Chapter 1304: The Secluded Dwelling
In an instant, four Blood Saints had already died. Their blood energy flowed into the black light sphere, causing that stark white finger bone to become covered in a web-like pattern of blood vessels, making it even more terrifying and ferocious.
It could absorb blood energy?
All along, only the Undying Blood Clan could absorb the blood of other living beings to strengthen themselves. Now, a bone had appeared that could absorb their blood. How could the saints of the Undying Blood Clan not be terrified?
Even powerful figures like Zhu Qingyi and Miefeng Blood Saint were fleeing with all their might into the distance.
Canglan Martial Saint possessed a pair of True Phoenix Saint Eyes, allowing her to see the finger bone within the black light sphere. Despite her vast experience, she found it utterly baffling.
"Is that the finger of a Great Saint?" Canglan Martial Saint asked.
Zhang Ruochen gently shook his head. "Even a god, after death, returns to dust. It couldn't possess such terrifying power. Unless..."
"Unless what?" Canglan Martial Saint asked curiously.
Qing Mo and the six female saints also pricked up their ears, eager to know what the black light sphere that had burst from beneath the Daoist temple actually was.
Zhang Ruochen said, "Unless that mighty being isn't completely dead. A wisp of saint soul or saint thought resides within the finger bone."
Qing Mo asked, "So, is it the finger bone of a Great Saint or a god?"
"I don't know. Either way, it's an extraordinarily powerful existence." Zhang Ruochen thought for a moment, then added, "It's probably the finger bone of a Great Saint from the Middle Ages. How easy is it for a god to be born in this world?"
"What if it is a god's finger bone?" Qing Mo pressed.
Zhang Ruochen took a deep breath. "If a wisp of divine soul or divine thought resides inside that finger bone, then it would be a considerable disaster for the Northern Domain, and even for the entire Kunlun Realm."
Outside the cyan palace, there were countless ferocious black shadows, trapping Zhang Ruochen and the others inside. They couldn't get out.
Canglan Martial Saint and the six female saints sat cross-legged on the ground, continuing to heal their injuries. Only by fully recovering and increasing their strength would they have a better chance of survival.
With nothing else to do, Zhang Ruochen focused entirely on absorbing the knowledge and spiritual power from the Sarira, urgently hoping to elevate his spiritual power to the next level.
After two consecutive days, Zhang Ruochen's spiritual power increased significantly, surging all the way to the fifty-third rank.
In that instant, all his sensory abilities grew by a large margin. Even with his eyes closed, everything around him was clearly presented in his mind.
However, both this mountain and the cyan palace were quite peculiar. Even with his spiritual power at the fifty-third rank, Zhang Ruochen still couldn't see through some of the areas.
Especially deeper within this cyan palace—the further in he tried to probe, the more blurred it became. His spiritual power simply couldn't penetrate it.
Zhang Ruochen didn't continue exploring the cyan palace. He opened his eyes, a smile appearing on his face.
"Master, has your spiritual power broken through again?" Qing Mo asked happily.
Zhang Ruochen was in a rather good mood. "I've advanced by one rank."
The fifty-third rank of spiritual power was a height countless spiritual power cultivators could only dream of. Even the Divine Fate Goddess of the Earth Divine Temple and the Undying Goddess of the Undying Divine Temple were at this level.
Of course, even among spiritual power saints at the same fifty-third rank, the difference in strength could be enormous. The Divine Fate Goddess and the Undying Goddess were both at the peak of the fifty-third rank, on the verge of breaking through to the fifty-fourth rank at any moment.
Zhang Ruochen had only just reached the fifty-third rank, equivalent to the early stage of the fifty-third rank. He still needed to continue cultivating diligently.
Canglan Martial Saint, clad in a suit of Phoenix Flame Battle Armor, her long hair like a crimson rain of fire, tall and stunningly beautiful, walked in from outside.
The six female saints had also fully recovered from their injuries. Each was full of energy and elegant in bearing, following behind Canglan Martial Saint like six fairies treading on waves.
Canglan Martial Saint said, "Those shadows flew deep into Xianji Mountain along with the finger bone in the black light sphere. We can leave now. Would you like to travel together?"
Zhang Ruochen looked up at the sky. The Death Evil Qi had indeed vanished completely.
He gently shook his head. "No. You have your business in Xianji Mountain, and I have mine. Let's part ways here."
Liu Li Female Saint gathered her courage and said to Zhang Ruochen, "The Blood Saints of the Undying Blood Clan aren't all dead. They will definitely come after you. If you travel with us, we can look out for each other."
Zhang Ruochen smiled faintly. "I have my own means of survival. They can't do anything to me."
Canglan Martial Saint was no simple character. Zhang Ruochen was worried that too much contact with her might reveal his flaws.
If Canglan Martial Saint learned of Zhang Ruochen's true identity, with her strong sense of justice, she would definitely try to capture him. Therefore, despite the danger, Zhang Ruochen decided to act alone.
A look of disappointment appeared on Liu Li Female Saint's pretty face. "You saved our lives, but we don't even know your name, young master. How are we supposed to repay you in the future?"
