Chapter 2157: The Imperial Ruler
Yin Yuanchen seemed to know what Zhang Ruochen was thinking. He sighed and said, “Grandmother has long become a G.o.d. She partic.i.p.ated in the ancient divine war 100,000 years ago, but she couldn’t change the fact that Kunlun Realm was on the decline. The ruler of Heavenly Realm didn’t allow her to return to her homeland no matter how much she wished to.”
“It’s hard to return to her homeland with the grudges between Kunlun Realm and Heavenly Realm. All these years, grandmother’s heart has been full of contradictions. She has been living a hard life.”
Yin Yuanchen’s eyes showed a hint of sadness. He unconsciously tightened his fist, as if he felt the same way about his grandmother’s experience.
“You seem to know your grandmother’s affairs very well,” Zhang Ruochen said calmly.
Yin Yuanchen said, “To tell you the truth, brother Zhang, when I was very young, my mother was killed by a powerhouse from Infernal Court. I was raised by my grandmother. She loved me very much and gave me the best of everything. She even used the secret technique contained in the Heaven’s Pa.s.s Scripture to help me purify my body repeatedly.”
Yin Yuanchen could not help but felt a little sad mentioning his past. At the same time, he had a sense of hatred. He hated the Infernal Court for killing his mother.
If it were not for his grandmother who loved him dearly, his childhood would have been gloomy. It would have been hard for him to have the achievements he had today.
A strange look flashed in Zhang Ruochen’s eyes. He quickly recalled information about the Heaven’s Pa.s.s Scripture in his mind.
Kunlun Realm had a deep foundation and there were countless techniques to cultivate. There were many Regal-cla.s.s techniques and the six great tomes.
Logically speaking, Lord Wentian of the Ten Tribulations’s daughter should be cultivating the same techniques as her father. Even if her technique were different, it must be extraordinary.
After thinking for a long time, Zhang Ruochen still couldn’t find any information about Heaven’s Pa.s.s Scripture. There didn’t seem to be any inheritance of this technique in Kunlun Realm.
In fact, he also knew nothing about the technique cultivated by Lord Wentian of the Ten Tribulations.
Zhang Ruochen had an idea, he sent a stream of spiritual power into the Qiankun Realm and asked the Divine Sky-connecting Tree, “Senior, have you heard of the Heaven’s Pa.s.s Scripture?”
The Divine Sky-connecting Tree was absorbing the essence of its dried tree trunk. It had become very tall, with luxuriant branches and leaves. Its life force was so dense that it could not be dispersed. Thus, it formed a river of life under the tree.
“The Heaven’s Pa.s.s Scripture is a technique cultivated by Lord Wentian of the Ten Tribulations. It originated from the outer realm and is extremely mysterious. It’s extremely difficult to cultivate that even Lord Wentian of the Ten Tribulations himself hasn’t truly cultivated it to its peak. The Heaven’s Pa.s.s Temple is one of the three great divine temples of Kunlun Realm and was established by Lord Wentian of the Ten Tribulations. It also got its name from the Heaven’s Pa.s.s Scripture.” The Divine Sky-connecting Tree replied.
Zhang Ruochen was struck by its words. He didn’t expect a peerless cultivator such as Lord Wentian of the Ten Tribulations would cultivate a mysterious technique from the outer realm instead of the six great tomes of Kunlun Realm.
For Lord Wentian of the Ten Tribulations to become a peerless cultivator, it was enough to show that the Heaven’s Pa.s.s Scripture wasn’t simple. It probably wasn’t inferior to the six great tomes of Kunlun Realm.
However, it was strange that the Heaven’s Pa.s.s Scripture was not included in the Taiyi Divine Techniques Rank compiled by the Celestial Court.
If it was not because the Heaven’s Pa.s.s Scripture‘s grade was not high enough, then it meant that it was too mysterious and few people knew about it.
“Senior, could you sense the power of the Heaven’s Pa.s.s Scripture?” Zhang Ruochen asked again.
The Divine Sky-connecting Tree said, “Yes.”
Zhang Ruochen opened a crack in the Qiankun Realm so that the Divine Sky-connecting Tree could sense the outside world.
“This person does have the aura of the Heaven’s Pa.s.s Scripture. He must have been refined by this power,” the Divine Sky-connecting Tree said.
Zhang Ruochen was struck by its words and thought. ‘Was Yin Yuanchen’s grandmother really the daughter of Lord Wentian of the Ten Tribulations?’
