Chapter 1435: Charging Over Alone
About half a day later, the Abyssal Ancient Sword flew back and landed in Zhang Ruochen's hand.
All the sacred weapons on the battlefield had been refined and absorbed by it. The number of inscriptions within the sword body had reached over thirteen thousand, and the grade of the Abyssal Ancient Sword had increased significantly once again.
"Having reached the level of a Ten-Thousand Pattern Sacred Artifact, the Abyssal Ancient Sword's rate of improvement has indeed become much slower," Zhang Ruochen thought to himself.
It was worth noting that there had been over a thousand sacred weapons on the battlefield, yet they only added a little over three thousand inscriptions to the Abyssal Ancient Sword.
Clearly, after advancing to a Ten-Thousand Pattern Sacred Artifact, the inscriptions inside the Abyssal Ancient Sword's body had become more advanced. To further improve its grade, an increasingly massive quantity of sacred artifacts would be required.
The roots, vines, and leaves of the Sacred Devouring Flower covered this entire area, absorbing nutrients from the soil and air with all its might. With every instant, its cultivation realm was rapidly advancing.
Another half day passed.
The Sacred Devouring Flower's cultivation realm reached the peak of the True Saint level.
The speed at which it absorbed nutrients gradually slowed. The fruit at the top of its vines seemed to have grown to its limit, no longer increasing in size.
During this day, Zhang Ruochen had naturally also been cultivating. He had refined nearly five hundred drops of Condensed Saint Nectar, drawing one step closer to the True Saint realm.
Zhang Ruochen emerged from the Time-Space Crystal and arrived beneath the vines of the Sacred Devouring Flower. "Let's go. To the space wormhole."
"Master, give me a few more days to absorb all the nutrients here. Perhaps I can break through to the Supreme Saint realm," the Sacred Devouring Flower's voice came from within the vines.
Zhang Ruochen knew time was extremely tight. "We came to the Ancestral Spirit Realm for battle and slaughter. Where is there so much time for cultivation? We must capture the space wormhole now and immediately head to the Giant Whale River Basin."
The Merit War lasted three months, and over twenty days had already passed. Every remaining day was precious.
Zhang Ruochen took out the Golden Step Dragon Chariot and boarded it. He channeled sacred qi to activate the soul shadows of the nine golden dragons, then rushed at top speed toward the space wormhole.
Sitting in the chariot, Zhang Ruochen took out a precious bottle and drank a mouthful of Condensed Saint Nectar.
From now on, he would refine Condensed Saint Nectar while traveling and also while fighting. Only by doing so could he reach the True Saint realm faster.
The Sacred Devouring Flower was reluctant but still followed. Tens of miles of roots extended from the soil, rapidly stretching forward like hundreds or thousands of legs running.
Many forces in the Heavenly Court were watching Zhang Ruochen's every move. Seeing him charge toward the space wormhole alone, they were all astonished.
"Look, Zhang Ruochen is heading straight for the space wormhole. Could he be planning to confront the Rakshasa army by himself?"
"Although the Rakshasa below the rank of Marquis have withdrawn, there are still six to seven hundred Rakshasa Marquises stationed near the space wormhole. It's impossible for one person to break through."
"He's probably in a hurry to get to the Giant Whale River Basin to exchange his merit points, so he has no choice but to fight to the death."
The day before, Zhang Ruochen had single-handedly faced over a hundred Rakshasa Marquises and nearly wiped them all out. That was indeed quite formidable.
But attacking the space wormhole was a different matter. No one was optimistic about this battle. The best outcome they could imagine was Zhang Ruochen being forced to retreat and successfully escaping.
The more likely scenario was that he wouldn't even have a chance to escape.
Arriving at a wilderness five hundred miles from the space wormhole, Zhang Ruochen looked ahead. The entire world was filled with chaotic sacred power, and the land was devastated.
Yesterday, the saints of the Blade Prison Realm had clashed here with the Rakshasa army. Even now, many incomplete corpses lay scattered on the ground.
Zhang Ruochen did not dare to be careless. He stopped the Golden Step Dragon Chariot and extended his spiritual power to probe the area.
"The saints of the Blade Prison Realm actually broke through eleven layers of defensive formations. They helped clear out quite a bit of trouble for me."
The Rakshasa had arranged many formation inscriptions in this area, turning it into an iron fortress. No wonder the saints of the Blade Prison Realm had been nearly annihilated.
There were many incomplete formation inscriptions underground, and further away, complete inscriptions blocked Zhang Ruochen's spiritual power.
"How many layers of defensive formations are left? And how many attack formations?"
Zhang Ruochen was not afraid of the Rakshasa's human wave tactics, but attack formations and the Ninety-Nine Return to One Grand Formation could still pose a significant threat to him.
The Rakshasa stationed near the space wormhole had naturally also discovered Zhang Ruochen. Figures with powerful auras appeared behind the defensive formations.
The silver-haired lion-faced Third-Class Marquis who had escaped from Zhang Ruochen yesterday stepped out from within the defensive formation. His massive body stood atop a small hill, and he let out a deep roar: "Human, have you come here willingly to die?"
Zhang Ruochen couldn't be bothered to waste words with him. He directly took out the Azure Sky Bow and the Daylight Arrow, aiming at the silver-haired lion-man.