"If fate allows, we will surely meet again," Zhang Ruochen said with a smile.
Liu Li Female Saint knew that Zhang Ruochen's words were just a brush-off, and she felt a pang of loss. She didn't know his name, couldn't even clearly see his face. Even if he walked right past her in the future, she probably wouldn't recognize him.
The world was so vast. After parting today, where would there be another chance to meet?
Liu Li Female Saint took out a seven-colored jade hairpin, holding it tightly between her jade-like fingers. She walked over to Zhang Ruochen, a shy expression on her face, and handed the hairpin to him. "I have no way to repay you for saving my life. This hairpin isn't anything precious, but I hope you will accept it, young master."
Zhang Ruochen naturally understood that a woman giving a man a jade hairpin carried a special meaning. He couldn't help but sigh inwardly.
Afraid that Zhang Ruochen would refuse, Liu Li Female Saint placed the hairpin in his hand, immediately turned around, and rushed out of the cyan palace at top speed, disappearing from sight.
Following that, Canglan Martial Saint and the other five female saints also bid farewell to Zhang Ruochen and left the cyan palace.
Zhang Ruochen held the jade hairpin in his hand, catching a faint, delicate fragrance. A wry smile couldn't help but appear on his face.
"Master, a beautiful female saint has taken the initiative to show her affection for you. That's something to be envied. Why do you look so troubled? Are you afraid the princess will find out about this?" Qing Mo said with a playful smile.
"Don't talk nonsense."
Zhang Ruochen put away the jade hairpin, his expression turning somewhat serious. "For two people who are destined never to be together, developing feelings is nothing but a karmic entanglement. What's there to envy?"
Qing Mo dropped her smile. "Where should we go next? How about leaving Xianji Mountain? It's too dangerous here. What if that finger flies out again? We wouldn't even be able to escape."
"We can't leave until we've found Gu Songzi," Zhang Ruochen said.
He looked deeper into the cyan palace, squinting with a puzzled expression. "The sacred light emitted by this cyan palace can block the black shadows and the Death Evil Qi. Could there be something inside the palace that can suppress that finger?"
"Right!" Qing Mo's eyes lit up, becoming incredibly bright. She nodded vigorously, thinking Zhang Ruochen was very clever, always able to think of things others couldn't.
Zhang Ruochen and Qing Mo advanced deeper into the cyan palace. Before long, they were blocked by a formation and couldn't break through.
Even using her Immeasurable Sacred Flame and silver kitchen knife, Qing Mo couldn't break the formation.
Zhang Ruochen rubbed his chin and shook his head gently. "What a powerful formation. Perhaps only after I reconnect my three meridians and use the Purifying Divine Flame or a Space Rift will I be able to break it."
For now, Zhang Ruochen could only use spatial distortion with his spiritual power. He couldn't tear space itself, so he was helpless against the formation before him.
Zhang Ruochen and Qing Mo left the cyan palace, planning to search for Gu Songzi first.
As soon as they descended the mountain, Zhang Ruochen detected several waves of sacred energy with his spiritual power. Quite a few cultivators had entered Xianji Mountain.
By observing their attire and eavesdropping on their conversations, Zhang Ruochen identified their origins.
Some were from the Martial Market Bank, some from the Black Market, and some from the Moon Worship Demon Sect. Besides these, various top forces from the Northern Domain were also involved.
"Xianji Mountain has suddenly become so lively. Are they all here to seize the recipe for the Transformation Saint Pill? Or was the commotion caused by the finger bone's emergence so great that it attracted them here?"
Before long, a piece of news spread through Xianji Mountain:
The Undying Blood Clan had found Gu Songzi's secluded dwelling and tried to force their way in. However, they were attacked by a Golden Bat Giant Serpent and forced to retreat, with some Blood Saints dying.
After the news spread, it caused a huge stir.
"How do they know that's Gu Songzi's secluded dwelling? It's possible the Undying Blood Clan deliberately claimed the Golden Bat Giant Serpent's territory was Gu Songzi's dwelling, trying to lure human cultivators to their deaths."
Someone refuted this speculation. "Gu Songzi once tamed a Golden Bat Giant Serpent. Since the Golden Bat Giant Serpent has appeared, Gu Songzi's secluded dwelling should be nearby."
Immediately, cultivators from various major forces rushed towards the mountain forest where the Golden Bat Giant Serpent had appeared, all wanting to be the first to find Gu Songzi.
Zhang Ruochen and Qing Mo concealed their auras and spent half a day silently reaching the outer area of that forest.
Here, Zhang Ruochen discovered traces of battle, left behind by saint-level experts.
Qing Mo followed behind Zhang Ruochen, walking slowly and timidly. She whispered, "Master, that Golden Bat Giant Serpent even drove back the Undying Blood Clan. It must be an incredibly powerful barbarian beast. What if we can't defeat it?"
"We're here to find Gu Songzi, not to fight the Golden Bat Giant Serpent. Besides, Gu Songzi is a friend of the Drunkard. As long as he sees the token, he shouldn't be hostile towards us," Zhang Ruochen said with a smile.
(End of this chapter)