Chapter 1122: Land Turned to Sea
Among the human cultivators, many felt regret, while quite a few revealed cheerful smiles.
"Ah! Zhang Ruochen..."
Wan Huayu let out a long sigh, unsure of what to say, a sense of guilt weighing on her heart.
Because her father, the king, was also one of the powerful figures who had oppressed Zhang Ruochen. Although he acted under the empress's orders and had no choice, he still bore some responsibility.
Zhang Ruochen, such an outstanding human talent, had fallen into qi deviation from his cultivation, abandoned by all of humanity. They could only watch helplessly as he was besieged by savage beasts, ultimately heading toward death.
Any human with a shred of conscience would find it hard to let go, feeling the cruelty of it all.
Kong Hongbi gently shook his head, revealing a mocking smile. "I had considered him a rival, but I didn't expect his willpower to be so weak. Before I even made a move, he managed to ruin himself."
Rain poured down in torrents, hitting the ground with a rustling sound, splashing up a hazy mist.
The Kun Clan Crown Prince flew beneath the clouds, bolts of lightning weaving around his body. He laughed, "So this is the so-called Heir of Time and Space? Nothing special. If I hadn't wanted to figure out what ancient treasure was hidden on Dragon Summit Mountain, I wouldn't have bothered to fight you."
At the summit of Dragon Summit Mountain, Xiao Hei had set up an illusion array in advance, shrouding the altar to prevent other beings from discovering their true purpose prematurely.
Thus, outsiders had no idea what Zhang Ruochen was digging for on Dragon Summit Mountain, only assuming that some incredible treasure was about to appear.
Seeing that Zhang Ruochen had truly fallen into qi deviation, the Kun Clan Crown Prince grew more contemptuous and launched the first attack.
His wings spread wide, like two crimson clouds, covering the sky. Above his wings, two azure-blue lakes condensed.
Those "waters" were not ordinary water; they were heavy water formed by channeling the rules of water in heaven and earth through his techniques and sacred soul.
If the Kun Clan Crown Prince wished, he could condense not just two lakes but even two seas.
"Whoosh."
With a light flap of the Kun Clan Crown Prince's wings, the heavy water from the two lakes fell from the nine heavens, turning into two water columns surging toward Dragon Summit Mountain.
"I'll fight you!"
Sun Dadi, his body radiating blazing flames, stood atop the mountain and swung his iron staff, aiming to disperse the two water columns.
However, the two water columns contained terrifying power. The moment Sun Dadi clashed with them, he spat blood and was sent flying backward. With a loud crash, he slammed into the mountain body of Dragon Summit Mountain, his fate unknown.
"Boom!"
"Boom!"
...
Any cultivator who came into contact with the two water columns instantly exploded into a cloud of blood mist.
In just a moment, three of the five Ninth-Rank Half-Saints from the Murong Family had fallen, their physical bodies shattered into bloody powder, their divine forms utterly destroyed.
The Kun Clan Crown Prince's combat power was terrifying to the extreme, far surpassing some Lower Realm Saints Zhang Ruochen had encountered before.
Zhang Ruochen acted immediately, unleashing the Luo Water Fist Art, intending to counter water with water.
Zhang Ruochen formed fist seals with both hands, and a vast amount of sacred qi surged from within his body, condensing above his head into a celestial river stretching a thousand miles.
"Luo Water Fist Art, First Form: Celestial River Divides Labor."
The celestial river formed by the fist seal surged toward the two water columns. When they collided, a thunderous roar erupted.
At a height of a thousand zhang, where the two forces met, it was as if the sky's curtain had torn, forming a massive waterfall that cascaded to the ground.
"Luo Water Fist Art, Second Form: Nine Bends and Nine Turns."
"Luo Water Fist Art, Third Form: Severing the Heavenly Path."
...
Zhang Ruochen had merged the memories of two lifetimes. In the two lifetimes spent within the *Seven Lives and Seven Deaths Diagram*, he had cultivated the Luo Water Fist Art to an extremely high level.
