Chapter 2188 - The Storm Was Coming
Chapter 2188: The Storm Was Coming
Zhang Ruochen forced his way through the array using the Great Dimensional Shift and entered the manor. He appeared in the pavilion where King Daxi and Gaunt were sitting.
King Daxi and Gaunt were both very cautious. They both sensed Zhang Ruochen’s arrival in an instant.
Before they could do anything, they found that the space they were in was completely frozen, and they couldn’t move at all.
King Daxi was very calm. After all, she knew that Zhang Ruochen was watching from the side and it wasn’t surprising for him to show up at this time.
But she knew that since Zhang Ruochen had shown up, she would probably not be able to get out and was going to be a prisoner again.
“Zh-Zhang Ruochen.”
Gaunt’s eyes changed dramatically and hints of fear appeared in his eyes.
There was nothing Gaunt could do. Zhang Ruochen’s current reputation was too great. Among those with cultivation rank below the Supreme Sainthood, who wouldn’t be afraid of him?
Gaunt wasn’t weak. His strength had reached the third-tier below the Supreme Sainthood, but he couldn’t resist Zhang Ruochen at all. The Profound Spatial Dimension had him confined.
But he quickly calmed down and asked in a deep voice, “Zhang Ruochen, what are you trying to do by breaking into my residence? The celestial law enforcers are in the imperial city. You’d better not act rashly.”
“Tell me then, where is Michael now?” Zhang Ruochen asked indifferently.
Gaunt’s expression suddenly changed slightly. He had thought that Zhang Ruochen had not heard the conversation between him and King Daxi, but now it seemed that he was too naive.
The point was that it was too much of a coincidence. Why would Zhang Ruochen target him at this time?
Unless… There was something wrong with King Daxi!
Zhang Ruochen knew what was going on without Gaunt to answer.
Zhang Ruochen’s eyes darkened. He couldn’t be bothered to ask any more questions. He stretched out his hand and released a ray of Dimensional Power that enveloped King Daxi and Gaunt.
Then, Zhang Ruochen put the two of them into the Microworld of the jungle and temporarily suppressed them.
He had already used a technique to cover up everything. In addition, the manor was shrouded by an array formation. What happened there was unknown to the outside world.
‘I hope it’s not too late,’ Zhang Ruochen thought.
Without a moment’s delay, Zhang Ruochen set off immediately and rushed to the Syzygy Mansion.
Before long, Zhang Ruochen arrived outside Syzygy Mansion. He found that it was very quiet and everything was as usual as if nothing had happened.
But the more it was like this, the more he felt that something was wrong.
He looked around and suddenly found something.
There were some patterns on the floor in front of the mansion. They were very complicated and almost overlapped with the patterns on the floor. They looked very inconspicuous.
“These are… the Illusory Talisman and the Obfuscatory Talisman. Seems like the work of a High-Saint Talisman Master.”
Zhang Ruochen’s face suddenly changed.
The Illusory Talisman was used to create illusions and confuse the real with the fake. On the other hand, the Obfuscatory Talisman can seal heaven’s secrets and isolate all senses.
Since these two talismans appeared outside the mansion, many things could not be clearer.
Zhang Ruochen immediately attacked. He released a powerful dimensional power and shattered the two talismans on the ground and directly charged in.
The Illusory Talisman shattered, and it revealed something that had been hidden.
A very strong bloody aura filled the air. The originally majestic manors were now in ruins.
Many dead bodies appeared before Zhang Ruochen’s eyes. There were corpses everywhere. The blood had dyed the whole mansion red, and it felt like he had entered purgatory.
Syzygy Mansion had a special status. When Empress Chi Yao wasn’t around, it would become the center of the imperial court.
Many great Confucians and Saint Confucians of the Path of Confucianism gathered in Syzygy Mansion to handle various government affairs and rule the world.
The Path of Confucianism contributed greatly to the long-term stability of the imperial court.
But now, those great Confucians and Saint Confucians had all fallen in pools of blood. There wasn’t a single breath of life in the mansion.
Even with Zhang Ruochen’s state of mind, he couldn’t help but feel great ups and downs when he saw this scene. He stood there in a daze.
Most of the great Confucians and Saint Confucians had their eyes wide open. Their eyes were filled with anger, grief, and unwillingness.
