# Chapter 1134: Qi Tian Crown Prince
The White Sun Arrow was suppressed beneath the cross-shaped shield, trembling incessantly with a "clanging" sound, yet unable to break free. The cross-shaped shield was forged from white giant stone, one horizontal and one vertical, forming a seven-zhang-tall cross standing upright on the ground.
Upon the cross-shaped shield were patches of dark red bloodstains. No one knew what powerful beings' blood had once stained it, yet even now, the marks had not faded.
Zhang Ruochen's gaze fixed upon the bloodstains.
Instantly, a vast and surging sea of blood appeared before his eyes. Within the blood sea, whirlpools formed, as if trying to pull his sacred soul and spirit inward.
"Buzz."
Suddenly, Zhang Ruochen's entire body trembled. Within his Qi Sea, a mass of flickering flame released brilliant radiance, surging out through his pupils.
Zhang Ruochen exhaled a long breath, then shifted his gaze away from the cross-shaped shield. "What a formidable battle weapon. It must have been passed down from an extremely ancient era."
The power fluctuations emanating from the cross-shaped shield were both divine and eerie.
In the sky, the Crown Prince of the Qi Tian Tribe, Qi Sheng, flew out from the blood-red light gate, stepping upon a vast expanse of blood clouds.
The blood clouds were quite extensive, layer upon layer, covering the heavens and earth.
Standing on the ground and looking up, Qi Tian Crown Prince appeared as a massive shadow with six wings, resembling a true deity descending in person.
From within the clouds, Qi Tian Crown Prince's voice emerged: "I encountered a formidable opponent not long ago and fought for two days and three nights, hence my delay. Heir of Time and Space, I apologize for keeping you waiting."
Qi Tian Crown Prince ranked first on the "Half-Saint External List." His combat strength was undoubtedly above that of Demon Heaven Crown Prince. What kind of being could have fought him continuously for two days and three nights?
Zhang Ruochen narrowed his eyes, staring at the six shadows cast by the three pairs of wings, his expression turning solemn.
Before becoming saints, members of the Undying Blood Clan did not increase the number of fleshy wings on their backs. Whatever number they had at birth remained unchanged.
Upon entering the saint realm, as their cultivation deepened and their blood energy grew stronger, they could break through the physical shackles and grow more blood wings.
The vast majority of Undying Blood Clan members had only one pair of fleshy wings before the saint realm. Only those with physiques strong to an abnormal degree would possess two pairs.
Legend had it that only the Nether King was born with three pairs of wings.
As for the Blood Queen and Blood Demon from eight hundred years ago, Zhang Ruochen had seen few records about them, so he did not know how many pairs of blood wings they had before becoming saints.
Seeing that Qi Tian Crown Prince had three pairs of fleshy wings, Zhang Ruochen was quite astonished.
However, Zhang Ruochen was not afraid. Even if Qi Tian Crown Prince could match the young Nether King, so what?
The Heir of Time and Space feared no opponent.
"Shall we fight?"
Zhang Ruochen's aura surged higher and higher. He swung the Abyssal Ancient Sword, and instantly, a sword domain condensed around him. At the center of the sword domain, a pillar of sword energy shot straight into the sky, piercing through the blood clouds, connecting earth and sky.
Some half-saints from the Qing Tian Tribe rushed to this area, kneeling in unison. "We beg Qi Tian Crown Prince to slay Zhang Ruochen and avenge our crown prince and princess!"
"We beg Qi Tian Crown Prince to slay Zhang Ruochen and avenge our crown prince and princess!"
...
Qi Tian Crown Prince remained unmoved, fixing his gaze on Zhang Ruochen. "You and I will inevitably fight, but not now. The World Spirit will soon emerge. I believe you also don't want to waste your strength battling me. If we start a war, it will only benefit the others. Am I right?"
In the Azure Dragon Ruins Realm, Zhang Ruochen and Qi Tian Crown Prince indeed stood at the peak, but they were not invincible.
Just among the strong ones Zhang Ruochen knew, there were at least two who could contend with them.
One was Qiu Yu, ranked first on the "Half-Saint List."
The other was the Heavenly Mandate Great Emperor living his second life, the former Corpse Emperor.
Beyond them, Demon Heaven Crown Prince, Li Di Monk, Xue Wuye, and the Devouring Demon Dragon were all top-tier experts, only half a step weaker than the first-tier strong ones.
Moreover, no one knew if they possessed powerful trump cards. If they unleashed extraordinary means, even first-tier experts might not be able to defeat them steadily.
Now was the most critical moment. If Zhang Ruochen and Qi Tian Crown Prince fought to mutual destruction, it would indeed benefit the others.
One had to admit that Qi Tian Crown Prince was a remarkably composed figure. Even with his own sister dying beneath Zhang Ruochen's sword, he could still maintain his rationality.
Such a person was the most terrifying.
In the end, Qi Tian Crown Prince and Demon Heaven Crown Prince led the Undying Blood Clan cultivators away from this land.
Moments later, with a thunderous roar, the cross-shaped shield flew up from the ground, unleashing earth-shattering power fluctuations, soaring into the clouds and landing on Qi Tian Crown Prince's back.
The cross-shaped shield weighed who knew how many tens of thousands of jin. When it pressed down on Qi Tian Crown Prince's body, even with his cultivation, his frame sank slightly.
Demon Heaven Crown Prince, Huang Tian Imperial Daughter, Jing Tian Crown Prince, and the crown princes of two other Undying Blood Clan tribes all gathered, assembling around Qi Tian Crown Prince.