Zhang Ruochen's mastery of the Luo Water Fist Art could be considered second only to Luo Xu himself.
Zhang Ruochen continuously executed the thirty-six forms of the Luo Water Fist Art, matching the Kun Clan Crown Prince blow for blow. The power fluctuations they unleashed made the beings present tremble with fear.
Half an hour later, the region around Dragon Summit Mountain had turned into an ocean, and the water level was still rising, turning the massive mountain into an isolated island.
Fortunately, all the beings left in the Azure Dragon Ruins Realm were at the Half-Saint level and could fly. They were not submerged, hovering above the water, gazing with awe at the Kun Clan Crown Prince and Zhang Ruochen locked in battle.
The Kun Clan Crown Prince's body was enormous, over ten thousand meters long, exuding a primordial aura. Bolts of lightning surged from his fish scales, crackling as they spread along the two water columns toward Zhang Ruochen.
Zhang Ruochen flew up from the summit of Dragon Summit Mountain and launched an attack. Azure dragon and azure elephant phantoms emerged from his arms as he struck out with fist seals, clashing head-on with the two water columns.
"Have the Kun Clan Crown Prince and Zhang Ruochen truly not reached the Saint realm? It feels like they're stronger than my master," said a human Ninth-Rank Half-Saint in shock.
Wan Huayu stood on the water, her magnificent fiery phoenix wings fully spread, a look of concern on her face. "Zhang Ruochen first activated three thousand inscription patterns in the Abyssal Ancient Sword, and now he's consuming vast amounts of sacred qi to fight the Kun Clan Crown Prince. How much sacred qi does he have left?"
Generally speaking, only a Lower Realm Saint's sacred qi quality and quantity could barely support three thousand inscription patterns.
For Zhang Ruochen, an Eighth-Rank Half-Saint, to be able to activate three thousand inscription patterns and unleash the Thousand Ripple Annihilation Force was already remarkable.
Many beings speculated that Zhang Ruochen was likely nearing exhaustion.
On the other side, Xiao Hei took out the cauldron and placed it at the center of the altar. Then, he transmitted a message to everyone, "This emperor will now use a technique to deceive heaven and sea, initiating the sacrificial ritual. Everyone must speed up and prepare more offerings. Without the sacred pill, it will be hard for us to resolve today's crisis."
"Whoosh!"
Immediately, the summit of Dragon Summit Mountain emitted a seven-colored light, with an azure dragon phantom appearing at its center.
In an instant, a rich, exotic fragrance spread, filling the space between heaven and earth.
All of this was, of course, an illusion array Xiao Hei had set up to deceive the beings present, masking the truth and making them believe an ancient treasure was emerging.
Although Xiao Hei was often unreliable, as an ancient relic who had lived since the Middle Ages, his techniques were more sophisticated than those of some grand formation masters, enough to fool heaven and sea.
As expected, the phenomenon on Dragon Summit Mountain caused a huge stir.
"The ancient treasure buried in Dragon Summit Mountain is about to appear!"
"What incredible treasure did Zhang Ruochen dig up to cause such a grand phenomenon?"
...
The Kun Clan Crown Prince, while clashing with Zhang Ruochen, roared, "Water domain savage beasts, hear my command! Attack Dragon Summit Mountain immediately! No matter what, seize the ancient treasure!"
The water domain savage beasts mobilized en masse, including dozens of beast kings and several ancient ferocious beasts from the *Half-Saint Ranking*.
A giant turtle, its body a thousand zhang long, carried an emerald-green spiritual mountain on its back as it swam through the water, charging toward Dragon Summit Mountain.
This giant turtle was itself an ancient ferocious beast, ranked twentieth on the *Half-Saint Ranking*.
Its ancestors had left many legends in the ancient era, no weaker than the Kun Peng or Vermilion Bird, making it a dominant force.
