Chapter 2143: Summoning Han Qiu
Outside the sacred mountain, there was a wide river. It was surging nonstop, and the dense Saint Qi of Celestial Court and the earth were rising, forming a snow-white fog. It looked surreal.
In the Saint Court, this river was known as the sacred river. It was as famous as the sacred mountain and very mysterious. Since Kunlun Realm was revived, a very long-lived sacred medicine was born almost every day, and there were even 100,000-year-old sacred medicines.
A scholar in cyan stood by the river. His entire body was in perfect harmony with the river’s rhythm.
Zhang Ruochen appeared behind the scholar in cyan. He cupped his hands and said, “Greetings, Princ.i.p.al Luo.”
Zhang Ruochen had always been very grateful and respectful to Luo Xu. Even though he was now stronger than Luo Xu, he hadn’t changed.
Seeing that Luo Xu was safe and sound, Zhang Ruochen was finally relieved.
He could sense that Luo Xu was shrouded in a mysterious aura that even he could not see through.
Although he did not know where Luo Xu had gone after he was seriously injured by Great Prince Mara, Zhang Ruochen guessed that he must have gotten an extraordinary opportunity and become more unpredictable.
Luo Xu turned around and looked at Zhang Ruochen. “Thank you.”
“Senior Chu has done me a favor. How could I just sit back and do nothing to return the favor?” Zhang Ruochen said.
Luo Xu sighed. “Chu Siyuan was too stubborn. For the integrity of the Path of Confucianism, he protected the Saint Ancient Tea Tree with his life. Unfortunately, I was not strong enough to save him. I could only watch as Great Prince Mara cut off his flesh and blood and dyed the Saint Ancient Tea Tree red with his Saint Blood.”
Even though a long time had pa.s.sed, the b.l.o.o.d.y scene still lingered in Luo Xu’s mind. It was like it had happened yesterday.
“Princ.i.p.al Luo, don’t blame yourself. Senior Chu sacrificed his life for us. His deed will be remembered forever. What we need to do is fulfill his wish and take the Saint Ancient Tea Tree back from the Rakshasa,” Zhang Ruochen said.
Luo Xu nodded. “The Saint Ancient Tea Tree is of great significance to the Path of Confucianism. If we can take it back, the entire Path of Confucianism will owe you a huge favor.”
To be honest, Luo Xu admired Zhang Ruochen. Before this, he didn’t dare to think about taking back the Saint Ancient Tea Tree.
After all, the Saint Ancient Tea Tree was not something common. Since it had fallen into the hands of the Rakshasa’s G.o.ds, it was almost impossible for them to return it.
However, Zhang Ruochen had captured the respected Rakshasa Princess. The Rakshasa had no choice but to compromise.
Zhang Ruochen did not care about the favor of the Path of Confucianism. He only acted according to his heart without any guilty conscience.
Since he had already met with Luo Xu, Zhang Ruochen did not delay any further. He directly asked Luo Xu to send a message to the Rakshasa to exchange the Saint Ancient Tea Tree as soon as possible.
It didn’t take long for both sides to reach an agreement. The decision made was to hand over the person and the Saint Ancient Tea Tree at Mount Purple Cloud near the Eastern Region Holy City three days later.
To make sure nothing went wrong, Zhang Ruochen summoned Blackie over from Royal Mountain.
Zhang Ruochen was very powerful. He wasn’t afraid of anyone below the Supreme Saint realm. But this time, he was facing the Rakshasa, not just one person.
Although the Ten Clans of Infernal Court were divided into the Supreme Clan, the Upper Three Clans, the Mid Three Clans, and the Lower Three Clans. However, the higher the clan, the fewer the clan members.
The lower the clan, the more the clan members.
Therefore, the overall strength of each clan was roughly the same. At the very least, the strength of those below the divinity could be said to not be absolutely superior, nor was it absolutely weak.
Since the Nether Clan had so many powerful cultivators, the Rakshasa was certainly not weak.
If not, how could the Infernal Court fight against the Celestial Court and the rest of the world at the same time?
When it came to Princess Rakshasa and the Saint Ancient Tea Tree, the Rakshasa must have attached great importance to it. Who knew how many powerhouses they would send?
Zhang Ruochen and Luo Xu were preparing to exchange the Saint Ancient Tea Tree. Meanwhile, the news of Zhang Ruochen’s ban spread like wildfire across the entire Eastern Region Holy City, causing a huge uproar.
The foreign cultivators were naturally unwilling to comply with the ban, so conflict was inevitable.
However, after the Azure Dragon attacked and suppressed more than a dozen top-notch Nine-Step Saint Kings, all the cultivators quieted down. They didn’t dare to rashly challenge Zhang Ruochen’s authority.
As a result, the number of cultivators entering the Eastern Region Holy City every day was greatly reduced. After all, many people cared about their reputation and weren’t willing to pay the entrance fee of 10,000 Saint Stones.
As for the foreign cultivators who were in Eastern Region Holy City, they didn’t leave the city easily. They didn’t want to be blocked outside the city when they came again.
The cultivators were displeased that the Azure Dragon guarding the eight ferries. It also entered Eastern Region Holy City to seek opportunities and took two 100,000-year-old ancient sacred medicines.
