Chapter 80: Realm Breakthrough
Qing You saw the falling armor-piercing arrow from the sky, a trace of displeasure appearing on his face as he let out a cold snort. "Meddling!"
He wanted to kill Zhang Ruochen with his own hands, not have Prince Huo Xing do it.
Since Prince Huo Xing had made his move, Zhang Ruochen was as good as dead.
Qing You pushed off the ground with his toes, turning into a green shadow as he flew backward, retreating far away.
Zhang Ruochen naturally sensed the armor-piercing arrow descending from the sky. Every hair on his body stood on end like a hedgehog's spines. His spine chilled, his scalp went numb, as if the heavens themselves were collapsing.
"Ice Fire Qilin!"
Zhang Ruochen's true qi surged through his thirty-six meridians, all of it rushing toward the Ice Fire Qilin Armor on his body. In an instant, he activated ten of the inscriptions within the armor.
The Ice Fire Qilin Armor was a sixth-rank True Martial Treasure, with a total of thirty-eight inscriptions carved into it. With Zhang Ruochen's current martial arts cultivation, he could activate at most ten inscriptions.
"Whoosh!"
The Ice Fire Qilin Armor on Zhang Ruochen's body erupted with crimson and deep blue light, radiating both freezing cold and scorching heat.
From within the armor came a violent roar of a qilin. A seven-meter-tall qilin phantom materialized, shielding Zhang Ruochen within its belly.
"Boom!"
When the armor-piercing arrow struck the qilin phantom, its impact force weakened noticeably, and its speed slowed.
By the time the arrow hit Zhang Ruochen's back, ninety percent of its power had been neutralized, leaving only ten percent.
Even that remaining ten percent was terrifying. It sent Zhang Ruochen flying, crashing into a nearby tree a meter in diameter. He spat out a mouthful of blood.
Fortunately, the armor-piercing arrow had been blocked by the Ice Fire Qilin Armor; otherwise, Zhang Ruochen's body would surely have been pierced through.
"What a powerful armor-piercing arrow—more than ten times stronger than a Thunderclap Arrow."
Zhang Ruochen propped himself up with his sword and spear, spitting out another mouthful of bloody foam.
Prince Huo Xing stood on the back of the Green Qilin Eagle, holding the Silver Bone Crescent Moon Bow. He let out a soft exclamation. "Ice Fire Qilin Armor! I didn't expect you to be wearing that treasure. Excellent! Qing You, kill him and seize the Ice Fire Qilin Armor."
Qing You let out a cold laugh, walking step by step toward Zhang Ruochen. "Even the armor-piercing arrow couldn't kill you. It seems I'll have to do it myself."
Zhang Ruochen glanced briefly at Zi Qian in the distance. Five martial artists from the Four Directions Commandery had already died by her hand. If he could stall Qing You for just a moment longer, she would finish off all seven.
"I'll take my leave now. Until we meet again."
Zhang Ruochen turned and fled, moving like an agile monkey as he dashed into the forest.
Escaping into the dense woods would not only buy him time but also partially block Prince Huo Xing's line of sight, preventing him from firing another armor-piercing arrow.
"Trying to escape? Dream on!"
Qing You chased after Zhang Ruochen at a speed of forty-four meters per second, also charging into the forest.
Zhang Ruochen's speed was only thirty-four meters per second, putting him at a disadvantage. In just a few seconds, Qing You caught up, and the two clashed again.
From a leather pouch at his waist, Qing You pulled out a foot-long curved blade, resembling a gleaming sickle. His fingers spun it, creating dozens of blade shadows in the air with a "whoosh whoosh" sound.
"Rip!"
The clothes on Zhang Ruochen's chest were sliced open by the sharp sickle, but the Ice Fire Qilin Armor blocked the blade. Otherwise, a bloody gash would have appeared on his chest.
"Heh heh! Ninth Prince, time to die!"
Qing You's speed was ghostly fast, a cruel smile in his eyes. He swung his arm, sending the cold sickle toward Zhang Ruochen's neck.
In that critical moment, all the true qi in Zhang Ruochen's body surged into his soul vein, connecting with his martial soul.
The space in front of Zhang Ruochen twisted slightly.
Just as Qing You's sickle was about to sever Zhang Ruochen's neck, the spatial distortion altered the blade's trajectory. It swept past Zhang Ruochen without touching him.
This was one of the powers of the Space Domain—Space Distortion!
"How is that possible?" Qing You was stunned, feeling as if his eyes had blurred for a moment, allowing Zhang Ruochen to escape the sickle.
In that instant of hesitation, Zhang Ruochen thrust his sword forward, piercing Qing You's left arm.
"Pfft!"
Qing You let out a muffled groan, gritting his teeth as he kicked Zhang Ruochen in the chest, sending him flying.
At the same time, Qing You retreated rapidly. His left arm ached as if splitting apart, blood gushing out. In an instant, half his body went numb.
"Damn it! You severed the meridians in my left hand!"
Qing You's eyes burned with fury. He never imagined he would be injured by a martial artist at the initial Mysterious Extreme Realm.
Even with his strong self-healing abilities, he couldn't reattach the severed meridians in his left arm in such a short time.
Just then, Zi Qian emerged from the forest, holding a blood-drenched sword, standing behind Qing You.
She had killed all seven martial artists. Blood soaked through her purple clothes, clinging tightly to her body, outlining her rounded chest, slender waist, and long, shapely legs. Her black hair was wet, dripping with crimson blood.
