During Zhang Ruochen’s absence, Royal Mountain had gone through many changes. The internal space was wider, the Saint Qi of heaven and earth was thicker, and there were sacred medicines everywhere.
According to Mastadon-Devouring Rabbit and Demon Ape, there were even two one-hundred-thousand-year-old sacred medicines. However, they were all picked up and eaten by them immediately.
With Zhang Ruochen’s current cultivation base and strength, obviously he wasn’t interested in one-hundred-thousand-year-old sacred medicines. He would however be interested in the Yuanhui Tribulation sacred herb if there’s one.
However, the Yuanhui Tribulation sacred herb was extremely precious and could not be easily obtained. Even if Royal Mountain was really an awakened divine ground, it would still be difficult to produce one in a short time.
Under the lead of Mastadon-Devouring Rabbit and Demon Ape, Zhang Ruochen entered a magnificent Weapon-Refining Pavilion and saw Blackie, who was staring blankly.
“How is this place? Is Royal Mountain suitable for us to place the key of the World Gate?” Zhang Ruochen went up and asked.
Blackie came back to his senses in a snap and said excitedly, “This is a really good place. After my careful investigation, it is very likely that this is an awakened divine ground, but it hasn’t fully recovered yet. I suspect that there might be divine medicine in the deepest areas of the folded dimension.”
“There’s divine medicine here?” Zhang Ruochen was surprised.
Blackie said, “That is just my speculation, but I can’t be sure for now. We wouldn’t be able to confirm this until the folded dimension is fully opened. Let’s talk about the key of the World Gate first.
“Your idea to use the key of the World Gate to build a sacred ground for cultivation is good, however, we need to set it up carefully to ensure that nothing goes wrong. You will have to provide me with sufficient materials to set up the array.”
Blackie became serious as it was speaking. The key of the World Gate was extremely important, and matters related to it must be treated seriously.
If they were exposed, all their efforts would be in vain.
“Don’t worry. As long as you can set it up properly, I can provide you with as many materials as you need,” Zhang Ruochen said.
He had obtained hundreds of millions of treasures collected by the four overlords of True Dragon Island. There were various kinds of treasures, so he could use them however he wanted.
The key to the World Gate couldn’t be brought out of Kunlun Realm nor stored in Qiankun Realm. If it could, they wouldn’t have to go through so much trouble.
Immediately, Blackie listed down all the materials he needed in detail and handed it to Zhang Ruochen.
Zhang Ruochen took out the Ring of Dimensions from the four overlords of True Dragon Island. Blackie needed a lot of materials, and most of them were very precious. He could only find them from here.
Due to several delays, he did not have time to check and count the treasures he had obtained.
There were too many treasures so it took a lot of time just to count them roughly. To add on to that, there were many treasures which Zhang Ruochen couldn’t recognize, so he had to ask Blackie to help him identify.
“What is this thing?”
Zhang Ruochen waved his hand and took out an object.
It was a huge rock. At first glance, there was nothing special about it. However, if one looked at it carefully, they would find many complicated patterns on the surface of the rock. They seemed to be formed naturally.
Upon seeing this, Blackie’s eyes lit up. It immediately pounced forward and stared at the patterns on the surface of the boulder.
After a moment, Blackie said excitedly, “This is good stuff. It’s actually the cornerstone of the divine array, and this one’s so well-preserved. Zhang Ruochen, do you still have any?”
Hearing this, Zhang Ruochen could not help but look surprised. He immediately took out eight similar boulders.
These boulders were all collected by Mojo. Thankfully it was able to recognize these rocks as treasures.
“That’s great. With these nine cornerstones of the divine array, I’m confident that I can set up a perfect maze array. No one can sense the aura of the key of the World Gate,” Blackie said confidently.
This matter could not be delayed. After getting the materials, Blackie immediately got busy.
With Blackie’s current array attainments, he had enough materials and was extremely efficient in setting up the array.
In the past few days, Blackie found some remnants of an ancient array in the depths of Royal Mountain. It was like a circular wall buried in the soil. After using its spiritual power to explore, Blackie could feel its grandeur. He suspected it to be an ancient divine array.
However, the ancient array was badly broken. Blackie and Zhang Ruochen spent a lot of effort to push some of the remnants of the array to the ground surface and set it up at the entrance of Royal Mountain.
