Zhang Ruochen’s solid Saint Soul was divided into six parts. Each occupied one direction[1] and began to rotate slowly then faster.
Whoosh!
A vortex existing between reality and illusion appeared, establishing a connection with an unknown dimension.
A barely discernable silhouette appeared in the vortex. He had the same appearance as Zhang Ruochen’s. He was trying to break free, but he could not because of a big obstacle.
Countless illusory chains intertwined in the vortex. They wrapped around the faint silhouette, binding him like a prison chain, moving like fiery dragons.
The faint silhouette was Zhang Ruochen’s Core Spirit. It was where all his spirituality was. If Blood Empress could not summon it, the Saint Soul she had condensed would become an empty shell. Even if the soul merged with Zhang Ruochen’s body, it would not bring him back.
At the most critical moment, Blood Empress did not hesitate. Her spirit, which was on the verge of collapse, charged into the vortex with the remaining divine spirit.
Rumble
Lightning appeared in the void and struck fiercely at Blood Empress’ soul and spirit.
Instantly, Blood Empress’ spirit was damaged. The cracks on her soul increased, worsening its condition.
At this moment, Lord Ming mobilized his spiritual power to protect Zhang Ruochen’s body and Saint Soul to avoid being affected.
Even if Zhang Ruochen had a Demigod-level physique, he would not be able to stand against the laws of heaven and earth.
Lord Ming would not have interfered if Blood Empress had not insisted on saving him because he could get implicated when things go south.
At the same time, in front of a Dimensional Rift opened by Infernal Court at thousands of miles away from Central Imperial City, the surrounding precepts and Saint Qi became chaotic. Cracks formed in the sky, and the ground collapsed. It was an apocalyptic scene, a terrifying sight to see.
Under the impact of such destructive force, the Dimensional Rift became unstable.
Buzz
The seven majestic cities shook. The Dimensional Rift’s condition remained even though there was enormous energy channeled in the attempt to stabilize it.
Of course, all this was due to Blood Empress summoning Zhang Ruochen’s soul.
The reason was that Zhang Ruochen had died in front of the Dimensional Rift. Hence, most of his soul fragments were scattered here.
“What’s going on?”
Sensing the unusual phenomenon around the Dimensional Rift, many Infernal Court cultivators were alarmed. They were in puzzlement.
Lightning, wind, fire… all kinds of forces at a threatening manner emerged. They pierced through the sky and formed a vast pitch-black hole. It was like an opening bloody mouth of an ancient beast that would swallow everything.
The Dimensional Rift was affected the most. It became increasingly unstable and began to collapse.
Crack!
The seven cities were the first to break apart.
Within each city was a large number of Infernal Court cultivators guarding it. At this moment, they all flew off into the distance.
Rumble
The seven cities were all shattered, falling from the sky.
Without the suppression of the cities, the Dimensional Rift could no longer hold on. It collapsed and released a destructive force that spread in all directions at a shocking speed.
The destructive force swept across the sky and dispersed the clouds. The blue sky became dark in an instant.
Sensing this power, the cultivators from Celestial Court and Infernal Court, who were fighting outside the imperial city, were all shocked.
“How could such an unusual phenomenon happen?”
A Heavenly Realm cultivator whose spiritual power was close to that of the Supreme Saint said with a serious face, “I sensed a slight fluctuation of the soul fragments. Could it be that a spiritual-power Supreme Saint is summoning soul?”
“Zhang Ruochen died in front of the Dimensional Rift between Infernal Court and Kunlun. He might have something to do with this phenomenon.”
“Yan Wushen took Zhang Ruochen’s body away not long ago. Even if he wants to resurrect Zhang Ruochen, where can he find someone to help him in Kunlun?
“That’s impossible. Yan Wushen can’t be this crazy.”
“I’m afraid it’s impossible for a spiritual-power Supreme Saint to summon a Supreme Saint’s soul. Only a deity can have a chance. Is there a deity hiding in Kunlun? Or did Moon Goddess come here personally?”
