“Boom!”
The constant star burst apart, turning into countless meteor fireballs.
Zhang Ruochen had never intended to clash head-on with the eight-armed Asura. The gap in cultivation was plain to see. Thus, he seized the moment and appeared directly in front of the six true gods.
“Gentlemen, does anyone know what the two gods captured by Xiu Chen look like?”
The six true gods were greatly shocked. They stared at Zhang Ruochen, who had suddenly materialised before them, and hastily deployed defensive measures.
Zhang Ruochen noticed something unusual in the eyes of the human true god. With a sweep of his sleeve, he formed a spatial vortex and instantly drew the god inside. He did not linger in battle for even a moment. Stepping upon the divine spirit steps, he fled at once.
“Where do you think you are going!”
A voice, both soft and icy cold, rang out from the Gods’ Continent.
A long river of time manifested in the cosmos, stretching for a thousand miles and enveloping Zhang Ruochen as he tried to escape. All the rules of time between heaven and earth converged toward that river.
It had to be Xiu Chen Heavenly God’s true self taking action.
Let alone a great god of the Taiyi Realm, even one of the Taibai Realm would find escape exceedingly difficult once trapped in Xiu Chen Heavenly God’s divine ability within the long river of time.
Yet Zhang Ruochen remained calm. His hands formed seals as he uttered a single word: “Absorb!”
The thousand-mile river, composed of time mark light points and time rules, flowed ceaselessly into his body. Immediately afterwards, Zhang Ruochen dared not linger. He sped straight into the darkness.
The eight-armed Asura pursued relentlessly from behind, chasing him beyond the star domain of the Paradise of the Lost Ones before turning back.
After all, in the Dark Great Triangle Star Domain, no one dared rashly plunge deep into the darkness. Once lost, return to the Paradise of the Lost Ones might prove impossible.
Xiu Chen Heavenly God’s true self emerged from the atmospheric layer and gazed into the depths of darkness, expression strange. “This aura, why does it resemble the Sundial somewhat? But how could that be possible? Who exactly is he?”
One hundred thousand years ago, Xiu Chen Heavenly God’s true body had been the Time Divine Jade. In the battle with Saint Monk Xumi, the Time Divine Jade was shattered by the Sundial.
Xiu Chen Heavenly God had refined its divine source into a divine artefact called the Time Origin Pearl, intending to use it to seize Saint Monk Xumi’s time profound mysteries.
It did seize those mysteries, yet the Time Origin Pearl was struck flying by Saint Monk Xumi, who had stepped into the Buddha Ancestor realm, and fell into the long river of time, where it was taken by Empress Qian Gu.
Thus, one hundred thousand years ago, Xiu Chen Heavenly God had ranked among the top five, perhaps even top three, of the Asura clan. Yet because its divine source was lost and its true body shattered, only a single strand of divine soul remained undying. It was truly tragic. Without this calamity, it might well have become one of Hell Realm’s Twenty Heavens.
However, according to the Dragon Lord, even with only a strand of divine soul left, Xiu Chen Heavenly God still possessed the combat power of a Taixu Realm great god.
The Time Divine Jade had no gender. Xiu Chen Heavenly God’s divine soul leaned toward the feminine, and the humanoid form it manifested was that of a woman, graceful and exceedingly cold and beautiful.
“We pay respects to the Heavenly God!”
The five true gods all carried a trace of fear as they bowed.
Though Xiu Chen Heavenly God’s glory was not what it had been one hundred thousand years ago, it remained exceptionally arrogant, looking down upon all. It did not deign to glance at them directly and, taking the eight-armed Asura, returned to the Eternal Divine Domain.
Since that mysterious great god had come for the two true gods it had captured, he would surely appear again.
Next time, escape would not be so easy.
…
Zhang Ruochen confirmed that neither the eight-armed Asura nor Xiu Chen Heavenly God was pursuing him before he stopped. He dared not venture deeper into the endless darkness.
From his sleeve, he released the human mid-tier god.
“Tell me, who are the two gods captured by Xiu Chen?”
Truth divine light shone from Zhang Ruochen’s pupils, captivating the soul and allowing no deception.
The human mid-tier god was momentarily stunned. How could he dare act presumptuously before a great god? He bowed and said, “If I speak, great god, will you grant this lesser god a path to life?”
Zhang Ruochen said, “Even if I let you return, how would you explain yourself to Xiu Chen?”
“Simply tell the truth. This is no great secret.” The human mid-tier god spoke frankly.
Zhang Ruochen said, “You should know that killing you would be as easy as turning over my hand. After killing you, your divine body and divine source would hold great value. What makes you think you can persuade me to spare you?”
The human mid-tier god fell silent for a moment, then said, “What if this lesser god reveals a secret worth more than the divine body and divine source?”
Zhang Ruochen’s gaze was like lightning as he stared. The human mid-tier god’s face changed, and he hurriedly knelt on one knee.
“You must understand one principle. When you have no trump card to threaten me, you have no qualification to negotiate terms. If I soul-searched you, what secret could you keep?” Zhang Ruochen said.
The human mid-tier god felt chills throughout his body and hurriedly replied, “If the great god wished to soul-search, he would have done so long ago and would not ask this lesser god. Clearly, the great god harbours benevolence and is not a cruel killer. It is precisely for this reason that this lesser god dares to boldly offer a secret in exchange for his life.”
“Stand and speak.”
Zhang Ruochen asked, “You are a Lost One, yes? From which great world do you come?”
“This lesser god is from the Pangu Realm, Chang Xu. Thirty thousand years ago, I ventured into the Dark Great Triangle Star Domain and, by fortunate coincidence, arrived here. Alas, I can never leave again.” The human mid-tier god said.
Aside from Lost Ones, the vast majority upon the Gods’ Continent were their descendants.
