“Good news!”
“Good news!”
“The Prince of the Eastern Region fought a fierce battle against Dark Skeletal Lord at Four Emperors Ridge. He defeated Dark Skeletal Lord in seven moves and destroyed his soul in 180 consecutive strikes. The top fighter below the rank of Supreme Sainthood in the Bone Clan has fallen.”
In the quiet Imperial City, a resounding voice suddenly rang out.
A heavily armored Imperial City Knight entered, riding on a tall and mighty savage beast. He loudly proclaimed the news of victory while riding towards Syzygy Mansion.
The news sent shock waves to the entire Imperial City.
“Zhang Ruochen killed Dark Skeletal Lord? How is that possible?”
“Dark Skeletal Lord was the strongest Bone Clan elite ranked below Supreme Sainthood. He’s one of the top ten elites among the ten clans of Infernal Court. With a Demigod-level bone body that is near indestructible, he also possesses Inferno Flame of Destruction that burns everything. Just yesterday, he even defeated a Divine Scion from the Fane of Time.”
“Who is spreading this rumour? How can you simply make such claims?”
…
Imperial City was massive. Because there was not enough time, news about Zhang Ruochen fighting Infernal Court alone was yet to reach all cultivators in the city.
Most cultivators from the various Macroworlds were suspicious of the news brought by the Imperial City knight.
It couldn’t be helped. Dark Skeletal Lord was no ordinary cultivator. He was known as a Bone Clan top fighter below the rank of Supreme Sainthood with the potential to become a god. How could he die so easily under Zhang Ruochen’s sword?
On the streets of Qing Luan, chaos was reigning. Many cultivators in Kunlun still believed that Zhang Ruochen had such strength.
On the left side of the street, more than a dozen Array Masters of Formation Sect gathered in a six-story pavilion. They gazed at the distance towards the faraway riders suspiciously.
“Master Zhou, you have fought Zhang Ruochen before. Is Zhang Ruochen really that strong? With the ability to kill Dark Skeletal Lord with ja sword?” a genius array master from the Formation Sect asked in surprise.
Zhou Zhen shut the talented Array Master up with a cold glance.
Fight?
There was no fight at all. He was suppressed in an instant. Was this junior mocking him?
He was a High-Saint Array Master. In other words, he had strength that was on par with of a Supreme Saint. First, he was defeated by Zhang Ruochen, suspected and ostracized by the cultivators of Heavenly Realm.
Formation Sect’s leader was no worse off than him.
Zhou Zhen was offended at the mention of Zhang Ruochen, but he still had to act composed in front of the juniors, so he said lightly, “Zhang Ruochen is very powerful indeed. He is invincible among those with cultivation rank below Supreme Saint level. I’m actually very shocked that Dark Skeletal Lord could take seven sword moves from him.”
All the Array Masters present were skeptical. They felt that Zhou Zhen deliberately exaggerated Zhang Ruochen’s capabilities.
‘If Zhang Ruochen were invincible and defeated Dark Skeletal Lord in seven swords strikes, Zhou Zhen—who was suppressed by Zhang Ruochen—would no longer have to feel shame. The defeat could even be regarded as an honor instead.
‘At least, unlike Dark Skeletal Lord, he could survive the battle against Zhang Ruochen.
‘How many people could survive with Zhang Ruochen as the opponent?
‘But Zhou Zhen did it!
Zhou Zhen did not care about what these Array Masters were thinking. He thought to himself, ‘Zhang Ruochen, please achieve an even more outstanding battle record. You’d better behead Yan Wushen as well!”
“Good news!”
“Good news!”
..
“The three Emperors of the Bone Clan joined forces and reliatiated aggressively. They wanted to avenge Dark Skeletal Lord and fought Zhang Ruochen. Although the three Emperors’ power could penetrate the void, it could not break Zhang Ruochen’s Sword Formation. All three Emperors died in battle with their bones all shattered. The Bone Clan’s strength was greatly affected.”
“Good news. The three Emperors of the Bone clan died in resentment at Kunlun.”
Following that, a second knight flew past. Again, the news sent shockwaves to cultivators from various Macroworlds in Central Imperial City.
“The three Emperors of the Bone clan inherited great power. They’re good at combined attacks. Together, they’re invincible. No matter how strong Zhang Ruochen is, he shouldn’t be strong enough to kill them.”
“Impossible. Absolutely impossible.”
