Chapter 1083: Calamity-Destroying Finger
The situation was extremely critical. The number of savage beasts far exceeded everyone's estimates.
From beneath the ground, swarms of red ants crawled out from the sand and mud, each as large as a full-grown human. They had hard shells, as if clad in sturdy armor.
At the same time, in the sky, Corpse Ancestor Birds, Fire Golden Crows, Snow Mountain Blue Eagles, Ghost Eye Vultures... all kinds of flying beasts swooped down, completely blocking the view above the human cultivators' heads.
There were countless tens of thousands of these flying beasts, at least as large as a winnowing basket, with some even reaching over a hundred meters in length. A single casual claw strike could level a hill.
Among the savage beast clans, it wasn't just the Beast Kings who were powerful. There were also many sixth-rank savage beasts capable of contending with human Half-Saints.
At least half of the human cultivators who had rushed out of Yingsha City had intended to kill a batch of savage beasts to establish their authority. Now, however, they found themselves surrounded and locked in a bitter struggle.
Their retreat route had already been cut off. Only by fighting to the death could they carve out a bloody path.
"I'll fight you bastards to the end! All of you, die..."
A human Half-Saint from the Central Domain Holy Academy, severely wounded and unable to continue fighting, charged into a herd of Lion-Camel Beasts and self-detonated his Qi Sea, taking over a hundred Lion-Camel Beasts with him to their deaths. The explosion cleared the entire stretch of desert, leaving behind a charred wasteland littered with corpses.
Not long ago, his partner had died under the claws of a Lion-Camel Beast.
He had been seeking revenge ever since, and now, he had finally gotten his wish.
Among the humans, there were also warriors unafraid of death, not all of them cowards who feared for their lives. If their scales were touched, they would fight to the last drop of blood.
Chi Wansui no longer held back. He took out the Realm Son Seal and struck at the Devouring Demon Dragon.
The fist-sized Realm Son Seal emitted a golden imperial aura, expanding to the size of a small city.
Within the Realm Son Seal resided the aura of the Empress, possessing boundless power capable of suppressing Lower Realm Saints.
As soon as the Realm Son Seal appeared, the space above this stretch of desert continuously shattered, turning into a chaotic zone.
"Finally using your strongest move?"
The Dragon Bone in the Devouring Demon Dragon's hand also possessed extraordinary power, managing to block the attack of the Realm Son Seal.
The spatial structure of the Azure Dragon Ruins Realm was already quite fragile, unable to withstand the power of the Realm Son Seal and the Dragon Bone.
The battle between the Devouring Demon Dragon and Chi Wansui was earth-shattering, constantly breaking space. Within a thousand-mile radius of the desert, dozens of massive ground fissures appeared, as if the earth itself was about to collapse.
Even the Beast Kings and human Quasi-Saints were shocked by such a battle.
Was this still a battle below the Saint realm?
After all, both the Devouring Demon Dragon and Chi Wansui were only ninth-rank Half-Saints, not yet Quasi-Saints. Once they broke through, who knew how powerful they would become.
Another Realm Son, Beigong Lan, did not join the battle between the Devouring Demon Dragon and Chi Wansui.
She was guarding Yingsha City, using the Realm Son Seal to single-handedly hold back seven Beast Kings.
At the same time, human cultivators who had been hiding outside Yingsha City, led by Wan Huayu, Cai Jinglun, Shangguan Yi, Shangguan Xianyan, and others, charged out from behind the savage beast clans and rushed into the battlefield.
Various major forces took out their Thousand-Mark Sacred Artifacts, unleashing the Thousand Ripple Annihilation Force.
Among the savage beast clans, some powerful sixth-rank savage beasts retrieved their clan's ancestral artifacts, triggering terrifying power comparable to the Thousand Ripple Annihilation Force.
The battle escalated fully, and the slaughter escalated fully as well.
The once-peaceful desert echoed with deafening sounds. At every moment, large numbers of savage beasts and human cultivators fell.
Unfortunately, the savage beast clans outnumbered the humans tenfold, and they possessed two to three times more destructive ancient artifacts.
The human cultivators' situation became increasingly precarious, as if total annihilation was a real possibility.
...
...
Tens of thousands of miles away, in the oasis.
Princess Baili blinked her lively, large eyes. Instead of getting angry, she let out a light laugh, thinking Xiao Hei was nothing more than a toad lusting after swan meat.
Perhaps in her eyes, Xiao Hei was too fat, like a chubby human, with no trace of handsomeness.
Princess Baili, on the other hand, possessed stunning beauty and the ethereal aura of a Lingbo Immortal. In the wild secret realm, countless Beast Kings pursued her.
Princess Baili said, "You can't even transform yet, and you dare to set your sights on this princess?"
Her voice was extremely beautiful, crisp and pleasant. Every word was like a musical note, and a sentence could form a melody, leaving a lingering aftertaste.
"This emperor is not incapable of transformation; I simply disdain to change into human form. The cat clan is the most noble race in the world. Why should we transform into the likeness of humans?" Xiao Hei said with a cold laugh.
"Since you believe the cat clan is the most noble race, why have you allied yourself with humans and become a human's battle pet?" Princess Baili asked.
Xiao Hei was quite irritated and said urgently, "This emperor is not his battle pet! At best, it's a cooperative relationship. If you dare belittle this emperor again, do you believe I'll beat you back to your original form and take you into my harem?"
Princess Baili thought Xiao Hei was an idiot and ignored him.
She looked at Zhang Ruochen and said, "This princess has no ill will toward humans. It's best if we keep to ourselves and don't interfere with each other. Otherwise, it won't benefit anyone."
