Translator: Larbre Studio Editor: Larbre Studio
The two gods were at a stalemate. Divine might filled the starry sky and terrified the Saints under the Merits Godly Palace. They all flattened themselves on the ground, feeling extreme reverence inside. Their bodies shook.
Attacked by a god, Zhang Ruochen was badly hurt. His saint soul, physical body, and saintly source were all tattered.
To block the divine sound, even the Divine Sky-connecting Tree inside the Universe World was badly hurt. The leaves all turned to dust and the ground around the tree died, turning into a limitless desert.
Thankfully, the Moon Goddess had come in time. Otherwise, Zhang Ruochen would’ve died undoubtedly. Even the Universe World and Divine Sky-connecting Tree would’ve cracked apart too.
That was a god’s power. Even some mere words would destroy a world.
As moonlight entered him, Zhang Ruochen’s physical body, saint soul, and saintly source healed quickly. He woke up a while later. The first thing that entered his eyes was a divine face. The skin and features were flawless as if carved from divine crystal.
Any creature would be shocked by such a beautiful and spiritual woman.
Zhang Ruochen seemed to be in a dream. He couldn’t help but say, “So beautiful.”
The Moon Goddess stared at the Merits Godly Palace. Her lashes were long and curled. Seeing that Zhang Ruochen was awake, she pushed him down softly.
The next moment, Zhang Ruochen landed on the ground.
He surveyed his surroundings and his memories flooded out. “So, I was almost killed by a god in the Merits Godly Palace just now. Why? I saved the Saints of the Shatuo Seven Fields and defeated the Luosha Race. Aren’t I hero of the Heaven World?”
Zhang Ruochen’s performance on the merits battleground had been excellent and he had great accomplishments. He should be trained with emphasis and great rewards. But when he returned to the Heaven World, they tried to kill him instead.
This difference between expectation and reality depressed Zhang Ruochen.
He also realized the cruel reality. He wasn’t strong enough yet and had to continue working hard. Otherwise, he would be completely defenseless against a god.
The Moon Goddess didn’t actually fight with the Flame God in the Merits Godly Palace. Other gods had gotten involved and stopped them.
Gods had extraordinary tactics. Even if this happened before the various Saints, the Saints couldn’t hear or see anything.
About two hours passed before there was a result.
The Moon Goddess’ voice traveled into Zhang Ruochen’s ears. “The god who wants to kill you is called the Flame God.”
“Why does he want to kill me?” Zhang Ruochen asked. “Just because I used the power of the Universe World on the battleground? But Fang Yi from Hell Blade Field used the White Micro Star too.”
“This is very complicated and I can’t explain it to you now. But don’t worry, he can’t touch you, because you’re mine.” The Moon Goddess’s voice was lovely but also gave him unwavering determination.
Zhang Ruochen smiled and raised his head. Looking at the moon in the sky, he thought, The Moon Goddess seems like pretty reliable support. It’s worth it to risk my life and get first place in the Saints Merits Battle. More importantly, this support is so beautiful. I’m sure many cultivators are jealous of me!
Soon, Zhang Ruochen wiped his smile away and his eyes darkened. I’m still young, so people will be jealous to get the Moon Goddess’s protection. But as I cultivate longer and become older, people will probably mock me if I still need her protection.
I must reach the Saint King Realm as soon as possible, or even the Supreme Saint Realm. I must make a name for myself, so I can protect myself even without the Moon Goddess.
…
The Heaven World wouldn’t allow two gods to fight. Someone stepped out to stop the Moon Goddess and Flame God. They also reached a compromise.
The Flame God would stop bothering Zhang Ruochen. The Moon Goddess didn’t attack the Merits Godly Palace either.
Whoosh!
Beams of divine light appeared outside the palace. A moment later, the Saint Kings and Supreme Saints of the Shatuo Seven Fields appeared in the vast square. Powerful saintly power flowed across them.
The four battles—the Saint, Saint King, Supreme Saint, and Godly Merits Battle—had all ended.
The gods of the Shatuo Seven Fields stood in the sky above the palace. But because they were so strong, the Saints below couldn’t see them clearly at all.
Zhang Ruochen looked up at the moon, demonic cloud, Buddhist lotus, starry mist… He couldn’t sense Chi Yao’s aura and was confused.
Did Chi Yao die in the merits battleground? he thought.
Since it was a battle, there would definitely be casualties.
A god had a strong vitality, so they would rarely die unless there was a large scale battle, but it wasn’t definite.
After all, a god wasn’t immortal either.
Further, Chi Yao was a new god. She couldn’t compare to the gods who’d cultivated for tens of thousands of years. It was entirely possible for her to die on the battleground.
A young figure walked out of the palace.
It looked like a man in his twenties. He wore tri colored armor and had long silver hair, with a red three-feathered crown on his head. He was handsome and had an otherworldly aura. He was like an angel.
Behind him stood two women in white. One had a cold aura; the other had an elegant aura. They were all first step Saint Kings.
No wonder they’re able to cultivate in the Merits Godly Palace, Zhang Ruochen thought. Any random two girls are Saint Kings. Plus, their auras are very strong. Even first step Saint Kings like Sword Saint Jiuyou and Chu Siyuan might not be able to defeat them.
