Chapter 1451: The Nest of Nether Ice Jade Scorpions
"Boom."
The battle erupted violently, with ear-splitting roars rising and falling one after another.
Zhang Ruochen, holding the Buddha Emperor Relic, fought alone against dozens of top-tier saints from the Blade Prison Realm. Not only did he hold the upper hand, but he also forced them into retreat.
Every few breaths, a saint would inevitably fall, plunging into the Nether Winter Water below.
Just as the two sides were locked in a fierce stalemate, strange cries echoed from the bone-chilling Nether Winter Water.
Dozens of Nether Ice Jade Scorpions emerged from the depths, devouring the saint corpses floating on the surface. Then, they raised their sharp giant pincers, gazing up at the saints still battling above.
Both the saints of the Blade Prison Realm and Zhang Ruochen and the Rakshasa Princess noticed the large group of Nether Ice Jade Scorpions below, a sense of foreboding rising within them.
"Could the nest of the Nether Ice Jade Scorpions be right here in the Nether Winter Water below?"
This thought flashed through everyone's minds.
"Hiss."
Dozens of Nether Ice Jade Scorpions spat out cold air, transforming into dozens of white streaks of light that shot upward, joining the fray and attacking both sides simultaneously.
Among these Nether Ice Jade Scorpions, eleven were fully mature, possessing strength comparable to Half-Step Saint Kings.
With just the first wave of assault, the saints of the Blade Prison Realm erupted in screams. Sixteen saints died on the spot, and several others suffered serious injuries.
"There are too many Nether Ice Jade Scorpions. We need to get out of here immediately."
"Cease fire! Cease fire now, or we'll all die here!"
...
This time, the saints of the Blade Prison Realm could no longer maintain their formation, fleeing recklessly toward the passage entrance.
Zhang Ruochen did not pursue them further, as seven Nether Ice Jade Scorpions were attacking him from different directions with fierce momentum.
Among them, one mature Nether Ice Jade Scorpion hovered above Zhang Ruochen's head, spewing a river of freezing cold air from its mouth.
The freezing river, hundreds of meters long, cascaded downward.
Zhang Ruochen let out a low snort, retrieved the Monument Shield, and activated the tens of thousands of inscriptions within it, unleashing its full power.
The Monument Shield spun through the air, shattering the freezing river and slamming into the Nether Ice Jade Scorpion.
"Boom."
A clang rang out, like two divine irons colliding.
The mature Nether Ice Jade Scorpion was sent flying, with three long cracks appearing on its carapace. It let out an angry, low roar.
"It only injured it, didn't kill it."
Zhang Ruochen finally realized that a mature Nether Ice Jade Scorpion was truly comparable to a Half-Step Saint King. Killing one would not be an easy task.
In the distance, the Rakshasa Princess and Fang Yi had also stopped fighting, now engaged in battle with over thirty Nether Ice Jade Scorpions.
Bu Ji, Su Qingling, Mu Lingxi, and Qing Mo were also under attack by five Nether Ice Jade Scorpions, but since these were not mature ones, they managed to hold their ground.
"Hundred Saint Blood Armor."
The crystal-red fist glove on Zhang Ruochen's right hand transformed into a suit of armor, covering his body. He then activated the power of a hundred saints, manifesting a hundred saintly shadows.
"Bang, bang."
With the boost from the hundred saints' power, Zhang Ruochen became incredibly fierce. With six consecutive palm strikes, he shattered six Nether Ice Jade Scorpions, reducing them to broken, mangled corpses that fell into the water below.
The injured mature Nether Ice Jade Scorpion let out a furious roar and attacked Zhang Ruochen again.
Without a trace of fear, Zhang Ruochen let out a long howl, burst into incredible speed, and charged straight at it.
At the same time, he grabbed the Monument Shield, holding it in his hand, and activated the thunder and fire power within it. It was as if he were wielding a massive ball of thunder and fire, relentlessly smashing it into the mature Nether Ice Jade Scorpion.
"Bang, bang."
He struck dozens of times, each blow with full force, causing the Nether Ice Jade Scorpion to shriek in agony.
Finally, the Nether Ice Jade Scorpion could no longer withstand Zhang Ruochen's power. A cracking sound came from its body, and it shattered like porcelain.
Having taken down seven Nether Ice Jade Scorpions in a row, Zhang Ruochen felt exhilarated, his battle intent boiling over.
He then released the Devouring Saint Flower, ordering it to protect Mu Lingxi and the others. Meanwhile, he charged toward the area where the Blade Prison Realm and the Nether Ice Jade Scorpions were locked in the most intense combat.
At this moment, the saints of the Blade Prison Realm were all trapped at the passage entrance, with over twenty Nether Ice Jade Scorpions attacking them, two of which were mature.
Zhang Ruochen, wielding the Monument Shield in one hand and the Abyssal Ancient Sword in the other, carved a path of slaughter. Both Blade Prison Realm saints and Nether Ice Jade Scorpions fell one after another under his sword.
Before long, only a little over twenty Blade Prison Realm saints remained alive.
Considering that before entering the canyon, there had been over a hundred Blade Prison Realm saints, this was a devastating loss.
