This multicoloured ocean of chaos stretches for who knows how many trillions of miles and contains boundless perils. Even gods cannot cross it.
Only cultivators who have reached the level of Zhao Gongming and the old woodcutter can peer through the layers of disordered space and time to see the opposite shore.
The old woodcutter’s gaze fell upon Star Huan Heaven, a dark patch floating in the starry sky. “The gods of Hell Realm have already arrived. You no longer have any chance. It is time to withdraw, is it not?”
Zhao Gongming replied, “We will not withdraw!”
The old woodcutter said, “Luo Yan has come. The patriarch of the Undying Blood Clan has come too. If nothing unexpected happens, one or two Heaven-level beings from Hell Realm have probably arrived as well! Must you force Tianmu to come to Sea Stone Star Dock before you are satisfied?”
Zhao Gongming answered, “Heavenly Venerable is still playing Go. Since he has not ordered retreat, it means we still have an opportunity. You must understand how vital this battle is to Heavenly Court. To be frank, after so many years of friendship, you should persuade your master to accept Heavenly Venerable’s kind offer. Matters have reached this point against Heavenly Venerable’s wishes. Even less do I wish to cross hands with you!”
The old woodcutter was silent for a moment. “I know what you are trying to do, but even Heavenly Venerable has no absolute certainty of success. If anything goes wrong, it will not be merely the destruction of Star Huan Heaven. It will be a catastrophe for the entire universe. My master knows this perfectly well, which is why he refuses to yield. Even if Heavenly Venerable himself came, my master would still contend with him.”
Zhao Gongming gazed at the boundless starry sea and gave a long sigh. “In truth, even Heavenly Venerable himself does not know whether this course is right or wrong.”
“If he does not know whether it is right or wrong, why do it?” asked the old woodcutter.
Zhao Gongming replied, “In this world, someone always has to take action. If we refrain from acting simply because we fear mistakes and choose to sit and await death, then the tragedy of three hundred thousand years ago would never have occurred!”
“Heavenly Venerable has always been decisive, yet this time he has hesitated endlessly. I believe the reason he has not yet acted is that he has given up making the decision himself. Very well. Now we shall quietly watch how the situation in Star Huan Heaven develops and leave the decision in their hands.”
…
At this moment, Zhang Ruochen had no idea that everything he had done today had altered the fates of countless beings.
The influence was far greater than he could imagine.
The battle outside Star Huan Heaven had stopped. One after another, the supreme great gods of Heavenly Court arrived outside Goddess City. With the gods of Hell Realm present, continuing to besiege Huang Tian and Zen Master Jue Miao had become meaningless.
In the clouds and upon the earth, divine might surged. The billions of living creatures of Star Huan Heaven trembled in fear.
Since the Middle Ancient era, such a gathering of gods from both Heavenly Court and Hell Realm in a single world had never before occurred. One could imagine that once a divine war of this scale erupted, the entire Star Huan Heaven would inevitably be destroyed in the flames of calamity.
Among the assembled gods, a young voice rang out. “Zhang Ruochen, you had best persuade the gods of Hell Realm not to intervene. Otherwise, once this divine war breaks out, everything you are now protecting will turn to ashes. When Star Huan Heaven splits apart and becomes fireballs scattered across the starry sky, regret will come too late!”
Zhang Ruochen looked over and, through the myriad divine radiances, saw the figure of Yin Yuanchen.
In terms of understanding Zhang Ruochen, no god in Heavenly Court could compare to Yin Yuanchen.
Borrowing Empress Tianmu’s divine power and wielding both divine sword and Reverse God Stele, Zhang Ruochen might now be flawless in combat, utterly without weakness. Yet Yin Yuanchen knew that Zhang Ruochen’s true vulnerability lay in his heart.
The more a person cares about something, the greater their soft spot becomes.
Luo Yi naturally understood Zhang Ruochen as well. She immediately said, “If Star Huan Heaven is destroyed, the armies of your Heavenly Court’s Thirteen Realms will accompany it in death. That would still be worth it. Brother Chen, the choice to fight or not rests with you.”
Although Emperor Luo Yan had ordered them not to act, the current situation was far beyond the control of a single prohibition.
Moreover, Luo Yi was certain that the gods of Heavenly Court would not dare to fight.
The armies of the Thirteen Realms numbered tens of millions of Saint Realm cultivators. Should they all perish in Star Huan Heaven, Heavenly Court could not bear such a blow.
An ancient god of the Undying Blood Clan shouted, “Fight! To wipe out the armies of Heavenly Court’s Thirteen Realms in one stroke would be utterly satisfying.”
“It is only one Star Huan Heaven. If it is destroyed, so be it! We can build a grand tomb with this world and bury the gods of Heavenly Court along with their tens of millions of Saint Realm cultivators.”
Xue Jue, God of War of Blood, declared, “What my grandson truly cares about is not the living beings of Star Huan Heaven, but the daughter of Huang Tian, my granddaughter-in-law. To think you could sway his will with the lives of mortals who have nothing to do with him is a complete miscalculation! Today, for the daughter of Huang Tian, for my grandson’s wife, are the gods of the Undying Blood Clan willing to follow this war god of war into battle?”
“Fight! For the daughter of Great God Huang Tian!”
“Fight! For the grandson’s wife of our Grand Clan Patriarch!”
…
All the gods of the Undying Blood Clan knew that Xue Jue and Great God Huang Tian had been rivals for a hundred thousand years. Now that Xue Jue finally had the chance to gain the upper hand, he must be feeling extremely pleased.
