Chapter 1180: Moyou Valley
That night, the entire Blood God Sect could not find peace. It was as if heaven and earth were being overturned. From time to time, terrifyingly powerful sacred aura surged forth, spreading across the world, frightening all the young disciples in the sect into kneeling on the ground.
"My heavens, there are two more saints chasing and fighting each other. What kind of terrifying upheaval has occurred tonight? Has a great upheaval already descended?"
A young heavenly prodigy at the Heavenly Extreme Realm looked up into the sky. He saw a white cloud and a bolt of lightning as thick as a water barrel, one after the other, flying across the void. The impact caused the spiritual energy of heaven and earth to crackle and explode, the sound traveling all the way to the horizon.
It was an astonishing sight.
Cultivators on the ground could see two saints standing within the cloud and the lightning, respectively, engaged in a heaven-shaking battle. It was a life-and-death struggle between sacred realm beings, and the residual waves reaching the ground transformed into fierce hurricanes.
"Earlier, it was the moon chasing the sun. Now, it's lightning chasing the cloud. Which saints are fighting?"
"By tomorrow morning, there will definitely be earth-shattering news spreading, enough to shake the entire Nine Provinces."
...
The disciples of the Blood God Sect were all terrified and panicked, deeply shaken. It wasn't just the "moon chasing the sun" and "lightning chasing the cloud" happening at the Elder Pavilion. Before that, in several other places, saints had also been chasing and fighting.
Everyone had the illusion that the entire Blood God Sect was being torn apart in battle.
Some sacred realm figures were still in a daze, having no idea what had happened. They thought an external enemy had invaded and activated the sect-protecting grand formation, rushing toward the various battlefields.
Some forces and cities not far from the Blood God Sect also received the news. They quickly closed their mountain gates and activated their defensive formations, afraid of being caught in the crossfire.
Zhang Ruochen controlled his spiritual power, transforming into a swift bolt of lightning. He chased and fought the black-robed cultivator simultaneously.
In truth, with Zhang Ruochen's strength, dealing with a fifty-level spiritual power saint was not too difficult.
However, he had been severely injured earlier by Diyuan Dharma King, greatly reducing his combat power. He could only rely on spiritual power, and in a short time, he had not been able to capture the black-robed cultivator.
"Whoosh."
Zhang Ruochen's form shifted. Lightning appeared in the sky for hundreds of miles around. Looking down from above the clouds, one could see a vast expanse of lightning pillars.
The black-robed cultivator was also powerful. The emerald staff in his hand was a spiritual power sacred artifact that could enhance the power of spells.
Sensing Zhang Ruochen catching up again, the black-robed cultivator spun around, suddenly turning back. He pointed the emerald staff at the oncoming lightning and chanted, "Thousand-Mile Ice City."
In an instant, the black-robed cultivator seemed to become the center of the world. Snowflakes drifted down from the sky. Then, above his head, amidst the swirling snow, a massive ice-and-silver city materialized, exuding a vast and oppressive aura.
This was a formidable spiritual power spell, its attack power surpassing even some martial sacred arts.
"Boom, rumble."
The Thousand-Mile Ice City collided with the lightning manifested by Zhang Ruochen. They neutralized and clashed against each other, creating chaotic bursts of energy.
The city continuously shattered, breaking into mountain-sized ice crystals that fell to the ground.
Although he had broken through the ice city, Zhang Ruochen still suffered some impact, worsening his internal injuries.
Seizing the opportunity, the black-robed cultivator fled a hundred miles away and transmitted a spiritual message: "The Heir of Time and Space is nothing special, unworthy of his reputation. It seems the outside world has exaggerated you too much. Once I cultivate my spiritual power to the fifty-first level, I will surely return to kill you."
Clearly, the black-robed cultivator thought he had escaped to a safe distance of a hundred miles and no longer feared Zhang Ruochen. He deliberately said this to provoke Zhang Ruochen into continuing the chase.
He had already sent a message to Elder Yuan Gui. As long as he could hold Zhang Ruochen off a little longer until Elder Yuan Gui arrived, Zhang Ruochen would be like a turtle in a jar, at their mercy.
"Zhang Ruochen, with strength like yours, you dare claim to beat down ancient remnants and sweep through the nine realm sons? That's a complete joke."
The black-robed cultivator taunted Zhang Ruochen as he flew at top speed.
Zhang Ruochen was not an impulsive person. With a calm and steady mind, he could naturally see through the black-robed cultivator's true intention.
In fact, given his current injuries, he could simply turn and leave, not continuing the pursuit. But he did not do so.
Letting an Undying Blood Clan saint escape would be like releasing a tiger back into the mountains. Not only would Zhang Ruochen's disguise as Gu Linfeng be exposed, but once the Undying Blood Clan knew Zhang Ruochen had appeared in the Blood God Sect, they would immediately send a large force of powerful experts to attack the sect. At that point, the Blood God Sect would likely be destroyed.
The news must not leak out.
Zhang Ruochen's eyes narrowed. Ignoring whether his injuries would worsen, he activated the Great Space Teleportation. In an instant, he pierced through the void, crossing over a hundred miles, and appeared ahead of the black-robed cultivator.
After becoming a spiritual power saint, Zhang Ruochen's control over space had strengthened. Using the Great Space Teleportation, even crossing over a hundred miles did not seem to reach his limit.
