Chapter 1292: Thunder God's Hammer
Zhong Ying King said, "Having killed people on Azure Heaven Tribe's territory, how can we let them escape so easily? You must go personally and intercept them. We cannot let the tiger return to the mountain."
"Based on the intelligence analysis, their cultivation is not particularly strong. Why would I need to act personally? Sending a single Death God Knight would be enough to destroy them." On Zhu Qingyi's brow, there was a red evil flower mark that emitted a faint radiance, making her appear even more sinister and seductive.
Zhong Ying King said, "Killing them is only a minor task. What you truly need to do this time is go to Red River Prefecture and invite a Sacred Alchemy Master to Azure Heaven Tribe."
"A Sacred Alchemy Master."
Zhu Qingyi's expression turned quite serious, and she had to treat this matter with due importance.
A Sacred Alchemy Master could refine Sacred Pills and possessed the means to 'revive the dead and restore flesh to bones.' Acquiring such a master would elevate the overall strength of the entire Azure Heaven Tribe.
In the Northern Domain, there were only two Sacred Alchemy Masters, each of whom could become a guest of honor for Blood Emperor. How could such a figure be treated lightly?
Zhong Ying King flicked his finger, and a white letter flew out, spinning between his two fingers. "The letter contains the information on that Sacred Alchemy Master. You must hurry. It is said that several other tribes have also dispatched strong warriors to invite this person. Do not let them get ahead of you."
The Ten Great Tribes were both cooperative and competitive with one another.
Zhu Qingyi caught the letter, pursed her lips into a smile, and her phoenix-shaped eyes tilted upward slightly. Such beautiful eyes, yet they revealed a murderous intent. "Since I am going to Red River Prefecture, I might as well kill those three human saints along the way."
"Whoosh—"
Immediately, Zhu Qingyi transformed into a mass of black mist and vanished from the hall.
From Ningfeng Prefecture to Red River Prefecture was a vast distance, spanning two million miles. An ordinary person could not cross it even in a lifetime.
Between the two prefectures, there was actually a Space Wormhole that could connect them in an instant. However, the entrance to the wormhole was heavily guarded by Undying Blood Clan troops, making it impossible to use. Zhang Ruochen and his companions had no choice but to fly to Red River Prefecture.
Along the way, Huang Yanchen killed an Undying Blood Clan commander and seized his war chariot.
The war chariot was pulled by two sixth-rank upper-level savage beasts. It could travel on land or soar through the sky, and its maximum speed was comparable to that of a Lower Realm Saint. It could cover hundreds of thousands of miles each day.
Zhang Ruochen sat inside the war chariot, meditating with his eyes closed, searching through the memories in his mind.
Eight hundred years ago, he had read the Sacred Bright Central Empire's "Spiritual Power Codex," which contained many advanced lightning-type spells. He planned to select one or two to cultivate and enhance his own strength.
Using only low-level spells could not fully unleash the true power of a Spiritual Power Saint. For instance, when he fought the Four-Winged Blood Saint, he had cast dozens of low-level spells but still failed to kill him.
Spells were divided into ten levels.
Zhang Ruochen had only mastered a few low-level spells. His most powerful technique, "Thunder Flame Vortex," was merely a third-level spell, far inferior to tenth-level spells.
Above tenth-level spells, there were even more powerful Spiritual Power techniques called Sacred Methods.
Only a Spiritual Power Saint with sufficient spiritual strength could successfully cultivate a Sacred Method. Each Sacred Method possessed earth-shattering power, capable of leveling a mountain range, incinerating a sea, or destroying a great city.
Sacred Methods were also divided into ten levels. Even a first-level Sacred Method was extremely difficult to cultivate and required a great deal of time to comprehend.
"First-level Sacred Method, Thunder God's Hammer."
Zhang Ruochen muttered to himself, and immediately, dense text appeared in his mind.
Theoretically, a single spell required an entire book to record. Only by thoroughly understanding that book could one successfully master the spell.
A Sacred Method, on the other hand, required an entire room full of books to explain and elaborate. Only by fully comprehending all those books could one successfully cultivate a Sacred Method.
The content and commentary of Thunder God's Hammer were already stored in Zhang Ruochen's mind, but comprehending it was another matter entirely. He had only meditated for a short while before feeling dizzy and drowsy, his consciousness gradually blurring.
Zhang Ruochen did not give up. Using his powerful spiritual strength, he read through the books one by one in his sea of consciousness, overcoming one obstacle after another.
With Zhang Ruochen's current spiritual strength, he could memorize the contents of an entire book in a single breath and fully understand its meaning.
However, it took him two full days just to organize all the content of Thunder God's Hammer, and he had only grasped fifty to sixty percent of its true essence.
"Continue."
Zhang Ruochen was eager to enhance his strength and needed to master a Sacred Method as quickly as possible.
Once he mastered a Sacred Method, even if he encountered a Xuanhuang Realm Saint, he would have a high chance of winning.
Xuanhuang Realm Saints were already quite powerful among saint-level beings.
