Chapter 1221: Died in the Tribulation
Below the tribulation clouds, Zhang Ruochen and the Death Knight, both clad in the Ten Saint Blood Armor, clashed with all their might, causing the air to tremble and the ground to shake.
The Death Knight's cultivation realm far surpassed Zhang Ruochen's. After nine exchanges, he sent Zhang Ruochen flying backward.
Just as the Death Knight charged forward, ready to eliminate Zhang Ruochen, the seventy-seventh tribulation lightning descended, striking both him and Zhang Ruochen simultaneously.
The power of the tribulation lightning was exceptionally fierce. Even the Death Knight was knocked to the ground.
Zhang Ruochen caught his breath, burst out from beneath the scorched black earth, raised the Abyssal Ancient Sword, and channeled the Thousand Ripple Annihilation Force, slashing down with all his might.
"Boom."
The Death Knight extended an iron fist, forming a fist seal that blocked the attack of the Abyssal Ancient Sword.
Immediately after, the two resumed their battle.
The tribulation lightning in the sky fell one after another—the seventy-eighth, seventy-ninth, eightieth...
Each time the tribulation lightning struck, both Zhang Ruochen and the Death Knight were knocked to the ground.
Their injuries grew increasingly severe. Both were spitting blood, and their sword strikes and punches became slower and slower.
Before arriving at Taiyin Ancient City, the Death Knight had already been heavily wounded. After enduring the bombardment of the lightning tribulation, his internal injuries had more than doubled.
Originally, with his strength, killing a Xuanhuang Realm Saint would have been effortless. Now, even facing an Upper Realm Saint, he could barely hold his own.
Seeing that the eighty-first tribulation lightning was about to fall, the Death Knight hesitated no longer. He withdrew his spear and fled at his fastest speed.
Zhang Ruochen did not give chase.
Because he was even more injured than the Death Knight. He had been holding on by sheer willpower; otherwise, he would have collapsed long ago.
"Boom."
The pitch-black tribulation clouds spun rapidly, and then the eighty-first tribulation lightning descended, like a spear of heaven and earth, striking Zhang Ruochen's head.
The ground beneath Zhang Ruochen's feet collapsed in an instant, forming a pitch-black bottomless pit.
The power of the lightning struck the ground, generating immense heat. All the rocks in the surrounding area melted, turning into a sea of crimson magma, with snake-like electric patterns flowing across its surface.
The Life-and-Death Tribulation was over.
The tribulation clouds in the sky gradually dispersed, revealing the countless stars and the bright, clear moon, which emitted soft rays of light.
The oppressive might of heaven and earth vanished completely.
The human cultivators inside Taiyin Ancient City all let out a long sigh of relief.
"Finally, peace has returned. I wonder if Zhang Ruochen successfully passed his third Quasi-Saint Tribulation?"
"Hard to say. Didn't you see that at the very end, even the Death Knight fled, unable to withstand the tribulation lightning? Zhang Ruochen was so severely injured—how could he still be alive?"
...
Qingfeng Saint transformed into a beam of saintly light, landing beside the pitch-black bottomless pit. He released his spiritual power to probe the depths below.
He detected no signs of life.
"Zhang Ruochen failed to survive the Life-and-Death Tribulation and has died under the tribulation lightning," Qingfeng Saint concluded.
The news spread, and the cultivators in Taiyin Ancient City were all filled with sighs.
Some young cultivators who regarded Zhang Ruochen as their idol found it hard to accept this outcome. They felt immense grief, believing that Zhang Ruochen's end should not have been like this.
"Zhang Ruochen possessed supreme talent, capable of slaying Upper Realm Saints. How could he fail to survive the Life-and-Death Tribulation?"
"The stronger one's talent, the more powerful the Life-and-Death Tribulation they attract. It's only natural that he died under the lightning."
"Throughout history, many outstanding talents have died under the Life-and-Death Tribulation."
