Chapter 1213: Death Knight
In the end, the two Sacred Elders, with grim faces, reluctantly made a decision and agreed to let Zhang Ruochen take away ten million drops of Divine Blood.
Zhang Ruochen took the Divine Blood, and the very next day, he left the Blood God Sect with Huang Yanchen, Xiao Hei, and Qing Mo.
Before heading to Yin-Yang Sea, he needed to visit the Zhenyu Ancient Clan.
One of the three major families of the Zhenyu Ancient Clan, the Shi Family, had a mastery of the Rune Path that ranked among the top five in the entire Kunlun Realm. Only by cooperating with the Shi Family could he more easily refine the Blood-Suppressing Talismans.
The Six Sword Bearers had a very deep connection with the Zhenyu Ancient Clan.
As the bearer of the Sky-Soaring Sword, Zhang Ruochen’s visit to the Nether King Sword Tomb naturally received a warm welcome from many high-ranking members of the Zhenyu Ancient Clan.
Among the cultivators welcoming him, standing at the very front, was Shi Ren.
Zhang Ruochen and Shi Ren were sworn brothers who had faced life and death together. They had not only ventured into the Underworld together but also fought against the Undying Blood Clan together at the Nether King Sword Tomb.
When the two met, they did not show excessive excitement. They simply exchanged a knowing smile, and all their camaraderie was revealed in that expression.
The previous patriarch of the Zhenyu Ancient Clan, Wang Beilie, had been captured by the Azure Heaven Blood Emperor and refined into a Blood Slave. The new patriarch of the Zhenyu Ancient Clan was Shi Ren’s father, Shi Qiankun.
Shi Ren, naturally, was the young patriarch.
Zhang Ruochen walked side by side with Shi Ren toward the Sword Tomb Palace.
Zhang Ruochen asked, “Has the Nether King Blood Poison in your father’s body been neutralized?”
Shi Ren, with one hand behind his back and the other half-clenched into a fist, appeared quite elegant and composed. He smiled and said, “The Martial Venerable personally took action and has already refined the Nether King Blood Poison in my father’s body. After this ordeal, my father’s state of mind and Spiritual Power have both reached new heights. It can be considered a blessing in disguise. My father has always said that you are his benefactor, and he owes you a great debt of gratitude.”
Shi Qiankun had been framed by the previous patriarch of the Zhenyu Ancient Clan, turning him into a bloodthirsty demon who had lost his reason. Back then, it was Zhang Ruochen who helped neutralize the evil Qi in his body, allowing him to regain his clarity.
For Shi Qiankun and the Shi Family, Zhang Ruochen’s kindness was indeed immense.
Zhang Ruochen smiled modestly. “To be honest, the reason I came to the Zhenyu Ancient Clan this time is that I truly have a favor to ask.”
As they spoke, their group had already arrived outside the Sword Tomb Palace.
Entering the Sword Tomb Palace, Zhang Ruochen met Shi Qiankun once again.
Shi Qiankun appeared to be around thirty years old, exuding a refined and scholarly aura. He looked energetic and spirited.
Clearly, the Nether King Blood Poison in his body had indeed been completely neutralized.
“Such powerful Spiritual Power.”
Zhang Ruochen stood below, looking at Shi Qiankun. He felt as if the man were standing within a void of chaos—though he was right in front of him, it seemed as if they were in two different worlds.
That void and chaos were the aura naturally emitted by Shi Qiankun’s Spiritual Power, forming a field around him.
Fortunately, Zhang Ruochen’s Spiritual Power had reached the fiftieth rank; otherwise, he wouldn’t have been able to see his true form clearly.
Such formidable Spiritual Power, even if not comparable to Chu Siyuan or Mu Qian, was likely not far off.
Truly a peerless genius of the Zhenyu Ancient Clan.
Shi Qiankun was holding a scroll of a newspaper, reading it. Sensing Zhang Ruochen’s arrival, he immediately looked up and gazed at him.