Naturally, they were happy to play along and cheer with him.
Aside from Zhang Ruochen, Luo Yi, and Yin Yuanchen, every god of both Heavenly Court and Hell Realm believed Xue Jue’s words. They too felt that the mortal beings of Star Huan Heaven could never become Zhang Ruochen’s weakness.
Gods stand high above. How could they see those mayflies that live and die in a single day?
Indeed.
In the eyes of gods, mortals whose lifespan lasts only a few decades are no different from mayflies that live for a single day. How could anyone care about their survival?
Precisely because they believed Zhang Ruochen was the same as them, the atmosphere instantly turned grave and murderous. Space seemed to freeze. The divine force fields of both sides collided.
Divine war was on the verge of breaking out.
Zhang Ruochen now found himself in an impossible position. If he stepped forward to stop the gods of Hell Realm, he would completely expose his weakness to the gods of Heavenly Court.
Heavenly Court’s armies had already conquered thousands of nations and held the lives of countless humans of Star Huan Heaven in their hands.
With such a card of life and death, they could manipulate Zhang Ruochen at will.
Yet if he did not stop the gods of Hell Realm and allowed the situation to worsen step by step, then even if the gods of Heavenly Court and Hell Realm did not wish to fight, the battle would eventually spiral beyond control.
While Zhang Ruochen wrestled with this torment, the Drunkard faced exactly the same dilemma.
Shang Tian said, “This truly is the final opportunity! To that junior Zhang Ruochen, the living beings of Star Huan Heaven have no connection to him whatsoever. They cannot create any flaw in his state of mind. But you have lived in Star Huan Heaven for a hundred thousand years. Can you truly claim to feel nothing for the people there, for every tree and blade of grass?”
The Drunkard’s face was filled with hatred. “To threaten me with the lives of every being in Star Huan Heaven and force my submission. Such a shameless tactic. Was this your idea, or Hao Tian’s?”
“It does not matter whose idea it was,” Shang Tian replied. “This Heaven only knows that tactics are never shameful or noble. They are only useful or useless.”
The Drunkard said, “All those years ago, you used the same trick to cause the deaths of Lord Wentian Jun and Xu Mi, turning the Lord of Island of the Fallen Gods into a prisoner beneath the Temple of Destiny, didn’t you?”
Shang Tian corrected him. “That trick was used by Hell Realm. It was taught by your teacher from Tian Nan! Had it not proven effective, how could this Heaven have imagined that with the likes of Lord Wentian Jun, Xu Mi, and the Lord of Island of the Fallen Gods, with their cultivation, would willingly sacrifice themselves for the mortal beings of one world? You and they are the same kind of people!”
“To be honest, this Heaven truly does not wish to deal with you in this way, but this is already the final method! For the sake of all realms of Heavenly Court, for the ancient civilisation faction, I do not mind being the villain.”
The Drunkard knew his weakness had been seen through by Shang Tian. He grew much more despondent. “The gods of Hell Realm have already arrived. Even if I agree to your terms, what use would it be?”
Shang Tian revealed a smile. “As long as you are willing to accept Heavenly Court’s conditions, Heavenly Venerable and Yu Linseng will naturally make their own decisions. With the four of us present, no matter how many gods Hell Realm sends, what difference will it make? Rest assured, when the time comes, Heavenly Venerable will personally step forward and clear the name of the Reverse God Clan.”
The Drunkard’s eyelids drooped. His gaze was filled with helplessness.
It truly was the final moment. The Drunkard very much wanted to fight Shang Tian to the death, even if it meant perishing together.
Yet one thing Shang Tian had said was correct. He and Lord Wentian Jun, Xu Mi, and the Lord of Island of the Fallen Gods were indeed the same kind of people.
Many gods can sever their emotions and keep only the divine path in their hearts.
But there are always a few who burn with passion for life and hold deep affection for many people and many things in this world. That affection might be love, like that between Huang Tian and Empress Bai. Or friendship, like that between Dragon Lord and Ice Emperor. Or family, like that of Xue Jue toward Empress Blood and Zhang Ruochen.
But for most gods, after attaining divinity, their emotions gradually thin. Their hearts value only cultivation, divine path, profit and loss. Take the former Zen Master Jue Miao. She trusted no one, had no true friend, no lover who could move her heart.
The Drunkard closed his eyes. “Take me to see Hao Tian.”
Shang Tian nodded in satisfaction, a faint smile on his lips, about to speak.
“Whoosh!”
A blinding light burst from the direction of Star Huan Heaven.
Shang Tian’s eyes narrowed. The smile vanished from his face.
The Drunkard’s previously dejected expression changed. Brilliant light flashed in his eyes. He threw his head back and laughed loudly. “Bearded Shang, now you understand what it means when human schemes cannot overcome heaven’s will, don’t you? The Thousand Star Huan Heaven Formation actually exists! For the formation to reappear at this precise moment. It seems everything is the will of heaven.”
…
Within the entire world of Star Huan Heaven, every spirit vein, saint vein, and divine vein suddenly grew active.
Bright pillars of light shot up from the planet’s core, piercing straight into the firmament and causing space to shake violently.
When all the pillars of light transformed into interwoven formation inscriptions, countless stars abruptly appeared in the cosmic space outside Star Huan Heaven. Like a string of a thousand stars, they formed a ring that protected the entire world at its centre.
