Chapter 1442: Battle Again
"Whoever you are, it has nothing to do with me."
Zhang Ruochen withdrew the spatial vortex, stepped across the water waves, and returned to the shore.
Even if this woman was the Flame Spirit Demon Consort, so what? On the Merit Battlefield, anyone could be an enemy.
Zhang Ruochen had more important things to do for now, so there was no need to provoke such a formidable opponent. From now on, he would have to guard against her strictly.
"Quite cold-hearted."
The Rakshasa Princess smiled slightly, then pursued him, saying, "Your strength is quite impressive. How about joining our Great Demon Ten Directions Realm?"
Zhang Ruochen ignored her. He thrust the Abyssal Ancient Sword into the soil beside the table and prepared to sit back down.
"Whoosh—"
A fragrant breeze wafted over, and the next moment, the Rakshasa Princess had already taken the seat first. She blinked at him and said, "When there's a seat, shouldn't it be offered to a girl first, right?"
Zhang Ruochen said, "Are you a girl?"
The Rakshasa Princess curled the corners of her mouth and said, "Guess!"
Zhang Ruochen couldn't be bothered to bicker with her. He took another chair out of his Space Ring and placed it opposite the Rakshasa Princess, reaching for the wine jug on the table.
The Rakshasa Princess was incredibly fast, snatching the jug first. She brought it to her nose and sniffed lightly: "Good wine! Got a cup?"
"This wine is quite strong," Zhang Ruochen said.
The Rakshasa Princess laughed. "I'm afraid the wine isn't strong enough."
Zhang Ruochen stared at her for a moment, then flicked his finger, and a luminous cup flew out of his Space Ring.
"Thanks."
The Rakshasa Princess caught the luminous cup, filled it to the brim, then raised it and took a small sip. Her brows immediately furrowed, and she coughed repeatedly. "What kind of wine is this? Why is it so strong?"
"Dragon Flame Wine."
Zhang Ruochen also filled a cup and calmly downed the entire thing in one gulp.
Seeing the images on the battlefield projection, cultivators from all realms were completely baffled.
"What's going on? Weren't they fighting fiercely just now? Why did they suddenly make peace and sit down to drink together?"
"This isn't right! Zhang Ruochen never hesitates to kill, and the Rakshasa Princess isn't a merciful person either. How could they suddenly cease hostilities and chat and laugh as if they're having a great time?"
The cultivators of the Blade Prison Realm harbored deep resentment toward Zhang Ruochen. "Zhang Ruochen must have defected to the Rakshasa Clan. Otherwise, why would the Rakshasa Princess let him go?"
"Are you all stupid? Zhang Ruochen has never met the Rakshasa Princess. It's very possible he doesn't even know the identity of the woman sitting across from him."
"The Rakshasa Princess doesn't seem eager to deal with Zhang Ruochen. What exactly is she planning?"
...
The cultivators who hadn't entered the Ancestral Realm were even more anxious than Zhang Ruochen, always feeling that the Rakshasa Princess might strike at any moment and kill him.
But after waiting for a long time, the Rakshasa Princess still hadn't made a move.
The dishes on the bronze table were quickly devoured, with most of them eaten by the Rakshasa Princess and the Nine-Headed Azure Bird.
Zhang Ruochen had been secretly observing the Rakshasa Princess, trying to see through her. He found that although this woman seemed eccentric, she was unfathomably deep, with no flaws in her demeanor.
Qing Mo timidly walked over, hesitated for a moment, but still said, "Young Master... now, can you return the Rakshasa blood and Rakshasa remnant souls to me?"
Zhang Ruochen took out his Space Ring and handed it to Qing Mo.
Qing Mo quickly took the Space Ring and checked its contents. Only after confirming that nothing was missing did she let out a long sigh of relief. She smiled, "I knew you weren't really going to take my things."
Zhang Ruochen showed little emotional fluctuation. "Chi Yao shouldn't have sent you to the Merit Battlefield."
"I am a member of the Kunlun Realm, so naturally, I must contribute to the Kunlun Realm," Qing Mo said seriously.
Zhang Ruochen said, "She sent you to the Merit Battlefield just to send you to your death. Such a sovereign isn't worth your continued loyalty. How about following me from now on?"
Qing Mo pondered his words, then shook her head.
The Rakshasa Princess's eyes lit up, and she spoke in a tempting tone, "Then how about following me from now on? I can give you as much Rakshasa blood and remnant souls as you want, as long as you cook delicious food for me every day."
"Really?" Qing Mo asked.
"Of course it's true. Would I, this Consort, speak falsely?" the Rakshasa Princess said.
Beside her, the Nine-Headed Azure Bird nodded vigorously like a chick pecking at rice.
Zhang Ruochen's gaze darkened. "Qing Mo, you should be wary of people with unknown origins."
"What do you mean? Do you think I would deceive her?"
The Rakshasa Princess rolled her eyes, then took out a very exquisite small box. When she opened it, a vast expanse of white light surged out, revealing countless small bottles suspended within the light, too many to count.
Qing Mo's mouth fell open. "You killed this many participants?"
Even Zhang Ruochen glanced sideways, a hint of surprise flashing in his eyes.
The Rakshasa Princess said smugly, "How about it? If you agree to follow me, I'll give you half of these bottles."
Qing Mo shook her head and instead hid behind Zhang Ruochen, saying fearfully, "You killed so many participants, so you can't be a good person. What if... what if you kill me?"
"Good person? There are no good people in this world."
The Rakshasa Princess closed the box again and laughed. "Think it over. Before the Merit Battle ends, my offer stands."