Chang Xu quickly added, “Not long ago, the Eternal… Xiu Chen Heavenly God did indeed capture two gods. This lesser god recognises only one of them, the clan leader of the Yaksha clan. The other is also a mental-force great god, but shrouded in black robes. His identity is unknown.”
Zhang Ruochen frowned.
Could it be the Yaksha clan leader and Yushi from the Dark Divine Hall?
“They actually came here.”
An unusual gleam appeared in Zhang Ruochen’s eyes.
After the ambush battle, Zhang Ruochen had been pursued by Fengyun Ba and knew nothing of the outcome between the Yaksha clan leader and Yushi.
Yet the Yaksha clan leader’s mental force clearly surpassed Yushi’s. Even in a pursuit battle, it would be the former chasing the latter.
Under such circumstances, given the Yaksha clan leader’s knowledge of the Dark Great Triangle Star Domain, he would not have allowed himself to become lost in the darkness even while pursuing Yushi.
Their presence here could have only one explanation. The Paradise of the Lost Ones must lie along the path the Yaksha clan had scouted, or in a place not far from it.
Did that not mean that rescuing the Yaksha clan leader would allow escape from the Dark Great Triangle Star Domain?
His relationship with the Yaksha clan was merely cooperative. If there were no danger, Zhang Ruochen would not mind helping. Yet Xiu Chen Heavenly God possessed Taixu Realm combat power. Rescuing someone from the Eternal Divine Hall would be tantamount to suicide.
His escape this time had succeeded only because he had prepared in advance and remained millions of miles from the Gods’ Continent.
Zhang Ruochen asked, “Chang Xu, why do you not return to the Pangu Realm?”
Chang Xu smiled bitterly. “How could I possibly return? Had I not reached the Paradise of the Lost Ones, this lesser god would already have perished from divine force exhaustion.”
“Is there no way out of the Paradise of the Lost Ones?” Zhang Ruochen said.
Chang Xu shook his head. “The spiritual energy belts of the Dark Great Triangle Star Domain do indeed converge here, drawing countless Lost Ones. Yet no one knows which belt leads outward. The great god should know that spiritual energy belts move and constantly change position.”
Zhang Ruochen understood. His expression shifted as he said, “What is the secret you mentioned earlier, the one to exchange for your life?”
Chang Xu hesitated briefly, then said, “The great god must know that Xiu Chen Heavenly God lost its divine source one hundred thousand years ago. To survive the next yuanhui tribulation, Xiu Chen Heavenly God intends to refine a new divine source.”
“Refine a divine source?”
This was the first time Zhang Ruochen had heard of such a thing.
Chang Xu said, “The great god was able to absorb the long river of time deployed by Xiu Chen Heavenly God. Clearly, you are a figure of profound attainment in the Path of Time. Does it not strike you as strange that, in the starry expanse of the Paradise of the Lost Ones, vast quantities of flowers of time actually grow?”
“This is indeed rather inconceivable,” Zhang Ruochen said.
Chang Xu said, “It is because upon the Gods’ Continent there exists an ancient time secret treasure, which causes the flowers of time to flourish here. As for what it is exactly, this lesser god does not know. I only heard that, a thousand years ago, Xiu Chen Heavenly God slew the former overlord of the Gods’ Continent, the Eternal Lord, and seized this time secret treasure.”
“With this time secret treasure, combined with the flowers of time, one can forge a special divine source.”
Zhang Ruochen continually observed Chang Xu’s eyes, confirming he spoke no lies, and said, “By telling me this secret, you wish to lure me into seizing that time secret treasure?”
Chang Xu was startled and hurriedly said, “The great god must go and seize it.”
“Why?”
“As the saying goes, one mountain cannot contain two tigers. Once Xiu Chen Heavenly God refines the divine source, its cultivation will surely advance greatly. At that time, would the great god have confidence in escaping from its grasp? Once you leave the Paradise of the Lost Ones, how long could you survive in the Dark Great Triangle Star Domain?”
Zhang Ruochen had never considered staying in the Paradise of the Lost Ones to contend with Xiu Chen Heavenly God for overlordship of the Gods’ Continent, but he was indeed very interested in that legendary time secret treasure.
Was Xiu Chen about to make a comeback?
Just as Zhang Ruochen pondered whether to draw the Qingping Sword and slay Xiu Chen with a single strike, he suddenly felt alerted. His figure abruptly retreated.
“Pfft!”
A bloody hole appeared in Chang Xu’s forehead. Immediately afterwards, his head exploded.
His divine sea and divine source vanished.
Moments later, even the headless divine body disappeared into the darkness.
Zhang Ruochen instantly released his mental force domain and coldly shouted, “Qian Heng Yi Shu, I never expected you to have come to the Paradise of the Lost Ones as well. Show yourself.”
“Worthily Zhang Ruochen. Your perceptive ability is truly fearsome. You recognised me so quickly.”
Qian Heng Yi Shu’s voice came from all directions, ethereal and traceless, impossible to pinpoint.
Zhang Ruochen said, “Did you not recognise me as well?”
“Had you not used the identity of Shu Qianchi, I might not have recognised you,” Qian Heng Yi Shu said.
Zhang Ruochen knew his opponent was exceedingly formidable. He deployed the Yin Evasion Nine Arrays for protection and said, “Why kill Chang Xu?”
“I killed him to help you. He deliberately lured you to the Eternal Divine Hall, intending to place you in mortal peril. Therefore, you ought to pay me a sum of divine stones,” Qian Heng Yi Shu said.
Zhang Ruochen said, “What if I do not pay?”
“Heh heh, then I shall kill you. You are quite valuable on the divine bounty ranking list.”
Icy killing intent emerged from the darkness.
A nearly transparent sword light flashed lightning-like from space, stabbing forth.
