Chapter 1253: A True Divine Temple
The Five Calamity Town Saint Talisman developed dense cracks, completely shattered, transforming into specks of light that vanished into the void.
The lightning between heaven and earth gradually dissipated as well, leaving only a few fiery electric patterns flowing across the ground, emitting a sizzling sound.
The entire Dragon Fire Island returned to calm.
However, the appearance of Yinghuo caused all the Saint-realm beings on Dragon Fire Island to erupt into commotion, some tense, others excited.
"Is she the Undying Divine Maiden?"
"How can there be such a stunningly beautiful woman in the world? She is simply an unparalleled seductress."
Whether it was the human saints of the imperial court or the sacred beasts of Ancestral Dragon Mountain and Jiuli Palace, their gazes all fixed sharply on the Undying Divine Maiden, discussing her endlessly, unable to tear their eyes away from her.
Even Xian Feizi was somewhat stirred, ripples appearing in her calm eyes as she raised her snow-white chin, staring at the beautiful woman standing above the vortex.
The Undying Divine Maiden was shrouded in layers of blood-red mist, like wisps of gauze wrapping her snow-white jade-like body, making her curvaceous figure appear faintly visible, creating an incredibly alluring temptation.
On her back grew two pairs of translucent blood wings, seemingly formed from liquid blood, sometimes dissipating, sometimes reappearing.
Eerie, mysterious, tempting, enchanting.
"Greetings, Divine Maiden."
More than a dozen Blood Saints below all bowed respectfully.
Yinghuo appeared very young, her skin crystalline, her starry eyes emitting a mysterious power capable of stealing a man's soul. She fixed her gaze on Zhang Ruochen and said softly, "I have long heard that no one can match the Heir of Time and Space at the same cultivation level. Seeing you today, indeed, Yinghuo is not disappointed."
"Is that so? Who gave such a... high... evaluation of me?"
Zhang Ruochen's eyes met Yinghuo's gaze for a moment, and then his expression became somewhat dazed.
Outsiders had no idea that within Zhang Ruochen's mind, ten layers of illusions had appeared, as if he had fallen into ten illusionary worlds.
Some illusionary worlds were filled entirely with ghostly fiends and white bones, sunless and dark, sending chills down one's spine.
Other illusionary worlds contained ancient ferocious beasts, opening massive bloody maws to roar, extending claws as huge as mountains, severing rivers and shattering the earth.
...
The ten illusionary worlds overlapped, seeming both real and illusory, constantly shifting. Even though Zhang Ruochen's spiritual power had reached the Saint level, he nearly fell into them.
"Break."
Zhang Ruochen concentrated his spiritual power, mobilizing the Nuanling Dragon Fire within his Qi Sea to burn away the ten layers of illusions.
In an instant, he regained clarity, seeing the real world again, only to find that Yinghuo had already walked up to him, extending a jade finger toward his brow.
Looking at this Undying Divine Maiden up close, her figure was truly seductive, as if carved by the finest divine chisel. Her chest was full and snow-white, her waist slender without an ounce of excess flesh, and her long, shapely legs hidden beneath the blood mist exuded a smooth, flowing beauty.
Zhang Ruochen did not dwell on the sight before him, merely glancing briefly before executing a Great Space Teleportation, retreating dozens of miles away to land on a mountain peak.
"What a formidable Undying Divine Maiden. I almost fell into her trap," Zhang Ruochen thought to himself.
"As expected of the Heir of Time and Space, and of the Nuanling Dragon Fire. To break the ten layers of illusions so quickly."
Yinghuo was somewhat disappointed, but a charming smile still curved at the corner of her lips. She withdrew her finger, gently twirling a strand of hair, and said, "The Heir of Time and Space does have some skill. He didn't disappoint me."
The Demon Heaven Crown Prince stabilized his injuries and came to Yinghuo's side, his gaze sharp and cold. "Divine Maiden, Zhang Ruochen has absorbed a mature Nuanling Dragon Fire. He will surely become a great threat to our clan in the future. We should eliminate him at all costs now."
Yinghuo put away her smile and gently shook her head. "We have already missed the best opportunity to eliminate Zhang Ruochen. The three Death Knights and you are all severely injured. If we attack now, even if we kill Zhang Ruochen, the cost will be enormous. That would only allow the imperial court, Ancestral Dragon Mountain, and Jiuli Palace to grow stronger, which is not to our advantage. Even if we want to deal with Zhang Ruochen, we must first wait for Qisheng to emerge from underground. If he can absorb a Nuanling Dragon Fire, he will be able to contend with Zhang Ruochen on equal footing."
Earlier, the three Death Knights had joined forces to block the attack of the Five Calamity Town Saint Talisman, protecting the saints of the Undying Blood Clan, but they had all been severely injured, losing their combat power.
At the same time, the attack power of the Five Calamity Town Saint Talisman had heavily wounded more than half of the sacred beasts from Ancestral Dragon Mountain and Jiuli Palace, greatly diminishing their strength.
Now, the imperial court was the most powerful faction. Under such circumstances, Yinghuo naturally wanted to conserve her strength as much as possible, wary of the imperial court. How could she dare to deal with Zhang Ruochen?
Zhang Ruochen naturally saw the current situation clearly and prepared to take the initiative.
However, before making his move, he first used his spiritual power to send a message to Bu Qianfan.
