Chapter 1086: Hell Without Light
The stronger one's spiritual power, the more mysterious and unfathomable abilities they could unlock, some of which were even more terrifying than sacred arts.
Erasing and extracting a cultivator's memories was not too difficult for a forty-ninth-level Half-Saint in spiritual power.
"Princess Baili is a primordial relic. She can store some of her memories deep within her blood. Moreover, although her spiritual power is far inferior to yours, her willpower is quite firm. Once she becomes a Saint, she might recover her memories," Xiao Hei reminded.
"It doesn't matter." Zhang Ruochen did not intend to control Princess Baili; he only planned to use her to restrain the Devouring Demon Dragon. Even if she recovered her memories later, it was not a big deal.
Princess Baili's eyes regained their luster, clear and bright. She carefully examined Zhang Ruochen and Xiao Hei, showing a curious expression, and asked, "Who are you, and why are you with this princess?"
Zhang Ruochen exchanged a glance with Xiao Hei.
Sure enough, Princess Baili still had some memories hidden deep in her blood that Zhang Ruochen had not taken. At least, she still knew she was a princess.
Xiao Hei was very excited. He walked over, rubbed his two paws together, and smiled, "You are this emperor's consort, called Consort Baili."
As he spoke, Xiao Hei reached out a paw to take Princess Baili's jade hand.
Princess Baili was first a bit dazed, then grabbed Xiao Hei's paw.
Just as Xiao Hei was feeling smug, a freezing cold force emanated from Princess Baili's hand, freezing his entire body into a block of ice.
Then, Princess Baili swung her arm, flinging Xiao Hei away.
Princess Baili was a primordial relic. Even with her cultivation sealed, her physical strength was terrifying. With a full swing of her arm, she sent Xiao Hei flying to the horizon, turning into a black dot that disappeared from sight.
Even Zhang Ruochen was somewhat stunned.
What was going on?
"A stinky cat dares to call itself emperor? That would make it a generation higher than this princess!"
Princess Baili pouted, not like a graceful fairy, but more like a spoiled little princess.
Even though she had lost her memory, she was still quite clever and saw through Xiao Hei's lie.
Zhang Ruochen gazed into the distance but could not see Xiao Hei's figure at all. It would probably be a while before he came back.
The white-haired old man and white-haired old woman had already awakened, but Grand Minister of Works had placed a Vajra Seal Imprint on them, sealing their physical bodies and cultivation.
Now, rings of golden light chains bound their hands, tying them together like human sticks.
"Princess, don't worry about us. Run quickly. These three human cultivators are top-tier experts. You are no match for them," the white-haired old woman said anxiously.
Princess Baili pointed a jade finger at herself, looking confused, and said, "Are you talking to me? Why should I run? And who are you?"
The white-haired old man and white-haired old woman's expressions changed, realizing that Princess Baili's state was very wrong.
The white-haired old woman's face twisted in fury, and she roared, "Zhang Ruochen, what have you done to the princess?"
Zhang Ruochen remained very calm. He walked over to the white-haired old woman and old man and said, "My target is the Devouring Demon Dragon, not Princess Baili. As long as you cooperate with me honestly, I can guarantee that Princess Baili will not be in mortal danger."
"You..."
The white-haired old woman wanted to say more, but the white-haired old man stopped her.
The white-haired old man saw the situation clearly. In their current state, they could not negotiate terms with Zhang Ruochen.
Secondly, since Zhang Ruochen was still willing to talk to them, it meant they would not die for now.
"I hope the Heir of Time and Space is a man of his word," the white-haired old man said.
"Huh!"
Suddenly, Zhang Ruochen sensed something. He looked up and gazed at the star pattern in the sky.
As he observed, he walked to a higher sand dune.
It was just before dawn. In the eastern sky, the light of the Long Geng Star quickly dimmed, while around it, a series of dark red stars appeared.
"Whoosh—"
A streak of more than a dozen meteors crossed the starry sky where the Long Geng Star was, flying toward the north.
"The Long Geng Star has lost its luster. Where the sun should rise in the east, it is now blood-red. Such a celestial phenomenon represents... Hell Without Light..."
Zhang Ruochen's expression turned grim, and he let out a long sigh.
Grand Minister of Works scratched his head, very curious, and asked, "Uncle-Master, what does Hell Without Light mean?"
Second Minister of Works immediately said, "Senior Brother, so-called Hell Without Light is a celestial phenomenon representing an ill omen, corresponding to a major event happening in this world. The Long Geng Star clearly represents Yingsha City."
"What does the Long Geng Star dimming mean?" Grand Minister of Works asked.
Second Minister of Works also sighed, "It is very likely... Yingsha City has fallen." "What exactly does Hell Without Light mean?" Grand Minister of Works still did not understand.
"Disaster has arrived, and all is dark. Or rather, many living beings have died and can no longer see the light. From this, it can be inferred that battles must have broken out between humans and the various beast clans in Yingsha City. The slaughter there must be extremely brutal, with rivers of blood and mountains of corpses."
Grand Minister of Works asked again, "It's just a starry sky. Why can you and Uncle-Master see so much from it? My cultivation is not weaker than yours, but I can't see anything."
