Chapter 1243: Profound Yellow Qi
"Zhang Ruochen, a mere lower-realm saint like you actually thinks you can intimidate a Profound Yellow realm saint? How laughable."
Xuezhen Yaoji was not arrogant or overconfident, but she simply did not believe that a lower-realm saint could contend with her.
Among saints, those who could fight across a single realm were as rare as phoenix feathers and unicorn horns.
Those who could fight across two realms were undoubtedly heaven-defying beings, such as Shi Shenghua and the Devouring Demon Dragon, along with a very few ancient remnant species, who possessed such strength.
Saints who could fight across three realms were virtually unheard of, never seen nor heard.
Zhang Ruochen did not waste words with her, softly uttering, "Abyssal."
Clatter.
The Abyssal Ancient Sword flew out, hovering above Zhang Ruochen's head.
Saint Qi surged from Zhang Ruochen's one hundred and forty-four pores, transforming into one hundred and forty-four streams of air that rushed into the sword body.
On the surface of the black giant sword, dense inscriptions emerged, one thousand, two thousand, three thousand...
The inscriptions on the Abyssal Ancient Sword had already surpassed six thousand, placing it at the top tier among thousand-mark sacred artifacts.
Of course, with Zhang Ruochen's current cultivation, even exerting full force, he could only activate four thousand inscriptions, unable to unleash the Abyssal Ancient Sword's complete power.
"Rumble."
The Thousand Ripple Annihilation Force was released from the Abyssal Ancient Sword. In an instant, tens of thousands of sword-shaped sword qi appeared between heaven and earth.
"Four thousand inscriptions... No wonder you dare to challenge me. So you possess such a formidable sacred artifact."
Xuezhen Yaoji's beautiful face stiffened, no longer as optimistic as before.
Even for an upper-realm saint, simultaneously activating four thousand inscriptions was no easy task. Yet Zhang Ruochen, as a lower-realm saint, could achieve it.
This showed that this young man was indeed extraordinary.
Xuezhen Yaoji set aside her contempt, her eyes fixed on Zhang Ruochen. She raised both hands, and the Jade Pupil Sacred Mirror flew up from her palm, growing larger and larger, like a bright moon hanging above everyone's heads.
"Zhang Ruochen, activating four thousand inscriptions must be quite a strain for you, right? Do you know why?"
Xuezhen Yaoji effortlessly held the Jade Pupil Sacred Mirror, yet the primeval ancient force surging from the mirror was even more formidable than the Thousand Ripple Annihilation Force from the Abyssal Ancient Sword.
With Zhang Ruochen's current cultivation, activating four thousand inscriptions in the Abyssal Ancient Sword was indeed his full effort.
Zhang Ruochen smiled faintly. "Isn't it just that you've cultivated Profound Yellow Qi? What's there to boast about?"
"It seems you've never fought a Profound Yellow realm being. You have no idea how formidable Profound Yellow Qi truly is." Xuezhen Yaoji snorted lightly.
When a saint reached the Profound Yellow realm, they had to convert the saint qi within their body into Profound Yellow Qi.
Profound represented heaven, Yellow represented earth.
So-called Profound Yellow Qi was essentially the qi of heaven and earth. In nature, it was still saint qi, but purer and of higher quality.
Even a single strand of Profound Yellow Qi contained energy comparable to the total saint qi within a lower-realm saint's body.
Moreover, using Profound Yellow Qi to wield a thousand-mark sacred artifact unleashed even greater power.
Thus, there was a vast gap between upper-realm saints and Profound Yellow realm saints, making it very difficult to fight across realms. This was why Xuezhen Yaoji had not taken Zhang Ruochen seriously.
What she didn't know was that Zhang Ruochen not only possessed the Abyssal Ancient Sword but also a Ten Saint Blood Armor, which could borrow the power of ten saints, enough to contend with a Profound Yellow realm saint.
Xuezhen Yaoji pointed her finger, and a strand of Profound Yellow Qi flew from her fingertip, surging into the Jade Pupil Sacred Mirror.
The primeval ancient force erupting from the Jade Pupil Sacred Mirror grew even stronger, pressing down toward Zhang Ruochen, shattering all the sword qi flying through the air.
Zhang Ruochen, bold and confident, did not use spatial displacement to retreat. He wanted to take Xuezhen Yaoji's attack head-on and test just how powerful a Profound Yellow realm sacred beast truly was.
"Whoosh—"
The Abyssal Ancient Sword flew out, colliding with the Jade Pupil Sacred Mirror, producing a deafening clang of metal and stone.
The Jade Pupil Sacred Mirror dispersed the Thousand Ripple Annihilation Force on the Abyssal Ancient Sword, pressing the sword body downward.
The primeval ancient force surging from the mirror's surface condensed into an illusory primeval world, with dozens of ancient mountains and thousands of beast phantoms descending from the sky, trying to crush Zhang Ruochen into dust.
This power was beyond what Zhang Ruochen could withstand.
Zhang Ruochen had no choice but to activate the Ten Saint Blood Armor, wrapping it around his entire body, and shouted lightly, "Ten Saint Power, Immovable Wisdom King."
Ten saintly figures burst forth from the armor, standing in ten directions around Zhang Ruochen.
At the center of the ten saintly figures, a mountain-sized humanoid form rose from the ground, like a towering deity.
The Immovable Wisdom King sacred image combined with the Ten Saint Power, striking out a palm print that collided with the descending Jade Pupil Sacred Mirror.
