Chapter 1466: Slaying a First-Class Marquis
"One, two, three, four... a total of fifty-seven Rakshasa marquises. Among them, the strongest one possesses terrifying strength and should be a first-class marquis. Besides him, there are also two third-class marquises."
Zhang Ruochen closed his eyes and murmured to himself.
Qing Mo curled up beside Zhang Ruochen, extending two slender fingers to gently tug at his sleeve. "Are they trying to capture Sister Nalan?"
"Suppress them and ask them directly—won't that work?" Zhang Ruochen said.
Qing Mo quickly shook her head, lowering her voice cautiously. "There are too many of them, and there's a first-class marquis. The strength of a first-class marquis is quite frightening..."
"Boom."
Zhang Ruochen lifted the Monument Shield, smashing through the wall of the ancient maple tree. With his other hand, he grabbed Qing Mo, who was curled up like a little duck, and charged toward the Rakshasa marquises.
Qing Mo was startled, letting out a sharp scream.
The Rakshasa marquises were all alarmed, quickly channeling their evil energy and assuming defensive stances.
Clearly, they were battle-hardened and reacted swiftly.
Zhang Ruochen swung the Monument Shield without activating the inscriptions within it, striking directly at the nearest fifth-class Rakshasa marquis.
"Crack."
A loud snap echoed from within the fifth-class marquis's body as a large section of his bones shattered into powder.
Falling to the ground, the fifth-class marquis bled from his seven orifices, trembling all over, unable to rise again.
Zhang Ruochen swept his gaze around and noticed a bonfire at the center of the group of Rakshasa marquises. Above it were four human saints.
Four long iron spikes pierced through the bodies of the four human saints, roasting them like wild beasts. Their skin and flesh had turned golden brown.
The sight made Zhang Ruochen's scalp tingle.
According to records, the Rakshasa clan delighted in devouring human flesh. The flesh of human saints was considered a delicacy among delicacies.
Setting Qing Mo down on the ground, Zhang Ruochen charged forward again.
"How dare you! Lord Fengxing Hou is here, and you still dare to make a move?"
Thirteen Rakshasa marquises each grabbed a battle artifact and rushed forward, attacking Zhang Ruochen simultaneously.
Since Zhang Ruochen had killed a fifth-class marquis with a single blow, ordinary marquises naturally dared not engage. Those attacking him now were fourth-class and third-class marquises.
The two third-class marquises, whose strength rivaled that of Supreme Saints, each wielded a tower-shaped thousand-mark sacred artifact, unleashing the Thousand Ripple Annihilation Force.
Within Zhang Ruochen's body, sacred energy surged like a roaring river, producing a rumbling sound.
He swung his arm, hurling the Monument Shield at one of the fourth-class marquises. At the same time, his hands manifested the phantom images of a dragon and an elephant, accompanied by dragon roars and elephant trumpets, as he struck at the two thousand-mark sacred artifact towers.
"Boom."
The two giant towers were sent flying backward by his palm strike.
The two third-class marquises also flew back like parabolic arcs, spitting large mouthfuls of blood. Their eyes were filled with shock, unable to believe that their opponent's strength could be so overwhelming.
Before they could hit the ground, Zhang Ruochen condensed a massive handprint dozens of feet long, slamming them into the earth. Their flesh exploded, leaving only two bloody skeletons.
In an instant, he had killed two third-class marquises. Zhang Ruochen was ferocious beyond measure.
The other Rakshasa marquises were terrified, no longer daring to confront him. They retreated one after another, all the way to behind Fengxing Hou.
Fengxing Hou stood about two meters thirty tall, with thick arms. His entire body was covered in strange demonic patterns, making him look like an immovable, towering demonic mountain.
Fengxing Hou scrutinized Zhang Ruochen and sneered, "Among the Seven Realms of Shatuo, someone with your strength is rare. Who exactly are you?"
"Divine Envoy of Guanghan Realm, Zhang Ruochen."
"So you're Zhang Ruochen."
A flicker of surprise crossed Fengxing Hou's face.
"Fight!" Zhang Ruochen roared.
The battle here would inevitably attract other saints and Rakshasa marquises, so Zhang Ruochen had to finish quickly.
"Whoosh—"
The Devouring Blood Flower burst forth from Zhang Ruochen's body, extending countless emerald-green vines toward the Rakshasa marquises. The vines were interwoven with threads of lightning, and once they ensnared a Rakshasa marquis, escape was impossible.
The Rakshasa marquises continuously struck with their battle artifacts, trying to sever the vines, but the vines' toughness far exceeded their expectations. They were no different from divine chains, impossible to cut.
"This is the legendary carnivorous plant, the Devouring Blood Flower! Someone has actually tamed it."
"The Devouring Blood Flower ranks quite high on the Carnivorous Plant Ranking List. I thought it was extinct, but here it is again."
...
The Rakshasa marquises were constantly strangled by the vines, then dragged underground to become nutrients for the Devouring Blood Flower.
Fengxing Hou's eyes widened, and a ring of dark red evil energy surged from his body, blasting away the vines rushing toward him. Then, he lunged forward, punching at Zhang Ruochen.
Fengxing Hou realized that Zhang Ruochen was the master, and the Devouring Blood Flower was merely his parasitic plant. Killing Zhang Ruochen would cause the Devouring Blood Flower to die as well.
