Chapter 1129: Commandery Princess Huang Yanchen's Methods
Next, Huang Yanchen recounted the massacre carried out by the Ghost-Raising Ancient Clan and the Corpse-Driving Ancient Clan in the city.
To the various barbarian beast clans and the Undying Blood Clan, this was not a major issue. However, among the human cultivators, a wave of uproar arose.
"So it was the Ghost-Raising Ancient Clan and the Corpse-Driving Ancient Clan who slaughtered their own kind. Feng Yinshan actually framed Zhang Ruochen for it—truly the most venomous of women."
"Regardless, the indigenous humans of the Azure Dragon Ruins Realm are also a branch of humanity. They should not have opened their blades on ordinary civilians."
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As one of the Nine Realm Sons, Huang Yanchen was the junior sister of the other eight Realm Sons and also one of the heirs of the Eastern Domain Saint King Manor, possessing an official background.
Relatively speaking, the human cultivators present were more inclined to believe her words.
"We did indeed set up a killing formation here, but you can't blame us for it. You can only blame your own greed. Even if there were ancient relics on Dragon Summit Mountain, we were the ones who found them first. What right do you have to come and seize them?" Huang Yanchen said.
The Yellow Sparrow Fairy stood atop the head of the Bixie Heavenly King, with strands of flame floating around her delicate body, making her appear exceptionally beautiful. She revealed a disdainful expression and corrected Huang Yanchen's words, saying, "This is a world where the weak are prey to the strong. Just because you found a heavenly treasure first doesn't mean it necessarily belongs to you."
Huang Yanchen sneered coldly, "Since it's a world where the weak are prey to the strong, then it seems we haven't done anything wrong either? On what moral high ground does this number one on the Half-Saint Ranking stand to accuse Zhang Ruochen?"
After several major battles in the Azure Dragon Ruins Realm—at Yingsha City, the Qingtian Tribe, and Dragon Summit Mountain—Zhang Ruochen had gained significant popularity among human cultivators. Many had received his kindness, and some even regarded him as their idol.
Even though Zhang Ruochen didn't care how others saw him, there were still many human cultivators who steadfastly believed in and supported him.
"Zhang Ruochen is the young king of our human race. He doesn't need other races pointing fingers at him."
"Zhang Ruochen pretended to have gone berserk because he didn't want human cultivators to join the fight for his sake and cause unnecessary casualties. Just this alone shows he's no petty villain."
"Wanting to dual cultivate with the little saintess of the Moon-Worshipping Cult, that guy is always trying to steal my Chen away. Hmph!" a young female half-saint said.
Qiu Yu found himself ostracized by the vast majority of human cultivators. His handsome face stiffened, making it difficult for him to maintain his elegance and composure.
However, he didn't lose his composure over it. "Since it's a misunderstanding, let's end it here," he said.
Qiu Yu's gaze finally landed on Mu Lingxi. Then, with a slight flicker of his form, he vanished from the spot.
The speed Qiu Yu displayed was extremely fast. Only a handful of people present could see how he had left.
"To be able to control his emotions to such a degree, this person is definitely a formidable character," Huang Yanchen said.
Zhang Ruochen's gaze was still fixed on the spot where Qiu Yu had stood. He smiled slightly. "He carries the aura of the Parasol Divine Tree. He has great room for growth in the future and might even transform into a divine tree. His ambitions are vast; he won't offend the entire human race over such a trivial matter."
"But it seems the human race has offended him," Huang Yanchen said, a charming smile spreading across her face. The smile was incredibly beautiful, completely dispelling the icy aura around her.
Zhang Ruochen said, "And all because of you. Why did you have to spar with him? Was it necessary?"
"He was targeting you, so of course I had to spar with him. You might be too lazy to argue back, but as your wife, I have to fight back," Huang Yanchen said, lifting her snow-white chin as if it were only natural, like a proud white swan.
Zhang Ruochen finally began to catch on. He glanced sideways at Mu Lingxi beside him, a thoughtful expression on his face.
What Huang Yanchen had done earlier was quite decisive. She had stopped refining the sacred pill, forcibly suppressing her impending breakthrough in cultivation, just to argue back at Qiu Yu.
On the surface, it seemed she was targeting Qiu Yu, but in reality, she was targeting Mu Lingxi.
After all, Qiu Yu was Mu Lingxi's savior. Mu Lingxi couldn't speak to Qiu Yu as recklessly as Huang Yanchen had, nor could she humiliate him to the point of losing face.
Moreover, just now, Huang Yanchen had emphasized twice that she was Zhang Ruochen's wife, doing what a wife should do.
Perhaps in her eyes, the so-called number one on the Half-Saint Ranking wasn't a major threat at all. The real threat was Mu Lingxi.
"Besides, it's not because of me that this situation has arisen. If we're really counting, it should be because of Duanmu Xingling," Huang Yanchen said.
She smiled at Zhang Ruochen, then fixed her gaze on Mu Lingxi, walking over to her. "Xingling, long time no see," she said with a smile.
Mu Lingxi lowered her head slightly. "Sister Chen."
Mu Lingxi had already snapped out of her earlier excitement and agitation, and a bitterness welled up in her heart.
Huang Yanchen scrutinized Mu Lingxi carefully, as if seeing her for the first time. "This appearance of yours now—this must be your true form, right? It's far more beautiful than your previous look. I'd say you're the number one beauty of the Kunlun Realm. No wonder Qiu Yu, the number one on the Half-Saint Ranking, fell for you at first sight. Even I feel a bit inferior standing before you..."
