Zhang Ruochen and Luo Ji did not head straight to the Dark Delta Star Domain. Instead, they returned to the Tianchu civilisation first.
One reason was that he had promised the Calamity Venerable to help resolve the Three Fiends Corpse Poison for Granny Heavenly Fox.
The second reason was that since he had decided to help the Tianchu civilisation out of its predicament, he naturally needed to inform a powerhouse like God King Yu or the old Heavenly Lord of his plan first. Only their cultivation and divine bodies could possibly bear the enormous and heavy great world of the Tianchu civilisation.
Whether in terms of size or the stability of its matter, the Tianchu civilisation great world far surpassed the degraded Jiannan Realm. It was also incomparable to the current Qiankun Realm, which was only slightly larger than a superior ruin world.
In a great world, the denser the spiritual qi, holy qi, and divine qi, and the more stable the matter, the weaker the destructive power a cultivator could cause within it. This was equivalent to a higher-level world plane.
Ruin worlds were divided into inferior, medium, and superior grades.
Yet even the rare superior ruin worlds were less than one hundred-thousandth the size of an ordinary great world. Compared to a top-tier great world like the Tianchu civilisation, they were only one millionth or even one ten-millionth the size.
When you added the differences in material structure and density, the weight of the Tianchu civilisation great world was absolutely more than one hundred million times that of a superior ruin world. Ordinary gods simply could not bear it.
Even if God King Yu carried the Tianchu civilisation great world inside his body, it would be like a mortal carrying several hundred jin of huge stones on his back. He could not sustain it for long, and his battle power would be greatly reduced as a result.
Back when Zhang Ruochen carried the Qiankun Realm, a large part of the reason was that the spatial mysteries within the时空神武印记 were helping him.
Zhang Ruochen still wore the Qingpingzi mask painted by Taishang. He passed through the star gate in a very blatant manner and headed straight toward the Tianchu civilisation great world.
It was worth mentioning that the hell god tide had already ended three days earlier. The destroyed star gates had been rebuilt.
Zhang Ruochen entered Doushu City and went directly to the God King Mansion.
Since his identity had already been exposed and the fire seed of the Tianchu civilisation had been sent to Kunlun Realm, he had nothing to fear. What could God King Yu possibly be afraid of?
Just as he arrived outside the God King Mansion, Luo Jinshu appeared in front of him and called out from a distance, “Friend Qingpingzi!”
Zhang Ruochen was not surprised at all that Luo Jinshu would appear here. After all, he had been far too conspicuous when entering the star gate. Someone had probably already passed the news to Luo Jinshu at that moment.
Zhang Ruochen walked over, cupped his hands in greeting, and said, “Friend Luo!”
Luo Jinshu asked with concern, “Where has Friend been these past few days? Jinshu has been very worried, fearing that the Cha Realm might vent its anger on you.”
His identity had indeed not been exposed. It seemed that Xuanyuan Lian and God King Yu had not spread the matter.
Zhang Ruochen had entered the star gate so openly partly to use the Truth Temple Lord to test whether his identity had been revealed. If the Truth Temple Lord and Taishang had been in secret contact, they would definitely protect him and stop him from entering the star gate.
Zhang Ruochen snorted and said, “Hmph! The Cha Realm itself is unclean and has nurtured an upper god Asura. What right do they have to blame this poor Daoist?”
“Even so, the Cha Realm has many evil people. One cannot afford to be careless.”
Luo Jinshu asked, “Is Friend here to pay respects to the God King?”
Zhang Ruochen looked toward the main gate of the God King Mansion and said, “These past few days this poor Daoist has felt restless and uneasy, with an unstable state of mind. I kept asking myself, even if I fear the Three Fiends Corpse Poison, I should at least try, right? Otherwise, if I later hear that Granny Heavenly Fox failed her tribulation and fell, would I not feel guilty for the rest of my life?”
Luo Jinshu immediately showed deep respect. He bowed deeply to Zhang Ruochen.
“Friend Luo, please rise quickly.”
