Chapter 1360: Sword Nine
The Sacred Corpse King beneath the Heavenly Fate Corpse Emperor turned its massive body, taking enormous strides as it charged rapidly into the darkness.
On the ground, footprints dozens of meters deep were left behind.
On the other side, the Spirit King Saint Ancestor transformed into a gust of yin wind and flew back into the coffin. The coffin, a Ten-Thousand Pattern Sacred Artifact, emitted black light, lifted off the ground, and chased after the Sacred Corpse King.
"Want to leave? It won't be that easy."
Standing inside the Red Sun Sacred Image, Zhang Ruochen controlled the power of the blood-red giant. With a thunderous boom, he shattered the thousand-meter-tall rocky mountain with a single palm strike.
Then, taking a swift step forward, Zhang Ruochen and the blood-red giant passed through the shattered rocks, pursuing relentlessly. He launched another attack, striking the black coffin.
"Boom."
The coffin, already battered and broken by Ling Feiyu, couldn't withstand this force. It shattered into pieces, scattering fragments of the sacred artifact.
The Spirit King Saint Ancestor let out a miserable scream as the skin on his body burst open, releasing a dense cloud of blood mist.
The Heavenly Fate Corpse Emperor glanced back and saw the Spirit King Saint Ancestor being intercepted by Zhang Ruochen and Ling Feiyu.
At this moment, both Zhang Ruochen and Ling Feiyu were at their peak, as if they could slay gods and Buddhas alike. Who would dare to engage them in battle?
He didn't turn back to rescue him but continued controlling the Sacred Corpse King, breaking through layer after layer of formations in this city district as he retreated outward.
"Sword Nine."
Ling Feiyu stood a hundred zhang above the ground, raising her sacred sword above her head. Tens of thousands of inscriptions emerged on the blade, and in an instant, countless sword energies condensed across this entire region.
The stones, rubble, leaves, and petals on the ground all radiated sword intent, as if they had transformed into swords themselves.
Even strands of heaven and earth spiritual energy coalesced into sword qi.
The Abyssal Ancient Sword trembled, breaking free from Zhang Ruochen's grip, flying out to circle around Ling Feiyu.
"Legendary Sword Nine... Such terrifying sword intent. In the entire First Central Empire, how many people have reached this level of swordsmanship? Five?"
Sword Nine didn't represent raw power but rather one's mastery of the sword path.
Those who could achieve Great Perfection in Sword Nine were invariably extraordinary sword prodigies, capable of standing at the pinnacle of swordsmanship in their era.
Sword Emperor Xue Hongchen had managed to cultivate Sword Ten, which was already a miracle and a legend. Such a monstrous talent emerged only once every tens of thousands of years.
Zhang Ruochen released his spiritual power to probe and discovered that the sword qi and sword shadows in this region totaled over a million.
"Little girl, this old man will fight you to the death!"
Even a thousand-year-old monster like the Spirit King Saint Ancestor turned pale in the face of Sword Nine. He directly burned his sacred blood and activated a divine technique.
"Hell Ghost King Claw."
As the sacred art was unleashed, a skeletal Ghost King phantom appeared behind the Spirit King Saint Ancestor, extending a bone claw forward.
At the same time, Ling Feiyu swung her sacred sword downward.
The two Saint King-level forces clashed violently with a thunderous roar. The bone claw imprint was torn apart by the sword qi, and the massive Ghost King phantom collapsed into nothingness.
Then, a piercing scream split the night sky.
The Spirit King Saint Ancestor's sacred body shattered into dozens of pieces, and a large amount of sacred blood sprayed from the remains. The blood contained terrifying heat, hitting the ground with a sizzling sound, melting the soil and rocks into pools of crimson magma.
When the dust settled somewhat, Zhang Ruochen saw a sword path dozens of zhang wide on the ground, like a canyon cutting straight into the depths of the earth. It split this city district in two, stretching over three hundred li in length.
The formation inscriptions buried deep beneath the Seventh City District couldn't withstand this strike either, all torn apart.
Within the sword path, streams of sword qi still flowed, lingering for a long time without dissipating.
All the saints in the Central Imperial City were alarmed.
One after another, saintly figures rose into the air like stars, radiating sacred light as they stood midair, gazing toward the Seventh City District.
"A Saint King is fighting."
"The Empress has issued the Sacred Law Decree, explicitly forbidding saint-level figures from private combat within the city. Violators are to be executed. The restrictions on Saint Kings are even stricter. Which Saint King dares to defy the Sacred Law Decree?"
"Look! A mass of cyan war clouds is rising from the Battle Heaven Prince Manor, heading straight for the Seventh City District. It must be the Battle Heaven King taking action."
"King of Slaughter and the Grand Preceptor are also personally heading to the Seventh City District."
In an instant, the entire Central Imperial City changed color. Many renowned figures appeared simultaneously. Other saints also activated their movement techniques, flying toward the Seventh City District to see what had happened.
...
Zhang Ruochen glanced in the direction where the Heavenly Fate Corpse Emperor had fled and sighed. "Although we killed the Spirit King Saint Ancestor, the Heavenly Fate Corpse Emperor escaped. He will surely become a major enemy for me in the future."
After executing Sword Nine, Ling Feiyu had consumed a tremendous amount of sacred qi. She descended from midair, using her sacred sword to support herself, and said to Zhang Ruochen, "That attack must have alerted all the saints in the Central Imperial City. We need to leave this place immediately."
Zhang Ruochen knew they had been exposed. Without overthinking, he reached out, grabbed Ling Feiyu's wrist, and pulled her sharply toward him.
At the same time, the world gate of the Qiankun Realm opened.
"What are you doing?"