Many cultivators sighed.
Then, some of them used Message Light Talismans to spread the events of the night.
Whether it was the news that "Zhang Ruochen is Gu Linfeng" or the news that "Zhang Ruochen has fallen," both would undoubtedly cause a stir in the Kunlun Realm.
The Death Knight and Yashe Saint had not fled far and were also watching Zhang Ruochen's fate.
Yashe Saint's spiritual power enveloped the sky above Taiyin Ancient City. Detecting no trace of Zhang Ruochen, he withdrew his spiritual power, a smile appearing on his aged face. "Zhang Ruochen should have fallen. We have completed our mission."
"Zhang Ruochen is dead?" the Death Knight asked.
"Even Qingfeng Saint of the Liangyi Sect has confirmed it. There should be no mistake," Yashe Saint said.
But the Death Knight shook his head. "No, no. Even if Zhang Ruochen was reduced to ashes by the tribulation lightning, his Abyssal Ancient Sword and Ten Saint Blood Armor would not have disappeared."
Yashe Saint's smile froze, and then he nodded. "That makes sense."
"Zhang Ruochen is definitely not dead. That Qingfeng Saint from the Liangyi Sect is deliberately hiding the truth for him. He wants to use this opportunity to slip away, escape the sight of the major powers, and hide in the shadows," the Death Knight said.
"Now, I will communicate with the Undying Divine Temple. They should be able to deduce the truth of Zhang Ruochen's life and death."
Yashe Saint took out a bronze circular plate, infused it with spiritual power, and used it as a medium to communicate with the Undying Divine Temple.
Soon, Yashe Saint received a response from the Undying Divine Temple: "Zhang Ruochen is not dead. He has already arrived in the Eastern Domain."
"He must have just used the space wormhole in Taiyin Ancient City to go to the Eastern Domain. Let's go to the Eastern Domain and kill him," the Death Knight said.
"Wait."
Yashe Saint continued, "The Undying Divine Temple also sent another message. They have dispatched three more Death Knights, heading directly to the Eastern Domain to kill Zhang Ruochen, to prevent him from growing and becoming a great enemy of the Undying Blood Clan."
"Three more Death Knights... Is the Undying Divine Temple doubting our abilities?"
The Death Knight was furious, clenching his fists tightly, with crackling sounds coming from between his fingers.
To be honest, this siege against Zhang Ruochen had been a complete failure. Not only had they lost three Upper Realm Saints, but they had also allowed Zhang Ruochen to successfully pass the Life-and-Death Tribulation and advance his cultivation.
Both Yashe Saint and the Death Knight could feel the Undying Divine Temple's anger. If the other three Death Knights killed Zhang Ruochen first, they would surely face severe punishment upon returning to the Undying Divine Temple.
"We must kill Zhang Ruochen before the other three Death Knights do," Yashe Saint said.
The city-protecting grand formation of Taiyin Ancient City had been activated. No matter how powerful Yashe Saint and the Death Knight were, they could not break into the city.
Therefore, they could not use the space wormhole in Taiyin Ancient City. They had to go elsewhere and take another space wormhole to pursue Zhang Ruochen to the Eastern Domain.
...
...
Eastern Domain, Liangyi Sect.
Zhang Ruochen had successfully passed his third Quasi-Saint Tribulation, but he was indeed severely injured. Even now, his face was somewhat pale, and he exuded an aura of weakness and exhaustion.
At this moment, he was sitting opposite one of the Eastern Domain's Three Sword Saints, the Burial Moon Sword Saint, drinking a medicinal healing tea.
Although it was medicinal tea, it was fragrant and had no unpleasant medicinal taste.
Qingfeng Saint stood nearby, carrying a sacred sword on his back.
Zhang Ruochen looked at Qingfeng Saint and smiled leisurely. "Senior Qingfeng, why don't you come over and join us for tea?"
