Chapter 1384: Fight, Fight, Fight
“Creak.”
Qin Yutong opened the door and walked out, with Zhang Ruochen following closely behind.
Seeing this scene, Yan Kaixuan, who was standing outside, grew even more furious. He said in a deep voice, “Because of your crown prince decree, so many old ministers have rushed to Saint Ming City. Now, blood has already flowed in the city, yet you are still indulging in the pleasures of the boudoir. Today, I, this old man, will behead her first.”
Qin Yutong possessed an extremely captivating beauty and temperament, enough to make even Saint Realm figures utterly infatuated with her.
It was only natural for Yan Kaixuan to misunderstand.
Yan Kaixuan took out a beast-patterned sacred blade, dragging out a brilliant wave of blade light. Immediately, a terrifying destructive force swept toward Qin Yutong, intending to behead her.
Zhang Ruochen’s eyes focused. He extended his right hand, and sacred Qi surged out wildly, condensing into the massive shadow of a divine elephant.
As his palm turned over, the divine elephant shadow dove downward.
“Boom.”
Yan Kaixuan was suppressed by the divine elephant shadow, forced to one knee on the ground, unable to move. He stared at Zhang Ruochen in shock. “How… is this possible…”
A major figure at the initial True Saint level had been suppressed by Zhang Ruochen with a single strike.
During their previous encounter a few days ago, Zhang Ruochen had only managed to severely wound Yan Kaixuan by using the Time Sword Art and the Abyssal Ancient Sword.
Without the empowerment of time power, Yan Kaixuan believed he could contend with Zhang Ruochen for a while. Even if he lost, he could at least protect himself and retreat calmly.
In just a few short days, Zhang Ruochen’s strength had increased by at least twofold. Even without using the Time Sword Art, Yan Kaixuan was powerless to resist him.
Grandmother Bai Su hurried over to plead for Yan Kaixuan. “Your Highness, he didn’t know about your plan to attack Lingxiao Heavenly King Manor. Please spare him once more.”
Although Yan Kaixuan had offended Zhang Ruochen, he was still a man of great spirit and had cultivated to the True Saint realm. Zhang Ruochen could tolerate him one more time.
Zhang Ruochen withdrew his sacred power and snorted coldly. “There won’t be a third time.”
Just yesterday, Zhang Ruochen had successfully broken through to the Thorough Ground Realm, greatly advancing his cultivation. Suppressing an initial True Saint figure was naturally no difficult task.
Yan Kaixuan looked toward Grandmother Bai Su and asked, “What plan to attack Lingxiao Heavenly King Manor?”
Grandmother Bai Su gave Yan Kaixuan a cold glare. “Do you think everyone is as impulsive as you? To attack Lingxiao Heavenly King Manor, we must first destroy the city-protecting grand formation of Saint Ming City. Otherwise, once the formation is activated, no matter how many experts we send, it will be certain death.”
Yan Kaixuan’s eyes trembled. He finally realized that this crown prince was truly going to attack Lingxiao Heavenly King Manor. He asked, “When do we strike? I, this saint, want to join the battle.”
Zhang Ruochen’s eyes narrowed slightly as he looked toward the northwest. There, beside a rockery in the Ming River King’s residence, a golden sacred radiance was emanating.
“Twelfth Imperial Uncle, are you interested in following me back to the Imperial Palace tonight to visit the Imperial Ancestral Hall and pay respects to our ancestors?” Zhang Ruochen asked.
Ming River King said, “If we can destroy Lingxiao Heavenly King Manor tonight, I, this king, will swear before our ancestors to be loyal to you from now on and rebuild Saint Ming. If we fight, let it be a battle that turns heaven and earth upside down.”
The people of Lingxiao Heavenly King Manor were clearly aware that Zhang Ruochen would not remain holed up forever. He was surely brewing a massive storm.
Thus, heavy troops were stationed in every city district, waiting in full readiness. As soon as Zhang Ruochen made a move, they could immediately dispatch forces to suppress him.
On that day, at dusk, the entire Saint Ming City felt incredibly oppressive and stifling.
Within the Phoenix Dance Palace, nearly thirty thousand cultivators had gathered, all elites under Ming River King’s command. Their battle armor bore the words “Saint Ming.” They had converged from all directions, each possessing at least the cultivation of the Heavenly Extreme Realm Great Perfection.
