Chapter 2220: Celestial-Hunting Festival
Xue Jue Family’s territory.
Zhang Ruochen sat in front of a jade table with a letter in his hand. He was reading it carefully.
In the letter:
“I am not very happy to hear that you have come to the Infernal Court. I regret that I have not been able to enjoy the three battles on the Battlefield of Merits.
“For Kongyue, you are willing to sacrifice your life and go against Heaven’s will. You have even flattened the Sea of Time in anger. I am deeply impressed.
“However, for Kunlun, can you disregard everything and come to the Forest of No Return?
“On the seventh day of May, the Fane of Destiny held a once-in-a-thousand-year Celestial-Hunting Festival. The heroes of the ten clans gathered, hoping to see you.
“At that time, you and I will drink and talk about the past and the present. We will have a more enjoyable battle. Wushen, from Kunlun.”
After reading the letter, Zhang Ruochen fell into deep thought.
It was sent by Yan Wushen.
Just for Chi Kunlun, he could not refuse Yan Wushen’s invitation.
Zhang Ruochen lived in a very quiet and elegant pavilion. Very few people came to disturb him.
As of today, he has been in the Xue Jue Family for half a month. He had spent almost all his time in this pavilion. He did not go out much, let alone contact the Xue Jue Family.
One of the important reasons why Zhang Ruochen came here was that Chi Kongyue was in danger. He needed to enter a secret place of the Xue Jue Family to recuperate.
Although Chi Kongyue’s Saint Soul was still intact, it had been heavily assimilated by Asurendra Samay’s divine soul. It will be extremely difficult to recover.
Chi Kongyue’s body had also been eroded by the Ashuran Battle Qi. He was showing signs of mutation and was transforming into an Asura body. It will be easy for him to be tainted with evil qi.
Fortunately, Blood Empress had mastered all kinds of mysterious techniques. She was confident that she could reverse all of this, but it would take some time.
For Chi Kongyue, it was not a bad thing. As long as she could endure it, refining the part of the divine soul and divine spirit of Asurendra Samay would be of great benefit to her future cultivation. It might even help her build a divine foundation.
In half a month, what happened on the Ashuran planet had already spread throughout the entire Infernal Court, causing a great commotion.
Because of that, Yan Wushen knew that Zhang Ruochen had come to the Infernal Court, so he sent someone to deliver the invitation letter.
In a sense, this was also a letter of challenge from Yan Wushen to Zhang Ruochen.
Yan Wushen dictated and Chi Kunlun had written this invitation letter on his behalf. It was to force Zhang Ruochen to go to the Celestial-Hunting Festival. It was hard to imagine how Chi Kunlun felt when he wrote this letter.
“Seventh-day of May, the Fane of Destiny. The Forest of No Return, a battle at the Celestial-Hunting Festival.”
Zhang Ruochen wrote a reply letter, stood up, and walked out of the pavilion.
Although he had not completely controlled the Demigod-level physique, he could walk normally and not accidentally collapse the ground.
Zhang Ruochen raised his head and looked up at the sky.
Unlike Kunlun, the sky here was blood-red, as if it was soaked in blood.
The Saint Qi of heaven and earth was extremely dense, and the precepts of heaven and earth were extremely active. It was far more powerful than Kunlun.
However, whether it was the Saint Qi of heaven and earth or the precepts of heaven and earth, they were very different from Kunlun. It was much more difficult to mobilize them.
Therefore, if one was not familiar with the Saint Qi and precepts of heaven and earth in the Infernal Court, their strength would be greatly affected if they entered.
The world where the Xue Jue Family was located was quite huge. Its diameter was over hundreds of millions of miles. Even a Supreme Saint would find it difficult to step into every place.
There were a total of ten Immortal Vampires clans in this realm. Each of the ten great clans occupied one territory. They were connected and hung above the milky way of styx. From Afar, they looked like five pairs of giant blood-red wings.
At the intersection of the five pairs of blood-red wings, there was a grand and tall fane that looked like a giant bat.
It gave people the feeling that it was like a bat with five pairs of giant blood-red wings. As if it could roam the galaxy at any time.