Zhang Ruochen hurried forward to help Luo Jinshu up. After all, Luo Ji was currently inside the Six Ancestors Zen Illustration.
“Friend, your righteousness comes first. You place others before your own life and death. This bow is well deserved. Come, please enter.” Luo Jinshu took Zhang Ruochen’s arm and strode into the God King Mansion.
The moment they stepped through the gate, the rules of heaven and earth changed dramatically. Chaos and mist filled the view, with divine qi drifting like clouds.
Zhang Ruochen suddenly felt his body sink, as if he had stepped into empty air. The world spun. When he landed again, he found himself standing on a barren land with dust flying in the air.
Luo Jinshu was nowhere to be seen. Only a broad-shouldered, majestic figure stood ten zhang away with his back turned.
A vast and domineering divine might pressed down on Zhang Ruochen like a hundred thousand divine mountains. It forced Buddhist light to emerge from his body. His form turned golden as he used the power of the Buddha relic to resist.
The pressure increased again.
Zhang Ruochen had no choice but to press his hands forward虚ly and release a Taiji circle.
Too terrifying!
Was this the cultivation of the Immeasurable Realm? Even standing still without moving, it could pin him in place. He had to go all out just to resist.
Yet Zhang Ruochen felt no fear. Instead, his confidence surged. With his current cultivation, even standing before a generation’s God King, he could keep his spine straight. The other side could not crush him.
But in his heart he secretly cursed the Calamity Venerable. Damn that old fellow. The God King surely had not agreed readily to let him take away Heavenly Lord Mountain and the fire seed.
Zhang Ruochen said, “This junior knows the God King harbours anger in his heart. But could you please allow this junior to finish speaking before acting?”
“Do you realise that because of you, this seat’s plan failed at the last moment? You still dare come to Doushu City. Do you truly think that old bastard from your Zhang family can protect you?”
Above God King Yu’s head, thunder rumbled in shock.
Zhang Ruochen very much wanted to play his trump card of the fire seed. But he realised that threatening a God King with his current cultivation would probably yield no good result.
He said, “The God King should understand that the chance of success for your own plan was extremely slim. Ruochen is not opposing the God King. I want to save the Tianchu civilisation. Why not join forces and carry out the next plan?”
God King Yu turned around. His eyes were deep as black pools. He said, “Plan? Whom do you represent? Kunlun Realm? Xinghuan Heaven? Or the Undying Blood Race? In this seat’s view, you represent the Undying Blood Race, correct?”
Zhang Ruochen sensed the killing intent radiating from God King Yu and sighed inwardly. The enmity between the Tianchu civilisation and the Hell Realm truly ran as deep as a sea of blood.
Zhang Ruochen said, “I represent only myself. If the God King does not believe me, you can let Luo Ji explain everything in detail.”
God King Yu’s expression flickered between dark and light. The thunder above his head grew even louder.
Suddenly, the suffocating divine might that had pressed on Zhang Ruochen dispersed. Faintly, one could hear God King Yu’s helpless sigh.
Zhang Ruochen took out the Six Ancestors Zen Illustration and brought Luo Ji out.
“Grandfather!”
Luo Ji bowed to God King Yu.
The sternness and gloom vanished from God King Yu’s eyes, replaced by deep affection. He said, “You should not have returned to the Tianchu civilisation. You bear responsibilities of your own.”
Luo Ji replied, “My home is right here. All my family is in this city. How could I not return? Grandfather said I shoulder the duty of inheriting and reviving the civilisation. But if there is a real chance to preserve the civilisation, why talk of revival?”
Zhang Ruochen did not listen to the conversation between grandfather and granddaughter. Instead he observed the surroundings and confirmed this was God King Yu’s divine realm world.
Unfortunately, this divine realm world was severely damaged. Only boundless deathly silence remained. It had long lost its original appearance. Clearly God King Yu had once gone to fight in the starry sky!