Even Fang Yi, who was usually calm and composed, was enraged to the point of bloodshot eyes. He roared, "You're asking for death!"
Fang Yi activated the power of the White Micro Star, and a faint divine might erupted from within him, sending the dozen or so Nether Ice Jade Scorpions surrounding him flying. The immature ones even exploded into clouds of blood mist.
Fang Yi burst into incredible speed, reaching Zhang Ruochen in an instant, and thrust a finger at him.
Just a single finger strike shook the space itself.
Zhang Ruochen's heart tightened. He quickly steadied himself, leaned forward, and raised the Monument Shield with his left hand to block. In front of the shield, thunder and fire intertwined, and the phantom of a sacred stele appeared.
"Boom."
Fang Yi's finger shattered the sacred stele phantom and struck the shield.
With this finger, Fang Yi had infused Truth Rules into it, unleashing several times the normal power, aiming to kill Zhang Ruochen in one blow.
Zhang Ruochen felt the Monument Shield tremble violently, as if an entire world were pressing down on it. His arm let out a "cracking" sound, as if his bones were about to break.
His body uncontrollably flew backward, blood trickling from his mouth.
"Not dead?"
Fang Yi was somewhat disappointed but did not linger. Instead of continuing his attack on Zhang Ruochen, he charged toward the passage entrance.
Two mature Nether Ice Jade Scorpions were guarding the passage entrance.
Seeing Fang Yi charging at them, they released two massive clouds of freezing air from their bodies and met his attack head-on.
"Swoosh—"
Fang Yi's brow radiated starlight as the power of the White Micro Star surged forth again. He pressed his hands forward, striking the two mature Nether Ice Jade Scorpions.
"Bang, bang."
The two mature Nether Ice Jade Scorpions were obliterated in an instant.
Fang Yi reached the passage entrance, spat out a mouthful of blood, and turned to glare at Zhang Ruochen and the Rakshasa Princess. He said coldly, "I will repay today's enmity tenfold in the future. You won't live long."
With a step forward, Fang Yi entered the passage and vanished into the dark space.
The remaining twenty-plus Blade Prison Realm saints all fled as well.
"Fang Yi is formidable. Killing two Nether Ice Jade Scorpions comparable to Half-Step Saint Kings in a single strike—letting him escape will be a endless source of trouble."
Zhang Ruochen felt a burning pain across half his body, his injuries severe.
If Fang Yi hadn't activated Truth Rules, Zhang Ruochen could have matched him. But with the boost from Truth Rules, even a One-Step Saint King might not be Fang Yi's match, let alone Zhang Ruochen.
Of course, Zhang Ruochen still had the Time Sword Art as a trump card. In a life-or-death battle, he might not necessarily lose to Fang Yi.
Ultimately, it came down to Zhang Ruochen's insufficient mastery of time and space. Otherwise, even if Fang Yi could wield Truth Rules, how could he be a match for a master of time and space?
Time and space were both too profound, requiring extensive study and comprehension. But what Zhang Ruochen lacked most right now was time.
Thus, he had to temporarily focus on improving his cultivation, which was the fastest way to increase his strength.
Zhang Ruochen unleashed the Purifying Divine Flame, burning all the Nether Ice Jade Scorpions that attacked him to ashes. On the other side, the Rakshasa Princess also invoked Truth Rules, killing six mature Nether Ice Jade Scorpions in a row.
Only after all the Nether Ice Jade Scorpions were slain did the space finally calm down.
"Everyone, quickly gather the Condensed True Sacred Dew. We must leave this place as soon as possible."
Zhang Ruochen did not let his guard down. He released his spiritual power to cover the Nether Winter Water below, wary of more Nether Ice Jade Scorpions emerging.
The Rakshasa Princess rushed out of the passage to pursue the Blade Prison Realm saints.
A moment later, she returned to the dark space and shook her head at Zhang Ruochen. "They got away."
"This time, the Blade Prison Realm lost nearly a hundred top-tier saints. We've made a mortal enemy of them. If we meet again, it will be a fight to the death."
Zhang Ruochen felt a pang of regret, but someone like Fang Yi surely had many trump cards and life-saving measures. Defeating him was one thing; killing him was as difficult as reaching the heavens.
Unless Zhang Ruochen broke through to the Supreme Saint realm, he might have the power to kill him.
Drops of Condensed True Sacred Dew floated in the air like stars, numbering in the thousands. Zhang Ruochen and the Rakshasa Princess also joined in collecting them.
It took them a quarter of an hour to gather all the Condensed True Sacred Dew in the dark space. Everyone had gained a great deal. Zhang Ruochen alone collected over thirteen thousand drops.
"Let's go. We need to leave here quickly," the Rakshasa Princess said.
Zhang Ruochen nodded. Suddenly, he sensed a faint spatial fluctuation. He looked up sharply, fixing his gaze on the "bright moon" at the top of the dark space.
There, beside the "bright moon," another bright drop of Condensed True Sacred Dew had appeared.
Zhang Ruochen squinted, a strange expression crossing his face. He was deeply curious—what exactly was that "bright moon"? Could the Condensed True Sacred Dew be born from it?
The Rakshasa Princess had clearly noticed this as well. Almost simultaneously with Zhang Ruochen, she flew toward the "bright moon."