This time, heirs from seven of the ten Undying Blood Clan tribes had come to the Azure Dragon Ruins Realm.
The heirs of the other three tribes were older, having already reached the saint realm, thus losing the opportunity to enter the Azure Dragon Ruins Realm.
Huang Tian Imperial Daughter asked, "With Big Brother Qi Sheng's cultivation, plus our assistance, we would have a complete chance to kill Zhang Ruochen. Why didn't Big Brother Qi Sheng make a move?"
Huang Tian Imperial Daughter had been shot by Zhang Ruochen's arrow and was severely injured, so she harbored deep resentment toward him.
"Not killing Zhang Ruochen will leave endless trouble," Demon Heaven Crown Prince said solemnly.
Demon Heaven Crown Prince was also curious why Qi Tian Crown Prince chose to avoid battle. With his strength and the God-Destroying Cross Shield, he should be somewhat stronger than Zhang Ruochen.
"Do you think I don't want to kill him?"
Qi Tian Crown Prince shook his head, paused, then added, "In the Azure Dragon Ruins Realm, no one can kill Zhang Ruochen."
Jing Tian Crown Prince followed up, "That's right. In the Azure Dragon Ruins Realm, Zhang Ruochen has all the advantages of time and place, able to wield spatial techniques with ease."
Qi Tian Crown Prince said, "It's not just about having the advantages of time and place. Zhang Ruochen's own combat strength is also formidable. Actually... he and I have already clashed once."
Everyone present was stunned.
They had already clashed once?
Qi Tian Crown Prince explained, "Earlier, when I used the God-Destroying Cross Shield to suppress the White Sun Arrow, I channeled the shield's power, intending to strike him unexpectedly. Unfortunately, Zhang Ruochen's cultivation and willpower are both extremely strong. He destroyed that power and wasn't harmed."
Hearing Qi Tian Crown Prince's words, the crown princes and imperial daughters present all drew in cold breaths.
They were very clear about the origins of the God-Destroying Cross Shield. It had an immensely long history, and a deity had once been nailed to death upon it.
The divine blood on the cross shield had not faded to this day.
"Through this clash, I've roughly gauged his strength. Even if I go all out, defeating him would take at least three hundred moves—and that's assuming he doesn't use time and space techniques. If he employs time and space powers, the outcome is hard to predict," Qi Tian Crown Prince said.
Huang Tian Imperial Daughter's face turned pale. "Zhang Ruochen has already become this powerful. If he continues to grow, won't he become a second Xumi Saint Monk?"
Jing Tian Crown Prince sighed. "Zhang Ruochen has only just broken through to the ninth-rank half-saint realm. His foundation isn't stable yet, and after a series of battles, he must have consumed a great deal of sacred Qi. This is the best opportunity to kill him."
"Not necessarily."
Qi Tian Crown Prince continued, "Based on my speculation, Zhang Ruochen likely reached the Fourfold Supreme Extreme Realm in the four martial stages, laying a solid foundation. Otherwise, he couldn't possess such formidable combat power. If so, his Qi Sea is far more expansive than ordinary people's. Even after a series of battles, his sacred Qi won't be depleted."
"Fourfold Supreme Extreme Realm—isn't that the same as Big Brother Qi Sheng?" Huang Tian Imperial Daughter's eyes widened, her shock deepening.
All along, Qi Sheng's achievements had made them look up in awe, leaving them in despair. They couldn't imagine that someone else could be as terrifying as Qi Sheng.
Qi Tian Crown Prince had indeed reached the Fourfold Supreme Extreme Realm.
Human cultivators had to go to the ruins battlefield, kill native cultivators, accumulate military merit, and sacrifice to the gods to attract divine resonance, thereby reaching the Supreme Extreme Realm of the Heavenly Extreme Stage.
However, some mysterious ancient clans in the Kunlun Realm possessed other ancient sacrificial methods that could also attract divine resonance, without needing to go to the ruins battlefield.
The Undying Blood Clan's crown princes and imperial daughters all felt heavy-hearted, sensing some oppression.
Qi Tian Crown Prince said, "Besides Zhang Ruochen's own formidable strength, there's another reason."
"What reason?"
Demon Heaven Crown Prince's expression shifted. "Is it related to that powerful opponent you encountered?"
Qi Tian Crown Prince nodded. "It was a human. His strength is not inferior to mine. I fought him for two days and three nights, not only failing to defeat him but also sustaining some injuries myself."
"That person's application of martial techniques has reached the pinnacle, beyond description in words. If his realm truly hadn't reached the saint level, I would have suspected he was a human great emperor suppressing his cultivation."
Thinking of that human, Qi Tian Crown Prince still felt a lingering fear.
However, the opponent's physique was not particularly strong, far inferior to his and Zhang Ruochen's, and his condition also had some issues. Coupled with Qi Tian Crown Prince's possession of the God-Destroying Cross Shield and many other advantages, he had only managed a draw.
It was precisely because such a terrifying existence had emerged from the human race that Qi Tian Crown Prince was cautious, unwilling to go all out against Zhang Ruochen.
If Zhang Ruochen and that person joined forces, Qi Tian Crown Prince would certainly be unable to withstand them.
However, Qi Tian Crown Prince did not know that the human he encountered was the Heavenly Mandate Great Emperor living his second life, who had a moderate grudge with Zhang Ruochen. It was almost impossible for them to join forces.