Chapter 1203: The Final Battle
Zhang Ruochen recounted everything concerning the Sect Leader's Wife.
Chu Siyuan had some understanding of that Sect Leader's Wife as well. After listening to Zhang Ruochen's account, he fell into a contemplative state.
After a long while, Chu Siyuan let out a soft sigh and said, "Back then, I, this old man, along with the Blood God Sect's Sect Leader and Sect Leader's Wife, were considered outstanding figures of the same era. In our youth, we were full of vigor and ambition, laughing proudly across the world, and we had our share of conflicts. After becoming saints, everyone retreated behind the scenes, focusing entirely on comprehending the sacred path, striving for deeper and more mysterious realms. We rarely crossed paths again. Counting the years, it has been three hundred years since I last saw them."
Conflicts between factions and sects were generally resolved by sending outstanding younger generation figures to handle matters. Saint-level figures almost never showed themselves.
Thus, once cultivators from various major sects became saints, they would begin to retreat behind the scenes, gradually fading from public view.
Hearing news of the Blood God Sect's Sect Leader and Sect Leader's Wife again, Chu Siyuan recalled bits and pieces from hundreds of years ago. At that time, he too was a passionate youth, full of scholarly spirit, competing for fame and profit alongside the world's heroes.
Who knew how many of those proud children of heaven from the same era had already died? Those who had managed to live until now had all become titans who dominated their regions.
Chu Siyuan said, "Let's go. I'll accompany you to Moyou Valley. Let's see just how far Qiu Yichi's cultivation has advanced over these three hundred years."
Clearly, Qiu Yichi was the Sect Leader's Wife's given name.
Chu Siyuan, Zhang Ruochen, and Huang Yanchen did not head straight to Moyou Valley. Instead, they first went to the Black Market headquarters.
The battle at the Black Market headquarters had already concluded.
Although the Huangtian Tribe was indeed full of experts, gathering a large number of saint-level figures, the Black Market headquarters was protected by the Four Directions Annihilation Grand Formation. Thus, the battle did not cause too much damage to the City of Evil.
The governor of Taizhou, Yue Shuzi, led a group of Confucian and imperial court saints as they withdrew from the City of Evil and rendezvoused with Chu Siyuan.
"Greetings, Painting Saint."
All the saints bowed respectfully to Chu Siyuan.
Yue Shuzi also shook his sleeves and made a respectful bow, saying, "Greetings, Master."
Chu Siyuan had taken on seventeen true disciples in his lifetime, and among them, Yue Shuzi had achieved the highest status, becoming a provincial governor—a true regional magnate.
"What was the outcome of the battle?" Chu Siyuan asked.
Yue Shuzi replied, "In this battle, a total of eighteen Undying Blood Clan saints were suppressed and killed. The number of Undying Blood Clan members below the saint realm is incalculable. However, that Prince Xia carried the Hundred Saint Blood Armor, broke through the Four Directions Annihilation Grand Formation, and escaped. The Black Market's Demon Eye Saint and Ghost Claw Saint, along with two upper-level domain envoys from the Ministry of War, have already pursued him."
Chu Siyuan's brow furrowed. "That Prince Xia's cultivation is extremely profound. The four of them pursuing him—isn't that no different from seeking death?"
"Master, you may not know this, but Prince Xia suffered severe injuries. He can't even bring out one-tenth of his full power. Any one of those four is stronger than him right now," Yue Shuzi said.
"I see."
Then, Chu Siyuan added, "Your master has another, more urgent matter to discuss with you."
Chu Siyuan and Yue Shuzi began communicating through spiritual power, starting their discussion.
Zhang Ruochen had already transformed back into Gu Linfeng's appearance and stood at a distance, not approaching.
After all, Yue Shuzi and the others were imperial officials, while he was a wanted fugitive.
Huang Yanchen sent a voice transmission to Zhang Ruochen, warning him, "In Taizhou, the Blood God Sect often clashes with the imperial court. Once the imperial court's saints enter Blood God Sect territory, they might take advantage of the sect's internal turmoil to completely destroy this ancient sect."
Zhang Ruochen nodded. "Earlier, I discussed this with Old Man Chu. I can take them into the Blood God Sect, but only three people."
Since Zhang Ruochen had a plan, Huang Yanchen said no more.
Qing Mo, Zhu Hongtao, Wan Ke, and Xiao Hei also withdrew from the Black Market headquarters and reunited with Zhang Ruochen and Huang Yanchen.
Zhu Hongtao was covered in blood. In this battle, he had suppressed and killed three Undying Blood Clan saints, fighting with great satisfaction and venting all his pent-up rage.
Chu Siyuan and Yue Shuzi finished their discussion.
Although Zhang Ruochen had given them three slots, they did not take the third. Only the master and disciple pair would accompany Zhang Ruochen to the Blood God Sect.
Chu Siyuan said, "I, this old man, am going to the Blood God Sect only to deal with Qiu Yichi. As for the other cultivators, your Blood God Sect can handle them yourselves."
Zhang Ruochen, speaking in the tone of the Blood God Sect's Divine Son, said, "Junior thanks Sect Leader Chu and Governor Yue for their help. This counts as a debt the Blood God Sect owes you. If you ever encounter trouble in the future, junior will certainly lend a hand."
Chu Siyuan only snorted coldly, not taking Zhang Ruochen's words to heart. The Painting Sect's leader needing help from a junior?
On the way to the Blood God Sect, Zhang Ruochen sent a message to Elder Yuanzhou: "The Undying Blood Clan of the Huangtian Tribe has been completely wiped out. Gather all the Blood God Sect's forces and prepare to attack Moyou Valley."
The Sect Leader's Wife was a massive threat to the Blood God Sect. They had to eliminate her before she launched her own offensive. Otherwise, if she struck first, it would deal a devastating blow to the sect.
