Chapter 1393: Sacred Bright Has Returned!
The fury in Lingxiao Heavenly King's heart blazed like a sky-consuming inferno. Tonight, the imperial court and the royal clan had suffered devastating losses—dozens of saints had fallen, and even a saint king ancestor of the royal clan had been slain.
If he could not annihilate every last Sacred Bright rebel, what face would he have left to remain master of Lingxiao Heavenly King Manor?
Now, he had no choice but to deploy the supreme sacred artifact, to blast this entire realm to rubble.
"What a pity. The Zhang clan's supreme sacred artifact, the Hundred Dragon Bright Emperor Armor, vanished along with the Emperor's disappearance. Otherwise, it could surely have countered the Azure Heaven Floating Pagoda."
Mingjiang King watched Lingxiao Heavenly King stride into Lingxiao Heavenly King Manor, his heart filled with unspeakable bitterness. This scene before him was all too similar to that moment eight hundred years ago when the imperial palace had been breached.
All he could do was watch helplessly as enemy forces poured into the palace, burning, killing, and looting, powerless to turn the tide.
At that moment, Mingjiang King heard Zhang Ruochen's voice. He turned and looked toward the sacred mountain, seeing Zhang Ruochen seated on the Golden Step Dragon Chariot as it burst forth from the Ancestral Shrine. His tiger-like eyes widened as he roared, "Don't come out! Stay hidden in the Ancestral Shrine! Lingxiao Heavenly King wields a supreme sacred artifact—nothing can stand against him!"
"Boom, boom, boom!"
The Golden Step Dragon Chariot did not stop. It continued charging forward, and in an instant, it plunged into the midst of the Sacred Bright saints.
Zhang Ruochen leaped down from the chariot, retrieved the Kaiyuan Deer Cauldron from his space ring, and with a thunderous crash, planted it amidst the mountain of corpses and seas of blood. "I had planned to wait until we reached Wuding Mountain to use this nation-suppressing ancestral artifact for a sacrificial rite to heaven. But since Lingxiao Heavenly King wields a supreme sacred artifact, let us hold a sacrifice today—to honor the soldiers who fell in battle this night, and to honor the subjects and ministers who died eight hundred years ago."
After Zhang Ruochen used the Purifying Divine Flame to melt away the layer of copper skin covering the Kaiyuan Deer Cauldron, the cauldron's form underwent a tremendous transformation. Even Mingjiang King had to examine it carefully before recognizing it.
"Kaiyuan... Deer Cauldron... Is this truly that nation-suppressing ancestral artifact from so long ago?"
Mingjiang King's expression was complex. He ran his palm over the cauldron's body, feeling the powerful energy fluctuations emanating from within. It was no ordinary artifact.
Eight hundred years ago, the Kaiyuan Deer Cauldron had been nothing more than an incense-burning sacrificial vessel, no different from an ordinary bronze cauldron.
The change was too great!
"This is the ancestral artifact left to us by our forefathers. Using the blood of the royal clan's direct descendants, along with the cultivation method of the 'Nine Heavens Bright Emperor Scripture,' we may be able to unleash its extraordinary power," Zhang Ruochen said.
Mingjiang King understood Zhang Ruochen's intent. His eyes sharpened, and he said, "I will never allow the tragedy of eight hundred years ago to repeat itself."
He slashed a wound across his wrist, and his sacred blood flowed endlessly into the Kaiyuan Deer Cauldron.
At the same time, Zhang Ruochen pressed both palms against the cauldron's body, channeling the last remnants of his sacred qi into it in a continuous stream. He let out a mighty roar: "Subjects of Sacred Bright, join this Crown Prince in sacrificing to the departed souls—to the warriors who fell in battle!"
The Sacred Bright army gathered around Zhang Ruochen, all of them kneeling to the ground.
Even the saints knelt on one knee, one hand pressed to the earth, the other clenched into a fist over their chests. Their expressions were solemn, filled with mourning, remembrance, and reverence for the dead.
Lingxiao Heavenly King snorted coldly. "Useless. Before a supreme sacred artifact, everything will be reduced to ashes... What is that...?"
"Whoosh!"
Golden ancient characters flickered across the surface of the Kaiyuan Deer Cauldron. A golden light spread throughout Sacred Bright City, so dazzling that even Lingxiao Heavenly King had to shield his eyes.