…
Many people thought that if the three Emperors joined hands, they should be powerful enough to fight the Four Heavenly Kings of the Celestial Palace. How could they possibly die at Zhang Ruochen’s sword?
“Good news!”
“Good news!”
“The Prince of the Eastern Region fought the Seven Top Killers from Nether Hall. He was invincible. Three of the Seven Top Killers died. The remaining four fled in miserable state with injuries.”
Just as the cultivators from various Macroworlds had start to recovered from their shock, the third Imperial City knight arrived on his mount and ran over quickly. He shouted the victory report again, looking excited.
“This is insane. When the Seven Top Killers from Nether Hall worked together, even Yan Wushen had to retreat. Rumor has it that they are destined to become deities. How could they end up half-dead at Zhang Ruochen’s hands?”
“Let’s leave the city to see it. There was such a big commotion in the city just now. Maybe Zhang Ruochen has really left the city to challenge Infernal Court elites.”
“The three Emperors of the Bone Clan inherited great power. They’re good at combined attacks. Together, they’re invincible. No matter how strong Zhang Ruochen is, he couldn’t be strong enough to kill them.”
As the saying went, what we hear could be false, but what we must be true. Everyone wanted to see for themselves what exactly happened.
At the same time, the Imperial City knights rushed into Syzygy mansion one after another to report the results of the battle outside the city to the important figures of Imperial Court.
At this time, Nine Heavens Maiden was also in Syzygy Mansion, studying Chessboard of the World with Wang Shiqi—the Grand Chamberlain—while discussing important matters.
Hearing the news brought by Knight of Imperial City, everyone in Syzygy Mansion couldn’t help but look shocked and incredulous.
Nine Heavens Maiden had a strange look in her eyes. She had not been separated from Zhang Ruochen for long. It was unthinkable that Zhang Ruochen would make such a big commotion.
The three Emperors of the Bone Clan, Dark Skeletal Lord, and the Seven Top Killers from Nether Hall were no ordinary people. Each of them had a fierce reputation. They had dominated many Battlefields of Merits and killed countless Celestial Court elites.
Many Celestial Court cultivators would be terrified at the mention of these famous names. No one could possibly think that they would die on a battlefield.
“Well done!”
“The Prince of the Eastern Region is worthy of being the successor of Saint Monk Xumi. He is worthy of being the most outstanding person in Kunlun. In the future, who will dare to bully Kunlun?”
Some of the Saint Confucians said excitedly, feeling proud.
Recently, the atmosphere in Central Imperial City was very depressing. The news of victory at this time could undoubtedly inspire people and boost their morale.
The top Celestial Court elites had been deployed to fight Infernal Court, but most of them failed miserably. Many of them had even died. No one could be optimistic.
Now, Zhang Ruochen had suppressed Infernal Court alone and killed seven top fighters of Infernal Court in consecutive battles. This was undoubtedly what Celestial Court needed.
Nine Heavens Maiden, Wang Shiqi, and the others couldn’t help but set off. They rushed toward the east gate, wanting to see the real situation on the battlefield.
At this moment, outside Central Imperial City, Zhang Ruochen stood above the sky. His long black hair fluttered in the wind. He looked down at the world, with the Ancient Abyssal Blade and the Blood Dripper beside him. The monstrous killing intent released by both swords made him look like a God of Killing.
The bones of the three emperors of the Bone Clan were scattered on the broken ground. Although not a single bone was intact, their Saint Souls had already been destroyed.
Dark Skeletal Lord’s Demigod-level body was still intact, but his Saint Soul was destroyed.
Three of the Seven Top Killers from Nether Hall also fell on the battlefield. Dark red blood flowed and soaked the ground, and the powerful energy of Curse didn’t dissipate for a long time.
The remaining four had already fled back to the camp in the hell world. They looked up at Zhang Ruochen, who was standing in the sky. There was anger in their eyes, but the fear outweighed that.
If they had run slower just now, they would have died.
The Seven Top Killers from Nether Hall had been invincible since their debut. The only two times they had lost was because of Zhang Ruochen, and this time, they had failed even more miserably.
After witnessing Zhang Ruochen’s unrivaled grace, no one in Infernal Court dared to fight again. Their honor couldn’t be more important than their own lives.
In Immortal Vampire camp, Xue Ningxiao’s beautiful eyes sparkled. “He’s really powerful. I’m starting to believe that he can defeat Yan Wushen.”
