“Silly girl, come with me. There’s nothing worth seeing here. Right now, the most important thing for you is to build a solid foundation, to prepare for breaking through to the divine realm in the future. Matters of love can wait until after you become a god.”
“If you never become a god, you will only have a lifespan of ten thousand years.”
“Ten thousand years from now, the lifelong companionship you seek today will be nothing but emptiness.”
Chi Xingtian stood beneath the starry sky, unusually speaking such earnest words of advice.
He was extraordinarily patient with Mu Lingxi.
Mu Lingxi spread the phoenix wings on her back, her body enveloped in radiant multicoloured light. Her clear eyes, clear and pure, stared fixedly in the direction of Xinghuan Heaven, unwilling to leave.
So many years of waiting.
A hurried meeting, then another parting.
Mu Lingxi quickly withdrew her gaze, her expression resolute. “I must possess great cultivation strength. I do not seek to be invincible under heaven, only to be able to stay by his side for a lifetime.”
“That is the right way to think. Your adoptive father will surely help you with all his strength. To reach the Saint Realm foundation, you must at least attain the peak of demigod!”
Chi Xingtian laughed heartily, then grew serious. “Every true powerhouse in this world must have their own path, must possess a heart that steadfastly pursues ever greater heights. Your heart is still not strong enough; it depends too much on that boy Zhang Ruochen.”
“How about this: cultivate the demonic path with me and open the Mysterious Female. Perhaps with your second divine source, your will can truly become independent, allowing you to chase an even grander vision. This time when we return to Kunlun, your adoptive father will take you to the ruins of the Jiuli Divine Temple. Until you become a god, you are absolutely forbidden from leaving seclusion.”
Mu Lingxi nodded.
After the battle at Xinghuan Heaven, she had realised how vast the gap between herself and Zhang Ruochen had become.
Perhaps Zhang Ruochen did not care that her cultivation was low.
But she cared.
“Flower Goddess, you have grown even more beautiful, younger than you were a hundred thousand years ago. Would you like to visit Kunlun Realm on the way? It has been many years; I miss you greatly. Let us all catch up together.”
Chi Xingtian beamed with ruddy cheeks, acting as if they were old acquaintances, waving from afar to the Mandala Flower Goddess.
The Mandala Flower Goddess wore pure white robes, still as an orchid in a secluded valley. Her gaze was deep and utterly calm. “No interest.”
He had only asked casually while in high spirits, so Chi Xingtian felt no embarrassment at all. His eyes turned to Chi Yao, clearly asking whether this rising star of Kunlun Realm, the empress with the greatest worldly influence, would return with them.
Chi Yao received a transmitted divine talisman. A barely perceptible flicker passed through her eyes. “I must make a trip to the Divine Ancient Nest. Farewell, ancient gods!”
She tore open the void and vanished from the spot.
Chi Xingtian glanced at Mu Lingxi. “Do you see? That is the mindset a god should have. Never become obsessed with romantic love, never turn yourself into a man’s appendage. You must live a brilliant life that belongs to you alone. Flower Goddess, I am leaving now. Next time I will visit you alone in the Thousand Pistil Realm!”
After Chi Xingtian and Mu Lingxi departed, Ji Fanxin asked, “Does Master know this person well?”
The Mandala Flower Goddess looked displeased, feeling offended by Chi Xingtian. “We have only met a few times. I truly never expected he was still alive, and that he had escaped from the Luo Zu Cloud Mountain Realm. The current strength of Kunlun Realm really cannot be underestimated!”
“It will not be long. In another cosmic cycle, when the new generation of gods led by Chi Yao reach the Great God realm, the Western Universe will surely face a new reshuffle. I imagine the immense pressure that Paradise Realm and even the top ten powerful realms of the Western Universe are under right now.”
“Is that not a good thing?” Ji Fanxin asked.
The Mandala Flower Goddess replied, “Not necessarily. A hundred thousand years ago, the Master of the Island of Fallen Gods set up the starry sky grand array, blocking the entire Yellow Spring Galaxy. What astonishing boldness! Many gods regarded him as the foremost master of mental strength. Yet this time, when sealing heaven, he refused the heavenly position and yielded it to another.”
“I heard it was because, after being imprisoned for a hundred thousand years in the Temple of Destiny, his mental strength was worn away countless times and is no longer what it once was. He felt he no longer had the power to become one of the Twenty Heavens, so he declined the position,” Ji Fanxin said.
The Mandala Flower Goddess continued, “If his mental strength truly had been eroded to the point he could not seal heaven, how could the twelve divine venerables of the Temple of Destiny have failed to kill him?”
Ji Fanxin asked, “Does Master believe the Island Master is deliberately concealing his strength and biding his time?”
The Mandala Flower Goddess did not answer the question directly. “The Master of the Island of Fallen Gods is only one example. A hundred thousand years ago, the Dragon Lord Jiwang was equally a figure who shook heaven and earth, yet now he claims grave injury and almost never appears in public, keeping an extremely low profile.”
“Just wait and see. When Kunlun Realm’s strength becomes sufficiently grows, they will surely seek vengeance for the events of the past. When that time comes, I only hope the conflict does not spread too widely or cause too much internal strife.”
“We can treat these grudges and grievances as mere gossip. Heaven Palace will naturally step in to mediate. For the Thousand Pistil Realm, the most urgent matter right now is still finding a way to rescue the Saint Realm army at Xinghuan Heaven.”
Ji Fanxin’s feelings were complicated. She knew her master spoke this way in the hope that she would step forward, use her connection with Zhang Ruochen, and plead on behalf of the Thousand Pistil Realm’s Saint army.
