“Biting off more than you can chew!”
Tianmingzi stood at the heart of the Xuanwu phantom and ignored the oncoming Butcher.
The most powerful aspect of the Six-Mail Cloud Swallowing Formation was defense. How could a mere brute break it?
“Xuanwu Voidbreak,” Tianmingzi said softly.
A series of dense light patterns appeared on the surface of the Xuanwu phantom, and immediately after, it lifted its foot that was as thick as a pillar and stomped on the Butcher.
Woosh!
The vegetation and gravel around the Butcher’s body were all blasted away.
Not only did the Butcher not retreat, he instead laughed and stretched his hand out. A massive claw appeared and held onto the sole of the Xuanwu phantom’s feet.
“How is that possible?”
The four Scions of Tianyuan in the Xuanwu phantom were all astonished.
The Butcher gave a backhand slash, and blasted out a sword Qi the size of a river of light, and smashing the Xuanwu phantom with an annihilative force.
SHINNKK!
Among the four Scions of Tianyuan, Tianjinzi, Tianxuzi, and Tianshangzi were cut in two on the spot. Even Tianmingzi, whose cultivation level was that of a Nine-step Saint King, flew out like a cannonball and crashed into the mountain dozens of miles away.
A look of surprise appeared in Black Phoenix’s beautiful eyes. She did not expect the Butcher to be so powerful, and for him to break the Six-Mail Cloud Swallowing Formation with just a slash as if he was just chopping vegetables.
“Hahaha! A group of clowns you are… too feeble… fee…”
Before the Butcher could finish talking, he fell on his back.
“What happened?”
Black Phoenix thought that the Butcher had suffered a sneak attack, and immediately put up a protective black flame screen and covered both her and Zhang Ruochen.
Zhang Ruochen said impassively. “Don’t worry, he just fainted at the sight of blood.”
The Black Phoenix’s beautiful eyes blinked twice, not knowing what to say, and after a while, she said. “I’ll deal with Tianmingzi. I’ll leave here to you!”
With a ‘swish’, Black Phoenix disappeared.
A Saint King level cultivator, even when cut in two, would not die as long as his Saint Soul was not destroyed.
So, Zhang Ruochen summoned out three sword hilts, and stabbed Tianjinzi, Tianxuzi, and Tianshangzi at the center of their brows, before he walked over with confidence.
He then took out the Yin Bottle, and Zhang Ruochen began to collect the soul remnants of the three.
Saint Devourer rushed out and planted its roots on the corpses of the four Saint Kings, and started to absorb them.
By the time Black Phoenix returned with Tianmingzi, who was seriously wounded and unconscious, the four saint corpses had already turned into desiccated corpses. When the cold wind blew, a soft cracking sound rang out, and they were all reduced into four piles of mud.
Bam!!
Black Phoenix tossed Tianmingzi onto the ground, and used a rope specifically to imprison a Saint King, and locked it on Tianmingzi’s neck.
“What’s the point of keeping him alive?” Zhang Ruochen asked.
Black Phoenix’s eyelashes rose up, as her long hair fluttered in the wind, laughing as she said. “Killing him just like that is too easy for him. Tianmingzi and the others are just pawns, and there are even more powerful characters behind them. Want to implant a mind-control worm in me, and take this saintly maiden as a thrall, there is a heavy price to pay for that.”
When he heard ‘this saintly maiden’, Zhang Ruochen felt a little weird, Black Phoenix in the past would not have called herself that.
Of course, with Black Phoenix’s cultivation and beauty, a ‘saintly maiden’ was definitely a matching moniker.
Zhang Ruochen placed his hands on his back and said. “You are going to hand him to the Sub-terminal of Merits, and hand him over to the Celestial Palace and the Fane of Merits to judge him?”
“Yes.”
Black Phoenix added, “Colluding with the beings from the Infernal Court and attempted murder of Celestial Court comrades are serious crimes. Not only must Tianmingzi die, but the people behind him must die too, and even the god of Tianyuan would have to pay some sort of price.”
Zhang Ruochen’s eyes stared at Black Phoenix’s body before saying, “You should change into a new saint robe. It’s a waste to stand before me like this!”
