Chapter 1137: Outside the Royal Capital
Awkward, truly very awkward.
Zhang Ruochen had no choice but to suppress the blazing yang energy within him while pretending nothing was amiss, transforming into a streak of light as he shot through the fissure in the earth, heading straight for the surface.
In contrast, Huang Yanchen appeared composed and calm. She retied her slightly disheveled long hair, then cast a light glance at Qing Mo.
"Princess... Your Highness, I'm sorry. Qing Mo didn't mean to intrude..."
Qing Mo was terrified. She knelt on the ground, her head bowed low, and even her lips trembled as she spoke.
"You find this hard to believe, don't you?"
Huang Yanchen walked over, stopping in front of Qing Mo, which only made Qing Mo more frightened—her entire body shook.
Surprisingly, Huang Yanchen did not scold her. Instead, she gazed upward with a distant look in her eyes and said, "Actually, everyone wishes they could have a youthful time, to love recklessly without caring too much, needing only fiery emotions."
"Having experienced it, one can have no regrets. But without that experience, as time passes and youth fades, only endless regret remains in the heart."
"Regret in the heart means a flaw in the Dao. The path to becoming a god is exceptionally arduous. Among the three calamities and nine tribulations, the tribulation of love is the hardest to overcome."
With that, Huang Yanchen transformed into a streak of light and flew toward the surface.
When Zhang Ruochen returned to the ground, Xiao Hei, Sun Dadi, and Da Sikong immediately surrounded him, asking why he had taken so long to come back and whether he had discovered some extraordinary ancient relic underground.
Da Sikong sniffed the air vigorously, his divine eye narrowing with suspicion. "Uncle Master, why do you have a fragrance on you? It smells familiar... Ah, it's exactly the same scent as Princess Yanchen's."
Hearing this, everyone present wore expressions of amusement.
Xiao Hei's eyes darted around as he scrutinized Zhang Ruochen, guessing at what had happened. He chuckled, "Zhang Ruochen, the yang energy in your body is already boiling. If you don't release it, you might end up with your physical body spontaneously combusting or falling into demonic possession."
Fengyue stepped forward, genuinely worried that Zhang Ruochen might be in danger, and said, "I have already cultivated the Extreme Yin Body. I can use the Extreme Yin Qi to help the Sect Leader neutralize the yang energy within him."
Sun Dadi grinned slyly, winking and teasing, "Wouldn't using the method of yin-yang harmonization be more direct?"
Fengyue naturally understood what Sun Dadi meant. She remained composed and said, "If the Sect Leader needs it, as his subordinate, I would do anything for him."
Sun Dadi's jaw dropped, almost drooling with envy. He immediately shot Zhang Ruochen a look, as if he were even more anxious than Zhang Ruochen himself.
Xiao Hei secretly transmitted a message to Zhang Ruochen, saying, "The power of the Dragon-Elephant Prajna Palm is indeed astonishing, one of the most formidable martial techniques in the Kunlun Realm, even surpassing seventeen other top-tier techniques of the Ten Thousand Buddha Path. However, its attribute is pure yang and extreme hardness. Every time you advance a level, the yang energy within you increases tenfold. Ordinary people simply cannot withstand it."
"The Buddhist cultivators of the Ten Thousand Buddha Path spend their days meditating and chanting sutras, their minds as clear as mirrors, free from stray thoughts. Moreover, upon reaching the Saint Realm, they can cultivate a golden body, allowing them to endure a thousand or ten thousand times the yang energy."
"Even so, many geniuses among the Buddhist cultivators have fallen into demonic possession while practicing the Dragon-Elephant Prajna Palm, some dying, others turning into demons."
Zhang Ruochen asked, "What are you getting at?"
Xiao Hei said gravely, "What I mean is, you'd better not be too overconfident. You need to prepare for the worst. Having a furnace prepared in advance isn't a bad thing; it might come in handy at a critical moment."
Then, Xiao Hei glanced at Fengyue and added, "That girl has the Extreme Yin Body, making her the perfect choice for a furnace. If you truly reach the brink of demonic possession, her constitution can neutralize the yang energy within you."
Admittedly, Xiao Hei's suggestion wasn't wrong. Preparing a furnace in advance could ensure safety.
However, Zhang Ruochen had no such intention. In his view, people were people, not furnaces or playthings for cultivation. Even if Fengyue was genuinely willing, he would not do it.
If it truly became impossible to suppress, Zhang Ruochen would choose to abandon the Dragon-Elephant Prajna Palm, disperse the yang energy within him, and act as if he had never practiced this technique.
Seeing Huang Yanchen and Qing Mo emerge from underground, Xiao Hei immediately fell silent and said no more.
In the direction of the royal capital, a nine-colored light mist surged forth, dazzling and brilliant, emitting a refreshing, exotic fragrance.
Even from hundreds of miles away, nine-colored clouds drifted above Zhang Ruochen and the others.
Huang Yanchen walked over to Zhang Ruochen and said, "A ninth-grade Saint Source Spirit Spring is about to emerge in the royal capital. When the ninth-grade Saint Source Spirit Spring surges forth, it means the World Spirit will soon appear as well."
Back then, outside Yingsha City, even a seventh-grade Saint Source Spirit Spring had brought forth a large amount of Saint Source Spirit Liquid.
A ninth-grade Saint Source Spirit Spring was naturally far more extraordinary.
Only when an upper-grade void world was on the verge of drying up would the world's origin energy and essence gather together, giving birth to a ninth-grade Saint Source Spirit Spring. At the same time, as the ninth-grade Saint Source Spirit Spring surged forth, this upper-grade void world would be completely destroyed.