In addition, led by Grandmother Bai Su and Yan Kaixuan, over a dozen Saint-level figures stood in a row, radiating overwhelming battle intent.
Zhang Ruochen also brought out over a dozen Saint-level beings from the Ming Sect from the Qiankun Realm, including Blood Moon Ghost King, White Li Princess, Guo Guo, Demon Ape, and A Le, who had awakened. All were powerful among saints.
Grandmother Bai Su held an iron box one zhang long, standing on a platform atop a spiritual mountain. She declared loudly, “The war banner from eight hundred years ago is finally about to flutter in the wind again. Who will take charge of it?”
“I, this crown prince, will personally hold the banner.”
Zhang Ruochen strode forward, took the war banner from the iron box, and swung his arm. With a whoosh, the banner bearing the words “Saint Ming” unfurled.
He channeled sacred Qi from within his body, pouring it into the banner.
“Crack, crack.”
A series of explosions sounded from within the banner. The pole grew longer and thicker, eventually reaching a hundred zhang in length and as thick as a pillar. It burst through the concealment formation of the Phoenix Dance Palace, fluttering with a loud rustling sound.
“Roar!”
Not far away, the Demon Ape let out a furious roar, its body swelling to three hundred zhang tall. Though not its largest form, it was still incredibly shocking. The vast demonic Qi surging from it shrouded the entire city district, alarming countless cultivators.
Zhang Ruochen gripped the war banner, flew to the Demon Ape’s right shoulder, and pointed toward the direction of Lingxiao Heavenly King Manor. “Fight!”
“Fight! Fight! Fight!”
Led by over twenty saints, the cultivators in the Phoenix Dance Palace surged forward like a tidal wave, charging at full speed toward Lingxiao Heavenly King Manor.
The earth rumbled and shook. In the sky, rolling black clouds blotted out the setting sun.
In an instant, a powerful battle might spread across most of Saint Ming City.
“Rebellion! A great rebellion has broken out! The Azure Dragon Army, move out immediately to suppress it!”
An army clad in white battle armor, the closest to the Phoenix Dance Palace, numbered eighty thousand. Some rode savage beasts on the ground, while others flew on savage birds in the sky, attacking the Saint Ming army.
The two armies clashed.
The Azure Dragon Army was crushed. In an instant, over twenty saints cleared a vast swath of them.
On the ground, the remaining Azure Dragon soldiers were wiped out by the Saint Ming army following behind, leaving a field of corpses, with blood staining the streets.
In midair, Guo Guo transformed into a Devouring Demon Dragon, its body dozens of li long. With a single open mouth, it devoured a third of the Azure Dragon Army flying in the sky.
The surviving Azure Dragon soldiers, riding savage birds, fled in terror toward Lingxiao Heavenly King Manor.
Among the Azure Dragon Army was a saint who shouted as he fled, “Zhang Ruochen has rebelled! He’s leading an army to attack Saint Ming City! Hurry and sound the Wuding Bell… Ah…”
Standing on the Demon Ape’s shoulder, Zhang Ruochen took out the Azure Sky Bow and the Daylight Arrow and shot.
With a “bang,” the saint’s sacred body exploded into a cloud of blood mist, with a large amount of sacred blood spilling onto the ground.
“Boom, boom, boom…”
The Wuding Bells in every city district were sounded, announcing that eight hundred years later, Saint Ming City was once again facing an unprecedented war.
“Even a battle of saints wouldn’t cause the Wuding Bells to be rung. What major event has happened to make a hundred bells ring simultaneously?”
The cultivators in the city were all alarmed. Upon learning the truth, they were horrified.
In just half an hour, the Saint Ming army was only ten li away from Lingxiao Heavenly King Manor. Armies from various city districts rushed to reinforce it.
The Azure Dragon Army, Red Dragon Army, Black Dragon Army, Green Dragon Army, and White Dragon Army—five armies totaling over two million soldiers—guarded Lingxiao Heavenly King Manor like locusts.
Whether in the sky or on the ground, it was a dense mass of black specks.