"Good timing."
Within Zhang Ruochen's body, the roar of ten thousand dragons resounded. His body ignited, and he struck out with a palm.
Fist and palm collided, producing a thunderous explosion.
The shockwaves of energy pulverized the surrounding trees into powder. Even Qing Mo and the remaining Rakshasa marquises were forced to retreat.
If not for the dense spatial inscriptions in the forest, the destructive force of this clash would have affected a much wider area.
Many saints and Rakshasa marquises were alarmed, and some powerful figures rushed toward the source of the battle.
Fengxing Hou was knocked backward, the protective talismans on his body shattering one after another.
The human man before him was too formidable—impossible to withstand.
It was worth noting that Fengxing Hou had once exchanged ten moves with a one-step Saint King without falling. His strength was undeniably impressive.
"How is this possible? At the True Saint level, his power is not inferior to a one-step Saint King. This is too monstrous! No wonder the Young Lord is so eager to eliminate him. This man is indeed a huge threat."
Fengxing Hou took a deep breath, and the demonic patterns on his body glowed with a dark red light. A trace of Great Saint aura emanated from the patterns.
"Power of a Great Saint."
Zhang Ruochen's eyes narrowed. He then struck with full force, channeling the Purifying Divine Flame and unleashing a palm strike.
"Dragon-Elephant Divine Furnace."
Zhang Ruochen's palm was brighter than a blazing sun, radiating heat that seemed to melt the entire world.
The light from the demonic patterns on Fengxing Hou's body turned half the forest into a world of darkness. He roared, "Demon-Slaying Art."
A piercing howl rang out.
A massive dark hand extended from within Fengxing Hou, holding a sharp spike, and clashed with Zhang Ruochen's palm imprint.
"Crackle."
The power of the Purifying Divine Flame destroyed the dark hand.
Zhang Ruochen's palm struck Fengxing Hou's body, causing it to cave inward. Fengxing Hou flew backward like a cannonball.
Zhang Ruochen pursued, not giving Fengxing Hou a chance to counterattack, and continued striking.
"Bam, bam."
He delivered over a dozen palm strikes, each one deforming Fengxing Hou's body. Almost all the bones inside him shattered.
Even though Fengxing Hou's body was inscribed with Great Saint demonic patterns, it could not withstand the assault. The Purifying Divine Flame seeped into his body, and he turned into a fireball, burning up.
By the time Zhang Ruochen withdrew his palm, Fengxing Hou's body had been reduced to ashes, leaving only a sacred source floating in the flames, emitting a bright light.
Zhang Ruochen did not attempt to capture Fengxing Hou alive and extract valuable information from him.
After all, Fengxing Hou was too powerful. With Zhang Ruochen's current strength, he could defeat and even kill him, but he could not control him. If Fengxing Hou chose to self-destruct his sacred source, Zhang Ruochen would have a hard time escaping.
Thus, he had to kill him decisively, leaving no chance for mutual destruction.
Elsewhere, the battle had also ended. Except for one survivor, all the other Rakshasa marquises were dead. Notably, Qing Mo had killed three Rakshasa marquises and was now collecting their blood.
The survivor was a seventh-class marquis.
Sensing several powerful beings approaching the area, Zhang Ruochen quickly retracted the Devouring Blood Flower into his body. Holding Qing Mo in one hand and the seventh-class marquis in the other, he swiftly left the forest.
Moments later, a cloud of black evil mist descended from the sky, appearing in the forest.
Lingquan Young Lord stood within the evil mist, scanning the surroundings. He sniffed lightly, and flames surged in his eyes. "In less than a quarter of an hour, Fengxing Hou was killed. Who has such formidable strength?"
"Whoosh, whoosh."
A series of sounds broke through the air.
Nine first-class marquises arrived from all directions, appearing around Lingquan Young Lord. They examined the traces on the ground, searching for clues.
"Fengxing Hou was killed by the Purifying Divine Flame. Additionally, there are many Rakshasa marquis corpses underground, all drained of their sacred power and blood."
"Could it be that some powerful figure among the Seven Realms of Shatuo has broken through to the Saint King realm and killed Fengxing Hou?"
"Among the Seven Realms of Shatuo, those who can control the Purifying Divine Flame are few and far between. The Divine Envoy of Guanghan Realm is one of them."
...
The nine first-class marquises were all geniuses among geniuses and experts among experts. They found many traces and made various analyses, even guessing Zhang Ruochen's identity.
Lingquan Young Lord's gaze turned cold. He fixed his eyes on a beautiful Rakshasa woman. "Xianling Hou, can you track the direction he fled?"
Xianling Hou frowned deeply and shook her head. "That person must be carrying a treasure that conceals his aura and destiny. Even with my Heavenly Dao Calculation, I cannot track him."
"Your spiritual power has reached the Saint King level, yet you can't track him. It seems we'll have to wait for him to show himself."
Lingquan Young Lord clenched his fists. He had a premonition that the one who killed Fengxing Hou was likely the Divine Envoy of Guanghan Realm.
"Let's go. First, capture that Confucian cultivator. This time, I'll personally make a move and see where she can run."
Lingquan Young Lord led the nine first-class marquises, plunging into the ground and leaving the area.