In addition, the powerful cultivators from the Infernal Court who intruded Eastern Region Holy City chose to stay hidden and didn’t dare to reveal themselves.
With the presence of Zhang Ruochen, the Scion of Time and s.p.a.ce, if they left their trails behind, they would not be able to hide anymore.
Outside the Saint Court, a tall and graceful figure slowly walked out of the dark. She wore tight black clothes, revealing her well-proportioned figure.
She was none other than Han Qiu, who possessed the body of Darkness.
At this moment, there was a slight fluctuation in s.p.a.ce. Zhang Ruochen appeared in front of Han Qiu out of thin air.
“Your Highness, you finally summoned me. I thought you had forgotten about me!” Han Qiu’s eyes were full of resentment.
Zhang Ruochen said seriously, “I summoned you because I have something important to ask you to do.”
“Who do you want to kill, Your Highness?” Han Qiu asked.
She was now a contract killer of the Fane of Death. She had been carrying out all kinds of a.s.sa.s.sination missions. As a result, she had devoured the essence and the Precepts of many powerhouses. Her cultivation had improved very quickly.
The Path of Darkness was best at devouring and plundering. It could transfer the Precepts of others into its own. The speed of cultivation was beyond imagination.
Zhang Ruochen said, “This time, I’m not going to kill anyone. I want you to take charge of the Eastern Region Holy City and gather the cultivators who wish to join me. I believe it won’t be difficult for you.”
Ever since Zhang Ruochen came to Eastern Region Holy City, there had been cultivators of Kunlun Realm who had sought out the Azure Dragon to join him.
This was not surprising, as Kunlun Realm was in turmoil now. Many people were living precarious lives. Naturally, they would want to find a strong backer.
Zhang Ruochen had realized that he could not fight against the Infernal Court alone. He had to gather all kinds of power.
Since many wanted to rely on him, Zhang Ruochen had the idea of cultivating many strong cultivators. Since he had obtained a lot of cultivation resources on True Dragon Island, he could make use of them.
However, he clearly did not have time to care about these things. That was why he had called Han Qiu back.
Han Qiu had strength, means, and ambition. She was the best candidate.
Hearing this, Han Qiu’s heart skipped a beat. “Your Highness, are you planning to cultivate a force in the Eastern Region Holy City? Hehe, interesting. Leave this to me.”
Obviously, Han Qiu was very interested in doing this.
This was a great opportunity for her. Perhaps it would help her reach her goal of becoming a member of the Shengming royalty sooner.
Zhang Ruochen flipped his hand and took out a Ring of Dimensions. “The cultivation resources in this are very precious. You can decide on how to use them.”
Han Qiu immediately took it. She was about to say that building a force would consume a lot of resources, but Zhang Ruochen had already prepared it.
Then, Zhang Ruochen took out an object. It was a black Saint Bell the size of a fist. The divine ancient artifact containing the divine force of Darkness that he had taken from Son of Darkness.
Han Qiu’s eyes lit up when she saw the black Saint Bell. The Power of Darkness in her body was released involuntarily.
“Your Highness, this…” Han Qiu looked at Zhang Ruochen eagerly.
Zhang Ruochen said, “This object comes from the Fane of Darkness. If you can refine it, I will bestow it to you.”
Han Qiu was overjoyed. She immediately mobilized the Precept of Darkness in her body and wrapped it around the black Saint Bell with the Power of Darkness.
Although Han Qiu had a body of Darkness, she couldn’t enter the Fane of Darkness, so she could only rely on herself to explore the Path of Darkness. It was extremely difficult for her to achieve great achievements.
Now that a divine ancient artifact containing the Path of Darkness had appeared, it undoubtedly gave Han Qiu a glimmer of hope. No matter what, she had to seize this opportunity.
It might contain the knowledge left behind by the G.o.d of Darkness.
Buzz
The black Saint Bell vibrated slightly. The inscriptions of Darkness emerged clearly and flew toward Han Qiu.
Zhang Ruochen couldn’t help but nod. As he had expected, Han Qiu was indeed recognized by the black Saint Bell as Master of Darkness.
There was no doubt that the genius of the Fane of Darkness who created the black Saint Bell was also a Master of Darkness, instead of a cultivator of Darkness.
It didn’t take long for the black Saint Bell to enter Han Qiu’s glabella. It had already completed the preliminary refinement.
“Thank You, Your Highness.” Han Qiu thanked him sincerely.
With a powerful divine ancient artifact, her strength would skyrocket, and she would be able to use the Path of Darkness more easily.
Zhang Ruochen said, “I mentioned before, as long as you work well for me, you will get everything you want.”
After saying this, Zhang Ruochen used the Great Dimensional s.h.i.+ft and disappeared from the spot.
“Including becoming the Crown Princess? Or become Empress of Shengming? Tsk, he left so quickly.”
Han Qiu’s lips curled up slightly, and joy appeared in her eyes. She believed that in the end, the woman accompanying Zhang Ruochen would be her.
Three days pa.s.sed quickly.
