Chapter 1777: The Changing of Times Is Nigh
Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation
After a long, long while, a heavy voice rang out from the sanguine temple. “Wars between gods are forbidden in the Celestial Court, and even I cannot break that rule. This matter is both Yanshen’s and Bloodlord Erjia’s fault. As to what it will take for you to let them go, name your price.”
Following that, others could not hear the conversation between Yueshen and the lord of the bright red temple anymore.
No one knew what kind of agreement was reached, but in the end, Yueshen released both Yanshen and Bloodlord Erjia from the Kaiyuan Deer Cauldron.
However, it seemed that both Yanshen and Bloodlord Erjia had lost something within the cauldron as they appeared extremely weakened.
The two gods looked in Mount Yueshen’s direction as a sense of humiliation and fury they had never felt before rose within them. In the end, they turned into two streams of divine light that flew toward the sanguine temple in the sky.
A moment later, the temple disappeared and hid away in the void.
Both Yanshen and Bloodlord Erjia appeared before the Fane of Bloody War. By then, the two gods had composed themselves and displayed a stalwart demeanor. They were now talking to the lord of the Fane of Bloody War.
Yanshen’s pupils burned with fire as he said, “Yueshen has taken away about ninety percent of both Bloodlord Erjia’s and my divine blood, as well as a huge amount of divine spirit and divine souls. We have been greatly weakened and will not be able to recover in a short period of time. I really cannot take this lying down.”
Someone’s voice then rang out from the temple complex. “If you commit a grievance, you have to bear the consequences; even gods are not exempted from that. Both of you are the ones to blame for this mess.”
Yanshen was immediately silenced, and he did not talk back.
Winners took the throne, while losers were branded as bandits.
Failure was the biggest mistake, and no quibble would help his cause.
“Master, your disciple does not understand. Why did you have to come to a compromise with Yueshen? I do not believe that you are afraid of Yueshen, Master. Even if she could really infiltrate the Heavenly Realm, destroy the Fane of Bloody War, and slay all living beings in the Heavenly Realm, she would still only be met with a path of demise. I do not believe that Yueshen would take such an action where neither side wins,” Bloodlord Erjia said.
The voice from the temple rang out again. “The matter today has proceeded beyond our initial plans. Someone from the Heavenly Palace has spoken out, so things will end as they are. If we press the matter, it will only get worse and not do us any good.”
Bloodlord Erjia frowned and said, “Someone from the Celestial Palace? Who? Why is he not giving you any face, Master?”
“The one who guards the Celestial River.”
Bloodlord Erjia and Yanshen glanced at each other; all of a sudden, there was nothing left to say.
…
The storm that erupted in the Shatuo Domain was like a tidal wave. Soon, it spread all across the Celestial Court and even into the mortal realms.
In the past, few cultivators had ever heard of the Shatuo Domain, but now, the domain, alongside the Guanghan Realm and Kunlun Realm had all become instantly famous.
Yueshen, whom the cultivators had long forgotten, had finally allowed them to truly know her through the last battle.
Now, Yueshen’s name was thunderous.
Of course, most cultivators would never understand the world of gods, and they dared not comment casually about it. So, alternatively, Zhang Ruochen, the young Saint King became the focus of talks amongst the cultivators across the realms.
Zhang Ruochen’s actions in the Celestial Domain of Truth only got the top scions in Heaven to be familiar with him.
The battle on Mount Yueshen made him famous in the Celestial Court, and he became a hot, controversial figure within the realm of Saints. Even the heavenly scions whose names were on the “Saint King Merit List” and “Duelist Heavenly King List” had all been robbed of their limelight by him.
After all, he was probably the only person at the cultivation level of a Saint King to have been able to influence a battle between gods.
The Thousand-star Domain.
The Thousand-Star Domain was a cultivation territory given to the Thousand-star Civilization by the Heavenly Realm, and the concentration of Saint Qi within it was ten times higher than in Shatuo Domain. The activity levels of its heavenly and earthly precepts were also far beyond the Shatuo Domain. It was a veritable superior domain.
“That guy sure is something. He was brave enough to directly challenge a god. His mind is indeed superior to mine, and it looks like I will need to train my mind harder,” the Maiden of a Thousand Stars said.
The Fane of Death.
The moment Han Qiu heard news of the battle on Mount Yueshen, a smile appeared on her pretty face. “As expected of a man that I have taken a liking to. He is just extraordinary.”
She then looked a little worried. “I hope he did not die in the crossfire of that battle between gods.”
Le wiped the sword in his hand and said, “Zhang Ruochen is definitely not dead. Even if he did die, he would probably come back fighting his way out of death’s door. He is just far more resilient than anyone else.”
1
His battle involving the gods made waves, but that did not last too long as it was soon overwhelmed by even more shocking news.
A hundred thousand years ago, the Kunlun Realm, which was ranked top five in the “Merit List of Ten Thousand Realms”, had been breached by the Infernal Court. Since the Kunlun Realm was one of the realms under the Celestial Court, the gods from the Celestial Palace had rushed over to protect it and ward off the Infernal Court’s invasion.
The Kunlun Realm was one of the few long-lasting realms in the universe. Throughout its history, it had given birth to many legendary figures and left behind countless miracles, opportunities, as well as legacies.
Even though the Kunlun Realm was past its prime, it was still a treasured ground, coveted even by the gods. They would naturally prevent it from falling into the hands of the Infernal Court.
Amid the starry skies not too far away from the Kunlun Realm, a terrifying battle between the gods broke out.
Gods from the Celestial Court and ten clans of the Infernal Court fought silently across the boundless stars. One by one, the stars were annihilated like dense fireballs as they flew through the night sky.
