Chapter 1316: Space Bubble
This was a completely independent small world, so small that a Saint could see its edge with the naked eye, only about a hundred and fifty miles long.
Beneath their feet was a stretch of crimson blood-soaked earth, while above them, an island floated in the sky.
The island hung roughly a thousand zhang above the ground, with tens of thousands of white leaves cascading down from it all the way to the surface.
Each leaf resembled a waterfall descending from the heavens, radiating sacred light and rising mist, as if countless threads of energy flowed within them.
The sight before him left even Zhang Ruochen utterly astonished.
Qing Mo and the six female Saints rushed in after him, all of them stunned into silence. Who could have imagined that within the medicinal garden, another world lay hidden?
Qing Mo panicked slightly, "Oh no, we've stumbled into another world. Can we still get back?"
"It's not another world, just a space bubble," Zhang Ruochen said.
"A space bubble?"
Qing Mo and the six female Saints all looked puzzled, having never heard the term before, unsure of what it truly meant.
Zhang Ruochen explained, "A world is like a pool of water. Within the water, bubbles can form. Each bubble is both part of the pool and creates an independent small space inside itself."
"Space bubbles are highly unstable. They shatter under the attack of a powerful force. In the Kunlun Realm, even space bubbles that last a hundred years without breaking are extremely rare."
Liu Li Female Saint said, "But this space bubble has existed for at least a hundred thousand years. The white leaves hanging down from the floating island are likely the legendary Thousand-Leaf Sacred Core Grass, which has grown for a hundred thousand years."
Zhang Ruochen didn't know the exact reason and could only speculate, "Perhaps the power of the Great Saint remnant formation has made the spatial structure here exceptionally stable, allowing the space bubble to persist until now."
Zhang Ruochen released his spiritual power to scan the entire world. He detected six powerful sacred auras: aside from Canglan Martial Saint and the black figure, there were four Transcendence Realm Saints.
However, he found no trace of Gu Songzi.
"Could that old fellow have died inside the Great Saint remnant formation? No, his spiritual power far surpasses mine. Even if he's hiding somewhere, I might not be able to detect him."
Zhang Ruochen had a feeling Gu Songzi wasn't so easy to kill. That old man was cunning; he was likely lurking in the shadows again, watching others fight to the death before jumping out to claim the spoils.
Canglan Martial Saint and the black figure were locked in fierce combat, the clashing sounds of swords and wind chimes echoing as they fought to a standstill.
The other four Transcendence Realm Saints were also battling, tearing the ground of the space bubble apart inch by inch.
At the center of the encirclement was a Transcendence Realm Saint clad in golden armor, wielding a golden long spear. Dense blood mist radiated from his body, and his murderous aura was overwhelming, like a Shura slaughter god from hell.
This man was Kongqian Blood Saint, one of the three Transcendence Blood Generals.
The three people besieging Kongqian Blood Saint were all renowned figures from the Northern Domain, hailing from three different colossal forces with deep backgrounds.
Qing Mo stared intently at the leaves hanging from the floating island, certain that each leaf contained astonishing medicinal properties—it had to be Thousand-Leaf Sacred Core Grass.
"Master, while they're fighting, let's go pick the Thousand-Leaf Sacred Core Grass." Qing Mo rubbed her small hands together, eager to act.
"Don't be fooled by their current battle. The moment we approach the floating island, we'll become the target of everyone, facing attacks from all sides. With our strength, can we withstand a combined strike from them?" Zhang Ruochen said.
The six female Saints nodded, finding Zhang Ruochen's reasoning sound.
"The Thousand-Leaf Sacred Core Grass is right in front of us, but we can't pick it. What if someone else takes it?"
The Thousand-Leaf Sacred Core Grass was crucial for fully healing Zhang Ruochen's injuries, so Qing Mo was naturally very concerned.
"Our strength is already formidable, and we still have a good chance of coming out on top and seizing the Thousand-Leaf Sacred Core Grass. The only ones who can truly threaten us are the three Transcendence Blood Generals of the Undying Blood Clan."
Zhang Ruochen pointed toward Kongqian Blood Saint and said, "Before the other two Transcendence Blood Generals arrive, let's take him down first."
"Hammer of the Thunder God."
Zhang Ruochen unleashed his Spiritual Power Sacred Image. A massive thunderous figure materialized, radiating immense energy. Heavenly and earthly spiritual energy converged continuously, forming an electric hammer in the figure's hand.
The thunder giant leaped up, reaching a hundred zhang in height, and swung the hammer down toward Kongqian Blood Saint's head.
Kongqian Blood Saint snorted coldly, extending a golden, radiant palm upward. The golden hand grew larger and larger, each fingerprint resembling a mountain range or a great river.
"Boom."
The thunder giant's attack was blocked by the palm seal Kongqian Blood Saint had unleashed.
"Impressive. With my current level of spiritual power, even a sacred technique can't faze him at all. No wonder he's a Transcendence Blood General," Zhang Ruochen thought to himself.
"Excellent! Another friend joins the fight. Today, we must slay this murderous demon king."
The Transcendence Realm Saint from the Four Symbols Sect, clad in a Daoist robe and wielding a sacred sword, had white hair but a youthful face. He cast a friendly glance at Zhang Ruochen.
"Friend, you're clearly not aligned with the Undying Blood Clan. My earlier misunderstanding—please forgive me."