Then, her eyes turned to Zhang Ruochen. "I sensed a trace of killing intent from you just now. You wouldn't be thinking of killing me and taking my things, would you?"
Zhang Ruochen said, "What's the point of pretending? Don't you want to kill me?"
The Rakshasa Princess shook her head. "We're both space cultivators. Meeting is a kind of fate. Why must we always fight and kill? Can't we sit down together, discuss the Dao, and progress together?"
Zhang Ruochen was tired of playing games with her. He stood up and said, "Qing Mo, let's go."
"Wait."
The Rakshasa Princess's expression turned serious, and her entire demeanor changed. "To be honest, the reason I'm still here is that I want to cooperate with you on something."
"Why should I cooperate with you?" Zhang Ruochen asked.
The Rakshasa Princess said, "Don't you want to know the whereabouts of that friend of yours?"
Zhang Ruochen's eyes flashed with cold light. "What do you mean?"
The Rakshasa Princess narrowed her eyes, then took out a Message Light Talisman and tossed it to Zhang Ruochen. "This is the Message Light Talisman you sent out, isn't it?"
This talisman was the one Zhang Ruochen had sent to Mu Lingxi when he first arrived at the Giant Whale River Basin.
Zhang Ruochen clenched the Message Light Talisman tightly. "The Message Light Talisman I sent was intercepted by you. No wonder I never received a reply from her."
The Rakshasa Princess met his gaze and smiled. "For a space cultivator, intercepting a Message Light Talisman isn't difficult, is it?"
"It's not difficult, but it's not easy either. To intercept a Message Light Talisman, you had to be nearby when it was sent. In other words, you were near me the moment I sent it."
After a pause, Zhang Ruochen continued, "When did you start watching me?"
The Rakshasa Princess said, "When you attacked the Rakshasa army."
Zhang Ruochen once again infused Saint Qi into the Message Light Talisman, causing the jade talisman to emit a dazzling light as it flew into the night.
"Come back."
The Rakshasa Princess extended her hand forward and executed a Space Distortion technique.
The flying Message Light Talisman immediately reversed direction and flew back.
Zhang Ruochen took a step forward, extending both hands to also execute a Space Distortion technique, causing the talisman to change direction again and fly into the distance.
The Rakshasa Princess's eyes narrowed, showing a hint of annoyance. She waved her finger, creating a Space Rift.
"Bang."
Seeing the Message Light Talisman shattered by the Space Rift, a smug smile appeared on the Rakshasa Princess's face. "As long as I'm here, your Message Light Talisman won't get through."
"Are you trying to anger me?" Zhang Ruochen said.
The Rakshasa Princess countered, "Are you trying to fight? With your True Saint initial stage cultivation, you're no match for me. If you cultivate to the True Saint late stage or peak, you might force me to use my true strength. But for now, why do something meaningless?"
Zhang Ruochen activated the Hundred Saint Blood Armor, covering his entire body. Dazzling blood light surged outward, and a hundred saintly shadows emerged from the armor, standing all around him.
"Kill!"
Zhang Ruochen gathered the power of a hundred saints and threw a punch.
Green Purifying Divine Flame surged along his arm, transforming into a massive fire dragon.
The Rakshasa Princess's Ten Thousand Saint Plain Garment began to frantically absorb energy from the surroundings. Then, a pale white palm struck out, colliding with Zhang Ruochen's fist.
"Boom."
The ground beneath their feet shattered and collapsed.
When Zhang Ruochen activated the Hundred Saint Blood Armor, Qing Mo, the Nine-Headed Azure Bird, and the Devouring Saint Flower had already fled into the distance. But they were still caught in the shockwave, sent flying by the force of the impact.
In an instant, hundreds of miles of land were reduced to ruins, the air filled with chaotic energy.
At the very center of the battle, Zhang Ruochen and the Rakshasa Princess both used their most powerful spatial techniques, shattering the space around them. The earth's plates turned into floating islands suspended in the broken space, constantly being broken down and devoured.
The Rakshasa Princess stood on a floating island, ethereal and otherworldly, beautiful as a celestial maiden. "If we keep fighting, there will be no result. Why not calm down and have a proper talk? Maybe we really can cooperate."
"Cooperate? From the very beginning, you used the wrong method."
Zhang Ruochen's long hair flew upward as if he were a young demon god. He gripped the Abyssal Ancient Sword with both hands, channeling the power of time, and traced a circle in the air.
Instantly, within the space where he and the Rakshasa Princess stood, the flow of time slowed down more and more.
"Whoosh—"
When the flow of time returned to normal, Zhang Ruochen's sword had already pierced toward the Rakshasa Princess's heart.
A flicker of surprise appeared in the Rakshasa Princess's beautiful eyes. Her lithe body twisted like a water snake, and the Ten Thousand Saint Plain Garment wrapped around the Abyssal Ancient Sword, deflecting its trajectory.
Then, she transformed into a streak of cyan light, shooting upward.
"Rip."
Zhang Ruochen dragged the sword hilt and swung it to the right.
The hem of the Ten Thousand Saint Plain Garment was entangled with the tip of the Abyssal Ancient Sword. Under the immense force, it was torn from the Rakshasa Princess's body.
Suddenly, the Rakshasa Princess felt a chill. Large expanses of snow-white skin were exposed to Zhang Ruochen's eyes. Only a moon-white chest garment and a pair of shorts clung to her graceful, curvaceous figure, creating an incredibly alluring sight.
Fortunately, the space around them had been shattered by their battle, turning the battlefield projection into a chaotic blur. Otherwise, seeing the Rakshasa Princess's voluptuous, snow-white, and full figure, countless cultivators would have been gushing nosebleeds.