“Maybe it is just the backlash of laws of heaven and earth in Kunlun that caused the Dimensional Rift to collapse. It’s not as complicated as we thought.”
…
Although they suspected that a deity was summoning Zhang Ruochen’s soul, the possibility was very low.
On the other side, in the second level of Endless Abyss.
The precepts of heaven and earth were chaotic. The sky was dyed bloody red. Meteor shower fell upon lands and waters. It was a terrifying sight as if Kunlun was hit by an apocalypse.
In the face of the power of heaven and earth, Xuemo, Qiu Yichi, and the others were shocked. No matter how tough they were, they could not remain calm.
“The soul summoning is so terrifying. No wonder only few people were willing to do it since ancient times,” said Xue Tu in shock.
In history, many outstanding cultivators from Celestial Court and Infernal Court had died. However, those who got resurrected in the end were very few, and the children of deities were no exception.
Xue Tu was certain that if he died in Kunlun, his father would definitely not summon his soul.
Xue Mo’s eyes turned grim. “The backlash from the laws of heaven and earth is brutal. I don’t know if Blood Empress can withstand it. After all, Zhang Ruochen isn’t any ordinary Neverwither Supreme Saint. Not only he’s the Master of Time and Space, he’s also cultivated his Saint Kinghood to Great Perfection. He was a rare talent. Hence, it’ll be even harder to change his fate.”
“Master will definitely succeed,” Qiu Yichi said.
However, even though she said so, she was filled with worry. She was afraid that not only would Blood Empress fail to resurrect Zhang Ruochen, something bad could happen on Blood Empress.
Inside the blood-colored mountain, Blood Empress used all her strength to break the chains that bound Zhang Ruochen’s soul. She withstood all the backlash from the laws of heaven and earth.
As a result, Blood Empress’ soul and spirit were greatly damaged.
The longer the time passed, the stronger the backlash from the laws of heaven and earth would be. The will of heaven and earth seemed to be pressing down on Blood Empress.
Finally, Zhang Ruochen’s Core Spirit was able to break free from the vortex between reality and illusion. Under Blood Empress’ guidance, it merged with the Saint Soul.
In other words, Zhang Ruochen’s Saint Soul had finally gained spirituality.
The soul summoning was successful!
“Return to the body and revive.”
Blood Empress’ expression became solemn than ever.
She released powerful divine energy enveloping Zhang Ruochen’s body and Saint Soul. The two slowly merged.
The six parts of his Saint Soul entered his Divine Light Sea of Qi. They went into the six Saint Aspects at the same time.
Boom
Outside the blood-colored mountain, the colors of the sky changed. Lightning flashed, and thunder rumbled. Billions of thunderbolts appeared at the same time. It was as if nature was furious.
The entire second level of Endless Abyss became dark. The atmosphere turned oppressive.
“Heaven and Earth are angry. This is a sign. Fate has been changed against the will of heaven and earth!” Xue Tu said in a trembling voice.
Changing fate meant going against the laws of heaven and earth. Once the attempt succeeded, it would naturally trigger the wrath of heaven and earth.
Hearing this, Qiu Yichi and the others could not help but let out a long sigh of relief. They could finally relax.
Not long after, the destructive storm slowly dissipated, and the second level of Endless Abyss returned to its peaceful state.
The wrath of heaven and earth was only an unusual phenomenon. It would not really cause any further damage. After all, during the process of soul summoning, the summoner had already paid a huge price for it.
BANG!!!
Blood Empress was exhausted. Her graceful and beautiful face was as pale as a sheet. It was almost like she had turned into a jade. However, she still stood straight. Her divine might did not decrease. She had a transcendent aura that could fight against heaven and earth.
However, this was just the surface. This summoning had taken a great toll on Blood Empress. Her divine source had been broken, and her soul had shattered. Without help, she would not be able to recover in a short amount of time.
Although Blood Empress was heavily injured, there was a gratified smile on her face.
That smile was the same as when Zhang Ruochen was born. It was filled with happiness and motherly love.