The Transcendence Realm Saint from the Star Constellation Sect, a middle-aged man, had previously suspected Zhang Ruochen of siding with the Undying Blood Clan.
The third Transcendence Realm Saint came from an ancient aristocratic clan in the Northern Domain, the Yao Clan, and was a white-haired old woman.
The Four Symbols Sect, Star Constellation Sect, and Yao Clan were all superpowers in the Northern Domain.
The three of them were already formidable on their own, and together they could fight Kongqian Blood Saint to a draw. Zhang Ruochen's entry tipped the balance, putting Kongqian Blood Saint on the defensive.
Qing Mo took out her silver kitchen knife, fiddling with it in her hand, occasionally aiming at Kongqian Blood Saint and then at the black figure fighting Canglan Martial Saint.
Since traveling with Zhang Ruochen, Qing Mo had grown bolder and bolder.
"Whoosh—"
Suddenly, Qing Mo's arm jerked, and the silver kitchen knife flew out, spinning rapidly into a streak of light, striking Kongqian Blood Saint in the chest.
"Pfft."
The silver knife pierced through Kongqian Blood Saint's chest, sending a spray of blood flying from his body.
Severely wounded, Kongqian Blood Saint glared coldly at Qing Mo, both furious and humiliated. A Transcendence Blood General who terrorized the Northern Domain had been gravely injured by a little girl.
If this got out, wouldn't he become a laughingstock among the Undying Blood Clan?
"Courting death!"
Kongqian Blood Saint spread his blood wings, unleashing incredible speed to break free from the three Transcendence Realm Saints' encirclement and charge at Qing Mo.
"I didn't mean to! My hand slipped!"
Qing Mo panicked, quickly recalling her silver knife and hiding behind Zhang Ruochen.
Her hand slipped, and she still managed to wound him severely?
Who would believe that?
Kongqian Blood Saint was so enraged he spat blood, his killing intent intensifying. He felt the little girl was deliberately provoking him. Even gravely wounded, he wanted to kill her first before escaping.
"Sword Six."
Zhang Ruochen clasped his hands together, channeling sword intent and sacred qi to condense into a radiant white longsword.
"Whoosh—"
The sword flew out, splitting into a thousand sword shadows.
Kongqian Blood Saint roared with overwhelming dominance, thrusting his golden long spear forward. A thunderous boom followed, shattering all the sword qi.
"So-called Sword Six is nothing special... That is... you..."
In Kongqian Blood Saint's pupils, a silver streak appeared.
A kitchen knife spun rapidly within the streak.
Too close to dodge, with a "pfft," the knife sliced off half of Kongqian Blood Saint's head, a gruesome sight.
"Roar!"
With only half a head left, the wound bleeding profusely, Kongqian Blood Saint let out an enraged howl, revealing sharp fangs as if ready to devour someone.
"Hiss!"
Qing Mo covered her mouth with both hands, her eyes wide with shock, backing away repeatedly. "Sorry, that really was my hand slipping."
Even the six female Saints thought Qing Mo was going too far. She clearly had formidable cultivation but insisted on sneak attacks, then pretended to be innocent afterward.
Only Zhang Ruochen knew Qing Mo's expression wasn't an act. She genuinely wanted to help him, but she was also genuinely terrified of Kongqian Blood Saint.
The three Transcendence Realm Saints from the Four Symbols Sect, Star Constellation Sect, and Yao Clan were also speechless, finding Qing Mo shameless.
However, they realized that Zhang Ruochen and Qing Mo were both extremely powerful. Add Canglan Martial Saint and the six female Saints, and they formed a super alliance that could sweep everything, likely taking the Thousand-Leaf Sacred Core Grass.
"Let's pick the Thousand-Leaf Sacred Core Grass together and leave Immortal Mechanism Mountain. The three major forces will split it equally. What do you say?" the Four Symbols Sect Transcendence Realm Saint proposed.
"Agreed."
The other two Transcendence Realm Saints immediately consented, forming a temporary alliance.
The three Saints stopped attacking Kongqian Blood Saint, intending to use him to occupy Zhang Ruochen and Qing Mo while they flew toward the floating island.
"Finish this quickly. Form the formation."
Zhang Ruochen and the six female Saints set up a sword formation, trapping the severely wounded Kongqian Blood Saint within. Before long, Kongqian Blood Saint was torn apart and fell, perishing in the space bubble.
At the same time, a scream came from the floating island.
The corpse of a Transcendence Realm Saint fell from above. The body, clad in a Daoist robe, was only half intact, covered in a layer of deathly evil qi.
He was the Transcendence Realm Saint from the Four Symbols Sect, killed by a single palm strike from the black figure.
When the three Transcendence Realm Saints flew toward the floating island, the black figure had withdrawn from his fight with Canglan Martial Saint, pursued them, and climbed onto the island.
Now, the black figure stood at the edge of the floating island, looking down at the half-corpse and Zhang Ruochen's group below. He said coldly, "If you want to seize the Thousand-Leaf Sacred Core Grass, first weigh your own worth."
Those words seemed to be a warning to Zhang Ruochen and the others.
Zhang Ruochen looked up, but the black figure had already vanished from the island's edge, leaving only the pleasant sound of wind chimes echoing in the sky.
(Chapter End)