After a long while, God King Yu turned his gaze to Zhang Ruochen and said, “You are truly naive. The Dark Delta Star Domain is bizarre and extreme. Even powerhouses with flawless Heavenly Round spiritual power above the ninetieth step may not be able to come out after entering. With your cultivation, going there to find the Sword Realm is no different from seeking death.”
Zhang Ruochen said, “Precisely because even Heavenly Round flawless spiritual power powerhouses fear the Dark Delta Star Domain, that place becomes the best refuge for the Tianchu civilisation to avoid the flames of war. The God King may not know this, but this journey to find the Sword Realm is actually at the request of the old Taishang. In his view, my chances of finding the Sword Realm are even greater than his own.”
“Does the God King understand the meaning behind those words?”
Hearing this, God King Yu put away the doubt and contempt in his eyes. Then he said, “What a pity! Even if you found the location of the Sword Realm, the Tianchu civilisation still could not go! Xuanyuan Lian has surely already reported the matter upward. The Heavenly Palace is now on guard. The Tianchu civilisation will not get a second chance.”
Zhang Ruochen stood tall with unwavering posture. Confidence shone in his eyes. He said, “In fact, the reason I believe your previous plan, no matter how perfect, was bound to be discovered is because the Heavenly Court has powerhouses with spiritual power exceeding the ninetieth step who can see through your every move.”
“But with my participation it becomes different. I can invite a powerhouse with spiritual power exceeding the ninetieth step to act and help us cover our tracks, deceiving both heaven and earth. Does the God King have such energy at his disposal?”
God King Yu fell into deep thought.
Zhang Ruochen pressed on. “If the God King feels one powerhouse with spiritual power exceeding the ninetieth step is not enough, I can go invite two, or even try for a third. For the sake of the Tianchu civilisation and for Luo Ji, I will do everything within my power.”
“If we truly compare the number of powerhouses we can invite, even though Xuanyuan Lian is the son of a Heavenly Venerate, he may not necessarily surpass me.”
God King Yu stared carefully at Zhang Ruochen. Only then did he realise that this young man truly had an extremely terrifying force behind him. More importantly, were all these connections really just coincidences?
Or had the great figures behind this young man already secretly united long ago, waiting for him to grow so they could carry out something that would change the heavens and the earth?
God King Yu felt a chill at the thought. He realised he had been too slow to see it clearly before.
Qing Tian’s intervention was perhaps because he had already noticed the signs behind the scenes.
The more God King Yu thought about it, the more he felt this matter was extraordinary. If the Tianchu civilisation boarded this warship and built a force centred around this young man, it could truly carve out its own territory, making neither the Heavenly Court nor the Hell Realm dare to act lightly.
It was just a pity that the young man’s current cultivation was still too weak. If he already had Immeasurable Realm cultivation now, God King Yu would not hesitate at all. He would immediately go persuade the old Heavenly Lord.
God King Yu asked, “For this trip to the Dark Delta Star Domain, how many people does this seat need to give you?”
“I will go alone. There is no need for the Tianchu civilisation to help,” Zhang Ruochen said.
Luo Ji said, “I will go with him. Grandfather need not try to persuade me. My mind is made up.”
Surprisingly, God King Yu did not try to dissuade her. Instead he took out a talisman and handed it to Zhang Ruochen. He said, “You, Zhang Ruochen, already possess countless treasures. This seat does not have much to give you. This is a God King Talisman. Remember, no matter whether you find the Sword Realm or not, you must bring Luo Ji back alive. She is the last hope of the Tianchu civilisation!”
Zhang Ruochen accepted the God King Talisman and said, “Many thanks for the God King’s trust. Ruochen will definitely find the Sword Realm and return.”
God King Yu said, “You do not yet qualify for this seat’s trust. This seat trusts Taishang. Taishang trusts you. He believes you will absolutely never become an accomplice of the Hell Realm. He believes you will achieve great things in the future. This seat believes Taishang will not misjudge.”
Zhang Ruochen felt no anger. This was normal. Given his close ties to the Hell Realm, why should God King Yu trust him?
Moreover, in the eyes of an Immeasurable Realm powerhouse, his current cultivation was still far too lacking.
