Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation
Below the Dimensional Rift, Zhang Ruochen’s body lay quietly on the broken ground. It had almost been reduced to a skeleton. Zhang Ruochen was no longer breathing.
However, despite being dead, Zhang Ruochen still held onto Imperial Ruler tightly. He did not give up before his last breath.
He finally fell and was no longer able to fight.
His dimmed, vacant eyes were filled with unwillingness and sorrow. In the end, he still could not save Chi Kongyue.
Zhang Ruochen was considered the most legendary figure of this era. He had brilliant battle achievements and fame that spread across a myriad of Macroworlds. He died not long after he had just become a Supreme Saint.
Once the news spread, it would drop a bomb among many deities.
At this moment, many powerful figures of Infernal Court had come forward and surrounded Zhang Ruochen’s body. Their eyes brightened with greed.
Everybody knew Zhang Ruochen had many rare items in his hand, such as Armor of the Fire God, Zangshan Demonic Mirror, the Golden Sun of Destruction, and so on. Each of them was very precious.
Among all, There was even one extraordinary divine weapon that was listed on The Record of Taibai Divine Artifact.
Moreover, Zhang Ruochen had a microworld within his body. Its value was immeasurable.
Even a deity would be tempted by so many treasures and would not be able to resist snatching them.
CRASH!
Imperial Ruler suddenly bloomed with a bright luster and broke free from Zhang Ruochen’s grip.
It flew away before the powerhouses from Infernal Court could stop it.
Although Imperial Ruler had no vessel spirit, there was a vessel spirit imprint inside. Ordinary people could not control it, let alone take it by force.
Seeing this, all the elites could not help but feel regretful. They could not do anything with it.
Everyone knew that only a deity could take over a divine artifact.
Fortunately, it was only Imperial Ruler that flew away. The other treasures were still with Zhang Ruochen.
“Zhang Ruochen has many rare items. It’s not too late to think about how to distribute them after we find all of them,” Nether Fiend suggested.
Hearing this, all the powerful figures could not help but nod slightly. They obviously agreed with Nether Fiend’s suggestion. They did not want to have a conflict over the treasures.
Nether Fiend immediately stepped forward and prepared to search Zhang Ruochen’s body so he could identify and count the items.
Whoosh!
At this moment, there was a slight distortion in the space. A tall figure appeared out of thin air and stood in front of Zhang Ruochen’s body.
It was none other than Yan Wushen, who had disappeared without a trace after coming out of the void.
Yan Wushen glanced at Zhang Ruochen, who no longer showed any signs of life. He reached out a hand and lifted the body.
“Yan Wushen, what do you want to do?” Nether Fiend asked in a deep voice.
Yan Wushen turned around and looked at Nether Fiend. He said indifferently, “I want to take Zhang Ruochen’s body. Do you have any objections?”
Yan Wushen did not care about the reactions of Nether Fiend and the others. He took Zhang Ruochen with him and disappeared from the spot.
“You…”
Nether Fiend was angry. He wanted to say something, but he swallowed his words.
The other powerful figures all frowned. They had not expected Yan Wushen to show up at this time and take Zhang Ruochen’s body away at will.
If it had been anyone else, they would have been enraged. But this person was Yan Wushen. They could not do anything about it.
After all, if they offended Yan Wushen, he would beat them up with no hesitation.
However, many cultivators could not understand why Yan Wushen would take Zhang Ruochen’s body?
“Let’s go and kill our way back. We’ll teach Celestial Court a painful lesson,” Nether Fiend said in a low voice.
He was filled with anger. He had to find someone to vent it out.
Celestial Court did not know Zhang Ruochen had died. The war still went on, and it was getting more and more intense.
Of course, even if the news spread, the war would not end easily.
The war between Celestial Court and Infernal Court had been brewing for a long time. It was inevitable. Zhang Ruochen charging into the camp of Infernal Court was the war’s trigger.
However, it did not matter what the war would turn out to be.
Yan Wushen stopped on a low mountain peak thousands of miles away from the Dimensional Rift.
In front of him stood two people: a man and a woman. They were Xuemo and Qiu Yichi.
Strangely, Yan Wushen did not attack Xuemo and Qiu Yichi. Instead, he handed Zhang Ruochen’s body to them.
After handing Zhang Ruochen over, Yan Wushen suddenly emitted a demonic red light. He turned into a small statue that was only three inches tall. It was carved out of an unknown blood-colored crystal, the surface was covered with complicated divine patterns.
Qiu Yichi waved her hand and put the statue away. At the same time, she carefully checked the condition of Zhang Ruochen’s body.
“Master predicted that his highness would be in trouble. She specially made a fake Yan Wushen and brought his highness out of danger. However, I don’t know if his highness can still be saved in such state.” Qiu Yichi’s eyes were solemn.
Blood Empress was extraordinarily skillful. She had once created a fake Chi Kunlun to deceive Zhang Ruochen.
