# Chapter 1240: Clash Again
That was a dark purple island, bare and barren with not a single blade of grass growing on it. Only at the center of the island stood a towering volcano, exceptionally eye-catching.
It was Dragon Fire Island, representing the Yang Eye of Yin-Yang Sea.
Around Dragon Fire Island, an ancient dragon clan great power had set up a protective formation, forming a barrier layer about five hundred li from the island, preventing other beings from breaking in.
Only by riding an undead ancient ship could one break through the protective formation's barrier and enter the fringe zone of Dragon Fire Island.
The silver undead ancient ship carrying the Devouring Demon Dragon was docked at the northern side of Dragon Fire Island.
The black undead ancient ship carrying Zhang Ruochen also sailed toward Dragon Fire Island, finally docking at the eastern side of the island.
"The undead ancient ships should follow a specific route, with several docking points in Yin-Yang Sea. Each docking point must have extraordinary significance," Xiao Hei said.
No one could control the undead ancient ships, yet they traveled along the same route and stopped at Dragon Fire Island. One couldn't help but wonder if some mysterious force hidden in Yin-Yang Sea was controlling the ships' course.
Zhang Ruochen said, "The Devouring Demon Dragon has already become a saint. Since it came to Dragon Fire Island, it will definitely enter the island to collect Nanling Dragon Fire. We must take this opportunity to eliminate it."
With Zhang Ruochen's greatly improved cultivation, even if he encountered a sacred beast from Ancestor Dragon Mountain, he would have no fear. Naturally, he would no longer give the Devouring Demon Dragon a chance to continue growing.
If the Devouring Demon Dragon knew that the mysterious expert who killed the two Sacred Dragon Envoys was Zhang Ruochen, it would certainly prioritize eliminating Zhang Ruochen with full force, rather than maintaining its current attitude.
"Look, who is that?"
Xiao Hei pointed toward Dragon Fire Island.
Zhang Ruochen looked over and saw, hundreds of li away, a graceful figure flying out from the undead ancient ship. Dozens of dragon qi swirled around her like a cloud of dragon energy, flying straight toward Dragon Fire Island.
Zhang Ruochen smiled slightly. "Ao Xinyan."
"Why is it only Ao Xinyan? Where's the Wine Madman?" Xiao Hei asked, puzzled.
"Let's first land on Dragon Fire Island and meet up with her. We can ask what happened then."
Zhang Ruochen spread a pair of dragon wings from his back, flew out of the undead ancient ship, and skimmed dozens of zhang above the sea surface, rushing rapidly toward Dragon Fire Island.
Ao Xinyan, dressed in a blue-green dress, arrived at the outer perimeter of Dragon Fire Island first and landed on a three-zhang-tall reef.
Before her appeared a flame barrier, extending from the sea surface all the way to the sky.
She gently touched it with her finger, and immediately a thunderous roar sounded as a cloud of fire fell from the flame barrier.
"Hua!"
Ao Xinyan quickly executed a movement sacred art of the Divine Dragon Clan, transforming into thirty-six dragon shadows that flew over ten li away. The next moment, the thirty-six dragon shadows converged and reformed into a graceful, beautiful figure.
The fire cloud fell into Yin-Yang Sea, causing the surrounding seawater to boil violently.
"Is this the legendary Flame Gate? It seems without a gate seal, one truly cannot enter Dragon Fire Island." Ao Xinyan sighed softly, deeply disappointed.
Ao Xinyan naturally knew that Nanling Dragon Fire existed on Dragon Fire Island and had wanted to collect a strand to temper her body, striving to cultivate her True Dragon Body to Great Perfection as soon as possible.
Now it seemed there was no opportunity.
Suddenly, she sensed something, turned around, and saw Zhang Ruochen flying over the sea. Her face immediately lit up with joy.
Zhang Ruochen flew closer, arriving at the edge of the flame barrier, and asked, "Where's the Wine Madman?"
"Not long after he and I boarded the undead ancient ship, he encountered a major problem and then fled alone, as if avoiding some terrifying creature," Ao Xinyan said.
Zhang Ruochen thought of Xue Lanshan, who had died on the undead ancient ship, and furrowed his brow. "The higher one's cultivation, the more dangerous it is to enter Yin-Yang Sea. I hope the Wine Madman doesn't meet with any accident."
Xiao Hei crawled out from Zhang Ruochen's sleeve, somewhat puzzled. "After the Wine Madman fled, how did you survive on the undead ancient ship with your cultivation?"
Xiao Hei was still alive and together with Zhang Ruochen?
Hadn't it been thrown into Yin-Yang Sea?
Ao Xinyan felt surprised but didn't ask further, only answering, "Perhaps because I refined a piece of divine dragon bone and awakened the divine dragon bloodline hidden deep within my body, I didn't encounter any major danger on the undead ancient ship."
Zhang Ruochen nodded, feeling Ao Xinyan's speculation had some merit. If not for the protection of the Divine Dragon Clan's fortune, with her cultivation, she wouldn't have survived until now.
"Let's enter Dragon Fire Island first and collect the Nanling Dragon Fire," Zhang Ruochen said.
"It's impossible. We must use the Divine Dragon Clan's gate seal to enter Dragon Fire Island." Ao Xinyan shook her head and sighed again.
"I have the gate seal."
Zhang Ruochen took out a hexagonal stone from his space ring and held it in his palm.
Ao Xinyan's eyes widened in surprise. The clan leader truly kept his secrets hidden, making her unable to help but admire him. He had even found the gate seal to enter Dragon Fire Island.
"Not good."
