Chapter 1300: A Great Enemy Is Upon Us
Canglan Martial Saint’s attention fell upon Zhang Ruochen, yet she found herself unable to see through him. Moreover, standing before her, he showed no pressure at all, appearing utterly calm and composed.
As the foremost of the Nine Heavens Mysterious Maidens, she was being ignored by this man—something that had never happened before.
Canglan Martial Saint was very curious about Zhang Ruochen’s identity and asked, “Sir, how should I address you?”
Zhang Ruochen clasped his hands behind his back, still gazing down the mountain, and said, “What’s the point of asking such questions? Focus on healing your injuries; recover whatever strength you can.”
A peculiar glint flashed in Canglan Martial Saint’s eyes. She thought to herself, *What sharp perception—he can tell I’m heavily injured and merely putting up a front. This man is certainly no ordinary person.*
Liu Li Female Saint and Yuan Su Female Saint, unaware of how severely Canglan Martial Saint was wounded, recounted the events of encountering Zhang Ruochen.
Canglan Martial Saint’s eyes finally showed a hint of wariness, and a faint smile appeared on her face. “Thank you both for saving Liu Li and Yuan Su. May I ask which sect’s elders you are? Once we return to the Central Imperial City, I will surely report this to the imperial court and ensure you receive due credit.”
Clearly, Canglan Martial Saint still found Zhang Ruochen and Qing Mo’s origins questionable and wanted to verify their identities. This alone showed that she was far more astute than Liu Li Female Saint and Yuan Su Female Saint, having clearly experienced much in the outside world and understanding the dangers of human hearts.
Zhang Ruochen still did not answer, instead uttering two words: “They’re here.”
“Boom, rumble.”
Thick blood mist appeared from afar, surrounding the Daoist temple on all sides.
Then, over a dozen Blood Saint figures emerged from the blood mist, each exuding formidable auras like gods and demons. Even a Half-Saint who came here would likely be intimidated by the saintly might radiating from them, forced to kneel.
Mie Feng Blood Saint, the Heaven-Passing Blood General of the Demon Heaven Tribe, wielded a giant sword gleaming with silver light and laughed loudly, “Canglan Martial Saint, submit to this saint and become my concubine—I will not treat you poorly.”
The other Blood Saints knew well that Mie Feng Blood Saint was deliberately trying to provoke Canglan Martial Saint, so they joined in the laughter. “If the Blood General tires of her, let us also taste the flavor of a Nine Heavens Mysterious Maiden, haha!”
“If that day comes, I’d gladly give up ten years of my life.”
Hearing those filthy words, Liu Li Female Saint and Yuan Su Female Saint clenched their teeth in rage, itching to charge out of the temple and beat them senseless.
Canglan Martial Saint’s eyes also flashed with cold light, and the sacred sword in her hand emitted a piercing sword cry.
She glanced at Zhang Ruochen and said, “Sir, lend me your strength to slay the Undying Blood Clan saints.”
“I’m sorry, but I am severely injured and afraid I cannot help you.”
Zhang Ruochen coughed lightly, appearing frail and weak, with an apologetic smile on his face.
Canglan Martial Saint’s willow-leaf brows furrowed slightly, displeased. She felt this man was deliberately feigning weakness, unwilling to act, as if hiding something.
Canglan Martial Saint spoke with righteous indignation, “The Undying Blood Clan burns, kills, and loots in the Northern Domain, committing every evil imaginable. Countless humans have died, and many are kept like livestock. When encountering the Undying Blood Clan, every human cultivator should unite and fight them tooth and nail.”
Liu Li Female Saint and Yuan Su Female Saint looked at Zhang Ruochen with hopeful eyes. If this gentleman with powerful spiritual power could join forces with the Martial Saint, they might be able to carve a path to survival today.
From start to finish, Zhang Ruochen listened quietly, neither refuting nor responding.
Qing Mo stepped forward and said, “Our young master is indeed gravely injured. Just standing before you is a great struggle; he truly cannot help you.”
Canglan Martial Saint shook her head, looking deeply disappointed. “Since you have made your choice, I will not force you further.”
With that, Canglan Martial Saint and the two female saints walked out of the temple, ready to fight the Undying Blood Clan to the death.
Zhang Ruochen said, “I have set up formations around the temple; they cannot break in. Even if you want to die, why not wait until you’ve healed your injuries? The stronger your combat power, the more enemies you can take down with you.”
Canglan Martial Saint stopped and pondered his words.
The maze formation around the temple was indeed formidable, and it might actually hold back the Undying Blood Clan saints. Canglan Martial Saint carried Fengchun Pills with her; if given an hour, her injuries could fully heal. If she recovered, she had some confidence in breaking through the encirclement.
In the end, Canglan Martial Saint and the two female saints swallowed Fengchun Pills and stayed in the temple to heal.
Seeing that they had failed to provoke Canglan Martial Saint into coming out, all the Undying Blood Clan saints glared angrily at Zhang Ruochen, feeling he was meddling.
Where had this person even come from?
A Blood Saint wielding a scythe stepped forward and reported to Mie Feng Blood Saint, “Blood General, it was this man who killed Konglan Blood Saint and Zufeng Blood Saint and rescued the two female saints.”