At this moment, she was not an immortal vampire, not a deity, but a mother, a mother who would do anything for her child.
Whoosh!
The Saint Qi of heaven and earth gathered from all directions and merged with Blood Empress’ body. Her wounded body recovered quickly. Soon, not a single scar was left.
However, her beautiful face was still as pale as a piece of divine jade. She was exhausted.
Zhang Ruochen’s will had never disappeared. Despite being trapped in a world of endless darkness, he had struggled hard to fight against the will of heaven and earth. Because his will wasn’t destroyed, the soul summoning was successful.
If it were a cultivator with weak willpower, they would have given up the moment they died.
Hence, even if a deity summoned their souls, it would be futile.
When Zhang Ruochen was trapped in the endless dark and cold world, Blood Empress had guided him with a beam of light. Step by step, he moved toward the bright world.
Zhang Ruochen’s consciousness gradually recovered, but he was at loss. He did not wake up immediately.
Slowly, Zhang Ruochen’s thoughts began to recover. Images began to appear in his mind. In the end, Kongyue’s image appeared clearly, but it gradually disappeared into the distance.
In Zhang Ruochen’s mind, only the memory of Wan Xin’s contemptuous and provocative laughter echoed.
BOOM!
An extremely powerful force with traces of divine power exploded from Zhang Ruochen’s body. He shouted, “Kongyue!”
At this moment, Zhang Ruochen finally opened his eyes and woke up from his deep sleep.
BANG!
Because he was too excited, Zhang Ruochen could not control the powerful strength in his body. He struggled out of the red blood and fell heavily to the ground.
He supported his body with his hands so that he did not hit the ground.
Zhang Ruochen lowered his head and gritted his teeth. His body was trembling, and his eyes were full of pain. He blamed himself for not being able to protect Chi Kongyue.
Blood Empress walked over and hugged Zhang Ruochen tightly. She felt sorry for him and comforted him, “Kongyue will be fine. Chen’er, she will be fine. I promise you that she will be fine.”
When Blood Empress said this, she could not hold back her tears.
The tears of deities were more precious than their blood.
It wasn’t because Blood Empress liked to cry, but because she cared too much.
Being hugged by Blood Empress, Zhang Ruochen gradually calmed down. He let out a long breath. His tense muscles and bones softened, and his body no longer trembled.
At this moment, he felt like he had returned to his childhood.
The warmth of Blood Empress made Zhang Ruochen feel heartwarming and comfortable. He could completely relax, like a baby in an infant’s cradle or a mother’s womb.
After a long time, Zhang Ruochen tried hard to calm his emotions and regain his senses. His eyes were deep as ocean.
His pupils moved as he observed his surroundings.
When he saw the Soul-summoning Array carved by Blood Empress and the ground stained with divine blood, Zhang Ruochen immediately understood everything. He was deeply struck, his heart throbbing.
Blood Empress had deliberately restrained her aura, but it was still very powerful.
However, Zhang Ruochen could clearly sense she was weakened despite her powerful aura. The current Blood Empress was completely different from the impression she had given off during their last encounter.
With no doubt, he could tell that Blood Empress must have paid a huge price to save him.
With Zhang Ruochen’s current knowledge, he certainly knew how difficult it was to summon a soul, especially for a soul of a Supreme Saint.
When he met Blood Empress in the past, it was not just Blood Empress who was suffering. Zhang Ruochen’s heart was also filled with conflict and pain. Now, the conflict and pain had disappeared. A knot in his heart was finally untied.
Zhang Ruochen became much more relaxed.
After he calmed down, Zhang Ruochen regained his composure. He reached out and wiped the tears from Blood Empress’ face. He reminded her, “I’m already a Supreme Saint. The emperor among Saints is not a child. Even if I had a nightmare in the endless darkness just now, it wouldn’t scare me.”
Seeing Zhang Ruochen wiping away her tears, Blood Empress was stunned. Then, a beautiful smile appeared on her face. She was very happy.