Of course, forcibly using the Great Space Teleportation caused intense pain in his internal organs. Several blood vessels inside his body snapped, and he could only rely on his spiritual power to hold on.
The black-robed cultivator was startled. He had not expected Zhang Ruochen to appear in front of him. Now, it was too late to stop his movement technique.
"Ice Heaven Snow Earth Tenfold Mountains."
The black-robed cultivator channeled all his spiritual power, pouring it entirely into the emerald staff.
"Boom."
Between him and Zhang Ruochen, a thousand-zhang-tall snow mountain materialized in midair, flying forward with immense momentum, pressing down on Zhang Ruochen.
Then, a second snow mountain, a third snow mountain...
A total of ten snow mountains appeared in succession, stacked layer upon layer.
"Die!"
The black-robed cultivator's eyes were cold and sinister. His entire body was covered in white frost. Both hands gripped the emerald staff, and from his shoulders to his fingers, everything froze into crystalline ice.
"With this Ice Heaven Snow Earth Tenfold Mountains move, few among lower-realm saints can rival him."
Zhang Ruochen knew that using spiritual power to fight him would be a disadvantage. So, he took out the Abyssal Ancient Sword, gritted his teeth, and prepared to use martial power to end the battle quickly, then find a place to heal.
Zhang Ruochen activated all three thousand inscriptions within the Abyssal Ancient Sword, slowly raising the blade. A vast and mighty Thousand Ripple Annihilation Force surged forth.
"Break!"
While spitting blood from his mouth, Zhang Ruochen swung the Abyssal Ancient Sword.
All ten snow mountains shattered.
The black-robed cultivator screamed in agony. Dozens of sword qi pierced through his body, turning his flesh into a sieve, riddled with fist-sized bloody holes.
The black-robed cultivator fell from the clouds, crashing to the ground thousands of meters below, turning into a pool of mud.
The physical body of a spiritual power saint was too weak, and their vitality could not compare to that of a martial saint. The black-robed cultivator was dead, leaving only a blood-red sacred heart that flew up from the bloody mud, trying to escape.
Zhang Ruochen reached across the void, grabbing the blood-red sacred heart into his palm.
A wisp of cold air emerged from the surface of the sacred heart, attempting to condense a sacred form doppelganger. But Zhang Ruochen was prepared. He struck down with his palm, shattering the sacred form doppelganger.
The black-robed cultivator's sacred soul was quite powerful, hidden within the sacred heart. He said venomously, "Zhang Ruochen, the strong ones of my clan are coming. You are doomed to die."
Zhang Ruochen did not waste words with him. He took out the Ruyi Treasure Bottle and placed the sacred heart inside.
The sacred heart and sacred soul of a spiritual power saint were priceless treasures. Zhang Ruochen was naturally unwilling to destroy them. He planned to take them back and reward them to the experts of the Bright Clan.
"Oh? A strong one is indeed coming..."
Zhang Ruochen released his spiritual power, enveloping his entire body. Gradually, his form grew fainter until he completely disappeared.
Moments later, in the nearby forest, a white mist rose.
Then, a beautifully dressed woman stepped out of the mist. Her figure was curvaceous, with round buttocks and a snake-like waist, exuding ultimate temptation.
She walked barefoot, her legs straight and snow-white. She had a standard oval face, and her eyes were full of spiritual energy.
Such a woman was breathtakingly beautiful, enough to make a virtuous holy monk break his vows or a butcher lay down his knife.
"It's her."
Zhang Ruochen, hidden in the shadows, stared at the woman with a peculiar expression.
This woman was none other than Princess Mo Ran of the Azure Dragon Dynasty. She had appeared in the territory of the Blood God Sect.
Thinking it over, Zhang Ruochen understood. Princess Mo Ran had once said that she had cultivated in the Blood God Sect for decades, considering herself a member of the sect.
Since the Azure Dragon Ruins Realm had been destroyed, it was only natural for Princess Mo Ran to return to the Blood God Sect.
The question was, who was her master?
Princess Mo Ran's exquisite, translucent jade feet stepped on wisps of breeze as she approached the black-robed cultivator's corpse. Her delicate brows furrowed slightly as she muttered to herself, "I was too late after all. Who killed him?"
Princess Mo Ran searched the surroundings but found no trace of the murderer or any clues. So, she activated her movement technique, transforming back into a wisp of white smoke, and flew toward the horizon.
"Was she the helper the black-robed cultivator summoned to deal with me?"
With a puzzled expression, Zhang Ruochen followed her.
He knew that the remnants of the Azure Dragon Dynasty might have followed Princess Mo Ran to the Blood God Sect. That was a considerable force, capable of influencing the battle. Zhang Ruochen had to investigate.
Zhang Ruochen followed Princess Mo Ran all the way into the Eternal Ancient Snowy Mountains, arriving at a very secluded valley.
In the valley, there was no snow. Instead, it was lush and green, with blooming flowers—completely different from the outside world. It looked like a paradise.
Princess Mo Ran's graceful figure descended from the air, tracing a beautiful arc, and disappeared into a patch of crimson peach trees within the valley. Petals fluttered up into the air.
At the entrance of the valley, on a snow-covered stone tablet, three characters were carved: Moyou Valley.