“Grandfather will like Zhang Ruochen’s personality. After all, he rose up step by step and swept through all his opponents just like what Zhang Ruochen is currently doing. I’m really looking forward to him joining Xue Jue Family. I wonder what expressions those direct descendants will have,” Lord Xue Chen’s said with his eyes full of anticipation.
He might not be powerful enough to suppress those geniuses in his family alone, but what if Zhang Ruochen went back?
“Back to Infernal Court?” Xue Ningxiao shook her head.
It was impossible!
…
“Zhang Ruochen has already gained momentum. Among those ranked below Supreme Sainthood, who can keep him in check?”
Many Celestial Court and Infernal Court cultivators thought the same thing.
The fact that Yan Wushen had good and evil counterparts was, after all, a secret that few people knew.
Moreover, after seeing Zhang Ruochen’s terrifying strength, even those who knew Yan Wushen’s secret felt unease.
With a wave of his hand, Zhang Ruochen collected the bones of Dark Skeletal Lord, the Three Emperors of the Bone Clan, and the three Top Killers from Nether Hall, as well as their treasures. These were the spoils of his victory.
They were all valuable, especially the bones of Dark Skeletal Lord and the three Emperors of the Bone Clan. They were priceless and had many uses.
Seeing this, no one in Infernal Court dared to stop him. They were furious, yet they could do nothing but watch.
“The Prince of the Eastern Region. Invincible! Undefeatable!”
At this moment, an excited voice sounded.
“The Prince of the Eastern Region. Invincible! Undefeatable!”
Suddenly, many Kunlun cultivators began shouting. They were so excited, emotional that their eyes were filled with tears of joy.
Zhang Ruochen looked around and said in a clear voice, “Yan Wushen, I’m waiting you for our life-or-death battle. You’d better show up soon.”
After saying this, Zhang Ruochen didn’t stay any longer. He took a step forward and went straight back to Central Imperial City.
He had achieved the goal he had set out for, and it had far exceeded his expectations. Since no one from Infernal Court would fight, there was no need to waste time here.
Most of the elites gathered on the city wall had unnatural expressions on their faces. No one dared to say anything at that time.
In the beginning, when they saw Zhang Ruochen attacking the camp of Infernal Court, they all thought that Zhang Ruochen had gone mad and was seeking his own death. At that time, many of them had laughed.
But after seeing the result, no one could laugh anymore.
Especially Saint Lord Xue Tian and Akash, both kept quiet and hid in the crowd, afraid that Zhang Ruochen would notice them.
However, Zhang Ruochen did not pay attention to anyone. He took another step and disappeared from the spot.
In the following period of time, Zhang Ruochen fell silent and made himself untraceable. No one knew what he was doing.
However, the more he concealed his whereabouts, the more fearful all the cultivators became. Everyone restrained themselves and strictly followed Kunlun Laws Zhang Ruochen had set.
There was a hidden canyon 100,000 miles away from Central Imperial City that had a natural maze. Even a top Saint King could get lost easily inside.
The Saint Qi of heaven and earth in the canyon was extremely dense, with a lot of sacred medicinal herbs growing in it. It was a perfect place for practicing.
In the center of the canyon, there was a huge emerald jade. At this moment, there was a tall figure sitting cross-legged on it.
It was none other than Yan Wushen, who had fought with Zhang Ruochen in Imperial City.
Yan Wushen’s current state was very unstable. His body gave off a holy aura and an evil aura intermittently at times. It seemed like he could return into both good and evil states of his being any time.
Just as Zhang Ruochen had sensed, Yan Wushen hadn’t been able to truly merge his two bodies. The good and evil parts had not fused so there were many problems.
Even though he’d come to the valley and been in seclusion for a few days. He still couldn’t completely merge. The Origins of the good and evil bodies strongly rejected the other.
It was normal, because if this path was easy, the Buddhist Sect wouldn’t have banned it.
“Who is it?”
Suddenly, Yan Wushen opened his eyes and looked at the entrance of the canyon.
In the next moment, a figure appeared in the canyon. Although it was in human form, it had four eyes and four arms. Its body was emitting a strong devilish aura. It was from Asuran clan, one of the Ten Clans in Infernal Court
“Wan Xin, what do you wish to accomplish by entering my enclosed cultivation training territory?” Yan Wushen asked coldly.
Wan Xin smiled and said, “I deliberately spent a lot of efforts in locating you. I have something important and good for you.”
“If you have something to say, just say it,” Yan Wushen said.
Wan Xin did not waste time and spoke, “I am here under the orders of my master to give you a treasure that can help you repair the flaws in your cultivation method. It will allow the good and evil parts to fuse together, allowing you to achieve your peak state.”