Among the saints of the imperial court, only Bu Qianfan had a connection with Zhang Ruochen and owed him a great favor. So, if Zhang Ruochen wanted to ally with the imperial court, he could only communicate through Bu Qianfan.
Upon receiving Zhang Ruochen's message, Bu Qianfan showed no change in expression. After a moment, he walked over to Suihan and Xian Feizi and said, "The Demon Heaven Crown Prince and the three Death Knights are all severely injured. Now is the best opportunity to deal with the Undying Blood Clan."
Suihan glanced at Bu Qianfan and nodded. "Just now, the Divine Maiden and I have discussed in detail and formulated the best plan. We will strike the Undying Blood Clan now."
Then, Suihan recited ten names, and ten saints stepped forward from the imperial court's ranks.
Suihan and Bu Qianfan led the ten human saints, using their fastest movement techniques to charge toward the Undying Blood Clan.
The other human saints remained in place, ready to provide support and guard against any sneak attacks from the sacred beasts of Ancestral Dragon Mountain and Jiuli Palace from behind.
The twelve human saints simultaneously released their Saintly Might, and the powerful energy fluctuations caused the entire Dragon Fire Island to tremble.
"So, it has to come to battle after all."
Yinghuo smiled slightly, then flickered, flying behind the massive vortex. With a wave of her sleeve, she sent the vortex hurtling toward the twelve human saints.
"Splash."
The boulders on the ground were all swept up, causing the vortex to grow increasingly massive, reaching over two hundred zhang in diameter. Tens of thousands of stones spun and flew within it, creating a tremendous spectacle. The energy fluctuations were exceptionally strong, forcing the human saints to halt their advance abruptly.
Xian Feizi transformed into a streak of white light, appearing before the vortex. She pressed her palm forward, and the vortex stopped spinning. The tens of thousands of massive stones hung motionless in midair before falling to the ground like a rain of rocks, smashing large craters.
"Undying Divine Maiden, your opponent is me."
A crystalline white dot appeared on Xian Feizi's brow.
A vermilion, magnificent hall flew out from between her brows. It was not an illusion but a true divine temple, enormous and boundless. It was unknown what material it was forged from, yet it could shrink into a speck of light hidden within her brow's Qi Sea.
Yinghuo let out a soft exclamation, her beautiful eyes scanning her surroundings. She realized she was now inside the temple, with the Earth Divine Temple's Life-Fate Divine Maiden standing opposite her.
Unfazed, Yinghuo smiled gracefully. "So you possess a divine temple. No wonder you dare to challenge me."
This temple was a true divine temple, once a dwelling place of a deity, imbued with divine aura and possessing mysterious powers beyond mortal imagination.
Even though Xian Feizi controlled this temple, her understanding of it was less than one percent.
Of course, obtaining a divine temple already indicated that Xian Feizi possessed extraordinary fortune, and her personal strength was not something an ordinary spiritual power saint could compare to.
Xian Feizi said calmly, "Do you think you can still leave this temple today?"
"If this were before the change in the rules of heaven and earth, entering your temple might indeed trap me to death. But now, the rules of heaven and earth across the entire Kunlun Realm have changed, giving birth to many rules that never existed before. I happen to have comprehended one of those rules. With it, leaving this temple is not a difficult task," Yinghuo said confidently.
Xian Feizi asked, "So you know the rules of heaven and earth have changed?"
"Heh! Anything the Earth Divine Temple knows, our Undying Divine Temple naturally knows as well. Following the great upheaval at the end of the Middle Ages, the rules of heaven and earth have undergone new changes. It is said that the current cultivation environment is even more favorable than during the Middle Ages. A large number of beings have become saints before the age of a hundred. Soon, it will not be surprising if someone cultivates to become a god."
Yinghuo narrowed her beautiful eyes. "I have heard that when the rules of heaven and earth underwent their great transformation, it was precisely the time when Empress Chi Yao disappeared. Could it be that the empress changed the rules of heaven and earth at the cost of her own life? Has the empress already fallen?"
"You don't need to probe me. The empress is eternal, undying and indestructible. She cannot fall. The day she returns will be the day the Undying Blood Clan is completely destroyed."
Xian Feizi stopped wasting words with Yinghuo. She pointed her finger in the void, and within the temple, thirty bright light patterns appeared, transforming into thirty lightning chains as thick as a bowl, striking toward Yinghuo.
While the two divine maidens were engaged in fierce combat, the twelve saints of the imperial court and the Blood Saints of the Undying Blood Clan below the temple were also locked in violent conflict. The ground structure of Dragon Fire Island was quite solid, yet it could not withstand attacks at the Saint level. Soon, that area was flattened into a plain.
Standing atop the mountain peak, Zhang Ruochen glanced at the temple suspended in the void, a look of amazement on his face.
"To actually possess a true divine temple, that Life-Fate Divine Maiden is also a formidable figure. I must be more cautious around her in the future."
Zhang Ruochen withdrew his gaze, transforming into a streak of light as he flew toward the camp of Ancestral Dragon Mountain.
Only when the imperial court and the Undying Blood Clan were fully engaged, unable to spare any effort to deal with him, could Zhang Ruochen boldly go after the sacred beasts of Ancestral Dragon Mountain.
The reason Zhang Ruochen targeted Ancestral Dragon Mountain was not just because of their old grudges, but also because he planned to slay a pure-blood sacred dragon, seize a dragon pearl, and break through to the Middle Stage Saint King realm.