Chapter 1127: Beaten to Death
The Azure Heaven Prince, ranked seventh on the *Half-Saint External List*, was naturally a top-tier powerhouse with keen spiritual senses. Instinctively, he sensed that the interior of the seven-colored radiance was likely extremely dangerous.
Dozens of Undying Blood Clan experts had entered the radiance with him, including Ghost Mist and Flame Heart Princess, who ranked high on the *Half-Saint External List*, as well as Zuo Tian Blood Saint, who had suppressed his cultivation to below the Saint realm. With such a lineup, they could rival a Saint-level clan.
"So many experts have barged in—why is it so quiet?"
Flame Heart Princess's electric eyes carefully scanned the surroundings, her caution evident. Spotting bloodstains on the ground, her heart trembled.
"The scent of blood is growing stronger. The summit of Dragon Top Mountain is definitely no safe place." Ghost Mist's body transformed into a black mist, flying a zhang above the ground.
Of course, they felt no fear. Confident in the Azure Heaven Clan's strength, they believed that even the greatest crisis in the Azure Dragon Ruins Realm could be resolved.
"Someone's there."
Just then, Flame Heart Princess heard a faint rustle of wind and shot forward like a crimson shadow.
"It's you."
Flame Heart Princess, her ample chest thrust forward, fixed her captivating starry eyes on Mu Lingxi not far away, revealing a strange smile. "No wonder you've captured the heart of the number one being on the *Half-Saint List*. You truly possess a beauty that can topple nations."
Even though Flame Heart Princess was quite confident in her own looks, seeing Mu Lingxi forced her to admit that the human woman before her was indeed a bit more beautiful. This feeling left a bitter taste in her mouth, and she longed to claw several bloody marks across Mu Lingxi's face, ruining her beauty.
Soon after, Ghost Mist, Zuo Tian Blood Saint, and the Azure Heaven Prince caught up, surrounding Mu Lingxi but not immediately attacking her.
Zuo Tian Blood Saint said, "Your Highness, this woman is the dual-cultivation partner that Qiu Yu has his eye on. It's best to let her go. There's no need to offend a powerful enemy over her."
The Azure Heaven Prince nodded slightly. He was quite wary of Qiu Yu, the number one on the *Half-Saint List*. It was better not to provoke him if possible. Of course, the Undying Blood Clan wasn't afraid of Qiu Yu either. After all, which of the ten great tribes' princes and princesses weren't top-tier experts? If they joined forces, even the number one on the *Half-Saint List* would likely die.
"Dual-cultivation partner?"
A young man's voice echoed from within the seven-colored radiance.
Then, Zhang Ruochen, hands clasped behind his back, strolled out as if on a leisurely walk.
Seeing Zhang Ruochen, Mu Lingxi's beautiful eyes regained their luster, shining brightly. Overwhelmed with emotion, crystalline tears welled up in her eyes.
Zhang Ruochen approached Mu Lingxi, reached out a hand, and wiped away the tears at the corners of her eyes, soothing her emotions. With a hint of guilt, he said, "It's all my fault for making you worry."
"No, it's not."
Mu Lingxi quickly shook her head.
At that moment, she knew that Zhang Ruochen was still the same Zhang Ruochen as before, not consumed by demonic energy. As for why he had pretended to be demonically possessed earlier, she didn't care at all. As long as he stood before her unharmed, it was already the greatest gift from the heavens.
Unable to contain her emotions, Mu Lingxi threw her arms around Zhang Ruochen's neck and pressed her soft red lips to his, kissing him.
Zhang Ruochen stood still, not resisting.
He could imagine how painful and sorrowful Mu Lingxi must have been when he was besieged by powerful enemies and pierced through the body by the Azure Heaven Prince's arrow. Seeing him again, any emotional outburst from her was perfectly natural.
Mu Lingxi gradually calmed down, realizing that a group of Undying Blood Clan cultivators was still standing nearby. She released Zhang Ruochen, licked her glistening lips, and a hint of shyness colored her stunning face as she fixed her gaze on the ground.
The Undying Blood Clan cultivators had been stunned by Zhang Ruochen's appearance and hadn't reacted for a long time, failing to attack while Mu Lingxi and Zhang Ruochen were kissing.
The Azure Heaven Prince took a deep breath, finding it hard to believe. "Struck by the Daylight Arrow, yet you didn't die, and your injuries have fully healed. That's truly incredible."
Zhang Ruochen didn't bother to look directly at the Azure Heaven Prince. His eyes remained fixed on Mu Lingxi as he asked, "Earlier, they mentioned someone wanted to dual-cultivate with you. Is this a big problem? Do you need me to handle it?"
Seeing that Zhang Ruochen was very concerned about this, asking twice, Mu Lingxi was naturally overjoyed.
Before Mu Lingxi could speak, Flame Heart Princess sneered, "They're a perfect match, a heavenly couple. This Holy Maiden of the Moon-Worshipping Cult would be thrilled to agree—why would she need you to handle it? Besides, even if you wanted to, with your strength, you probably couldn't."
Qiu Yu was not only handsome and elegant with a transcendent aura but also ranked first on the *Half-Saint List*, with the potential to become a World Spirit Root. When he saved Mu Lingxi, he had captivated countless proud daughters of heaven, including Flame Heart Princess herself.
"She's lying. There's no such thing."
Mu Lingxi, afraid Zhang Ruochen might misunderstand, quickly denied it.
She was indeed grateful to Qiu Yu for saving her life, but she felt nothing more for him.
Flame Heart Princess curled her lips and smiled. "Am I wrong? Qiu Yu is the strongest on the *Half-Saint List*. With Zhang Ruochen's strength, the opponent could defeat him with one hand, right? Honestly, you're really foolish. You could have soared to greatness, but instead, you choose to be a pair of doomed lovers with Zhang Ruochen."
