God Emperor

The Ministry of War’s main army was building a fortress at the edge of the Tomb Forest. It hadn’t been too long, but they’d already constructed a towering wall. From afar, it looked like a black mountain standing on the ground.

Towers rose up from the ground as well. They were connected in a large formation. This region was guarded seamlessly.

There was a palace hovering in the air in the west. One could see armored soldiers standing on either side of the palace in organized lines.

At the moment, one of Wan Qingtong’s saintly clones was sitting in the center of the palace.

Wan Qingtong was one of the main generals in charge of the Tomb Forest. He was also the third top figure of the Central Region’s Wan Family. His status was only lower than the patriarch and the thousand-year-old ancestor.

Wan Ji, clad in armor, strode into the palace. He lowered himself onto one knee and said, “Reporting to the Seventh Great-Grandfather, Zhang Ruochen has already escaped. He may have left the Tomb Forest already. In fact…”

He hesitated, but he still revealed what Zhang Ruochen had done with the stone tablet to Wan Qingtong.

Wan Ji continued, “If it spreads that Zhang Ruochen has accomplished more than the entire Ministry of War, the imperial court will be criticized if we continue trying to arrest him. If the Empress learns of this, she won’t be happy either.”

Wan Qingtong was still calm. “Are you suggesting we seal the news?”

“Yes,” Wan Ji said.

Wan Qingtong chuckled. “There were dozens of Half-Saints present. None of them are simple figures. I won’t be able to silence them even if I personally send the order. So instead of sealing the information, why don’t you think of a way to capture Zhang Ruochen?”

“Zhang Ruochen is the Time and Space Descendant,” Wan Ji said solemnly. “He can manipulate space. My cultivation isn’t enough to stop him. It would be even more difficult for others to do so. Now, he has escaped back to the Eastern Region, which is his territory. It won’t be easy to find him, let alone capture him.”

Wan Qingtong’s eyes were cold and sharp. “Zhang Ruochen’s existence affects the fate of the Wan Family. If another family of the imperial court finds him first, they’ll use him against us. Merely the sin of lying to the empress will destroy our entire family.

“The Wan Family has been favored by the Empress for the past 500 years. That is why we are so powerful in Kunlun’s Field. There are countless people who are jealous of us and want to defeat us. This is why we can’t let Zhang Ruochen destroy the entire family singlehandedly.”

Wan Ji also sensed the significance of things. “I will do my best to find Zhang Ruochen.”

“I have checked his information,” Wan Qingtong said. “It actually won’t be hard to find him. He has a fiancée called Huang Yanchen. She is one of the nine Heirs and is the Empress’s disciple.

“In addition, Zhang Ruochen also has a mother. Huang Yanchen is quite loyal to Zhang Ruochen. She keeps his mother by her side to take care of her. After becoming an Heir, she brought Zhang Ruochen’s mother to the Central Region.”

Wan Ji instantly understood. “Are you saying that I should first control Zhang Ruochen’s fiancée and mother, then release the information to lure him out?”

Wan Qingtong shook his head. “It’s best not to touch Huang Yanchen unless it’s absolutely necessary. After all, she’s an Heir. Her identity is sensitive. However, since his fiancée and mother are both in the Central Region, he will definitely go there. So if you wish to capture him, seal the three wormholes connecting to the Central Region first.

“Other than that, I’ve also sent the message to the Central Region. Wan Zhaoyi should probably have traps all over. As soon as Zhang Ruochen enters the Central Region, he’ll be captured. This time, you two are on either side of him. No matter what, you must catch him. Do not let him escape again.”

“Understood,” Wan Ji said. “I will pursue him right now and capture him with the fastest speed possible.”

Wan Ji left immediately. He led an elite battalion away from the Tomb Forest and toward the Yin and Yang Sect.

The Yin and Yang Sect had a wormhole going to the Central Region. It was highly possible that Zhang Ruochen had gone there.

…

Zhang Ruochen used the Traceless 36 Changes to transform into a common soldier. He left the Tomb Forest easily.