This fane was the supreme Fane of Immortality of the Immortal Vampires. It held the core inheritance of the Immortal Vampires.
The leader of the Immortal Vampires and the ten masters of the ten clans are all appointed by the Fane of Immortality.
It’s only half a year before the Celestial-Hunting Festival. If I can’t fully control this body and adapt to the Saint Qi and precepts of heaven and earth in the Infernal Court, how can I fight with Yan Wushen?’ Zhang Ruochen thought.
Under normal circumstances, he wouldn’t be able to accomplish these two things in half a year. He needed external help by using the Sundial.
The problem now was that he had run out of Godstones, so he couldn’t use the Sundial.
Zhang Ruochen could ask for the Godstone from Blood Empress. She would give it to him, but he couldn’t ask for it.
Just as Zhang Ruochen was fretting over this, a blood light suddenly descended from the sky. It turned into a thin young man. His cultivation wasn’t very high and he was merely a Three-Step Saint King.
The young man was quite reserved. He bowed and said, “Greetings, Your Highness.”
“What is it?” Zhang Ruochen asked.
The young man quickly replied, “Your Highness, please go to the meeting hall.”
Zhang Ruochen was struck by his words. Xue Jue Family’s meeting hall wouldn’t open easily, and ordinary people weren’t qualified to enter.
Since he was asked to go to the meeting hall, it was most likely something important.
Speaking of which, this was the first time he had been summoned since he came to the Xue Jue Family.
Zhang Ruochen used the Great Dimensional Shift without hesitation and disappeared without a trace.
After Zhang Ruochen left, the Saint King wiped off his cold sweat. To him, the pressure facing Zhang Ruochen wasn’t small.
The Xue Jue Family was very big. They occupied a majestic mountain with a radius of a million miles range. There was also a divine vein and fifty-four saint veins underground. It was a unique cultivation location.
The meeting hall was on the highest peak. When he first came to the Xue Jue Family, Zhang Ruochen had entered once. When he rushed here, he was already familiar with the place.
There were already many figures standing in the meeting hall when Zhang Ruochen arrived. They were either top-notch Saint Kings or Supreme Saints. All of them looked extraordinary and they were all geniuses nurtured by the Xue Jue Family.
What surprised Zhang Ruochen was that he saw Xue Chen among the crowd.
He had left the Kunlun Battlefield of Merits?’ Zhang Ruochen thought.
Seeing Zhang Ruochen’s arrival, all the geniuses of the Xue Jue Family, including Xue Chen, could not help but look over.
Zhang Ruochen appeared very calm and walked into the hall step by step.
The person who summoned him this time was not Wargod Bloodximius.
It was normal to think about it. With the Wargod Bloodximius’s status, how could he summon the disciples of his family? He couldn’t do everything himself.
In front of the group of geniuses stood a handsome middle-aged man with long blood-red hair and a black robe. He looked similar to Wargod Bloodximius, and even his temperament was similar.
The middle-aged man had ten blood wings on his back, which looked like ten blood clouds spreading out.
Although he had restrained his aura, there was still an extremely terrifying saint power exuding from him. He was really powerful even when he was calm.
At this moment, the middle-aged man looked at Zhang Ruochen. His eyes were extremely deep, and he could vaguely see the starry sky being destroyed.
Just looking at each other, Zhang Ruochen was shocked. ‘So powerful. He’s no weaker than Emperor Ji Mie,’ he thought.
Emperor Ji Mie was one of the three strongest Supreme Saints in Guanghan. He had the potential of becoming a god and his existence among the Supreme Saints was most prominent.
Anyone who could be compared to Emperor Ji Mie could imagine his position in the Xue Jue Family.
This person was called Xue Qingsheng and was titled the—Supreme Saint Qingsheng. He was the third son of Wargod Bloodximius and the acting head of the Xue Jue Family currently.
Supreme Saint Qingsheng had lived for almost 16,000 years. Due to the Immortal Vampires having a long lifespan, although they had not become gods, they were still at their peak and had not shown any signs of weakening.
The fact that Supreme Saint Qingsheng could become the acting family head had a lot to do with the return of Blood Empress and Lord Ming.
