The Lord of Xuemu Hall, Qingyun Tai, and the Corpse Emperor, trapped within the Eighteen Bureaus of Yin and Yang, had lost all their former arrogance. As Zhang Ruochen’s expression alternated between dark and smiling, their hearts lurched upward and downward in turn.
In the past, each of them had been a regional overlord, ruling more than one great world, worshipped by countless beings, looking down on the universe as if viewing a scroll of all living creatures.
When had they ever been reduced to such fear and trepidation?
The reason was simply that this young man’s killing intent was too heavy. In a single day, he had slain five true gods and two great gods of antiquity in succession.
A great god of the Temple of Destiny had been killed, a great god of Fengdu Ghost City had his divine source extracted and was banished, a disciple of the lord of the Dark Temple had been struck down.
In the face of death, even the mightiest divine spirit could not remain defiant.
Still, they clung to their status and did not lose composure. They forced calm expressions and displayed a resolute readiness to perish together.
Divine spirits and saints from every minor clan in the Royal City of the Hundred Clans mobilised fully. A city-wide hunt began. Chaos erupted, slaughter broke out everywhere, and screams rang without cease.
“Awooo!”
A wolf howl echoed from the Seven Peaks Chain Mountains.
Amur, son of the Wolf Ancestor, broke free from the suppression of God Venerable Wubian’s divine inscriptions and escaped confinement.
Soon afterwards, his tall, powerful figure appeared below the Guan Yun Array Tower. His fierce eyes were filled with bloodlust, his murderous aura thick.
The Lord of Xuemu Hall rolled his eyes several times, then directly capitulated. He bowed to Zhang Ruochen and said, “This time, Xuemu and the Hall of Longevity were misled by the Ghost Lord and committed a grave error. The Hall of Longevity is willing to offer divine stones, sacred medicines, sacred artefacts, planets, and all manner of resources to compensate Realm Venerable for your losses.”
This was using resources to buy their lives.
Zhang Ruochen replied, “The wise adapt to circumstances. For a hall lord like the great god Xuemu to willingly bow and pay respects to this Realm Venerable is truly rare. If the compensation satisfies me, this matter need not be pursued further. From now on, Xing Huan Tian and the Hall of Longevity shall be allies advancing and retreating together!”
The corners of the Lord of Xuemu Hall’s mouth twitched.
Become allies with Xing Huan Tian?
Zhang Ruochen truly dared to dream.
No matter. First preserve his life and escape the Royal City of the Hundred Clans.
Qingyun Tai immediately said, “This seat is also willing.”
Zhang Ruochen cut him off coldly. “You still wish to live? Rest assured, I will take you back to the Undying Blood Clan alive.”
The injury was minor, but the humiliation was profound.
Qingyun Tai glared at Zhang Ruochen, grinding his teeth in hatred, wishing he could detonate his divine source and perish together with him. Unfortunately, his divine source had already been extracted.
How tragic!
The situation had clearly favoured their side. How had he ended up in such a wretched state?
The Corpse Emperor knew full well that Zhang Ruochen had achieved his aims and would not refine and kill them as well.
Yet Old Ancestor Xuanqi and Lord Huoze, great gods of such renowned prestige, had fallen right before his eyes. How could he gamble his own life on Zhang Ruochen’s restraint?
The Corpse Emperor bowed and said, “The Sea of Hidden Bones and this Emperor were also misled by the Ghost Lord. This Emperor is willing to offer all his wealth to compensate Realm Venerable for your losses.”
For someone of the Corpse Emperor’s status to lower himself and speak such humble words to a junior who had achieved divinity only a century ago was already his limit. The hatred, shame, and rage in his heart could not be extinguished even by pouring in all the waters of the Boundless Divine Sea.
Amur said gravely, “Ruochen, you cannot let them go! Even if you repay enmity with kindness and spare them, they will never be grateful. Instead, because of today’s defeat and the humiliation of bowing to survive, they will redouble their revenge in future.”
The Lord of Xuemu Hall replied, “Amur, would this hall lord be so petty and narrow-minded? Were it not for the Ghost Lord’s deception, neither the Hall of Longevity nor I bear any deep grudge against Realm Venerable Ruochen. How would we have reached this point?”
“How hateful. So the true culprit was the Ghost Lord.” Zhang Ruochen gnashed his teeth, hatred boundless.
The Lord of Xuemu Hall also gnashed his teeth, hatred boundless. “Exactly, that deranged old ghost. This time, he has utterly ruined this hall lord and the Hall of Longevity!”
“In that case, Hall Lord Xuemu should exact revenge,” Zhang Ruochen said.
The Lord of Xuemu Hall paused briefly, then fixed his gaze on Zhang Ruochen. “Need you ask? From now on, the Hall of Longevity and Disha Ghost City shall be irreconcilable enemies.”
Zhang Ruochen replied, “Mere words are not enough. How about this: Hall Lord Xuemu leaves your divine source here. Upon returning, prepare three million divine stones and kill one great god of Disha Ghost City. When you next come to the Royal City of the Hundred Clans, your divine source will be returned. All past grievances will be written off.”
The Lord of Xuemu Hall’s expression darkened. He realised he had been played by Zhang Ruochen.
From beginning to end, this young man had never intended to spare him.
Zhang Ruochen continued, “Even without your divine source, with Hall Lord Xuemu’s status, you can surely enlist the aid of senior experts. Merely killing one great god. This Realm Venerable will accept even a Taiyi Realm great god.”
“Zhang Ruochen, you bully intolerably!”
The Lord of Xuemu Hall roared in fury. No longer enduring, his aura surged violently. Divine qi within his body rushed toward his divine source.
Death was terrifying, but to have his divine source extracted would be a humiliation far worse than death.