The Kaiyuan Deer Cauldron lifted off the ground, floating a hundred zhang into the air.
In the next moment, the blood energy on the battlefield began to seethe.
Strands of blood qi rose from the ground, surging into the sky to form a crimson blood cloud that enveloped the cauldron. A mournful dirge echoed through heaven and earth, as if billions of departed souls were weeping.
On the ground, the Sacred Bright remnants all revealed expressions of great joy. They unleashed beams of sacred qi, pouring them into the Kaiyuan Deer Cauldron.
Sensing something was wrong, Lingxiao Heavenly King quickly activated the Azure Heaven Floating Pagoda, channeling his sacred qi into it with furious intensity.
A vast, surging supreme power erupted once more.
"What nation-suppressing ancestral artifact? Before the Azure Heaven Floating Pagoda, it will be reduced to scrap metal! Suppress it for me!"
The Azure Heaven Floating Pagoda, as massive as a mountain peak, spun rapidly and hurtled toward the Kaiyuan Deer Cauldron.
At the same time, the Kaiyuan Deer Cauldron shook violently, pressing downward. It collided with the Azure Heaven Floating Pagoda, actually suppressing the supreme power and sending the pagoda flying back.
"How can this be...?"
Lingxiao Heavenly King stared at the Azure Heaven Floating Pagoda as it flew back toward him, his face a mask of disbelief. He stood frozen in place, unable to move.
The Kaiyuan Deer Cauldron and the Azure Heaven Floating Pagoda both struck Lingxiao Heavenly King simultaneously, driving him deep into the earth.
Cracks spread across the ground like a spiderweb. The formation patterns of the ancient palace-protecting formation and the great saint inscriptions shattered over a vast area. Nearly half of Lingxiao Heavenly King Manor sank into the ground.
In that moment, the world fell utterly silent. Countless eyes fixed on the space shattered by the collision of the Kaiyuan Deer Cauldron and the Azure Heaven Floating Pagoda.
The Vice Hall Master of the Dragon-Protecting Pavilion, his body drenched in sacred blood, still stood tall and straight. "Lingxiao Heavenly King's life aura has completely vanished. A millennium-old overlord has returned to dust."
Zhang Ruochen clenched his teeth, struggling to hold on, suppressing his injuries and the overwhelming weakness to stand upright.
Before the Sacred Bright remnants, only a Crown Prince who stood tall could truly conquer their hearts.
Lingxiao Heavenly King's physical body had been shattered into pieces.
Even with his cultivation, the combined force of the Kaiyuan Deer Cauldron and the Azure Heaven Floating Pagoda was too much to bear. He died at Zhang Ruochen's feet.
"Whoosh!"
With its master gone, the Azure Heaven Floating Pagoda still possessed an artifact spirit. It rose from the ground on its own and flew toward the outskirts of Sacred Bright City.
The Vice Hall Master led the members of the Dragon-Protecting Pavilion in intercepting it. Using layers of sacred power, they barely managed to seal it.
The artifact spirit of the Azure Heaven Floating Pagoda was extremely powerful and had long been loyal to the Chi clan. Outsiders could not use it at all. Only someone with a great saint-level cultivation could gradually tame the artifact spirit and take control of this supreme sacred artifact.
"Heaven has eyes! At last, Lingxiao Heavenly King is dead! Grandfather, you can rest easy in the underworld!"
"All these years, Lingxiao Heavenly King Manor used the pretext of purging Sacred Bright remnants to slaughter the innocent and commit every evil. Today, they have finally received their retribution!"
"The Sacred Bright imperial palace—we have returned!"
"Father, your lifelong wish has come true. We have taken Lingxiao Heavenly King Manor and slain Lingxiao Heavenly King. The banner of the Sacred Bright Central Empire will once again fly over this land!"
The Sacred Bright remnants were all moved to tears of joy. They roared at the top of their lungs, releasing the pent-up emotions of all these years.
They had endured in silence, bided their time, and passively suffered the oppression of the imperial court. Today, they felt they had truly stood up, truly lived as men of passion.
Even if they were to die here tomorrow, it would all be worth it.
