Chapter 1235: Dawn Has Arrived!
After setting up the Space Teleportation Array, Zhang Ruochen did not pay attention to the Devouring Demon Dragon or the sacred beasts of the Ancestral Dragon Mountain. Instead, he entered a cultivation state to consolidate the realm he had elevated after crossing the third quasi-saint tribulation.
Being invincible at the same realm, or cultivating both martial arts and spiritual power, only gave him some advantage among his peers.
No matter the time, only those with sufficiently profound cultivation realms were truly powerful.
Currently, Zhang Ruochen was fully focused on pushing his martial arts cultivation to the Saint realm.
He was now only one step away from achieving martial sainthood.
That step was condensing a Sacred Source.
A Sacred Source was a crystal formed by using a Sacred Appearance and Sacred Qi, combined with one's own insights and knowledge.
Zhang Ruochen possessed a total of six Sacred Appearances, meaning he had the opportunity to condense six Sacred Sources.
"My attainments in the Sword Dao are the highest, far surpassing other saints. Perhaps I can condense a Sword Dao Sacred Source right now."
As long as he condensed one Sacred Source, Zhang Ruochen would officially step into the Saint realm, fundamentally different from a third-level quasi-saint.
Zhang Ruochen was also somewhat impatient, eager to achieve martial sainthood and elevate his cultivation to a whole new level.
"Sword Dao Sacred Appearance."
He clasped his hands together and let out a soft shout.
Immediately, a dazzling black light radiated from Zhang Ruochen's back. Within the light, a massive sword-shaped Sacred Appearance manifested.
Then, Zhang Ruochen separated his hands, forming a hugging posture.
The sword-shaped Sacred Appearance flew between his hands, gradually shrinking until it became a three-inch-long small sword, slowly rotating in his palm.
"Whoosh——"
The fourteen acupoints in both palms all opened, surging with an endless stream of Sacred Qi.
The Sacred Qi infused into the small sword, making the sword body increasingly solid, as if carved from black crystal, with dense Sword Dao rules interwoven inside the sword body.
"Swish, swish."
Centered on Zhang Ruochen's body, sharp sounds of air being torn echoed all around, as if thousands of swords were flying around him, yet outsiders could not see the shadow of any sword.
Ao Xinyan, the Mad Drunkard, and Xiao Hei all retreated to a distance, staring with uncertainty at Zhang Ruochen, who was condensing his Sacred Source.
Ao Xinyan showed an expression of envy and awe, saying, "Is that the Ten Thousand Swords Returning to the Ancestor? Is the leader about to become a Sword Saint?"
Ao Xinyan was also a sword cultivator, and her greatest lifelong wish was to become a Sword Saint.
At this moment, she was naturally very excited, feeling she might witness the birth of a young Sword Saint.
At the same time, she admired and worshipped Zhang Ruochen even more. They were both outstanding figures of their era, yet Zhang Ruochen had already left her far behind.
Xiao Hei shook his head, saying, "The Ten Thousand Swords haven't condensed; they are just streams of Sword Intent. This shows that Zhang Ruochen still has some gap from a true Sword Saint."
"Being able to condense the Sword Intent of Ten Thousand Swords means the leader is certain to become a Sword Saint. For now, he can at least be called a Half-Step Sword Saint," Ao Xinyan said.
As Zhang Ruochen was condensing his Sword Dao Sacred Source, at the place where the sea met the sky, a crimson cloud appeared.
The temperature in the air began to warm.
The ice and snow on the land melted at a visible rate, revealing the yellow-brown earth. The water in the Yin-Yang Sea also gradually changed from deep blue to crimson red.
Day and night changed, yin and yang alternated.
"Dawn has arrived!"
At the seaside, the Devouring Demon Dragon suddenly opened its eyes, gazing at the vast and boundless Yin-Yang Sea, revealing a fervent expression.
The eleven sacred beasts also stood up and came behind the Devouring Demon Dragon.