Of course, Sword Saint Jiuyou and Chu Siyuan had just entered the first step Saint King Realm. They had room for improvement.
Two such powerful women stood behind the silver-haired man like servants. It was obvious that the silver-haired man had a high status in the Merits Godly Palace.
“Is he…Shang Ziyan?”
“Shang Ziyan is the Flame God’s top disciple. He’s known as the top human pride in 10,000 years of the Merits Godly Palace and is also the leader of the palace’s heirs.”
“It’s rumored that Shang Ziyan’s beauty is unparalleled and that he has extraordinary charisma. No woman who’s seen him can forget him.”
“This man must be Shang Ziyan.”
…
The Saints of the Shatuo Seven Fields all hated the Merits Godly Palace, thinking that it didn’t care about their lives at all. But after seeing Shang Ziyan, the Saintesses all held their breath involuntarily. They were attracted by Shang Ziyan’s aura and couldn’t look away.
It wasn’t that they were so obsessed, but Shang Ziyan’s aura was too unique. It was naturally attractive to women. All of his movements showed his charisma.
Shang Ziyan walked out of the palace with a smile. He leaned forward slightly and composed himself. Then he bowed to the gods in the sky to show respect.
After that, he stood up straight again and said to the Saints below, “The merits battle has ended. The merits collected from the four battlegrounds have also been recorded in the four Merits Record Walls. I humbly receive the gods’ permission to represent the Merits Godly Palace and calculate the total of the Shatuo Seven Fields’ merits. I will choose the next battleground from the total number of merits.”
Shang Ziyan didn’t act submissively. He was composed, even with gods standing in the sky. He didn’t show any panic.
At that moment, the Saints and Saint Kings of Kunlun’s Field, Hell Blade Field, and Tianmu Field all grew nervous. These three worlds may be at the bottom and become the battleground where the Heaven and Hell World fought.
Shang Ziyan waved his sleeves. Then there was a ringing in the vast square. Four Merits Record Walls rose up. They noted the merits that the Shatuo Seven Fields collected in the four battlegrounds.
The first one represented the gods’ merits battle. It was blank.
This meant that none of the gods of the Shatuo Seven Fields could collect any merits.
The second wall represented the Supreme Saint Merits Battle.
Great Devil Ten Square Field was in first place. Guanghan Field was in last place. Of course, even the last place had collected 17 billion merits.
The Supreme Saints of Guanghan Field had only killed six Supreme Saints of the Hell World.
Clearly, killing a Supreme Saint of the Hell World was worth more merits than killing 10,000 Saints.
The third wall represented the Saint King Merits Battle.
Great Devil Ten Square Field was first place. Guanghan Field was last place.
The fourth wall represented the Saints Merits Battle. Guanghan Field was in first place.
Shang Ziyan raised his arms slowly. Beams of saintly power flew out of his palm and entered the four walls like rivers.
“Combine!” Shang Ziyan commanded.
The four walls combined into one. The number of merits quickly added upon each other.
A moment later, the final count of the four merits battles was calculated:
First place, Great Devil Ten Square Field.
Second place, Eight Ministry Field.
Third place, Purple Mansion Field.
Fourth place, Tianmu Field.
Fifth place, Hell Blade Field.
Sixth place, Kunlun’s Field.
Seventh place, Guanghan Field.
Even though Guanghan Field was in last place, the cultivators still smiled. They didn’t feel nervous or worried at all.
Shang Ziyan collected his saintly power and smiled again. “According to the rules, Great Devil Ten Square Field is in first place in the Supreme Saint and Saint King Merits Battle. Guanghan Field is first in the Saints Merits Battle. Thus, the two worlds won’t be in the ranking.”
Shang Ziyan reached out and moved a finger in the air.
Great Devil Ten Square Field at the top and Guanghan Field on the bottom disappeared from the wall.
Only five worlds remained. Kunlun’s Field was in last place.
Seeing the ranking, the cultivators of Kunlun’s Field felt like they were struck by lightning. They couldn’t accept this, because it was clear to them that if Kunlun’s Field became the battleground, it would mean death and destruction.
The billions of civilians and beings would fall victim to war.
A Saint laughed with tears in his eyes and screamed, “We fought for so long and so many of my good friends died in the battle, just to get this kind of result. Why? Why did we come to the Heaven World? Why?”
Wan Zhaoyi, Qing Xiao, Sword Saint Jiuyou, Chu Siyuan, the Saint Lady, and countless important figures of Kunlun’s Field all had dark expressions now. They felt horrible and were filled with regret. If they’d worked a little harder, took some more risks, they might have been able to change this.
But it was too late now.
Many people from Kunlun’s Field knew that even if they didn’t come to the Heaven World, their defenses would still be destroyed by the Hell World in some years and end in destruction.
Coming to the Heaven World, they at least had a chance of survival.
Of course, it seemed that they didn’t actually get that chance.
The cultivators of Hell Blade Field and Tianmu Field let out relieved sighs and all smiled.
“Now,” Shang Ziyan said. “Let me announce the final ranking of the merits battle and the next battleground—”
“Wait.”
An overpowering voice traveled from the depths of the universe, cutting Shang Ziyan off.
Zhang Ruochen’s eyes narrowed. Hearing the voice, he uttered, “Chi Yao…”