It took Blackie another ten days to restore the ancient array. Although only less than one percent of the array pattern was restored, it was already enough to resist the attack of Nine-Step Saint King.
Then, Blackie began to set up the formation to seal the key of the World Gate. It was indeed a big project as they had to ensure that the key of the World Gate could not escape from the formation nor be discovered by anyone, but also that the formation could create an excellent cultivation environment.
Fortunately, there were some people who knew about arrays among the old Shengming cadres, so they were able to help Blackie.
In a cultivation room in the Weapon-Refining Pavilion, Zhang Ruochen was quietly adjusting his breath to make up for the vital energy he had used up in the battle with Supreme Saint Jinhui.
Suddenly, the Staff of the Divine Envoy flew out on its own. It shone with a bright divine light, and Yueshen’s figure appeared out of thin air.
Zhang Ruochen immediately woke up. He stood up and bowed respectfully, “Greetings, Yueshen.”
“You should give me an explanation for what happened to Sunshine Tianzi, don’t you think?” Yueshen said coldly.
Zhang Ruochen could clearly feel Yueshen’s dissatisfaction, but he remained calm and said, “This isn’t what I intended. Sunshine Tianzi was too evil and vicious. He wanted to plot against me to snatch my treasure and then take over my body. I never attack anyone unless they attack me. Since he had attacked me, I had no choice but to kill him.”
“None of those ancient civilizations are easy to deal with. Killing their Tianzi is a huge matter and will affect the entire ancient civilization. The elder Tianzhu of Sunshine Civilization is especially known for shielding shortcomings of his own people. This time, he visited Mount Yueshen in person and asked me to hand you over. What do you think I should do?” Yueshen’s eyes shone with divine light, as she stared at Zhang Ruochen.
Hearing this, Zhang Ruochen frowned. He didn’t expect Sunshine Civilization to be so aggressive to even have someone as powerful as Tianzhu to visit Yueshen in person. Were they so determined to kill him?
On the surface, Zhang Ruochen was still calm, but his eyes were sharp, “This is my fault, so I will take all responsibility. I won’t make things difficult for Yueshen, and I won’t implicate Guanghan Realm.
“However, I won’t let Sunshine Civilization control me. If they want to deal with me, they will need to have the ability to do that. Also, Jinyang Twin Kings and the Golden Crow Ancient Cauldron will disappear forever.”
Zhang Ruochen couldn’t fight against the entire Sunshine Civilization with his current cultivation level, but he wouldn’t be threatened by them either. If they really make this a big deal, he would make Sunshine Civilization regret it.
Zhang Ruochen and Yueshen looked at each other but neither of them spoke. There was a pin drop silence in the cultivation room, making the atmosphere extremely stifling.
After some time, Yueshen said, “Before you become powerful enough, you must always think twice before you act. Acting on impulse will only destroy you. You have to understand that I can’t protect you every time. Of course, dealing with the sects in the Heavenly Realm is an exception.”
“I understand,” Zhang Ruochen nodded.
Of course he understood the principle of being flexible. However, there were some things that he just couldn’t compromise. If his mood was affected, how could he become a Supreme Saint or even a God?
Yueshen slightly pondered, “Since you have a reason to kill him, things are different. It is me who should demand an explanation from Sunshine Civilization. Now that I have fully recovered my divine power, I should look for someone to spar with. Sunshine Tianzhu is a good candidate. Leave all the cultivators of Sunshine Civilization to me. With these bargaining chips, the initiative will be in my hands.”
Hearing this, Zhang Ruochen could not help but think: when Yueshen had only recovered 50% of her divine power, she could already crush Yanshen, Blackheart Demonlord, and Bloodlord Erjia. Now that she had fully recovered her divine power, how powerful could she be?
Of course, the more powerful Yueshen was, the better it was for Zhang Ruochen. This would mean that he can do many things without scruples.
Thinking of this, Zhang Ruochen quickly replied, “It’s up to Yueshen.”
“Supreme Saint Manjian will look for you soon. Just hand over the cultivators from Sunshine Civilization to him.”
After leaving these words, Yueshen disappeared without a trace.
Zhang Ruochen put away the Staff of the Divine Envoy. A faint smile appeared in his eyes. Yueshen was indeed reliable.