Zhang Ruochen walked into the dilapidated Syzygy Mansion. His gaze became very cold when he looked at the corpses on the ground.
In the end, he was too late. Syzygy Mansion had been reduced to hell, and his resentment was soaring to the sky.
Of course, even if he rushed back to Kunlun and came directly to Syzygy Mansion, it was still too late. No one could stop what was about to happen.
Suddenly, Zhang Ruochen reached out his hand and pinched a wisp of grayish-black gas.
“Huh? The aura of the Infernal Court. Is it not the Heavenly Realm that purged Syzygy Mansion with blood, but the elites of the Infernal Court?” Zhang Ruochen’s eyes showed a hint of surprise.
Zhang Ruochen had heard about the Heavenly Realm’s plan from Gaunt. He had intuitively believed that it was all done by the Heavenly Realm.
But now, he had caught the aura of the Infernal Court. It seeped out from the wounds of the great Confucianists and Saint Confucians. The aura of the Infernal Court remained everywhere in the dilapidated Syzygy Mansion.
Zhang Ruochen involuntarily releases his spiritual power and carefully explores every corner of Syzygy Mansion.
With his current spiritual strength, no trace could escape his detection.
The next moment, Zhang Ruochen moved in a flash and appeared in the ninth mansion of Syzygy Mansion.
This mansion was the core of Syzygy Mansion. The Chessboard of the World used to monitor the world was also placed in it.
Unfortunately, the mansion was empty and the Chessboard of the World was nowhere to be found.
There were fewer corpses in this mansion. There were only about 20 of them, but their identities were extraordinary. They were all Grandmasters of the Path of Confucianism. Each of them was highly respected and worshipped by countless Confucianists.
Zhang Ruochen wasn’t very familiar with the elites of the Path of Confucianism, but he recognized both the old leader of the Qin Sect and the old leader of the Chess Sect. These two were both Grandmasters of the Path of Confucianism, who was as famous as The Art Saint Chu Siyuan.
It was worth mentioning that the new leader of the Qin Sect was the Realm Bearer, Sui Han.
The two old sect masters were also lying in a pool of blood. They had long lost their breath of life.
They died miserably. There was a bloody hole between their eyebrows and white brain matter mixed with blood flowed out.
Most of the cultivators of the Path of Confucianism only cultivated spiritual power. They cultivated noble morality, but their physiques were very weak. They could not be compared with the cultivators of the Martial Arts.
Zhang Ruochen walked up to the old leader of the Qin Sect and looked at the ground in front of him.
There were letters written in blood—heaven. The words weren’t completed and the last stroke was still missing. The old leader of the Qin Sect didn’t have the strength to write it.
The word explained everything.
A cold light flashed in Zhang Ruochen’s eyes, and he said, “The Heavenly Realm does things flawlessly. They washed Syzygy Mansion with blood, but they made it look like the Infernal Court did it.”
With such a skilled technique, it was obvious that the Heavenly Realm often did this sort of thing.
If the old leader of the Qin Sect hadn’t left a clue before he died, even Zhang Ruochen might have been fooled.
‘Wang Shiqi isn’t among them and it looks like he’s been captured. Through him, the Heavenly Realm might have locked onto the Saturn Peach Tree’s spatial coordinates. I have to stop them,’ Zhang Ruochen thought.
Besides Wang Shiqi, there was another person who should know where the Saturn Peach Tree was. It was the Divine Scripture Maiden.
If they wanted to stop the Heavenly Realm’s plot, they had to find the Divine Scripture Maiden and go to the place where the Saturn Peach Tree grew as soon as possible.
It had been a while since the Heavenly Realm had massacred Syzygy Mansion. Perhaps they had learned a lot about the Saturn peach tree from Wang Shiqi.
This was a drastic move. If the Heavenly Realm succeeded, Kunlun would never be able to rise again.
Without thinking too much, Zhang Ruochen rushed out of Syzygy Mansion and went straight to Ziwei Palace.
‘How dare the Heavenly Realm Act so recklessly against the Saturn Peach Tree? No, they might not do it themselves after finding the spatial coordinates. Was the Infernal Court involved?’ The more he thought about it, the more his heart sank. Zhang Ruochen quickened his pace.