Qingfeng Saint's face showed a look of shame. "This humble Daoist is guilty and dare not sit on equal footing with the Sect Leader and the Sword Saint. Standing here is fine."
In Taiyin Ancient City, when the Death Knight was slaughtering the disciples of the Liangyi Sect, Qingfeng Saint had not intervened out of fear.
Knowing that he would surely face punishment from the sect, Qingfeng Saint was constantly on edge, unable to be as calm as Zhang Ruochen and the Burial Moon Sword Saint, who were drinking tea and discussing matters.
The major figure sent by the Liangyi Sect to Taiyin Ancient City was none other than the Burial Moon Sword Saint, one of the Eastern Domain's Three Sword Saints.
Before Zhang Ruochen underwent the Life-and-Death Tribulation, the Burial Moon Sword Saint had already arrived at Taiyin Ancient City but had not revealed himself. It was only after Zhang Ruochen finished the tribulation that the Burial Moon Sword Saint took him, gravely wounded and near death, from underground and brought him to the Liangyi Sect through a space wormhole.
At the same time, the Burial Moon Sword Saint instructed Qingfeng Saint to spread the news that Zhang Ruochen had died under the lightning tribulation, helping Zhang Ruochen slip away and avoid being besieged by his many enemies.
Zhang Ruochen had many questions. He looked at the Burial Moon Sword Saint sitting across from him and finally asked, "Junior is curious. Since Senior had already arrived at Taiyin Ancient City, why didn't you kill the Death Knight and the Silver-Robed Elder of the Undying Divine Temple?"
The Burial Moon Sword Saint smiled slightly. "You possess the Five Calamities Saint-Suppressing Talisman, and the Death Knight also has a similar treasure. If I had acted—no, to be precise, if I had revealed myself, the Death Knight would have immediately used that treasure to kill me."
"A more powerful offensive treasure than the Five Calamities Saint-Suppressing Talisman?" Zhang Ruochen asked.
"Exactly."
Zhang Ruochen was still puzzled. "But why didn't the Death Knight use that treasure to kill me?"
The Burial Moon Sword Saint said, "Because that treasure is fused with the Death Knight's flesh and blood. Once activated, the Death Knight himself would die."
Zhang Ruochen understood.
It wasn't that the Death Knight didn't want to use that treasure, but that he believed dealing with Zhang Ruochen didn't warrant its use.
However, using that treasure to kill a Sword Saint would be a sure win.
"Isn't that treasure as terrifying as self-destructing one's Qi Sea and Saint Source?" Zhang Ruochen asked.
The Burial Moon Sword Saint shook his head. "To kill an ordinary Death Knight, I could destroy his Qi Sea before he self-destructs it. I could also sever his consciousness before he self-destructs his Saint Source."
"But that treasure is different. Even if the Death Knight's Qi Sea is shattered and he loses consciousness, as long as he enters a state of death, the destructive power will immediately erupt."
Zhang Ruochen frowned. "So, even killing a Death Knight is useless? You'll still die with him?"
"Exactly." The Burial Moon Sword Saint sighed softly.
Zhang Ruochen said, "So, encountering a Death Knight means certain death?"
"Otherwise, why would they be called Death Knights?"
The Burial Moon Sword Saint changed the subject and smiled. "Perhaps only you can kill a Death Knight and escape unscathed."
"Me?" Zhang Ruochen said.
The Burial Moon Sword Saint said, "As long as you tear space and send the Death Knight into the Void Space, even if the treasure on the Death Knight erupts, it won't harm you."
Zhang Ruochen laughed. "The prerequisite is that the Death Knight believes he can kill me and doesn't use that treasure immediately. Otherwise, I would only have a path to death."
The Burial Moon Sword Saint stared at Zhang Ruochen for a moment and then asked, "You are not only Gu Linfeng, the Sect Leader of the Blood God Sect, but also Lin Yue, a disciple of the Liangyi Sect, aren't you?"
(End of Chapter)