Chapter 1460: Collecting Corpses
Nine Spirit Great Saint couldn't help but reveal a faint smile. "This kid Zhang Ruochen is quite interesting, completely unpredictable in his actions."
Wu Zu's voice rang out: "Just from this one battle alone, the amount of Rakshasa blood and residual souls Zhang Ruochen has collected is an enormous number. With this ebb and flow, the losses for Kunlun Realm, Blade Prison Realm, and Purple Mansion Realm are devastating."
"As long as he can reach the base of the Merit Wall and exchange those Rakshasa residual souls and blood for merit points, Guanghan Realm will gain a huge advantage. Even if they can't secure the top three on the Sacred Merit Ranking, they can at least compete for fourth place."
Nine Spirit Great Saint nodded. "Right now, my only concern is the Rakshasa Princess. She's too unpredictable."
Beside him, Annihilation Emperor shook his head and chuckled. "The Rakshasa Princess is indeed a variable, but she's also Zhang Ruochen's greatest trump card. As long as he holds that card, in Ancestral Spirit Realm, Zhang Ruochen can handle any crisis with ease. Forget fourth or third on the Sacred Merit Ranking—he can even compete for first."
Hearing Annihilation Emperor's words, the Great Saints present felt their minds stir.
First place on the Sacred Merit Ranking—was that possible?
If Zhang Ruochen could lead Guanghan Realm to become number one on the Sacred Merit Ranking, Guanghan Realm wouldn't need to become a new battlefield. Even if they lost all the Great Saint Merit Battles and Saint King Merit Battles, it wouldn't matter.
Of course, the strength of Great Demon Ten Directions Realm, Eight Divisions Realm, and Purple Mansion Realm was evident. Their Saint numbers were several times that of Guanghan Realm.
For Guanghan Realm to claim first place on the Sacred Merit Ranking was as difficult as ascending to heaven.
Previously, there was no chance at all. Now, there was at least a glimmer of hope.
"No wonder Moon God snatched him for Guanghan Realm. He's truly extraordinary, and increasingly impressive. He must grow stronger—if he can defeat the Rakshasa Princess, his name will shake all realms."
Barbarian Sword Great Saint grew tense, focusing all his attention on the region around the Phoenix Nest.
The Great Saints of Kunlun Realm, however, fell silent.
If Zhang Ruochen had represented Kunlun Realm in the battle, with his strength, Kunlun Realm would have held a significant advantage on the Merit Battlefield. Instead, they were now struggling on the edge of life and death.
Unfortunately, Kunlun Realm was ruled by Empress Chi Yao, and even they, as Great Saints, could not change the Empress's will.
The battle between the three worlds and the Rakshasa clan reached a fever pitch. With every breath, Saints fell and died on the battlefield.
Zhang Ruochen indeed did not participate in the fighting; he merely collected corpses on the sidelines.
Su Qingling was also helping, tirelessly stripping treasures from the bodies, busily enjoying herself. She had never imagined that on the perilous Merit Battlefield, one could accumulate merit points so easily.
The merit points came too effortlessly.
Was she sure she hadn't joined a fake Merit Battle?
On the battlefield, Canglan Martial Saint's beautiful eyes widened, and she shouted angrily, "Zhang Ruochen, do you have any shame?"
"What do you mean?" Zhang Ruochen asked.
Canglan Martial Saint said, "Even if you've defected to Guanghan Realm, you're still a member of the Heavenly Court Realm. Facing the Rakshasa clan, shouldn't you share our hatred and fight the enemy together?"
Zhang Ruochen shrugged. "The Rakshasa clan hasn't attacked me. What can I do?"
Canglan Martial Saint felt like she was seeing ghosts. Were the Rakshasa blind? Couldn't they see that bastard Zhang Ruochen? Or did they think the Saints of the three worlds were a greater threat and wanted to eliminate them first before dealing with Zhang Ruochen?
"Even if the Rakshasa clan hasn't attacked you, you shouldn't just hide on the sidelines collecting treasures and merits. Those Rakshasa Marquises were killed by us; the merits belong to us," Canglan Martial Saint said.
Zhang Ruochen clearly disagreed with Canglan Martial Saint's view. "Who told you not to collect them yourself? The treasures and merits I pick up from the ground—do I have to return them to you? If you have the ability, collect them yourselves. I won't snatch them from you. After all, we have some history."
"You—"
Canglan Martial Saint was furious, regretting even more that she had pleaded for him before the Empress back then. This traitor deserved to be cut into a thousand pieces.
Suddenly, Canglan Martial Saint's pupils contracted as she saw Zhang Ruochen draw the Azure Sky Bow and shoot an arrow straight at her.
"Pfft."
Behind her, a third-class Rakshasa Marquis was killed by the Daylight Arrow, blood splattering, staining half her body.
Just as she was consumed by anger, that third-class Marquis had sneaked up behind her, wielding a blood blade, nearly striking her neck.
Fortunately, Zhang Ruochen's arrow killed him in time, or the consequences would have been dire.
Zhang Ruochen retrieved the Daylight Arrow and said, "No need to thank me. Consider that arrow a gift."
Canglan Martial Saint stared straight at Zhang Ruochen, her emotions tangled. She didn't know whether to hate him or be grateful.
Zhang Ruochen used Space Distortion to retrieve the third-class Marquis's corpse, brought it back into the Space Maze, and tossed it to Su Qingling.
The battle between the Rakshasa Princess and Eastflow Sword Venerable had already ended.
Eastflow Sword Venerable was severely wounded, with a massive bloody hole in his chest.