Ji Fanxin said, “Xinghuan Heaven has suffered catastrophic losses. Entire nations have been reduced to ash, and even Queen Bai has fallen. Moreover, the gods of Hell Realm are watching covetously just outside Xinghuan Heaven. For the Saint army to withdraw intact will not be easy.”
From this single sentence, the Mandala Flower Goddess understood her disciple’s intention and did not press further. “If they are defeated, they must naturally pay the price.”
…
At the Yuchen Divine Temple, the mulberry tree stood like a heavenly divine tree, its roots twisting like dragons, its branches forming a vast canopy. Its red blossoms bloomed with exceptional brilliance.
Beneath the tree.
Huang Tian’s body remained as tall and imposing as ever, yet his temples had turned white, giving him an air of boundless sorrow and weariness.
He held Queen Bai’s withered, skeletal corpse in his arms, sitting on the bare earth, seemingly oblivious to Zhang Ruochen’s arrival. After an unknown length of time, he finally caressed Queen Bai’s cheek one last time and buried her body in the tomb that had once held Yu Longxian.
He scooped the soil handful by handful into the grave, infinitely gentle, as though afraid of hurting her.
Zhang Ruochen understood why Huang Tian had brought Queen Bai here. Precisely because he understood, he had been able to find this place immediately after discovering her corpse missing.
When the fresh earth completely covered the body, Zhang Ruochen wanted to offer some words of comfort and could not help saying, “In the end, everyone must die…”
“Shut up!” Huang Tian said.
Zhang Ruochen fell silent.
Once an obsession takes root in a person’s heart, how can mere words sway it?
When the new grave was covered in a thick layer of red petals, Huang Tian finally spoke. “Leave. I want to remain here alone for a while.”
The “while” he spoke of would surely not be short.
Zhang Ruochen knew that not only were Huang Tian’s physical wounds severe, the wounds in his heart were even deeper. Therefore, he cupped his hands slightly. “Farewell.”
“Do not tell them I am here,” Huang Tian said.
As Zhang Ruochen stepped out of the Yuchen Divine Temple gate, a vast array of death runes appeared behind him. Grey mist rose from the ground, enveloping the entire ruined temple.
Faintly visible within the mist were heart-shaking chains and flashes of lightning.
“How long it will take for this knot in his heart to untie itself, I do not know.”
Zhang Ruochen could not resist reaching out a finger to probe forward.
Whoosh!
A wisp of grey mist drifted out and touched Zhang Ruochen. It carried a thick power as if it could shatter heaven and earth, sending him flying backwards.
“Why must you provoke a man whose heart has turned to dead ash?” A gentle, clear voice sounded from behind.
Zhang Ruochen rubbed his aching chest, turned around, and saw Jue Miao Zen Girl standing on the rubble-strewn desert. Her cyan robes resembled lotus leaves after rain, her snow-white skin like a newly bloomed sacred lotuses, flawless and pure.
Her expression remained as calm as an ancient well; it seemed nothing in the world could stir joy or anger in her.
Zhang Ruochen gave a faint smile. “I only wanted to offer him some advice.”
“His heart is stronger than anyone’s. He does not need your advice,” Jue Miao Zen Girl said.
Zhang Ruochen replied, “So I was indeed meddling too much?”
“You do meddle far too widely. You almost cost me my life as well,” she said.
Zhang Ruochen walked up to her, his gaze sincere. “Thank you, Zen Girl, for your help. If you had not held Xuan Yi in check, the battle at Xinghuan Heaven would probably have ended in disaster.”
Jue Miao Zen Girl said, “I acted for the Volume of Nether Soldiers, not for you.”
With that, she extended one slender, soft jade hand in a gesture of demand.
Back then, Zhang Ruochen had asked the Master of the Nether Flower Workshop to deliver a letter to Jue Miao Zen Girl, intending to use the Volume of Nether Soldiers to lure her to Xinghuan Heaven. At the time, he had only wanted to borrow her strength against the Old Corpse Ghost and Shang Hong.
He had never imagined that the situation at Xinghuan Heaven would later spiral out of control, nearly leading to the destruction of the entire realm.
Zhang Ruochen was a man who clearly distinguished gratitude and grudge. This time he truly owed Jue Miao Zen Girl a great debt, so he directly transmitted the cultivation method of the Volume of Nether Soldiers to her.
Jue Miao Zen Girl closed her eyes and studied it for a moment, confirming its authenticity. “It is indeed the Volume of Nether Soldiers, though only the cultivation method and some incantations. It is not the complete volume. Still, it is sufficient for refining nether soldiers and commanding a divine army! Where did you obtain it?”
Zhang Ruochen answered, “I cannot say.”
“If you will not say, so be it. But the techniques you used from the Volume of Nether Soldiers to control Yu Longxian’s divine corpse cannot be hidden from the gods of the Nether Hall and the Darkness Divine Hall. They will certainly come looking for you. Be careful,” Jue Miao Zen Girl said.
Zhang Ruochen had not expected that even a woman as cold and detached as Jue Miao Zen Girl would show concern for him.
He said, “With my current reputation, even if they come, I have ways to deal with them. When will you return to the Nether Hall?”
“Such grand reputation, yet you are only borrowing Tianmu’s might to intimidate others.”
Jue Miao Zen Girl turned and left, a secret smile on her lips.
Zhang Ruochen could not see that smile at all.
He hurried after her. “If you put it that way, you are really hurting my feelings. How many years have I even been cultivating? Give me a hundred thousand years, and I will defeat you with my own strength.”
“In a hundred thousand years, I will probably have already reached the Immeasurable Realm. Keep chasing slowly!”
Jue Miao Zen Girl transformed into a brilliant pillar of light, soared into the sky, and vanished into the depths of the universe. The Thousand Xinghuan Heaven Array did not hinder her.
…
Will the next chapter jump straight to a hundred thousand years later?