Originally, the Xue Jue Family was managed by Wargod Bloodximius’s wife, the mistress of the Xue Jue Family.
She was the one who had ordered Blood Empress and Lord Ming to be sent to Kunlun without Wargod Bloodximius’s knowledge.
Now, Blood Empress and Lord Ming had both become gods. Since they had returned forcefully, there was naturally a reckoning to be settled. Anyone who participated in this matter would be punished. All of them were sent to the Battlefield of Merits regardless of their status.
Even though the mistress did not share the same fate, she had lost all her power.
That was why Supreme Saint Qingsheng had the chance to become the new acting head.
Zhang Ruochen stood straight and cupped his hands. “Supreme Saint Qingsheng, why have you summoned me?”
Supreme Saint Qingsheng was expressionless. He said with a sonorous, “On the seventh day of May, the Fane of Destiny will hold the Celestial-Hunting Festival. Lord Father has selected you to lead the descendants of the Xue Jue Family to attend.”
Zhang Ruochen was surprised by what he just heard.
He didn’t expect that Supreme Saint Qingsheng had summoned him for this matter.
He had just read about the Celestial-Hunting Festival from Yan Wushen’s invitation letter. Now that Wargod Bloodximius had asked him to attend, it seemed like he had not much of a choice.
However, Zhang Ruochen was quite surprised. What was so special about the Celestial-Hunting Festival? It was surprising that Wargod Bloodximius had paid so much attention to it and made the arrangements himself.
“What exactly is the Celestial-Hunting Festival?” Zhang Ruochen asked.
Supreme Saint Qingsheng said, “You will know when you attend to it. You only need to know that the Celestial-Hunting Festival is very crucial to us and you must do your best. It’s best if you can lead the Bloodsky Clan to defeat the other nine clans and bring honor to the Xue Jue Family.”
Supreme Saint Qingsheng’s face looked quite serious.
As long as it was something that Wargod Bloodximius had ordered, he had to do his best.
“Why does Zhang Ruochen get to lead such an important thing?”
A questioning voice suddenly sounded.
The person who spoke was a feminine-looking man. He sat on a golden chair. He had a pair of phoenix eyes and his face was very pale. He doesn’t look so good and gives people a sick feeling.
His cultivation was powerful and his blood qi was boundless. He had the power of a Supreme Saint surging in him. He had already reached the Hundred-Shackle Realm. Furthermore, he hadn’t cultivated for more than a thousand years. He was a famous young elite among the disciples and was titled—Supreme Saint Xueqi.
Supreme Saint Qingsheng turned his gaze to Xueqi and said, “Xueqi, are you questioning the decision of Wargod Bloodximius?”
Only a powerhouse like Supreme Saint Qingsheng dared to call Supreme Saint Xueqi by his name.
“I wouldn’t dare, but Zhang Ruochen has only just reached the Neverwilt Realm. How can he represent the Xue Jue Family?”
Supreme Saint Qingsheng said calmly, “This matter is decided by Wargod Bloodximius. We only need to obey.”
Supreme Saint Xueqi snorted coldly and did not say anything else after that. In the Xue Jue Family, Wargod Bloodximius was the absolute ruler and no one dared to challenge his authority.
However, Supreme Saint Xueqi was very displeased. An outsider had stepped on his head so quickly. Moreover, the outsider who only had half of the Xue Jue Family’s bloodline had just reached Supreme Sainthood.
“Go and make preparations. Do not let Wargod Bloodximius down,” Supreme Saint Qingsheng said.
“Yes.”
Immediately, everyone in the hall responded in unison and left the meeting hall.
“Humph.”
Blood-red light flashed in the eyes of the Supreme Saint Xueqi as he brushed past Zhang Ruochen.
Zhang Ruochen did not mind at all. He thought to himself, Is this a test from Wargod Bloodximius?
After all, he came from the Celestial Court. Even if it was because of Blood Empress, Wargod Bloodximius would not trust him immediately. He needed to prove himself through some matters.
Whether it was to save Chi Kunlun or to deal with Wargod Bloodximius, Zhang Ruochen had to go all out at the Celestial-Hunting Festival.