Now, she had created a “Yan Wushen”. It was so lifelike that even the powerhouses of Infernal Court could not tell it was a fake. After all, their eyesight was not any better than Zhang Ruochen’s.
Of course, it was mainly because the real Yan Wushen wasn’t there. Otherwise, no matter how perfect the fake was, it would be pointless.
Xuemo’s eyes glowed. “Not only it is a Supreme Saint’s physique, it is a “Five-element Chaotic Neverwither Physique” that has Shenwu Mark of Time and Dimension. And the owner of this body had attained Great Perfection in his Saint Kinghood. It’s truly a perfect body.”
He had always been envious of Zhang Ruochen’s former body, but now he was more interested in Zhang Ruochen’s current body.
After all, no matter how well Zhang Ruochen’s former body was nourished by Blood Empress, Zhang Ruochen had never embarked on an immortal cultivation journey in that body. It was strong simply due to its nature.
On the other hand, Zhang Ruochen’s current body was perfect in every aspect. Even the deities would yearn to have it.
Xuemo suppressed his thoughts and did not dare to act rashly.
Blood Empress was now a deity. She could kill him with a snap of her fingers.
Qiu Yichi took out a blood-colored jade coffin and carefully put Zhang Ruochen’s body in it.
Blood Empress had personally made this jade coffin. It contained wondrous powers.
Inside the jade coffin, there was an amber-colored Jade Nectar. It gave off a refreshing fragrance. It was refined from many precious materials.
Just taking a breath of the fragrance could make one feel refreshed.
By relying on the jade coffin and the jade nectar inside, the condition of Zhang Ruochen’s body would not continue to worsen. It could even turn better.
“Hurry back to Endless Abyss.”
Qiu Yichi put away the jade coffin and left immediately without any delay.
The sooner she returned to Endless Abyss, the greater the chance Zhang Ruochen could be saved.
Although Zhang Ruochen’s soul had dissipated, theoretically, he could not be revived. However, with the means of the deities, there might still be a chance to revive the dead.
Otherwise, Blood Empress would not have made so many preparations.
At the entrance to the second level of Endless Abyss, Blood Empress was already waiting.
“Master, I have brought his highness back, but his condition is very bad.”
Qiu Yichi waved her hand and took out the blood-red jade coffin.
Seeing Zhang Ruochen, who was almost a skeleton in the jade coffin, Blood Empress could not help but tremble even though she was mentally prepared.
Blood Empress opened the Jade Coffin and reached out to caress Zhang Ruochen’s pale face. At the same time, she sent a stream of divine energy into Zhang Ruochen’s body.
Only his left leg remained intact.
This was because it was a divine leg. It contained boundless divine power and could not be easily damaged.
The attack that Zhang Ruochen had suffered in front of the dimensional rift was too terrifying. The divine patterns carved on his body by Moon Goddess had all been wiped out. Not a single trace was left.
Without the protection of Armor of the Fire God, his body might have been completely destroyed except for his left leg.
“How did Chen’er end up like this?”
Blood Empress was angry and heartbroken.
Her eyes had become moist, and tears were about to fall.
Although she was a deity, she also had feelings. How could she not feel heartbroken when she saw her son’s current condition?
Blood Empress had indeed predicted that Zhang Ruochen would be in trouble, but it was impossible for her to predict everything in advance.
Qiu Yichi said, “His highness wanted to save Chi Kongyue so he tried to break into Infernal Court through the Dimensional Rift but eventually ended up this way.”
“What happened to Chi Kongyue?” Blood Empress asked.
Qiu Yichi hesitated for a moment and said, “Chi Kongyue was taken away by a disciple of a deity in Infernal Court. It seems that that deity wants her body as its vessel. His highness risked everything to save her as soon as he found out about it.”
As soon as Blood Empress heard this, a terrifying cold light flashed in her eyes.
‘Those scums, not only did they take my granddaughter away, they were responsible for my son’s condition. They deserve death!’
However, in the next moment, Blood Empress regained her calmness. ‘Now it is not the time to think about these things. The most important thing is to save Chen’er first.’
“Chen’er’s iNeverwither physique is collapsing. His 144 acupoints are also in a half-broken state. His current body can no longer bear his sea of Qi and the inner world.” Blood Empress’s brows were knitted into a deep frown.
Zhang Ruochen’s Divine Light Sea of Qi was vast. It contained six Saint Aspects, Heavenly Stream, and Qiankun Realm were all in it. Once his physical body was severely injured, his Divine Light Sea of Qi would not last long and would soon shatter.
At that time, his six Saint Aspects and Heavenly Stream would disappear, and Qiankun Realm would appear in the outside world.
In this way, Zhang Ruochen’s cultivation foundation would be completely destroyed.
