# Chapter 1275: Crushing All the Way Down
The ice cave descended vertically into the earth, resembling a five-colored lake, roughly a hundred miles in diameter—quite vast by any measure.
Looking downward, the ice cave below was shrouded in mist, its depths invisible. Only five-colored rays of light could be seen surging, as if leading to the center of the glacier continent.
Some of those five-colored rays drifted up from the bottom, rising strand by strand like mist, like smoke, like dragons, like serpents... and they emitted an icy cold aura. Even from several zhang away, the skin was stung with cold.
Zhang Ruochen did not press against the ice wall for support. Instead, he leaped straight down into the ice cave, wanting to pursue as quickly as possible.
"What exactly are those five-colored rays?"
Curious, Zhang Ruochen felt they resembled chaotic qi. He grabbed the Abyssal Ancient Sword and touched it against the five-colored light.
"Sizzle sizzle!"
In an instant, a layer of five-colored ice formed on the sword. The cold surged from the blade toward Zhang Ruochen's arm, instantly solidifying the blood and sacred qi in his right palm.
Zhang Ruochen quickly mobilized his Purifying Divine Flame, channeling it through the meridians and sacred channels of his right arm to dispel the cold.
"The five-colored rays indeed carry Extreme Yin Heavenly Dragon Qi." Zhang Ruochen's expression changed.
As he descended, Zhang Ruochen continuously used spatial displacement to avoid the five-colored rays.
Extreme Yin Heavenly Dragon Qi was known as one of the coldest forces in the world, as terrifying as Spirit Dragon Fire, yet they opposed and restrained each other. For saints with yin-cold constitutions, it was a priceless treasure.
But it was also a lethal force. If one could not subdue it, even a saint with a yin-cold constitution would face certain death.
The deeper he went, the denser the five-colored rays became. Even with Zhang Ruochen using spatial power to dodge, it became difficult, forcing him to slow his descent slightly.
"Yanchen and Qingmo can't use spatial power to change direction. If they fall from above and touch the five-colored rays, won't they freeze into human-shaped ice crystals?" Zhang Ruochen's heart sank to the bottom.
He tried to think positively, but even the best outcome probably wasn't good.
Relatively speaking, Xiao Hei was safer. He had no physical body, only being the artifact spirit of the Cosmic Divine Wood Map. As long as the Cosmic Divine Wood Map wasn't destroyed, ordinary saint-level beings couldn't kill him. Even Extreme Yin Heavenly Dragon Qi probably couldn't freeze him to death.
Suddenly, Zhang Ruochen spotted figures from the Undying Blood Clan and sacred beasts on the ice wall to his lower right.
Their bodies pressed against the ice wall as they carefully made their way downward.
Clearly, they weren't just searching for Huang Yanchen and Qingmo. They also believed there were ancient treasures left at the bottom of the ice cave. Otherwise, they wouldn't risk being frozen to death by Extreme Yin Heavenly Dragon Qi to venture into its depths.
A catwoman who had reached the Xuanhuang Realm pressed against the ice wall, wearing a water-blue armor that wrapped her firm chest and hips, revealing her snow-white abdomen and two slender jade-like legs.
She was a cat clan sacred beast from Jiuli Palace. White sacred light particles emanated from her skin, and sharp claws extended from her ten fingertips as she climbed downward with movements of extreme grace.
"The five-colored rays are getting denser. If we go further down, we might encounter disaster. Those two human women were so badly injured, they're probably already dead. There's no need to go down looking for them."
The catwoman climbed slowly, feeling the urge to retreat, afraid to continue downward.
Just moments ago, a five-colored ray had drifted past her, missing her by only an inch. The cold emitted by the five-colored ray had frozen her body stiff, nearly causing her to fall.
A three-eyed golden sacred cat walked ahead of the catwoman, its body and fur seeming cast from gold, its voice deep and heavy: "There might be treasures left by the Divine Dragon Clan at the bottom of the ice cave. Didn't you see White Li Prince and Black Li Prince charging down desperately? Given their status, they must know secrets we don't."
"Someone's coming."
The catwoman's furry ears twitched as she sensed something and looked upward. She saw a blood-robed man standing in the air not far above her, swinging out a sword qi that struck the five-colored ice wall.
"Crack."
The five-colored ice wall was split open by the sword qi, creating a crack dozens of meters long, with chunks of ice falling downward.
Zhang Ruochen's sword strike was meant to shatter the ice wall, causing those Undying Blood Clan members and sacred beasts to lose their foothold and fall into the abyss of the ice cave.
But he hadn't expected the five-colored ice wall to be astonishingly hard. Even with a full-powered sword strike, he only tore open a crack, unable to cause a large-scale collapse.
Since that was the case, he would just have to kill his way down.
The catwoman's expression tightened as she cried out in alarm: "Zhang Ruochen!"
"Everyone be careful! Zhang Ruochen has entered the ice cave and is coming down!"
The three-eyed golden sacred cat stopped, turned around, and all its fur stood on end like metal needles. A terrifying killing aura erupted from within its body.
The sacred beasts from Zu Longshan and Jiuli Palace all tried to shrink their bodies to avoid the five-colored rays. The three-eyed golden sacred cat was no exception, shrinking to only a foot long, its size no different from an ordinary cat.
Below, whether blood saints of the Undying Blood Clan or sacred beasts, all stopped and looked upward.
"Good timing. We were planning to capture his fiancée to force him out. Since he's walking into the trap, it saves us trouble."