In just six hours, a clone of Supreme Saint Manjian arrived at Yunwu Commandery.
Zhang Ruochen immediately went up to him and smiled, “Brother Manjian, congratulations. You survived a great disaster, and your cultivation has improved again.”
When Zhang Ruochen followed Yueshen to Celestial Court, he practiced in Supreme Saint Manjian’s sacred realm. Supreme Saint Manjian took great care of him and even lowered his status to talk to him as an equal.
During the battle on Mount Yueshen, Supreme Saint Manjian had his head chopped off, but he still fought with a headless body. This left a lasting impression on Zhang Ruochen.
Supreme Saint Manjian had practiced with his immortal body for more than a thousand years. His vitality was strong, even chopping off his head wasn’t enough to take his life.
“Brother Ruochen, what you did in Kunlun Realm really surprised me. Thanks to you, Guanghan Realm was able to acquire an excellent cultivation environment in Celestial Court,” Supreme Saint Manjian patted Zhang Ruochen on the shoulder.
Zhang Ruochen said, “Brother Manjian, don’t make fun of me. In the eyes of the gods, these fights are just insignificant matters.
“Oh right, the people Yueshen wants are all here. I’ll need to trouble you to bring them back, Brother Manjian.”
As he spoke, Zhang Ruochen took out an Exquisite Dimensional Orb.
Supreme Saint Manjian reached out his hand to catch the Exquisite Dimensional Orb and said, “In that case, I’ll go back and report to Yueshen first. We shall have a few more drinks when you visit Ziluo Domain.”
“Then, Brother Manjian, you must bring out your best wine,” Zhang Ruochen said.
Supreme Saint Manjian said, “Don’t worry, I won’t mistreat you. However, Brother Ruochen, you must be very careful in Battlefield of Merits. Kunlun Realm is not like Zuling Realm. The situation here is very complicated. Even with your current strength, you must not be careless.”
“Yes, I will be careful,” Zhang Ruochen nodded.
After a few more words of advice, Supreme Saint Manjian’s clone did not delay any longer. He took the Exquisite Dimensional Orb and soared into the sky. He came quickly and also left quickly.
Seeing Supreme Saint Manjian leave, Zhang Ruochen stood still for a moment. Then, he rushed to Royal Mountain.
Now that he had Yueshen to deal with this troublesome matter, Zhang Ruochen did not have any more worries. He could go into seclusion and cultivate for a period of time in peace, and also digest what he had gained on True Dragon Island.
While Zhang Ruochen was recuperating and recovering, Blackie had already chosen a place for the key to the World Gate — a valley which emerged from the folded dimension, located deep in Royal Mountain. It was very secluded and had a large internal space.
The Saint Qi of heaven and earth in this valley was very rich. There was a huge Saint Meridian underground that nurtured many sacred medicines.
If one looked carefully, one could even see hints of spiritual Qi of heaven and earth. This was the main reason why Blackie suspected that Royal Mountain was an awakened divine ground.
In a short time, Blackie had made some arrangements. It had built a Ninth Stratum Array using the boulders engraved with divine array patterns as its foundation. The array was used to seal the key of the World Gate and prevent it from emitting any aura. Yet, it could make the heavenly and earthly precepts and the Saint Qi of heaven and earth in the valley very active, making cultivation processes more efficient.
Although it hadn’t finished all arrangements, the valley was already equipped with the basic functions to assist with cultivation. So, Zhang Ruochen gathered Mastadon-Devouring Rabbit, Demon Ape, and nearly a hundred female saints. At the same time, he released many old Shengming cadres from Qiankun Realm.
He had obtained a lot of cultivation resources on True Dragon Island. Obviously, he had to use them to train more powerhouses.
Wars in the future would be crueler. No one knew what would happen. Zhang Ruochen hoped that everyone around him would be equipped with the skills to protect themselves. After all, he might not always be able to protect them.
“I can also use the power of Sundial to cultivate. This time, I must break through to the greater precept world. No, I want to cultivate Precept Domain.” Mastadon-Devouring Rabbit was very excited.
The others were also looking forward to it. With enough time and resources, as long as their innate talent was not too weak, their cultivation and strength would definitely improve vastly.