She was a beautiful woman, yet she looked more like a soul-reaping envoy, radiating killing intent from head to toe.
Qing You sneered. "Even with one hand, killing you two is a piece of cake."
From midair came Prince Huo Xing's voice. "Qing You, let me give you a hand."
Prince Huo Xing took out a flute, infused it with true qi, and blew a melodious tune.
As the flute sounded, a "rustling" noise came from the forest. Swarms of fist-sized venomous bees flew out, heading toward Zhang Ruochen and Zi Qian.
First-order mid-grade savage beasts—Illusion Venom Bees.
A single sting from an Illusion Venom Bee would cause hallucinations in a martial artist.
If stung by three at once, the martial artist would be in mortal danger.
Even a martial artist at the Small Extreme Position of the Mysterious Extreme Realm would die within fifteen minutes if stung by five Illusion Venom Bees.
Although Illusion Venom Bees were only first-order mid-grade savage beasts, Prince Huo Xing had summoned over a hundred of them with his flute. Even a martial artist at the Great Extreme Position of the Mysterious Extreme Realm would have to flee.
"Run!" Zhang Ruochen shouted to Zi Qian.
With that, Zhang Ruochen dashed ahead first, trying to avoid being surrounded by the bees.
"Think you can escape?"
Qing You chased after Zhang Ruochen and Zi Qian.
He cultivated the Green Demon Hand, a naturally poisonous technique, so he had no fear of the Illusion Venom Bees.
Zhang Ruochen looked at Qing You closing in, then at Prince Huo Xing standing on the Green Qilin Eagle's back. He thought to himself, "Prince Huo Xing is a beast tamer, only at the later Mysterious Extreme Realm, but he's more dangerous than Qing You. I have to take him out first, or I'm dead today. But he's riding the Green Qilin Eagle, flying in the air—how can I attack him?"
Just then, a lazy voice sounded in Zhang Ruochen's brow. "Young man, if you agree to one condition of mine, I might be able to help you."
It was Xiao Hei's voice.
Xiao Hei was sealed inside the Cosmic Divine Wood Map, which floated at the center of the qi lake in Zhang Ruochen's brow.
Zhang Ruochen said, "What condition?"
"That you never seal me back into the Cosmic Divine Wood Map again!" Xiao Hei said.
Zhang Ruochen replied, "As long as you behave from now on, I can agree to that."
"Good! It's a deal!" Xiao Hei said cheerfully.
Zhang Ruochen's Divine Martial Mark lit up, and a scroll flew out from his brow, landing in his hand.
He swung his arm, and a huge black cat flew out of the scroll, landing beside Zhang Ruochen like a massive black fur ball crouching on the ground.
Released from the seal, Xiao Hei was visibly excited. "Young man, I'll give you a hand and take care of that guy flying in the sky."
Zhang Ruochen asked, "Can you attack him?"
Xiao Hei shot Zhang Ruochen a disdainful look. "My title is the Emperor Who Slays Heaven and Earth. If I couldn't fly through the sky and burrow through the earth, how could I slay heaven and earth?"
Xiao Hei's body radiated black light, crackling as it expanded another size, becoming as large as a lion.
Moreover, a pair of black wings sprouted from its back.
With a flap of its black wings, Xiao Hei soared into the air, charging toward Prince Huo Xing hovering midair.
"It can transform too!"
Zhang Ruochen was slightly startled. It was the first time he had seen a cat that could fly.
Qing You, chasing from behind, was also shocked. He stared at Zhang Ruochen, thinking to himself, Is he a beast tamer too?
Just then, the Illusion Venom Bees swarmed in.
"Slap!"
Zhang Ruochen swung his sword, cleaving one Illusion Venom Bee in half.
More bees surged forward.
"Heavenly Heart Sword Bell!"
Zhang Ruochen used a spirit-level sword technique, forming a three-meter-tall bell-shaped phantom that enveloped his body.
The bell spun, releasing dozens of sword qi.
Another dozen or so Illusion Venom Bees were pierced by the sword qi and fell to the ground.
"Green Demon Hand!"
Qing You caught up, leaped across a distance of over ten meters, and struck at Zhang Ruochen's chest with his palm.
Zhang Ruochen thrust his spear with one hand and swung his war blade with the other, blocking Qing You's attack simultaneously.
"Bang!"
Qing You's palm force was too strong, sending Zhang Ruochen's spear and war blade flying.
Zhang Ruochen staggered back over ten steps before dissipating Qing You's palm force, spitting out another mouthful of blood. Already injured, he naturally couldn't withstand Qing You's full-powered strike.
"No choice—the gap in cultivation is too great. If I could break through to the middle Mysterious Extreme Realm, I wouldn't be fighting so hard." Zhang Ruochen wiped the blood from his mouth, not discouraged but instead burning with even fiercer battle intent.
"Blood Qi Boiling!"
The true qi inside Zhang Ruochen's body surged rapidly, and his blood began to boil.
Blood Qi Boiling—a hallmark of an initial Mysterious Extreme Realm martial artist.
Qing You sneered. "Even with Blood Qi Boiling, the initial Mysterious Extreme Realm is still weak. There's no way you can be a match for a Small Extreme Position martial artist... You... broke through!"
Qing You's expression changed as he saw wisps of blood mist emerge from Zhang Ruochen's pores, forming a circular blood rainbow that wrapped around his body.
Blood Qi Like Rainbow—a hallmark of a middle Mysterious Extreme Realm martial artist.