Chapter 1029: Murderous Intent Reappears
Zhang Ruochen was not a headstrong or impulsive person. It was merely that the actions of the Azure Dragon Army and the Lingxiao Heavenly King Manor had thoroughly enraged him. Therefore, he had already sworn in his heart to slay the Ten Commanders and avenge those who had died, no matter what happened, nothing could change his resolve.
By the time Qin Yutong caught up to the Seventh City Domain, Zhang Ruochen was already walking out of a grand courtyard, unhurriedly, carrying Liao Huacheng's head in his hand.
"As the Azure Dragon Army's commanders fall one after another, succeeding will only get harder. While news of Liao Huacheng's death hasn't spread yet, I need to kill at least one more commander tonight."
Even after killing a Ninth-Rank Half-Saint, Zhang Ruochen remained calm. He fixed his gaze on Qin Yutong, a questioning look in his eyes.
Qin Yutong could see that Zhang Ruochen hadn't lost his reason. She said, "I do indeed know the whereabouts of another Azure Dragon Army commander."
"Which one?" Zhang Ruochen asked.
"Han Shan Flying General, Qing Yi Chan. She is the only female commander, and like Yan Honglie, she is at the late stage of Ninth-Rank Half-Saint. However... in terms of combat strength, she far surpasses Yan Honglie, ranking third among the Ten Commanders." Qin Yutong said.
"Same cultivation level, yet much stronger than Yan Honglie. She must have some powerful trump card, right?" Zhang Ruochen asked.
Zhang Ruochen was not arrogant or conceited; on the contrary, he was extremely cautious. He had been able to kill Yan Honglie with a single sword strike mainly because he had used the Time-Calibrated Sword Art, slowing down the flow of time and catching him off guard for a one-hit kill. In terms of true strength, Zhang Ruochen was only slightly superior to Yan Honglie, not holding an absolute advantage.
Now, rumors were spreading throughout Shengming City, all saying that the Heir of Time and Space, Zhang Ruochen, had killed three Azure Dragon Army commanders. The remaining commanders would surely be on guard. It would not be easy for Zhang Ruochen to use the power of time and space to launch a sneak attack again.
He had been able to kill Liao Huacheng earlier mainly because Liao Huacheng's cultivation was not high, only at the initial stage of Ninth-Rank Half-Saint. Facing an opponent stronger than Yan Honglie, Zhang Ruochen had to be cautious.
Qin Yutong said, "Qing Yi Chan possesses a Thousand-Mark Sacred Artifact called the Ice Soul Divine Cauldron. It has both powerful defensive capabilities and can unleash terrifying offensive force. If Qing Yi Chan were to use the Ice Soul Divine Cauldron, she could easily defeat Yan Honglie."
"Having a Thousand-Mark Sacred Artifact makes killing her quite troublesome." Zhang Ruochen showed a contemplative expression.
Suddenly, he became alert. He immediately grabbed Qin Yutong's wrist and pulled her into the Meteor Invisibility Cloak, wrapping them both.
"Shua!"
Zhang Ruochen used a Space Displacement technique, taking Qin Yutong with him to hide in a dark corner several dozen zhang away.
"Conceal your aura."
Zhang Ruochen's expression was grave, whispering into Qin Yutong's ear.
Qin Yutong's soft, delicate body was pressed tightly against Zhang Ruochen's. She could clearly feel the heat radiating from him, and her heartbeat instantly quickened. She was very curious about what was happening.
"Despicable."
An angry voice rang out, like thunder, shaking the entire Seventh City Domain.
The next moment, a powerful Saintly Might emanated from the mansion where Liao Huacheng had fallen, sweeping in all directions. Countless cultivators in the Seventh City Domain felt terrified and prostrated themselves on the ground.
Qin Yutong felt a stabbing pain on her back, as if sharp needles were piercing her. It wasn't actual pain, but the Saint's divine thought probing her body. She finally understood why Zhang Ruochen was so nervous—he had sensed a Saint approaching in advance.
Qin Yutong immediately used an aura-concealing technique, suppressing her presence to the extreme.
"Tap, tap."
At that moment, light footsteps came from several dozen zhang away, getting closer and closer to the two of them.
Qin Yutong was extremely tense. Her ten slender jade fingers unconsciously gripped Zhang Ruochen's shoulders. If they were discovered by a Saint, the two of them would die without a burial place tonight.
Not far away, a deep voice sounded, cold and merciless: "The residual aura suddenly breaks off. The Heir of Time and Space's methods are indeed peculiar. Hmph!"
Then, the terrifying Saintly Might quickly dissipated.
The Saint had left.
Zhang Ruochen and Qin Yutong remained hidden inside the Meteor Invisibility Cloak, not daring to step out rashly. They waited for a full half hour before cautiously leaving the Seventh City Domain.
Only after confirming they had reached a safe place did Zhang Ruochen release Qin Yutong from the Meteor Invisibility Cloak.
Zhang Ruochen's expression was calm and composed, showing no awkwardness from the intimate contact with the alluring and beautiful Dancing Fairy.
Qin Yutong wore a veil, so her expression was unreadable. She just let out a soft breath and said, "Judging by his voice, it should be the Azure Dragon Army's Army Master."
"Have you seen him before?" Zhang Ruochen asked.
Qin Yutong gently nodded her head, her voice soft, "I once went to the Lingxiao Heavenly King Manor to perform a dance and saw him once. I remembered his voice. How did you sense the Azure Dragon Army Master's arrival in advance, Young Master?"
