As for the Feng Clan, Zhang Ruochen had never considered using them. From beginning to end, his actions had only been for self-preservation.
Towards them, it could be said he harboured no ulterior motives.
Even though he had previously been hunted by Feng Yunba, Zhang Ruochen had never thought of taking revenge on other cultivators of the Feng Clan. On the contrary, he had genuinely done everything in his power to protect them.
If Zhang Ruochen were a narrow-minded person who bore grudges over the slightest offence, when Feng Xi and Feng Xuan faced danger, he could have stood by and done nothing, even if he did not add to their troubles.
After moving far away from the Xufeng Divine Vessel and confirming that even Mister Mo’s spiritual power could no longer detect him, Zhang Ruochen finally removed the mask of “Qing Pingzi” and released Xue Tu alone.
“Thank you, senior brother, for saving my life.”
Xue Tu bowed with a cheerful grin, but seeing the serious expression on Zhang Ruochen’s face, he quickly put away his smile and asked, “What exactly is the situation now? When I was imprisoned in the Divine Prison, I heard that a divine war had broken out outside and it was extremely fierce. This Xufeng Divine Vessel was forged by a heavenly-level powerhouse of the Feng Clan, and Feng Yunba himself was stationed aboard it…”
“You do not need to concern yourself with these matters,” Zhang Ruochen said.
Previously, Xue Tu had been stored in a spatial treasure hidden within Zhang Ruochen’s profound foetus, so he knew nothing of what had happened outside.
Feeling uneasy under Zhang Ruochen’s gaze, Xue Tu grew even less inclined to smile. His burly frame stood straighter and straighter as he cautiously asked, “What great event has occurred?”
“The fact that I am Qing Pingzi is a secret. Who have you told?” Zhang Ruochen asked calmly.
In the great world of the Tianchu Civilisation, when Zhang Ruochen had assumed the identity of Qing Pingzi, he had interacted with Xue Tu.
The calmer Zhang Ruochen appeared, the more panicked Xue Tu became. “No one. I told no one.”
“I will give you one final chance,” Zhang Ruochen said.
Xue Tu had never seen such an expression on Zhang Ruochen’s face before. He held his breath, not daring to smile, and said, “Senior brother, do you think I am someone who cannot judge the gravity of a situation? If this matter were to leak out, it would undoubtedly put you in mortal danger. Oh, right, I only told the Nether King that you had gone to the great world of the Tianchu Civilisation, but I did not say you had assumed the identity of Qing Pingzi.”
Zhang Ruochen’s expression softened slightly. “Do you realise what price I paid to save you? What risks I took?”
“I understand! I am not stupid. Back in the Desolate Ancient Ruined City, when you shielded me while I underwent tribulation, I knew you truly cared for me. Even though there were some unpleasant incidents in the past, they were all my fault. In the Kunlun Realm, I did indeed do some things… and I will repay them in future. Tricking you into giving up the Wujian Purgatory Tower and being flayed and bled by you was my own doing. Later, after going through so many trials and tribulations together, the bond we forged is stronger than that between blood brothers.” Xue Tu said.
Zhang Ruochen stood with his hands clasped behind his back, gazing into the endless darkness. “Will you report this matter to your master?”
“What matter… alright, alright, I definitely will not reveal a single word.” Xue Tu knew he could not evade the question and quickly changed his tune.
“And if she asks you directly?” Zhang Ruochen said.
Xue Tu’s expression grew grave. After careful consideration, he said helplessly, “I dare not deceive you, senior brother. If my master truly asks about it, do you think I could hide anything from those divine eyes of hers that can see through everything in the world?”
“Since you can say this, you may live another day.”
Zhang Ruochen stepped forward using the Divine Spirit Steps, heading towards a certain direction in the dark void.
Xue Tu let out a long sigh of relief. Feeling returned to his body. He knew that only by answering honestly had he earned Zhang Ruochen’s trust.
If he had uttered even one lie earlier, he would probably have been reduced to scattered ashes and smoke by now.
He did not blame Zhang Ruochen.
After all, if he were in Zhang Ruochen’s position, he would not have been so merciful. He would not have given the other party a chance to speak and would have silenced them immediately.
Zhang Ruochen truly treated him as a junior brother, which was why he showed such leniency.
Xue Tu hurried to catch up. No longer as tense as before, he smiled and said, “Senior brother has Tianmu standing behind him, and the flawless spiritual power titan of Xing Huan Tian supporting him. Even if your martial cultivation were exposed, who would dare touch you?”
“Watch your mouth,” Zhang Ruochen said.
Seeing Zhang Ruochen stop, Xue Tu also halted.
Suddenly sensing something, Xue Tu let out a soft exclamation. “Something is strange here. A concealment array has been set up. What exquisite array inscriptions. If I had not come close, even my divine sense would not have detected it.”
“Chi chi!”
A corner of the concealment array opened, like an invisible curtain being drawn back in the darkness.
In the centre of the array stood a white-feathered peacock sacred chariot, emitting a soft white radiance.
Yuling God stood in the void in human form, clad in a tri-coloured hundred-scale divine robe. Though she was an ancient god, her face bore no trace of the years. She appeared only in her twenties, with an outstanding figure, full breasts, peerless beauty and immortal grace, skin like snow, and an air of nobility that surpassed that of saintesses and princesses by thousands of times.
With her cultivation in the Taixu realm and her long tenure in a high position, she had developed an aura of cold, majestic divinity.
Yet, from the spirited charm in her brows and eyes, one could imagine that in her youth, she must have been a lively and mischievous little demoness of the Yasha Clan.
Beside Yuling God stood another tall figure with a wolf’s head and a tail hanging between his legs, his presence astonishingly imposing.