According to the Divine Sky-connecting Tree, the Heaven’s Pa.s.s Scripture was a cultivation technique that Lord Wentian of the Ten Tribulations had mastered. It had never been spread in Kunlun Realm, so it was unlikely that the Heavenly Realm had it.
Therefore, Yin Yuanchen’s words should have a certain degree of credibility.
In other words, Yin Yuanchen was very likely to be the descendant of Lord Wentian of the Ten Tribulations. His ident.i.ty was not inferior to, or even better than, young master Akash.
Many thoughts flashed through Zhang Ruochen’s mind. He looked straight at Yin Yuanchen and said, “After all this, what do you want from me?”
“I wish to fight at your side, brother Zhang. We can team up against the powerful cultivators of the Infernal Court. I know that you are invincible below the Supreme Saint, but there are countless of them in the Infernal Court and I can’t fight them all by myself. Although I’m not talented, I want to give my best shot,” Yin Yuanchen said seriously.
Zhang Ruochen stared at Yin Yuanchen for a moment and said, “If you really want to deal with the Infernal Court, I welcome you no matter your origin.”
“But if you have ulterior motives and caused harm to Kunlun Realm, I won’t let it pa.s.s. I hope you and I won’t end up fighting each other.”
Obviously, Zhang Ruochen had always been vigilant against those of the Heavenly Realm.
“I believe that we will become friends instead of enemies. Brother Zhang, you must have something to do. I won’t disturb you any longer. Farewell.” Yin Yuanchen cupped his hands and left with a smile.
Looking at Yin Yuanchen’s back, Zhang Ruochen thought for a moment. He carved a Communication Talisman and sent it to Divine Scripture Maiden to ask about Yin Yuanchen.
If it was anyone else, he wouldn’t care. But Yin Yuanchen might be the descendant of Lord Wentian of the Ten Tribulations, which piqued his interest.
Whoosh
Soon, a Communication Talisman returned.
Zhang Ruochen got shocked after reading the content of the talisman.
“Yin Yuanchen is really an exception in the Heavenly Realm,” Zhang Ruochen murmured.
According to the information provided by Divine Scripture Maiden, Yin Yuanchen was indeed the grandson of a powerful deity in the Heavenly Realm. However, he was not on good terms with the other cultivators in the Heavenly Realm. He had always been alone and had been training on the Battlefield of Merits all year round; he had killed a large number of powerful cultivators from Infernal Court.
He had always kept a low profile and was not liked by the other cultivators in the Heavenly Realm. Therefore, he had never been well-known.
Speaking of which, Yin Yuanchen had been in Kunlun Realm for quite some time. He had spent most of his time in the Battlefield of Merits behind the G.o.dfall Cryptwoods in the Eastern Region. He had caused heavy losses to the Ghost and the Corpusian. He had even saved the humans in many cities of the Eastern Region and sabotaged some of the Heavenly Realm’s plans.
After the Central Imperial City fell into crisis, Yin Yuanchen was one of the first to come to support them. He had fought twice in a row against the top-notch cultivators of the Infernal Court. One win and one draw had a great impact on the morale of the Celestial Court.
‘It seems that the Heavenly Realm is not all sinister and vicious. They still have the heart to fight against those of the Infernal Court. If the Heavenly Realm has more such talented ones, how can the Infernal Court press on?’ Zhang Ruochen sighed with emotion.
No matter what, it was certainly a good thing to have someone like Yin Yuanchen in the Heavenly Realm.
Zhang Ruochen collected his thoughts and walked toward the headquarters of the Inscription Guild.
Perhaps it was because the army of the Infernal Court was approaching the city, so it was quite deserted. There was not even a guard at the door. As though anyone could enter freely.
‘Huh?’
The Thirty-six Formless Transmogrification that was cast earlier instantly lost its effect as soon as Zhang Ruochen stepped through the door, and reverted to his true form.
However, he did not panic at all.
Although Zhang Ruochen wanted to keep a low profile in the imperial city, it was not a big deal to reveal his true form either.
As Zhang Ruochen had expected, the Inscription Guild was indeed very vast. It was like a minor realm with a towering Saint Mountain and a flowing spiritual spring. The Saint Qi of heaven and earth was extremely dense and the precepts of heaven and earth were very active. It could be called a sacred ground for cultivation.
At this moment, a white-robed elder walked out of nowhere. He was thin and small, and his hair and beard were white, but his spirit was s.h.i.+ning. There was no fluctuation of Saint Qi on him. He looked like an ordinary elder.