Zhang Ruochen understood what the Supreme Saint Qingsheng meant. He wanted to defeat the other nine clans of the Immortal Vampires.
After the divine war in the Middle Ages, the Bloodsky Clan had been declining. Their ranking among the top ten clans had been dropping. Now, they were at the bottom.
The ten great clans of the Immortal Vampires cooperated, but they also competed with each other.
The stronger the clan was, the higher their position in the clan world would be. They would receive more cultivation resources from the Fane of Immortality and also have a greater say.
The Bloodsky Clan had once been glorious, and their clan world was at the top.
Unfortunately, the Bloodsky Clan had suffered heavy losses during the Middle Ages War. Even their great clan ruler had fallen in the starry sky.
Disregarding the might of the Wargod Bloodximius, it was difficult to change the situation.
With the pride of Wargod Bloodximius, he could no longer tolerate such a situation to continue.
After all, the Xue Jue Family was one of the oldest and most powerful clans in the Bloodsky Clan. It had produced more than one clan leader.
Therefore, Wargod Bloodximius had always placed great importance on the clan and its honor.
After walking out of the meeting hall, Zhang Ruochen was not in a hurry to leave. He crossed his arms and stood beside a dragon pillar carved from blood jade. It seemed that he was waiting for someone.
A man and a woman walked out of the hall. They were Xue Chen and Xue Ningxiao, who had just returned from the Battlefield of Merits.
“Let’s have a chat,” said Zhang Ruochen.
Just as Xue Chen and Xue Ningxiao were about to leave, Zhang Ruochen’s calm voice suddenly sounded.
Xue Chen and Xue Ningxiao stopped and looked at Zhang Ruochen. They were both surprised. They didn’t expect Zhang Ruochen to wait for them outside the hall and talk to them.
Before this, they had never interacted with each other.
Even Xue Chen had only interacted with Zhang Ruochen in the Rainbow Pavilion, and they were on opposite sides.
The siblings looked at each other. After that, Xue Chen said, “Okay, I’ll look for a place.”
Zhang Ruochen didn’t have any objections to this.
The three of them left the Xue Jue Family immediately.
Soon, they arrived at the closest city to the Xue Jue Family.
This city was called the Ancient City Skylin. It was in the territory of the Xue Jue Family. It was very old and had existed for millions of years.
Legend has it that a Sky-Flare Qilin died here. The sky flares burnt for tens of thousands of years and never died out. It attracted many alchemists and weapon refiners to refine pills and weapons with the help of the sky flares.
Over time, it formed a city. After a long period of development, it had reached its current size.
The Ancient City Skylin occupied a radius of 10,000 kilometers. It was even more magnificent and prosperous than the Central Imperial City of Kunlun.
Following Xue Chen’s lead, Zhang Ruochen entered a very special restaurant called the Voidsky Lounge.
The Voidsky Lounge was floating in mid-air. It was decorated using many spatial techniques. It was like a mirage. One could see it, but not touch it. One had to go through a special way to enter it.
Without a certain identity, one could not enter the Voidsky Lounge.
Inside the Voidsky Lounge, one could see the milky way of styx in the sky and the entire ancient city from below. All the scenery could be seen.
“What do you think? The civilization of the Immortal Vampires is not inferior to that of the human race, right? Perhaps you humans still think that we only know how to kill, blood-thirsty, and live in stone caves in the mountains?” Xue Chen said with a smile while he pointed outside the window.
Zhang Ruochen was silent. The civilization of the Immortal Vampires was indeed different from what he had imagined. It was very close to the civilization of the human race.
It was completely different from the Nether Realm that he had been to.
After a long while, Zhang Ruochen asked, “How is the situation in the Battlefield of Merits of Kunlun?”
Xue Chen sighed in his heart after hearing Zhang Ruochen’s question. His heart was still with Kunlun. Even though he had joined the Immortal Vampires, he still missed Kunlun.
Perhaps this was why Zhang Ruochen had come to find him.
It didn’t matter. After staying in the Immortal Vampires for a long time, Zhang Ruochen would naturally understand that the Immortal Vampires were hundreds of times better than Kunlun. Here, they were far more carefree than in the Celestial Court. There weren’t so many restrictions.