Chapter 1148: Demon Ran Consort
"Even if you use your sword formation, you won't be able to escape. Our Undying Blood Clan is determined to obtain the World Spirit of the Azure Dragon Ruins Realm."
Yi Gu Blood Saint spoke with a smile, holding his blood blade horizontally in front of him. The blood energy surging from his body grew even more intense.
His strength was indeed slightly weaker than Zhang Ruochen's. If the battle continued, he would likely lose. However, holding Zhang Ruochen back for a short while was not a difficult task.
Once Qi Tian Crown Prince and the other Undying Blood Clan experts arrived, how could Zhang Ruochen possibly survive?
"Use the formation," Zhang Ruochen said.
Zhang Ruochen was not entirely confident that he and Huang Yanchen could unleash the full power of the Yin-Yang Two Forms Sword Formation. However, given the current situation, this was the only option.
"Whoosh!"
"Whoosh!"
Zhang Ruochen and Huang Yanchen's figures flickered as they flew to the left and right, creating a distance of a hundred zhang between them.
Immediately after, the two began to practice the Yang Nine Swords and Yin Nine Swords. The sword intent within their bodies surged out like pillars of light.
Yi Gu Blood Saint remained calm, raising his voice: "In at most ten breaths, all the Undying Blood Clan experts will have arrived. What's the point of your desperate struggle now?"
Gradually, a cautious expression appeared in Yi Gu Blood Saint's eyes. He sensed an increasingly powerful pressure emanating from Zhang Ruochen and Huang Yanchen.
What were they trying to do?
The two streams of sword intent released by Zhang Ruochen and Huang Yanchen quickly intertwined. Beneath their feet, a massive Taiji Bagua appeared.
Zhang Ruochen split into nine figures, and Huang Yanchen also split into nine.
The next moment, eighteen figures appeared simultaneously, wielding swords atop the Taiji Diagram.
The range of the Taiji Diagram expanded rapidly, soon engulfing Yi Gu Blood Saint.
The Yin-Yang Two Forms Sword Formation used people as its foundation, the two forms of heaven and earth as its compass, and the mysteries of yin and yang as its driving force. At this moment, Zhang Ruochen and Huang Yanchen's coordination was exceptionally good, reaching the realm of "shared sword intent."
"This is... the Yin-Yang Two Forms Sword Formation..."
The Yin-Yang Two Forms Sword Formation was far more powerful than the Heaven-Earth Sword Formation of Xuantian Martial Saint and Ningjing Martial Saint. Having lived for nearly five hundred years, how could Yi Gu Blood Saint not have heard of its fearsome reputation?
Sensing danger, Yi Gu Blood Saint hesitated not a moment. Spreading his wings, he fled backward.
"Still trying to escape?"
Zhang Ruochen and Huang Yanchen raised their swords almost simultaneously, drawing all the spiritual energy of heaven and earth near the Azure Dragon Ruins Realm toward them. It converged into their sacred swords, then slashed toward the direction Yi Gu Blood Saint had fled.
"Swoosh—"
A brilliant sword light, like a bright moon, flew toward the desperately fleeing Yi Gu Blood Saint.
Yi Gu Blood Saint felt a strong sense of crisis. Activating an escape secret art, his blood burned within him, bursting forth at several times his usual speed.
"Having to use an escape secret art against two juniors—how shameful."
Yi Gu Blood Saint had already flown several dozen li away, yet he still felt the terrifying sword energy rapidly closing in, sending cold sweat down his back.
"Damn it! Even using an escape secret art, I can't get away."
All of Yi Gu Blood Saint's meridians bulged, his entire form becoming extremely ferocious. He spun around swiftly and slashed his blood blade forward.
With a "bang," the blood blade in Yi Gu Blood Saint's hand shattered into metal fragments.
The crescent-shaped sword energy, like cutting through tofu, sliced Yi Gu Blood Saint in half at the waist.