Second Minister of Works pressed his palms together and stopped explaining. He began chanting scriptures, as if performing rites for the dead in the distance.
Zhang Ruochen said, "When your spiritual power reaches the forty-ninth level and you get closer to becoming a Saint, you will naturally be able to understand the world's affairs by observing the stars. This is called Astrology."
Not far away, Princess Baili's big eyes showed curiosity, full of interest in the mysterious art of astrology.
She immediately walked over to Zhang Ruochen, unafraid of him. She grabbed one of his arms like a little girl, delighted, and said, "Will you teach me astrology?"
Zhang Ruochen's brow was furrowed with worry. He ignored Princess Baili and said to Grand Minister of Works and Second Minister of Works, "You two stay here and wait for Xiao Hei. I must rush to Yingsha City immediately."
Zhang Ruochen had not expected the human cultivators in Yingsha City to be so impatient, starting the battle with the beasts so soon, catching him off guard.
How was the battle going there?
Had it truly become "Hell Without Light"?
If only he had known they would fight tonight, he would not have wasted so much time here.
"No."
Second Minister of Works immediately stopped Zhang Ruochen, saying, "Uncle-Master, the celestial phenomenon of Hell Without Light has already appeared, indicating that everything is settled. No one can change the outcome. Going to Yingsha City now is going against heaven's will. It will only lead to death. No one can fight against heaven."
Grand Minister of Works also advised, "They dared to clash head-on with the beast clans. They were simply seeking death. Why should we get involved?"
"Don't worry, I'll just take a look." Zhang Ruochen did not wait any longer. He used sacred qi to envelop Princess Baili, the white-haired old man, and the white-haired old woman, then performed a Great Space Teleportation and disappeared from the spot.
This trip was very dangerous, and Zhang Ruochen decided to go alone.
Even though the celestial phenomenon had already appeared, Zhang Ruochen was still fearless. He would go and take a look, perhaps able to do something within his power.
After all, he was not a cold-blooded person.
When he arrived outside Yingsha City, he saw a scene like a hell on earth. The ground was full of shattered cracks, each at least dozens of miles long, clearly the destruction caused by Thousand Ripple Annihilation Force.
In the air, a cold wind blew, carrying a pungent smell of blood.
Looking out, there were corpses everywhere, both human cultivators and massive beasts, too many to count.
Among the corpses, black smoke rose, and the flames of war still burned.
There was no more sound of fighting, only a deep silence.
On the battlefield, Zhang Ruochen saw the bodies of some cultivators he recognized.
The Chief Steward of the Cai Clan, Cai Jin, who had the cultivation of a quasi-Saint, had come to the Azure Dragon Ruins Realm seeking the opportunity to become a Saint.
Now, he lay half-dead in a pool of blood. Perhaps because all the blood in his body had drained, his old face was extremely pale and twisted.
One of the Four Young Masters of the Lingxiao Heavenly King Mansion, Chi Yutang, had also died. His head had been bitten off by some beast, most of it gone, and his internal organs had been eaten, leaving only a bloody, hollow shell.
Zhang Ruochen sensed the aura of Haiming Dharma King's thirteenth disciple, Lan Ye, and soon found his body.
It was a hundred-zhang square of scorched earth, sunken in the middle, with red electric fire still surging in the soil.
At the center of that scorched earth was Lan Ye's body, now reduced to a pile of broken bones.
"Lan Ye is dead. Is Ji Shui still alive?"
Zhang Ruochen muttered to himself, then shook his head with a sigh. He used his movement technique to fly toward Yingsha City.
As expected, Yingsha City had been breached. The majestic city wall had collapsed by more than half, with only some remnants still standing.
From within the city, faint rumbling sounds could still be heard. The battle between humans and the beast clans did not seem to have completely ended.
On the remaining walls, hundreds of human cultivators were hung. They had all been pierced through the body by a black iron spike and nailed to the wall.
Some had already bled to death, while others were still moaning and struggling.
The scene was tragic. Blood continuously flowed down the wall, gathering in a depression at the base, forming a pool of blood.
Wan Huayu and the twin beauties of the Shangguan Clan, Shangguan Linglong and Shangguan Nihong, were also nailed to the remaining wall.
Shangguan Nihong had already died, her body cold and stiff.
Shangguan Linglong was still alive but barely breathing. An iron spike had pierced her neck, nailing her to the wall, her entire body stained red with blood.
Wan Huayu was also alive. An iron spike had pierced her abdomen, nailing her above the city gate. Her Fire Phoenix Battle Armor had become dim and lusterless, but she still held a crimson war sword in her hand, not letting go.
Ruined and desolate.
Yingsha City was still majestic, but it gave off a chilling feeling, very much like arriving at some ghost city in the underworld.
Zhang Ruochen stepped on the blood-soaked sand, crossed the battlefield littered with corpses, and walked step by step toward Yingsha City. The cold wind folded his robes, making a "flapping" sound.
Below and above the walls of Yingsha City, a large number of beasts had gathered.
They were left to guard the city gate, and at this moment, they naturally saw the human man slowly approaching Yingsha City.
...
(Advance notice: I have matters to attend to in the next few days, so updates will be slow.)