"Saint Source Spirit Liquid is also a top-tier treasure. Not only can it be used to refine Saint Origin Pills, but it is also a main ingredient for some Saint Pills. Since a ninth-grade Saint Source Spirit Spring is emerging, we absolutely cannot miss this opportunity." Xiao Hei transformed into a black streak and rushed toward the royal capital first.
The nine-colored light mist completely enveloped the entire royal capital, making it look like a celestial city.
Nearly all the powerful figures from the Kunlun Realm and other upper-grade void worlds had gathered outside the royal capital.
The Azure Dragon Void World was on the verge of destruction. Those who remained were all after the ninth-grade Saint Source Spirit Spring and the World Spirit.
Thus, their numbers were not large, but every single one was a top-tier expert, at least at the ninth-step Half-Saint level.
The top experts of the Blood God Sect, the Shangguan Clan, and the Cai Clan had all gathered together.
Shangguan Xianyan said, "When the ninth-grade Saint Source Spirit Spring emerges, we only need to seize one Saint Flower and then immediately leave the Azure Dragon Void World. As for the World Spirit, it is beyond our strength to covet. It's better not to think about it."
The leaders of the Cai Clan and the Shangguan Clan agreed with Shangguan Xianyan's decision.
Ever since witnessing the combat power of Li Di Monk, the Devouring Demon Dragon, and Zhang Ruochen, they had already developed the intention to retreat.
The alliance of their three ancient heritages was indeed formidable, but they lacked a top-tier powerhouse to lead them.
Even the most talented among them, Hai Lingyin and Cai Jinglun, were still slightly short of being top-tier powerhouses.
Without a top-tier powerhouse, they had no say in the Azure Dragon Void World.
If not for their desire to seize some Saint Source Spirit Liquid, they might have already returned to the Kunlun Realm.
"Rumble."
A patch of blood-red clouds flew in from the horizon.
Within the blood-red clouds stood a large group of Undying Blood Clan experts, their backs adorned with fleshy wings. They were at least at the quasi-Saint level, with some even listed on the "Half-Saint Ranking" and "Half-Saint Outer Ranking."
The five princes and one princess of the Undying Blood Clan stood like six divine beings in the air, each exuding a terrifying aura.
Five top-tier powerhouses, plus one super-top-tier powerhouse—such a lineup was enough to sweep through everything.
Shangguan Xianyan, Cai Jinglun, and the others all gasped in shock. They immediately led the cultivators of the three ancient heritages to retreat some distance.
Although the three ancient heritages had some powerful trump cards that could hold off one or two top-tier powerhouses, if the Undying Blood Clan's experts all pressed forward, they could annihilate them in an instant.
The gap in strength between the two sides was as vast as the difference between a firefly and the bright moon.
From another direction, the Devouring Demon Dragon, the Vermilion Bird Fairy, the Kun Clan Prince, along with six other ancient descendants who had crossed into the top-tier powerhouse ranks, led a group of beast kings to the outskirts of the royal capital.
Following that, Li Di Monk, Xue Wuye, Chi Wansui, Gai Tianjiao, Suihan, and other human realm sons appeared collectively, forming a tripartite standoff with the Undying Blood Clan and the various beast clans.
Human cultivators quickly gathered toward the realm sons, finally breathing a sigh of relief as if they had found a protective umbrella, no longer needing to fear slaughter by the Undying Blood Clan and the beast clans.
Undoubtedly, today, only the top-tier powerhouses were the true main force.
The more top-tier powerhouses a side had, the greater their advantage in competing for the ninth-grade Saint Source Spirit Spring and the World Spirit.
The Devouring Demon Dragon exhaled dragon qi and roared, "Qi Sheng, before attacking the royal capital, how about we wipe out the human cultivators first?"
Originally, the strength of the three major races was relatively balanced, with none able to overpower the others.
However, the Undying Blood Clan and the various beast clans had grown close, forming a pincer formation. It seemed they had reached some agreement to drive out the human cultivators first.
Even if they couldn't annihilate the human cultivators, they would force them out of the Azure Dragon Void World, preventing them from participating in the final struggle.
"Roar."
Hundreds of beast kings let out ear-splitting roars, releasing a surge of primeval aura that seemed to shake the very walls of the royal capital.
The top-tier powerhouses of the beast clans retrieved their ancestral artifacts and surrounded the human camp, preparing to strike.
The princes and princess of the Undying Blood Clan each drew their thousand-mark sacred artifacts or ancient relics, slowly advancing toward the human cultivators.
Except for the realm sons, all the human cultivators turned pale with fear, trembling uncontrollably.
With the Undying Blood Clan and the beast clans joining forces, the number of top-tier powerhouses on their side was double that of the humans. They could easily fight two against one.
How could they possibly fight?
Many human cultivators regretted their greed. If they had returned to the Kunlun Realm earlier, why would they have encountered such a great calamity?
"Before the royal capital is even breached, are we already going to fight? In that case, I might as well join in the fun."
From the distant horizon, beams of light shot forth, erupting with powerful energy fluctuations. More top-tier powerhouses were rapidly flying toward the royal capital.
And there was more than one.
At the tip of each beam of light stood a figure.
Moments later, one of the beams arrived above the royal capital and descended from the sky.
With a thunderous crash, Zhang Ruochen's figure landed on the ground, cracking the earth into a web of fissures. Those cracks extended all the way to the feet of the beast kings, startling them into retreating repeatedly. (To be continued.)