Chapter 1337: Slaying the Heaven-Connecting Blood General
Within Fengyue City, demonic qi and blood qi clashed against each other, with continuous booming sounds spreading outward as large sections of the city sank deep into the ground.
Qi Zhenhuan let out a deep roar: "Junior, do not be so arrogant. The true battle has only just begun."
"Ten Saint Blood Armor, lend me your power."
"Life-or-Death Blood Slave, aid me in killing the enemy."
A set of Ten Saint Blood Armor was activated, enveloping Qi Zhenhuan's entire body. Immediately, ten saintly shadows burst forth from the blood armor, standing in ten directions around Qi Zhenhuan, emitting ten dazzling clusters of saintly light.
The power of the Ten Saint Blood Armor was divided into four levels: Pseudo Ten Saint Power, Lower Realm Ten Saint Power, Middle Realm Ten Saint Power, and Upper Realm Ten Saint Power.
The higher the user's cultivation, the more powerful the force the Ten Saint Blood Armor could unleash.
With Qi Zhenhuan's cultivation, he could already activate the fourth level of the Ten Saint Blood Armor's power. Each saintly shadow possessed strength comparable to an Upper Realm Saint.
The combined power of ten Upper Realm Saints was by no means a simple sum of their individual strengths. It was like the strength of ten people converging into one person—that individual could easily sweep through all ten.
"Boom, boom."
Behind Qi Zhenhuan, two streams of blood-red energy tore through the earth and surged into the sky. Within those blood-red currents, two figures clad in blood armor rose from the depths of the ground.
They wore battle armor that only military saints of the imperial court could don. Their bones protruded outward, and their eyes turned blood-red, filled with violent and bloodthirsty emotions.
From a distance, many human cultivators stared fixedly at the two military saint blood slaves.
Normally, encountering a single military saint would require them to kneel and kowtow. Now, two lofty military saints had been refined into blood slaves—this scene dealt a heavy blow to their minds.
"The power of a Heaven-Connecting Blood General is truly terrifying. I wonder if Zhang Ruochen can take him down," said a human Half-Saint, holding his breath as he struggled to suppress the shock in his heart and maintain his composure.
"Sizzle, sizzle."
The blood within the two military saint blood slaves began to burn, their power skyrocketing, increasing more than tenfold. The sound of their blood flowing resembled great rivers and seas surging, rumbling and echoing for dozens of miles.
They transformed into Life-or-Death Blood Slaves, burning their blood qi and life force, radiating heat and light as they fought for their master, ceasing their attacks only upon complete death.
Zhang Ruochen executed the Seven Orifices Blood Nether Palm, forming a blood-red handprint. With a single palm strike, he slammed one of the Life-or-Death Blood Slaves to the ground. The immense force deformed its armor and flattened its saintly body.
"Roar."
That Life-or-Death Blood Slave did not die. Absorbing the blood mist in the air, it restored itself, crawled out of the rubble, and charged at Zhang Ruochen as a streak of light.
"Haha! A saint-level Life-or-Death Blood Slave has even greater vitality than a Blood Saint. As long as its spiritual will is not extinguished, it can keep fighting."
Qi Zhenhuan was quite pleased, finding it amusing to witness human saints slaughtering each other.
"No matter how strong, without their own martial spirit, they are nothing but decorations."
Zhang Ruochen pointed a finger, and the space where that Life-or-Death Blood Slave stood collapsed with a loud boom, turning into a shattered zone dozens of feet in diameter.
With a "bang," the saintly body of that Life-or-Death Blood Slave was torn apart, vanishing along with the shattered space.
"How... is that possible? Even a Heaven-Connecting Blood General would find it no easy task to kill a saint-level Life-or-Death Blood Slave." Qi Zhenhuan was momentarily stunned.
"It's that simple."
Zhang Ruochen's eyes were filled with cold intent. "Seeing as you are a Heaven-Connecting Blood General, I won't use the power of space and time. I'll give you a chance to face me head-on."
