Chapter 1303: Power from Beyond the Domain
Zhang Ruochen reached forward with both hands, employing spatial distortion to redirect the destructive force from the self-destruction of that Thorough Ground Realm Blood Saint to another direction.
"Truly ruthless, forcing a Thorough Ground Realm Saint to self-destruct their Saint Source," Zhang Ruochen muttered to himself.
A Thorough Ground Realm Saint in the Blood God Sect could already serve as a Palace Master or a Saint Elder, undoubtedly a top-tier figure. For the Undying Blood Clan to sacrifice such a heavy price to break the Space Confusion Formation was shocking.
Canglan Battle Saint's injuries had recovered by sixty to seventy percent. At the moment that Thorough Ground Realm Saint self-destructed, her right hand grasped the void, and her Sacred Sword flew out, expanding to over sixty meters in length and as wide as a door panel. With a thunderous crash, it embedded itself before her, forming a sword wall.
The mysterious power contained within the Daoist temple, combined with the sword wall formed by the giant sword, created a double defense that withstood the destructive force. Canglan Battle Saint and the six female saints stood behind the sword wall, unharmed.
"The Space Confusion Formation has been destroyed. We must flee this place immediately."
Zhang Ruochen sent a telepathic message to Qing Mo, and the two transformed into streaks of white and cyan light, charging out of the Daoist temple.
"You won't escape."
From the foot of the mountain, a cold shout rang out.
Immediately, a blood cloud spanning hundreds of meters surged upward, intercepting Zhang Ruochen and Qing Mo's path.
Within the blood cloud stood a massive figure, three zhang tall. The saintly might radiating from him made Zhang Ruochen and Qing Mo feel suffocated.
The man in the blood cloud was none other than Miefeng Blood Saint, one of the four Heavenly Blood Generals.
Before that Thorough Ground Realm Blood Saint had self-destructed his Saint Source, the saints of the Undying Blood Clan had retreated to the foot of the mountain to avoid being caught in the blast. Now, they had completely surrounded this elephant-shaped stone mountain and were tightening the encirclement, charging back up the summit.
Qing Mo was panic-stricken, her eyes fixed on Zhang Ruochen. "Young Master, what do we do now?"
"We can only retreat to the Daoist temple and cooperate with them. Perhaps we can carve out a bloody path."
Just as he was about to retreat into the Daoist temple, Zhang Ruochen's ears were assailed once more by a series of strange sounds—sharp screams, roars of savage beasts, a woman's weeping, the clashing of sword hilts...
From the depths of the Daoist temple, dense black shadows surged out. Some resembled children, some old men, some savage beasts. All these shadows were projected onto the ground, too numerous to count.
"Are these undead spirits?"
"What are they? I can feel them crying out."
...
This time, even Qing Mo and the female saints saw the shadows. They felt a chill run down their spines and quickly dodged, afraid to make contact.
"Could they be... Evil Saint Thought Entities?" Zhang Ruochen wondered.
Evil Saint Thought Entities were neither living beings nor undead spirits. They were formed from the saintly thoughts of Half-Saints and Saints and were highly aggressive.
Zhang Ruochen had encountered Evil Saint Thought Entities on the undead ship in the Yin-Yang Sea.
The shadows rushing out from the depths of the Daoist temple were very similar to Evil Saint Thought Entities, but they were far weaker and far more numerous. Even the undead ship couldn't have produced so many Evil Saint Thought Entities.
What were they?
"The massive commotion caused by that Thorough Ground Realm Blood Saint's self-destruction seems to have disturbed some terrifying existence deep within the Daoist temple."
Zhang Ruochen faintly heard a strange sound from the depths of the Daoist temple.
Then, a crack split open the foundation of the Daoist temple, and an overwhelmingly terrifying aura surged from underground, as if an ancient being was awakening.
In that instant, every hair on Zhang Ruochen's body stood on end, and his back turned ice-cold. The combined presence of all the Undying Blood Clan Blood Saints couldn't compare to the terror emanating from beneath the Daoist temple. Qing Mo's legs went weak with fear, her teeth chattering.
"Could it be... a demon god emerging into the world?"
The six female saints were also pale with fear, unable to move. Their gazes turned to Canglan Battle Saint, hoping she had a strategy.
Canglan Battle Saint's expression was grim, but she remained relatively composed.
Clearly, they couldn't return to the Daoist temple now. They had to find another way out.
Zhang Ruochen looked up at the summit above the Daoist temple, where clouds and mist swirled. Faintly, he could see clusters of ancient buildings within the mist, radiating a sacred glow.
"Keep climbing."
Suppressing his fear with sheer willpower, Zhang Ruochen released his spiritual power, condensing a bolt of lightning. He swept up the dazed Qing Mo and shot upward like a streak of electricity toward the higher peak.
Canglan Battle Saint extended her left hand, sending out a river of saintly energy that enveloped the six female saints. She charged forward, close behind Zhang Ruochen.
"Boom."
The Daoist temple's foundation shattered completely, opening a one-zhang-wide chasm.
A wave of deathly energy surged from underground, rushing into the sky, shrouding the entire heavens in a gray, deathly pall.
Zhang Ruochen glanced back, his heart pounding violently.
"That power is... Death Evil Qi."
