Even after years of cultivation and encountering countless treacherous and shameless individuals, Xuanyuan Qing was stunned on the spot by Zhang Ruochen’s words. Her spiritually vibrant eyes turned blankly staring.
This was too much.
In front of her, the daughter of a Tianzun, he could still so “openly” frame and slander someone.
Did he not know her background?
If Shang Hong had truly released Blood Butcher, would he have made such a huge fuss, adopting the posture of wanting to slay even a great god of boundless potential?
The Feng Clan gods, Feng Xuan, Feng Xi, and Mr Mo, wore different expressions. There was shock, deep contemplation, fear, and of course far more anger.
How could they not believe Qingpingzi?
Quite apart from his deeds in the Tianchu Civilisation Great World, earlier, if he had not fought desperately, how many present would have survived?
Yet how could they not feel shock and fear?
Shang Hong was no ordinary figure like Lan Jun. He was Shang Tian’s direct grandson, a brilliantly talented great god of the new generation, very likely to reach the Immensurable Realm in future.
If even he had betrayed the Heavenly Court, it was unthinkable what vast matters might be dragged into the light.
Paradise Realm would face a cataclysm, and even the Heavenly Court itself would become unstable.
Once the Heavenly Court grew unstable…
The armies of Hell Realm would surge forward unhindered, sweeping through all realms. No egg remains intact beneath a toppled nest.
Xuanyuan Qing stared at Zhang Ruochen, both amused and exasperated, yet unable to vent anger or laughter. She had to maintain a calm and scrutinising demeanour.
Had she known Zhang Ruochen was so adept at causing chaos and landing her in such a mess, she should have agreed to his request from the start and casually released Blood Butcher.
Why had it come to this?
A mere Blood Butcher, alive or dead, meant nothing to her.
Yet Xuanyuan Qing had insisted on competing with Zhang Ruochen, on gaining the upper hand, lest he take every advantage and grow insufferably smug.
She had indeed suppressed him, only for Zhang Ruochen to turn the tables and stir up this enormous incident.
Feng Xi, having just lost her father and grieving deeply, loathed traitors like Sword King Qingkong to the marrow. Naturally, she spoke without restraint. “I have long heard that one hundred thousand years ago, when the gods of Kunlun Realm all perished and the realm fell into decline, it was because Paradise Realm betrayed them during the struggle for dominion over the Western World. I did not believe the great figures of Paradise Realm could be so shortsighted. Today, however, I have seen it for myself.”
Feng Xuan was steadier than Feng Xi and understood the gravity of the matter, the vast implications. He said, “I beseech Great God Xuanyuan to investigate thoroughly and uphold justice.”
The address “Great God Xuanyuan” was highly formal.
Mr Mo’s gaze shifted repeatedly between Zhang Ruochen and Shang Hong. He released his spiritual force, forming a domain.
This served both to prevent another divine battle from erupting and damaging the Xufeng Divine Ship, and to stop anyone from fleeing.
Xuanyuan Qing naturally did not believe Zhang Ruochen’s nonsense, yet she had to suppress her feelings and ask, “Daoist friend Qingpingzi claims that Shang Hong released Blood Butcher. Do you have evidence?”
A hint of threat glinted in her eyes.
If Zhang Ruochen admitted he had no evidence, she could speak a few fair words, allow everyone to step back, and the matter could be quietly set aside. Afterwards, letting him take Blood Butcher would be no great issue.
Zhang Ruochen said, “The arrays and divine inscriptions outside the divine jail can only be broken by a great god. Earlier, when Feng Yan and Mr Mo left the divine ship, the only great gods aboard were this poor daoist, friend Qing, and Shang Hong.”
“Yet this poor daoist and friend Qing were together the entire time. Who else could have acted to release the Son of the Ice Emperor and the Ancestral Realm Lord of the Yaksha Clan?”
Veiled, Xuanyuan Qing drew a deep secret breath. Her already ample chest rose and fell sharply.
Very well. Ruthless enough.
Not only did he refuse to retreat, he dragged her in as a shield.
Zhang Ruochen seemed oblivious to Xuanyuan Qing’s eyes, which had turned a dangerous green. He continued righteously, “At first, this poor daoist naturally refused to believe there could be such a traitor among us. I merely thought the earlier clash between great gods had damaged the divine inscriptions and arrays within the divine jail, allowing the Son of the Ice Emperor and the Ancestral Realm Lord of the Yaksha Clan to escape.”
“Upon further reflection, however, something felt amiss.”
“If even the Son of the Ice Emperor could escape, why could Blood Butcher, disciple of Feng Tian and an upper god in cultivation, not manage the same?”
“Clearly, someone deliberately damaged the divine inscriptions and arrays to release the Son of the Ice Emperor and the Ancestral Realm Lord of the Yaksha Clan. That person must have sensed Mr Mo’s return, lacked time to free Blood Butcher, and stopped immediately.”
“Holding these suspicions, this poor daoist intended to enter the divine jail and wait for the culprit, just in case. Unexpectedly, upon arriving, I discovered Blood Butcher had already been released. I was about to pursue when Shang Hong blocked me, leading to the scene you witnessed. By now, Blood Butcher has likely fled far away… alas.”
Shang Hong’s three divine bodies had all been shattered by Zhang Ruochen with overwhelming force. His physical form suffered grievous wounds, and his divine soul was exceedingly weakened.
Yet he had preserved his divine source.
His vitality was damaged, but his foundation remained intact.
Shang Hong reunited his three corpses. All blood qi and divine soul fragments merged into his body. His eyes were cold and deep, yet he laughed freely, facing every gaze present. “Do you truly believe this Qingpingzi standing before you is some genuine daoist? Do not mistake a great traitor for a virtuous man.”