The sword energy carried both yin and yang forces, causing Yi Gu Blood Saint's upper body to burn while his lower body was frozen by ice.
Yi Gu Blood Saint did not die. He let out a piercing scream, enduring unprecedented agony.
"I have already condensed a sacred source and cultivated sacred blood. My life level far surpasses yours. My vitality is not something you mortals can... imagine... You cannot kill me... cough..."
Yi Gu Blood Saint roared, but no matter what he tried, he could not rejoin his body. His voice grew weaker and weaker.
"I... am unwilling..."
Moments later, Yi Gu Blood Saint's upper body burned to white bones, and his lower body was permanently frozen.
A powerful sacred-level being had finally fallen.
Many beings witnessed this scene, their hearts trembling with fear.
This was a blood saint in his prime, standing at the peak among lower-level saints, yet he could not withstand a single sword strike from Zhang Ruochen and Huang Yanchen. How could anyone not be terrified?
"Attack together and suppress them."
Qi Tian Crown Prince, Qiu Yu, Devouring Demon Dragon, and Tianming Great Emperor had all flown within a hundred li. Joining with several other sacred beings, they launched an attack simultaneously.
The Taiji Diagram spun rapidly, its power growing stronger and stronger, drawing in the star power of the nearby celestial bodies.
Suddenly, Zhang Ruochen and Huang Yanchen slashed forward at the same time. The Taiji Diagram, formed from sword energy, spiritual energy of heaven and earth, and star power, flew forward.
"Boom!"
The Taiji Diagram, dozens of li in diameter, had yin and yang forces spinning rapidly within it. It blocked all incoming attacks and continued to fly forward.
"A mere sword formation can borrow star power and unleash such terrifying might."
Watching the Taiji Diagram bearing down on them, Qi Tian Crown Prince, Qiu Yu, Tianming Great Emperor, and the others all wore grave expressions.
They had to use their ultimate techniques and go all out to withstand the Taiji Diagram.
Zhang Ruochen and Huang Yanchen did not continue using the Yin-Yang Two Forms Sword Formation. Based on Zhang Ruochen's estimate, after unleashing that last strike, Huang Yanchen's sacred energy had been depleted by seventy to eighty percent, making it difficult to sustain the formation.
"Let's go."
Zhang Ruochen formed a white sacred energy bridge, sweeping Huang Yanchen to his side. He used the Great Space Teleportation to fly at maximum speed toward the asteroid where Grand Minister of Works and Second Minister of Works were located.
"Bang."
More than a dozen top experts joined forces to shatter the Taiji Diagram and resumed their pursuit of Zhang Ruochen and Huang Yanchen.
In addition, several hundred other experts from various races were flying rapidly, converging from all directions.
Zhang Ruochen took out the Azure Sky Bow and Daylight Arrow. As he flew forward, he drew the bow and shot.
"Pfft!"
"Pfft!"
"Pfft!"
Firing three arrows in succession, Zhang Ruochen killed three beast kings blocking his path a hundred li ahead.
On Qiu Yu's back, two fire wings over thirty meters long grew. He chased after Zhang Ruochen, saying, "Zhang Ruochen, if you hand over the World Spirit, I can spare your life. I value talent and don't want to see you fall in this starry sky."
Zhang Ruochen laughed loudly: "You talk big. You want to spare someone else's life—can you even spare your own?"
"For you today, there is no other path. You can only choose to trust me," Qiu Yu said.
Zhang Ruochen paused slightly, looking back in the direction behind him.
Qiu Yu thought Zhang Ruochen had made a decision to hand over the World Spirit in exchange for a chance to live. The corner of his mouth curled up, revealing a gentle smile. "You've made a wise deci—sion..."
Zhang Ruochen's arms manifested the phantom images of an azure dragon and a green elephant. He drew the Azure Sky Bow to a full moon, aimed at Qiu Yu behind him, and shot an arrow.
