Chapter 1438: True Saint
A large amount of Condensed True Saint Dew entered Zhang Ruochen's abdomen, immediately transforming into an icy, bone-piercing airflow that enveloped his internal organs, as if it would freeze his blood solid.
"Hiss, hiss."
A layer of white ice condensed on the surface of Zhang Ruochen's skin.
The ice grew thicker and thicker, eventually forming an iceberg that sealed Zhang Ruochen inside.
Zhang Ruochen held his breath, but the sacred Qi within his body circulated unceasingly, transporting strands of cold energy to his Qi Sea, where they merged into the Celestial River.
Within the Celestial River, over three hundred Sacred Dao Rules flowed continuously, each one containing an incredibly profound power, representing a truth of heaven and earth.
Cultivating each Sacred Dao Rule to its extreme could yield earth-shattering power.
Cultivating over three hundred Sacred Dao Rules simultaneously was an advantage, but it also made Zhang Ruochen's realm advancement extremely difficult.
As time passed, finally, the first Sacred Dao Rule completely condensed into a tangible state, fully manifesting, appearing especially conspicuous within the Celestial River.
Zhang Ruochen felt a secret joy and continued his efforts.
The second, the third, the fourth…
One by one, the Sacred Dao Rules manifested, and soon over a hundred had transformed from void to reality.
The light emitted by the Celestial River grew brighter and brighter, and its flow speed became faster and faster.
Even with the obstruction of the Time-Space Crystal, the external world's Heavenly Dao Rules still detected the changes in the Sacred Dao Rules within Zhang Ruochen's body.
"Rustle."
As if drawn by an invisible force, the surface of the Giant Whale River, with its blood-red waters, rippled, then formed a whirlpool, churning up increasingly high waves.
At the center of the whirlpool, a thick dragon-shaped column of Heaven and Earth Spiritual Energy rose from the river surface all the way to above the clouds, an incredibly spectacular sight.
In Zhang Ruochen's Qi Sea, the transformation of the Sacred Dao Rules accelerated.
After about half a day, except for the Time Rule and Space Rule, all other rules had transformed from void to reality. The Celestial River emitted a dazzling radiance, melting the iceberg that had encased Zhang Ruochen.
"To condense the Time Rule and Space Rule requires an enormous amount of Condensed True Saint Dew. No wonder they are called Eternal Dao."
Zhang Ruochen drank another two hundred drops of Condensed True Saint Dew, activated the "Nine Heavens Bright Emperor Scripture," and mobilized the icy power within his body with all his might, continuing to condense the Time Rule and Space Rule.
The Time Rule and Space Rule were like two bottomless pits. After absorbing two hundred drops of Condensed True Saint Dew, they still hadn't solidified.
"Continue."
Zhang Ruochen drank another two hundred drops of Condensed True Saint Dew and continued the condensation.
…
After refining a total of twelve hundred drops of Condensed True Saint Dew, two faint sounds finally echoed from within the Time Saint Aspect and Space Saint Aspect. Then, two Sacred Dao Rules that pierced through the entire Celestial River manifested.
The Time Rule and Space Rule were both incredibly powerful. It wasn't that they followed the flow of the Celestial River; rather, the Celestial River seemed to follow their flow.
"Crackle."
A series of explosive sounds rang out from within Zhang Ruochen's body. He broke through the realm in one go and cultivated to become a True Saint.
Zhang Ruochen immediately rushed out from the inner space of the Time-Space Crystal, broke through the river surface, and flew into midair. Instantly, Heaven and Earth Spiritual Energy surged towards him frantically, pouring into his one hundred and forty-four acupoints and the Divine Martial Mark on his brow.
Soon, the spiritual energy of this region was completely absorbed.
But his body was still transforming, so Zhang Ruochen opened his Space Ring and took out over a thousand Sacred Stones, suspending them around his body.
The Sacred Qi contained within the Sacred Stones was continuously extracted, drilling into Zhang Ruochen's body. Some merged into his blood, internal organs, bones, and meridians, while others merged into his Sacred Source and Celestial River.
A breakthrough in realm was also a breakthrough in life level.
After becoming a Saint, every time a cultivator raised a realm, their lifespan and vitality would increase significantly, precisely because their life level was changing.
Clearly, the span from the Celestial Realm to the True Saint Realm was enormous, so the life level would also elevate significantly, and the demand for spiritual Qi and Sacred Qi would naturally be very high.
The Sacred Stones suspended around Zhang Ruochen grew smaller and smaller, finally losing all their Sacred Qi and turning into white powder.
Zhang Ruochen's body slowly drifted downward, landing on the bank of the Giant Whale River. His body emitted a bright Sacred Light, which formed one hundred and eight halos, like one hundred and eight layers of defensive light shields enveloping him.
Having reached the True Saint Realm, Zhang Ruochen's temperament also underwent a tremendous change, becoming somewhat different from ordinary people—ethereal, otherworldly, pure, and sacred, like a banished immortal from the Nine Heavens.
Zhang Ruochen extended a finger and pointed forward.
An ordinary Cold Rule flew from his fingertip. Immediately, this entire region seemed to be affected by the Cold Rule, becoming extremely cold. Large swaths of snow fell within a thousand miles, and this section of the Giant Whale River froze into an icy river.
"The True Realm is indeed far more powerful than the Celestial Realm. No wonder other Saints say that once you reach the Celestial Realm, it's impossible to fight across realms. But… for me, crossing the True Saint and Supreme Saint realms to fight an opponent doesn't seem to be too difficult."
"With my current strength, if I go back to the wormhole, I should be able to crush the Ninety-Nine Return One Grand Formation and the Second-Class Marquises, slaughtering them all without mercy."
Zhang Ruochen clenched his five fingers, and the nearby icy river exploded, shattering into a field of broken glaciers.