Mu Lingxi quickly interrupted Huang Yanchen, not letting her continue. "Sister Chen, I just came to check on you and Zhang Ruochen's injuries. Since you're both fully healed, I'll take my leave now."
"I'll see you off."
Huang Yanchen didn't insist on keeping her and personally escorted Mu Lingxi down the mountain.
Xiao Hei glanced at Zhang Ruochen, his lips curling into a grin. "That Mu girl has deep feelings for you. Aren't you going to keep her?"
"Didn't you see they were about to start fighting?" Zhang Ruochen said.
Xiao Hei nodded. "True. Commandery Princess Huang Yanchen is getting more and more formidable. Every word she says is like a sacred art, crushing Mu girl without any chance to fight back."
Zhang Ruochen let out a soft sigh.
So far, he hadn't figured out where to place Mu Lingxi.
There was indeed a connection between them.
The key issue was that Zhang Ruochen wasn't sure he could give Mu Lingxi a good future. Moreover, he already had Huang Yanchen. Would it be fair to Huang Yanchen to take Mu Lingxi as well? Wouldn't that be too greedy?
Furthermore, there was an insurmountable hurdle in his heart—Chi Yao.
Until he resolved the issue with Chi Yao, Zhang Ruochen couldn't let go of all his burdens and freely love a woman.
The shadow of Chi Yao appeared in his mind, and Zhang Ruochen quickly calmed down again, temporarily setting aside his emotions to think about the situation he would face next.
Among the Undying Blood Clan experts from the Qingtian Tribe who had climbed to the top of Dragon Summit Mountain, there were dozens of people. Aside from the deceased Guiwu and the Qingtian Crown Prince, there were two other major figures: Princess Yanxin and Zuo Tian Blood Saint.
When Princess Yanxin saw Zhang Ruochen's gaze fixed on her, fear rose in her heart. Backing away, she said in a trembling voice, "Zhang... Zhang Ruochen, I am the younger sister of Crown Prince Qisheng. Killing me will do you no good; it will only bring you a powerful enemy."
Earlier, Princess Yanxin hadn't tried to flee Dragon Summit Mountain because any Undying Blood Clan member who attempted to escape had been pierced through by the roots of the Sacred Flower of Erosion and turned into its nourishment.
There was no escape.
Zhang Ruochen remained expressionless. "I am already a mortal enemy of the Undying Blood Clan. Whether I kill you or not won't change that adversarial relationship. Sacred Flower of Erosion, kill her."
All of the Sacred Flower of Erosion's roots turned silver, some as thick as water barrels, stretching from the mountaintop all the way down the mountain.
From a distance, the seven-thousand-meter-tall Dragon Summit Mountain was completely wrapped in silver roots, like countless silver dragons tightly coiled around the mountain.
The scene was incredibly striking. The aura emanating from the Sacred Flower of Erosion grew stronger and stronger, instilling fear even in the beast kings.
For this reason, all the barbarian beasts had retreated far away, not daring to recklessly enter the mountain.
Hearing Zhang Ruochen's command, the Sacred Flower of Erosion immediately mobilized over a dozen roots, spreading them toward Princess Yanxin and quickly surrounding her.
Princess Yanxin, ranked in the top hundred on the Half-Saint Ranking, was naturally a top-tier expert and wouldn't just wait for death.
She grabbed a sacred sword and swung it at one of the roots, trying to cut a path to survival.
"Bang, bang."
The sacred sword clashed with the silver roots, producing sounds like metal striking metal. Sparks flew, causing the spiritual energy of heaven and earth to violently tremble.
The sacred sword struck the silver roots, leaving only shallow white marks, unable to sever them.
Zhang Ruochen's actions had already enraged all the Undying Blood Clan members present.
Led by two crown princes and a royal princess, a large number of Undying Blood Clan cultivators surrounded Dragon Summit Mountain.
"Zhang Ruochen, since you want to be an enemy of the Undying Blood Clan, this crown prince will come and face you."
The crown prince of the Demon Heaven Tribe dove down from above the blood clouds, landing on Dragon Summit Mountain with a loud crash, crushing a section of the mountain.
"Zhang Ruochen's strength is formidable. Don't underestimate him. Let's attack together and save Princess Yanxin first."
The royal princess of the Yellow Heaven Tribe, wielding a golden long blade, charged forward. Her form split into nine, creating nine identical bodies that rushed toward Princess Yanxin's location.
"Qisheng has already received news of the Qingtian Crown Prince's death and is heading this way. We don't need to fight Zhang Ruochen to the death right now. We just need to hold him off for a moment until Qisheng arrives. Then Zhang Ruochen will surely die."
The Jingtian Crown Prince flew to the foot of Dragon Summit Mountain, took out a black staff, and thrust it into the ground.
Then, he extended both hands, channeling his spiritual power into a blue crystal at the top of the staff.
"Whoosh!"
A beam of blue light shot up from the top of the staff, piercing through the clouds and releasing powerful energy fluctuations.
On the ground, with the staff as the center, the soil and rocks gradually turned blue, spreading outward.
In the next moment, the entire Dragon Summit Mountain began to shake. Dense cracks appeared at its base, emitting blue light from within.
The cracks widened, kicking up thick dust. Eventually, Dragon Summit Mountain started to sink.
The earth structure around Dragon Summit Mountain was extremely stable, with ordinary stones as hard as black iron. Yet the Jingtian Crown Prince could shatter the earth's plates, causing the massive mountain to sink into the ground.
Just how powerful was his spiritual power? (To be continued.)