Hearing this, Yan Wushen’s heart gave a flutter, Wan Xin’s master was an extremely powerful Asuran deity. He was very old and had survived countless Yuanhui Tribulations. Moreover, he cultivated the Path of Time.
During the tragic divine war 100,000 years ago, this deity had participated in the group attack on Saint Monk Xumi. However, he had been severely injured by Saint Monk Xumi and was unable to recover till now.
Ever since the battle of gods, this deity had rarely shown his face. Many people were speculating on his death.
“What does Asurendra Samay want?” Yan Wushen asked directly.
He didn’t believe that Asurendra Samay would be so kind as to help him out in time of need. A treasure that could fuse good and evil was definitely not ordinary. Therefore, there must be an ulterior motive.
Wan Xin said, “Master sole request is to bring Zhang Ruochen’s body back to Infernal Court after you defeated him.”
“Huh? Is the Asurendra Samay trying to possess Zhang Ruochen’s body?” Yan Wushen instantly replied.
As far as he knew, Asurendra Samay had been severely injured, with his physical body on the verge of collapse. If he couldn’t find a way to repair it, he could only find a suitable body to possess.
However, what Asurendra Samay practiced was Path of Time. A normal body wouldn’t be able to satisfy the requirements for possession.
Zhang Ruochen had the Five-element Chaotic Body and God’s Destiny. He was perfect in all aspects so he was obviously the best choice.
Wan Xin didn’t answer. He just stared at Yan Wushen.
Yan Wushen was a decisive person, so he agreed without hesitation.
He and Zhang Ruochen had to decide who would live and who would die.
Since he—Yan Wushen—would be the victor, Zhang Ruochen had to die. There’s no difference in the way of his death.
If he lost to Zhang Ruochen, how could he live on? There would be a great possibility that he would end up getting devoured by Saint Devourer.
After receiving this reply, Wan Xin smiled again. He took out an exquisite jade box and said, “This is Yin-Yang Equinox Flower. It can solve your current problem.”
Yan Wushen extended his hand to receive the jade box.
Wan Xin clasped his hands together, bowed, and said, “I await good news from you.”
After saying this, Wan Xin turned into nothingness and departed the valley.
Yan Wushen opened the jade box and took out a strange flower. It was black and white with a shape resembling Taiji Diagram, where Yin and Yang interweaved together into one entity.
A look was enough to enlighten Yan Wushen, and he understood the problems within his body that prevented him from merging fully.
With the treasure in hand, Yan Wushen did not want to wait longer. He immediately began refining himself in order to fuse his good and evil counterparts as soon as possible to become truly invincible.
…
In Central Imperial City, Zhang Ruochen finally reappeared after disappearing for a few days.
Under the watchful eyes of the cultivators, Zhang Ruochen entered the Sub-Terminal of Merits alone. He left Kunlun directly through the dimensional teleportation array.
“Zhang Ruochen is heading to Celestial Domain of Truth!”
Soon, news came back to Imperial City.
“Why is Zhang Ruochen going to Celestial Domain of Truth at this time? Is he going to cross Sea of Truth?”
“I think so. Zhang Ruochen probably wants to try crossing the tenth level in Sea of Truth to obtain the reward from Celestial Domain of Truth.”
“Since the birth of Celestial Court, only 13 Supreme Saints have been able to cross the tenth level of the sea and climb the Mountain of Truth. Each of them has become a world-shaking figure.
“Although Zhang Ruochen is very strong, he is merely a Saint King, which means his chance of succeeding should be very low.”
All cultivators from various Macroworlds discussed among themselves fervently. They all paid close attention to Zhang Ruochen’s actions.
Zhang Ruochen had become too popular, so not many wanted to see him cross the tenth level of the Sea of Truth.
After all, Zhang Ruochen was already so powerful. If he obtained the legendary reward that could make even gods jealous, he might become even stronger, crushing everyone with his might.
…
After Zhang Ruochen left, an ancient and elegant Saint Chariot descended from the sky outside Ziwei Palace. A slender and handsome figure emerged from within.
It was none other than the low-profiled Akash.
Because of Zhang Ruochen, Akash had not come to see the Nine-heavens Maiden for some time.
Just as Akash was about to enter Ziwei Palace, he suddenly sensed something and couldn’t help but turn towards it. A ridiculously handsome face appeared before him.
“Yin Yuanchen.”
There was a slight change in Akash’s expression.
