Chapter 1144: Imminent Clash
Han Qiu had summoned an army from the Underworld, composed entirely of Half-Saint-level undead spirits. The deathly aura they emitted floated in the air, condensing into a gray-black cloud.
If there were only a few or a few dozen Wuchang and Corpse Kings, the contenders present could still handle them.
But this was an undead army—hundreds or even thousands of Wuchang and Corpse Kings pressing forward in a sky-covering tide. Even the top-tier strong ones felt their scalps go numb.
"She can actually summon an undead army? Could she be some overlord from the Underworld?"
"The power on this woman is unusual, giving off an extremely yin and evil feeling."
...
All the contenders drew in cold air, slowly retreating.
Only Sun Dadi, still in a state of rage, did not step back. His eyes, as large as lanterns, blazed with fire as he glared at the approaching Han Qiu and roared, "Traitor! You've finally shown yourself. Watch me smash you to death with one strike!"
The matter of Han Qiu betraying the Ming Sect had only been told by Zhang Ruochen to Murong Yue.
Sun Dadi had learned of it later, and as a result, he deeply hated Han Qiu, viewing her as an ungrateful wretch.
"Boom, boom."
Sun Dadi charged forward swiftly, swinging his iron staff—striking, sweeping, and smashing—blasting Wuchang and Corpse Kings apart into ghostly mist and bone dust.
Han Qiu's eyelids flicked slightly, revealing a disdainful expression. "You?"
She extended a hand, her five fingers rotating.
In her palm, a black vortex appeared, growing larger and larger until, finally, the space above the sacred mountain began to spin along with it.
The black vortex sucked Sun Dadi in. The powerful swirling force quickly caused him to lose control of his body.
"Boom!"
Han Qiu flicked her finger, and the black vortex shattered. Sun Dadi's body turned into a streak of light, flying out and crashing into the mountain wall of the sacred peak, collapsing a large section of the cliff.
"Zhang Ruochen, you'd better keep your subordinates in line. If they dare offend me again, I'll crush their heads directly."
Han Qiu exuded a sharp, fierce aura, lifting her snow-white chin as she locked eyes with Zhang Ruochen.
All the beings present were astonished.
Earlier, they had witnessed Sun Dadi's combat power—slightly stronger than an average top-tier strong one. Yet, against the black-clad woman, he was like a child, completely powerless to fight back.
This sinister, black-clad woman was likely not far off from a super top-tier strong one.
"Could she have once been Zhang Ruochen's subordinate too?"
"With such formidable skill, how could she ever submit to another? Betrayal was inevitable."
"Zhang Ruochen really is surrounded by talented people. Any one of them has the potential to cultivate into a Saint King."
...
Zhang Ruochen sent the Second Minister of Works to dig Sun Dadi out of the dirt. Sun Dadi's physical body was extremely tough; he only suffered some external injuries, nothing serious.
Zhang Ruochen's gaze fell on Han Qiu, a strange look flashing in his eyes.
With his cultivation level, he found it somewhat difficult to see through Han Qiu's realm. The Dark Body and the Path of Darkness were indeed becoming more and more mysterious.
All four sacred flowers had been taken by Han Qiu. From start to finish, the super top-tier strong ones had not acted. No one was willing to offend a powerful enemy at this critical juncture.
Han Qiu stored the four sacred flowers away, staring at Zhang Ruochen with a haughty posture, wanting to see if there was any regret on his face.
Yet, from beginning to end, Zhang Ruochen remained calm, not considering her capture of the four sacred flowers to be any great feat.
"Zhang Ruochen, Zhang Ruochen! Huang Yanchen only holds you back and can't help you at all, yet you chose her. You're destined to be a failure your whole life," Han Qiu thought to herself.
Just then, Huang Yanchen, Qing Mo, Xiao Hei, and Princess Bai Li ascended the sacred mountain, gathering with Zhang Ruochen and the others.
Below, the once bustling and prosperous royal capital had been completely reduced to a sea of fire. Scorching magma had swallowed the entire ancient city. The cracks in the ground had widened, and it was hard to see any living creatures anymore.
"We managed to take in some of the native humans into the Scroll World, but more of them died tragically. We did our best."
Huang Yanchen handed the Cosmic Divine Wood Map back to Zhang Ruochen, then felt two hostile gazes. One came from Han Qiu, standing atop the bone dragon's head, and the other from Princess Moyan, standing behind Zhang Ruochen.
Han Qiu bit her lower lip lightly, her eyes radiating icy light.
With her current cultivation, she had enough confidence to defeat Huang Yanchen, wipe away her past humiliation, and make Zhang Ruochen see who truly deserved to be the Crown Princess.
Princess Moyan was not only hostile toward Huang Yanchen but also had her gaze locked onto the Cosmic Divine Wood Map.
Earlier, Princess Moyan had witnessed Huang Yanchen and the others using that scroll to take in a large number of native humans. She was both surprised and curious.
How could a mere scroll hold so many people? Could it be a spatial treasure similar to the Golden Light Storage Bag?
But if living people were put into a spatial treasure, they couldn't survive and would soon die.
After some speculation, Princess Moyan suspected that they were collecting the blood and souls of the Azure Dragon Dynasty's cultivators by taking them into the scroll.