Zhang Ruochen clasped his hands behind his back, flew to the top of a tall building, and looked down at the city domain below, gazing at the myriad lights of ten thousand homes. He said, "Saints are indeed extremely powerful, but precisely because they are so powerful, it is difficult for them to hide themselves completely."
"For example, Empress Chi Yao. Her cultivation is number one in the world. That is why, the moment she left the Central Imperial City, the news spread throughout the Kunlun Realm instantly. She simply cannot leave quietly like an ordinary cultivator."
"The same applies to Saint-level figures."
"However, Saints are far inferior to the Empress. Their every move cannot create such a powerful disturbance as the Empress's. Moreover, they can conceal their aura to a certain extent. Only cultivators whose Spiritual Power surpasses theirs can detect their movements."
Qin Yutong was very intelligent and quickly understood Zhang Ruochen's meaning. "The Azure Dragon Army Master's Spiritual Power is inferior to yours, so you are fully aware of his every move."
"Within a hundred li, I can perceive his every action. Beyond a hundred li, my Spiritual Power perception becomes very weak, and I can only sense his general direction at most." Zhang Ruochen said.
He added, "If I didn't have the advantage in Spiritual Power, how would I dare to go on a killing spree in Shengming City?"
Zhang Ruochen's Spiritual Power had reached the Forty-Eighth Rank, surpassing the vast majority of Saints. Unless Lingxiao Heavenly King personally concealed his aura and lay in ambush to strike at Zhang Ruochen, there would be a chance of success. Otherwise, Zhang Ruochen would sense the danger the moment another Saint entered a hundred li radius and immediately hide or flee.
Of course, given Lingxiao Heavenly King's status, he would never ambush a junior at the Half-Saint realm.
What Zhang Ruochen feared most was encountering a Spiritual Power Saint. Spiritual Power Saints were quite rare, less than one-tenth the number of Martial Saints. Moreover, most Spiritual Power Saints belonged to the Inscription Masters Guild or the Confucian Path, being Grandmaster or Confucian Saint-level figures who valued their reputations highly. They were even less likely to ambush a junior at the Half-Saint realm.
Therefore, the probability of the Lingxiao Heavenly King Manor being able to enlist a Spiritual Power Saint was actually not high. Furthermore, they didn't know who Zhang Ruochen's next target would be. Even if they managed to enlist a Spiritual Power Saint, the probability of capturing Zhang Ruochen was quite low.
After hearing Zhang Ruochen's explanation, Qin Yutong finally understood. She revealed an elegant smile. "With your methods, Young Master, the Ten Commanders of the Azure Dragon Army are surely doomed."
Zhang Ruochen shook his head. "It's not that simple. The Lingxiao Heavenly King Manor will likely enlist experts from the Half-Saint Ranking and the Half-Saint Outer Ranking to deal with me. Moreover, the three strongest among the Azure Dragon Army's Ten Commanders possess formidable strength and are not so easy to deal with."
Enlisting experts from the Half-Saint Ranking and the Half-Saint Outer Ranking would certainly be easier than enlisting a Spiritual Power Saint. The Lingxiao Heavenly King Manor would likely make such a choice. Perhaps they were already contacting a certain ranked expert.
"What is our next move?" Qin Yutong asked.
A cold light flashed in Zhang Ruochen's eyes. "We will assassinate Qing Yi Chan now. However, you must assist me."
Then, Zhang Ruochen took out the Thousand-Mark Sacred Artifact, the Life and Death Mirror, and handed it to Qin Yutong, instructing her, "Qing Yi Chan will surely be on guard. The Azure Dragon Army and the Lingxiao Heavenly King Manor may have also made some preparations. I cannot predict what dangers we will encounter. At the critical moment, you can activate the Life and Death Mirror and unleash the Thousand Ripple Annihilation Force to help me."
Qin Yutong took the Life and Death Mirror and, after only half an hour, mastered its use.
Then, the two of them used their movement techniques and vanished into the dark night.
The Azure Dragon Army's main camp was established outside Shengming City. However, each city domain within the city had a Supervisory Army Mansion. Each Supervisory Army Mansion was permanently garrisoned by about three thousand soldiers, responsible for maintaining order within the domain.
In the past few days, all the commanders of the Azure Dragon Army had been recalled to the city to search for the murderer of Han Ying and Yan Honglie.
Qing Yi Chan was stationed at the Supervisory Army Mansion of the Twenty-Fourth City Domain. Besides her, four other high-ranking Half-Saints were by her side.
The Supervisory Army Mansion was heavily guarded, and its protective formation had been activated. Even a Saint-level giant would find it difficult to break in.
Qing Yi Chan was a woman in her thirties, clad in a suit of cold iron armor. Her features were not ugly, and it was clear that she must have been very beautiful in her youth. However, she did not care much about her appearance and rarely spent time on it, so her skin was rough and sallow.
"I wonder who holds such a deep grudge against Zhang Ruochen, claiming he is the Crown Prince of Shengming from eight hundred years ago. Utter nonsense."
Qing Yi Chan sneered, not believing the rumors at all.
Beside her, a high-ranking Half-Saint said, "The Ministry of War has already thoroughly investigated Zhang Ruochen. They know his background inside and out."
Just then, footsteps sounded. A soldier hurried over and knelt before Qing Yi Chan. "Reporting to the Commander, the Army Master has sent two messengers with news. Commander Liao has fallen. The Army Master orders you to be on high alert against Zhang Ruochen, as you may be assassinated tonight."
"The Army Master already sent a message warning me. Why would he send two more messengers... Not good."
Qing Yi Chan's eyes narrowed, and a cold light radiated from her entire body. She immediately extended her hands, forming two hand seals at lightning speed, and struck them towards the kneeling soldier.