Zhang Ruochen and Luo Xu quietly left Eastern Region Holy City. They didn’t alarm anyone and went straight to Mount Purple Cloud.
Purple clouds shrouded Mount Purple Cloud all year-round, so that’s how it got its name. It occupied a radius of thousands of miles, and many savage beasts were living there.
“Zhang Ruochen, you’re finally here!”
With a cold voice, a very tall figure slowly walked out of the thick clouds.
He was over ten meters tall and had the standard form of a Rakshasa. What was different from an ordinary Rakshasa was that the bone wings on his back were bright red as if they had been dyed red by blood.
Streams of blood-red air swirled around this Rakshasa, causing the surrounding s.p.a.ce to distort slightly.
“Great Prince Bloodwing has arrived.” Luo Xu’s eyes narrowed slightly.
Great Prince Bloodwing was born with a pair of special blood-colored bone wings. The wings were extremely hard, had an astonis.h.i.+ng sharpness, and could cut through saint weapons and kill countless creatures.
Among the Rakshasa, Great Prince Bloodwing was below the Supreme Saint. He was one of the most powerful cultivators, even stronger than Great Prince Mara.
In terms of ferocity, Great Prince Bloodwing was no weaker than Yan Wushen. He had slaughtered many in the Battlefield of Merits.
Zhang Ruochen was also observing Great Prince Bloodwing. He could feel the monstrous murderous aura emanating from his body. He could not help but feel a strong sense of disgust.
Great Prince Bloodwing stared at Zhang Ruochen. He did not hide his killing intent at all. He said, “Hand over the Princess.”
“As long as I see the Saint Ancient Tea Tree, I will naturally let her go,” Zhang Ruochen said lightly.
Great Prince Bloodwing’s eyes grew colder. The Rakshasa had never been threatened like this before.
But he didn’t flare up because he had been ordered to bring Luo Sha back to the Infernal Court safely.
After staring at Zhang Ruochen for a moment, Great Prince Bloodwing took out a bright yellow holy box.
The holy box was a spatial treasure. It opened slowly, and a 30,000-meter-tall tea tree flew out of the box as if it had intelligence and spirituality.
As soon as the Saint Ancient Tea Tree landed on the ground of Kunlun Realm, its roots drilled into the soil like a horned dragon.
It was unwilling to leave after returning to its homeland.
All the tea leaves on the tree had been plucked. It was bare, but it still exuded a strong aura of life and great spirit as if they were the incarnations of a saint scholar of Confucianism.
This was the Saint Ancient Tea Tree that the ancestor of Confucianism had personally planted. It had grown for millions of years and had always maintained a vigorous vitality.
Mysterious characters grew naturally on the tree trunks and branches as if they were records of the greatest path and precept in the universe.
In the eyes of the G.o.ds, the Saint Ancient Tea Tree was priceless. The mysteries it had nurtured over millions of years could help them comprehend the Supreme Divine Precepts.
Great Prince Bloodwing said, “The Saint Ancient Tea Tree is here. Release the Princess.”
Zhang Ruochen didn’t say anything. He flipped his hand and took out an Exquisite Dimensional Orb. He then released Luo Sha who was trapped inside.
Luo Sha didn’t seem to have any restraints, but all of her power, including her spiritual power, had been completely sealed. She was no different from an ordinary person.
Seeing Great Prince Bloodwing, Luo Sha couldn’t help but look resentful.
Luo Sha had always been proud and could plan everything well. She did not expect it to fall into Zhang Ruochen’s hands this time. She was naturally unhappy that the clan had to send a superior to exchange treasures.
Great Prince Bloodwing saw Luo Sha’s incomparably beautiful and n.o.ble figure, and his eyes showed hospitality. He urged, “Exchange immediately. I don’t want to waste time with you here.”
Zhang Ruochen didn’t respond. Instead, he turned to look at Luo Xu.
Luo Xu immediately understood. He took out a long wooden box, took out a scroll from it, and slowly opened it.
The Light Myriad Scroll was extremely long. With Luo Xu’s current cultivation, he could only open it 10 meters.
In fact, even a top-notch Supreme Saint couldn’t fully open the entire Light Myriad Scroll.
Even though it was only ten meters opened, the painting still emanates a shocking ancient aura. It felt as if they had returned to the uncivilized ancient times.
Like the Portrait of Seven Lives and Seven Deaths, the Light Myriad Scroll was one of the great treasures of the Art Sect. It could completely detect whether there was a problem with the Saint Ancient Tea Tree.
The painting was activated with Saint Qi, specks of light flew out and turned into thousands of lanterns as if they wanted to dispel all the darkness.
Seeing Luo Xu’s actions, Great Prince Bloodwing could not help but frown slightly, but he did not stop him.
Whoosh.
The branches of the Saint Ancient Tea Tree resonated with the Light Myriad Scroll. It swayed and sprinkling down a sparkling saint light.
Seeing this, Luo Xu revealed a faint smile, and he secretly heaved a sigh of relief.
Luo Xu was worried stiff that the Rakshasa had tampered with the Saint Ancient Tea Tree. No matter what, he didn’t want anything to go wrong with the last Saint Ancient Tea Tree.