Black Phoenix’s silken dress was torn all over, revealing a large area of snow-white skin.
“Never mind, take it as a repayment of gratitude.”
Black Phoenix said boldly and even tossed Zhang Ruochen a flirtatious gaze, deliberately teasing him.
Zhang Ruochen smiled and shook his head before dragging the Butcher on the ground as he turned around and left into the distance.
Zhang Ruochen dared not provoke such an assertive, daring, and straightforward woman like Black Phoenix. Should she have any misunderstandings, he was afraid that he will eventually hurt her.
It was due to him doing something he should not have done while drunk, and worries that he ends up making beauties suffering for him.
“That damn cripple is just too upright a character! For him to turn around and leave when an unparalleled beauty is standing before him.”
Black Phoenix gently bit her alluring, bouncy lips, and stared at Zhang Ruochen’s limping silhouette, a smile appeared in her eyes.
WHOOSH!!
A white light fell from the sky and onto the ground, before forming into a figure of unparalleled beauty.
It was White Zhuque.
“When Shi Kai saw Tianmingzi was taken captive, it used its Earthwalker technique to escape. As long as we are on land it is just too difficult to capture or kill those Stone-clan cultivators!”
White Zhuque felt some regret, and the light of hatred still flashed in her eyes.
This time around, both she and Black Phoenix, could be said to have been disgraced by Shi Kai’s hands.
If not for Zhang Ruochen rescuing them, they would probably have been a goner.
This grudge was as big as the heavens.
Immediately afterward, White Zhuque added, “However, Shi Kai had been severely wounded by me, and he should not be able to cause trouble in the short term.”
Black Phoenix changed into an extremely gorgeous thousand-feather phoenix saint robe. It was colorful, with a faint fragrance about it, revealing the curvature of her body vividly.
There was an adage of clothes maketh a man, and this rang especially true.
Black Phoenix had excellent temperament, and by putting on this saint robes, she was even more beautiful and alluring, like a real Phoenix fairy descending upon mortal realms.
White Zhuque revealed a strange look in her eyes as she said. “Sister, this thousand-feather phoenix robe is too eye-catching! Weren’t you saying that we should keep a low profile while we are outside?”
Black Phoenix ignored White Zhuque as she turned a circle around Zhang Ruochen as she let out a chime-like smile. “Cripple, is this saint robe beautiful?”
“It is,” Zhang Ruochen replied.
Black then said, “Then, if the saint robe more beautiful, or me? There can only be one answer.”
Zhang Ruochen naturally would not think that Black Phoenix, who was of a Saint King realm, would love a cripple that she had never met before just because he saved her once.
It was obvious that Black Phoenix took him for an unromantic block of wood and deliberately tried to poke at him.
Zhang Ruochen played along with her. “Of course, you are more beautiful.”
“Hehe.”
Black Phoenix smiled and said. “Then, if this saintly maiden were to give you a chance to pursue me, do you want it?”
White Zhuque showed a thoughtful look, apparently thinking if Black Phoenix was joking or being serious. At the same time, she was also considering whether to tell Black Phoenix the guess she had in her heart.
“Please don’t tease me. Let’s go back to Luocheng first.”
Zhang Ruochen was worried about the people in Luocheng, so he rushed back first.
Black Phoenix wanted to chase after him but was pulled back by White Zhuque as the latter used telepathy and said something to her.
“What? He…? Is it possible? Doesn’t look like it! According to the legends, the Scion of Space and Time is a magnificent person and is one of the most outstanding figures among the rising stars in the ten thousand realms of the Celestial Court. God knows how many daughters of heavens want to meet him, how could he be a cripple?”
“I might be wrong then!”
Black Phoenix nodded slightly and felt that the cripple had only learned a few spatial techniques and was definitely not the Scion of Space and Time, Zhang Ruochen. After all, his lameness was not an act.
…
Morning, the next day.
In Luocheng, Zhang Ruochen, the Butcher, the Fool, Black Phoenix and White Zhuque gathered together and the table was full of dishes and fine wine.