The Cai clan ancestor, his face flushed with excitement, snatched the Sacred Bright war banner from the demon ape's hands. He climbed step by step onto the crumbling city wall and planted it there, letting out a thunderous roar: "Sacred Bright has returned!"
His voice echoed throughout Sacred Bright City.
Several saints under Mingjiang King's command, who had previously held great grievances against Zhang Ruochen, exchanged glances. Then, they walked before Zhang Ruochen, knelt on one knee, and shouted, "We pay homage to the Crown Prince!"
The other Sacred Bright remnants followed suit, kneeling and roaring in unison: "We pay homage to the Crown Prince! May the Sacred Bright Central Empire endure forever, unbroken through countless calamities!"
"We pay homage to the Crown Prince! May the Sacred Bright Central Empire endure forever, unbroken through countless calamities!"
Over a million cultivators knelt at once, a sea of people. The scene was magnificent, wave after wave of sound shaking heaven and earth.
"Rise, all of you. First, go and gather the remains of your fallen kin and friends. Later, this Crown Prince has more important matters to arrange," Zhang Ruochen said.
Mingjiang King laughed heartily. He walked over to the Kaiyuan Deer Cauldron and once again stroked its body. "Truly worthy of being the Zhang clan's nation-suppressing ancestral artifact! It can even suppress a supreme sacred artifact. Could it be a supreme sacred artifact itself?"
After a careful examination, Mingjiang King shook his head. "Supreme sacred artifacts have supreme inscription runes engraved within them. But the interior of the Kaiyuan Deer Cauldron cannot be probed at all. How strange."
"Could it be a divine artifact?"
Guoguo's eyes burned with intense interest in the Kaiyuan Deer Cauldron. He charged forward, extending both paws to touch it.
Standing behind Mingjiang King, Yan Kaixuan was furious. He roared, "Where did this rabbit come from? Stay away from the nation-suppressing ancestral artifact! That is not something you can touch!"
Yan Kaixuan had already come to regard the Kaiyuan Deer Cauldron as a sacred object protecting the empire. The thought of a rabbit touching its body was a desecration.
He immediately rushed forward, grabbed Guoguo by the ears, lifted him up, and threw him away.
The other saints were also astonished. They all examined the Kaiyuan Deer Cauldron, their hearts filled with curiosity.
"Being able to suppress a supreme sacred artifact—this is no ordinary item. Could it really be a divine artifact? Legend has it that one of the ten great divine artifacts, the Jade Emperor Cauldron, is a cauldron."
"Divine artifacts are all things of myth and legend. Who has ever seen one with their own eyes? Perhaps some divine artifacts are actually supreme sacred artifacts, but rumors and exaggerations over time have turned them into legends."
"The Kaiyuan Deer Cauldron should be a divine relic ancient artifact left behind by the Immovable Bright King Great Venerable, capable of contending with supreme sacred artifacts. With it in hand, on the seventh day of next month, we will accompany the Crown Prince to Wuding Mountain to seize the demon sect's holy maiden as his princess. Let's see who dares to stand in our way! Haha!"
Everyone was overjoyed, reveling in the sweetness of victory. But Zhang Ruochen, looking at the countless corpses before him, felt a heaviness in his heart.
He walked over to the bodies of three Dragon-Protecting Pavilion members and bowed deeply to them, his mood somber.
These three peerless experts had silently guarded the Zhang clan all along. Even in death, aside from a few people, no one knew who they were or what they had given for the Zhang clan.
Such figures deserved Zhang Ruochen's bow.
The Vice Hall Master came up behind Zhang Ruochen and said, "On the battlefield, there can never be only killing without death. No matter how powerful one's cultivation, one can still fall. But only through unceasing battle can a warrior's will be tempered. Only through the baptism of blood and slaughter can true experts be born."
"The three who fell in battle—I will properly arrange for their descendants and protect them. But there is one matter that must be handled by you personally."
"What matter?" Zhang Ruochen asked.
The Vice Hall Master said, "The Heavenly Nether Pavilion has always been composed of thirty-six members. Although each member selects a disciple, and when they die of old age, the disciple inherits their identity and mission, these three died in battle. They had no time to select or train disciples. So, you must find three people to fill these vacancies. Do you have anyone suitable in mind?"
Zhang Ruochen's gaze swept across the surroundings, finally coming to rest on A Le.