"Have you said enough?"
Zhang Ruochen shouted coldly, a flash of killing intent in his eyes.
No matter how Flame Heart Princess criticized him, Zhang Ruochen couldn't be bothered to argue. But when she targeted Mu Lingxi, she finally provoked his anger.
With just a glance from Zhang Ruochen, Flame Heart Princess felt a chill run down her spine, as if a Great Saint were staring at her. Her long, slender legs trembled beneath her skirt, nearly causing her to kneel.
"Watch out."
An old man who had been guarding Flame Heart Princess rushed in front of her, forming hand seals and striking forward.
This old man had already crossed two Quasi-Saint tribulations and was undoubtedly a top-tier expert.
Yet, in an instant, his body was shattered by a single palm strike from Zhang Ruochen, splitting into over a dozen pieces that flew in all directions.
Zhang Ruochen acted decisively, aiming to kill Flame Heart Princess. The old Quasi-Saint was merely a scapegoat.
"Zhang Ruochen, do you dare kill me?"
Flame Heart Princess, drenched in cold sweat, retreated rapidly, diving into the crowd of Undying Blood Clan cultivators.
"Weren't you eager to drink my blood? I'm right here. Do you dare to try?"
Zhang Ruochen was genuinely angry because Xiao Hei had told him that while he was breaking through to the Ninth-Step Half-Saint, Flame Heart Princess and Ghost Mist had teamed up to ambush Huang Yanchen, nearly killing her.
Now, Flame Heart Princess was provoking him again and slandering Mu Lingxi. Did she think no one could deal with her?
Zhang Ruochen strode forward, charging into the Undying Blood Clan ranks, heading straight for Flame Heart Princess.
Anyone who blocked him was instantly killed with a palm strike.
"Boom."
"Boom."
...
In just three breaths, Zhang Ruochen had killed over a dozen Undying Blood Clan Half-Saints. Their cultivation levels were at least Seventh-Step Half-Saint, placing them among the mid-to-high ranks of the Undying Blood Clan—no ordinary fighters.
"Zhang Ruochen, you're too arrogant!"
Ghost Mist and Zuo Tian Blood Saint attacked from two different directions.
Ghost Mist, shrouded in black fog, channeled all his Saint Qi to form a ghostly claw dozens of meters long, slamming it down at Zhang Ruochen.
Zuo Tian Blood Saint activated his Saintly Image, summoning a massive figure behind him that struck out with a blood-red palm print.
Zhang Ruochen glanced at them from the corner of his eye, then swiftly turned, rapidly gathering Saint Qi to form two large handprints.
"Boom!"
Without using sacred arts like the Seven-Orifice Blood Nether Palm or the Dragon-Elephant Prajna Palm, Zhang Ruochen simply pressed down with two handprints, shattering Ghost Mist's and Zuo Tian Blood Saint's strongest attacks.
Ghost Mist and Zuo Tian Blood Saint coughed up large mouthfuls of blood as the two handprints slammed them into the ground, their bones nearly shattered.
"How... how is he this strong?" Ghost Mist found it hard to believe. Ranked ninety-second on the *Half-Saint External List*, even when fighting Saint-level beings, he had never lost so badly.
Zhang Ruochen turned into a blur of afterimages, entering the pit left by the handprints. He stomped down, crushing Ghost Mist's body into a bloody pulp that splattered and mixed with the dirt.
Just as Zhang Ruochen was about to kill Zuo Tian Blood Saint, he once again sensed an extremely dangerous presence.
It was the same feeling he'd had when the Daylight Arrow had pierced him earlier.
Without hesitation, Zhang Ruochen reached behind him, grabbing hold of something. His five fingers tightened, producing a series of cracking sounds.
The next moment, he caught the flying Daylight Arrow, gripping it tightly in his hand.
"Twang."
Only then did the sound of the bowstring reach Zhang Ruochen's ears, showing just how much faster the Daylight Arrow traveled than sound.
The Azure Heaven Prince was momentarily stunned. He hadn't expected Zhang Ruochen to catch the Daylight Arrow under those conditions.
Even he began to wonder—was the Azure Heaven Bow and Daylight Arrow truly the Azure Heaven Clan's ultimate treasure? Was the Daylight Arrow really that weak? Could it be caught barehanded?
"Whoosh!"
Zhang Ruochen hurled the Daylight Arrow back, then shot forward at top speed, reaching the Azure Heaven Prince in an instant. He unleashed the Dragon-Elephant Prajna Palm, striking out ten palm prints in rapid succession.
"Boom, boom."
The Azure Heaven Prince was formidable, using a sacred-art-level palm technique to block nine of Zhang Ruochen's strikes.
But on the tenth strike, he finally failed to hold.
Zhang Ruochen's palm struck the Azure Heaven Prince's chest, sending him flying like a cannonball out of Dragon Top Mountain. With a loud crash, he slammed into a mountain dozens of miles away, collapsing a large section of it.
Zhang Ruochen flew out of Dragon Top Mountain, chasing after him. He pulled the Azure Heaven Prince from the rubble and delivered dozens of punches, not stopping until the prince's body was shattered into fragments.
By then, the entire mountain had collapsed.
Many beings witnessed this scene, all frozen in shock.
The Azure Heaven Prince, ranked seventh on the *Half-Saint External List*, had been beaten to death, reduced to a pile of broken bones and mangled flesh, no longer recognizable as human.
"Is that Zhang Ruochen?"
A human cultivator, standing nearby, stared at the figure atop the collapsed mountain. He looked very much like the Heir of Time and Space, Zhang Ruochen. (To be continued.)