Chapter 1218: Fierce Battle
The great battle was about to erupt, and the sacred might of the saints spread out, filling the entire Taiyin Ancient City.
Although the city-protecting grand formation of Taiyin Ancient City had not been activated, there were still many defensive formations within the city, and the human cultivators inside all took refuge within them.
Yao Sheng flew out from the night, crashing down with a boom as he landed behind Zhang Ruochen.
"There is no need for the Death Knight to act personally. I alone am enough to suppress and kill him," Yao Sheng declared loudly.
In the battle at Moyou Valley, Yao Sheng had fought Zhang Ruochen and wounded him.
He believed he had fully grasped Zhang Ruochen's true strength and was confident he could kill him.
Having just sworn allegiance to the Death Knight and become a member of the Undying Divine Temple, Yao Sheng naturally wanted to earn merits to elevate his status.
Killing Zhang Ruochen would be a great achievement.
"Ghost King Lock."
Yao Sheng opened his mouth and spat out an arm-thick chain that extended outward like a steel dragon.
Within the Ghost King Lock, over a thousand inscriptions emerged, unleashing the Thousand Ripple Annihilation Force.
"Boom."
The chain carrying the annihilating force failed to hit Zhang Ruochen but instead struck Qingfeng Saint, who was flying in midair, aiming for his waist.
Qingfeng Saint was secretly startled and quickly formed a sword seal, softly shouting, "Mountain Character Seal."
The sacred sword on his back flew out of its sheath, trembling violently as it generated tens of thousands of sword qi.
Those sword qi rapidly converged, condensing into a five-finger sword mountain.
"Bang."
The Ghost King Lock shattered the sword mountain and lashed against Qingfeng Saint's body, sending him crashing heavily to the ground. The immense impact reduced an orderly estate of pavilions and towers into ruins.
Qingfeng Saint's face was pale, his mouth full of blood, as he emerged from the rubble, staring in shock at Yao Sheng: "We are both Upper Realm Saints, yet the gap is this wide?"
Qingfeng Saint was not weak among Upper Realm Saints. But after just one exchange with Yao Sheng, he was injured—how could he not be shocked?
Yao Sheng, as the Vice Hall Master of the Netherword Heavenly Palace, had a great reputation. Some of the older Half-Saints in Taiyin Ancient City recognized him.
"Yao Sheng has actually joined the Undying Blood Clan."
"It's said that Yao Sheng possesses two sacred bodies, one male and one female. When he fights, it's like two Upper Realm Saints attacking together. Below the Xuanhuang Realm, few can match him."
"Didn't you see that even Qingfeng Saint couldn't withstand his attack? A figure like this probably can only be suppressed by a Xuanhuang Realm Saint."
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Yao Sheng paid no attention to Qingfeng Saint, his eyes fixed solely on Zhang Ruochen. He stepped forward and charged, sneering, "You dodge quickly, but let's see how long you can keep it up."
"Clatter."
Under Yao Sheng's control, the Ghost King Lock flew out again, spinning rapidly to form nine circles, each three zhang in diameter.
At the tip of the Ghost King Lock, a ferocious human head emerged, as large as a millstone, appearing at the center of the nine chain circles, burning with green ghost fire.
It was the head of a True Saint, containing the sacred power of a True Saint.
This strike was far more powerful than the previous one.
Qingfeng Saint gasped, thinking to himself, "Yao Sheng's combat power is truly terrifying. If he had used this move earlier, I wouldn't have just suffered minor injuries. Today, Zhang Ruochen is probably doomed. Only if a major figure from Liangyi Sect arrives early might he be saved."
No matter how strong Zhang Ruochen was, he was still too young, his cultivation level too low—he couldn't possibly contend with an Upper Realm Saint.
The force emanating from the Ghost King Lock made countless human cultivators feel suffocated. No one believed Zhang Ruochen could withstand it.
Perhaps due to the overwhelming effects of the wine, Zhang Ruochen showed no fear in the face of the Ghost King Lock and actively charged forward.
"Roar!"
"Bellow!"
Zhang Ruochen raised his arms, and massive projections of a dragon and an elephant appeared, merging with his palms as he struck forward, colliding with the ghost fire head.
Zhang Ruochen's palm strikes were fierce and unyielding. He unleashed dozens of blows in succession, sending the ghost fire head and the Ghost King Lock flying back.
"How is this possible? How can his power be this strong?"
Yao Sheng was stunned, beginning to doubt whether Zhang Ruochen was really Gu Linfeng.
The Zhang Ruochen before him was far stronger than Gu Linfeng. Without even using the Ten Saint Blood Armor, he could already contend with him.
If Zhang Ruochen really was Gu Linfeng, then had his power doubled in just a few days?
Impossible.
Zhang Ruochen's state was somewhat frenzied. The blood and sacred qi within his body had become extremely狂暴.
However, he hadn't completely lost his reason. He still had a relatively clear mind, feeling deeply incredulous that, in his drunken state, he could unleash double his usual power.
"Ten Saint Blood Armor."
Without overthinking, Zhang Ruochen let out a long roar and activated the Ten Saint Blood Armor.
Ten saintly projections appeared, surrounding him in ten directions.
With the enhancement of the Ten Saint Blood Armor, Zhang Ruochen's body radiated an even stronger wave of power than before.
"Bang."
Zhang Ruochen struck out with a palm, sending Yao Sheng flying back dozens of zhang. The street beneath his feet completely shattered.
Zhang Ruochen attacked relentlessly. Every palm strike fell like a five-finger mountain, forcing Yao Sheng into a purely defensive position. No matter what techniques he used, he couldn't hold his ground.