The Fool grumbled. “A pity! Just a little bit, you know, it was really just a little bit I could hold Qi Xiaotian back. But the Immortal Vampires’ lifeforce is so strong, and Qi Xiaotian had a pot of Supreme Saint Blood with him. I had already beaten him to a pulp, but with just a swig, he had fully recovered.”
The Butcher responded with disdain, “Qi Xiaotian is so weak and you can’t even deal with him. Shameful. Let’s see how do you explain this to Her Highness once we get back.”
The Fool spat back. “You are amazing too. Collapsing without making a single move? If you faint at the sight of blood, why don’t you dig those pair of eyes off?”
“All right, you damn fool, you wanted to blind me from long ago, yeah?”
…
Zhang Ruochen coughed dryly and interrupted the arguing Fool and Butcher before asking, “You two seemed to be well-acquainted with Qi Xiaotian, who is he?”
Zhang Ruochen recalled running into Yinghuo last night, so he asked.
The Butcher was loud as he guffawed. “Qi Xiaotian is one of the divine scions of the Qitian tribe, one of the ten tribes of the Immortal Vampires, and holds a high status and is quite powerful.”
Zhang Ruochen knew that not only the Immortal Vampires in Kunlun Realm were divided into ten tribes, even the Immortal Vampires of the Infernal Court too had ten tribes.
The Qitian tribe was the most powerful tribe of the ten Infernal Court Immortal Vampire tribes.
“It seems like you have not seen The Maleficent Records of the Infernal Court’s Ten Clans before.” Black Phoenix smiled with her red lips and white teeth on display.
Zhang Ruochen asked, “What is The Maleficent Records of the Infernal Court’s Ten Clans?”
Black Phoenix tool out a cyan gemstone and handed it to Zhang Ruochen.
Zhang Ruochen infused his spiritual power into the cyan gemstone, and instantly, a series of figures appeared before him with dense introduction texts.
Some of those figures were as tall as the mountain, some looked like demons, some had silver wings, some had beauty comparable to the portraits of the Nine Immortal Beauties.
Black Phoenix added. “The Maleficent Records of the Infernal Court’s Ten Clans records the ten clans of the Infernal Court of those that are strong and have greater potential amongst the Saint King realm. It not only contains their facial images, but also records their cultivated techniques and weapons used, and even their weaknesses.”
“At the same time, The Maleficent Records of the Infernal Court’s Ten Clans also marked their danger index.”
“For example, Shi Kai, who is at the pinnacle of an Eight-step Saint King realm has a danger index of level four. Qi Xiaotian’s danger index had reached level five.”
Zhang Ruochen found the graceful and alluring figure of the Rakshasa Princess Luo Sha. Her danger level was actually seven, and that surprised Zhang Ruochen. Was The Rakshasa Princess that dangerous?
Zhang Ruochen’s spiritual powers withdrew from the cyan gemstone. “This is a good thing.”
Black Phoenix smiled. “I’ll give it to you!”
“Really?” Zhang Ruochen was a little surprised.
Black Phoenix added, “For this saintly maiden to give you this precious treasure without even batting an eyelash, aren’t you going to give something back?”
Zhang Ruochen immediately searched for a suitable item in his storage space and prepared to exchange it for the Maleficent Records of the Infernal Court’s Ten Clans.
The Fool smiled. “Actually, that thing is not particularly precious. You just need a saint stone to buy it from the Sub-terminal of Merits.”
The Butcher hurriedly tried to stop the Fool but was too late as the Fool had already blurted it out.
Black Phoenix’s pair of black phoenix eyes stared at him and said, “No one would take you for a dumb person if you don’t speak.”
The Fool heard the Butcher’s telepathic message and realized that he had said something he should not have. He hurriedly went over to Zhang Ruochen and said in a hushed voice. “I… I… was just talking nonsense earlier, and don’t take it for real. It’s a good thing, a precious thing indeed. I’d say that you can’t even buy one for a hundred million saint stones.”
Flames were about to pop out of Black Phoenix’s eyes. Where did this annoying idiot come from?
“Found it!”
Zhang Ruochen was not concerned about the true value of The Maleficent Records of the Infernal Court’s Ten Clans, but he wanted to make friends with two masters in Black Phoenix and White Zhuque. He pulled out a wooden vial and handed it over.
