The air became much colder when Zhang Ruochen stepped into the Phoenix Annex. It was as if he had fallen into an ice cave.
Zhang Ruochen swept his gaze across the room. There was a long bronze table in the room. Ling, Bai Zi, and Huo Xing were already sitting in the north, west, and east. There were also three beautiful women accompanying them. Two were half-saints of the Immortal Vampires, and one was a human half-saint.
Aside from fine wine and delicacies, there were dishes cooked with human flesh and soul food on the table.
A glass lamp was placed in the center of the table.
The lamp oil was clear and transparent, and the wick was like beans. As it burned, it gave off ripples of patterns. The fragrance was like sandalwood, giving people a sense of tranquility and distance.
“Haha! Brother Ruochen, I’ve been waiting for you for a long time. Why are you only here now? I think you have to punish yourself with three cups.” Ling said with a familiar smile as if he had seen an old friend.
This fifth son of the Ghost Master had restrained his Ghost Qi. His ghost body was no different from a body of flesh and blood. He looked to be in his thirties. He had a white face and no beard. The top of his head was bare, and he didn’t have a single strand of hair.
Cang Baizi and Huo Xing looked at Zhang Ruochen silently.
Zhang Ruochen sat on the south side of the table and looked at Ling. He looked at the glass lamp on the table and said, “Buddha Oil Lamp?”
“Yes, it’s the Buddha Oil Lamp,” Ling said.
Refining the oil from a deceased Buddha and making it into lamp oil.
Once ignited, it could suppress the cultivator’s spiritual power from leaving the body and also suppress the cultivator’s spiritual perception.
This arrangement alone made Zhang Ruochen realize that the three people in front of him intended to kill him today.
Cang Baizi changed into a clean Taoist robe. He did not look as miserable as he did in the Peacock Palace. He said, “The ancestors of the Hall of Permanence went to the Western Buddha Realm and dug up a Buddha’s corpse. They refined a lot of Buddha oil. If you’re interested, I can give you some.”
Buddha was considered a god.
Zhang Ruochen covered his nose and said rudely, “It stinks. Where did this stench coming from? Even the Buddha incense can’t cover it.”
Cang Baizi’s stiff and pale face turned cold. He was about to flare up.
Ling held Cang baizi down.
Cang baizi snorted and vented his anger on the human half-saint woman sitting on his lap. Her pretty face twitched and her body trembled slightly.
Ling stared at the human saint named Lian Rou and said, “Why aren’t you pouring wine for Ruochen?”
Lian Rou was charming. She picked up the wine jug and fill it up. Leaning against Zhang Ruochen, she exhaled and said, “Sir, please drink.”
Zhang Ruochen reached out two fingers to block the wine cup. He looked at Ling and said, “There’s no need to be so polite between us. I came here for only one purpose, the Southern Sword Realm.”
Ling narrowed his eyes and put down the wine cup. “What kind of status do you have to be so interested in a poor and weak world?”
“Aren’t you also interested in that place?” said Zhang Ruochen.
He continued, “What did Lord Bladehell tell you?”
“This has nothing to do with Lord Bladehell. We just want to buy the Southern Sword Realm to strengthen our power and cultivate more clansmen,” said Cang Baizi.
Ling shook his head slightly. Cang Baizi was really an idiot.
Zhang Ruochen could not be sure that Lord Bladehell had leaked the secret. It was obvious that he was testing the waters by asking that question. Although it was a denial, what was the difference between it and an admission?
Lord Bladehell was having a hard time!
However, Ling felt that this was not necessarily a bad thing.
They had promised Lord Bladehell that they would not leak it to anyone.
They had done it. Indeed, they did not leak it on purpose.
Now, Zhang Ruochen was extremely angry and would definitely seek revenge on Lord Bladehell. However, once Lord Bladehell entered the Thousand-Koan Realm, his cultivation would skyrocket. Zhang Ruochen would undoubtedly face a formidable opponent in him.
Even though Lord Bladehell still couldn’t defeat Zhang Ruochen and died at his hands.