It was none other than Amur, son of the Wolf Ancestor, whose cultivation was no less than Yuling God’s.
Zhang Ruochen stepped forward and cupped his fists. “Uncle Wolf, Yuling God.”
Xue Tu, following behind Zhang Ruochen, could not clearly see the appearances of Yuling God and Amur. He saw only two blinding masses of divine light. The aura emanating from those lights pressed upon his heart like two ancient divine mountains.
There was no need to guess. They were surely great gods.
Hearing Zhang Ruochen address “Yuling God” by name, Xue Tu immediately drew in a sharp breath of cold air. Only then did he realise what level of existence he was facing and hurriedly bowed.
Before gods of the Butian realm, he could still put on airs as a disciple of Duan Tian. But before a great god of Yuling God’s level, he had to lower his head.
Yuling God’s spirited eyes fixed deeply upon Zhang Ruochen. Her crystalline, fragrant face was covered in frost as she said, “This time, the Yasha Clan has been utterly ruined by you!”
Zhang Ruochen said, “The appearance of powerhouses like Wuyue, Shidi, and the Human Skin Lantern was beyond all expectations. No one could have foreseen that the Dark Temple would value the Sword Realm to such an extent.”
Yuling God glanced at Xue Tu, her beautiful eyes sharp as blades.
Feeling a powerful divine force pressing down on him, Xue Tu quickly said, “You talk. I know you have important matters to discuss. This king dares not listen. The less one knows, the longer one lives.”
Zhang Ruochen said, “It does not matter. Let him listen. He can probably guess anyway.”
“I cannot guess anything. This king cannot guess a thing.” Xue Tu hurriedly said.
Ignoring him, Zhang Ruochen continued, “Feng Yunba made a deal with Wuyue to save the Qingkong Sword King. By now, those two informed true gods of the Dark Temple have surely reported it to her. We are all in the same boat now. We must eliminate every person who knows the truth within the Dark Triangle Star Domain.”
Yuling God had already anticipated this outcome. “Kill Wuyue? Kill Shidi? Kill the Human Skin Lantern? Kill Shuangcheng Mo? Have you gone mad? Do you think you are a god king? Even if a god king came in person, it might not be possible.”
Xue Tu had known he would hear things he should not. His Adam’s apple bobbed.
Every name Yuling God uttered belonged to beings who had shaken the Hell Realm for hundreds of thousands of years. Even among great gods, they were powerhouses. Had he truly reached the level where he could participate in confrontations of this magnitude?
“Senior brother, I think I will go over there!”
Xue Tu no longer dared to listen.
Amur’s bronze-bell-sized eyes revealed gravity as he said, “This matter must never be done. Even if we succeeded, do you know the consequences? It would probably draw the Lord of the Dark Temple himself to the Dark Triangle Star Domain.”
Zhang Ruochen said, “Then the Yasha Clan can simply wait to be exterminated by the Dark Temple! When that happens, even the Hundred Clans King City will probably fall apart.”
“Ignorant! If the Yasha Clan had no means of self-preservation, how could it have survived until now?”
Yuling God continued, “Although the Yasha Clan schemed against the Dark Temple, no great god fell, so the losses were not too severe. It has not yet reached the point of clan extermination. Do you think the Dark Temple could exterminate the Yasha Clan without paying a terrible price?”
Zhang Ruochen shook his head with a smile. “So the mighty Yuling God intends to go to the Dark Temple to apologise and resolve this grudge? How many divine stones would that require? Mere divine stones probably would not satisfy them.”
Yuling God naturally knew that if she chose compromise, the Dark Temple would bite her hard. They might even use this opportunity to force the Yasha Clan to submit.
But what choice was there?
It had been her own misjudgement.
The mistakes she made, she had to resolve with all her power.
Though Yuling God claimed not to fear clan extermination, in truth she was not so optimistic. After all, the Dark Temple had long coveted the Hundred Clans King City. Now that they finally had an opportunity to act without interference from the Temple of Destiny, how could they let it pass?
Moreover, this was such a sensitive time with the outbreak of war between Heaven and Hell. The Hell Realm had never wanted the variable of the Hundred Clans King City to exist.
If the Dark Temple made a move, the Temple of Destiny might very well stand by and watch.
“At this point, there is no other choice. One wrong step, and there will be no recovery.” Yuling God’s bright divine eyes carried a trace of gloom.
If not for Wuyue, she might still have steeled herself to fight the Dark Temple to the death.
Wuyue…
Below the Immeasurable Realm, truly few dared to oppose Wuyue.
Zhang Ruochen was well aware that his identity as Qing Pingzi might not fool a spiritual powerhouse like Wuyue. He had to pull the Yasha Clan onto the same side.
With sharp determination and some forcefulness, Zhang Ruochen said, “Now I understand why, after cultivating for so many years, you remain only in the Taixu realm. It is said that in all things one must balance firmness and flexibility, advance and retreat with measure. One must not blindly fight to the death, nor must one be endlessly weak.”
“If Wuyue, Shidi, the Human Skin Lantern, and Shuangcheng Mo were truly at their peak, not only you, but even I would flee in panic.”
“But before his death, Feng Yunba used the Pure Yang Body Incineration Technique. Even if Wuyue did not die, she must now be extremely weakened.”
“Shidi was pursued by Xuanyuan Lian. Even if he survived, how much of his battle strength could remain?”
“The Human Skin Lantern has already been crippled by the Pure Yang Divine Sword. There is no need for you to act. Though I, Zhang Ruochen, have only just stepped into the great god level, I dare to slay him.”
“As for Shuangcheng Mo’s situation, it is probably even worse than the Human Skin Lantern’s.”