As a ruler of the Azure Dragon Dynasty, Princess Moyan was naturally quite angry and found it hard to control her emotions.
The Grand Minister of Works felt the hostility from Princess Moyan and quickly explained, "Amitabha! Your Highness, please don't worry. We are saving them. They are now living well in another world."
Princess Moyan gave a faint, stiff smile, clearly not believing the Grand Minister of Works at all.
Huang Yanchen was curious and asked, "Who is she?"
The Grand Minister of Works felt a stir in his heart, sensing an opportunity had finally come. Without waiting for Zhang Ruochen to speak, he quickly said, "This female benefactor is Princess Moyan of the Azure Dragon Dynasty. This humble monk sees her extraordinary talent and wishes to take her as a disciple, to teach her the Buddhist Dharma. But... the Master Uncle seems quite interested in her."
Having said this, the Grand Minister of Works quickly turned away, not daring to meet Zhang Ruochen's eyes.
"Is that so?"
Huang Yanchen smiled and walked over to Princess Moyan, sizing her up from her face down to her toes, not missing a single detail.
Princess Moyan held her breath, extremely nervous, feeling that Huang Yanchen's gaze was incredibly penetrating. Before her, she felt like a completely transparent person, unable to hide any secrets.
"Not bad, truly a beauty who could topple kingdoms. You have good taste," Huang Yanchen said to Zhang Ruochen.
As she said this, she also used her spiritual power to send a message to Zhang Ruochen: "This woman is very problematic. She's definitely no ordinary person. Her strength might even surpass yours. Best to be careful."
Zhang Ruochen also mobilized his spiritual power, sending a message without a trace: "Indeed, she's problematic. Definitely not a princess. When the World Spirit appears, she should reveal her true form."
Seeing that Zhang Ruochen was aware, Huang Yanchen said no more.
"Qing Mo, keep an eye on her. If she makes any move, suppress her immediately," Huang Yanchen instructed Qing Mo.
Now, Sun Dadi and the Grand Minister of Works were guarding Princess Moyan. Zhang Ruochen and Huang Yanchen couldn't act, as doing so might trigger internal conflict, which would be detrimental to the upcoming battle for the World Spirit.
"Boom."
With the sacred mountain shaking violently, another sacred flower flew out from underground.
The seventh sacred flower carried a seventh-grade sacred source spirit spring, resembling a black lotus with a diameter of over ten meters. A massive phantom of a ferocious bird carried the black lotus on its back as it flew up and rushed into the distance.
The eighth sacred flower carried an eighth-grade sacred source spirit spring, emitting golden light. Two phantom cranes lifted it, flying high into the sky.
Both sacred flowers had immense value, and a large number of top-tier strong ones rushed out to compete.
The barbarian beast clans targeted the seventh sacred flower. The Vermilion Bird Fairy and the Kun Clan Prince led over a dozen ancient ferocious beasts, charging forward and knocking away other contenders.
Additionally, a group of mutant beings also showed great interest in the seventh sacred flower, becoming the main competitors of the barbarian beast clans.
The human side aimed for the eighth sacred flower, led by Monk Lidi, Chi Wansui, and Qi Feiyu, with over a dozen top-tier strong ones and quasi-saints following behind.
The Undying Blood Clan side sent out three princes and a large number of experts to compete with the human cultivators.
This time, Han Qiu did not act rashly. The competition for the two sacred flowers was fierce, with over ten top-tier strong ones fighting on each battlefield. Even with her undead army, getting involved would likely not end well.
Zhang Ruochen stopped the Grand Minister of Works and the Second Minister of Works, who wanted to join the fray, and said, "The World Spirit and the ninth sacred flower should appear at the same time. Don't join the battle. Prepare for all-out combat. No matter what, we must seize the World Spirit."
Just as the eighth sacred flower emerged, Zhang Ruochen faintly sensed the weak aura of the World Spirit, which led him to this judgment.
Xiao Hei lay on the ground, pressing his ear to the earth, listening intently. His expression was very serious as he added, "The World Spirit might indeed appear at the same time as the ninth sacred flower."
The Qi Tian Prince, the Devouring Demon Dragon, Xue Wuye, the Heavenly Mandate Great Emperor, Qiu Yu, and the four Eight-Dragon Martial Saints of the Azure Dragon Ruins Realm also sensed it.
Their gazes grew sharper and sharper, their auras completely different from before, like swords about to be unsheathed.
"Whoosh—"
The Qi Tian Prince radiated blood-red light. His three pairs of blood wings flapped simultaneously, and with a whoosh, he turned into a streak of light, actively charging toward the underground.
"Stop him!"
Wang Zhen, the World Spirit King of the Azure Dragon Ruins Realm, let out a thunderous roar.
A majestic sacred power surged from Wang Zhen's body, transforming into eight azure dragon phantoms dozens of meters long.
These eight dragon shadows were far more powerful than those condensed by other Eight-Dragon Martial Saints, resembling cast bronze. As they flew, they emitted clanging metallic sounds and sparked heavily.
Clearly, Wang Zhen's strength surpassed even the super top-tier strong ones. The super top-tier strong ones had not yet reached the Saint realm, but Wang Zhen was already a Saint.