Next, Zhang Ruochen spent another day and night comprehending the content of Thunder God's Hammer a second time, grasping seventy to eighty percent of its true essence.
After three days of nonstop cultivation, given Zhang Ruochen's current physical condition, he naturally could not endure it and had to stop to rest.
Once his condition had somewhat recovered, Zhang Ruochen stepped out of the war chariot and attempted to cast this Sacred Method.
He formed a hand seal, and the spiritual energy of heaven and earth converged toward him, transforming into streaks of purple lightning that intertwined together.
The entire sky darkened, black clouds rolled, and a vast aura brewed within the clouds.
All living beings within a hundred-mile radius looked up at the terrifying celestial phenomenon, feeling the immense pressure, and trembled in fear.
However, the Thunder God's Hammer did not materialize. The lightning gradually dispersed and vanished without a trace, and the sky cleared again.
The attempt failed.
Zhang Ruochen was not discouraged. He merely shook his head with a faint smile and began a second attempt.
The second attempt also failed.
The third attempt failed.
...
After failing more than twenty times in a row, Zhang Ruochen felt mentally exhausted and stopped. While recovering his spiritual strength, he carefully pondered the reasons for his failures.
Throughout it all, Huang Yanchen remained silent, not saying a word, simply watching Zhang Ruochen quietly.
Qing Mo secretly transmitted her voice, saying, "Princess, it seems Young Master Zhang has encountered trouble. Without the guidance of an elder Spiritual Power Saint, it is impossible for him to successfully cultivate a Sacred Method."
Spiritual Power cultivators also had teachers.
Teachers not only taught how to cultivate spiritual power but also how to cultivate spells and Sacred Methods.
Some techniques and details in cultivation were not recorded in books. Relying solely on self-study would lead to many detours. It would take not just a few days but months or even years to successfully cultivate a Sacred Method.
Huang Yanchen said, "Zhang Ruochen is no ordinary person. Since he began his cultivation journey, he has hardly had any teachers. He has learned everything on his own. In truth, no one can teach him. This shows that his comprehension is beyond that of ordinary people. A Sacred Method will certainly not stump him."
Qing Mo always felt that the princess had a blind faith in Zhang Ruochen. Was it because she loved him that she believed he was capable of anything?
"I understand. Only by combining the Spiritual Power Saint Form with the spiritual energy of heaven and earth can a Sacred Method be executed."
A smile curled at the corner of Zhang Ruochen's mouth, and he stood up, forming another hand seal.
"Crackle."
The Spiritual Power Saint Form manifested, taking on a human shape, formed from lightning, emitting a dazzling light that cast a purple glow over the pitch-black night sky.
The spiritual energy of heaven and earth continuously converged toward the Spiritual Power Saint Form, condensing into a hammer of lightning.
Qing Mo stared wide-eyed at the massive lightning figure standing behind Zhang Ruochen. It was like a Thunder God wielding a lightning hammer, exuding an extremely powerful aura.
Qing Mo stuck out her tongue, unable to help but admit defeat, muttering to herself, "Impressive. He actually taught himself a Sacred Method in just three days."
Just then, Zhang Ruochen seemed to sense something. He glanced behind him and then hurled the Thunder God's Hammer toward a mountain sixty miles away.
A Death God Knight clad in Ten-Saint Blood Armor stood atop the mountain. Seeing the lightning hammer descending from the sky, he quickly raised a shield engraved with a skull.
A massive blood-red skull flew out from the shield and collided with the Thunder God's Hammer.
"Boom."
The two-thousand-meter-tall mountain collapsed inward, soon becoming flat ground. Even some rocks melted into magma, with lightning patterns flowing across the surface.
The Death God Knight did not fall. He remained standing, holding up his shield.
"Crack."
The shield in his hand shattered into pieces of iron.
The Death God Knight coughed up blood, having sustained some injuries. He quickly retreated and joined another Death God Knight, standing shoulder to shoulder.
"Could it be that the Undying Divine Temple has sent Death God Knights to hunt us down?"
Huang Yanchen and Qing Mo immediately activated their sacred qi, entering a combat state.
Behind the two Death God Knights, a woman wearing a black veil stepped forward. Her figure was curvaceous and graceful, her eyes carrying a sinister power. She said softly, "Before coming here, I underestimated you. Based on the attack power you just displayed, your spiritual strength must have reached the fifty-second rank, right?"
"Are you human or Undying Blood Clan?" Zhang Ruochen asked.
The woman had no blood wings on her back, which was why Zhang Ruochen asked.
She smiled faintly. "Half of my blood is from the Undying Blood Clan, and half is human. I forgot to tell you, my name is Zhu Qingyi, the direct disciple of Zhong Ying King."
"The disciple of Zhong Ying King."
A cold glint flashed in Zhang Ruochen's eyes.
What a small world.
Zhu Qingyi said, "Your spiritual power is quite impressive. You are a talent. Tell me your name and background, and perhaps a path to survival may still lie before you."
(End of Chapter)