Mie Feng Blood Saint snorted coldly, “Killed two Blood Saints and still wants to protect Canglan Martial Saint? Does he think he’s a guardian god?”
“To be precise, he has killed at least five Blood Saints. In Ningfeng Prefecture, he committed a shocking bloodbath, killing three Blood Saints, dozens of Half-Saints, and thirty thousand elite Undying Blood Clan troops. He’s already on the *Must-Kill List*.”
Zhu Qingyi’s sinister, beautiful eyes stared coldly at Zhang Ruochen, recognizing him as the spiritual power saint who had escaped from her grasp before.
Hearing this, Canglan Martial Saint, who was healing, was slightly moved and began to see Zhang Ruochen in a new light.
Had she truly misjudged him?
This man had ventured deep into Undying Blood Clan territory and accomplished such great deeds—he must be a heroic figure who hated evil. Perhaps he really was too injured to act.
Killing five Blood Saints was a glorious achievement and merit in human eyes, making him a hero.
But to the Undying Blood Clan, such a person was utterly evil, deserving of being cut into a thousand pieces.
“Truly, I searched high and low but found nothing, yet now it comes without effort. Let’s see how you escape this time.”
Zhu Qingyi waved her arm, and two Blood Saints appeared at her left and right.
The Blood Saint on the left was tall and broad-shouldered, his cultivation at the peak of the Xuanhuang Realm, with a river of Xuanhuang Qi swirling around him.
The Blood Saint on the right appeared quite old, his cultivation at the Chedi Realm.
“Capture that spiritual power saint alive for me.” Zhu Qingyi’s voice was extremely pleasant but carried sharp killing intent.
The two Blood Saints grinned ferociously, turning into streaks of blood-red light as they flew toward the temple.
But the moment they stepped into the space maze formation, they immediately regretted it.
“Not good, there’s an illusion formation around the temple.”
Reacting quickly, the two Blood Saints sensed danger and immediately retreated, trying to escape the area.
However, once inside the space maze formation, escape was far from easy.
Both Blood Saints were trapped within the formation.
Seeing this, Zhu Qingyi frowned and looked again at Zhang Ruochen standing at the temple gate. Could this fellow also be an array master?
“What a powerful formation—it can even trap a Chedi Realm saint.”
“Where did such a skilled array master come from?”
“Everyone, think of a way to break the formation. We paid a heavy price, losing four Blood Saints, to severely wound Canglan Martial Saint. Don’t let her recover her strength, or with her terrifying combat power, who knows how much more we’ll have to sacrifice to suppress her.”
…
None of the Undying Blood Clan saints present could laugh anymore, realizing the gravity of the situation. The appearance of an array master was a huge variable, making this siege much more troublesome.
The leader of the Qitian Tribe, named Kongqian Blood Saint, was also a Heaven-Passing Blood General, his cultivation at the peak of the Tongtian Realm, very close to True Saint. He gripped a golden long spear, channeled all his power, and thrust it toward the temple.
“Boom.”
Space trembled violently.
But the power unleashed by the spear did not break the space maze formation. Instead, the force rebounded, striking back at Kongqian Blood Saint’s chest.
“How is that possible?”
Kongqian Blood Saint was stunned and immediately sidestepped to the right, dodging the rebounding force.
That force struck a Xuanhuang Realm Blood Saint behind him, tearing him apart into pieces, divine form and all destroyed.
A Heaven-Passing Blood General’s full-force strike was naturally something a Xuanhuang Realm saint could not withstand.
“What kind of formation is this? It can even reverse attacks, making it impossible to break.” Kongqian Blood Saint’s expression grew serious, shedding his contempt and re-evaluating the sickly young man standing at the temple gate.
This man was no simple opponent.
Mie Feng Blood Saint sneered disdainfully, “Why waste energy breaking the formation? I have a simpler method. Bring them up.”
With that, four female saints in white armor were brought before Mie Feng Blood Saint. They were all injured, with iron chains binding their hands and feet, each step producing a series of clanking sounds.
The chains were forged from special materials, engraved with lightning and fire inscriptions, specifically designed to restrain saint-level beings.
Mie Feng Blood Saint extended a massive hand, his fingers tipped with sharp claws, and touched the delicate face of one female saint. His hand slid downward, reaching her waist and hips. The female saint trembled in fear, her legs giving way as she collapsed to the ground, sobbing and looking pleadingly at Canglan Martial Saint and the others in the temple.
Female saints who had spent years in the palace were accustomed to comfort and luxury; their willpower naturally couldn’t match that of saints tempered through countless bloody battles.
Mie Feng Blood Saint shook his head and laughed, “Failing to capture Canglan Martial Saint is indeed regrettable, but these four beautiful female saints have not disappointed this saint—they are all stunningly gorgeous. I wonder, beneath their cold armor, are their bodies even more enticing? Someone, strip off their armor and remove their clothes. Let everyone see if the so-called Seventy-Two Palace female saints still appear holy and aloof when naked.”
The Undying Blood Clan saints all burst into lecherous laughter, with several eagerly approaching the four female saints, ready to act immediately.