“Xia Yu!”
Zhang Ruochen, at the shore of a sacred spring lake shrouded in purple mist in Hanhai Manor, saw Xia Yu dressed in azure feathered heavenly robes and walked towards her.
The night was dim, the sky filled with hazy yellow stars.
Xia Yu wore the Soul-Capturing Xiao at her waist and a purple-gold phoenix hairpin in her hair. Her gaze was cool and clear, her beauty transcendent, fully deserving the title of the foremost beauty of the Undying Blood Race in this era.
Of course, the most important thing was that she was now the number one figure of the Undying Blood Race in the secular world.
As long as one’s cultivation was strong enough and one’s talent high enough, even if beauty was not the greatest, one could still become the foremost. For these qualities themselves added to a woman’s charm.
Behind her, great saint soldiers clad in blood armour stood in solemn respect and saluted Zhang Ruochen one after another. Some of the soldiers had rather strange expressions in their eyes.
Clearly, they knew of the relationship between Emperor Yu and the Great God Ruochen.
“You may withdraw first. Over the next two days, be especially careful, patrol cautiously, and do not allow any mistakes.”
Xia Yu waved her hand, then lifted her fragrant sleeve, bowed to Zhang Ruochen, and said, “I pay my respects to the Young Lord.”
“You actually believe that I have become the Young Lord of the True God Palace?” Zhang Ruochen stood with hands clasped behind his back, gazing at the myriad stars in the sky, his thoughts surging.
Xia Yu said, “This matter has already spread throughout the world. However, since you say so, those must clearly be rumours.”
“So, you were testing me just now? Not bad. Your thoughts have become more meticulous, and you no longer act so straightforwardly. It seems the Starry Sky Battlefield is indeed a good place for tempering. You are Mother’s disciple, so from now on, like Xue Tu, call me Senior Brother.” Zhang Ruochen said.
Whoosh!
The surrounding space trembled, and dense rule god patterns spread out, evolving into a vast and boundless world.
This world was filled with birdsong and floral fragrance, green mountains and clear waters, distant seas and high skies.
Xia Yu was not shocked and said, “Is this Senior Brother’s divine realm world?”
“Something like that. I once said I would help you become a yuan hui-level representative figure. Today, I have come to fulfil that promise.” Zhang Ruochen said.
Xia Yu’s expression was unusual. She had not expected Zhang Ruochen to choose this moment and said, “To seek that heaven-shaking great opportunity is no easy matter. And your wedding to the Hall Master of No Moon is approaching… Why not wait until after the grand ceremony?”
“It will not take much time, because I am your heaven-shaking great opportunity.”
Zhang Ruochen walked towards her step by step. Beneath his feet appeared a black-and-white Yin-Yang Tai Chi seal, and divine light spread outward like ripples from the edges of the Yin-Yang Tai Chi seal.
In Xia Yu’s eyes, with every step Zhang Ruochen took forward, his figure grew taller and more majestic.
When he reached her, he had become a heaven-supporting divine mountain, creating intense shock in her heart.
Zhang Ruochen extended two fingers of his right hand and pressed them against her brow. Instantly, the entire divine realm world, centred on his fingertip, transformed into a massive black-and-white Yin-Yang Tai Chi diagram.
Within the divine realm world, divine qi flowed like streams, converging towards Xia Yu’s brow.
Zhang Ruochen’s warm and gentle voice sounded in Xia Yu’s ear: “Now, I will take the rule god patterns I have comprehended, along with vast heavenly rules, and use the Yin-Yang Tai Chi diagram as a medium to infuse them into your body, passing them into your divine soul and spirit. How much you can comprehend depends on your own ability.”
Xia Yu could not imagine that such an extraordinary method existed in the world. The gap between herself and Zhang Ruochen was already like that between a summer insect and a divine dragon.
She did not know that when Zhang Ruochen’s mental power had become divine, he had used this technique on Old Yellow Ox.
However, at that time, Zhang Ruochen had only borrowed the Wuji Divine Way to draw divine qi and saint qi from heaven and earth, forcibly infusing them into Old Yellow Ox’s body to cleanse its flesh and raise its cultivation.
Now, whether in mental power or the Wuji Divine Way, Zhang Ruochen far surpassed that time.
Naturally, he could do much more.
This was not simply infusing rule god patterns and heavenly rules into Xia Yu’s body. It was entering her divine soul and spirit without affecting her own spiritual consciousness.
Only the Wuji Divine Way could achieve this.
This was borrowing the power of heaven and earth to create heaven-and-earth-level talents.
To put it bluntly, as long as Zhang Ruochen wished, he could continually borrow the power of heaven and earth to mass-produce geniuses. He was heaven itself.
Of course, there were ultimately differences between people, and there were limits to innate talent. Moreover, borrowing the power of heaven and earth had to be done in moderation. If overdone, just like when Kunlun Realm had activated the sundial, it would inevitably provoke heaven and earth’s backlash.
In all things, excess is as bad as deficiency.
The Undying Blood Race patriarch gazed at the sundial before him, eyes shining, then showed a cautious expression and said, “Although the entire Hell Realm knows that if you, Xue Jue, want to borrow the sundial, it is only a matter of a word. But truly using the sundial requires utmost caution. It is best to find a place that can conceal heavenly secrets.”
“Moreover, the cultivators who enter the sundial to train must be carefully selected layer by layer. Every one must be part of your future foundation as patriarch and absolutely reliable.”
The Undying Blood Race had not produced a mental power ninetieth-order titan for millions of years, so finding a place that could isolate heavenly secrets was no easy task.
Xue Jue War God nodded and said, “I am doing this entirely to strengthen the Undying Blood Race. As for Zhang Ruochen, the clan must not treat him poorly.”
