At the same time, living beings across the myriad realms of the Heavenly Court also heard Haotian’s summoning divine voice.
Such a thing had never happened before. A Heavenly Venerable’s voice was indistinguishable from the true sound of heaven and earth, representing supreme will.
Everyone knew that a cataclysmic crisis must have struck the universe, forcing the irreconcilable Heavenly Court and hell realm to temporarily cease hostilities, with both Heavenly Venerables speaking in unison.
Tiannan Life-Death Ruins.
Qing Tian emerged from the Death God Temple. He had no choice but to end seclusion. A clone of the Fengdu Great Emperor had personally come to invite him. The events at the Beize Great Wall concerned the interests, even the survival, of the entire hell realm.
Let alone secluded cultivation, even if the whole Tiannan were about to be destroyed, it would not be as important.
The cultivators of Tiannan all knelt outside, stretching as far as the eye could see.
After giving some instructions, Qing Tian, along with the Second and Third Elders, shattered space and departed, stepping onto the ancient divine path toward the Wuding Divine Sea.
…
“At last, I must leave Ice King Star ahead of schedule!”
Ice Emperor stood atop a snowy peak, gazing down at the mortal world with a sigh.
A snow-white divine armour, sealed in dust for many years, attached itself to his body. Instantly, his blood qi surged mightily. He unfurled pairs of golden wings that blotted out the sky, shattering space as he flew away.
…
Yaksha Clan ancestral realm, Ancient Ink Sea.
Boom!
A palm imprint crashed into the sea, containing blazing divine vigour. The seawater churned violently.
Xu Tian ignored the ancestral realm’s protective grand array, passing through it and descending from the heavens. He declared loudly, “You two pretending to be dead? If you do not appear, today shall be the day the Yaksha Clan is exterminated.”
Two masses of divine light flew from the seawater. Within them stood two aged figures, rules raging around them, altering celestial phenomena.
“We already know the Heavenly Venerable’s command. We were just about to set off.”
“Truly troublesome. One by one acting clever, needing personal invitations to move.”
Xu Tian grumbled, hands behind his back as he departed, vanishing from the Yaksha Clan ancestral realm.
…
Kunlun Realm.
Jie Venerable was overjoyed yet his face filled with sorrow and parting grief. He clutched Tianhu Granny’s hands tightly, deeply reluctant. “This northern expedition will likely keep me away for many years, with life and death uncertain. If I cannot return, do not grieve. This is heaven’s mandate! Heaven’s mandate cannot be defied!”
Jie Venerable flicked his sleeve, tears scattering as he flew out of Kunlun Realm without looking back.
Naturally, he would not go to the Wuding Divine Sea. Instead, he planned to hide in the Dark Triangle Star Domain for a while. He would emerge only after the boundless-realm divine spirits of Heavenly Court and hell realm had departed.
“Jie Venerable!”
Not long after leaving Kunlun Realm, Haotian’s voice rang like a great bell above his head.
Jie Venerable’s expression unchanged, he looked at Haotian’s clone. “I dare not claim venerable status. This old man is merely a false god, not boundless.”
Haotian said, “Let us go. Taishang and Dragon Lord have already reached the Wuding Divine Sea. This cataclysm is of great import. No one can remain uninvolved. Rest assured, reliable figures will secretly guard the Heavenly Court to handle other sudden contingencies.”
“Alas, truly just a false god. You lot… are too unscrupulous…”
Jie Venerable sighed helplessly and headed toward the Wuding Divine Sea.
A Heavenly Venerable’s command could not be defied.
…
On this day, the four characters “Beize Great Wall” were repeatedly mentioned, spreading wildly with endless speculation and rumours. The entire universe fell into panic, everyone fearing for their safety.
Gods from various realms and clans emerged to convene saint-realm cultivators and stabilise the situation.
Saint-realm cultivators in turn manifested sanctity to calm mortals.
One day later, news came from the Wuding Divine Sea. The vast divine might dissipated. The boundless-realm powerhouses of Heavenly Court and hell realm shattered spacetime barriers and headed north.
The world remained the same world, yet Zhang Ruochen felt an emptiness, followed by sudden lightness, as if clouds over his head had cleared and the blade at his neck withdrawn.
He understood this was because he had entered the sight of those boundless-realm divine spirits too early, yet lacked strength to oppose them. Naturally, immense pressure weighed on him constantly, as if countless eyes watched him at all times.
He could be struck dead at any moment.
Now, with all boundless heading north, many matters no longer required such restraint.
The universe’s situation would undergo great changes next.
Zhang Ruochen discussed at length with the Blood Absolute War God before leaving the Blood Sky Tribe and heading to the Hundred Clans King City.
He did not take this chance to rescue Ming Emperor from Destiny God Mountain, for with his current cultivation, it was impossible.
Back when no god venerable presided, Dragon Lord had gone to Destiny God Mountain to save Grand Master and still suffered heavy injury. One could imagine how formidable the life-and-death measures arranged by Destiny God Mountain’s successive god venerables and heavens were through the ages.
In Destiny God Mountain, many wished him dead. He could not throw himself into the net.
Over nineteen years, the atmosphere in the star domain of the Hundred Clans King City had remained extremely tense. The hell realm’s various forces’ armies had not withdrawn.
In the star domain, various minor clans had migrated their ancestral realms into the Prosperous Stars Imprisoning Cage Grand Array.
This divine array centred on the Hundred Clans King City, enveloping a star domain a hundred billion li in diameter. Countless divine seat stars served as array nodes.
Looking out, this star domain was magnificent, with over a hundred great worlds distributed, each with unique ecosystems, geniuses and prodigies as numerous as carp crossing the river.
After the boundless northern expedition, the tense atmosphere did not dissipate. Instead, the gods in the Hundred Clans King City grew more worried.
