Chapter 1449: Yielding to Others, Yet Not Yielding
The saints who had entered the canyon were at least at the Heaven-Connecting Realm in cultivation, yet in an instant, more than thirty of them had been killed, leaving the surviving saints trembling with fear.
Saints were like weeds, cut down at a word.
The killing power of the Great Saint inscriptions gradually dissipated.
Even True Saints and Supreme Saints slowly stepped backward, their hearts pounding violently. If Fang Yi had not stood there as steady as a mountain, they would have already fled recklessly into the depths of the canyon.
From beginning to end, Fang Yi remained expressionless, his bright saintly eyes fixed on the Rakshasa Princess. "Aside from Lingyan Demon Consort, there is no second female saint in the Shatuo Heaven Domain who is more formidable than you."
"You have some discernment," the Rakshasa Princess said.
Fang Yi said, "Even if you were Lingyan Demon Consort, forcing me to yield would not be an easy task. If we truly fight, everyone will die here."
"Is that so? Even if you activate the Great Saint inscriptions here, with the two of us Space cultivators present, we have at least a thirty percent chance of escaping. But you all will surely die."
The Rakshasa Princess saw through Fang Yi's thoughts, appearing calm and composed, as if she had him cornered.
The saints of the Blade Prison Realm had not expected the shift between aggressor and victim to come so quickly. They had been wolves feasting on meat, but now they had become sheep waiting to be slaughtered.
Their gazes turned to Fang Yi, wanting to know what decision the Realm Son would make.
Fang Yi was naturally unwilling to be controlled. One hand behind his back clenched into a claw shape, and in the center of his palm appeared a one-inch-long white flying knife. Though small, tens of thousands of inscriptions were woven across it.
The Rakshasa Princess naturally sensed Fang Yi's determination to fight to the death. Therefore, she moved her finger, pressing it toward a Great Saint inscription on the stone wall to the right.
Before the Great Saint inscription was even activated, the entire canyon began to tremble gently.
Fang Yi furrowed his brow. The hand behind his back closed its fingers, retracting the surging saintly power. His expression unchanged, he said, "Very well. Yielding to two Space cultivators is nothing shameful. Today, I, Fang Yi, admit defeat. May I ask the other Space cultivator's name?"
Zhang Ruochen said, "Zhang Ruochen."
"So you are the Divine Envoy of the Guanghan Realm. Today, I have gained some insight."
Fang Yi gave Zhang Ruochen a deep look, a strange expression flashing in his eyes. Then he turned and led the saints of the Blade Prison Realm deeper into the canyon.
Su Qingling and Bu Ji now harbored no resentment at all. They were filled with admiration for Zhang Ruochen and the Rakshasa Princess, bowing in utter respect. To have forced the renowned White-Robed Fang Yi to yield—only the two of them in all of the Shatuo Seven Realms could have accomplished such a feat.
Bu Ji was quite candid, taking the initiative to say, "Brother Zhang, I apologize. Earlier, I did not understand your plan and acted too rashly. If I offended you in any way, please do not take it to heart."
Su Qingling also felt some remorse in her heart, though she did not voice it directly.
Nevertheless, after this incident, they would surely trust Zhang Ruochen more. Before, their bond might have been shallow, but through trials like this, their friendship would become stronger.
Su Qingling reminded him, "A Great Saint's heart does not yield to others. Fang Yi must possess a Great Saint's heart as a Heavenly Proud One, so he cannot truly submit. He is likely thinking of a way to counterattack."
"If he wants to counterattack, it depends on how much strength he can muster." The Rakshasa Princess stood tall, exuding an air of arrogance even while motionless.
In another part of the universe, the entire Blade Prison Realm was in an uproar. Countless beings were furious to the point of madness.
"The Divine Envoy of the Guanghan Realm has joined forces with the Rakshasa Princess to target the Blade Prison Realm. He must be punished."
"How hateful! Forcing the saints of the Blade Prison Realm to scout the path—this Zhang Ruochen must die."
"Everyone, rest assured. The Realm Son is a hero of his generation. How could he be controlled by others? Who will laugh last is still unknown."
...
The cultivators of the Kunlun Realm, however, were clapping in delight.
After all, the saints of the Blade Prison Realm and the Purple Mansion Realm had hunted many Kunlun Realm saints on the Merit Battlefield. Seeing the Realm Son of the Blade Prison Realm so thoroughly oppressed, how could they not feel satisfied?
"Zhang Ruochen is truly arrogant, joining forces with the Rakshasa Princess to force the Blade Prison Realm's Realm Son to obey. One can't help but admire him."
"Unfortunately, the Rakshasa Princess's methods are too formidable. Zhang Ruochen may not be able to outmaneuver her. I can't wait to see who will ultimately be the true victor between the two."
...
...
Fang Yi held the Heavenly Mechanism Compass, advancing cautiously.
But the deeper they went into the canyon, the denser the Great Saint inscriptions became. Even the Heavenly Mechanism Compass could not detect all the killing mechanisms, forcing the saints to investigate personally.