How could the forces behind Lord Bladehell let it go?
No matter how they settled the score, they wouldn’t lose anything.
Of course, it still depended on whether Zhang Ruochen could leave alive today.
Zhang Ruochen said, “There’s no need for you to lie. To tell you the truth, I am determined to get the Southern Sword Realm.”
Ling smiled, he said, “Since brother Ruochen is so interested in the Southern Sword Realm, we can bear to part with it. However, the three forces spend a lot to buy a world. I wonder, Ruochen… What price do you offer to buy it back?”
Zhang Ruochen was very straightforward. “Three Godstones.”
While the three powerful figures were stunned.
Zhang Ruochen took out three Godstones from his Ring of Dimensions and threw them at Ling, Cang Baizi, and Huo Xing respectively.
SWOOSH! SWOOSH! SWOOSH!
Cang Baizi reached out his hand to grab the Godstones that were flying toward him. He could no longer suppress his anger. He suddenly stood up and the Yin Qi in his body flourished. He said, “I gave you face, but you don’t want it. Zhang Ruochen, don’t be arrogant. To tell you the truth, the Hall of Permanence wants the Myriad Curse Bead on you. If you don’t, I’ll give the order and turn the entire Southern Sword Realm into a dead zone. Billions of lives will die because of you.”
Huo Xing said, “The Roopkund Seas wishes to retrieve the body of Supreme Saint Yanhong.”
Zhang Ruochen shook his head with a cold smile. He looked at Ling and said, “If I’m not wrong, Dishastan wants the Pleiades Lotus, right?”
“Ruochen is really my confidant,” Ling said.
Zhang Ruochen took the wine cup from Lian Rou’s hand and sniffed it. He said, “You want to sell three Supreme Artifacts in the Southern Sword Realm. Do you think I have to be this sucker?”
The Roopkund Sea desired the body of Supreme Saint Yanhong, but the ring on her finger was a Supreme Artifact.
The ring could not be removed from her finger.
Ling, Cang Baizi, and Huo Xing all had smiles on their faces.
They all had different smiles.
Ling’s smile was warm, Cang Baizi’s smile was hard, and Huo Xing’s smile was like the bone fire in his eyes, jumping with excitement.
Zhang Ruochen didn’t drink the wine in his glass after all. “To tell you the truth, I’ve never thought of buying the Southern Sword Realm from you.”
Ling, Cang Baizi, and Huo Xing still smiled, but their smiles became stiff.
Zhang Ruochen said again, “A long time ago, someone told me that the Infernal Court is a place where the strong prey on the weak. Even so, why buy things that can be stolen with Godstones?”
The entire room became solemn.
“You’re probably dreaming if you want to steal the Southern Sword Realm from us three forces,” said Cang Baizi.
Zhang Ruochen said, “There are some people in this world who like to dream.”
Cang Baizi’s expression changed slightly when he heard this.
Ling was calm and still maintained his posture, he said, “Brother Ruochen, you’ve just arrived in the Infernal Court. I’m afraid that you don’t understand the rules here. The law of survival is indeed the law of the jungle. However, there are also some basic rules.
“If you dare to forcefully seize the Southern Sword Realm, it’s undoubtedly because you want to start a large-scale civil war between divine level forces. If everyone was like you, the Infernal Court would have long been in chaos. You’ve crossed the bottom line. Even if we spare you, the Fane of Destiny won’t be able to spare you.”
Then he drank a glass of wine and said slowly, “Over the years, the Adjudication Division has killed many disobedient Scions, Scionesses, and Divine Scions. Brother Ruochen, you must think twice before you act.”
Zhang Ruochen stood up. His killing intent was overflowing and said, “Don’t use the Fane of Destiny to pressure me. I must carry out this battle. If you know what’s good for you, hand over the Southern Sword Realm. Otherwise, the Southern Sword Realm will be your burial ground. Goodbye!”
Ling’s eyes instantly turned cold. From the corner of his eye, he looked at the human saint named Lian Rou.
Bang
The wine cup fell to the ground and shattered into pieces.
