Chapter 1093: Battling Across Ten Thousand Miles
“Does he think that using the Thousand Ripple Annihilation Force allows him to clash head-on with Lord Demon Dragon? Doesn’t he know that Lord Demon Dragon’s claws are even more powerful than a Thousand-Mark Sacred Artifact?”
“Just wait and see. Lord Demon Dragon only needs one claw to strike him dead.”
…
The various Beast Kings were well aware of how terrifying the Devouring Demon Dragon’s power was. Below the Saint realm, perhaps only beings ranked in the top twenty of the Half-Saint List and the Outer Half-Saint List had the strength to contend with it.
For any other creature, merely blocking a full-force strike from it was already an extraordinary achievement.
All the Beast Kings present wore smiles, already imagining that in the next moment, the so-called Heir of Time and Space would be crushed into a mist of blood by the Devouring Demon Dragon.
“Boom!”
The sword-light shuttle that surged up from the ground collided with a dragon claw the size of a palace. The two forces clashed for a single instant.
Dragon Qi and Sword Qi shot out in all directions, leaving pits and craters across the ground.
A moment later, the sword radiance around Zhang Ruochen grew dimmer and dimmer as he plummeted downward. With a thunderous crash, he slammed into the top of a sand dune several hundred meters high.
In the next instant, that sand dune collapsed inward, forming a cone-shaped deep valley.
Zhang Ruochen knelt on one knee at the bottom of the valley, his left hand’s fingers spread wide, bracing against the ground. His right hand gripped the sword hilt, the blade trembling incessantly, emitting a ringing sound.
A trace of blood hung from the corner of his mouth. He had sustained considerable injuries.
“Such formidable power. No wonder it’s a dominant creature from the Primordial Era—the Devouring Demon Dragon,” Zhang Ruochen thought to himself.
That strike had been a deliberate choice by Zhang Ruochen to clash head-on, testing the Devouring Demon Dragon’s true strength.
Zhang Ruochen calculated silently that only by breaking through to the Eighth-Step Half-Saint realm, combined with various other means, could he truly engage the Devouring Demon Dragon in a frontal battle.
In truth, the Devouring Demon Dragon was a creature from the Primordial Era. Its ancestors had used a special method to seal its dragon egg, burying it deep underground to absorb the essence of heaven and earth.
Millions of years later, in the present age, the dragon egg had finally cracked open, allowing the Devouring Demon Dragon to be born into a brand-new era.
Almost all Primordial Beings had absorbed the Chaotic Qi from the dawn of heaven and earth, as well as the essence of the Kunlun Realm. They were essentially half-innate beings, naturally far stronger than acquired beings.
The Devouring Demon Dragon was also one of the most supreme Primordial Beings. No matter how hard acquired beings trained, it was difficult for them to compare.
The reason human Realm Sons could contend with the Devouring Demon Dragon was entirely due to Empress Chi Yao’s generous cultivation, bestowing upon them many rare and extraordinary Sacred Medicines, and even Divine Medicines.
In that previous clash, the Abyssal Ancient Sword had pierced a scale on the Devouring Demon Dragon’s palm, causing a single drop of dragon blood to fall.
The energy contained in that dragon blood was immense. Midair, it ignited, forming a massive fireball three meters in diameter. It didn’t land on the ground until the flames gradually dissipated.
“You do possess a divine weapon. It can actually break through my dragon scales,” the Devouring Demon Dragon said, showing great interest in the Abyssal Ancient Sword in Zhang Ruochen’s hand.
Since the Devouring Demon Dragon’s birth, the Abyssal Ancient Sword was the first weapon capable of piercing its dragon scales.
Zhang Ruochen pushed himself up with the sword hilt, stood, and looked up at the sky. An unyielding will radiated from him.
“Killing you not only removes a threat but also grants me a weapon that can grow into a Divine Artifact. A two-for-one deal.”
The Devouring Demon Dragon was confident it could suppress and kill Zhang Ruochen.
Because it could see that Zhang Ruochen was heavily injured, merely putting on a show of being relaxed.
Within three moves, it should be able to kill him.
“Are you so confident you can kill me?”
Zhang Ruochen leaped up, shooting out of the valley and landing back on the ground.
“Sixteen Ancestral Artifacts have locked down the space. Do you think you still have a chance to escape?” the Devouring Demon Dragon said.
Zhang Ruochen replied, “Who said I’m trying to escape?”
“So you have another trump card? No matter what card you play, facing me will only lead to death.”
Before the Devouring Demon Dragon’s voice had fully faded,
a massive dragon claw struck downward first. The power it emitted was even stronger than the previous strike.
Just as all the creatures believed Zhang Ruochen couldn’t withstand this blow,
“Shi Shenghua.”
A vast expanse of white Saint Qi surged from Zhang Ruochen’s back, and then a green vine emerged from the Saint Qi.
The vine of Shi Shenghua was as thick as a water barrel, flowing with a metallic sheen, exuding a sharpness like a Divine Sword.
“Crack!”
The vine lashed through the void, colliding with the dragon claw. It knocked three scales off the claw, forcing the Devouring Demon Dragon to withdraw its claw back into the clouds.
The aura emanating from Shi Shenghua was peculiar—both a dense Death Qi and a vast life force.
“How is this possible?”
In the outer area, all the Beast Kings were shocked, extremely curious about what method Zhang Ruochen had used to even knock off the Devouring Demon Dragon’s scales.
They saw a green, glowing vine stretching from the ground all the way into the sky. At the top of the vine, a brilliant flower bloomed, radiating white light, like a giant divine lamp floating among the clouds.