In other words, they had to use lives to fill the gaps.
Under the Rakshasa Princess's coercion, one Blade Prison Realm saint after another was sent forward.
Each saint could only advance about ten or dozens of zhang before triggering the Great Saint inscriptions and dying without a complete corpse.
After thirteen saints had died in succession, not only had the remaining Blade Prison Realm saints turned pale and trembling, but even Fang Yi's face had turned ashen.
Too humiliating!
They were like livestock, driven forward. Resistance meant death, and continuing forward also meant death.
Fang Yi took a deep breath, trying to make his posture appear more upright. "The denser the Great Saint inscriptions, the closer we are to the heart of the sacred mountain."
Next, two more Heaven-Connecting Realm saints were sent to scout. One died, but the other walked into a patch of white mist and shouted ecstatically, "Such a vast space! So much Condensed True Sacred Dew!"
The saints of the Blade Prison Realm were overjoyed, the heavy stones in their hearts finally falling.
A cold light flashed in Fang Yi's eyes. He burst forward at top speed, charging into the white mist first. The Blade Prison Realm saints followed closely behind.
At the rear, Zhang Ruochen exchanged a glance with the Rakshasa Princess. They directly used Space Displacement, shifting positions more than ten times in succession to catch up with the Blade Prison Realm saints.
Passing through the white mist, they found themselves in an extremely vast space. Countless points of light floated within it, giving the impression of entering a small universe, with stars twinkling.
But those points of light were not stars—they were droplets of Condensed True Sacred Dew.
Above their heads hung a bright "moon," radiating a fearsome saintly power. The Condensed True Sacred Dew was falling from this "moon."
Upon entering this space, Zhang Ruochen and the Rakshasa Princess began to plummet straight down. Looking below, they could see patches of silvery, scale-like ripples on the water.
"Nether Winter Water."
Zhang Ruochen's expression changed.
Nether Winter Water, known as "Extreme Cold Water," could kill even a saint who fell into it. His legs manifested phantom images of a luan bird and a phoenix, and his body surged upward.
The Rakshasa Princess's reaction was no slower than Zhang Ruochen's. Her Ten Thousand Saint Plain Garment emitted rings of saintly light, making her body lighter than a feather, floating upward automatically.
"Today is the day you both die."
Fang Yi stood above Zhang Ruochen and the Rakshasa Princess. The star at his brow emitted dazzling light, making him appear like a true god standing proudly in the universe.
"Whoosh—"
A flying knife only an inch long shot from Fang Yi's hand, streaking like a meteor toward Zhang Ruochen at an unimaginable speed, exceeding a hundred times the speed of sound.
Fang Yi knew that Zhang Ruochen was the Divine Envoy of the Kunlun Realm and wielded a Divine War Artifact. He deemed him the greatest threat, so he struck first, intending to kill him.
"Bang."
In an instant, the Abyssal Ancient Sword appeared in Zhang Ruochen's hand. He swung it horizontally to block.
The sword body clashed with the flying knife. Zhang Ruochen felt as if he had been struck by an iron mountain, his body uncontrollably flying backward.
The flying knife turned, bypassing the Abyssal Ancient Sword, and flew toward Zhang Ruochen's brow again.
Zhang Ruochen quickly swung his sword, clashing with the flying knife once more.
Rings of saintly power spread outward, blasting all the suspended Condensed True Sacred Dew away, plunging the surroundings into utter darkness.
"Bang, bang."
In the blink of an eye, the flying knife struck twelve times, each blow carrying lethal force, but Zhang Ruochen blocked them all.
In this space, there were no Great Saint inscriptions. The Rakshasa Princess had to summon the Nuanling Dragon Fire, condensing it into a fiery dragon to attack Fang Yi.
"Roar."
The fiery dragon shot forth, bringing a rain of flames that put immense pressure on Fang Yi. He could no longer focus on dealing with Zhang Ruochen and had to go all out against the Rakshasa Princess, this formidable enemy.
After Fang Yi withdrew his flying knife, Zhang Ruochen finally steadied himself. The twelve strikes from the flying knife had sent his blood energy surging wildly.
Zhang Ruochen looked at his right arm, finding a shallow knife wound left there.
"As expected of a Realm Son from a major world. Fang Yi is indeed a terrifying figure."
Although Zhang Ruochen had been caught off guard by Fang Yi's relentless assault, the fact that Fang Yi could injure him showed that Fang Yi's strength was certainly not inferior to Zhang Ruochen's.
Mu Lingxi, Su Qingling, and the others had also entered this space one after another, regrouping with Zhang Ruochen.
Their gazes turned toward Fang Yi and the Rakshasa Princess, watching the pinnacle battle between saint-level beings.
Witnessing such a battle firsthand was immensely beneficial to them.
Because some saintly powers could only be comprehended by Heavenly Proud Ones of Fang Yi and the Rakshasa Princess's caliber. When they fought, they would inevitably use these powers. If one could grasp their essence, they might one day become a powerhouse of the same level.
This was not a martial arts sparring match—it was a life-and-death battle.