Zhang Ruochen stood up and moved his arms that were emitting divine light. He felt that his hands were filled with endless power. It was as if he could pluck the stars in the sky with just a raise of his hand.
Zhang Ruochen from 800 years ago and Zhang Ruochen from 800 years later had become one person.
The familiar yet strange feeling came to his mind.
“Let’s pay Infernal Court a visit!”
Zhang Ruochen made a huge decision. His eyes filled with determination. It was obvious that he had thought it over carefully before saying this.
At this moment, he had regained his rationality and was not acting impulsively.
In fact, only his loved ones and family could make Zhang Ruochen act impulsively and recklessly.
It was precisely because of this impulsiveness and recklessness that he was Zhang Ruochen. In order to help his master find the divine medicine that could bring him back to life, he had entered the netherworld, risking his life. Because of Chi Yao and Huang Yanchen’s deception, he had confronted them at Ziwei Palace despite knowing he was not strong enough. For Mu Lingxi, he had brought legions to attack Demonic Sect of the Moon. For Kunlun, he had suppressed cultivators from myriad macroworlds just to win a bit of dignity.
If other cultivators were deceived by a god, would they dare to confront the god? No. They would just submit to that god.
If it were other cultivators, would they dare to declare war against the Demonic Sect of the Moon and the Fire clan to fulfill their promise to a woman?
…
Blood Empress stared at Zhang Ruochen. Of course, she knew why Zhang Ruochen wanted to visit Infernal Court. She did not ask any questions and agreed.
“Okay, I will accompany you.”
No matter what Zhang Ruochen wanted to do, Blood Empress would support him.
She believed in Zhang Ruochen’s ability and wisdom.
Since he had chosen the future path, he would be responsible for his own choices.
Zhang Ruochen thought for a moment. He flipped his hand and took out a Heart of the Divine Tree. After handing it to Blood Empress, he said, “It should be of great help to a deity’s injuries.”
A Heart of the Divine Tree was formed by Divine Sky-connecting Tree. It took a long time to form one. It contained boundless life power and could heal almost all injuries.
Even if a deity was seriously injured and dying, they could quickly recover by refining a Heart of the Divine Tree.
Blood Empress did not refuse and took it.
Blood Empress would like it even if it was just an ordinary object, let alone a precious Heart of the Divine Tree.
It was because Zhang Ruochen was the one who gave it to her.
Crack!
Zhang Ruochen took a step forward and stepped into the ground. Then half of his body sank into the ground.
‘What’s going on?’
His body was extremely heavy, as if it was being pressed down by an ancient mountain.
Blood Empress quickly reached out a hand and pulled Zhang Ruochen out of the ground. She said, “You have just merged with your body from your previous life. You still can’t control the physical strength of this body. It will take some time for you to get used to it.”
Zhang Ruochen understood. The heaviness he felt was because the power contained in his body was so great that he could not control it carefully.
Just like a mortal, he could leave a shallow footprint on the ground.
Zhang Ruochen’s current power was many times stronger than a mortal’s. If he could not control his power well, he wouldn’t just leave a footprint on the ground.
He could even flatten a mountain.
Now that his body had been nurtured into a Demigod-level physique by Blood Empress, it wasn’t easy to control it.
After the two bodies merged, Zhang Ruochen could sense that the strength of his physique alone was at least ten times that of his past physique—the combo of Five-element Chaotic Body and Neverwither physique.
In other words, the strength of this body could even beat a Supreme Saint at the peak of Hundred-Shackle Realm. The prerequisite was that Zhang Ruochen could control his Demigod-level physique meticulously.
Like now, he had to walk carefully not to be trapped underground. How could he compete with a Supreme Saint at Hundred-Shackle Realm in such a state?
Even if he owned a Demigod-level physique, he would need to attain Demigod-level cultivation realm to unleash Demigod-level combat strength. However, it was still early to reach that phase. For now, it could only be said that Zhang Ruochen would make faster progress in his cultivation within his Supreme Sainthood, and his combat strength would far surpass that of cultivators in the same rank.
[1] north, south, east, west, up, down