"Your Highness, can we now begin summoning the ghost ship?" the Xuanwei Sacred Beast asked.
"Start now."
The Devouring Demon Dragon raised its thick arms, pointing all ten fingers at the sky, closed its eyes, and began chanting an ancient incantation.
Inside the concealment formation, Ao Xinyan, Xiao Hei, and the Mad Drunkard were all closely watching the sacred beasts of the Ancestral Dragon Mountain. Their gazes were fixed on the Devouring Demon Dragon.
"The Devouring Demon Dragon is also proficient in the ancient incantations of the Divine Dragon Clan," Xiao Hei said with some surprise.
Ao Xinyan said, "Even if the Devouring Demon Dragon doesn't know the incantations, the Ancestral Dragon Mountain would surely teach them to him."
After a pause, she added, "The Devouring Demon Dragon wouldn't venture into the Yin-Yang Sea for no reason. Perhaps it has the same goal as you."
"The same goal."
Xiao Hei's eyes narrowed, and he snorted coldly, "This emperor is determined to get that item. Whoever dares to compete will be killed."
Ao Xinyan gently shook her head, a look of worry in her eyes, and said, "With just us, it will be difficult to contend with them. The Devouring Demon Dragon alone is already quite formidable. Moreover, the sacred beasts accompanying it are all fearsome characters."
Although Ao Xinyan had never seen the sacred beasts of the Ancestral Dragon Mountain, she had heard of some of their reputations.
Among the sacred beasts following the Devouring Demon Dragon, she recognized three.
"That old man covered in black spikes should be the Xuanwei Saint. His spiritual power is at least at the fifty-second rank. Even a saint at the Xuanhuang realm might not be his match. It is said that he has killed over ten sacred beasts."
"That beautiful woman with a human upper body and a snake tail is called Xue Zhen Yao Ji. She reached the Saint realm five hundred years ago and rules over millions of barbarian beasts in the Yuankong Mountain Range. She is definitely a hegemon-level existence."
"That three-zhang-tall bald giant is named Mang Shisi. Among the Mangniu Beast Clan, he ranks fourteenth in combat power. He has a special physique, innate divine strength, and high attainments in fist and palm techniques. At the same realm, he can go head-to-head with ancient relics. Before the Devouring Demon Dragon became a saint, Mang Shisi was always secretly guarding him."
Ao Xinyan knew that Zhang Ruochen and Xiao Hei's current strength could rival seasoned Upper Realm Saints.
However, they still had a considerable gap compared to saint-level beings at the Xuanhuang realm.
That was why she was somewhat worried.
If they truly clashed head-on with the experts of the Ancestral Dragon Mountain, they would surely be completely annihilated.
"Rumble."
On the calm sea surface, layers of waves rose, producing a deafening sound.
At first, the waves were only one or two meters high, then gradually became seven or eight meters, twenty meters... until finally reaching hundreds of meters, forming a water wall connecting heaven and earth.
Looking from afar, the layers of waves were like rolling mountain ranges.
A ghost ship sped over from the distance, its hull more than ten times taller than the "wave mountains," exuding an ancient and powerful aura.
The ship's shape resembled a dragon floating on the water, with a dragon head, dragon claws, and a dragon tail, emitting a silver radiance, appearing extremely sacred.
Led by the Devouring Demon Dragon, the sacred beasts of the Ancestral Dragon Mountain all knelt down, bowing to the silver ghost ship.
The sky and sea turned silver, enveloped in rings of divine light.
The Mad Drunkard opened his mouth wide, his eyes shining, and said, "There really is a ghost ship, and it's so sacred. Could it really be a ship made from the corpse of a divine dragon? It is said that the flesh of gods never rots. I wonder if the flesh and blood of the divine dragon can still be eaten?"
Ao Xinyan had already knelt down. Hearing the Mad Drunkard's words, she was startled and glared at him coldly, saying, "Don't talk nonsense. Be careful that the residual soul of the divine dragon hears your words and punishes us."
