Chapter 1132: Emperor-Slaying Demon Sword
Within the sound waves, a rustling noise arose, condensing into over a thousand white sword shadows that formed a sword river. It spun rapidly and collided with the cyan light pillar. The two forces canceled each other out, creating a scene of stalemate.
The Fangcun Saint Staff was a remarkable spiritual power sacred artifact, and the ancient zither in Suihan's hands was also a supreme treasure of the Confucian path. In terms of vessels, neither held an advantage; their main contest lay in spiritual power intensity and their respective applications of it.
"Seal the Bright Moon, Suppress the Nine Heavens."
Suihan's ten fingers danced swiftly over the zither strings, and a yin-soft force surged forth, as if a thousand strands and ten thousand threads interwove between the sound waves and sword qi. At the same time, a sharp, cold wind spread from the foot of Dragon Summit Mountain, emitting a wailing sound. As the wind passed, it lifted the surface soil, reducing rocks, trees, flowers, and grass to powder. This was the so-called "Falling Wild Goose Autumn Wind," brimming with deadly intent.
"Rise."
Jingtian Crown Prince stepped forward, his golden boots sinking slightly into the ground as spiritual power surged from the soles of his feet into the earth. The ground began to shake, and hard rock pushed upward like bamboo shoots after rain, quickly forming a stone mountain hundreds of meters high out of thin air. Jingtian Crown Prince swung the Fangcun Saint Staff, sweeping out a patch of cyan light that enveloped the stone mountain. In the next moment, the massive stone mountain flew out, crashing toward Suihan.
"Crack, crack."
The sound waves and sword qi shattered the mountain, creating over a dozen fissures until it finally exploded with a thunderous boom. Jingtian Crown Prince flew out from behind the mountain, unleashing a tenth-level attack-type spell. The Fangcun Saint Staff transformed into a pillar supporting the heavens, slashing downward.
Suihan's expression turned serious. He reached out and grabbed the zither strings, pulling all seven off and striking them toward Jingtian Crown Prince.
"Whoosh, whoosh."
The seven strings emitted a silver radiance, like seven thousand-zhang-long silk swords, wrapping around the heavenly pillar. The other ends of the seven strings remained connected to the ancient zither. Suihan rotated the zither, pushed with both hands, and with a bang, drove it into the body of Dragon Summit Mountain, sinking it into the cliff wall. Then, he extended his hands, using righteous qi to condense two massive hands, continuing to play on the strings.
While Suihan and Jingtian Crown Prince clashed, Zhang Ruochen on the mountaintop also prepared to act. The current situation seemed to favor the human race slightly, but this was only because Realm Son-level figures were taking the lead. In reality, the number of strong beings from the various beast clans and the Undying Blood Clan far exceeded that of the human race on the Half-Saint List and the Outer Half-Saint List. If a full-scale racial war erupted, the human race would surely suffer countless casualties. He needed to cut down one or two more top-tier strong ones to thoroughly intimidate those sixth-rank beasts and Undying Blood Clan half-saints.
Zhang Ruochen drew the Abyssal Ancient Sword, instantly entering a state of unity between man and sword. Influenced by his sword dao aura, sword dao rules within Dragon Summit Mountain grew denser, and tens of thousands of sword qi manifested on their own.
"Fight."
Demon Heaven Crown Prince roared, lifting his black giant sword and striding forward. Within his body, not only were there eight blood spirit veins, but also one hundred and forty light points emerged, making his body seem like it contained a brilliant starry sky. With one hundred and forty apertures sanctified, he was infinitely close to achieving physical sainthood. The black giant sword in Demon Heaven Crown Prince's hand was no ordinary item either—it was called the Emperor-Slaying Demon Sword, an ancient sacred artifact of the Demon Heaven Tribe. The legendary figure of the Demon Heaven Tribe, Blood Demon, had used it as his personal sword before reaching the Saint King realm. The Emperor-Slaying Demon Sword, in Blood Demon's hands, had once fought against Xue Hou and slain countless human saints, making it a demon blade heavy with killing intent.
The current Demon Heaven Crown Prince was no weaker than the young Blood Demon. With him wielding the Emperor-Slaying Demon Sword, what kind of power could it unleash?
Without any flashy moves, the Emperor-Slaying Demon Sword and the Abyssal Ancient Sword clashed—not just a collision of swords, but a contest of their strength.
"Boom."
After one exchange, both retreated simultaneously. A mysterious force within Dragon Summit Mountain protected this mountain range, yet it still couldn't withstand the impact of Zhang Ruochen and Demon Heaven Crown Prince's power. In the area between them, the mountain split open, forming a gap several zhang wide, and even several of the Devouring Saint Flower's roots were severed by the sword qi.
Demon Heaven Crown Prince's strength was not inferior to Zhang Ruochen's. However, in terms of sword dao mastery, he lagged far behind.
"Fight again." Demon Heaven Crown Prince roared.
All one hundred and eight apertures within Zhang Ruochen's body lit up, emitting dazzling saint light. Azure dragon and cyan elephant phantoms surged from his arms.
"Boom."
In the second exchange, Zhang Ruochen executed a saint-level sword technique, grazing the edge of the Emperor-Slaying Demon Sword and slashing at Demon Heaven Crown Prince's chest. It struck a heart-protecting mirror, sending sparks flying. Even though the mirror blocked the Abyssal Ancient Sword, Demon Heaven Crown Prince was still pushed back by the immense force, feeling as if his heart might shatter.
Having gained the upper hand, Zhang Ruochen naturally pressed the attack. At the fastest speed, he activated the Thousand Ripple Annihilation Force and unleashed a sword move from the True One Thunder Fire Sword Technique.
"Whoosh."