"Zhang Ruochen, your fiancée has already been killed by us. Did you come down to collect her corpse? Haha."
"Everyone attack together! First destroy Zhang Ruochen, then search for the Divine Dragon Clan's treasures."
...
Zhang Ruochen landed on the ice wall and charged downward, his gaze sharp as he continuously swung the Abyssal Ancient Sword, forming a net of intersecting sword qi.
The catwoman and three-eyed golden sacred cat were the first to be hit by the sword qi.
Only by coming into contact with the sword qi could one understand how terrifying Zhang Ruochen's sword dao mastery was. In an instant, several bloody sword wounds appeared on the catwoman and three-eyed golden sacred cat.
"What's going on? How is Zhang Ruochen's attack power so strong?"
The catwoman and three-eyed golden sacred cat let out a series of pained meows as they each took out an ancestral artifact, activating its ancient power to block the sword qi. Then they fled downward as fast as they could.
Seeing the two cat clan sacred beasts fleeing like frightened dogs, a pure-blood flood dragon from Zu Longshan sneered: "A mere Zhang Ruochen scares you that much? You've disgraced Jiuli Palace. I'll go kill him."
That pure-blood flood dragon transformed into human form, wearing scale armor, with a burly build. Holding a round shield and war blade, he exuded a terrifying aura as if possessed by a war god. He charged past the catwoman and three-eyed golden sacred cat, rushing toward Zhang Ruochen.
The catwoman and three-eyed golden sacred cat both showed sympathetic expressions. They felt that pure-blood flood dragon was too arrogant, not understanding Zhang Ruochen's true strength before daring to fight. He would probably die miserably.
"Boom!"
"Boom!"
Two consecutive explosions rang out as the round shield and war blade in the pure-blood flood dragon's hands were shattered into pieces.
Then, a miserable flood dragon howl echoed out.
The pure-blood flood dragon was covered in wounds, knocked off the ice wall, and fell into the abyss of the ice cave.
"Whoosh—"
Zhang Ruochen swung his sword, and a black sword qi arc flew out, passing through its waist.
That pure-blood flood dragon reverted to its original form, over a thousand meters long, severed at the center into two halves. Blood gushed from the fracture like a waterfall, but quickly froze into ice crystals.
"In just one breath, Flood Dragon Young Lord was killed by Zhang Ruochen."
They finally understood why the catwoman and three-eyed golden sacred cat had fled. Zhang Ruochen was now too powerful, like a peerless sword saint descending from above to kill.
"Rumble."
Zhang Ruochen's sacred qi operated at its peak, and the Abyssal Ancient Sword erupted with its maximum power. He crushed everything in his path downward, and in an instant, five more sacred beings were killed, their bodies shattered into pieces and falling as mutilated corpses.
With a sword in hand, no one could stop him.
Those sacred beasts and blood saints were all terrified, following the catwoman and three-eyed golden sacred cat in desperately fleeing downward.
From below the ice cave came two earth-shaking long howls.
Then, two patches of blood cloud rose from below, pressing against the ice wall.
Within each blood cloud was a Death Knight, wearing Ten Saint Blood Armor and holding a Death War Spear, charging upward to meet Zhang Ruochen descending from above.
Death Knights were extremely powerful, each capable of fighting against Che Di Realm saints.
"Zhang Ruochen, we follow the Goddess's orders to take your life." One Death Knight roared coldly.
"With just you? Facing me leads only to death. I'll kill you first, then go kill her."
Zhang Ruochen used his sword-controlling technique, sending the Abyssal Ancient Sword flying from his hand. It emitted a black light spanning a hundred zhang in diameter, like a meteor falling downward, striking the Death Knight on the right.
At the same time, Zhang Ruochen's form flickered, appearing before the Death Knight on the left. He struck out with palm techniques, one forming a dragon and the other an elephant, pressing downward.
"Courting death."
That Death Knight thrust his spear, unleashing his full power. A destructive force erupted, tearing apart the dragon and elephant, striking toward Zhang Ruochen's heart.
Zhang Ruochen's form flickered again, changing position to appear beside the Death Knight, striking out with a palm.
The Death Knight knew Zhang Ruochen could use spatial displacement and had prepared for it. He clenched his fist and punched out, meeting Zhang Ruochen's palm.
"Boom."
The two clashed. The Death Knight couldn't block the force and was sent flying sideways.
The Death Knight's arm ached as if a giant hammer had smashed against his bones. He thought in shock: "Even the power of ten saints can't block him. How is he this strong? No, Zhang Ruochen must have broken through to the Middle Stage Saint realm."
A fierce palm wind surged again.
Zhang Ruochen's palm force was extremely yang and firm. Golden light radiated from his palm center. Each palm strike was like a blazing sun smashing into the Death Knight.
"Boom boom."
The Death Knight was beaten until he spat blood, half his body embedded into the ice wall. But he wore the Ten Saint Blood Armor, which had strong defensive power, so he didn't die.
Zhang Ruochen didn't stop. He struck out with Dragon-Elephant Prajna Palm, delivering ten consecutive palm strikes. Though he didn't pierce the Ten Saint Blood Armor, he shattered the Death Knight's physical body into bloody mud, killing him inside the armor.
"Too terrifying. Even a Death Knight was killed."
The catwoman's face turned pale with fear. She didn't dare stay any longer and rushed with all her might toward the bottom of the ice cave.