A hundred thousand years ago, although the gods of Kunlun Realm had all perished, figures like Wen Tianjun, the Island Master of the Fallen God Island, and the Sumeru Holy Monk had won the respect and trust of countless powerhouses.
God King Yu was the same.
Perhaps the Truth Temple Lord was the same.
“Go now. This seat still has some matters to discuss with Luo Ji.”
With a wave of God King Yu’s hand, Zhang Ruochen’s body flew out like a leaf.
Another dizzying spin. When he landed on the ground again, he found himself standing beside Luo Jinshu. Towering buildings rose before him once more. Divine qi surged abundantly. In the garden, spiritual mountains, flowers, grasses, lakes, pavilions, and terraces were arranged in accordance with the Heavenly Dao, full of beauty.
Luo Jinshu seemed to have only just stepped through the gate. He was completely unaware that Zhang Ruochen had been pulled into God King Yu’s divine realm world. He said, “Granny Heavenly Fox is temporarily staying in the Qiyun Palace, right next to the central hall of the world-protecting divine array, separated only by a wall. Come, I will take Friend there!”
“Immeasurable Realm gods are truly terrifying. An upper god noticed nothing at all. Even his mental awareness paused for a moment. If one encountered this on the battlefield, escape would be impossible!” Zhang Ruochen sighed inwardly.
Although Granny Heavenly Fox had a strange personality, she was not unreasonable. Since Zhang Ruochen had come with good intentions to help her resolve the Three Fiends Corpse Poison, how could she possibly refuse him at the door?
After Luo Jinshu left, Zhang Ruochen immediately bowed toward the grand hall ahead with utmost respect. He said, “Paying respects to Old Ancestor!”
Through the main gate, he looked into the hall.
Inside, divine mist filled the air like a nebula ocean. Granny Heavenly Fox’s true form could not be seen.
A cold snort came from Granny Heavenly Fox. She said, “Stinky Daoist, are you really here to resolve the Three Fiends Corpse Poison, or do you have some other scheme?”
Zhang Ruochen replied, “This junior is not a Daoist, nor do I have any other scheme. I was entrusted by an old ancestor in my family to absolutely help you resolve the Three Fiends Corpse Poison. He said that back then he deceived you by claiming he was going to become a monk, but in truth he did not. He simply returned to Kunlun Realm, where he had wives and concubines filling his home.”
Granny Heavenly Fox appeared at the entrance of the grand hall. Behind her, fox tails could be seen. Her gaze was extremely fierce. A tsunami-like surge of divine qi rushed toward Zhang Ruochen.
Zhang Ruochen continued, “He also said he should not have deceived you about the divine medicine. That way you could have used the divine medicine to heal your injuries! He further said he should not have faked his death to deceive you, causing you to be afflicted with the Three Fiends Corpse Poison. As a result, he did not dare come personally to detoxify you.”
A blast of cold wind struck!
White frost covered Zhang Ruochen’s body. A fox tail wrapped around him and lifted him into the air.
The face painted by Taishang was torn off by Granny Heavenly Fox in extreme rage.
Her claws were sharp. In a chilling voice she asked, “Tell me, how do you know all this? Cough cough!”
Her tone was filled with pain and fury, with boundless hatred.
Zhang Ruochen felt some sympathy for Granny Heavenly Fox. He said, “Granny perhaps does not even know his true identity. He is my family’s old ancestor, known as the Calamity Venerable. If nothing unexpected has happened, he is currently in Kunlun Realm, in the Eastern Region, at Tianmo Ridge.”
Zhang Ruochen gave the location in great detail and added, “If you still cannot find him, you can go ask the old Taishang.”
Zhang Ruochen fell from midair to the ground. Granny Heavenly Fox’s figure had already vanished from the courtyard. He quickly added, “The old ancestor said that the greatest regret of his life is that he could not have a son or daughter with you, Granny.”
He picked up the face from the ground, dusted it off, and muttered to himself, “If you want to detoxify, go detoxify yourself.”