Amur charged into the Eighteen Bureaus of Yin and Yang. His wolf paw, large as a water vat, struck out, brilliant divine inscriptions densely covering it. In the space of a single breath, he sent the Lord of Xuemu Hall flying more than seventy times.
The Lord of Xuemu Hall tried to detonate his divine source, only to discover in horror that his spiritual power, cultivated over hundreds of thousands of years, was inferior to Zhang Ruochen’s and completely suppressed the impulse to self-destruct.
He wanted to flee, but was confined by the Eighteen Bureaus of Yin and Yang.
Pfft!
His divine sea was pierced. Amur clawed out the divine source.
The Lord of Xuemu Hall seemed drained of vitality. His body went limp and weak. His legs buckled, he knelt on the ground, and his divine frame toppled forward.
This hall lord who dominated a region of the Corpse Clan’s starry domain suffered the greatest humiliation since beginning cultivation.
At this moment, no one was happier than Qingyun Tai.
Zhang Ruochen’s gaze turned to the Corpse Emperor.
The Corpse Emperor had already extracted his own divine source and held it in his palm. “Three million divine stones is an astronomical sum. This Emperor will do his utmost to gather them. Killing a great god of Disha Ghost City. This Emperor will also strive to accomplish it.”
Zhang Ruochen took the divine source from afar and shook his head. “Disha Ghost City will be dealt with by Hall Lord Xuemu. You need only reclaim the Ten Realms that were taken from this Realm Venerable. No need to pay divine stones.”
Flames flickered in the Corpse Emperor’s bony eye sockets as he stared at Zhang Ruochen.
This young man truly calculated well. He intended to use him to strike at various forces, both dividing them and borrowing strength to attack strength.
Yet when the Corpse Emperor had extracted his divine source, he had already resolved to sacrifice it to preserve his life. He had never intended to pay divine stones to Zhang Ruochen. With the remnant divine soul in his body, his powerful bony frame, and his spiritual power, he could no longer act as a great god, but he remained a true god-level powerhouse.
Unwilling, yet it was his only choice now.
The Lord of Xuemu Hall seemed to realise the same point. He struggled up from the ground. “Even if Xuemu risks everything, I will kill a great god of Disha Ghost City.”
“You may go.”
Zhang Ruochen kept his word. He opened the Eighteen Bureaus of Yin and Yang and released the two gods.
Amur’s thick brows furrowed. He wanted to speak but hesitated.
Qingyun Tai sneered. “Zhang Ruochen, you truly are foolish to the extreme, far too conceited. Do you really believe that losing their divine sources will make them obey you? Kill a great god of Disha Ghost City? Offend the major forces and seize the Ten Realms? What are you thinking?”
“Even without their divine sources, they remain divine spirits. They can still command wind and rain.”
“Your ploy appears clever, but in truth it is releasing tigers back to the mountain. Laughably stupid. Haha!”
Zhang Ruochen looked at him as if he were an idiot. “Losing their divine sources, of course they will not obey me. But after losing their divine sources, tasting the coldness of human sentiment, enduring scorn, having their wealth, territories, and war soldiers seized, being bullied, scolded, and suppressed by subordinates once weaker than themselves. When hatred accumulates to a certain degree, they will return to beg me.”
Qingyun Tai’s expression changed abruptly.
Indeed. As great gods of antiquity, with formidable cultivation and long tenure in high positions, they had amassed untold wealth and territories, countless favoured concubines. Once they lost their divine sources and their strength plummeted, how could they continue to hold those things?
Would those divine spirits who once feared their cultivation and yielded everywhere not kick them while they were down?
Once a divine spirit ascended to high position, they would never willingly descend again!
Moreover, having lost their divine sources, neither the Lord of Xuemu Hall nor the Corpse Emperor could survive the next yuanhui tribulation. Would they truly accept that?
When they returned to beg before Zhang Ruochen, in order to regain their cultivation and power, they would truly have to submit to his control.
Seeing that Zhang Ruochen had a plan, Amur nodded lightly. He handed over the Lord of Xuemu Hall’s divine source and transmitted, “War that will sweep the entire star domain is about to erupt. The Demon Wolf Clan may face extermination. Lord Dragon will not abandon us, will he?”
Zhang Ruochen understood Amur’s worry. “In Uncle Wolf’s heart, is Uncle Dragon that kind of person?”
“Of course not. But this time you have caused too great a commotion! Even if the Wolf Ancestor intervenes, he cannot dispel Hell Realm’s overwhelming onslaught.” Amur’s face was full of concern. He very much wanted to say, “Let the Demon Wolf Clan migrate back to Kunlun Realm.”
But the Wolf Ancestor was still at God Venerable Nu Tian’s side.
Moreover, the Demon Wolf Clan was now closely bound to the various clans in the Royal City of the Hundred Clans. How could they simply leave? Nor could they flee in the face of danger.
Zhang Ruochen said, “Rest assured. The sky will not fall.”
For some reason, though Zhang Ruochen was merely a young junior whose cultivation was inferior to his own, hearing these words dispelled Amur’s worries and left him feeling much more at ease.
Amur departed. With great war imminent, preparations had to be made in advance.
Zhang Ruochen suppressed Qingyun Tai, then entered the city district containing the thirty-six array towers. As he pondered how to deal with Yu Shi, who was being escorted by the Xuan? clan leader, footsteps sounded and a wave of fragrance arrived.
Master Yeyou, leading a group of exquisitely beautiful female saint-realm cultivators, found Zhang Ruochen. Like claiming credit, he smiled broadly. “Master, look. This is the foremost powerhouse of the Dark Temple in the mortal world, titled Dark Goddess. She possesses the body of Mysterious Darkness and Nether Yin. Her beauty is truly extraordinary. Some divine spirits call her the most beautiful woman in Hell Realm in forty thousand years.”
