Chapter 1023: Phoenix Dance Palace
The Azure Dragon Army’s effort to cultivate an elite warrior was no easy task, requiring vast resources. Yet Zhang Ruochen, merely by driving his sword qi, had slain three thousand elites in a single stroke. Even from Han Ying’s perspective, this was deeply painful.
This was a massacre.
“It seems I truly underestimated you. You can actually tear space apart. What exactly is your relationship with Zhang Ruochen?”
Han Ying grew suspicious that the man below, wearing a golden mask, might very well be the Heir of Time and Space, Zhang Ruochen himself.
Zhang Ruochen said nothing, merely fixing him with a cold, indifferent stare.
“It doesn’t matter if you don’t speak. Once I, your commander, capture you, I’ll naturally learn your identity. I won’t kill you easily—I’ll make you taste every torture the Azure Dragon Army has, slowly tormenting you to death.”
The pair of black wings on Han Ying’s back emitted two streams of black cold air, condensing into two patches of dark clouds.
“Crack, crack.”
His hands transformed into two metallic eagle claws, pressing downward.
It was unknown just how terrifying the power within those metal eagle claws was, causing the world’s spiritual energy to violently tremble and freezing the city district below into a thick layer of ice.
Han Ying’s cultivation had reached the middle stage of the Ninth-Order Half-Saint, far surpassing Guo Lu. With Zhang Ruochen’s current cultivation, he was indeed no match for him.
However, Zhang Ruochen had one trump card.
“Thousand Ripple Annihilation Force!”
Zhang Ruochen, without hesitation, poured ninety-nine percent of the sacred qi within his body into the blade of the Abyssal Ancient Sword.
A destructive power surged from the sword, instantly piercing through the two dark clouds in the sky.
“That’s… a Thousand-Mark Sacred Artifact…”
Han Ying’s expression changed drastically. He immediately flapped his wings, bursting forth at maximum speed, trying to flee.
But to deal with Zhang Ruochen, he had already ordered this city district sealed off.
Without the sealing formation opening, even he couldn’t escape.
“Open the sealing formation immediately!”
Han Ying’s veins bulged across his body as he roared, his heart filled with fear and urgency.
Yet before the sealing formation could activate, a deadly force had already locked onto him.
Han Ying immediately turned around, crushing three protective talismans in succession, forming three layers of defensive light shields around his body.
“Pfft.”
A sword qi imbued with the Thousand Ripple Annihilation Force tore through the three layers of defensive light shields like cutting through three sheets of paper, simultaneously cleaving Han Ying’s body in two.
Blood rained down like a downpour.
A rumbling sound echoed as the sealing formation finally opened, revealing the true scene of that city district.
Qin Yutong stood atop a tower, gazing into the distance. She drew in a sharp breath of cold air, feeling as if she were witnessing a grim Shura field.
That city district had been completely reduced to rubble. The ground was littered with corpses clad in black armor, blood dyeing the earth crimson.
In midair, Han Ying, one of the ten commanders of the Azure Dragon Army, was split in two by a sword qi, plummeting straight down.
Only a blood-soaked young man, wielding a war sword, walked toward Han Ying’s corpse.
This scene before her truly made Qin Yutong’s heart tremble. This man… was nothing short of a god of slaughter.
Zhang Ruochen retrieved the jade stone inscribed with the “Bright Sacred Canon” from Han Ying’s body, clutching it in his hand, and let out a long sigh.
He had held some hope for Zhang Shu, hoping he might one day become a strong warrior.
Who could have imagined that just a few hours later, a youth who had yet to make his mark had already been buried under the butcher’s blade of the Azure Dragon Army?
Having unleashed the Thousand Ripple Annihilation Force, Zhang Ruochen had exhausted the sacred qi within his body, relying only on his powerful physical form to keep going.
He had to leave as quickly as possible.
“Whoosh!”
A graceful, shadowy figure drifted down from above, like a fairy descending from the Heavenly Palace to the mortal world, landing at the edge of the battlefield. Her face was veiled, her perfect figure faintly visible through the mist.
Zhang Ruochen had seen her at the Cai Clan Holy Mansion banquet. She was said to be the golden signboard of the Phoenix Dance Palace, the Dance Fairy.
Maintaining a calm and composed demeanor, Zhang Ruochen tried not to reveal that his sacred qi was depleted, saying coldly, “Another one come to die?”
Qin Yutong carefully studied Zhang Ruochen, then took out a token. On the token was imprinted a square “Zhang” character.
A voice as pleasant as a bell emerged from her lips: “If I’m not mistaken, you must be the Zhang Clan strongman that Zhang Fengxing mentioned, right?”
A flicker of surprise appeared in Zhang Ruochen’s eyes. He hadn’t expected that the high-ranking Zhang Clan figure liaising with Zhang Fengxing was her.
“You killed Han Ying. This will surely alert the Saint Realm titans of the Lingxiao Heavenly King Mansion. In your current state, it’s best you come with me. I can take you to a safe place.”
Qin Yutong’s starry eyes were not only beautiful and moving but also radiated a lively brilliance.
If one observed closely, they would find her pupils like two vast starry skies, with specks of starlight flickering within.
These were sacred eyes, known as the “Sea of Stars,” capable of seeing what ordinary people couldn’t, while also possessing a stunning allure.
Anyone who met her gaze would be drawn in by her aura, unable to extricate themselves.
