Chapter 1090: A Thread of Life
The beast kings were all stunned, then burst into mocking laughter, staring at Zhang Ruochen as if he were a fool.
Did he even know who the Devouring Demon Dragon was?
He actually wanted to use a mere savage beast to negotiate with the Devouring Demon Dragon, and on top of that, he wanted to trade for the lives of all the human cultivators.
Inside the defensive formation, the human cultivators felt somewhat disappointed. They had thought a powerful reinforcement had arrived, only to realize it was just one person.
One person, no matter how strong, what could they change?
Even if Lidi Master and Xue Wuye, ranked in the top five of the "Half-Saint List," had arrived, they probably couldn't reverse today's situation.
"You are not qualified to negotiate with me."
The Devouring Demon Dragon didn't even bother to look directly at Zhang Ruochen.
So what if he had killed two Lion Camel Beast Kings?
That clan's beast kings were inherently weak, not top-tier experts. The Devouring Demon Dragon possessed sufficiently powerful cultivation and had high standards; at the very least, a being on the "Half-Saint List" was needed to speak with him.
"Roar!"
The Golden Armor Scorpion King roared furiously, spitting out a deafening sound wave that condensed into a thirty-seven-zhang-tall black beast shadow, charging toward Zhang Ruochen.
When encountering human cultivators, they were to be crushed directly—no need for idle talk.
The Golden Armor Scorpion King was both an ancient relic and a powerhouse ranked fifty-sixth on the "Half-Saint List," even stronger than Princess Baili. Even the sound wave it spat out possessed immense destructive power.
The black beast shadow and black hurricane shattered the buildings between Zhang Ruochen and the Golden Armor Scorpion King, quickly surging before Zhang Ruochen.
Standing still, Zhang Ruochen merely pointed a finger forward. Thousands of sword qi converged instantly, condensing into a twelve-zhang-long greatsword.
"Whoosh!"
The sword light fell, cleaving the black beast shadow formed by the sound wave, dispersing it into nothingness.
Immediately after, a golden tail of the Golden Armor Scorpion King swept across, striking toward Zhang Ruochen. The tail was covered in barbs, sharper than a sacred sword, and as it brushed past a stone-piled altar, it tore the altar in two.
The Golden Armor Scorpion King possessed immense strength, and its golden scorpion tail was one of its most formidable attack methods, having killed over a hundred human half-saints with this technique.
Zhang Ruochen did not dodge. Instead, he spread his five fingers and grasped in a certain direction in the void.
The Abyssal Ancient Sword flew back.
Zhang Ruochen raised the sword and slashed, executing a move from the True One Thunder Fire Sword Technique.
"Heavenly Thunder Crossing the World."
A long black sword light shot from the tip of the Abyssal Ancient Sword, carrying the power of lightning, and collided with the golden scorpion tail.
"Boom!"
Zhang Ruochen flew backward over twenty zhang before landing back on the ground. A sharp pain shot through his right hand gripping the sword, and his entire arm went numb.
"As expected of a being ranked fifty-sixth on the 'Half-Saint List,' truly extraordinary," Zhang Ruochen thought to himself.
He quickly cycled the sacred qi in his body through a major circulation, and the pain and numbness in his right arm soon disappeared.
In truth, the Golden Armor Scorpion King was also quite uncomfortable. A three-meter-long sword mark appeared on its scorpion tail, piercing through the golden armor and drawing blood.
It was worth noting that since the Golden Armor Scorpion King had risen to fame, only Chi Wansui, one of the Nine Realm Sons and ranked ninth on the "Half-Saint List," had managed to break through its golden armor and make it bleed. And even Chi Wansui had used the Realm Son Seal to achieve this.
The beast kings present naturally knew how astonishing the Golden Armor Scorpion King's defenses were. Breaking through its defenses meant this was definitely a tough opponent, extremely dangerous.
Some beast kings began to shift their positions—some to Zhang Ruochen's right, some flying to his upper left, others cutting off his escape route.
Their expressions were grave, as if facing a great enemy. Their regard for Zhang Ruochen was no less than for the two human Realm Sons.
The Devouring Demon Dragon turned its head, carefully examining Zhang Ruochen, finally beginning to take this young human man seriously. It asked, "Now, you are qualified to state your name."
Zhang Ruochen's gaze swept around, spotting at least eight beast kings within two hundred zhang of him.
Even some lower-realm saints would choose to flee immediately in such a situation. Because eight beast kings already possessed the power to slay a saint.
Zhang Ruochen showed not a trace of fear, meeting the Devouring Demon Dragon's gaze. "Zhang Ruochen."
The Devouring Demon Dragon clearly had some understanding of the human race's young experts. Hearing this name, a flicker of unusual emotion passed through its eyes. "You are that Heir of Time and Space?"
"Something like that," Zhang Ruochen said.
The human cultivators on the bluestone square were all astonished. They hadn't expected that the young man who had charged alone into Yingsha City was the famous Heir of Time and Space, Zhang Ruochen.
A half-saint from the Ministry of War found it hard to believe. "Zhang Ruochen actually risked his life to come and save us?"
"Everyone's misunderstanding of Zhang Ruochen runs too deep," Beigong Lan said. "Although the Empress has ordered his capture, branding him a heinous fugitive, he is not a vicious criminal. On the contrary, he has done many admirable things."
