Zhang Ruochen understood clearly. Luo Jinshu must have gone to the God King Mansion to report the matter of the Heavenly God Priest.
Unfortunately, the Tianchu Civilization was now plagued by internal and external troubles. God King Yu had to sustain both the boundary protection grand array and the Nine Palaces Divine Seal alone. He was like a single pillar holding up everything and might not have the energy to investigate this matter.
After thinking for a moment, Zhang Ruochen looked towards Feng Xi.
The Feng clan was a powerful force with numerous experts. Perhaps they could play a role in this affair.
Zhang Ruochen told Feng Xi about the Heavenly God Priest’s quiet disappearance and shared his suspicions as well.
Feng Xi was greatly shocked and said, “This is no small matter. However, Xi can guarantee with her life that the traitor is definitely not among the Feng clan gods.”
“Fellow Daoist Xi has only recently entered the divine realm. How much do you truly know about the Feng clan gods? You must not make such a guarantee,” Zhang Ruochen said.
Feng Xi realised she had been impulsive. She composed herself and nodded lightly. “I must hurry back immediately to inform Seventh Uncle. No matter what, at the very least, our Feng clan should conduct an internal investigation. Otherwise, if a traitor truly emerges and causes a catastrophe, the entire Feng clan’s reputation will be ruined.”
In the current Tianchu Civilization, layers of arrays isolated everything. Even gods found it difficult to communicate with one another.
This was especially true in Doushuai City.
It was all to guard against spies from the Hell Realm!
Zhang Ruochen was very worried. He said, “If the Hell Realm has a major operation, what would their target be?”
Feng Xi answered almost without thinking, “The God King Mansion. To kill the array spirit of the boundary protection divine array.”
She continued, “Cutting down the Divine Chun Tree would indeed cause the divine qi of the Tianchu Civilization’s great world to gradually deplete, but that is a very slow process. The divine qi in the great world could still sustain the operation of the boundary protection divine array and the starry divine array to resist the Shura Star Pillar Realm.”
“However, if the array spirit is slain, the boundary protection divine array would become extremely fragile and collapse instantly.”
“Fellow daoist has seen it before. Even with the boundary protection divine array holding firm, the Tianchu Civilization’s great world was shaken by the aftermath of the gods’ battle, producing spatial cracks. It was only stabilised by adding the power of the Nine Palaces Divine Seal.”
“Once the boundary protection divine array is lost, one can imagine that the entire Tianchu Civilization would turn into fragments of stone in the starry sky.”
“At that time, the large number of Heaven gods and saint armies still in the Tianchu Civilization’s great world would not have time to evacuate and would be annihilated. More importantly, the starry divine array would fall without attack, no longer able to block the Shura Star Pillar Realm.”
Zhang Ruochen felt suffocated and said, “God King Yu is stationed in the God King Mansion. They could not possibly succeed.”
Feng Xi thought the same. After all, it was extremely difficult for great god-level powerhouses from the Hell Realm to descend into the Tianchu Civilization. Descending one capable of contending with God King Yu was simply impossible.
“No!”
Suddenly, Zhang Ruochen thought of something. “The Fire Seed Conference! If a shocking upheaval occurs at the Fire Seed Conference, God King Yu will surely rush over in person. That would give them an opportunity.”
This guess struck Feng Xi like a thunderbolt from a clear sky. She could no longer sit still and wanted to hurry back immediately to discuss countermeasures with the Feng clan gods.
She said, “The Fire Seed Conference is tonight, held in the City Lord Mansion and hosted by True God Jincheng.”
No one knew how many children God King Yu had.
But among those still alive, there were only two sons.
The elder was named Luo Jincheng, and Luo Jinshu was the younger.
The lord of Doushuai City was precisely Luo Jincheng, handling all worldly affairs of the Tianchu Civilization. Before the war broke out, existences like the Old Heavenly Lord and God King Yu rarely appeared.
Zhang Ruochen asked, “Let us make an assumption. If a shocking incident occurs at the Fire Seed Conference and God King Yu leaves the God King Mansion, who would then guard it?”
Feng Xi’s expression changed again. “Feng Qi! After Feng Qi met Young Master Lian, he went to the God King Mansion. He is the God King’s disciple.”
There was no need to analyse further. Feng Qi already had issues.
If he had long betrayed Heaven, the consequences would be unimaginable.
Feng Xi said, “We should go to the God King Mansion now and inform God King Yu of this.”
Zhang Ruochen stopped her. “What is God King Yu’s status? Moreover, his energy is currently focused on activating the boundary protection divine array and the Nine Palaces Divine Seal. Why would he see us? We only suspect Feng Qi and have no substantial evidence.”
“Would the God King believe us or his own disciple?”
“Besides, Fellow Daoist Luo has already gone to report this. The God King should be on guard.”
Zhang Ruochen naturally had to stop Feng Xi. First, he himself dared not go to the God King Mansion.
Because his current disguise might not fool God King Yu.
Second, Luo Yi was very likely one of the executors of this plan. If she were captured by God King Yu, how could she possibly survive?
Feng Xi secretly breathed a sigh of relief. “Yes, Uncle Luo has already gone to report it! They will surely consider things more thoroughly than we do.”
Zhang Ruochen was not as optimistic as Feng Xi. After all, Feng Qi was a disciple God King Yu had watched grow up. That kind of trust could numb reason and create blind spots in thinking.
Zhang Ruochen said, “Where is the Tianchu Heavenly Maiden?”
Feng Xi showed a strange expression, unsure why Zhang Ruochen suddenly asked this. “Fellow Daoist Yellow Ox actually knows Luo Ji?”