Even though Zhang Ruochen tried to conceal it, she still saw through his depleted sacred qi. He had to admit she had real skill, not just a beautiful vase, and it was no wonder she was a high-ranking figure in the Zhang Clan.
In the end, Zhang Ruochen left with Qin Yutong.
Moments later, a terrifying sacred might descended from the sky, arriving at the battlefield.
All cultivators in the city districts around the battlefield were alarmed.
Some lower-level martial artists, even more panicked, knelt trembling on the ground.
“Who?”
An enraged voice boomed from the clouds, whipping up a fierce gale across that city district.
Throughout Saint Ming City, cultivators from various clans were inquiring about what major event had occurred to provoke the fury of a Saint.
Soon, news spread.
“Han Ying, one of the ten commanders of the Azure Dragon Army, has been killed, with not a single survivor among the three thousand elite troops.”
Hearing this news, many cultivators were stunned into silence.
How many years had it been since the Azure Dragon Army suffered such a loss? Who had the audacity to kill a commander in Saint Ming City?
That night, Saint Ming City was destined for unrest.
At this moment, Zhang Ruochen and Qin Yutong arrived at a canyon within Saint Ming City. The canyon was brightly lit, with clusters of palaces. Many young, beautiful women, holding lanterns or carrying ancient zithers, moved through the corridors between the palaces.
A flurry of activity, a constant stream of figures.
“Phoenix Dance Palace,” Zhang Ruochen murmured.
Qin Yutong turned around, her bright starry eyes carrying a spiritual charm, fixing her gaze on Zhang Ruochen. “Have you been here before?”
“No.”
Zhang Ruochen shook his head. “The city district where the Phoenix Dance Palace is located is one of the most prosperous in Saint Ming City. Even if I’ve never entered, I’ve passed by it more than once.”
Qin Yutong nodded and said no more.
They walked deeper into the Phoenix Dance Palace. The canyon gradually grew quiet and serene, like a paradise, starkly contrasting with the bustling, decadent scene outside.
One extreme of vulgarity, one extreme of elegance.
Four figures rushed out, meeting Qin Yutong and Zhang Ruochen head-on.
Two men and two women.
The two young women, dressed in seductive dancer attire, had cultivation at the Fourth-Order Half-Saint level. They were Bai Xuan Shuang and Bai Xuan Yu.
The two men were top experts below the Saint Realm, with cultivation at the Ninth-Order Half-Saint. Though they fully suppressed their sacred qi, they still exuded a formidable presence.
Bai Xuan Shuang showed a delighted expression. “Great! I was planning to take Senior Brother Yan and Senior Brother Fu to help you, but you’ve already escaped first.”
Yan Wenqi and Fu Shang fixed their gazes on Zhang Ruochen, hostility flashing in their eyes.
Yan Wenqi, relatively younger, appeared to be about twenty-seven or twenty-eight. His gaze was cold. “Han Ying is no ordinary figure. How could you escape from his grasp so easily?”
Zhang Ruochen frowned slightly but replied calmly, “What do you mean by that?”
Yan Wenqi laughed. “I suspect you might be a hidden agent planted by the Lingxiao Heavenly King Mansion and the Azure Dragon Army, trying to infiltrate us. The so-called siege was likely a play you and Han Ying put on together.”
Fu Shang turned to Qin Yutong. “Junior Sister, this time you were too careless. Given Han Ying’s cultivation and methods, how could you escape so quickly? Haven’t you doubted him?”
Qin Yutong looked at Yan Wenqi and Fu Shang. “You two don’t know the full story. It’s best not to offend this young master.”
Bai Xuan Shuang’s eyes showed anger. “This young master killed Guo Lu, one of the ten commanders of the Azure Dragon Army, at the Cai Clan Holy Mansion, avenging many of our senior and junior brothers and sisters. How could he be a hidden agent of the Azure Dragon Army?”
Yan Wenqi and Fu Shang’s expressions stiffened, and they almost exclaimed in unison, “He killed Guo Lu?”
They knew that even if they joined forces against Guo Lu, they would only have a slight upper hand, unable to kill him. How could they believe this young man possessed such formidable combat power?
Qin Yutong said, “Not just Guo Lu. Just now, he killed Han Ying and three thousand elite soldiers of the Azure Dragon Army. I ask you two senior brothers, do you have that ability?”
The shock on Yan Wenqi and Fu Shang’s faces deepened, finding it hard to believe.
Bai Xuan Shuang and Bai Xuan Yu’s mouths fell open, their eyes blinking with admiration, looking at him as if he were a legendary hero.
What they had struggled to achieve with great effort and sacrifice, Zhang Ruochen had accomplished in a single night, slaying two great enemies.
Zhang Ruochen didn’t bother with Yan Wenqi and Fu Shang. He turned to Qin Yutong. “Give me a safe, secluded cultivation chamber. I need to recover from my injuries.”
“No problem. You can use my cultivation chamber. No one dares to intrude there.” Qin Yutong’s tone was gentle.
Zhang Ruochen added, “Also, use your resources to investigate the whereabouts of the other eight commanders of the Azure Dragon Army, as well as key figures of the Lingxiao Heavenly King Mansion, like the Fourth Young Master.”
Qin Yutong could feel the intense killing intent radiating from Zhang Ruochen. Her already full chest heaved deeply. “What are you planning to do?”
“I just want them to pay a fitting price. I need to make the Lingxiao Heavenly King Mansion understand that Saint Ming City is not a place where they can call the shots.”
Zhang Ruochen spoke with resolute finality, his eyes as sharp as two swords.