The Saint Soul Doppelganger flew over from a distance and rushed into Zhang Ruochen's body.
During Zhang Ruochen's cultivation, the Saint Soul Doppelganger had not received any message from Mu Lingxi.
Zhang Ruochen couldn't help but frown, worried that she might have encountered some misfortune.
Zhang Ruochen no longer had the mood to fight his way back to the wormhole to annihilate those Rakshasa Clan Marquises. He immediately flew downstream along the Giant Whale River, planning to capture a Rakshasa Clan Marquis or a Saint from the Shatuo Seven Realms to inquire about the major events that had recently occurred in the Giant Whale River basin. Perhaps he could find traces of Mu Lingxi.
After flying about twenty thousand miles, Zhang Ruochen detected a violent battle fluctuation ahead. Beams of Sacred Light shot into the sky, causing the air to tremble slightly.
Zhang Ruochen opened his Heavenly Eye and looked towards the direction of the battle. He didn't detect any Evil Rakshasa Qi; it was actually a group of Saints from the Heavenly Court Realm fighting.
"Blade Prison Realm again… and Purple Mansion Realm… That is…"
Seeing that figure, a strange expression appeared on Zhang Ruochen's face, and the corners of his mouth curled up slightly.
There were over sixty Saints from the Blade Prison Realm and Purple Mansion Realm, all top-tier experts. Among them, there were even three who had reached the Supreme Saint Realm.
The Saint they were besieging was one of the Nine Heavens Mysterious Maidens, the Miraculous Hand Divine Maiden, Qing Mo.
Compared to when she had followed "Huang Yanchen," Qing Mo's appearance had changed greatly. Perhaps this was her true face.
However, her temperament and demeanor had not changed at all, so Zhang Ruochen recognized her at a glance.
Qing Mo's cultivation had already reached the True Saint Realm, a remarkably fast cultivation speed. Having inherited the legacy of the Food God, even though she wasn't skilled in combat, her strength was still considerable. She was able to clash with a Supreme Saint at the initial stage, fighting quite fiercely.
Nan Shu Supreme Saint from the Purple Mansion Realm, appearing to be twenty-eight or twenty-nine years old, looked like a rather attractive young married woman. She wore a magnificent Sacred Garment, and a scorching light gleamed in her eyes. "That silver kitchen knife is quite extraordinary. It should be a powerful Divine Relic Ancient Artifact."
"The Kunlun Realm was once extremely prosperous, giving birth to many gods who left behind countless rare treasures. Clearly, this girl was lucky enough to obtain one of them," Yan Ju Supreme Saint said with a sharp, cold look in his eyes.
"The total number of Divine Relic Ancient Artifacts in the entire Purple Mansion Realm doesn't even reach five, and almost all of them are in the hands of Great Saints. I didn't expect that a Saint from the Kunlun Realm would possess one. If we continue hunting Saints from the Kunlun Realm, we might encounter even more treasures."
A murderous intent flashed in Yu Mu Supreme Saint's eyes. Then, he formed a hand seal, and above his two palms, a five-finger-shaped mountain condensed, smashing down towards Qing Mo.
Qing Mo was already severely injured, her clothes stained with blood. How could she withstand Yu Mu Supreme Saint's attack?
"Crack."
Qing Mo had swung the silver kitchen knife, but the five-finger mountain crushed her arm, shattering the bone. One of her slender jade hands directly turned into wood, becoming a green vine.
The silver kitchen knife fell to the ground with a thud.
Qing Mo was naturally timid and fragile. She had been holding on by sheer willpower, but now, after suffering this heavy blow, she could no longer endure. Tears streamed from her eyes, and she began to cry.
Yu Mu Supreme Saint picked up the silver kitchen knife from the ground, suppressed the artifact spirit within it, and a look of wild joy appeared on his face. "A Divine Relic Ancient Artifact! It really is a Divine Relic Ancient Artifact! With this, even if I encounter a Third-Class Marquis, I can split him in two with one slash."
Then, Yu Mu Supreme Saint's gaze fixed on Qing Mo not far away, a fierce light flashing in his eyes.
Nan Shu Supreme Saint said, "Don't kill her. Her true form is a Qing Mo Sacred Vine, already forty to fifty thousand years old. It's an excellent material for refining Sacred Pills. If we kill her, its medicinal properties will greatly diminish."
"I don't want to be refined into a pill… I… don't… waaah…" Qing Mo bit her lip, looking incredibly delicate, sobbing uncontrollably, her tears falling like pear blossoms in the rain, as she kept backing away.
Her weak and timid appearance didn't resemble a True Saint at all, but rather a wealthy young lady who had encountered bandits, looking utterly helpless.
Nan Shu Supreme Saint sneered mockingly, "A True Saint, and you're still playing the pitiful card? Do you think that will save you? Let me tell you, since arriving in Ancestor Spirit Realm, I have already killed sixteen Saints from the Kunlun Realm."
"I'm not playing pitiful! If you want to kill… then kill… but just… just don't refine me into a pill… I'm just a cook…" Qing Mo was like a shivering little quail, sobbing continuously, her voice growing softer and softer, probably only she could hear herself.
"What nonsense are you babbling about?"
Nan Shu Supreme Saint's expression darkened. Losing patience, she extended a hand, forming it into a claw, and grabbed forward through the air. Immediately, a several-dozen-zhang-long claw imprint condensed.
Suddenly, a white arrow flew in from beyond the sky.
"Pfft."
The arrow pierced through Nan Shu Supreme Saint's hand claw, leaving a bloody hole.
The several-dozen-zhang-long claw imprint that Nan Shu Supreme Saint had condensed had already rushed in front of Qing Mo. Struck by the arrow's impact, it immediately shattered, turning into wisps of green smoke.