On the giant turtle's back stood eight figures, also ancient ferocious beasts, transformed into human form—handsome men and beautiful women, all powerful beast clan cultivators on the *Half-Saint Ranking*.
With Huang Yanchen, White Li Princess, and the others, they simply couldn't withstand such a large-scale assault. Zhang Ruochen had no choice but to withdraw from the battle early and retreat to Dragon Summit Mountain.
"Where do you think you're going?"
The Kun Clan Crown Prince pursued, his golden pupils flaring with flames. Then, two thick beams of light shot from his eyes.
Zhang Ruochen grabbed the Abyssal Ancient Sword, activating the three thousand inscription patterns in the sword body at lightning speed, and slashed toward the Kun Clan Crown Prince.
"Slash!"
The sword qi struck the Kun Clan Crown Prince's left wing, leaving a hundred-meter-long sword mark, barely missing severing the wing.
Blood from the Kun Clan Crown Prince's body cascaded down like a waterfall, dyeing the waters below red.
You see, the Kun Clan Crown Prince had dominated the seas since birth, with no being able to match him.
Today, Zhang Ruochen had broken his undefeated record, injuring him.
And with so many beings present, elites from various clans, it was a tremendous loss of face for the Kun Clan Crown Prince.
"Whoosh!"
The three thousand inscription patterns on the Abyssal Ancient Sword's blade emerged once more, transforming into a massive black sword suspended in midair, aimed at the giant turtle.
On the giant turtle's back.
At the midslope of the spiritual mountain, an ancient ferocious beast transformed into a young man, holding a feather fan, smiled faintly. "Isn't it just a sword? Can it sweep the world? Only the Void Sword of Qiangu Nüdi or the Blood-Drop Sword of Empress Chi Yao would be worthy of that."
Of course, the eight ancient ferocious beasts in human form did not underestimate Zhang Ruochen. Each of them shot out a beam of sacred qi, combining them to inject into an ancestral artifact.
That ancestral artifact was no ordinary weapon—it was a dark purple war hammer, with an ancient beast imprint branded on its surface.
The war hammer shot up into the sky, revealing three thousand inscription patterns, exuding a powerful primordial force that matched the Thousand Ripple Annihilation Force from the Abyssal Ancient Sword.
"Boom!"
Finally, the war hammer collided with the Abyssal Ancient Sword. The resulting energy shockwave sent water waves dozens of meters high.
The recoil force shook Zhang Ruochen's blood and qi, sending him flying backward. He crashed into a cliff, causing it to collapse, and falling rocks buried him.
Of course, this strike also successfully pushed the giant turtle back, retreating over ten miles.
The eight ancient ferocious beasts also took several steps back.
The sword qi from the Abyssal Ancient Sword left small tears in their clothes.
"Boom!"
Zhang Ruochen emerged from the rubble, looking slightly disheveled but uninjured, having withstood the attack of the eight ancient ferocious beasts with his powerful physical body.
Zhang Ruochen looked around, observing the eighteen ancestral artifacts suspended in midair.
These eighteen ancestral artifacts were controlled by eighteen beast kings, tasked with stabilizing the space to prevent him from using spatial techniques.
It could be said that neither his duel with the Kun Clan Crown Prince nor his clash with the eight ancient ferocious beasts was a fair fight.
Because he was suppressed by the eighteen ancestral artifacts, unable to go all out.
"I must first kill the eighteen beast kings and break the spatial seal to seize the initiative," Zhang Ruochen thought to himself.
Shi Shenghua's voice entered Zhang Ruochen's mind, "I have passed my flowering period and borne fruit. Now I urgently need nutrients to ripen the fruit. Leave those eighteen beast kings to me. I'll drain their essence and help myself reach a higher realm."
...
(It seems starting today, I'll have to update twice daily. Alright, I'll aim to write the next chapter by noon. If it's delayed, it must be due to an unavoidable force.)