Xuanyuan Qing wore a veil. White divine light shone on her body, making her appear holy and flawless. She transmitted, “Regarding the profound truths of truth, Shang Hong came to ask me. I told him those profound truths belong to Jiuyu. Just now, did he make things difficult for you?”
“Make things difficult for me? With this poor Daoist’s current cultivation, how could I fear him?”
Zhang Ruochen saw something unusual in Xuanyuan Qing’s gaze. Only then did he realise the words “this poor Daoist” had become hard to change. He smiled and said, “You had better watch him closely. Do not let him come provoke me. In that way, for your sake, I will not actively deal with him. But if he actively picks a fight, I will not hold back when the time comes.”
In Xuanyuan Qing’s lively and profound starry eyes, there was no emotional fluctuation. She said, “You would actually give me face?”
“I am the lord of Xing Huan Tian, of the neutral faction. How would I dare offend a heavenly venerable?” Zhang Ruochen said with a half-smile.
These words were naturally quite meaningful.
Daring not to offend a heavenly venerable clearly meant he dared to offend her, Xuanyuan Qing.
Xuanyuan Qing felt Zhang Ruochen was too arrogant. He had only just entered the great god level, yet he was already so dismissive of others. But this time, Heavenly Court indeed owed him an enormous favour.
Xuanyuan Qing suppressed the competitive spirit in her heart. She took out a bead and handed it to him. “The son of Ice Emperor and that ancestral realm venerable of the Yaksha clan are both sealed inside here.”
Zhang Ruochen quickly took the bead. Feeling the spatial fluctuations on it, he said in surprise, “How did Friend Qing manage this?”
“Before Feng Yan and Mr Mo hurried back, I… this seat had already infiltrated the divine prison, rescued them, and disguised it as them breaking free from the seals and escaping on their own.”
Xuanyuan Qing spread her palm, demanding from Zhang Ruochen. Her gaze was very forceful.
When meeting an arrogant person, she felt she should be even more arrogant, or it would not suit the identity of a heavenly venerable’s daughter.
Zhang Ruochen took out the Chaos Bottle, released Sunny Sky Sword King, shrank him to bead size, and placed him in her immortal-like jade hand.
Xuanyuan Qing did not withdraw her palm. Her gaze slanted toward him.
Zhang Ruochen helplessly took out Sunny Sky Sword King’s divine source. He hesitated and said, “Truly cannot spare Blood Butcher?”
Xuanyuan Qing said, “I saved Sunny Sky Sword King with the momentum of a heavenly venerable, and the benefits outweigh the risks. How could you, Zhang Ruochen, be so soft-hearted like a woman, exposing your weaknesses so clearly? That Blood Butcher is merely a piece placed by Feng Tian beside you. Can you not see it?”
“Woman…”
Zhang Ruochen looked at her. Seeing her gaze turn abruptly cold, he changed his words and said indifferently, “How would Feng Tian notice a small figure like me?”
Xuanyuan Qing said, “When you underwent divine tribulation, Qingtian could act, viewing you as a threat. Feng Caiyi holds the authority over life and death in the Destiny Divine Hall. How could she be short-sighted? Your martial way is not crippled, and you have reached great god realm. If this news reaches her ears, truly she would not act against you? Killing Blood Butcher, you should thank me.”
Zhang Ruochen said, “After this secret of mine was known to the heavenly venerable, what did he say?”
Zhang Ruochen did not believe Xuanyuan Lian had not informed Haotian of this secret.
Xuanyuan Qing’s gaze became somewhat unnatural. She said, “How would this seat know? My brother may not have told the heavenly venerable. My brother is a person with strong opinions. He has always wanted to break free from the constraints of being a heavenly venerable’s son. Matters below boundless realm, he would not report to the heavenly venerable. Going to seek instructions or acting according to the heavenly venerable’s will, how could one hold up one’s own sky that way?”
“If you do not know, then you do not know! I just asked casually. Why explain so much?”
Zhang Ruochen held the divine source above her palm and paused. He said, “How about Friend Qing helps this poor Daoist one more favour?”
