Chapter 1139: Eight-Dragon Martial Saint
"Charge! Break into the royal capital."
"Roar."
The Undying Blood Clan, the various Barbarian Beast tribes, the human race, and other beings all erupted in ecstasy, charging into the royal capital at the first opportunity, clashing with the native humans in battle.
Most of the top experts of the Azure Dragon Ruins Realm had gathered in the royal capital, naturally collecting the richest heavenly materials and earthly treasures. Who wouldn't want to rush in and plunder?
Grand Minister of Works and Sun Dadi were quite excited, wanting to follow the crowd and charge in, but Zhang Ruochen stopped them.
"There are ten native human Saints in the royal capital city. Rushing in first might not be a good thing," Zhang Ruochen reminded.
Sun Dadi patted his chest and said, "If they're just Lower Realm Saints, there's no need to fear them."
Sun Dadi was full of confidence. With his current cultivation level, even if he encountered a Lower Realm Saint, he could defeat them.
Zhang Ruochen shook his head. "Lower Realm Saints also have varying levels of strength. There's a huge gap between a Saint who has just entered the Saint Realm and an experienced Lower Realm Saint. If you really encounter an experienced Lower Realm Saint, your cultivation won't be enough."
Some Saints had just entered the Saint Realm, while others might have cultivated at the Lower Realm Saint level for over a hundred years. Some Lower Realm Saints also possessed special physiques or had cultivated special Sacred Arts.
Thus, the strength of Lower Realm Saints naturally varied greatly.
The Saints who remained in the Azure Dragon Ruins Realm to compete for the World Spirit, even if they were only Lower Realm Saints, were definitely top figures among Lower Realm Saints and absolutely could not be underestimated.
The beings of the Kunlun Realm charged into the royal capital, immediately engaging in bloody slaughter and barbaric plundering.
The human cultivators were relatively restrained and did not kill indiscriminately, but the experts of the Undying Blood Clan and Barbarian Beasts had no such scruples.
Wherever they passed, all buildings were reduced to ruins, and all native humans were either devoured or had their blood drained dry.
"How can they be so despicable and cruel?"
Princess Baili was very angry, gritting her snow-white teeth, and looked at Zhang Ruochen with pleading eyes. "Zhang Ruochen, you have to save them. Now, only you can save them."
"There are at least ten million people in the royal capital city, most of whom are martial artists and cultivators. How can I save them? Do you think I'm a savior?"
Zhang Ruochen shook his head and just sighed.
Zhang Ruochen was not someone who would stand by and watch others die, but he was well aware that if he used the Cosmic Divine Wood Map to take them into the Scroll World, it would invite a lot of misunderstandings. In fact, the ten native human Saints might even come to besiege him.
In the end, it would only bring trouble.
Who would believe that an outsider demon would be so kind as to help the native humans of the Azure Dragon Ruins Realm? They would only think he had ulterior motives.
Not joining in the burning, killing, and looting, Zhang Ruochen felt he was already being fair to them.
Seeing the native humans being devoured by Barbarian Beasts and drained dry by the Undying Blood Clan, Princess Baili felt very sad and pleaded again, "If you are willing to save them, I can willingly join the Bright Clan and serve you as its leader."
Zhang Ruochen remained very calm and unmoved. "I must be responsible for everyone's safety."
Xiao Hei said, "Zhang Ruochen, the native humans in the royal capital are all elites. If you can subdue them, you can strengthen the Bright Clan in a very short time. Leave this matter to this Emperor and Princess Baili. When it's time to compete for the World Spirit, this Emperor will bring the Cosmic Divine Wood Map to meet up with you."
Subduing the elites of the Azure Dragon Ruins Realm could indeed elevate the quality and quantity of the Bright Clan's lower and middle disciples to a level surpassing that of an ancient sect.
Zhang Ruochen was somewhat tempted, but he still felt that Xiao Hei was a bit unreliable and worried it would mess things up. After losing her memory, Princess Baili was overflowing with sympathy and as innocent as a little girl, which also gave him a sense of unease.
This was no small matter. A single misstep could bring great disaster and invite attacks from all forces.
Zhang Ruochen looked at Huang Yanchen and said, "Senior Sister, you stay and assist them. Don't let the two cats mess things up. Save as many as you can, but be sure to act within your limits."
In the end, after some discussion, the group split into two paths.
Xiao Hei, Princess Baili, Huang Yanchen, and Qing Mo took the Cosmic Divine Wood Map and entered the royal capital, with the main goal of bringing the native humans into the Scroll World.
Zhang Ruochen used Saint Qi to envelop Grand Minister of Works, Second Minister of Works, Sun Dadi, and Murong Yue, then performed a Great Space Teleportation, directly breaking into the heart of the royal capital.
In the royal capital, a large number of native human experts had gathered and set up many attack formations, slowing the advance of the various Kunlun Realm clans and preventing them from breaking into the central area of the royal capital in a short time.
Murong Yue stood behind Zhang Ruochen, looking at the battlefield in the outer city, and said solemnly, "The Azure Dragon Dynasty is still quite powerful. It's actually holding back so many top-tier experts."
"The strength of a high-rank Ruins Realm is naturally formidable. Although it's far from the Kunlun Realm, it absolutely cannot be underestimated," Zhang Ruochen said.
In the inner city, there was a scene of chaos and war. All formations had been activated, and beams of light rose from the streets and alleys, with layers upon layers of defensive light shields.
"We must hold back those outsider demons and not let them break into the royal palace to seize the World Spirit."
"As long as we protect the World Spirit, when the World Son of the Azure Dragon Ruins Realm is born, the Azure Dragon Dynasty can continue."