He didn’t go back to his original appearance until he entered the vast mountains. Standing on a mountaintop surrounded by cliffs, he looked in the direction of the Tomb Forest.

The Ministry of War reacts fast, Zhang Ruochen realized. In such a short time, they’ve already constructed three defensive barriers outside the Tomb Forest. Unless they’re at Ghost King Shenchu’s level, other dead souls won’t be able to enter the Eastern Region.

He had to admit that the current First Central Empire was much stronger than the previous Sacred Central Empire. It was a massive beast.

Eight hundred years ago, the Sacred Central Empire only controlled three of the nine states of the Central Region. Now, the First Central Empire controlled all of Kunlun’s Field. They couldn’t even be compared.

Mu Lingxi supported her chin with her hands, upset. “We’ve risked our lives to find the stone rune from the Thousand-bone Empress in the netherworld and control the Corpse River. But the Ministry of War doesn’t even thank you. Instead, they want to arrest you. I’m so angry!”

Zhang Ruochen chuckled. “We didn’t do this to be thanked by anyone. I’m happy if one less innocent person dies.”

Next, Zhang Ruochen and Mu Lingxi visited the Yin and Yang Sect. All the villages, towns, and cities that they passed by all seemed like ghost towns. It was rare to find a living soul.

They found corpses in some of the cities. However, they’d all become mummies with their blood sucked dry. It was obvious that the Immortal Vampires were responsible.

The sects within the Fallen-gods Mountain Range had been affected the most seriously during this disaster. They’d practically been wiped out.

Zhang Ruochen didn’t see any outer disciples until they reached the entrance of the Yin and Yang Sect. They were transporting carts upon carts of corpses into ditches to bury simply with dirt.

The Yin and Yang Sect was now surrounded by barren land. The mountains had collapsed, the rivers had been cut off, and the medicine gardens had been scorched. It had been months, but ghostly fire was still burning the earth.

Thankfully, the Yin and Yang Sect had fended off the attacks of the various Ghost Kings. The consequences were costly, but their base wasn’t damaged.

Zhang Ruochen didn’t return as Lin Yue since news had already spread that Zhang Ruochen hadn’t died. Many people were probably suspecting Lin Yue’s true identity now.

He wouldn’t be able to use that alias anymore.

Right then, Zhang Ruochen saw a beautiful figure amongst the Yin and Yang Sect disciples.

In the distance, Han Qiu, clad in a clean robe, was directing the outer disciples to purify the ghostly fire and recover the medicine gardens. Her cultivation had improved greatly. She was now in the Sixth Change of the Fish-Dragon Realm. She was one of the top Monks of the divine sects.

She was quite sensitive and quickly felt a pair of eyes on her. She was very curious. Who dared to get inappropriate ideas about her?

But when she turned around and saw Zhang Ruochen in the distance, she was surprised. Then Han Qiu looked around. She didn’t relax until she was sure that the other disciples didn’t recognize Zhang Ruochen.

After all, not many people had seen his true appearance.

Zhang Ruochen smiled at Han Qiu. “Senior Sister Han Qiu,” he said in the tone of an outer disciple. “There are some things I’d like to talk to you about.”

After all, he’d left for a few months and such drastic changes had occurred in the Eastern Region. He wanted to receive some information from someone. This would help him plan.

Han Qiu’s lips curled and she smiled. She left the Yin and Yang City with Zhang Ruochen and arrived at Shentai City.

The city had become a pile of rubble now. Corpses were scattered all over the streets. There wasn’t a single living soul.

Here, Han Qiu gave up on the pretense. Laughing, she said, “I’d thought that there was a foolish outer disciple who dared to have thoughts behind me. I didn’t expect that it would be Senior Brother Lin Yue, who’d disappeared for so long.”

It was clear that Han Qiu was testing Zhang Ruochen. She wanted to know if he really was Lin Yue.

Zhang Ruochen didn’t keep it from her. Smiling, he said, “You’re not the least bit shocked to see me still alive?”