Back then, news had spread that Lin Yue, the sword prodigy of the Liangyi Sect, might very well be Zhang Ruochen.
Because Lin Yue had shown Beigong Lan some kindness, she had specifically looked up information about Zhang Ruochen.
Only then did she learn that Zhang Ruochen, like her, was a genius disciple of the Martial Market Academy.
If not for the Empress's decree turning Zhang Ruochen into a wanted criminal of the court, he would never have left the Martial Market Academy.
As Zhang Ruochen's deeds gradually came to light, many human cultivators began to feel favorably toward him.
Yingsha City had already fallen, yet Zhang Ruochen dared to break in. With that courage and sense of righteousness alone, countless cultivators admired him.
The Devouring Demon Dragon saw through Zhang Ruochen's cultivation realm. "Your potential is great. You could have become a decent opponent. But you value your life too little. At the mere Seventh-Step Half-Saint realm, you dare appear before me."
"Since I dared to come, I naturally have full confidence in leaving."
Zhang Ruochen remained extremely calm and composed. He waved his sleeve, and the surrounding space twisted slightly.
Immediately after, three figures stepped out from the twisted space. They were the three experts of the White Li Cat Clan: Princess Baili, Old Man Bai, and Old Woman Bai.
The Devouring Demon Dragon's gaze fell on Princess Baili, then quickly shifted away, its voice cold. "You managed to capture Princess Baili. That's some skill."
Zhang Ruochen said, "So, what if I trade Princess Baili's life for the lives of all the human cultivators in Yingsha City? What do you think?"
All the beast kings knew of the close relationship between the Devouring Demon Dragon and Princess Baili, who might even become mates.
A human cultivator dared to capture Princess Baili to threaten the Devouring Demon Dragon—his audacity was truly extraordinary.
Would the Devouring Demon Dragon, in a fit of rage, obliterate that human cultivator, body and soul?
Or would it yield and release all the human cultivators in Yingsha City?
No one could be sure what choice the Devouring Demon Dragon would make.
The demonic fiendish qi emanating from the Devouring Demon Dragon grew even denser, shrouding most of Yingsha City in darkness.
Clearly, the Devouring Demon Dragon was already in a state of fury.
"Do you know that dragons have a reverse scale? Baili is my reverse scale, and you dare to touch her?" The Devouring Demon Dragon roared.
Zhang Ruochen stood on the ground, hands behind his back, looking up. "And what if I do?"
The Devouring Demon Dragon spun its body and immediately reverted to its true form.
A black dragon dozens of miles long appeared in the sky, its massive head looking down, hovering above Zhang Ruochen. "Let me make two things clear to you. First, no matter what happens, the human cultivators in Yingsha City must die today. Second, you will suffer the most brutal punishment. I will make you wish you were dead but couldn't die."
Zhang Ruochen frowned slightly. He hadn't expected the Devouring Demon Dragon's will to be so firm that even using Princess Baili couldn't change its course of action.
"Actually, we could try a different way of negotiating," Zhang Ruochen said.
"Speak," the Devouring Demon Dragon uttered a single word.
Zhang Ruochen said, "Let's each take a step back. If all the beast kings in Yingsha City retreat ten thousand miles, I will return Princess Baili to you. How about that?"
The Devouring Demon Dragon naturally understood Zhang Ruochen's meaning. This Heir of Time and Space wanted to buy a thread of life for the human cultivators in Yingsha City.
As long as all the beast kings withdrew, the remaining savage beasts couldn't stop the human cultivators, who could break out quickly.
Of course, for beings at the beast king level, ten thousand miles wasn't too far. A round trip would only take about half an hour, and they could quickly return to Yingsha City.
If the human cultivators could break out before the beast kings returned, they would survive.
If they couldn't break out within half an hour, then they would have no choice but to die.
"The number of savage beasts in Yingsha City is enormous. The human cultivators simply cannot kill their way out within half an hour."
The Devouring Demon Dragon calculated silently but couldn't see any possibility of the human cultivators escaping. It sneered. "Your condition isn't too excessive."
"So, you agree?" Zhang Ruochen said with a faint smile.
"I agree," the Devouring Demon Dragon said.
In Yingsha City, besides the Devouring Demon Dragon, there were eighteen other beast kings.
Zhang Ruochen, leading Princess Baili, flew out of Yingsha City first.
From start to finish, the Devouring Demon Dragon followed behind them, wary of Zhang Ruochen trying to escape.
Only when Zhang Ruochen and the Devouring Demon Dragon reached an area ten thousand miles away did the eighteen beast kings take flight and rush over.
With all the beast kings withdrawn, the human cultivators in Yingsha City immediately launched their fiercest counterattack.
"Kill! Fight our way out!"
"Zhang Ruochen sacrificed himself to buy us half an hour. We must not let his death be in vain."
All the human cultivators believed Zhang Ruochen was doomed. After all, facing nineteen beast kings, there was no way he could survive.
Today was supposed to be a certain death situation, but Zhang Ruochen, at the cost of his own life, had forcibly broken the deadlock, defied fate, and won them a thread of life.
Many human cultivators felt an indescribable gratitude, deeply moved in their hearts.
...
(Finally home, I can code properly! One chapter first, more updates tonight.)