This wasn't Zhang Ruochen's first encounter with Death Evil Qi. Long ago, during his training in the Black Tortoise Ruins Realm, he had witnessed its terrifying nature.
In the Black Tortoise Ruins Realm, a pillar of calamity from the sea, imbued with Death Evil Qi, had impaled and killed a Green Fire Black Tortoise that had reached the Saint King realm.
The Death Evil Qi surging from beneath the Daoist temple was identical to that on the pillar of calamity.
Now, Death Evil Qi had reappeared—how could Zhang Ruochen not be shocked?
The Blood Saints charging up from the foot of the mountain screamed in terror the moment they came into contact with the Death Evil Qi.
The deathly energy seeped into their blood and saintly energy, turning their skin black and causing it to rot. The Death Evil Qi not only destroyed their physical bodies but also corrupted their minds. Their eyes became bloodthirsty, violent, and insane, completely losing reason.
Zhu Qingyi seemed to know the horror of Death Evil Qi. His eyes widened in shock, and he shouted gravely, "Retreat to the foot of the mountain immediately! Don't touch the Death Evil Qi!"
"Whoosh—"
From beneath the Daoist temple, a black orb of light flew out, hovering in midair.
All the saints on the mountain, including Zhang Ruochen and Canglan Battle Saint, could feel the terrifying aura emanating from the black orb.
Tens of thousands of black shadows, seemingly controlled by the black orb, charged in two directions.
One batch rushed toward the summit, chasing Zhang Ruochen, Canglan Battle Saint, and the others. The other batch charged down the mountain, pursuing the Undying Blood Clan Blood Saints.
The black shadows moved at incredible speed, and they carried Death Evil Qi on their bodies.
One Blood Saint was caught by hundreds of black shadows. It was like being crushed by hundreds of mountains. He fell to the ground, letting out a blood-curdling scream.
Moments later, that Blood Saint turned into a pool of black pus.
Among the hundreds of black shadows, one grew stronger, taking on a form identical to that of the fallen Blood Saint.
Seeing this, even the bloodthirsty Blood Saints felt a chill run down their spines and fled even faster.
"What was released from beneath the Daoist temple?"
"How terrifying! Could it be that every time it kills someone, it gains another shadow?"
...
It was too bizarre. The unknown being that had escaped from underground seemed to possess tens of thousands of shadows. Every time it killed someone, it gained another.
Zhang Ruochen and Canglan Battle Saint were also sweating cold sweat, fleeing for their lives, not wanting to share the fate of that Blood Saint.
But the black shadows were closing in, about to surround them.
Canglan Battle Saint's pupils flared with flames, and the marks of two phoenixes appeared within them. She bit her finger and flicked it backward, sending drops of sacred blood flying from the wound.
"Hiss, hiss."
Each drop of sacred blood turned into a ball of flame, shaped like a phoenix feather.
A large swath of flaming feathers flew out, colliding with the pursuing black shadows. They burned the shadows into wisps of black smoke that dissipated into the air.
"True Phoenix Blood."
Zhang Ruochen's expression shifted with surprise. He hadn't expected Canglan Battle Saint to possess such a powerful constitution.
Only by cultivating the True Phoenix Body to great perfection could one's blood be transformed into True Phoenix Blood. Phoenix blood, imbued with the fire energy to incinerate all evil and darkness, was among the most precious types of blood.
The True Phoenix Body and the True Phoenix Body were constitutions comparable to the True Dragon Body.
"No wonder her combat power ranks first among the Nine Heavens Mysterious Maidens," Zhang Ruochen thought to himself.
Canglan Battle Saint continued to spill her blood, blocking the pursuing black shadows. Finally, they reached the summit and rushed into a cluster of cyan-colored palaces.
The sacred light radiating from the cyan palaces repelled the black shadows, preventing them from entering.
Zhang Ruochen and Canglan Battle Saint both let out a long sigh of relief. Their faces were pale, and they exchanged glances before letting out a laugh. Escaping with their lives was no easy feat.
"Earlier, I heard you say the words 'Death Evil Qi.' Do you know what that thing that rushed out from beneath the Daoist temple is?" Canglan Battle Saint asked.
Zhang Ruochen was utterly exhausted and sat down on the ground. "I've encountered Death Evil Qi before, but I don't fully understand it. I can only say that it might be a power from beyond this domain."
"A power from beyond this domain?"
Canglan Battle Saint was astonished. Her full chest heaved deeply as she pressed further, "Which ruins realm?"
Zhang Ruochen fell silent, recalling the Calamity Demon Pillar he had seen in the Black Tortoise Ruins Realm. A single ruins realm, even a high-level one, couldn't have forged such a terrifying weapon.
Could it be that in the vast universe, there truly existed worlds as powerful as Kunlun Realm, and that beings from those worlds had already visited Kunlun Realm?
Canglan Battle Saint was no fool. Seeing Zhang Ruochen's silence, she began to form her own suspicions. She drew in a cold breath and muttered to herself, "Could the rumors be true? Was the Immortal Machine Sect truly destroyed by a power from beyond this domain?"
Zhang Ruochen's expression was grim. He walked to a higher vantage point within the cyan palaces and activated his Heavenly Eye, gazing down at the Daoist temple below. He carefully observed the black orb hovering in midair.
Inside the black orb, it seemed to contain a long, white stone...
No, not a stone.
It was a bone—a finger bone.