Previously, the hell realm armies had not acted rashly because the Star Sea Angler and Nine Heavens were too powerful. No one had confidence in detaining them and could not bear their destructive retaliation in anger.
With them gone, in terms of divine realm strength, the gap between the Hundred Clans King City and the hell realm was simply too vast. How could they not worry?
“Greetings, Ruochen Realm Venerable.”
“Greetings, Fisher Rumour Divine Master.”
The arrival of Zhang Ruochen and Fisher Rumour was undoubtedly two powerful reinforcements. The gods of the Hundred Clans King City all hurried to welcome them.
Especially Zhang Ruochen. To resolve the Hundred Clans King City’s crisis, he had ventured alone into the hell realm and headed to Destiny God Mountain. The bloodshed along the way had spread throughout the hundred clans over nineteen years, known even to mortal women and children for his righteous name.
Confined for nineteen years, now returned—who did not respect him?
Moreover, Zhang Ruochen now possessed cultivation strength that commanded their awe.
Yu Ling God, beautiful as a painting with ever-changing temperament—sometimes seductive, sometimes pure—asked upon meeting, “Wu Yue did not come with you, did she?”
“Naturally not.” Zhang Ruochen said.
Yu Ling God smiled charmingly. “Good. Now that boundless-realm divine spirits have all headed to the Beize Great Wall, Wu Yue is nearly unmatched in the world! If she wished to destroy the Hundred Clans King City, who could stop her?”
“Yu Ling God worries that seducing Realm Venerable will bring retribution from Madam Realm Venerable? Otherwise, even if Wu Yue is stronger, she is but one person. With us gods of the Hundred Clans King City united and the divine array sealing the heavens, why fear her?” The Xuan? clan leader teased thus.
Laughter and jeers rose around.
They would be glad to see Yu Ling God become Zhang Ruochen’s woman—it would greatly benefit the Hundred Clans King City’s future—but dared not say it directly. After all, Yu Ling God’s cultivation was only one step from Taixu realm peak.
Arriving at the Crown Cloud Array Tower, a plain-clothed elder waited at the door with Amur.
The gods grew solemn, ceasing their jests.
Yu Ling God introduced, “This is the one I once mentioned to you—the Hundred Clans King City’s foremost powerhouse, Li Mo Divine Master!”
Zhang Ruochen looked at the plain-clothed elder, sensing powerful spiritual power fluctuations. He cupped his fists. “Divine Master, Uncle Wolf!”
The plain-clothed elder called Li Mo Divine Master looked at Bai Qing’er and bowed. “Greetings, Martial Aunt.”
A flash of surprise crossed Bai Qing’er’s eyes, but she merely nodded lightly.
At Star Heaven Cliff, she had seen Li Mo Divine Master. He was Eldest Senior Brother’s disciple. She simply had not known he had been stationed at the Hundred Clans King City all along.
Only then did the gods of the Hundred Clans King City finally understand that the mysteriously originating Master Li Mo was actually the disciple of Star Heaven Cliff’s master. No wonder such a powerful spiritual power divine spirit had suddenly appeared in the world.
In the battle nineteen years ago at the Hundred Clans King City, Li Mo Divine Master had been suppressed by Wu Bian. It was the Old Drunkard who saved him.
Entering the Crown Cloud Array Tower, the gods began discussing the upcoming cosmic changes. Everyone was deeply worried, feeling that after the Heavenly Court and hell realm truce, the Hundred Clans King City would become the hell realm’s primary target.
Moreover, Xing Huan Heaven would certainly not escape.
Zhang Ruochen said, “I understand everyone’s concerns. But with all boundless-realm divine spirits departed, the Prosperous Stars Imprisoning Cage Grand Array is unbreakable. As long as we ensure no traitor like Four Yang Heavenly Lord emerges internally, the Hundred Clans King City will remain invincible.”
“No need to worry about Xing Huan Heaven either. The Thousand Stars Huan Heaven Array’s defence surpasses the Prosperous Stars Imprisoning Cage Grand Array.”
“Furthermore, the war between hell and Heavenly Court will not end. The starry defence line has only just fallen. Countless Heavenly Court cultivators died tragically. What blood-deep enmity is this? Would Heavenly Court cultivators let it rest?”
“Having seized the vast interests of the ancient civilisations, how could the hell realm stop?”
“I believe that for a long time to come, the Starry Battlefield will remain the centre of the war storm.”
Master Li Mo said, “But constantly activating the Prosperous Stars Imprisoning Cage Grand Array consumes enormous divine stones.”
“We cannot remain huddled in the array forever, can we?” Yu Ling God said.
An upper god with a turtle shell murmured, “After the Yan Yang civilisation defected to the hell realm, they were directly named the eleventh clan. The strength of Xing Huan Heaven and the Hundred Clans King City far exceeds the Yan Yang civilisation. If we defected, being named the twelfth clan would not be excessive.”
Zhang Ruochen’s gaze turned to Yu Ling God.
Yu Ling God’s divine realm world unfolded, pulling the upper god inside. The next instant, screams rang out. “This god merely spoke hypothetically. I absolutely have no intent to defect to the hell realm… Ah…”
The upper god’s divine body was torn to pieces. Some divine blood splattered into the tower’s great hall.
He had been utterly refined and killed.
After a moment of silence, the Xuan? clan leader said gravely, “Well killed! To dare utter such words and claim no intent to defect?”
Amur said, “To weather this calamity, no one with disloyal heart can remain. Extraordinary times call for extraordinary measures.”
Zhang Ruochen rose to soothe the gods’ hearts. “Leave the divine stones to me. Trust me. The hundred clans will not be confined forever in one divine array. In future, the skies will be high and seas broad. Clan Leader, which forces do the hell realm armies still in this star domain belong to?”