“What favour?”
Xuanyuan Qing felt Zhang Ruochen’s conditions were truly too many.
Zhang Ruochen said, “I have to leave. There must be a reason, right? How about we have a quarrel? I say Sunny Sky Sword King must die and absolutely cannot be given to you. You say Sunny Sky Sword King must live and be taken back for Senior Zhao Gongming to handle. Then we quarrel more and more fiercely. I throw the divine source to you and leave in anger… Hey, snatching is not right…”
Xuanyuan Qing seized the divine source and said, “How to leave, think of a way yourself. Two great gods quarrelling? You may not care about face, but this seat does.”
In the distance, Feng Xi watched Qingpingzi and Xuanyuan Qing standing side by side on a spacious area at the vessel’s bow. She could not hear what they were discussing, but their relationship seemed already very close. They had exchanged tokens. Especially when snatching, it was intimate to an unbelievable degree.
Was this the bond of sharing life and death?
How cold and proud was a heavenly venerable’s daughter? Ordinary divine spirits standing before her, how would they dare offend so?
It made sense too. In such moments of life and death, who would not value a friend who fought shoulder to shoulder?
Xuanyuan Qing glanced coldly at Zhang Ruochen and said, “The romantic sword god should comfort her a bit. Do not rush to flee. Although Fourth Uncle was not her biological father, you should understand this kind of feeling.”
Xuanyuan Qing walked straight away.
Zhang Ruochen turned. With a sinister smile, he glanced at her once before walking toward Feng Xi standing at the vessel’s rail. He felt a great headache.
Comforting people, he truly was not skilled at.
Moreover, with someone as special as Feng Xi.
Zhang Ruochen usually avoided her. How would he dare comfort her?
But the death of Feng Yunba must have struck her hard. As a Dao friend, not saying even a word of comfort, would that not be too cruel?
Many comforting words Zhang Ruochen could say to Luo Ji, to Mu Lingxi, to Bai Qing’er, but saying them to Feng Xi would be inappropriate!
“Friend Xi… my condolences… Fourth Uncle actually…” Zhang Ruochen said.
Feng Xi saw his appearance of struggling to speak and interrupted him. She said, “Friend need not be like this. Xi has long grown accustomed to life and death, having endured countless hardships. I am not a little woman. Where would I need comforting? Father’s death means the Feng clan will surely contend with Darkness Divine Hall in future. Just now, what were Friend and Miss Qing discussing?”
“Of course, about Sunny Sky Sword King,” Zhang Ruochen said.
Feng Xi’s gaze turned cold accordingly.
Zhang Ruochen showed an angry expression and said, “We disagreed on how to handle Sunny Sky Sword King. But this poor Daoist could not win against her. After all, she is a heavenly venerable’s daughter. So I handed Sunny Sky Sword King over to her.”
“Sunny Sky Sword King must die to repay the fallen of the Feng clan. If not for him, Father… how could Father have fallen?” Feng Xi said she was accustomed to life and death, but her eyes reddened. Emotional fluctuations showed on her face.
Zhang Ruochen said, “This poor Daoist thinks the same, but from the look of it, Xuanyuan Qing wants to preserve Sunny Sky Sword King’s life.”
Saying this, he took out the Chaos Bottle and handed it to Feng Xi. “Zhao Wuyan’s divine source is shattered, but his ghostly body and divine soul remain. Leave it to the Feng clan to handle! Consider it compensation for handing over Sunny Sky Sword King. Alas, this poor Daoist has no face to remain on the Xufeng Divine Vessel. Sorry to Fourth Uncle, sorry to this ground full of blood.”
Feng Xi’s gaze was stunned. This was a great god. Even with divine source shattered, it held extraordinary value. He just handed it to her like this?
She quickly said, “How is this matter related to Friend? It is the heavenly venerable’s daughter being too overbearing. Anyone else would also be unable to withstand the pressure of a heavenly venerable’s momentum.”