Suddenly, Zhang Ruochen sensed a tremendous crisis. By reflex, he lifted Ao Xinyan with one hand and shifted horizontally to the right.
"Boom."
A blood-red light pillar streaked across the sea surface, passing through the spot where Zhang Ruochen had just stood, and struck the flame barrier outside Dragon Fire Island.
Instantly, a large area of flame exploded. The energy wave from the blast hit the sea surface, creating a dozens-of-zhang-tall wave that rolled backward.
Then, an ice-cold voice came from the direction of the undead ancient ship. "Zhang Ruochen, I knew you would definitely come to Dragon Fire Island. Let's see how you escape today!"
The Death Knight, wearing the Ten Saint Blood Armor with a pair of huge blood wings spread from his back, flew out from the undead ancient ship and rushed rapidly toward Dragon Fire Island.
The blood-red light pillar just now had been struck by the Death Knight.
In addition, the Elegant Pavilion Saint, wielding spiritual power, walked atop the waves. With each step, the water before him rose one zhang higher.
The waves grew taller and taller, and the gathered power grew stronger and stronger.
"How are they also on the undead ancient ship?"
Ao Xinyan's face turned somewhat pale.
She had personally witnessed the power of the Death Knight and the Elegant Pavilion Saint, so she naturally knew that with her, Xiao Hei, and Zhang Ruochen's cultivation, they were no match for them.
What should they do?
Zhang Ruochen tossed the gate seal to Ao Xinyan. "You go open the gate to enter Dragon Fire Island. I'll hold them off."
"Alright."
Ao Xinyan took the gate seal and immediately rushed toward the flame barrier.
She knew very well that with Zhang Ruochen's cultivation, he couldn't hold out for long. Only by opening the gate to Dragon Fire Island as quickly as possible could they have a chance at survival.
Zhang Ruochen activated the Ten Saint Blood Armor and roared, "Power of Ten Saints!"
"Hua——"
Ten saintly shadows burst out from the armor, surrounding Zhang Ruochen in ten directions.
Each saintly shadow emitted an aura like that of a true saint.
The power of the ten saints all converged on Zhang Ruochen's arms, combining with his own strength to form two golden, radiant hand seals.
This was the seventh palm of the Dragon-Elephant Prajna Palm, Dragon-Elephant Divine Furnace. The palm force was supremely yang and strong, with boundless power. Combined with the Power of Ten Saints, even an ordinary Xuanhuang Realm saint might not be able to withstand it.
"Your strength has increased this much again?"
The Death Knight couldn't describe the shock in his heart. He only felt that Zhang Ruochen was simply a freak. Every time just a few days passed, his cultivation would take a huge leap forward.
Such a growth rate was terrifying.
Of course, even though Zhang Ruochen had made another tremendous improvement, the Death Knight still had full confidence in killing him.
"You have the Power of Ten Saints, and I have it too."
The Death Knight snorted coldly, clenched his five fingers into a fist, and ten streams of blood qi burst out from the armor, converging on his fist.
He punched out, and the air let out a tearing explosive sound.
The two golden palm seals Zhang Ruochen had struck were shattered in an instant. The power of the fist seal still hadn't dissipated, charging straight toward Zhang Ruochen behind.
Space trembled slightly, and then Zhang Ruochen vanished from his spot.
"Space displacement again?"
The Death Knight had fought Zhang Ruochen before and immediately judged the technique Zhang Ruochen had used. He grabbed his black long spear with both hands and roared, "Death God's Light!"
"Boom."
A ring of blood-red halo radiated from the black long spear, rapidly expanding outward, trying to seal the space.
Zhang Ruochen stepped out of space first, holding his sword with both hands, fully releasing the sword intent within him, and softly shouted, "Sword Seven."
Over three thousand inscriptions appeared on the blade of the Abyssal Ancient Sword, unleashing the Thousand Ripple Annihilation Force. The black light radiating from the sword blade completely enveloped the surrounding space.
"Hua hua."
Within the black light, surging sword intent condensed into thousands of sword shadows, converging into a sword river that swirled around Zhang Ruochen's body.
He thrust his sword forward, and the sword cry it produced traveled all the way to a thousand li away.
A sword saint's single strike startles a thousand li.
Although Zhang Ruochen had not yet become a sword saint, the full-force thrust of his sword created a similar momentum.
"Bang."
The Abyssal Ancient Sword, like a splitting bamboo, cut through the air, piercing through the Blood God's Light.
The Death Knight was also somewhat alarmed. With his cultivation, he wasn't afraid of Zhang Ruochen, but this sword strike was too stunning, making him involuntarily choose to retreat rather than meet it head-on.
However, after the Death Knight retreated, the Elegant Pavilion Saint was exposed.
Zhang Ruochen's sword strike charged forward without hesitation, straight toward the Elegant Pavilion Saint.
The water wave before the Elegant Pavilion Saint had already risen over a hundred zhang high, with dense electric light interweaving across its surface. Seeing Zhang Ruochen charging straight at him, the Elegant Pavilion Saint showed no fear and laughed loudly, "Well struck!"
The Elegant Pavilion Saint's pair of aged hands pushed forward, sending the water wave crashing down, trying to engulf Zhang Ruochen.
"Hua!"
But Zhang Ruochen broke through the water wave and struck the Elegant Pavilion Saint in the chest with his sword.
"Im...possible..."
Until the moment of his death, the Elegant Pavilion Saint still couldn't believe that Zhang Ruochen could break through the spiritual power attack he had unleashed with full force.
"Rip."
The Elegant Pavilion Saint's physical body was extremely fragile. Faced with the sharp sword qi, his body instantly split into four or five pieces.
...
(There's still one more chapter, very late.)