Zhang Ruochen revealed a smile and said, "Actually, we don't necessarily have to fight. If you, Princess, could help me with a favor, everything can be negotiated."
Princess Baili knew that the three humans were all top-tier experts. Avoiding battle would be the best outcome.
She said, "Speak! This princess will listen first."
So, Zhang Ruochen explained the whole situation, hoping Princess Baili would cooperate with them to rescue those human cultivators.
After hearing Zhang Ruochen's account, Princess Baili shook her head and said, "The Devouring Demon Dragon's goal is to become the future ruler of the Kunlun Realm. Dealing with the humans is the first step on his path. Even if this princess intervenes, it cannot change his will. You'd better retreat immediately. Otherwise, based on your motives alone, this princess has ample reason to kill you."
"In that case, we have no choice but to fight," Zhang Ruochen said.
Princess Baili smiled charmingly, but there was a coldness in her smile. "This princess has given you ample opportunity to leave, yet you still dare to provoke me. Do you truly believe I won't kill?"
Princess Baili was quite decisive. Knowing that battle was unavoidable, she struck first.
She took a step forward, seemingly able to lock the ground into inches, crossing dozens of zhang in an instant to reach Zhang Ruochen. She pointed a finger at him.
From her fingertip, a sharp light sword flew out, aimed at Zhang Ruochen's brow.
Even when killing, she exuded an air of elegance.
"Calamity-Destroying Finger."
Zhang Ruochen was secretly startled. He hadn't expected Princess Baili to be proficient in the sacred arts of the Taiji Path.
The Calamity-Destroying Finger could be considered the pinnacle of finger-based martial techniques. It could condense all of one's Saint Qi into a single point, piercing through ten great mountains and killing an enemy a thousand miles away with ease.
The Ten-Pulse Sword Finger that Zhang Ruochen had once cultivated was merely a basic technique within the general outline of the Calamity-Destroying Finger.
It was worth noting that Princess Baili was an ancient relic, ranked seventy-eighth on the Half-Saint Ranking, with the strength to contend with Lower Realm Saints.
Zhang Ruochen dared not be careless. He immediately executed the Luanfeng Divine Seal Swiftness, flames erupting from his legs as he shifted horizontally to the right.
"Swoosh—"
The Calamity-Destroying Finger flew past Zhang Ruochen's left temple. The finger force shot out of the oasis, piercing through over a dozen hills.
It only dissipated after flying a thousand miles away.
Such a terrifying finger strike might not even be blockable by a Lower Realm Saint.
A shallow blood mark appeared at Zhang Ruochen's left temple.
It wasn't caused by a direct hit from the Calamity-Destroying Finger, but by the wind force generated as the finger energy passed by, cutting Zhang Ruochen's skin.
Given Zhang Ruochen's current physical strength, even a Hundred-Mark Sacred Artifact couldn't cut his skin, yet it was cut by the finger wind. This showed just how terrifying the Calamity-Destroying Finger's power was.
"Oh!"
A strange expression appeared in Princess Baili's starry eyes. "Your speed is quite impressive, surpassing some Lower Realm Saints."
Zhang Ruochen caught the implication and said, "So, some Lower Realm Saints have died under your Calamity-Destroying Finger?"
Princess Baili didn't answer. Instead, she pointed again.
This time, Zhang Ruochen didn't dodge. He took out the Abyssal Ancient Sword and executed a move: Sword Five.
Man and sword merged into one, turning into a black streak of light that shot forward, unleashing an unstoppable momentum as it collided with the Calamity-Destroying Finger unleashed by Princess Baili.
"Boom!"
Countless sword qi turned into circular ripples, spreading outward.
Both of them flew backward simultaneously, landing hundreds of zhang apart.
Princess Baili's gaze sharpened. She no longer underestimated Zhang Ruochen and said solemnly, "You must be quite young, yet you've managed to cultivate Sword Five to Great Perfection. That's truly incredible. With your sword dao cultivation, you're not far behind the human's number one sword dao prodigy, Xue Wuye."
Princess Baili must have met Xue Wuye to say such a thing.
Xue Wuye was indeed a romantic figure. Wherever there were stunning beauties, he was sure to be found, and most of them became his lovers, with only a few able to resist his charm.
He wondered if Princess Baili had fallen for him.
"Who told you he's the number one sword dao prodigy among humans?" Zhang Ruochen said, holding the Abyssal Ancient Sword with a warm smile.
"If not him, then you?" Princess Baili asked.
"Of course."
Princess Baili shook her head. "Your sword dao is indeed profound, but compared to him, you're still far behind. His sword dao realm has reached the pinnacle achievable by a Half-Saint. Once he becomes a Saint, he will be a Sword Saint. You haven't reached that step yet."
"How many of his strikes can you withstand?" Zhang Ruochen asked.
Princess Baili had indeed crossed swords with Xue Wuye. Hearing Zhang Ruochen's question, she answered frankly, "Seventeen strikes."
"Within seventeen strikes, I can defeat you," Zhang Ruochen said confidently.
He flicked his longsword, and sword qi shot out in all directions. His aura became even sharper.
Princess Baili glanced to the side and saw that the white-robed old man and white-robed old woman had already been subdued by Grand Minister of Works and Second Minister of Works.
So, she said, "As long as you can defeat me within seventeen strikes, I'll go with you to see the Devouring Demon Dragon. But if you can't defeat me in seventeen strikes, you must take your people and retreat immediately."
"Deal!" Zhang Ruochen agreed.
Princess Baili indeed had the right to negotiate with him. As a clan's princess, she surely had some hidden trump cards.
Not to mention anything else, just the Devouring Saint Flower alone was quite troublesome to deal with.
Therefore, Zhang Ruochen accepted this challenge. (To be continued.)