“Moreover, with Kunlun Realm’s current situation, it dare not offend Heavenly Palace.”
“Xi absolutely cannot accept Zhao Wuyan’s ghostly body and divine soul. The Feng clan already owes Daozhang too much. Seventh Uncle has said that no matter what, I cannot take back the Chaos Bottle. This secret treasure shall serve as the Feng clan’s thank-you gift.”
Zhang Ruochen brought out the Chaos Bottle purely for show, intending to divert the Feng clan’s attention to Xuanyuan Qing, buying time for himself to save Blood Butcher.
Zhang Ruochen took back the Chaos Bottle and sighed deeply. “How could this poor Daoist have the face?”
“Friend, rest assured. Even mortals know murder demands repayment with life. My father fell. The Feng clan’s dead and wounded cultivators number no less than a hundred thousand. Such a blood-sea-deep enmity cannot be suppressed by one heavenly venerable’s daughter. Moreover, Light Divine Hall also has a grudge! Xi will now go discuss countermeasures with the various gods of the Feng clan and Light Divine Hall. We will certainly make Xuanyuan Qing give an explanation!”
Feng Xi was about to leave when she suddenly hesitated. But thinking of how Dao friend Qingpingzi had earlier fought desperately to the death, all for them, and just now proactively gave Zhao Wuyan’s ghostly body and divine soul, such high righteousness, yet she still suspected his identity in her heart, she simply did not deserve to be his Dao friend.
Zhang Ruochen watched Feng Xi’s graceful retreating figure and felt bewildered.
What did that apologetic gaze when she left mean?
As if she had done something sorry to him?
Zhang Ruochen did not know that earlier, when he went to protect Feng Yan’s path, in the critical moment, he and Feng Xi had addressed each other as “you” and “I”, very unusually, causing Feng Xi to grow suspicious, feeling he very likely was not a cultivator of the Dao.
Moreover, after Zhang Ruochen broke through, the combat power he erupted with was too strong, deepening Feng Xi’s suspicion.
However, Zhang Ruochen’s recent show had once again made Feng Xi profoundly recognise this Dao friend’s integrity. Thus, self-reproach arose in her heart. She felt she was too suspicious, not trusting the other, simply unworthy of calling herself Dao friend with a figure like Qingpingzi.
Not long after Feng Xi left, the divine spirits aboard the Xufeng Divine Vessel, under Feng Xuan’s transmitted summons, gathered toward the ancient hall on the third level.
On this Xufeng Divine Vessel, the only one Zhang Ruochen truly feared was Mr Mo, with his powerful spiritual force.
But Mr Mo was fully focused on repairing the vessel-protecting divine array. He should not have much spiritual consciousness noticing him. Thus, Zhang Ruochen restrained his aura and went directly toward the divine prison on the divine vessel.
To create the illusion that Xiao Hei and the ancestral realm venerable had escaped on their own, Xuanyuan Qing had already broken the divine inscriptions and arrays here. Zhang Ruochen very easily entered the divine prison.
Worried about alerting Mr Mo, he did not release spiritual force to probe.
Just as he walked into the divine prison, he saw a familiar yet unfamiliar heroic figure standing ahead, in the dark shadows. Wearing dragon-head armour, hand on the Pure Yang Divine Sword, as if waiting for a long time.
Seeing Zhang Ruochen appear at the end of the underground corridor, his gaze sharpened. He said, “It truly is you.”
Zhang Ruochen remained calm amid change. He said, “What does Friend Yan mean by this? This poor Daoist discovered an issue with the divine prison and came in to investigate. Since you are here, this poor Daoist shall take leave!”
“If you take one step out, I will now slay Blood Butcher.”
In Feng Yan’s voice was an unprecedented resolute will. The Pure Yang Divine Sword in his hand already flew out.
“Boom!”
Blood Butcher, imprisoned in the divine prison, was frightened into a full-body shudder. The Pure Yang Divine Sword pierced into the black divine iron wall, causing the divine iron to melt into crimson red molten iron. The half of the sword body exposed pressed against his neck.