The silver-haired lion-man was well aware of the power of the Azure Sky Bow and the Daylight Arrow. Cursing "damn it" under his breath, he quickly fled back inside the defensive formation.
"Twang!"
The Daylight Arrow chased right at the silver-haired lion-man's heels, striking the void. A layer of defensive formation appeared—a semi-transparent light wall with chains floating on its surface.
With a thunderous roar, the chains on the light wall shook violently, forming a vortex that blocked the Daylight Arrow.
"Fast escape."
Zhang Ruochen stretched out his hand and recalled the Daylight Arrow.
This arrow was not just meant to kill the silver-haired lion-man; it was also to test the strength of the defensive formation.
Inside the defensive formation, the Rakshasa Marquises were seeing the silver-haired lion-man so panicked and frightened for the first time. Some of them couldn't help but laugh.
Feeling deeply humiliated, the silver-haired lion-man's silver pupils flared with flames. He roared, "Kill him."
Fifty zhang above the ground, a series of inscriptions emerged in the air, forming an attack formation.
Under the influence of the attack formation, the entire sky ignited, turning crimson red. At the center of the attack formation, a three-hundred-zhang-tall figure condensed, with wings on its back, resembling a Rakshasa demon god.
"Whoosh—"
The Rakshasa demon god spat out a red-gold fireball, which hurtled toward Zhang Ruochen's location.
The intense heat contained in the fireball was too much even for the Sacred Devouring Flower. Its leaves caught fire, and it had to quickly shrink its body to avoid being hit by the formation's attack.
Zhang Ruochen stood up, rapidly circulating his sacred qi. He reached out with both hands toward the void.
"Space Distortion."
The fireball, which had been falling straight down, immediately veered off course and landed several miles away.
"Boom!"
The earth shook violently. A wave of golden flames surged outward in all directions, extending five hundred miles away.
The entire world seemed to have turned into a sea of fire.
"Is he dead?"
All the Rakshasa Marquises stared intently at the sea of fire. Suddenly, nine golden dragons pulling a sacred chariot burst out from the flames, charging toward the defensive formation at a hundred times the speed of sound.
The silver-haired lion-man gritted his teeth. "Courting death. Do you think you can break the defensive formation with your strength alone? Keep using the attack formation. We must kill this man no matter what."
The Rakshasa demon god at the center of the attack formation opened its eyes, shooting out two pillars of flame at the Golden Step Dragon Chariot.
Zhang Ruochen stood atop the Golden Step Dragon Chariot, channeling space power with all his might. He pointed a finger forward and murmured, "Break for me."
"Rip."
Space was torn open, creating a massive rift three hundred meters long and fifty meters wide. It flew forward and tore through the defensive formation.
Immediately after, the Golden Step Dragon Chariot charged in.
A chorus of screams erupted. Rakshasa Marquises were sent flying backward, unable to withstand the chariot's charge. Some were crushed into bloody pulp and dismembered, dying instantly.
The Sacred Devouring Flower's roots coiled around the Golden Step Dragon Chariot, while its vines shot outward.
"Pfft."
The vines, sharper than spears, pierced through the sacred body of a Fifth-Class Marquis before lunging at another Rakshasa Marquis.
The Sacred Devouring Flower specifically targeted strong opponents like Sixth-Class, Fifth-Class, and Fourth-Class Marquises. Each time it killed one, it dragged the corpse back and used its roots to absorb the sacred blood and power.
Zhang Ruochen and the Sacred Devouring Flower worked together, throwing the Rakshasa Marquises into chaos. In an instant, dozens of Marquises had been killed.
"We Rakshasa have always devoured other beings. No other being can devour us."
The silver-haired lion-man roared, taking out an iron whip of the Ten-Thousand Pattern Sacred Artifact level. He activated its full power and lashed it at the Sacred Devouring Flower.
Sensing the danger, the Sacred Devouring Flower unleashed its full strength. Countless lightning threads surged out, wrapping around its vines and leaves as it struck back at the silver-haired lion-man.
"Boom."
The vines and the iron whip collided, sending a wave of chaotic sacred power surging outward.
Soon, the vines and the iron whip became entangled, locked in a fierce struggle.
The Sacred Devouring Flower resided within Zhang Ruochen's body, connected to him by countless threads. Thus, Zhang Ruochen could clearly sense that the Sacred Devouring Flower was in a bad situation. The full power of the iron whip had already injured it, and the injuries were worsening.
Zhang Ruochen leaped up from the Golden Step Dragon Chariot. While in midair, he summoned the Abyssal Ancient Sword, grabbed it, and slashed down at the silver-haired lion-man.
The powerful sword qi turned into a waterfall of sword light over a thousand meters long, cascading downward.
The silver-haired lion-man's expression changed. He quickly withdrew his iron whip and shook his wrist rapidly. The whip grew thicker and thicker, like a coiling steel dragon trying to block Zhang Ruochen's attack.
"Boom."
The power unleashed by the Abyssal Ancient Sword was terrifying. It directly severed the Ten-Thousand Pattern Sacred Artifact-level iron whip and split the silver-haired lion-man's sacred body in two, sending the halves flying in opposite directions.
Crimson blood splattered all over Zhang Ruochen.
With Zhang Ruochen's current combat power and the indestructible sharpness of the Abyssal Ancient Sword, an ordinary Supreme Saint could not withstand a single full-powered strike from him.
(Chapter End)