"Arrogant."
Qi Zhenhuan did not send the other Life-or-Death Blood Slave to attack. Instead, he acted personally, activating the inscriptions within his heavy blade. A surge of Thousand Ripple Annihilation Force erupted, merging with the blade's energy as he swung it horizontally.
"Moving Mountains and Shifting Peaks."
The blade light spread like a blood-red wave, destroying everything in its path.
Zhang Ruochen activated the inscriptions within the Abyssal Ancient Sword, once again employing the True One Thunder Fire Sword Technique, summoning dense bolts of lightning that turned all of Fengyue City into an ocean of thunder and lightning.
Blade light and sword energy clashed violently once more, forcing the surviving Undying Blood Clan experts to retreat from Fengyue City.
Except for the Giant Spirit Demon Ape, who was locked in battle with the Four Swords Blood Saint, all other Undying Blood Clan experts were intercepted by Guo Guo. On the open plains, a earth-shattering battle between man and dragon erupted.
Within Fengyue City, only Zhang Ruochen and Qi Zhenhuan remained in fierce combat.
The other Life-or-Death Blood Slave had already been reduced to a skeleton by a Thunder Fire Sword Technique from Zhang Ruochen, its saintly soul extinguished and its life consciousness lost.
Qi Zhenhuan was forced to retreat continuously, unwilling to let Zhang Ruochen get close. Once close, Zhang Ruochen could unleash his physical strength, combining it with his martial power—could he still withstand that?
"So powerful. Has Zhang Ruochen truly become a scourge to the Undying Blood Clan?"
After fighting for so long, Qi Zhenhuan was well aware that, with his cultivation, even using the Divine Communication Method, he would likely struggle to take down Zhang Ruochen. Moreover, using the Divine Communication Method caused too much self-harm; there was no need to go that far.
He glanced at the other two battlefields, only to find that the two demonic beasts Zhang Ruochen had brought were incredibly formidable. All the other Blood Saints were tied up and could not come to his aid.
The Four Swords Blood Saint was originally the strongest, but the Giant Spirit Demon Ape he faced possessed terrifying power and defense, firmly locking him in battle. Neither could gain the upper hand.
Qi Zhenhuan transmitted a message to the Four Swords Blood Saint: "Retreat! Zhang Ruochen has come into his own. We cannot suppress him today."
"Agreed," said the Four Swords Blood Saint.
All Undying Blood Clan experts below the saint realm had been devoured by the Devouring Demon Dragon, and even two Blood Saints had been eaten. The Four Swords Blood Saint did not want to suffer further losses, so he chose to retreat.
"Junior, I'll spare your life today. We'll fight another day."
Qi Zhenhuan spat out a harsh word, then spread the two pairs of blood wings on his back, unleashing speed far beyond that of a Heaven-Connecting Realm Saint.
The Undying Blood Clan had a natural advantage in speed. When facing humans of the same realm, even if they could not win, they could easily escape.
But this time, his opponent was Zhang Ruochen.
"I gave you a chance to face me head-on. Why run?"
Zhang Ruochen executed the Great Space Teleportation, instantly catching up to Qi Zhenhuan. Then, he released his sword intent and thrust his sword forward.
"Sword Seven."
The entire sky trembled slightly as sword patterns spread across the earth and sky. The tip of the Abyssal Ancient Sword was at the center of all these sword patterns.
Qi Zhenhuan quickly raised his blade to block, colliding with the Abyssal Ancient Sword.
"Bang."
Though his heavy blade was a Thousand-Mark Sacred Artifact, it could not withstand the power of the Abyssal Ancient Sword. It shattered into pieces.
The Abyssal Ancient Sword struck Qi Zhenhuan's chest, clashing with the Ten Saint Blood Armor. A sharp sound of metal striking stone rang out, with large sparks flying.
Qi Zhenhuan spat out a mouthful of saint blood, flying backward like a cannonball before crashing to the ground.