Sundial was opened, and the power of time covered a 2000-meter radius. Except for Blackie, who was going to continue setting up the array, the others all began to seclude themselves to cultivate.
It didn’t take long for Zhang Ruochen to adjust to his best condition. He couldn’t help but take out the King Grade Sacred Pill, which contained dragonsoul fire.
Zhang Ruochen had two goals for this seclusion. First was to refine this King Grade Sacred Pill, and the second was to refine all millions of Precepts of Gods in Yanshen’s Leg.
Once he refined all millions of Precepts of Gods, the power Yanshen’s Leg could emit would be shocking. This could become Zhang Ruochen’s trump card.
At that point, Zhang Ruochen would be confident that he could fight against a Supreme Saint in the advanced stage of Neverwilt Realm.
At that point, Zhang Ruochen would be ready to challenge Yan Wushen, the number one cultivator below the Supreme Saints of Celestial and Infernal Courts.
This was every Saint King’s dream!
As long as he could defeat Yan Wushen, he would defend the dignity of Kunlun Realm and announce to the whole universe that Kunlun Realm has someone with the name of Zhang Ruochen.
His path to becoming an emperor would begin with defeating Yan Wushen.
Of course, it was obviously not easy to refine the King Grade Sacred Pill or Precept of Gods. It would take a lot of time.
In addition, Zhang Ruochen would want to continue improving his cultivation and elevate the Paths that he was focusing on to a higher level.
With the six Saint Aspects, this was Zhang Ruochen’s great advantage. He could do six different things at the same time.
‘If I can transform Divine Purification Flame into Emperor-level flame, it will be of great help to me in forging the immortal saint body. It will also make it much easier to control the power of Yanshen’s Leg,’ Zhang Ruochen thought.
Zhang Ruochen was full of expectations as he put the King Grade Sacred Pill into his mouth.
The medicinal power of the King Grade Sacred Pill was amazing. Even a Supreme Saint had to be careful to refine it. Ordinary Saint Kings didn’t even dare to touch it.
When Zhang Ruochen immersed himself in seclusion, the outside world was full of spirit. He had become the talk of the town in both Celestial and Infernal Courts.
Yet this wasn’t something that was unexpected — first, Zhang Ruochen defeated Son of Darkness, a rare genius of the Fane of Darkness on True Dragon Island. Then, he defeated Supreme Saint Jinhui, who was in the mid-stages of Neverwilt Realm outside Grand Terminal of Merits. It was hard for him not to attract attention.
Those who didn’t have a bad impression of Zhang Ruochen clapped their hands in satisfaction. Many younger cultivators even made him their idol.
Those who were hostile to Zhang Ruochen gritted their teeth in hatred. They wanted to get rid of him even more.
The native Kunlun Realm cultivators had mixed feelings. They were happy that Zhang Ruochen had killed many powerhouses of Infernal Court, but they felt sorry when they remembered that Zhang Ruochen was no longer a member of Kunlun Realm.
“Who would have thought that Zhang Ruochen could grow to such a level in such a short time? No one can stop him from rising. Perhaps he will soon be on par with Yan Wushen.”
“Zhang Ruochen is very strong and can defeat a Supreme Saint in the mid-stages of Neverwilt Realm. Yet, he is still far from being on par with Yan Wushen. There are countless geniuses in Celestial and Infernal Courts, but there is only one Yan Wushen. He is the only one who can cause the Four Heavenly Kings of the Celestial Palace a headache.”
“Yan Wushen is temperamental. Recently, he’s been killing wantonly in Kunlun Realm. He single-handedly massacred the fifteen commanderies of the Western Region. Hundreds of millions of lives were robbed, and their corpses were scattered on the earth. It was like a purgatory on Earth.”
“This isn’t the first time Yan Wushen has done this. Before this, he had massacred all the lives in the three macroworlds. No one has ever killed as much as he did.”
“I believe that Yan Wushen will find Zhang Ruochen soon. Zhang Ruochen is definitely a worthy opponent, though I’m not sure if this heritor of time and space will be able to continue his legend of invincibility by then.”
…
The cultivators discussed animatedly. Their focus was on Zhang Ruochen and Yan Wushen since they had both done great things recently.
Therefore, many people were looking forward to the battle between Zhang Ruochen and Yan Wushen. However, it was hard to say what was going on internally in these people’s minds.