“What does he want?” the old patriarch asked.
Xue Jue War God said, “Three God King Talismans, three God Venerable Talismans, and the ‘Ming Kong Primordial Ancestor Diagram’, divine stones…”
“Stop, stop. That boy is young, but his appetite is huge.”
The old patriarch paced back and forth with hands behind his back, furious. Then he suddenly thought of something and said, “Wait, why does he want divine stones? He just obtained four million divine stones. And how does he know the clan treasury has a copy of the ‘Ming Kong Primordial Ancestor Diagram’? Xue Jue, are you extorting this old man?”
Xue Jue War God sat on a stone chair, expression unchanged, and continued, “Ten million divine stones. The divine stones are not what he wants; they are what I want. After all, just activating the sundial this time will cost a great deal. You are the patriarch of the clan; surely you would not make this junior pay? I have only been Grand Clan Chancellor for a thousand years and cannot produce so many divine stones.”
The old patriarch’s expression softened slightly. He snorted and said, “Even if the consumption is great, could it reach ten million divine stones? Fine, you need not worry about the divine stones; this old man has his own ways.”
“God King Talismans and God Venerable Talismans are difficult to refine and of extraordinary value. Those old fellows will not easily part with them; you will need to exchange cultivation slots for them. As for the ‘Ming Kong Primordial Ancestor Diagram’, do not even think about it. When you formally become patriarch, this old man will naturally pass it to you.”
Eh!
The old patriarch sensed something, drew a finger across the air, tore open a corner of the divine realm world, and peered towards Hanhai Manor.
The place where Zhang Ruochen and Xia Yu had stood had become a brilliant vortex of divine qi.
The vortex continuously absorbed divine qi and heavenly rules from the Chill Page City domain, and this suction force even swept towards nearby city domains.
Since both Zhang Ruochen and Xia Yu were inside the divine realm world, even with the old patriarch’s cultivation, without forcibly probing, he could not know what was happening.
“So many heavenly rules have been mobilised. Just how many profundities has Zhang Ruochen mastered?” The old patriarch looked at Xue Jue War God and asked.
Xue Jue War God gazed outward and noticed divine senses probing towards Hanhai Manor one after another.
“Stop asking. Hurry and act to block these divine senses. Hanhai Manor is the territory of our Undying Blood Race; is it a place anyone can spy on?” Xue Jue War God said.
The old patriarch was stunned for a moment, then so angry his eyes nearly popped out. He, a dignified God Venerable and patriarch of the clan, of such noble status, was being ordered about by this youngster Xue Jue?
The old patriarch gave a cold snort, exhaled a mouthful of blood qi, and shattered all the divine senses surging towards Zhang Ruochen’s divine realm world.
The blood qi spread out, enveloping Hanhai Manor.
The gods in various parts of the Destiny God Domain sensed the old patriarch’s aura and stopped, not daring to act rashly again.
Xue Jue War God helped cover for Zhang Ruochen and said, “Do not be suspicious, Patriarch. Zhang Ruochen possesses the Reverse God Stele and can seize all kinds of profundities from the world. This is not strange.”
With more than one mental power ninetieth-order existence shielding heavenly secrets for Zhang Ruochen, even though he had used martial dao power in the Hell Realm, very few gods could penetrate his martial dao secrets.
Most gods, including the old patriarch, believed it was the subtlety of the Thirty-Three Heavens that had allowed Zhang Ruochen to break and then stand, cultivating a second divine source.
Thinking of the origin of the Reverse God Stele, the old patriarch’s thoughts surged. He nodded lightly and sighed, “An innocent man becomes guilty for possessing a treasure. To dare carry a treasure like the Reverse God Stele on his person, no wonder, even as the divine envoy of Tianmu, so many still risk their lives to kill him.”
“If I were him, I would surely offer the Reverse God Stele to Xu Tian.”
“If Xu Tian wanted the Reverse God Stele, do you think Zhang Ruochen could keep it?” Xue Jue War God said.
The old patriarch’s gaze sharpened, and he fell into thought.
Several hours passed. The divine qi vortex and heavenly rules dispersed. Zhang Ruochen and Xia Yu emerged one after another from the divine realm world. Beneath the starry sky, they appeared like a perfect couple, a talented man and a beautiful woman.
The old patriarch’s gaze passed briefly over Zhang Ruochen and settled on Xia Yu. Instantly, his eyes blazed and he said, “Xue Jue, look at that girl. How has she changed so greatly?”
Xue Jue War God fixed his gaze on Xia Yu, perceived her cultivation, and laughed loudly, “What is wrong with you today, Patriarch? Why are you so startled? Is it not simply that the Undying Blood Race has produced a yuan hui-level representative?”
“Nonsense! Do you still not know whether Xia Yu has the talent to become a yuan hui-level representative? In just a few hours, the saint dao rules in her body have increased by three trillion. Even this old man does not possess such means. The secrets on Zhang Ruochen are far more than just the Reverse God Stele.”
The old patriarch was filled with curiosity and developed a strong interest in Zhang Ruochen, somewhat eager to act.
Xue Jue War God reminded him, “Patriarch, you are of high virtue and prestige. Do not harbour any ill intentions. If Goddess Tianmu learned of it, she might look down on you for the rest of her life.”
The old patriarch’s face was full of pride. He snorted and said, “With Goddess Tianmu’s face to consider, what could this old man do to him? However, this boy can actually raise a cultivator’s talent and create a yuan hui-level representative out of nothing. If this could be utilised and combined with the sundial, my goodness, in a hundred years, how many gods would the Undying Blood Race produce?”