Elder Yuanzhou and Elder Yuanxing had already begun preparations. Upon receiving Zhang Ruochen's message, they immediately mobilized everything, summoning all available saint-level figures.
At the foot of a snow-covered mountain about five hundred miles from Moyou Valley, Zhang Ruochen met with Elder Yuanzhou, Elder Yuanxing, and a group of Blood God Sect saints.
All of them were top-tier figures, their expressions extremely grave. They knew full well that tonight's battle was of utmost importance.
It could be called the final battle.
As long as they could suppress and kill the Sect Leader's Wife, the crisis of internal strife within the Blood God Sect would be completely resolved.
Elder Yuanzhou said, "Let's just launch a direct assault! I brought the Jingzhe Dragon Pattern Cauldron from Infant Lord Peak. In an instant, we can level Moyou Valley to the ground."
The Jingzhe Dragon Pattern Cauldron ranked 134th on the Ten-Thousand Pattern Saint Artifact Ranking. It was a sacred artifact that successive Blood God Sect leaders had been refining, hoping that one day it would surpass the ten-thousand-pattern level and become the sect's second supreme war weapon.
Although the Jingzhe Dragon Pattern Cauldron was still inferior to the Blood God Sect's supreme war weapon, the Blood God Scepter, it was still an extraordinary divine weapon.
Zhang Ruochen said, "I've invited a few helpers from outside. They can assist everyone in the attack."
The Blood God Sect saints looked behind Zhang Ruochen, quickly scanning Huang Yanchen, Zhu Hongtao, Wan Ke, and Qing Mo before withdrawing their gazes.
Although they were somewhat surprised that this seemingly unremarkable Divine Son could invite so many saint-level figures, they could also tell that those saints were not particularly powerful in cultivation and would not be of much help to the overall battle.
In a battle like this, only those at the Thorough Earth and Heaven-Reaching realms could exert influence that changed the course of the fight.
A broad-shouldered, imposing saint stepped forward, his expression cold and stern, exuding an aura of authority without anger. "This battle is of great importance. Given the Divine Son's cultivation level, it would be better for you to stay in the rear with me, the Palace Master. I can ensure your safety."
This man was named Yao Sheng, the Vice Palace Master of the Netherworld Heavenly Palace, at the Upper Realm Saint level.
On Yao Sheng's back was strapped a young woman.
The man and woman were tightly fused together back-to-back, forming a symbiotic entity with four legs, four arms, and two heads.
It was said that the woman was Yao Sheng's lover. Because her talent was limited and she could not cultivate to the saint realm, her lifespan was quite short.
To save her life, Yao Sheng used a secret technique to fuse her body with his, allowing her to share the long lifespan of a saint.
It was precisely because of this that Yao Sheng's cultivation speed was extremely slow. Otherwise, he would have long broken through the shackles of the Upper Realm Saint and reached the Xuanhuang Realm.
This matter had always been a celebrated tale within the Blood God Sect.
Huang Yanchen sent a voice transmission to Zhang Ruochen: "That four-armed, four-legged Palace Master might be a bit suspicious."
Zhang Ruochen stared at Yao Sheng and used spiritual power to transmit his voice, asking curiously, "What's going on?"
Huang Yanchen said, "Only a secret technique from the Undying Divine Temple can fuse two bodies together into a symbiotic entity. That technique is quite bizarre, and very few people know about it."
"The Undying Divine Temple..."
Zhang Ruochen remained calm on the surface, but inwardly, he became vigilant.
Among the Blood God Sect saints, there might still be some Undying Blood Clan infiltrators. However, they were not Undying Blood Clan members themselves but humans working for them.
This Palace Master Yao was very likely one of them.
The Netherworld Heavenly Palace had one Palace Master and two Vice Palace Masters.
At this moment, the Netherworld Heavenly Palace's Palace Master, Lan Caiye, and the other Vice Palace Master, Zuo Mu, also stepped forward.
Lan Caiye was a middle-aged woman clad in armor, with an ordinary appearance. She said, "I, the Palace Master, will also stay here to help the Divine Son's friends clean up any stragglers who escape from Moyou Valley."
Then, Zuo Mu added, "In tonight's battle, we must capture all the Undying Blood Clan in Moyou Valley in one net. Not a single one can be allowed to escape."
Originally, the Netherworld Heavenly Palace guarded the Endless Abyss for the sect leader, hiding its secrets. Zhang Ruochen had already suspected that there were Undying Blood Clan infiltrators within the Netherworld Heavenly Palace.
Now, with all three Palace Masters of the Netherworld Heavenly Palace volunteering to guard the rear, Zhang Ruochen became even more suspicious.
"It seems there really is a problem."
Zhang Ruochen had no evidence and did not want to disrupt morale at this critical moment, so he did not expose them. Instead, he pretended to be very calm and nodded lightly.
The Blood God Sect saints all thought Zhang Ruochen was only a Second Tribulation Quasi-Saint, unaware that he had already cultivated both his spiritual power and physical body to the saint realm.
Elder Yuanzhou also had some concerns and said to Zhang Ruochen, "The Sect Leader's Wife's cultivation is unfathomable. Even if we activate the Jingzhe Dragon Pattern Cauldron, we may not have a sure chance of victory. This battle is extremely dangerous, and the Divine Son is the future hope of the Blood God Sect. It would indeed be wise for you to stay in the rear with Palace Master Lan, Palace Master Yao, and Palace Master Zuo."
Zhang Ruochen smiled slightly. "With the protection of the three Palace Masters, who could possibly harm me, the Divine Son? Esteemed saint seniors, focus all your efforts on attacking Moyou Valley. Leave the rear matters to us."