Zhang Ruochen said, “That does not add up. If Wu Yue truly has that connection with the Fengdu Great Emperor, how could she bear a son for Wen Tong? Where did Wen Tong find such courage?”
The relationship between Wu Yue and Wu Jiang was something Zhang Ruochen had deduced.
Moreover, such legends did indeed circulate among the gods.
Yet Wen Tong was merely a Taibai-realm Great God. What gave him the audacity to touch a woman linked to the Fengdu Great Emperor? And that woman was no weakling.
Even Zhang Ruochen was now pondering whether, next time he met the Moon God, he should demand the Jade Emperor Cauldron. At the very least, he could not take it by force.
Xiu Chen said, “I have heard something of this matter. Hmph, it was most likely a scheme by the Nine Deaths Hetero Emperor. The one he sought to use was not Wen Tong, but Wo Xuanzang standing behind Wen Tong.”
“Of course, there is another possibility. It was a smokescreen, preparation for his own tenth life.”
“That Wu Jiang had decent foundations, at least reaching the minimum threshold to contend for the cosmic pinnacle at the Great Saint Hundred Shackles realm. And the Nine Deaths Hetero Emperor’s tenth life could only choose the Nether race or Death race. Using the names of the Fengdu Great Emperor and Wo Xuanzang to protect his future body is entirely plausible.”
Seeing Xiu Chen grow increasingly excited, as though it had uncovered some secret, Zhang Ruochen could not resist saying, “Wu Jiang has already been killed by me.”
Xiu Chen’s expression froze. “And you did not die?”
“I was close enough to death.” Zhang Ruochen replied.
Xiu Chen pondered for a long while, then gave a soft sigh.
All previous speculations had lost all meaning with Wu Jiang’s death.
Suddenly thinking of something, it said, “You mentioned Xu Fengjin took a fancy to Wu Yue and wished to take her as Heavenly Consort, to make her mistress of the Great Tribulation Palace. Is this true or false?”
“That part is true.” Zhang Ruochen said.
Xiu Chen burst into laughter. “Then it all fits. Though Xu Fengjin is a great lecher among demons, he is exceedingly picky. How could he fancy another man’s woman? Thus, my guess is eight or nine parts correct.”
“In that case…”
Zhang Ruochen spoke halfway, then fell into thought.
Xiu Chen’s expression grew grave. “What exactly is your relationship with Xu Fengjin? Why not simply hand Wu Yue over to that old scoundrel? In future, the Infernal Court will surely see a grand drama.”
“If the Fengdu Great Emperor learned you gave Wu Yue to Xu Tian, would he spare you?” Zhang Ruochen said coldly.
Xiu Chen felt a surge of irritation. This black-hearted Zhang Ruochen actually wanted to push it out to take the blade.
Once the matter came to light, who could escape?
“Release her first. I wish to see if she has truly lost her memory.”
Zhang Ruochen always felt Wu Yue was a threat.
If she had genuinely lost her memory, handing her to Xu Fengjin would not be out of the question. The Fengdu Great Emperor, a generation’s Heavenly Venerable, would hardly stoop to settle accounts with a junior like him. After all, Xu Fengjin would be the true culprit.
Yet if Wu Yue was merely feigning amnesia due to severe injury, she absolutely could not be left alive.
He needed a way to have her die at the hands of the Famous Sword God or Xuan Yuan Lian.
Wu Yue had been kept within Xiu Chen’s Eternal Heart. Now she was released.
Clad in black robes, her skin was snow-white like immortal jade, a striking contrast.
The robes were loose, concealing her figure, but her countenance was truly “seen only in heaven, rarely found on earth”. Gone was her former murderous aura and demonic charm. She resembled the Moon God closely: fresh, transcendent, untainted by dust. She needed no powerful cultivation to accentuate her beauty and temperament to ensnare a man’s soul.
Yet in divine charm, there were differences.
The present Wu Yue’s gaze was innocent. When she looked at Zhang Ruochen, it held confusion and curiosity, along with wariness and caution, like a sheltered young lady from a secluded household gazing at a man who had suddenly intruded into her home.
Zhang Ruochen held his breath, staring for a long while. Only when Xiu Chen beside him gave a cold laugh did he speak. “What are you laughing at? Do you think I harbour some filthy thought? Towards the Moon God, I feel only reverence and admiration. I dare not entertain a single improper desire.”
“Am I to be called Wu Yue, or Moon God?” Wu Yue asked.
Hearing this question, Zhang Ruochen took a step back and bowed in salute. “Greetings, Moon God Empress.”
Wu Yue remained composed. “Why do you bow to me?”
Though she had lost her memory, for a god with powerful spiritual force, it was quick to perceive this world, familiarise herself with surroundings, and possess strong consciousness.
Losing memory could not possibly turn her into a completely helpless, vulnerable woman at others’ mercy.
“I am the Moon God’s divine envoy.” Zhang Ruochen said.
Wu Yue clearly did not believe him. She asked doubtfully, “How can you prove it?”
“My memories and consciousness can prove it.”
Zhang Ruochen opened his palm. Bright starlight radiated from it, evolving into a sea of consciousness that drew Wu Yue’s gaze within.
Instantly, all that Zhang Ruochen and the Moon God had experienced appeared before her.
Xiu Chen’s gaze filled with contempt. It mouthed something.
From the lip movements, it was “Shameless.”
Zhang Ruochen ignored it, his eyes fixed on Wu Yue’s face, watching her expression change.
After viewing all the experiences between Zhang Ruochen and the Moon God, a flush of shame appeared on Wu Yue’s face. There was no helping it. The relationship between Zhang Ruochen and the Moon God had been too intimate. They had seen each other utterly, in the literal sense.
Back then, when the Moon God inscribed protective divine patterns on Zhang Ruochen, she had even marked the unspeakable places.