Thinking back to the aura of the Infernal Court realm he had sensed in Syzygy Mansion, he couldn’t rule out the possibility that the Heavenly Realm was in cahoots with the Infernal Court Realm.
Just like when the Heavenly Realm plotted against Kunlun, but it was Huang Tian of the Infernal Court’s Stone Clan who cut off the Divine Sky-connecting Tree in the end.
However, once such a heinous thing was exposed, the consequences would be extremely serious. Therefore, the Heavenly Realm had been trying to cover up the past and erase all traces of the past 100,000 years ago.
“Is it about time to summon the Re-Awakeners?”Zhang Ruochen muttered to himself.
It did not take long for Zhang Ruochen to approach Ziwei Palace.
Ziwei Palace was located in the center of the imperial city. It gathered thousands of spiritual veins from Kunlun. It was beautiful and stretched for 250 kilometers. It was extremely majestic.
From the ground up, layers of layers were stacked and reached into the clouds. It was like a Nine-heavens Immortal Palace with many divine patterns protecting it. Ordinary cultivators could only stand on the ground and look up from afar. They could not approach it at all.
The most eye-catching was the statue of Empress Chi Yao. It was 9,000 meters tall, and it was constantly emitting seven-colored divine light. It was lifelike and could be seen no matter where one was in the imperial city.
Before Kunlun was conquered by the Infernal Court, many people came to the imperial city every day to worship the statue.
Kong Lanyou had destroyed the statue once, but the imperial court quickly rebuilt it. It was even more awe-inspiring. It contained Empress Chi Yao’s divine power and protected Ziwei Palace.
In the entire Central Imperial City, Ziwei Palace was the safest place. It was protected by divine patterns and the Blood Dripper. Even a Supreme Saint would find it hard to break in.
Compared to the hustle and bustle in other parts of the imperial city, Ziwei Palace was relatively quiet. Cultivators from all realms didn’t come to occupy the surrounding mansions. It was a show of respect for Empress Chi Yao.
On a street not far from Ziwei Palace, a figure suddenly appeared and blocked Zhang Ruochen’s way.
“Zhang Ruochen.”
When he saw the figure clearly, Zhang Ruochen was slightly surprised. He asked, “Le, Why are you here?”
He had not expected to meet Le here. In particular, he felt that Le seemed to be waiting for him here.
Le said, “Yesterday, I killed an important figure of the Heavenly Realm. Before he died, he wanted to trade a piece of news for a chance to live. He told me a secret. There are too few cultivators in the imperial city that I can trust. I don’t know who to tell.
“Fortunately, I heard that you passed the tenth region of the Sea of Truth. I guess you will return to Kunlun today. So, I waited for you there in the morning. You arrived an hour later than I expected.”
Zhang Ruochen asked, “What secret?”
“The Heavenly Realm is looking for the spatial coordinates of the Saturn Peach Tree. They intend to attack Wang Shiqi and the Divine Scripture Maiden.”
“I already know about this. That’s why I came to Ziwei Palace. The Heavenly Realm has already massacred Syzygy Mansion, captured Wang Shiqi, and seized the Chessboard of the World. The imperial court can no longer capture any traces of anyone,” Zhang Ruochen said.
With the Chessboard of the World, most of the powerful figures in the Heavenly Realm and the Infernal Court Realm would be under surveillance. If there were any unusual movements, they would be able to react in time.
It would be difficult to know the movements of the powerful figures without the Chessboard of the World. The situation would undoubtedly become more chaotic.
Le pondered slightly. A cold killing intent flashed in his eyes. He said, “Since Wang Shiqi has been captured, the Saturn Peach Tree will be in danger. We can only stop it if we know where the Saturn Peach Tree is.”
“We need to ask the Nine-heavens Maiden about this,” Zhang Ruochen said.
Zhang Ruochen and Le set off together immediately. In the blink of an eye, they appeared in front of the palace gate of Ziwei Palace.
Everything in Ziwei Palace was as usual with divine patterns looming from time to time. The statue of Empress Chi Yao was also shining with divine light, making Ziwei Palace appear sacred and dignified.
“Greetings, Prince of the Eastern Region.”