“The Prince of the Eastern Region has finally come. I have been waiting for you.”
The white-robed elder smiled warmly and walked toward Zhang Ruochen.
“Waiting for me?”
Zhang Ruochen narrowed his eyes. He could tell at a glance that the white-robed elder was extraordinary. He was a Spirit Saint and infinitely close to the 60th level.
Although Zhang Ruochen’s spiritual power was close to the 60th level, it was based on its quant.i.ty.
In terms of quality, he could not compare with the white-robed elder in front of him.
The white-robed elder’s spiritual power cultivation should be no less than Grand Chamberlain w.a.n.g s.h.i.+qi.
It seems that the Inscription Guild was really unfathomable. It was no wonder that they could guard the Imperial Ruler, one of the ten great Divine Artifacts.
“Yes, I’m waiting for you.”
In the blink of an eye, the white-robed elder walked up to Zhang Ruochen and said, “I’m Bai Qianli, one of the ten elders of the Inscription Guild.”
Zhang Ruochen was not arrogant since the other party was so polite. He said, “So it’s Elder Bai. It seems that the Inscriptions Guild had expected my arrival.”
“The one who holds the t.i.tle of The Scion of Time and s.p.a.ce and the Prince of Eastern Region. With the strength of the strongest cultivator below the Supreme Saint, and the influence of the Imperial Ruler in Kunlun Realm, how could you not come?” Bai Qianli laughed.
Zhang Ruochen nodded. He had to admit that he was very curious about the Imperial Ruler and the Inscription Guild. So, he explained why he came. “I came to gain enlightenment from the Imperial Ruler.”
Since the other party called him Prince of the Eastern Region. It meant that he was qualified to enter the Inscription Guild with his current status.
If it is a cultivator of the Guanghan Realm, he might be refused entry.
He regarded himself as the prince and officially acknowledged his status.
“Of course. Prince of the Eastern Region, please come with me. But be careful. There are many arrays in the Inscription Guild. Mind your steps, it will be very dangerous.” Bai Qianli treated Zhang Ruochen as one of his own, so he especially reminded him.
“Such a powerful array? Will I be in danger with my current cultivation?”
Zhang Ruochen asked while followed behind by Bai Qianli.
Bai Qianli smiled and said nothing.
In front of him was a stone door formed by nine stone dragons intertwining. Each stone dragon was tens of thousands of meters long. It was like nine dragon-shaped mountains were twisted and bent, forming a majestic form.
Standing under the nine dragons stone door, Zhang Ruochen felt extremely small and insignificant.
The so-called invincible cultivation below the Supreme Saint seemed to be nothing.
A Saint Light appeared in Zhang Ruochen’s eyes. He saw clearly that within the nine dragons stone door contained countless array patterns. It was actually…
At this moment, Zhang Ruochen drew a sharp breath.
Each stone dragon was a Ninth Stratum Array.
The nine stone dragons were nine Ninth Stratum Arrays.
The nine Ninth Stratum Arrays were connected to each other, forming an even more powerful array. It contained nine array spirits. They were the dragon souls of the nine dragons. Each dragon soul contained power that seemed to be able to swallow heaven and earth.
Zhang Ruochen smiled bitterly. He finally became cautious and followed Bai Qianli carefully.
After crossing the nine dragons stone door, they officially entered the minor realm.
This minor realm was vast and the edge couldn’t be seen with naked eyes. Many of its areas were foggy. There was a hidden strange power that couldn’t be seen through.
There were countless array patterns on the land, sky, and underground. But most of them were dormant.
Zhang Ruochen could not even see through some of the array patterns.
Compared to the Microworld of the jungle that Zhang Ruochen had taken from Saint King Xuankong, the grade of this minor realm was many times higher. In particular, it was filled with divine force. It must have come from the hands of a deity.
‘Hmm…The Power of Time…Could the flow of time in this minor realm be adjusted?’ Zhang Ruochen was shocked again.
A moment ago, he had captured traces of the Power of Time, and it was perfectly integrated with the entire minor realm.
Zhang Ruochen thought of Saint Monk Xumi instantly. Since his master was able to combine weapon refining, the Path of Time, and the Path of Dimension.
But it was obviously impossible. The Inscription Guild had existed for a much longer time than Saint Monk Xumi.
‘Could it be that the Inscription Guild is related to the time and s.p.a.ce ancestor?’ Zhang Ruochen guessed.