If she had not lost her memory, Wu Yue likely would not have cared at all.
Yet after amnesia, her current understanding of the outside world was still limited to what she had seen using spiritual force in the mortal realm of the continental land of the gods. Naturally, she now felt shame.
The wariness in Wu Yue’s eyes towards Zhang Ruochen dissipated. She said, “Zhang Ruochen, after you went to the Infernal Court, this god and you became unrelated. What face do you have to still call yourself this god’s envoy?”
Zhang Ruochen stared at Wu Yue’s manner, slightly stunned.
This demeanour, this tone, was identical to the Moon God’s. She had learned far too quickly.
Worthy of a spiritual-force powerhouse.
It made sense. Wu Yue had so far encountered few things. By showing her his experiences with the Moon God, Zhang Ruochen had essentially infused her with the Moon God’s memories.
Zhang Ruochen said, “I am now the Realm Lord of Xing Huan Tian, no longer considered a cultivator of the Infernal Court. Back in the Heavenly Court, did we not already agree? Why play this act again?”
“Enough nonsense. First release the seals on this god.”
Wu Yue’s gaze fixed on Xiu Chen. She asked, “What is your relationship with her?”
“Moon God, rest assured. It has already been subdued by me.” Zhang Ruochen said.
Wu Yue’s gaze towards Xiu Chen was highly unfriendly. She asked, “What exactly happened? Where is this place? Why has this god lost previous memories?”
Zhang Ruochen sighed. “It is all due to the calamity of the Jade Emperor Cauldron. No one expected that after refining it for three months, its form would drastically change, becoming one of the Nine Cauldrons, the Universe Cauldron.”
Seeing Wu Yue frown, Zhang Ruochen immediately explained the importance of the Nine Cauldrons.
Having seen that segment of Zhang Ruochen’s memory world, Wu Yue naturally knew whose the Jade Emperor Cauldron was. She gave Zhang Ruochen an icy glare. “This god’s Jade Emperor Cauldron has actually been lost. No, we must find a way to seize it back.”
Her Jade Emperor Cauldron?
Zhang Ruochen’s face darkened. He observed Wu Yue more carefully, beginning to suspect the one before him was truly the Moon God herself.
Otherwise, why so shameless?
Standing to the side, Xiu Chen watched Zhang Ruochen’s manoeuvres and finally realised his intent.
Such crude tactics. Xiu Chen would not merely refuse to use them, it had never even considered them.
Yet who could blame Wu Yue for losing her memory?
Who could blame Zhang Ruochen and the Moon God for truly being so close, with so many genuine memories?
These memories were not fabricated.
If fabricated, Wu Yue’s powerful spiritual force, even with amnesia, could discern it at a glance.
At this moment, Xiu Chen was in excellent spirits. First, it had never imagined the pure, immaculate Moon God was not entirely flawless. Second, to witness a spiritually powerful god being toyed with in this way.
Wu Yue said, “Still not releasing the seals on this god? If we delay further, the Universe Cauldron will truly belong to another.”
Seeing Zhang Ruochen’s hesitation, an odd expression appeared on Wu Yue’s face. “What are you afraid of? Have you concealed some memories concerning this god? Is this god’s amnesia related to you?”
“With the Moon God’s cultivation, how could I cause you amnesia? I do not know what happened to you either. I must first examine you.”
Zhang Ruochen extended his palm, pressing it to Wu Yue’s snow-white, jade-like forehead.
Wu Yue gnashed her teeth in fury, highly annoyed. She wished to retreat, yet Zhang Ruochen firmly held her fragrant shoulder.
She did not struggle, maintaining her angry expression. Her snow-white face gradually turned rouge-red.
After the examination, Zhang Ruochen fell into thought, his gaze growing increasingly strange.
Xiu Chen said, “I examined long ago. The Moon God’s divine soul was severely eroded by void power. She lost six of her seven po souls. Fortunately, her spiritual force is powerful, or she would have perished utterly.”
Zhang Ruochen and Wu Yue had suffered the spiritual-force storm together.
Zhang Ruochen had drifted in the void world for who knew how long. Protected by the Buddha Ancestor’s sarira, his physical body and divine soul were still gravely damaged. Only a divine sword cleaving open the void world had allowed timely escape.
Even so, he had relied on the bright mirror platform and consumed vast quantities of aeon-level sacred medicines to recover.
Wu Yue was a spiritual-force cultivator with an unstrong physical body. She lacked the Buddha Ancestor’s sarira, Heart of Truth, or White Cang Blood Soil for protection. Prolonged void erosion could indeed cause loss of hun and po souls, erasing memory.
Moreover, when Zhang Ruochen’s hand pressed her shoulder earlier, he discovered her black robe divine garment was condensed from spiritual force and divine qi.
Clearly, even her original black robe divine garment had been corroded by the void.
Zhang Ruochen pondered his next plans, gently gesturing for Xiu Chen to release the seals on Wu Yue.
Wu Yue’s spiritual force recovered. Two jade-like fingers pressed forth. A complex white light pattern sigil appeared at her fingertips, striking Zhang Ruochen’s unguarded chest.
“Bang!”
Zhang Ruochen flew backwards, crashing into the wall of the saint chariot.
A defensive array manifested on the chariot wall.
Pain tore through Zhang Ruochen’s chest. His face changed sharply. He immediately summoned the Nil God Stele, preparing to act.
Wu Yue’s long hair fluttered. She snorted coldly. “One day my divine envoy, forever my divine envoy. You dare raise a hand against this god? This strike punishes your earlier disrespect. Come, let us seize the Universe Cauldron.”
Zhang Ruochen was filled with shock and doubt. Was she truly the Moon God?
She should not be. The Moon God’s spiritual force was not this powerful.