Qi Zhenhuan was indeed formidable. Even after such a heavy blow, he immediately rose from the crater. But just as he flew a few dozen feet into the air, Zhang Ruochen struck him with a Saint-level Blood-Suppressing Talisman.
"Bang."
The Saint-level Blood-Suppressing Talisman exploded, covering Qi Zhenhuan's body with patterns of light, like white chains locking down the blood qi within him.
"This... damn it, this talisman again..."
All of Qi Zhenhuan's power was sealed. He could not even fly, plummeting straight to the ground.
Zhang Ruochen descended from above and, without hesitation, swung his sword toward Qi Zhenhuan's neck.
Qi Zhenhuan's eyes darkened, and he gritted his teeth. "You forced me to use the Divine Communication Method. Today, it's still uncertain who lives and who dies. With my blood, I sacrifice to the gods. Grant me power to slay the strong enemy."
Qi Zhenhuan activated the Divine Communication Method, using his body as an altar and his own blood as an offering to the gods, exchanging it for unprecedented power.
"Bang, bang."
Just as Zhang Ruochen's sword came down, Qi Zhenhuan forcibly broke some of the white chains on his body, extended both hands, and clamped them together, sealing the Abyssal Ancient Sword.
The power contained in the sword traveled through Qi Zhenhuan's body into the ground, causing the earth beneath them to sink continuously.
Using the Divine Communication Method could indeed grant a tenfold increase in cultivation.
A Heaven-Connecting Blood General using the Divine Communication Method could even contend with a True Saint. However, the cost of using this method was immense, and no one would resort to it unless at a life-or-death moment.
Qi Zhenhuan's arms exerted force, shattering all the white chains binding them. A surging power, like mountains overturning and seas shifting, struck the blade of the Abyssal Ancient Sword.
Zhang Ruochen released his grip on the Abyssal Ancient Sword, leaped upward, and flew into the air.
"Haha, Zhang Ruochen, you've even lost your sword. How will you fight me now? If you have the guts, use the Divine Communication Method too, and let's continue the battle."
Qi Zhenhuan rose from the sunken ground below, laughing loudly. As his power continued to increase, the Blood-Suppressing Talisman could no longer suppress him. The white chains on his chest, waist, and legs were broken one after another.
Zhang Ruochen stood in midair. "I don't need to go that far. Killing you doesn't require the Divine Communication Method."
Using the Divine Communication Method would severely damage a cultivator's foundation. The more talented the cultivator, the less likely they were to use such a self-destructive technique.
Moreover, for a saint, using the Divine Communication Method three times in a lifetime was the limit. By the third use, it was essentially a mutual destruction move. Few saints survived after using it a third time.
Just as Qi Zhenhuan was about to break all the white chains, Zhang Ruochen struck him with two more Saint-level Blood-Suppressing Talismans.
"No..."
The white chains on Qi Zhenhuan's body became even denser, sealing his blood qi once more. He fell to the ground like a dead dog, unable to move.
"Plop."
The Abyssal Ancient Sword plunged straight down, piercing through Qi Zhenhuan's head. Crimson saint blood gushed out like a fountain, coating the black sword body with a layer of blood light.
Qi Zhenhuan's saintly body trembled violently, but he could not break free from the white chains and the Abyssal Ancient Sword. His saint blood only flowed faster.
Before long, his saint blood had drained completely. His body turned pale and withered, and his life force vanished entirely.
"So formidable! Zhang Ruochen has slain a royal member of the Qitian Tribe. Even a Heaven-Connecting Blood General like Qi Zhenhuan could not withstand the Abyssal Ancient Sword."
"The Heir of Time and Space has truly grown. Unless those old monsters who have lived for a thousand years personally intervene, who can do anything to him?"
...
All the human cultivators who witnessed this battle trembled with excitement, sending out more Message Light Talismans to spread the news.
On this day, the human cultivators of the five domains were utterly shocked.
(Chapter End)