However, he used a life-saving technique to escape back into the Saint camp of Purple Mansion Realm, barely saving his life.
Eastflow Sword Venerable swallowed a healing sacred pill and fully activated his sacred Qi to refine the medicine. The wound on his chest and abdomen glowed with sacred light, slowly healing.
"Is she really Spirit Flame Demon Consort? How can she be so powerful?"
At the same cultivation level, Eastflow Sword Venerable had never encountered an opponent as formidable as the Rakshasa Princess. She was like a mountain standing before him, suppressing him so completely that he had no chance to fight back.
Fang Yi had fought the Rakshasa Princess and knew her strength well. "There's no need to provoke Spirit Flame Demon Consort for now. Let's deal with the Rakshasa Marquis army first. Once we free up our hands, the two of us working together—are we afraid we can't handle her?"
Eastflow Sword Venerable nodded, turning his gaze to the Rakshasa Marquis army. "Thirty-six Nine-Nine Unity Formations complement each other, their power interconvertible, like a single entity. Even a first-step Saint King couldn't break them. If we don't break the thirty-six formations, we'll remain at a disadvantage. Should we use a Divine War Artifact?"
Fang Yi shook his head. "Don't use Divine War Artifacts lightly. We can also combine a formation, channeling all our power into me. I can activate the power of White Micro Star, perhaps enough to shatter the thirty-six Nine-Nine Unity Formations."
Soon, over a hundred Saints from Blade Prison Realm and Purple Mansion Realm gathered around Fang Yi, standing in mystical positions like the foundations of a formation.
As they continuously released sacred power, a formation imprint appeared beneath their feet.
"Whoosh—"
The sacred power of over a hundred Saints all surged toward Fang Yi, pouring into his body.
Immediately, the White Micro Star on Fang Yi's brow emitted a dazzling light, and above his head, the phantom of an enormous planet appeared.
The vast sacred might caused space itself to tremble slightly.
From another direction, Chu Siyuan, Shengshu Cainü, Siming Saintess, and a large group of newly gathered spiritual power Saints simultaneously unleashed their spiritual power, fully activating the Confucian Ancestor Sacred Book.
Then, the phantom of the Confucian Ancestor Sacred Book and the White Micro Star simultaneously struck down at the thirty-six Nine-Nine Unity Formations.
"Boom, rumble."
The thirty-six Nine-Nine Unity Formations were shattered, and hundreds of Rakshasa Marquises were crushed into clouds of blood mist.
In addition, many Rakshasa Marquises were severely injured.
After launching this attack, Chu Siyuan, Shengshu Cainü, Siming Saintess, and the others had consumed too much spiritual power. They all sat cross-legged on the ground to rest and recover.
Fang Yi and the hundred-plus Saints were also heavily drained, their faces pale as paper. They sat down, circulating their techniques to restore their sacred power.
The other Saints of the three worlds, however, were overjoyed. They let out long battle cries and charged toward the Rakshasa Marquis army.
The Rakshasa Marquis army did not continue to fight them. Instead, they quickly retreated toward the southern side of the Sacred Mountain.
At the same time, from the south of the Sacred Mountain, a dense swarm of sacred artifacts flew out, bombarding the Saints of the three worlds, covering the retreat of the Rakshasa Marquis army.
Zhang Ruochen watched this scene, a puzzled look appearing in his eyes again. He muttered to himself, "Who exactly is commanding the Rakshasa army?"
The Rakshasa Princess stood beside Zhang Ruochen, a solemn expression in her eyes. "There must be a highly intelligent figure in the Rakshasa army. Without this person, the Rakshasa clan would have suffered heavy losses in this battle. But as it stands, it seems the three worlds have taken greater losses."
Su Qingling said, "Could it be the legendary Rakshasa Princess?"
"Rakshasa Princess?" Zhang Ruochen asked.
Su Qingling explained, "It's said that the Rakshasa Princess is the daughter of a Rakshasa god. Not only is she exceptionally talented, but she's also incredibly intelligent. Although she's only a Saint, she has become the commander-in-chief of the invasion of Ancestral Spirit Realm. On this battlefield, even the old monsters of the Heavenly Court Realm have more losses than victories when playing chess with her. In just thirty years, Ancestral Spirit Realm has been shattered."
"My grandfather once said that this is only the first time the Rakshasa Princess has served as the commander of an invasion of a major world. To have such a record is terrifying. In the future, she will only grow stronger. By then, few in the Heavenly Court Realm will be her match. So, the Heavenly Court Realm will surely use all its strength to kill her in the cradle, not letting her grow up."
Zhang Ruochen murmured to himself, "So there's such a formidable figure in Ancestral Spirit Realm."
The Rakshasa Princess sensed danger, worried that Zhang Ruochen might suspect her. She quickly changed the subject. "The Rakshasa Marquis army has already retreated. We might become the next target of the Saints from the three worlds. What's your plan?"
"The major worlds are not monolithic; they compete with each other. So dealing with them is much easier than dealing with the Rakshasa army," Zhang Ruochen said.
"It sounds like you already have a plan."
"It's not really a plan. I just think that given our identities, there's no need to fear them. Guanghan Realm and Great Demon Ten Directions Realm have a large number of Saints gathered at Giant Whale River. They won't dare to openly do anything to us, just like you didn't kill Eastflow Sword Venerable."
"That does make some sense."
The Rakshasa Princess smiled faintly, then secretly sent a spiritual command to the Rakshasa army: "Immediately capture the World Son of Great Demon Ten Directions Realm, Spirit Flame Demon Consort. I want her alive."