"Boom."
The Immovable Wisdom King sacred image and the ten saintly phantoms all shattered, turning into eleven clouds of saint qi.
Zhang Ruochen slid backward dozens of zhang, stopping beside Ao Xinyan before steadying himself without crashing into the stone wall.
"The power of a Profound Yellow realm saint is terrifying. Even using my full strength, I still couldn't withstand it."
Zhang Ruochen gained a true understanding of a Profound Yellow realm saint's power.
"He actually blocked the first attack of the Jade Pupil Sacred Mirror. This kid's strength is enough to contend with some weaker Profound Yellow realm beings."
Though surprised, Xuezhen Yaoji remained confident in herself. "That was only the first layer of the Jade Pupil Sacred Mirror's power, and you couldn't hold out. The second layer will make you despair."
The Jade Pupil Sacred Mirror rose again, like a radiant jade plate covering most of the sky.
Beneath the jade plate, an even more magnificent primeval world appeared, with not only majestic mountains and ferocious beasts but also rivers, clouds, and ancient trees. The primeval ancient force it emitted grew even stronger.
Xuanwei Sacred Beast looked at the primeval world suspended in the sky, revealing a sinister smile. "Xuezhen Yaoji has activated the deepest power of the Jade Pupil Sacred Mirror. Even an ordinary Profound Yellow realm saint would be reduced to ashes. Zhang Ruochen definitely can't block it."
Zhang Ruochen stood beneath the primeval world, as small as an upright ant.
"High realm? Great power? That doesn't represent a cultivator's full strength."
Zhang Ruochen remained composed, extending a finger toward the void and uttering a single word: "Break."
"Boom."
At the center of the illusory primeval world in the sky, space collapsed, revealing seven cracks dozens of li long, tearing everything into shreds.
At the same time, Zhang Ruochen vanished from his spot, crossing space to appear behind Xuezhen Yaoji, swinging his sword in a slash.
Sensing the sharp sword qi behind her, Xuezhen Yaoji immediately turned, channeling Profound Yellow Qi within her body to her fingertip, and pointed out.
"Morning Sword."
Zhang Ruochen executed a move from the Twelve Hour Sword Art.
The sword light radiating from the blade was like the rising sun at dawn, forming an unstoppable momentum.
As soon as Morning Sword was unleashed, the flow of time around them became extremely slow.
Xuezhen Yaoji had only just pointed her finger when the tip of the Abyssal Ancient Sword collided with it.
"Pfft."
Xuezhen Yaoji's finger, palm, and arm turned into a cloud of blood mist.
Her entire right hand vanished.
Xuezhen Yaoji's beautiful face twisted in pain. She opened her mouth wide, roaring, and spat out a bright red snake tongue.
A moment later, her beautiful human form disappeared, replaced by a five-hundred-zhang-long giant python coiled around a mountain peak.
The Jade Pupil Sacred Mirror hovered above its head, emitting dazzling light.
Zhang Ruochen clasped his hands behind his back, stepping on the purple-brown soil as he strode forward. "Now, do you think I'm worthy of being your opponent? Still find me laughable?"
The giant python opened its mouth and spoke human words: "You only hurt me by borrowing the power of space and time. That's not true skill. In terms of strength, you're still far from me."
Zhang Ruochen laughed. "Can I control time and space? Isn't that true skill? Isn't that part of my own strength?"
Zhang Ruochen said no more. He took a step forward, crossing the void to land directly on the python's head, and struck down with a palm.
"Slap."
A blood-red crack split open on the python's skull, and it let out a wail of agony.
The python's massive body charged forward, smashing through mountain after mountain.
At the same time, it controlled the Jade Pupil Sacred Mirror, unleashing primeval ancient force to try and kill Zhang Ruochen.
Zhang Ruochen did not clash head-on with the Jade Pupil Sacred Mirror. Each time, he used spatial displacement to evade, then struck back with the Abyssal Ancient Sword or used spatial cracks.
"Rumble."
After a fierce battle lasting half an hour, the python's body was covered in wounds, blood flowing freely, and even its tail had been severed.
The python transformed back into a human figure, becoming Xuezhen Yaoji. She stopped fighting and fled toward the volcano at the island's center.
Zhang Ruochen stood atop a mountain peak, gazing in the direction Xuezhen Yaoji had fled. "Trying to escape after suffering such severe injuries? Isn't it too late? Shi Shenghua, why haven't you acted?"
On the ground, a vine as thick as a water barrel shot up into the sky, like a green dragon, wrapping around the fleeing Xuezhen Yaoji and dragging her to the ground.
Xuezhen Yaoji struggled and screamed as she was dragged down.
She alternated between her human form and her python form, trying to break free, unwilling to become nourishment for Shi Shenghua.
Gradually, the land fell silent. A vine was seen taking root on the giant python's body, continuously absorbing the blood qi and saint qi from within.
The python grew weaker, only twitching occasionally.
Xuezhen Yaoji had once been a king in the primeval secret realm, ruling over millions of beasts, but she ultimately fell on Dragon Fire Island, becoming fertilizer for Shi Shenghua.
Zhang Ruochen suppressed the Jade Pupil Sacred Mirror, flew down to the ground, and approached the giant python. Staring into its two water-tank-sized snake eyes, he felt no sympathy or pity.
After digging out the dragon pearl from the python's body, Zhang Ruochen walked toward Ao Xinyan.
(Chapter End)