Gradually, Zhang Ruochen began to understand, speculating, "It must be the effects of the Dragon Scale Mad Bull Wine that's allowing me to unleash double the power. Otherwise, with my current cultivation, I wouldn't be a match for Yao Sheng."
Yashe Saint frowned and said, "Yao Sheng is no match for Zhang Ruochen. Kongyu Saint, Qingyi Saint, Wanxin Saint, go and assist him."
Kongyu Saint, Qingyi Saint, and Wanxin Saint were all Upper Realm Saints from the Huangtian Tribe. They had been personally ordered by Huangtian Blood Emperor to follow the Death Knight and ensure Gu Linfeng's elimination.
The three Upper Realm Saints spread their blood wings and charged from three different directions toward Zhang Ruochen, who was locked in battle with Yao Sheng.
"Primordial Blood Hand Seal."
"Startling Swan Wandering Dragon Sword Art."
"Destroying Heart Finger."
The three Upper Realm Saints simultaneously unleashed a sacred art.
Yao Sheng cursed inwardly, feeling that the Undying Blood Clan was despicable, as the sacred arts from the three Upper Realm Saints also enveloped him.
Yao Sheng withdrew his attacks and immediately fled.
"Where do you think you're going?"
Seizing the opportunity, Zhang Ruochen struck Yao Sheng's male body's chest with a palm. The force layered upon itself, exploding with thirty-six layers of power.
"Pfft."
Yao Sheng's chest caved inward, his ribs shattered, and he flew backward like a cannonball, crashing into the ruins.
To severely wound Yao Sheng, Zhang Ruochen paid a price.
The sacred arts from the three Upper Realm Saints landed on him.
Even with the Ten Saint Blood Armor's protection, Zhang Ruochen still sustained some injuries. However, having achieved physical sainthood, his defense was astonishing, and the damage wasn't too severe.
"So monstrous. No wonder he achieved physical sainthood—he can withstand sacred arts head-on."
"The defense of the Ten Saint Blood Armor is truly formidable. Without using our real trump cards, we can't seriously wound Zhang Ruochen."
"Let's go all out. I refuse to believe we can't destroy him."
The three Upper Realm Saints prepared to unleash another sacred art, drawing on even greater power.
Would Zhang Ruochen give them another chance?
"Shua."
Zhang Ruochen moved, using Spatial Displacement, and appeared before Kongyu Saint, slamming into him violently.
Kongyu Saint had no time to react before being sent flying, crashing to the ground.
Zhang Ruochen's knees pressed down on Kongyu Saint's abdomen, his fists clenched, raining down blows like a storm.
"Bang, bang."
In an instant, Zhang Ruochen landed over a hundred punches, each one with full force.
Kongyu Saint's skull shattered, his chest collapsed, and half his body was pulverized into bloody mud. Zhang Ruochen reached into the gore and retrieved a fist-sized sacred source.
In less than a breath, an Upper Realm Saint had fallen, beaten to death.
In the distance, Qingfeng Saint felt his scalp tingle. If he were in Zhang Ruochen's place, facing this battle maniac, he would surely meet the same end.
Yao Sheng crawled out of the ruins, spitting out a mouthful of blood, "He dared to attack me? Serves him right for getting killed. Zhang Ruochen isn't someone easy to deal with."
Qingyi Saint and Wanxin Saint remained composed, unfazed. They continued their assault, unleashing sword techniques and finger arts respectively.
"Sword Five."
Qingyi Saint's strongest trump card was Sword Five.
At his age, there was at least a fifty percent chance he would become a Sword Saint. Even now, among Upper Realm Saints, Qingyi Saint rarely encountered opponents.
Qingyi Saint merged his body with the sacred sword, dragging a ten-meter-long sword light toward Zhang Ruochen's brow.
Zhang Ruochen struck out with a palm, clashing head-on with the sacred sword.
With a Thousand-Mark Sacred Artifact-level sacred sword and the sword intent of Sword Five, the unleashed power was top-tier among Upper Realm Saints, and few could withstand it.
"Boom."
Zhang Ruochen was sent flying backward by the force, retreating over a hundred zhang until half his body sank into the ground.
Even with the Seven Kill Fist Gloves and the Ten Saint Blood Armor, his right arm was numb with pain, sustaining some injuries.
Qingyi Saint held the sacred sword, looking down at Zhang Ruochen below, sneering, "Zhang Ruochen, aren't you supposed to be highly accomplished in the Sword Dao? How did you get wounded by my sword?"
Zhang Ruochen said nothing. He circulated his sacred qi through a small cycle, and his right arm regained sensation.
Then, he drew the Abyssal Ancient Sword, gripping the hilt with both hands.
"Whoosh—"
Dense sword qi automatically manifested, like ten thousand swords paying homage, flying rapidly around Zhang Ruochen.
The sacred sword in Qingyi Saint's hand trembled slightly, emitting a low sword hum.
"The sword intent he's releasing is this powerful."
Qingyi Saint forcibly suppressed the urge for his sacred sword to fly away, a flicker of uncertainty in his eyes.
"Sword Six."
Zhang Ruochen, wielding the Abyssal Ancient Sword, rose from the ground and struck at Qingyi Saint.
Qingyi Saint was prepared and raised his sword to block. But the moment his sacred sword touched the Abyssal Ancient Sword, it snapped with a "bang."
"Pfft."
This thrust pierced Qingyi Saint straight through.
The sword qi was too fierce. In midair, Qingyi Saint's sacred body was severed in two, scattering a large pool of sacred blood.
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(End of chapter)