BOOM!
Ling, Cang Baizi, and Huo Xing released their Precept Domains at the same time.
In Ling’s Precept Domain, there was a magnificent yin mountain. The mountain stretched for thousands of miles. Tens of millions of souls passed through the mountains and surged toward Zhang Ruochen like a tsunami.
Cang Baizi Zi’s Precept Domain was seven palaces of Paths.
Huo Xing’s Precept Domain was a gray sea of corpses. One could vaguely see mountain-sized bone bodies with the bone fire burning inside.
The three Precept Domains stacked on top of each other and suppressed Zhang Ruochen at the same time.
“Rise!”
Zhang Ruochen roared. The Saint Aspect of the Immovable Wisdom King rushed out of his body and held up a world to resist the suppression of the three Precept Domains.
Lian Rou, who was standing beside Zhang Ruochen, instantly lost the tenderness in her eyes. At some point, a black dagger appeared in her hand. She stabbed at Zhang Ruochen’s temple like a flash of lightning.
At this moment, she didn’t look like a saint. The waves of her aura had clearly reached the Thousand-Koan Realm.
At such a close distance, with her unparalleled speed, it could be said that she had sentenced Zhang Ruochen to death.
Zhang Ruochen’s protective Saint Qi was pierced layer by layer by the black dagger like it was made of paper. The moment it was unsheathed, the three women sitting next to Ling, Bai Zi, and Huo Xing were sucked away by it, their souls and blood, and turned into three dry bones.
Its evil power made the entire room ring with thousands of voices. Some were crying, some were begging, and some were laughing wildly.
The foot-long dagger contained countless evil spirits.
Seeing that the black dagger was about to pierce through Zhang Ruochen’s temple, Zhang Ruochen hit her chest as if he had expected it.
BANG!
Lian Rou’s eyes widened with disbelief. Her body flew backward.
Her chest exploded from Zhang Ruochen’s palm. It caved in and shattered her sternum, turning her internal organs into a splatter of blood. Before she could fly out, her left wrist was pulled back by Zhang Ruochen.
Zhang Ruochen did not show any mercy to her. He hit her head with his palm.
BANG!
Lian Rou’s head exploded. Her seductive body turned into a bloody mess and fell to the ground.
She was still alive. Her fingers and legs were wriggling.
Zhang Ruochen suppressed her in the true Profound Spatial Dimension, making it impossible for her body to recover.
“Break for me.”
The Saint Aspect of the Immovable Wisdom King tore the three Precept Domains apart. The surrounding scene recovered. They were still in the Phoenix Annex. Ling, Bai Zi, and Huo Xing were still sitting at the table.
The difference was that the three women beside them had turned into hideous, gray, and black bones.
Lian Rou’s Supreme Saint blood splattered all over the room.
Zhang Ruochen ignored the three of them. He picked up the wine cup on the table and drank it in one gulp. Then he crouched down and took the black dagger from Lian Rou’s hand. He looked at it, “The Scourging Dagger!” He said. “As far as I know, it has been passed down for more than 200,000 years. It has taken in numerous evil spirits and blood. It’s a cursed artifact capable of killing Demigods. You are not an Infernal Court cultivator. Are you with the Empyrean Assassins?”
Lian Rou’s broken body let out a chilling voice. “Zhang Ruochen, you’re indeed strong, but I don’t understand. How did you see that I was the one who really tried to assassinate you?”
“Your qi-concealing secret technique is exquisite. You’ve hidden your cultivation in the Saint Realm. Unfortunately, even if you can hide it from a Demigod, you can’t hide it from me.” said Zhang Ruochen. Of course, he wouldn’t reveal the secret that he had the Heart of Truth.
If Zhang Ruochen hadn’t noticed it in advance and taken precautions, even a Paramount Realm Supreme Saint would have had a 10-20% chance of being assassinated in that situation.
First, using the women of the Humans and the Immortal Vampires to accompany him. Then prepared all kinds of human flesh and food to affect Zhang Ruochen’s mood.