The moment he raised his head, the Spiritual Power field enveloping him vanished completely, as if he had become an ordinary person.
Zhang Ruochen clasped his hands and said, “Greetings, Patriarch.”
Shi Qiankun quickly stood up, walked over, and smiled. “As a Sword Bearer, you and I are of the same generation. There’s no need to bow to me. If you have something to discuss, let’s sit down and talk.”
Zhang Ruochen did not stand on ceremony. He walked to a seat on the left and sat down.
Shi Qiankun did not take the highest seat but instead sat on the right, clearly acknowledging that Zhang Ruochen was worthy of being treated as an equal.
After some polite exchanges, Zhang Ruochen revealed the true purpose of his visit to the Nether King Sword Tomb.
“Blood-Suppressing Talisman?”
Shi Qiankun’s smile faded, and his expression turned serious. “May I first take a look at the talisman imprint of the Blood-Suppressing Talisman?”
“Of course.”
Zhang Ruochen took out the talisman imprints of the Half-Saint-level Blood-Suppressing Talisman and the Saint-level Blood-Suppressing Talisman, wrapped them in Saint Qi, and pushed them toward Shi Qiankun.
As for the talisman imprints of the Saint King-level and Great Saint-level Blood-Suppressing Talismans, they were too important to risk losing, so Zhang Ruochen did not take them out.
Moreover, even if he did take out those two imprints, the talisman masters of the Shi Family might not be able to refine them.
Shi Qiankun had a very profound mastery of the Rune Path. As he examined the two talisman imprints, he used his fingers to trace in the air, forming streaks of flowing runic patterns.
Zhang Ruochen observed Shi Qiankun’s fingers and nodded inwardly. “Shi Qiankun’s skill in the Rune Path far surpasses mine and Xiao Hei’s.”
Shi Qiankun was exceptionally focused, completely immersed in the task. After a long while, he stopped and let out a long breath. He exclaimed in admiration, “Truly an ingenious talisman imprint. I wonder just how astonishing the level of mastery in the Rune Path must be for the talisman master who inscribed these two imprints?”
“Actually, I don’t know who recorded these two Blood-Suppressing Talisman imprints either,” Zhang Ruochen said with a shake of his head and a smile.
A flicker of disappointment passed through Shi Qiankun’s eyes. After pondering for a moment, he asked, “How many Blood-Suppressing Talismans do you need?”
“The more, the better.”
Zhang Ruochen added, “I will provide the main materials for refining the talismans.”
With that, Zhang Ruochen took out all ten million drops of Divine Blood and placed them before Shi Qiankun.
Even Shi Qiankun, with his state of mind, was somewhat moved at the sight of ten million drops of Divine Blood.
However, Shi Qiankun was indeed an extraordinary figure. He quickly suppressed the shock in his heart and smiled faintly. “To be honest, this is the first time I’ve seen such a massive amount of Divine Blood. Are you really that confident in leaving ten million drops of Divine Blood at the Nether King Sword Tomb? Aren’t you afraid the Zhenyu Ancient Clan might embezzle them?”
Zhang Ruochen picked up his teacup, took a sip, and said, “I have great faith in the character of the Shi Family’s descendants.”
“Good.”
Shi Qiankun admired Zhang Ruochen’s boldness, and his smile deepened. “When will you come to collect the Blood-Suppressing Talismans?”
Zhang Ruochen calculated for a moment. “I have a very important matter to attend to. It will be at least three months before I can return to the Nether King Sword Tomb.”
Shi Qiankun made a promise to Zhang Ruochen. “The Shi Family will spare no effort to rush the production of the Blood-Suppressing Talismans. Within three months, all of them should be refined.”
Zhang Ruochen was refining a large batch of Blood-Suppressing Talismans, naturally preparing to make a big move in the Northern Domain. However, before that, he needed to go to Yin-Yang Sea first.
“Thank you, Patriarch. Then, I’ll see you in three months.”
Zhang Ruochen stood up, ready to leave.
“Wait,” Shi Qiankun said.