This arrow was fired with Zhang Ruochen's full strength.
The Daylight Arrow carried a deafening sound of wind and thunder. Dozens of wrist-thick lightning bolts intertwined on the arrow shaft, reaching Qiu Yu in an instant.
The Daylight Arrow Zhang Ruochen shot was far more powerful than the one Qi Tian Crown Prince had shot. Qiu Yu dared not receive it. He sidestepped to the right to dodge.
The Daylight Arrow flew past Qiu Yu's neck, cutting off a lock of his long hair.
"Pfft."
The Daylight Arrow pierced through the body of an Undying Blood Clan quasi-saint behind Qiu Yu, then flew back into Zhang Ruochen's hands.
A cold expression appeared on Qiu Yu's face. He said darkly, "You refuse a toast only to be forced to drink a forfeit. You're asking for death yourself—don't blame others."
In the vast starry sky, Qing Mo, White Li Princess, Grand Minister of Works, Second Minister of Works, Mo Ran Princess, and Sun Dadi stood on a small asteroid, watching the perilous battles in the distance with great worry.
Zhang Ruochen and Huang Yanchen were being chased by hundreds of top experts, including sacred beings. Several times, the two nearly fell into encirclement, but each time they cut a bloody path and broke free.
Dozens of corpses floated in the cosmos, the weakest among them being quasi-saints who had survived at least one quasi-saint tribulation.
After a series of continuous battles, both Zhang Ruochen and Huang Yanchen had sustained injuries, their bodies drenched in blood.
"No, I have to go help them."
Qing Mo was extremely anxious. Ignoring Huang Yanchen's instructions, she stopped guarding Mo Ran Princess. Instead, she unsealed the seals within her body, unleashing her sacred-level cultivation, and charged toward a point five hundred li away.
Qing Mo's true form was a Qing Mo Sacred Vine that had grown for over forty thousand years. Her cultivation was quite profound, surpassing the level of a lower-level saint.
A strange smile appeared in Mo Ran Princess's eyes. She muttered two words: "Break seal."
Within her body, thirty-six snapping sounds rang out in succession. The thirty-six sealing sacred patterns deep in her blood shattered. A surge of sacred energy erupted, condensing into nine dragon shadows.
"Roar!"
Nine black dragon shadows, carrying demonic fiendish energy, transformed into nine streams of black light and flew out. In an instant, they plunged into the chests of Grand Minister of Works, Second Minister of Works, Sun Dadi, and White Li Princess.
Mo Ran Princess's attack was not only unexpected but also incredibly fast, making it impossible to dodge.
The three people and one beast all spat blood, letting out cries of pain as they were sent flying.
"Not good."
Qing Mo, who had just flown out, sensed the change behind her and immediately turned around...
The moment Qing Mo turned, Mo Ran Princess had already appeared before her. A seductive smile appeared on her beautiful face.
"Pfft."
Mo Ran Princess's finger pierced through Qing Mo's chest. Her snow-white jade finger emerged from Qing Mo's back, drops of blood sliding off its tip.
"Ah..."
Qing Mo let out a scream, trembling in pain. At the spot on her chest, wisps of sacred energy continuously leaked from the wound, her life force rapidly draining away.
"No!"
Seeing this, Sun Dadi and Grand Minister of Works both roared. Their eyes were bloodshot, filled with fury. They could not bear to watch Qing Mo die.
But they were both severely injured, barely able to stand, let alone save Qing Mo.
Sun Dadi had completely sobered up, realizing that Mo Ran Princess was an extremely dangerous figure. Tears in his eyes, he roared, "Who the hell are you?"
Mo Ran Princess shed all pretense, revealing a cold, sinister, and seductive aura. She looked down at Sun Dadi and Grand Minister of Works with contempt. "Two fools. I am the first consort of Azure Dragon Emperor Lord—Demon Ran Consort." (To be continued.)