"Fight, until the last drop of blood is shed."
All the native humans in the royal capital joined the battle, some guarding the formations, others rushing toward the outer city.
The five people led by Zhang Ruochen kept a low profile and did not attract the attention of the native humans.
Just then, Zhang Ruochen sensed a powerful fluctuation of energy and looked up.
In the center of the royal capital, from a golden Sacred Mountain, eight giant dragons flew out, passing over Zhang Ruochen and the others, heading toward the outer city.
At the center of the eight dragons was a middle-aged man in golden armor, holding a long spear. He looked majestic and imposing, and the Saint Qi emanating from him was extremely strong.
On the streets, a loud cheer erupted from the native human cultivators. "That's Lord Qingkong Martial Saint! He hasn't left this world; he's still guarding the Azure Dragon Dynasty."
The rules of heaven and earth in the Azure Dragon Ruins Realm were somewhat different from those in the Kunlun Realm, so the cultivation methods naturally varied.
In the Azure Dragon Ruins Realm, the more dragon shadows one cultivated, the stronger one's strength.
Cultivating six dragon shadows was called a "Martial King."
Cultivating seven dragon shadows was called a "Martial Venerable."
Cultivating eight dragon shadows was called a "Martial Saint."
"This person should be one of the ten native Saints remaining in the Azure Dragon Ruins Realm. He's indeed quite powerful, far surpassing an ordinary Lower Realm Saint."
Zhang Ruochen did not use his Spiritual Power to probe the opponent, only relying on his intuition to roughly estimate the strength of that Eight-Dragon Martial Saint.
"What nonsense Martial Saint? This Prince will weigh you and see how much you're worth!"
The Kun Clan Prince maintained his human Saint body, flapped the wings on his back, soared into the sky, and swung the long lance in his hand, striking at Qingkong Martial Saint.
The Red Sea Diamond Lance was extremely heavy, and with one strike, it could shatter a mountain.
"You beings of the Kunlun Realm are going too far. A mere junior dares to be so arrogant."
Qingkong Martial Saint's eyes were filled with blazing flames. He pushed his hands forward, sending the eight dragon shadows flying out to collide with the Red Sea Diamond Lance.
The Kun Clan Prince let out a muffled groan and was sent flying backward.
With a loud crash, he fell to the ground, flattening all the ancient buildings on a street and leaving a deep trench.
"So strong."
Seeing this, Sun Dadi in the inner city gasped.
It was worth noting that the Kun Clan Prince's combat power ranked among the top of the top-tier experts and he had long possessed the strength to defeat a Lower Realm Saint, yet he couldn't withstand a single blow from Qingkong Martial Saint.
"That Eight-Dragon Martial Saint is definitely a top expert among Lower Realm Saints. Without stepping into the Saint Realm, no being can be his opponent, no matter how strong their physique," Murong Yue said with a grave expression.
Zhang Ruochen said, "Even if the Lower Realm Saints of the Azure Dragon Ruins Realm are strong, they have an upper limit and cannot compare with the top Lower Realm Saints of the Kunlun Realm. In my opinion, that Eight-Dragon Martial Saint is not so strong that he cannot be defeated."
"Boom."
In the center of the royal capital, from that golden Sacred Mountain, several more Eight-Dragon Martial Saints flew out, sweeping across the sky and joining the battle in the outer city.
Every time an Eight-Dragon Martial Saint appeared, it caused a stir in the royal capital and boosted the morale of the native humans.
Clearly, these Eight-Dragon Martial Saints who had appeared were all renowned overlords in the Azure Dragon Ruins Realm, each a legendary figure.
Zhang Ruochen did not continue to watch the battle in the outer city. No matter how the native humans of the Azure Dragon Dynasty resisted, they could not reverse the general trend. Today, they were destined for destruction.
Zhang Ruochen fixed his gaze on the distant golden Sacred Mountain.
That Sacred Mountain was located in the center of the royal capital, majestic and sacred. Dense palaces were built on the mountain, stretching from the foot to the midsection, making the entire mountain appear extremely resplendent.
"That should be the royal palace of the Azure Dragon Dynasty," Zhang Ruochen said.
At the top of the Sacred Mountain, there were no palace-style buildings, only a massive black altar.
Nine-colored light mist continuously surged out from the altar at the top.
It could be inferred that soon, the Ninth-Rank Sacred Source Spirit Spring and the World Spirit would likely emerge at the top of the Sacred Mountain.
"Let's charge over now and seize the Sacred Mountain. Once the Ninth-Rank Sacred Source Spirit Spring appears, it will be ours for the taking," Grand Minister of Works said with a loud laugh.
Zhang Ruochen narrowed his eyes and saw dozens of figures standing at the top of the Sacred Mountain, their bodies wrapped in countless dragon shadows, making it look like a nest of a hundred dragons, exuding a dangerous aura.
There were definitely a large number of experts stationed at the altar on the mountaintop. Attacking now would lead to a tough battle.
"Wait a little longer. There's no need to put ourselves at the forefront."
Then, Zhang Ruochen's gaze shifted to the resplendent royal palace, and a smile appeared on his face. "We can take a look at the royal palace of the Azure Dragon Dynasty. We might find an even greater harvest."
Sun Dadi's eyes lit up, and he slapped his forehead. "Right! Maybe we can catch a few stunning princesses or consorts. Boss, you're even smarter than I thought."
"..." Zhang Ruochen was speechless.
Sun Dadi was ecstatic, lifted his iron staff, and rushed out first, heading toward the Azure Dragon Dynasty's royal palace. Grand Minister of Works had also disappeared, charging even faster than Sun Dadi. (To be continued.)