Everything, including his Mark of the Gods, God’s Destiny, six Saint Aspects would cease to exist. The same went to his Shenwu Mark of Time and Dimension.
Qiu Yichi asked, “Is there any way to save his highness?”
“On the surface, Chen’er’s soul has been completely destroyed. However, there are still a few of his Saint Souls 1left in his inner world. They are the key to turning life and death around,” Blood Empress said.
Qiankun Realm could be considered a part of Zhang Ruochen. He had been able to completely hide his Saint Souls into Qiankun Realm a long time ago.
Even if he did not do it on purpose, there were still a few of his Saint Souls left within Qiankun Realm.
However, even if she gathered these souls and stuffed them back into his body, they would not be enough to bring Zhang Ruochen back to life. She had to condense a more powerful Saint Soul.
“Chen’er, I won’t let anything happen to you.”
Blood Empress whispered. She took the jade coffin and disappeared.
The next moment, Blood Empress appeared in front of a vast dark red mountain. It burned with red flames and had terrifying thunder.
This was where Blood Empress had been nourishing Zhang Ruochen’s former body. The Blood Phoenix’s huge body was still on the mountain.
At the mountainside, Zhang Ruochen’s former body was enveloped in red blood. Its vitality was getting stronger and stronger as if he would wake up at any moment.
If Blood Empress did not take some measures on such a powerful body, a new soul could have been born.
Looking at the body enveloped in red blood, Blood Empress whispered, “Chen’er, I know that you don’t want this body back, but now, I have no choice. This is the only way to preserve your cultivation base.”
Zhang Ruochen’s former body was full of vitality and had a strong nature. With it, Zhang Ruochen could solve all problems he was facing at the moment.
Moreover, by merging the two bodies, Blood Empress was more confident that she could bring Zhang Ruochen back to life.
Time was tight, so Blood Empress did not hesitate. She waved her hand gently, and Zhang Ruochen’s half-crippled body flew out of the Jade Coffin and flew toward the red blood.
After entering the red blood, Blood Empress released her divine energy and began to fuse the two bodies.
This was not difficult for deities.
It was just like how Moon Goddess had fused the Yanshen’s leg into Zhang Ruochen’s body.
Both his former and current bodies were with the nature of Chaotic Elements. Theoretically, they should not reject each other and could easily fuse into one.
However, when Blood Empress tried to make this work, she ran into trouble.
Perhaps out of instinct, Zhang Ruochen’s current body rejected his previous body.
If they forcefully merged, it would cause Zhang Ruochen’s current body to collapse.
“Chen’er, as long as you don’t reject the fusion, I promise I will save Kongyue,” Blood Empress said seriously, her eyes filled with anxiety.
As if he had heard what Blood Empress said, after a short stalemate, the rejection force gradually diminished and completely disappeared.
Without any obstacles, it did not take long for Blood Empress to successfully fuse Zhang Ruochen’s two bodies together.
In this way, Zhang Ruochen’s condition became stable, and his cultivation foundation was preserved.
However, this was only the first step to save Zhang Ruochen. She still had to condense his saint soul again. That was the most difficult step.
The Saint Souls stored in Qiankun Realm were very few. They could not even wake Zhang Ruochen up.
It wasn’t realistic to rely on this bit of Saint Soul to help Zhang Ruochen recover.
There were two ways to save Zhang Ruochen.
The first way was to use spiritual power to summon his other souls and condense them again.
The second method was to use secret techniques to communicate with his Celestial Soul that was faintly discernible.
Theoretically speaking, a spiritual-power Supreme Saint had the ability to summon souls.
However, during the process of summoning souls, the summoner would suffer a terrible backlash from the laws of Heaven and earth. There was a 90 percent chance the process would cost the summoner’s life.
Even if the summoner was a deity, they would also pay a huge price, and accidents could happen.
Because of this, those top elites of the Heavenly Realm faction who died in Zhang Ruochen’s hands were unlikely to be revived. Even if their bodies were still intact, the Heavenly Realm would not sacrifice their spiritual power Supreme Saints to summon their souls, let alone the deities.
As for the second method, it required a secret technique that the ancient Qi Practitioners had mastered. It had long been lost.
Sword Saint Xuanji had been saved by Divine Sky-connecting Tree, mainly thanks to the tree’s crystal.
The crystal was extraordinary. It contained a boundless life force. Even a dying god could recover from it.
Blood Empress gazed at Zhang Ruochen, who was in the red blood. Her eyes were full of tenderness. She said, “Chen’ er, no matter the price, I will save you.”
All parents in the world were the same. They could sacrifice everything, including their lives, for their children.
Zhang Ruochen treated Chi Kongyue the same way, and so did Blood Empress. There was no difference in their love.
Blood Empress was only a new deity. She had just attained her godhood not long ago. If she performed the secret technique of summoning souls, it would be much more dangerous. But she still did it without hesitation because Zhang Ruochen was her son.