“Today, the crown prince returns to the imperial palace. Those who block shall die; those who kneel in welcome shall live.”
Grandmother Bai Su’s cultivation had reached the Ultimate Saint realm, making her one of the most powerful figures below the Saint King level.
She activated a thousand-mark sacred artifact with eight thousand inscriptions. In an instant, all the inscriptions were activated, unleashing a sea of crimson flames that attacked the five imperial armies.
As the sea of flames surged forward, the imperial soldiers burned to ashes like scarecrows in droves.
“How dare you! Do you think Lingxiao Heavenly King Manor is a place you can barge into?”
The commander of the Red Dragon Army, along with three saints under his command, joined forces to strike with a battle weapon close to a ten-thousand-mark sacred artifact, aiming to stop Grandmother Bai Su.
“Boom.”
Grandmother Bai Su’s cultivation was extremely formidable. She launched sixteen consecutive strikes, blasting the three saints of the Red Dragon Army into pieces, leaving no remains.
Only the Red Dragon Army commander survived, fleeing back into the army.
The Red Dragon Army commander was severely injured, with blood at the corner of his mouth. His sacred armor was battered and torn. He stared at Grandmother Bai Su in terror and roared, “An Ultimate Saint! An Ultimate Saint! Quickly activate the Ten-Thousand-Army Battle Formation to crush her!”
“Whoosh—”
Zhang Ruochen shot another Daylight Arrow, striking the Red Dragon Army commander in the chest. The arrow’s impact sent his wounded body flying backward. With a bang, he crashed into the city gate of Lingxiao Heavenly King Manor.
The Red Dragon Army commander’s cultivation was extremely powerful, reaching the peak of the True Saint realm. He managed to block the Daylight Arrow and did not die.
“Roar.”
The Demon Ape was fearless, charging forward like a mountain, crashing into the army. Its two massive hands, imbued with demonic power, swung in all directions.
Like swatting mosquitoes, each of the Demon Ape’s strikes shattered a large swath of soldiers.
White Li Princess, Guo Guo, and Blood Moon Ghost King followed closely, advancing alongside the Demon Ape and Zhang Ruochen.
White Li Princess wielded the Yin Kong Pagoda, sweeping across large areas with each activation. She moved with mysterious steps, leaving a trail of afterimages as she charged toward the Red Dragon Army commander, intending to finish him off while he was injured.
Blood Moon Ghost King was even more terrifying. With her ghostly body at the center, she summoned tens of thousands of ghostly shadows, turning into a gust of dark wind that surged forward.
Imperial soldiers fell like rain from the sky.
It must be noted that figures at the True Saint and Ultimate Saint levels could serve as sect masters in a medieval aristocratic clan, representing the very top tier of major figures.
Now, several such figures appeared in succession. In less than a quarter of an hour, hundreds of thousands of imperial soldiers were crushed into bloody mud, piling up thickly on the ground, with blood gathering into a small stream.
The scene was utterly tragic and fierce, stunning even the battle-hardened imperial soldiers. Fortunately, reinforcements continued to pour in, or they might have started fleeing.
“Zhang Ruochen actually dares to start a war! He actually dares to attack Lingxiao Heavenly King Manor! This is madness!”
In Saint Ming City, many cultivators turned pale with fear, fleeing in all directions away from Lingxiao Heavenly King Manor to avoid being caught in the crossfire.
“The crown prince has raised the Saint Ming war banner! What are you waiting for? Charge! Fight alongside His Highness, kill Lingxiao Heavenly King, slaughter the imperial army, and avenge our fallen relatives and friends!”
“Today, we must take Lingxiao Heavenly King Manor and rebuild the Holy Bright Central Empire! Charge! Kill them all…”
…
In Saint Ming City, the descendants of other old ministers and former court officials saw the “Saint Ming” war banner and rushed out, heading straight for Lingxiao Heavenly King Manor.
The great war had begun. This night was destined to pile corpses into mountains and turn blood into rivers.
…
(I have matters to attend to tomorrow, so the update time is uncertain. However, I will notify everyone in advance on Weibo.
Everyone can follow “Feitian Yu’s Weibo.” I’m truly sorry. Actually, I, Little Fish, also want to stay home and write, but I really have things to do.)
(Chapter End)