Zhang Ruochen looked at him with a questioning expression. “Does the Patriarch have any other doubts?”
“Let me show you something.”
Shi Qiankun’s eyes glanced at the table above him. He extended his five fingers forward and made a grasping motion in the air.
Immediately, a scroll of a newspaper on the table flew toward Zhang Ruochen.
Zhang Ruochen caught the newspaper and saw that its cover bore the words “Central Domain Wind and Cloud Report” in large characters.
The Central Domain Wind and Cloud Report was also personally compiled by Shengshu Cainü, and it published various major events that had occurred in the Central Domain recently.
The headline of the newspaper’s front page recorded the “Blood God Sect’s Internal Strife Incident” and also carried the explosive news that “Gu Linfeng Becomes the New Sect Leader of the Blood God Sect.”
Shi Qiankun’s gaze was quite profound. “The new sect leader of the Blood God Sect, Gu Linfeng, should be you, right?”
Zhang Ruochen continued reading the Central Domain Wind and Cloud Report as he asked, “Why does the Patriarch have such a guess?”
“The Divine Blood you sent over belongs to the Blood God’s Divine Blood. Apart from the sect leader of the Blood God Sect, who else could produce ten million drops at once? To be precise, even the sect leader of the Blood God Sect might not be able to take out ten million drops of the Blood God’s Divine Blood,” Shi Qiankun said.
Zhang Ruochen remained very calm. “The Patriarch guessed correctly. Zhang Ruochen is Gu Linfeng.”
Shi Qiankun said, “In this world, there are many intelligent people. If I can guess this, others can too. From now on, you must be extremely careful. I’ve heard that the Undying Divine Temple has already dispatched Death Knights specifically to deal with you. The Azure Heaven Tribe and Yellow Heaven Tribe have also sent Saint-level experts to accompany the Death Knights. The wise ones of the Undying Divine Temple should already suspect that you two are the same person.”
Zhang Ruochen showed no sign of tension and smiled faintly. “To deal with me, the Undying Divine Temple has dispatched Death Knights. Should I feel honored?”
According to legend, the Death Knights were the strongest army trained by the Undying Divine Temple, specifically used to deal with Saint-level beings. Eight hundred years ago, no human expert targeted by the Death Knights had ever escaped alive.
Shi Qiankun was worried that Zhang Ruochen might underestimate the enemy, so he warned, “I know you have a treasure that can conceal your aura, making it impossible even for Spiritual Power Saints to calculate your whereabouts. But you must not underestimate the Undying Divine Temple. If the Undying Divine Temple has a Spiritual Power Great Saint, no matter how powerful the treasure on you is, you won’t be able to evade their calculations.”
“Does the Undying Divine Temple have a Spiritual Power Great Saint?” Zhang Ruochen asked.
“I don’t know.”
Shi Qiankun shook his head and added, “But you need to understand one thing: if the Undying Divine Temple didn’t have a Spiritual Power Great Saint overseeing it, how could it maintain its transcendent status among the ten major tribes of the Undying Blood Clan?”
The Undying Divine Temple was mysterious and powerful, inspiring awe.
If the Undying Divine Temple truly had a Spiritual Power Great Saint, then even if Zhang Ruochen had the Buddhist beads gifted by Master Indra, he might not be able to evade their calculations.
In other words, no matter where Zhang Ruochen went or who he transformed into, he couldn’t hide from the calculations of a Spiritual Power Great Saint.
Shi Qiankun said, “To the Undying Blood Clan, your threat even surpasses that of True Saints and Ultimate Saints. Once they find you, you will undoubtedly face a storm-like assault.”
“The duty of the Zhenyu Ancient Clan is to guard the Nether Prison, so we cannot help you. However, I can gift you a Five Calamity Saint-Suppressing Talisman. At a critical moment, it might just save your life.”
…
(There will be another chapter tonight, but it will be late—after one in the morning. It’s better for everyone to read it tomorrow morning.)
(Chapter End)