The first Master of Time and s.p.a.ce existed eons ago. There were too few legends left in the later generations. Many things had long become unverifiable.
Zhang Ruochen followed Bai Qianli into the depths of the minor realm after pa.s.sing through layers of fog.
In front of him was a vast expanse of white fog. Even if he used the Eye of the Divine Mark, he could not see clearly.
“Prince of the Eastern Region, we have arrived in front of the Imperial Ruler,” Bai Qianli said.
Zhang Ruochen frowned and showed a trace of doubt.
‘There was only white fog in front of him. How could there be an Imperial Ruler?’ He thought.
Bai Qianli waved his hand and the white fog dispersed. A divine jade bridge appeared in front of Zhang Ruochen. It was extremely wide, more than a hundred miles wide. It led to an unknown area shrouded in white fog.
Zhang Ruochen asked, “Can I reach the Imperial Ruler by crossing this bridge?”
“No, it’s the Imperial Ruler.” Bai Qianli shook his head.
Zhang Ruochen’s expression changed slightly. He stared at the divine jade bridge. It was difficult for him to connect the dots of the divine jade bridge and the Imperial Ruler.
Although Zhang Ruochen had heard the legend of the Imperial Ruler, he had never actually seen it. It’s no wonder that he didn’t even know what the Imperial Ruler looked like.
“The Imperial Ruler is huge. There’s a monument every 50 kilometers. Only those who have attained the Saint Kinghood could reach it. Reaching the first monument means one’s cultivation has reached the One-step Saint King realm, and so on,” Bai Qianli said.
Zhang Ruochen nodded. He knew about the monument’s existence.
He still remembered that the Divine Scripture Maiden had mentioned the Imperial Ruler to him when he first came to the Central Imperial City. She had said that the Spirit King Ancestor of the Ghost had reached the second monument of the Imperial Ruler.
At that time, he had thought that the Spirit King Ancestor’s cultivation was unfathomable. Now that he thought about it, he had just reached the Two-Step Saint King.
Of course, before Kunlun Realm had been revived, to be able to cultivate the Saint Kinghood was undoubtedly an extremely talented person.
‘I wonder how many monuments I can reach with my current strength?’ Zhang Ruochen was getting excited.
Each monument contained a profound and mysterious Path of Supreme Saint, which was very helpful for the Path’s enlightenment. The further one went, the better the outcome of the enlightenment.
Legend had it that the Imperial Ruler had a total of 99 monuments. If Zhang Ruochen could cross all of them, he would have a chance to understand the mystery of becoming a G.o.d.
Zhang Ruochen turned to Bai Qianli and said, “Thank you, Elder Bai.”
“It’s a small matter. I wish the Prince of the Eastern Region all the best,” Elder Bai said with a smile.
As he spoke, Bai Qianli made an inviting gesture.
Zhang Ruochen looked straight ahead and secretly adjusted his condition. He was not anxious at all.
A moment later, Zhang Ruochen took a step forward and stepped on the divine jade bridge formed by the Imperial Ruler.
The moment he stepped on it, Zhang Ruochen had a tingling feeling. The Precepts in him flowed involuntarily and faintly emerged out of his body.
A vast majestic aura enveloped his body. It made his mind tremble slightly and the circulation of Saint Qi slowed down a lot.
At the same time, Zhang Ruochen sensed several obscure spiritual powers sweeping over his body without leaving a trace.
‘The foundation of the Inscription Guild is indeed amazing. There are so many powerful spiritual-power Saint Kings. Some of them are not weaker than Bai Qianli. They should also belong to the ten elders.’ Zhang Ruochen thought.
‘Hmm? This spiritual power, could it be… the spiritual-power Supreme Saint?’
Zhang Ruochen was not surprised that the Inscription Guild had a spiritual-power Supreme Saint. After all, the Inscription Guild recruited spiritual-power cultivators from all over the world. All of them mastered all kinds of mystical spiritual power cultivation methods. There was at least one spiritual-power Supreme Saint in every era.
However, it was extraordinary that the spiritual-power Supreme Saint stayed in Kunlun Realm and was not discovered by the Emissaries Vigilant.
It could only mean that the minor realm in the headquarters of the Inscription Guild was too extraordinary. Even a G.o.d would not be able to see through everything in it.
Perhaps it was the only place in Kunlun Realm that was still well-preserved after the catastrophe of the end of the Middle Ages.