There were meteor showers every night.
All of the cultivators became nervous and restless for fear that the battle would take a more brutal turn as it went on, just like a hundred thousand years ago. Back then, half of the gods had fallen and thousands of realms had been destroyed.
One month later, the battle between the gods in the stars ended, and news spread across the Celestial Court.
“Several gods have fallen amid the stars. The gods from both the Celestial and Infernal Court do not want the situation to develop to the point of no return, so they have ceased their fighting.”
The cultivators in the various realms finally heaved a long sigh of relief.
However, they understood that the Infernal Court would not give up so easily. Although the battle between the gods was over, the army of cultivators from the Infernal Court was probably already on its way to the Kunlun Realm.
The Kunlun Realm had become the battlefield where the forces of the Celestial and Infernal Courts collided.
That was the desired result of the gods from both the Celestial and Infernal Court. Next, they would all compete for the various treasures and openings within the Kunlun Realm with their own abilities.
…
The Fane of Merits.
Shang Ziyan clasped his fist as he bowed before a tri-colored divine fog. “Greetings, Master.”
Yanshen’s voice traveled out from the divine fog. “Ziyan, you have not disappointed me. Not only have you survived the Trial of Purgation in the Purgatory Furnace of Life and Death, but you have also become physically stronger. Plus, your cultivation level has broken into the Eight-step Saint King realm, right?”
“Yes,” Shang Ziyan said calmly.
“In that case, this time, you will lead our forces into the Kunlun Realm.”
Shang Ziyan’s expression was reserved, and there were no emotional fluctuations in his eyes as he said, “I am too young! There are countless seniors who are stronger and more experienced than I am. It would be better for them to lead the team.”
“You do not have to be so humble. Although you are indeed slightly weaker than them now, your potential is far greater. As long as you attain the Nine-step Saint King rank, even those on the Saint King Merit List will not be able to do anything to you.
“Do not tell me that you have no ambitions? This time around, go to the Kunlun Realm and show them your true abilities. Perhaps you may stumble upon a supreme opportunity there and create an immortal Saint body beyond the reaches of even the other Supreme Saints.”
Shang Ziyan no longer refused and said, “Will the Supreme Saints participate in the war as well?”
“The Supreme Saints cannot enter the Kunlun Realm. Their battlefield is beyond Kunlun, and you are the true main force in this battle.” Yanshen’s voice rang out again.
Shang Ziyan then asked, “How about the local Supreme Saints in the Kunlun Realm?”
“You do not have to worry. They will leave the Kunlun Realm.”
Yanshen then continued, “Since the Kunlun Realm wants to be protected by the Celestial Court, it would naturally need to abide by the Celestial Court’s rules. Remember, you will need to fight the Infernal Court and also take this opportunity to end the Kunlun Realm’s path. On top of that, take out Zhang Ruochen. We cannot allow him to do as he pleases anymore. If he breaks through the realm of a Supreme Saint, he will be difficult to deal with!”
…
The Ruiya Realm.
Youshen’s furious voice echoed in a dark dimension. “The two of you will lead our army into the Kunlun Realm. You must capture all living beings related to Zhang Ruochen and force him to show himself. Kill him, extract his Saint Soul, and bring it to me.”
“Master, you can rest assured that by the time we are done, Zhang Ruochen will wish he was never born.”
At a lower elevation away from Youshen, there was a man and woman.
The man was three meters tall, burly, and he radiated dark Saint light. Millions of Saint Path precepts flowed all over his skin, and it was hard to imagine that he was just a Nine-step Saint King.
After all, a Nine-step Saint King who could cultivate over ten million Saint Path precepts was already quite powerful.
The woman was wearing a fitting black robe, which revealed both her extremely fair legs, and holding a wooden staff in hand. One could easily imagine what kind of peerless beauty was hidden beneath the robe.
However, the spiritual powers that emanated from her body were not much weaker than the man’s Saint Path aura.
…
The Blackdemon Realm.
Blackheart Demonlord’s phantom stood in the sky and said, “Scions, you are all among the Blackdemon Realm’s Saint Kings who have cultivated the thirty-six Demonstone Engravings to the highest level. Go to the Kunlun Realm and be sure to find the thirty-six True Engravings of the Demonstone Engravings. Then, bring them back to the Blackdemon Realm. Also, there are two other tasks: get rid of Zhang Ruochen and find the Empress of a Thousand Bones.”
“Yes.”
Thirty-six Saint Kings knelt down on one knee. All of them were first-class powerhouses just beneath a Supreme Saint.
The Blackdemon Realm’s leader in the Celestial Domain of Truth, Qiong Lin was the youngest of the lot. In comparison to the other thirty-five, the aura that radiated from him was much weaker.
Farther away, countless demonic cultivators, all of whom had Saint-level cultivations, knelt down. At a glance, one would only see a sea of people.
…
The Fane of Bloody War.
After Bloodlord Sijia proclaimed a divine order, blood-red light spots flew toward the teleportation array like a rain of blood.
Each light spot was a Saint-level cultivator.
…
In a vast space, a star was sitting at the center with twelve other stars surrounding and illuminating it.
When compared with it, the other stars seemed small.
Luo Ji, the Rakshasa Princess was clad in thin, plain Saint clothes as she sat on a chariot.
Meanwhile, behind the chariot, a Rakshasa army slowly marched into a dimensional rift.
The Rakshasa Princess gently touched her crimson lips with her snow-white fingers as she said to herself, “I am really looking forward to this. I wonder, will that person return to Kunlun? My fated one, you have to come back!”