Ling Feiyu was startled, her almond-shaped eyes wide open, unsure of Zhang Ruochen's intentions. Suddenly, she felt his arm disappear, and after a dizzying spin, she opened her eyes to find herself in another spatial world.
Knowing about the existence of the "Heaven and Earth Chess Platform" and fearing that the imperial court might track Ling Feiyu and harm her, Zhang Ruochen temporarily moved her into the Qiankun Realm.
Then, Zhang Ruochen collected the Spirit King Saint Ancestor's remains and sacred source into his space ring.
The corpse of a Saint King contained immense energy. Using it as nourishment for the Sacred Flower of Devouring would allow it to break through its cultivation again.
Zhang Ruochen rushed to the abandoned courtyard where the spatial maze formation was located and moved Huang Yanchen, White Li Princess, and the others into the Qiankun Realm.
"They're fast."
Zhang Ruochen looked up at the pitch-black night sky, seeing streaks of white light, like a meteor shower, flying toward this direction.
Each white light was a saint.
In addition, a mass of cyan war clouds was almost directly above Zhang Ruochen. The energy emanating from the war clouds made the air feel heavy, making it hard for him to breathe.
"Great Space Teleportation."
Zhang Ruochen activated Great Space Teleportation, leaving this city district and arriving over two hundred li away on a bustling street.
In an instant, he suppressed his sacred aura to the extreme, drastically changing his appearance and figure, blending into the crowd like an ordinary cultivator.
Zhang Ruochen didn't leave immediately but stayed to observe.
The surrounding cultivators were all discussing: "Such a terrifying battle! An entire city district has been reduced to ruins, dozens of defensive formations torn apart, and the center has completely sunk into the ground."
"It must be two colossal forces clashing. I heard even Saint King-level figures got involved."
...
Soon, a large number of saints arrived at the Seventh City District, and more detailed news emerged.
"The Battle Heaven King, King of Slaughter, and the Grand Preceptor have all entered the battlefield to investigate. Preliminary findings indicate that the attacked forces are the Ghost-Raising Ancient Clan and the Corpse-Driving Ancient Clan. Their power in the Central Imperial City has been nearly wiped out."
"Fragments of the Spirit King Ancestral Coffin and large amounts of Saint King blood have been found at the scene. The Grand Preceptor speculates that the Spirit King Saint Ancestor of the Ghost-Raising Ancient Clan has fallen."
These two pieces of news were explosive enough to shake the world, and they quickly spread throughout the Central Imperial City.
Every ancient clan was a pinnacle power among humanity, with deep foundations.
Who would dare to strike at them so ruthlessly?
A Saint King had been killed without escaping. Just how powerful was the force that besieged the Ghost-Raising Ancient Clan and the Corpse-Driving Ancient Clan?
"The ancient clan's heir and a Saint King have both been wiped out. Which great power did the Corpse-Driving Ancient Clan and the Ghost-Raising Ancient Clan provoke?"
"These two clans often rob others' ancestral graves and have done many heinous deeds. They must have offended someone they shouldn't have. Such figures are few and far between. We'll likely know the answer soon."
Not long after, an even more explosive piece of news emerged: "The attackers are likely the First Saintess of the Demon Sect, Ling Feiyu, and the Heir of Time and Space, Zhang Ruochen."
"A single sword strike cut through three hundred li of the city district. The residual sword intent in the sword path has reached the level of Sword Nine. Currently, in the Central Imperial City, only Ling Feiyu's swordsmanship has reached this level."
"A spatial maze formation was found at the battlefield, undoubtedly left by the Heir of Time and Space, Zhang Ruochen."
The cultivators in the Central Imperial City grew even more excited.
"Zhang Ruochen has actually come to the Central Imperial City? Oh my god, he's my idol. Are you sure he's really here?"
Some proud daughters of aristocratic families and clans were extremely excited, acting like lovesick fools as they rushed toward the Seventh City District.
The Heir of Time and Space, Zhang Ruochen, was shrouded in mystery. Not only was he the youngest saint among humanity, but his talent was so extraordinary that he surpassed the Nine Realm Sons, standing unrivaled in the world. Additionally, he had accomplished many earth-shattering feats, striking fear into the hearts of the barbarian beast races and the Undying Blood Clan.
Zhang Ruochen's name was known in every household, but very few had seen his true form.
Such a enigmatic man naturally held a fatal attraction for young women. Upon hearing that Zhang Ruochen had come to the Central Imperial City, these proud daughters didn't see him as a wanted criminal of the imperial court but were instead thrilled.
"As expected of my idol! How majestic! He should teach those Ghost-Raising Ancient Clan and Corpse-Driving Ancient Clan a harsh lesson."
"Even the Dragon Clan and the Undying Blood Clan were terrified by him. To my idol, those mere ancient clans are nothing but ants to be crushed."
"I knew my idol wouldn't fear the imperial court and would definitely come to the Central Imperial City. He didn't disappoint me. If only I could have a chance encounter with him!"
"The First Saintess actually teamed up with Zhang Ruochen. Could they be together? Wuwuwu, so heartbreaking. One is my idol, the other is my crush. How can this be?"
...
Standing in the crowd, Zhang Ruochen heard the words of those young women and felt embarrassed. He hadn't expected such a scene. It turned out his popularity among human cultivators had reached such heights. No wonder his senior brother had told him to keep a low profile.
...
(Next, I need to write the most important part of the plot. However, my child had a fever last night, and I didn't sleep well. Today, I'm in terrible shape, and my mind is very foggy.
So, if there's no update before 12 o'clock, I hope everyone can understand. Of course, I'll try my best to write and aim for one chapter. I'm letting you know in advance so you won't wait in vain.)
(End of chapter)