Zhang Ruochen smiled wryly. “We have met once.”
Feng Xi’s gaze turned playful. She instinctively felt this was not so simple. “Since arriving at the starry battlefield, Xi has not seen her either. If Xi guesses correctly, the god guarding the Tianchu Civilization’s fire seed is her. So she must be doing something extremely secret and important, heavily protected.”
“Could Fellow Daoist Xi help me inquire? The Feng clan is powerful and on good terms with the Tianchu Civilization. It would certainly be much easier than if this poor daoist searched alone,” Zhang Ruochen said.
Feng Xi gazed at him for a long time. “Very well!”
Feng Xi was clearly aware that a great event was impending, with storm clouds gathering. She needed to return and consult with the Feng clan gods, so she left hurriedly.
Outside, a light autumn rain began to fall.
Fine rain misted the air, threads drifting endlessly, chilly but not cold.
Zhang Ruochen remained seated in the tea house, watching Feng Xi disappear into the hazy rain curtain. He let out a long sigh.
His heart was tangled. He neither wished for the Tianchu Civilization to suffer calamity nor wanted to harm Luo Yi. Precisely because of this, he had not mentioned to Feng Xi the matter of the Luocha clan gods lurking.
This might cause Feng Xi, the Feng clan gods, and even God King Yu and Luo Jinshu to misjudge the situation.
What to do now?
He could only start from the God King Mansion and first confirm if Feng Qi had issues. As long as the crisis in the God King Mansion was eliminated, even if Luo Yi and the others caused a huge disturbance at the Fire Seed Conference, they could not harm the foundation of the Tianchu Civilization.
But Zhang Ruochen himself could not enter the God King Mansion. Now, he only hoped to meet Luo Ji as soon as possible.
God King Yu might not trust him, or even view him with hostility, but Luo Ji should believe him.
Zhang Ruochen no longer waited for Luo Jinshu. He set down his teacup, mounted the yellow ox, left the tea house, and headed straight back to the Divine Maiden Tower, planning to discuss with Chi Yao first.
Chi Yao’s identity was at least more presentable than his.
But when he returned to the Divine Maiden Tower, he found it empty. Chi Yao had already left.
Seeing Zhang Ruochen, Yiman approached and said softly, “Does Your Excellency Realm Venerable have any worries?”
“My worries are something you cannot help with.”
Zhang Ruochen’s mind was filled with countless thoughts. He prepared to go directly to the Fire Seed Conference. If Luo Yi was there too, with the profound mysteries of the Wuji Divine Dao and the Heart of Truth, it would be impossible not to sense anything.
Yiman said, “In fact, the Twelve Booths of the Divine Maiden possess an extremely vast intelligence network throughout the universe. Their cultivators infiltrate everywhere, and many have even entered high levels. The same is true in the Tianchu Civilization.”
“The wife of City Lord Jincheng True God of Doushuai City, Qing Shen, originated from the Twelve Booths of the Divine Maiden and has now stepped into the divine realm.”
Zhang Ruochen was moved. “Why did you not say so earlier?”
Yiman immediately knelt to apologise. “Earlier, Your Excellency left in a hurry. Yiman did not have time to report.”
The Twelve Booths of the Divine Maiden could become a top-tier intelligence force in the world not just because of Xinghuantian and the one hundred and eighty Divine Maiden Towers.
Which cultivator had not been young?
In youth, who had not indulged in romance? Who had not been jealous over love?
Even someone like Luo Sheng Tian, with his status and talent, could not resist the allure of beauty.
It could be said that the heavenly proud daughters cultivated by the Twelve Booths of the Divine Maiden held great attraction for young geniuses. They even deliberately invested in them.
The forces behind these young geniuses and their own potential would generate vast cultivation resources, feeding back to the women from the Twelve Booths who married them.
Precisely because of this, over the years, more and more women from the Twelve Booths married into major forces. Their cultivation environments and resources obtained even surpassed before.
This was the hidden power of the Twelve Booths, far greater than what was visible on the surface.
Yiman said, “Yiman’s master is precisely Qing Shen. This is perhaps why Madam Realm Venerable sent Yiman to the Tianchu Civilization!”
Zhang Ruochen quickly calmed down. “I want to see her.”
…
Compared to the Luo God Mansion, the City Lord Mansion was much smaller in scale but more stern and solemn.
Zhang Ruochen sat in a black stone and wooden carriage, lifting the curtain to observe the cultivators entering and leaving the City Lord Mansion.
The Fire Seed Conference was about to begin. More than a dozen streets near the City Lord Mansion had been cleared and sealed. Idlers could not approach. But Yiman was Qing Shen’s disciple. How dare the guards of Doushuai City not show respect?
Outside the City Lord Mansion were one hundred and eight steps, each a hundred zhang wide.
The steps were covered in divine inscriptions and planted with battle flags.
These battle flags were extraordinary. Once attacked, array inscriptions would surge forth instantly, forming a deadly grand array.
Standing outside the City Lord Mansion, welcoming cultivators from various worlds was precisely True Lord Yue Tong.
“The fire seed envoy from the Paradise Realm, Shang Hong, has arrived.”
Shang Hong arrived with a group of Paradise Realm gods and great saints like Kailan Feili and Jia Linnán. Walking at the front, he was imposing and heroic. Even without releasing divine might, he exerted pressure on cultivators.
True Lord Yue Tong immediately approached with a smile and began conversing with Shang Hong.
“Shang Hong, so you have come to the Tianchu Civilization too. When the Hell Realm army invaded earlier, why did I not see you take action?”
Lord Juyu, along with a large group of demon clan cultivators, ascended the steps grandly, heading towards the main gate.
