen’s gaze fixed dead ahead. “They really have come out in full force.”
A middle-aged man with eight blood wings held a whisk. He stood several dozen zhang above the ground, blood clouds churning beneath his feet, lightning and thunder flashing overhead.
It was he who had swung the whisk moments ago, striking the Yin Concealment Nine Arrays. His divine power penetrated the layered spaces of the formation and hit Zhang Ruochen and Bai Qing’er.
His divine might was oppressive, his aura deep and heavy, dazzling like a blood sun.
“Zhang Ruochen, in the past the Moon God valued you so highly that she not only made you her divine envoy but even crashed into the Merit Divine Hall with her own body to save you. Yet look at you now. You have become a traitor to the Heavenly Court and, for the sake of a Rebel God Clan woman, slaughter Heavenly Court cultivators on a grand scale. This shows how blind and foolish the Moon God truly was, raising a jackal that now plagues the Heavenly Court,” the middle-aged man said.
Zhang Ruochen’s eyes darkened. He replied coldly, “Second Armour Blood Ancestor, if you wish to curse, curse me. Why drag the Moon God into it?”
“Were it not for the Moon God, would you be where you are today? The Moon God herself is already a sinner of the Heavenly Court. Calling her blind and foolish is letting her off lightly!” the Second Armour Blood Ancestor declared.
Zhang Ruochen said, “You are nothing but a narrow-minded man deliberately slandering the Moon God! Back then, using only thirty percent of her strength, she struck you so hard you could not even block a single blow. Not only narrow-minded, but all show and no substance.”
The Second Armour Blood Ancestor’s expression grew colder.
Zhang Ruochen sensed the grey mist and evil divine corpses closing in from behind. No longer willing to wait, he launched the first attack, driving the Yin Concealment Nine Arrays. The inscribed array patterns rapidly spread outward, attempting to drag the Second Armour Blood Ancestor inside.
The Second Armour Blood Ancestor had already survived a Yuanhui tribulation. His cultivation had reached the first realm of the Taizhen stage, Taiyi Realm. He was a Taiyi Great God.
Swish!
The Second Armour Blood Ancestor flickered and appeared above the Yin Concealment Nine Arrays. He said icily, “The Yin Concealment Nine Arrays are indeed powerful, but regrettably your spiritual strength is still far too weak. You cannot bring out their full might! As long as I do not enter the arrays, your wish to do anything to me is nothing but a fool’s dream.”
He swung his whisk. Boundless dao light poured down, striking the Yin Concealment Nine Arrays repeatedly.
Boom!
The arrays did not break.
Yet the thousand-mile expanse of earth covered by the arrays sank several chi.
“Such terrifying power. Among Taiyi Realm cultivators, the Second Armour Blood Ancestor is far stronger than the Black Heart Demon Lord,” Zhang Ruochen thought to himself.
The grey mist and evil divine corpses drew even closer, reaching the edge of the Yin Concealment Nine Arrays.
The corners of the Second Armour Blood Ancestor’s mouth curved upward. He laughed. “Your little trick can only fool them. This seat, however, knows full well that these divine corpses are not Corpse Clan gods at all, merely a horde of evil beings. You are avoiding them as well, are you not?”
Zhang Ruochen refused to tangle with the Second Armour Blood Ancestor. He only wanted to enter the Goddess City at once.
Seeing his intention, the Second Armour Blood Ancestor flashed and turned into divine light, appearing between Zhang Ruochen and the Goddess City. Dense blood-red rule divine patterns spread from his feet, manifesting a vast divine-realm world.
Seeing the Second Armour Blood Ancestor appear, the Third Armour Blood Ancestor’s courage surged. He rushed back, eager to redeem the face he had lost earlier, and laughed madly. “With a great god right in front of you, you still think you can escape into the city? Zhang Ruochen, in the end you are only a millennium-old ant. You cannot overturn the heavens.”
A flash of white light, accompanied by a dragon roar.
Yu Longxian, body shining with white radiance and wielding the Wujin War Heaven Pillar, burst out from the Yin Concealment Nine Arrays. With one heavy strike to the chest and abdomen of the Third Armour Blood Ancestor, she sent him flying, blood spraying from his mouth and nose like a cannonball into the grey mist, crashing into the ruined divine-realm world of a divine corpse.
“Roar!”
Instantly, the attention of those evil divine corpses was drawn to this upper god who had suddenly barged in. They let out long howls and swarmed to attack him.