The guards of the palace gate bowed to Zhang Ruochen.
Zhang Ruochen was now awe-inspiring. The cultivators of Kunlun all recognized him as the Prince of the Eastern Region and regarded him as the invincible wargod. Most people respected him from the bottom of their hearts.
Zhang Ruochen was no stranger to these guards. After all, he had stayed in Ziwei Palace for some time.
When he glanced at these guards, a strange light flashed in his eyes.
‘They were still the same guards,’ Zhang Ruochen thought.
But deep in their eyes, Zhang Ruochen found something unnatural.
Zhang Ruochen wouldn’t be able to notice it in the past. Now, he had refined The Heart of Truth and seen through the truth, his insight was even better than many Supreme Saints.
These guards gave him the feeling that they were a bunch of marionettes without spirituality for some reason.
As he was thinking, a figure walked out of the palace gate and greeted him.
It was none other than Yin Yuanchen.
“Brother Zhang, you crossed the tenth region of the Sea of Truth, ascended the Mountain of Truth, and received the Fane of Truth’s reward. Congratulations.” Yin Yuanchen smiled.
Zhang Ruochen was still thinking in his mind. He looked at Yin Yuanchen and said, “Brother Yin, you are well-informed.”
“This matter has been spread all over the world. How could I not know? Now that you are back, you must have a few drinks to celebrate,” Yin Yuanchen said.
Yin Yuanchen looked at Le and asked, “Who is this?”
“His name is Le. He’s my friend,” Zhang Ruochen said.
Yin Yuanchen sized him up and said, “Brother Zhang’s friend must be extraordinary. I’m Yin Yuanchen.”
Le’s expression was cold and he didn’t say anything. He just nodded slightly in response.
As they spoke, the three of them walked into Ziwei Palace. It was as if they had walked into another world. The Heaven and Earth Saint Qi became extremely dense, almost turning into liquid.
Zhang Ruochen asked, “Where is the Nine-heavens Maiden? I have something important to find her.”
“I wanted to talk to you about this. Not long ago, the Nine-heavens Maiden left Ziwei Palace. Before she left, a letter from her was addressed to you. That’s why I’ve been waiting for you in Ziwei Palace. Now, I can finally complete my task.” Yin Yuanchen smiled.
As he spoke, Yin Yuanchen took out a letter and handed it to Zhang Ruochen.
From the moment he saw Yin Yuanchen, Zhang Ruochen’s mood had been very low. Until now, he was deeply in control of the letter. Dense Precepts of Truth appeared in his eyes.
After a long while, Zhang Ruochen sighed. His eyes were filled with disappointment. “Yuanchen, I thought that you and I were the same and we could be friends.”
He had always liked Yin Yuanchen because he felt that they were very similar. They were both ostracized and did many things that were not understood by others.
After spending some time together, Zhang Ruochen truly regarded Yin Yuanchen as a friend. This was also the first time he had accepted someone from the Heavenly Realm.
But the reality was often cruel and painful.
When Zhang Ruochen said this, Yin Yuanchen’s gentle and smiling eyes became sharp and full of sharpness. He struck with lightning speed and pushed the envelope toward Zhang Ruochen. He was decisive and did not delay at all.
Swoosh
Yin Yuanchen’s speed was as fast as lightning.
Swoosh
In the process, the envelope burned and turned into ashes.
A talisman appeared in the ashes.
At such a close distance and with Yin Yuanchen’s terrifying speed, no one could avoid it.
The envelope was made by a Supreme Saint of Paramount Realm. There shouldn’t have been any flaws. However, Yin Yuanchen didn’t expect Zhang Ruochen to have The Heart of Truth. This trick couldn’t be hidden from his eyes.
In Yin Yuanchen’s expectation, Zhang Ruochen only needed to reach out and take the envelope. The talisman hidden in the envelope would be able to suppress him. No matter how strong your cultivation was, you could only kneel on the ground and become a powerless prisoner. You would also have to endure the charms and spells that were worse than death. The Precepts in you would melt one by one, turning you into a crippled person whose Path had been cut off.
Since he had been exposed in advance, Yin Yuanchen had to change his strategy and make the first move.
“Zhang Ruochen, you have to take this talisman even if you don’t want to.”
…