At the moment of the attack, three Precept Domains pressed down on him. They wanted to draw Zhang Ruochen’s attention to the three non-existent cultivators. Then, Lian Rou tried to kill Zhang Ruochen with the Scourging Dagger.
This killing scheme had been planned from the very beginning.
“Haha, Zhang Ruochen, you have become a target in both heaven and Infernal Court. You are one of the most valuable cultivators on the Supreme Saint Bounty List. Countless assassins want to take your life. You won’t live long.” Lian Rou laughed crazily.
Zhang Ruochen said, “The Empyrean Assassins are cooperating with Dishastan, the Hall of Permanence, and the Roopkund Sea. I wonder how the Fane of Destiny will deal with them after they find out?”
“You won’t have a chance,” said Lian Rou.
“How so?” asked Zhang Ruochen.
“Because you have no evidence,” said Lian Ruo.
Lian Rou’s body began to be engulfed in flames.
Her calm voice came from the flames. “Shadow Incense is only the introduction. The shadow of death will fall over the entire world. When the Peach Blossoms bloom, you’ll be reduced to dust like me.”
Zhang Ruochen wanted to stop Lian Rou, but it was too late. As soon as she finished talking, she burned up, leaving only a handful of ashes.
Even the Supreme Saint’s blood scattered in the room was burned up.
“I can stop her from self-detonating her Sainthood Source, but I can’t stop her from using the self-incinerating secret technique. The killers of the Empyrean Assassins were too terrifying. She didn’t look like a human at all. She was more like a killing weapon. Even with the cultivation of the Thousand-Koan Realm, she still chose to commit suicide so decisively. Is she really not afraid of death?” said Zhang Ruochen.
Zhang Ruochen carefully recalled what she had said at the last minute.
“Shadow Incense is only the prelude… when the Peach Blossom blooms, you will be like me…”
“Shadow Incense and Peach Blossom.”
SNAP!
On the table, the Buddha oil in the glass lamp burned out.
The light went out, and the entire room became pitch-black. Only the whispers of the spirits in the Scourging Dagger could be heard.
Zhang Ruochen’s spiritual power could finally escape his body if the Buddha Oil Lamp was not suppressed.
Ling, Cang Baizi, and Huo Xing were still sitting on the three sides of the table, but Zhang Ruochen could not sense their auras. He snorted, “It seems that you still don’t dare to attack openly.”
A cold wind blew from outside the window. Ling, Cang Baizi, and Huo Xing’s bodies disintegrated and turned into three piles of yellow sand.
They were only shadow clones.
…
Ling, Cang Baizi, and Huo Xing stood in the Geese Annex and looked in the direction of the Phoenix Annex.
Cang baizi said in confusion, “Is Zhang Ruochen really a lustful person? Why couldn’t he be fooled by beauty such as Shadow Incense?”
“Not only is he not a lustful person, but he’s also a ruthless person who destroys anything beautiful,” Huo Xing said.
Although the assassination failed, Ling was still calm and had a smile on his face. He said, “Lan Ying, Yan Huangtu, and Wujiang, all of them are top-notch heroes in the world, but they were all defeated by Zhang Ruochen in the Battlefield of Celestial-Hunting. Such a figure, even if he is lustful, yet can not be killed by beauty?”
Huo Xing said, “Shadow Incense is not only a beauty but also a top-notch emperor-level killer among the Empyrean Assassins. We must admit that Zhang Ruochen is more difficult to deal with than we thought.”
“If he is not powerful enough, it will be meaningless.” Ling laughed.
“How can you laugh? Zhang Ruochen already knows Shadow Incense’s identity. If he reports it to the Fane of Destiny, we will be in big trouble.” Cang Baizi was worried.
“I am not worried about that. Zhang Ruochen’s backer in the Fane of Destiny is the Fortune Palace. Unfortunately, the Fortune Palace can’t interfere in this matter. As for the Adjudication Division… Well, with our power in the Adjudication Division, if Zhang Ruochen doesn’t have absolute evidence, the Adjudication Division won’t care about him.”