The Feng Clan gods cried out in anger, summoning their war artefacts.
Even if the opponent were a great god and a Tian Sun, he could not be allowed to humiliate the Feng Clan’s benefactor.
Even the two surviving true gods of the Temple of Light frowned repeatedly, sensing that Shang Hong had run out of options and was preparing to drag everyone down with him.
Divine light surged around Feng Xi. She said coldly, “What exactly does Tian Sun mean by this?”
Shang Hong pointed furiously, his great god aura erupting. “Ignorant fools all of you. Open your eyes and see clearly. He is Zhang Ruochen. The epochal great traitor who caused the Heavenly Court forces to suffer utter defeat on Xinghuan Heaven.”
Zhang Ruochen shook his head and laughed, then grew profoundly indignant. “So Tian Sun released those Hell Realm gods with the notion of killing two birds with one stone.”
“To suppress the rise of Kunlun Realm, Paradise Realm truly stops at nothing. This poor daoist has only just broken through, yet you seek my death. But your words are riddled with holes. Do you imagine not a single clear-eyed person stands among us?”
Feng Xuan had initially thought the matter might be a misunderstanding, since Daoist friend Qingpingzi offered no concrete proof. Upon hearing Shang Hong, however, deep suspicion took root.
He said, “All the world knows Zhang Ruochen’s martial path was crippled. For Tian Sun to utter such slanderous words, how is it different from confessing without coercion?”
Feng Xi nodded. “Even supposing Zhang Ruochen’s martial path was not crippled, does Tian Sun believe he could, in so short a time, cultivate to the formidable realm of Daoist friend Qingpingzi?”
Feng Xuan and Feng Xi were far from foolish. It was simply that Qingpingzi’s actions made them feel that doubting him would itself be sinful.
Moreover, Paradise Realm’s suppression of Kunlun Realm truly knew no bounds.
Xuanyuan Qing felt weary, yet she could not speak openly.
Now she could only hope Shang Hong would rally and clear the suspicions against himself, rather than be toppled by Zhang Ruochen’s schemes.
Shang Hong had long foreseen that without solid evidence, he would face exactly this outcome. No one would believe him. Yet he had lived nearly a hundred thousand years and soon regained composure.
He smiled. “Zhang Ruochen, for all your glib tongue and inversion of truth, you have still revealed flaws.”
“You claim you entered the divine jail only out of suspicion, to lie in wait. But this is the Xufeng Divine Ship. What qualification do you have to enter the divine jail? If you meant to wait for the culprit, would guarding outside not have sufficed?”
“Then do I have qualification to enter the divine jail?”
As this voice rang out, Shang Hong’s expression changed drastically.
Feng Yan emerged from the divine jail, holding the Chunyang Divine Sword. He said, “Daoist Qingpingzi came to the divine jail with me. We discovered all the outer guards had vanished and immediately went inside to investigate.”
Xuanyuan Qing asked, “Was Blood Butcher truly released by Shang Hong?”
“That I do not know,” Feng Yan replied.
Zhang Ruochen felt deep gratitude that Feng Yan had stepped forward. Though they were sworn brothers, this affair concerned far more than just the two of them.
The entire Feng Clan would be implicated.
This was to offend the Shang Clan, even the Paradise Realm faction as a whole.
It would mean rivers of blood.
Even without directly accusing Shang Hong, what difference was there from accusation?
“Shang Hong, have you anything more to say?” Feng Xuan asked gravely.
Shang Hong fixed his gaze on Feng Yan. “Worthy indeed of Zhang Ruochen’s sworn brother. With you acting thus, I fear Fourth Master Feng will die with unresolved grievances.”
Feng Yan drew his sword and pointed in fury. “Repeat that if you dare.”
All the Feng Clan gods wore cold expressions.
Xuanyuan Qing sighed inwardly.
She knew Shang Hong must be seething, or he would never have lost his wits and dragged Feng Yunba into it.
Feng Yunba held immense prestige within the Feng Clan and had only just fallen. To claim he would die with unresolved grievances, even if she preserved Shang Hong’s life, where on the Xufeng Divine Ship would he find a place?
Xuanyuan Qing knew Shang Hong had been wronged. She also knew his extraordinary talent and boundless potential. Naturally, she could not allow Zhang Ruochen to scheme him to death in this way.
Moreover, if Shang Hong were truly executed thus, would the Shang Clan simply let it rest?
Xuanyuan Qing said, “Shang Hong, you insist repeatedly that Qingpingzi is Zhang Ruochen. Do you have evidence?”
Shang Hong replied, “Of course. This seat dares assert that Blood Butcher remains within his divine realm world even now. A single probe would reveal the truth.”
“Who has the right to probe a great god’s divine realm world?” Zhang Ruochen demanded loudly.
Shang Hong laughed. “Zhang Ruochen, no need for such nerves. This seat is willing to unfold my own divine realm world and accept examination. Others may lack the authority, but Miss Qing, as daughter of the Tianzun, possesses it.”
To have one’s divine realm world probed by another is an utter humiliation.
A fierce figure like Feng Yunba would rather detonate his divine source and die to prove his innocence.
Feng Xi knew Qingpingzi’s character well. She said, “Every secret of a god is concealed within their divine realm world. Even the daughter of a Tianzun likely has no such authority.”
The other Feng Clan gods found it difficult to speak.
After all, Shang Hong was willing to unfold his own divine realm world for examination.
Even two of the true gods secretly glanced at Zhang Ruochen, a trace of doubt arising.
If Shang Hong lacked confidence, why would he, at the cost of allowing the Tianzun’s daughter to probe his divine realm world, force Qingpingzi to do the same?