The scene before them was bizarre. None had expected Zhang Ruochen to possess such a powerful trump card.
The Devouring Demon Dragon transformed into human form, flying out from the clouds. Its gaze was somewhat grave. “After blooming, Shi Shenghua is this formidable. I’m curious—what method did you use to subdue it?”
“No comment,” Zhang Ruochen said flatly.
From a distance, the Kui Niu Beast King roared, “Lord Demon Dragon, do you need our help? We can use the Ancestral Artifacts to suppress Shi Shenghua.”
“No need. You all focus on controlling the Ancestral Artifacts to lock down the space. Don’t let him escape.”
The Devouring Demon Dragon was confident in its own power. Even if Zhang Ruochen had subdued Shi Shenghua, it still wouldn’t be a match for it.
The Devouring Demon Dragon extended a hand, pulling the Dragon Bone from its abdomen. At the same time, it continuously poured its Dragon Qi into it. In an instant, over seven hundred pieces of Dragon Bone emitted dazzling light.
At this moment, the Devouring Demon Dragon finally became serious.
“Boom! Boom!”
The Dragon Bone clashed fiercely with Shi Shenghua, shattering the spatial structure repeatedly. For a hundred miles around, the desert kicked up deep black dust.
Originally, Zhang Ruochen had planned to stall the Beast Kings for a quarter of an hour and then immediately leave, but now he couldn’t stop.
Gradually, the other Beast Kings joined the battle. They unleashed their Ancestral Artifacts, striking at Zhang Ruochen, hoping to end the fight quickly.
Zhang Ruochen immediately swallowed a drop of Sun Spirit Dew, rapidly replenishing the Saint Qi consumed in his body. With one hand, he held the Realm Son Seal, using the Imperial Qi emanating from it to form a sturdy protective light barrier.
At the same time, his other hand formed a sword seal, using the Abyssal Ancient Sword to launch a counterattack against the Beast Kings.
Zhang Ruochen wasn’t blindly clashing head-on with the Beast Kings. If he fought that way, he would have died a dozen times over.
He fought while retreating, constantly maneuvering, never giving them a chance to encircle him.
Of course, the other three directions were occupied by Beast Kings, forcing Zhang Ruochen to retreat toward Yingsha City.
After a continuous battle spanning ten thousand miles, Zhang Ruochen and over a dozen Beast Kings once again arrived at the battlefield outside Yingsha City.
The human cultivators in Yingsha City had already fully evacuated.
Some of the beasts in the city charged out to continue pursuing the fleeing humans. Others remained in the city, guarding Yingsha City.
“Look! Lord Demon Dragon and the Beast Kings are back!” a half-human, half-beast creature shouted.
Another Sixth-Rank Beast rushed forward, reporting, “Reporting to the Beast Kings, the human cultivators broke through our encirclement, escaped Yingsha City, and fled northwest…”
“Boom!”
Before the Sixth-Rank Beast could finish, a residual wave from the Realm Son Seal in midair struck it, smashing it into a pulp of mud.
Zhang Ruochen flew down from above, landing on the ground beside the corpse of that Sixth-Rank Beast. Blood streamed from his body. He was severely wounded, barely able to stand.
Even though the Devouring Demon Dragon was occupied by Shi Shenghua, Zhang Ruochen still had to fend off over a dozen Beast Kings. It was a miracle he had survived this long.
Along the way, Zhang Ruochen had used the Great Space Teleportation and even activated the Sacred Edict, yet he still couldn’t escape.
The Kui Niu Beast King wielded a Spiritual Power Ancestral Artifact of terrifying power, capable of covering several hundred miles.
Whenever Zhang Ruochen used the Great Space Teleportation, the Spiritual Power Ancestral Artifact would launch a spiritual attack. Though it couldn’t kill Zhang Ruochen, it could restrain him, preventing his escape.
This was an unprecedented crisis for Zhang Ruochen. It seemed he might truly have no way out.
“No wonder Chi Wansui and Beigong Lan both lost. The power of the Beast Kings is indeed not to be underestimated,” Zhang Ruochen thought.
Shengshu Cainü had compiled the rankings of the Half-Saint List and the Outer Half-Saint List. Even if not entirely accurate, they were highly valuable references.
Among the dozen or so Beast Kings, more than half were experts on the Outer Half-Saint List.
Additionally, the Kui Niu Beast King was a Primordial Being ranked forty-second on the Half-Saint List, not much weaker than a Realm Son.
To be honest, at the start, Zhang Ruochen had indeed underestimated their strength.
“Since the human cultivators have fled, the Heir of Time and Space must die.”
All the Beast Kings were furious. If not for Zhang Ruochen, they could have annihilated the human cultivators at the Yingsha City base.
If they didn’t kill Zhang Ruochen, once word got out and other Beast Kings in the Azure Dragon Ruins Realm learned of it, they would surely be mocked.
The massive figures of the Beast Kings emerged one after another from the desert, their eyes filled with cruelty, anger, and wildness. They closed in on Zhang Ruochen, eager to tear him apart.
Even in the face of this crisis, Zhang Ruochen had no regrets. Instead, his battle intent surged to the heavens. He swallowed three drops of Divine Dew in quick succession, and a blazing Yang energy erupted from his pores, turning into flames. He roared, “If you want to kill me, at least five Beast Kings will have to be buried with me!”
Whether he had done good deeds to save the suffering or committed heinous acts, as long as he had no shame before his own heart, Zhang Ruochen would not regret it. He would continue fighting until the last drop of blood in his body was spent.
To defy the heavens, how could one not pay a price?