Xiao Hei said, "That's right. That ghost ship is truly incredible. It might really be the corpse of a divine dragon. Let's not speak recklessly, lest we anger the residual soul of the divine dragon. Even just a single thought from a divine dragon could easily destroy us."
The silver ghost ship grew closer to the land, its emitted aura becoming even more powerful.
The Mad Drunkard seemed to be intimidated by the ship's aura as well, closing his mouth and not speaking recklessly.
The Devouring Demon Dragon and the sacred beasts of the Ancestral Dragon Mountain quickly boarded the ghost ship. Then, the massive hull surged through waves hundreds of meters high, sailing toward the vast sea, disappearing from the surface.
"If the Devouring Demon Dragon is looking for the same thing as us, we must chase after it immediately. We cannot let it take that item first."
Xiao Hei looked toward Zhang Ruochen, showing an anxious expression, and thought, "Zhang Ruochen, you must condense your Sacred Source quickly. We need to set off as soon as possible."
The ghost ship could only be summoned at dawn and dusk.
If they missed dawn, they would have to wait until dusk to set off, a full day later than the Devouring Demon Dragon.
A day could change many things.
At this moment, Zhang Ruochen's body was enveloped by thousands of sword shadows, forming a sphere dozens of zhang in diameter.
No one knew what state he was in.
Nor did they know how far his Sword Dao Sacred Source had progressed.
Xiao Hei widened his eyes, gritted his teeth, and was anxious to the point of going crazy. He said to Ao Xinyan, "Girl, summon the ghost ship now. No matter what, we must set off this dawn."
"But... the leader is still cultivating," Ao Xinyan said.
"We can't care about that now. If the ghost ship comes and he still hasn't condensed his Sacred Source, we'll just carry him onto the ship," Xiao Hei said. He was truly worried that the Divine Dragon Sun-Moon Chaos Tower would be taken by the Devouring Demon Dragon.
Xiao Hei had shown kindness to Ao Xinyan and had taught her more than one ancient secret technique, so Ao Xinyan still respected Xiao Hei's decision.
She walked out of the concealment formation, came to the seaside, stretched out her two snow-white, slender arms, and began chanting an ancient incantation.
Before long, a patch of black clouds appeared at the horizon, with dense lightning shuttling through the clouds.
"Rumble."
On the sea, waves hundreds of meters high rose again.
The waves swept across the sky and earth, their momentum vast.
A ghost ship sailed out from the black clouds, its shape resembling a huge skeleton, exuding a chilling evil aura.
The moment it appeared, Ao Xinyan, the Mad Drunkard, and Xiao Hei all felt a chill invade their bodies, involuntarily trembling.
The ghost ship summoned by the Devouring Demon Dragon emitted silver light and carried a sacred radiance. The ghost ship summoned by Ao Xinyan was completely the opposite, looking like a death boat from hell.
The fur on Xiao Hei's body stood on end, and he said in surprise, "What's going on? This emperor sees that the ship is full of human and barbarian beast skeletons, and there seem to be thousands of ghosts walking on the deck."
Ao Xinyan also saw the terrifying scene on the ghost ship, her face pale, and said, "I told you earlier, every ghost ship on the Yin-Yang Sea is different. Some are relatively safe, while others are extremely dangerous. Clearly, the one we summoned is a ghost ship full of evil spirits and skeletons, completely unboardable. We can choose to set off at dusk and summon another ghost ship then. What do you think?"
Xiao Hei seemed not to hear Ao Xinyan's words, instead looking behind them, and said, "I'm afraid we can't wait until dusk. Powerful enemies have caught up."
A ground dragon over a hundred meters long rushed toward the seaside at full speed, each step causing the earth to shake violently.
On the ground dragon's back stood three figures.
Among them, the one standing at the front, with a tall and straight figure, held a black long spear, standing upright, wearing the Ten Saints Blood Armor. He was the Death Knight of the Undying Divine Temple.
...
(There will be another chapter later, a bit late.)
(Chapter End)