Within the sword light, lightning and flame intertwined. The Abyssal Ancient Sword erupted with power akin to ten overlapping mountains, slashing downward. Demon Heaven Crown Prince's expression shifted. He had no time to activate the Thousand Ripple Annihilation Force to counter Zhang Ruochen's move and could only raise his sword to block.
"Boom."
The powerful annihilating force drove Demon Heaven Crown Prince deep into the ground. At the same time, the residual energy of the Thousand Ripple Annihilation Force struck Dragon Summit Mountain, causing a large section of the mountain to collapse.
Zhang Ruochen looked at the collapsed mountain and the shattered earth below, caused by the battles of top-tier strong ones, his expression turning grave. The spatial structure around Dragon Summit Mountain was quite stable, close to that of the Kunlun Realm, and shouldn't have been so easily broken. This could only mean one thing: the Azure Dragon Ruins Realm was further withering, its spatial structure growing more fragile. It would likely be completely destroyed soon. Was the World Spirit about to emerge?
The battles around Dragon Summit Mountain were too fierce. Countless peaks had collapsed, countless fissures had appeared on the ground, and some places even spewed red-hot magma. It seemed as if this entire realm was about to crumble.
"Devouring Saint Flower, take everyone and leave here immediately."
Zhang Ruochen used spiritual power to transmit a message to the Devouring Saint Flower. The Devouring Saint Flower also sensed the rapid withering of the Azure Dragon Ruins Realm, with the earth's structure becoming increasingly unstable. Continuing such top-tier battles would likely bring unpredictable dangers. So, upon hearing Zhang Ruochen's message, it pulled its silver roots from the mountain, wrapping around Murong Yue, Sun Dadi, Grand Minister of Works, Second Minister of Works, White Li Princess, and others. Using its roots like dozens of long legs, it rushed out of the forest around Dragon Summit Mountain.
Zhang Ruochen didn't charge into the ground to pursue Demon Heaven Crown Prince, nor did he flee Dragon Summit Mountain. Instead, he walked toward Flame Heart Princess.
"Zhang Ruochen, if you dare kill me, my imperial brother will come and tear you to pieces."
Earlier, Flame Heart Princess had been intercepted by the Devouring Saint Flower's roots and couldn't escape, remaining on Dragon Summit Mountain. Her graceful body was covered in wounds, her snow-white skin stained with blood, looking utterly disheveled—nothing like her former alluring charm. If not for Yellow Heaven Imperial Daughter holding back most of the Devouring Saint Flower's power, Flame Heart Princess would have long been killed and turned into its nourishment.
Without any extra words, Zhang Ruochen swung his sword and slashed. Even without using the Thousand Ripple Annihilation Force, this strike was earth-shattering, far beyond what Flame Heart Princess could withstand.
"Stop."
Yellow Heaven Imperial Daughter's cold shout transformed into nine graceful phantoms, rushing toward the area where Zhang Ruochen and Flame Heart Princess were.
"Pfft."
The Abyssal Ancient Sword slashed diagonally from Flame Heart Princess's neck, cutting her body in two, spilling a torrent of blood. With this strike, Zhang Ruochen not only severed her physical body but also extinguished her saint soul. Yellow Heaven Imperial Daughter was ultimately too late to save Flame Heart Princess.
"Did he... really kill Flame Heart Princess?"
Many human cultivators drew in a cold breath, exchanging glances, their impression of Zhang Ruochen deepening further. Flame Heart Princess was the younger sister of Qi Sheng, the top-ranked Qi Tian Crown Prince on the Outer Half-Saint List, yet Zhang Ruochen had killed her without hesitation. This was truly audacious. From now on, he and Qi Sheng, even the Qi Tian Tribe, were mortal enemies.
Someone said, "Zhang Ruochen has nearly wiped out all the strong ones of the Azure Heaven Tribe, even beating Azure Heaven Crown Prince to death. When news reaches the Kunlun Realm, how furious will Azure Heaven Blood Emperor be?"
"Zhang Ruochen is the sword-bearer of the Sky-Soaring Sword and one of the guardians of the Zhenyu Ancient Clan. He has a blood feud with the Azure Heaven Tribe. This time, he's likely taking revenge."
"Killing two stunning beauties in a row—Zhang Ruochen truly knows nothing about cherishing the fairer sex." Shangguan Xianyan, the Holy Maiden of the Blood God Sect, bit her red lips lightly, silently warning herself never to provoke Zhang Ruochen in the future. No matter how beautiful or perfect one's figure, angering Zhang Ruochen would only lead to death, with no way out. Compared to Xue Wuye, Zhang Ruochen was a cold-blooded creature, sending chills down one's spine.
At this moment, Yellow Heaven Imperial Daughter also felt a chill in her heart. Flame Heart Princess had died right before her eyes, hot blood splattering onto her neck and cheeks, leaving bright red spots like flower petals. When Zhang Ruochen killed Azure Heaven Crown Prince, Yellow Heaven Imperial Daughter knew he was formidable, beyond her ability to contend with. But she had no concrete concept of just how strong he was. Only now, standing beside Zhang Ruochen, did she realize the vast gap between them. The mere aura emanating from Zhang Ruochen gave her a sense of looking up at a towering mountain, making it impossible to breathe. Her blood seemed to freeze, and fine beads of sweat appeared on her forehead. At this moment, Zhang Ruochen was like a majestic ancient divine mountain, stepping on the abyss with his feet, holding the sun and moon above, pressing down on Yellow Heaven Imperial Daughter so heavily that she could only retreat step by step to alleviate the immense pressure he exerted on her.
"Fall back quickly."
Demon Heaven Crown Prince transformed into a black pillar of light, bursting out of the ground with a bang, landing beside Yellow Heaven Imperial Daughter. A trace of blood hung at the corner of his mouth. Clearly, Zhang Ruochen's earlier strike had injured him.