# Chapter 1467: Lingquan Shaojun
Arriving at a safe area, Zhang Ruochen finally set down the seventh-rank marquis and Qing Mo on the ground.
Immediately, he channeled sacred qi into the twelve Buddhist beads on his wrist. The twelve beads flew up, suspended in twelve directions, enveloping a hundred-zhang radius.
The seventh-rank marquis had already fainted, lying like a dead pig on the thick layer of fallen leaves.
Zhang Ruochen's expression was solemn. He extended a finger and pressed it against the marquis's brow. A powerful spiritual force surged from his fingertip, entering the marquis's sea of consciousness to explore his memories.
The surface of the seventh-rank marquis's sea of consciousness was covered with a layer of dark purple light, blocking Zhang Ruochen's spiritual force.
"To prevent important information from being stolen, a big shot from the Rakshasa Clan actually sealed his sea of consciousness."
Subsequently, Zhang Ruochen summoned the Purifying Divine Flame from his qi sea, condensing it into a flame spike. Following his spiritual force, it surged into the marquis's brow, carefully refining the dark purple light layer on the surface of his sea of consciousness.
"Pop."
The Purifying Divine Flame burned through the dark purple light. Seizing the opportunity, Zhang Ruochen's spiritual force successfully broke in, searching the sea of consciousness for valuable information.
After a moment, Zhang Ruochen withdrew his finger and fell into thought.
"So even a powerful figure like Fengxing Hou is merely a subordinate of Lingquan Shaojun. That Lingquan Shaojun is the truly formidable character."
"But why did Lingquan Shaojun order the capture of Shengshu Cainü? What value does she hold for him?"
In the seventh-rank marquis's memories, Zhang Ruochen discovered many crucial things, including information about some top figures of the Rakshasa Clan.
The Rakshasa Princess, Lingquan Shaojun, Xianli Hou, Shengjian Hou...
Among them, Lingquan Shaojun was an exceptionally terrifying existence, commanding ten first-rank marquises, holding an extraordinary status within the Rakshasa Clan.
What puzzled Zhang Ruochen even more was that he himself seemed to be one of Lingquan Shaojun's targets.
"A son of a Rakshasa monarch, coming to the Ancestral Realm at the End Times Battlefield stage, not for the Phoenix Nest, but to find me and Shengshu Cainü. Why?"
Zhang Ruochen closed his eyes in contemplation, feeling he was about to understand the reason, but at a certain point, his train of thought suddenly broke, creating a contradiction.
Finally, Zhang Ruochen shook his head and again extended his finger, pressing it against the seventh-rank marquis's brow.
This time, deeper within the marquis's sea of consciousness, Zhang Ruochen discovered another layer of purple light, even more solid than the outer one.
"Could there be an even greater secret locked away?"
Zhang Ruochen mobilized the Purifying Divine Flame to break through it again.
The moment the Purifying Divine Flame burned through the purple light, the seventh-rank marquis's body began to tremble violently. Then, a roar erupted from his qi sea, and a destructive force burst forth from within.
"Space collapse."
Zhang Ruochen's expression changed. He rapidly retreated backward, pressing both hands forward, shattering the space within a ten-zhang radius around the marquis.
Just as the marquis's body exploded, before the destructive force within could be released, it was swallowed by the shattered space and vanished into the void.
Zhang Ruochen extended an arm to block the surging energy waves, his expression grave. "I can't even probe it. What other secrets is the Rakshasa Clan hiding? Fortunately, I was prepared, or I would have suffered greatly."
After space returned to stability, Zhang Ruochen took out the Merit Wall and placed it beneath the twelve Buddhist beads.
Seeing the Merit Wall, Qing Mo's eyes went wide. She immediately rushed over, stroking the wall, and said, "The Merit Wall! It's actually the Merit Wall... Zhang Ruochen, you actually seized the Merit Wall from the Holy Mountain. This is wonderful! Now Kunlun Realm is saved!"
"What does it have to do with Kunlun Realm?" Zhang Ruochen said.
Instantly, Qing Mo calmed down and fell silent.
Zhang Ruochen took out the Rakshasa blood and remnant souls he had collected, placing them beside the Merit Wall. Subsequently, Guanghan Realm's merit points increased by another 370,000.
370,000 points was already an enormous number. Many saints couldn't accumulate that many merit points in their entire lives.
But the gap between Guanghan Realm and the Great Demon Ten Directions Realm was too vast. Relying solely on Zhang Ruochen's strength, even if he killed Rakshasa marquises nonstop, he couldn't surpass them.
370,000 merit points seemed rather insignificant.
"Now there are only two methods."
"First, secretly contact the saints of Guanghan Realm, have them exchange all the Rakshasa remnant souls and blood they've collected for merit points. That should give Guanghan Realm's merit points a significant boost."
"Second, steal."
Stealing was the fastest way to collect merit points.
Hearing the word "steal," Qing Mo, standing nearby, trembled all over.
Guarding against Zhang Ruochen as if he were a bandit, she immediately rushed to the Merit Wall, took out Rakshasa blood and remnant souls, and exchanged them for merit points.
After watching Kunlun Realm's merit points increase, Qing Mo patted her chest and let out a long sigh of relief.
Unfortunately, Zhang Ruochen didn't care about her meager merit points at all.
Zhang Ruochen took out a Message Light Talisman, inscribed a passage of text, then infused it with a strand of Su Qingling's sacred path aura and sent the talisman flying.
"Swoosh—"
The Message Light Talisman circled through the dense forest before falling to the ground.
Zhang Ruochen walked over, picked up the talisman, and said, "Within the chaotic space, even Message Light Talismans can't fly out. This is troublesome."
Unable to contact the saints of Guanghan Realm, how could he obtain the Rakshasa blood and remnant souls they carried?
Qing Mo tiptoed behind Zhang Ruochen and said cautiously, "You said earlier that Sister Nalan might be in danger? Your strength is so great, won't you go help her?"
"Kunlun Realm has many experts. No one should be able to harm her. Besides, even if I wanted to help, I don't know where she is," Zhang Ruochen said.
Regarding Shengshu Cainü, Zhang Ruochen knew he owed her a great deal.
Unfortunately, the two stood on completely opposite sides. It was best to minimize contact. Too much contact wouldn't be good for her.
Qing Mo's fingers gently tugged at her hair ends. She lowered her head and said, "I can sense her location."
"How can you sense her location?"
Zhang Ruochen showed a strange expression, quite puzzled.
Qing Mo said seriously, "This is a secret. I can't tell you yet."
Although Shengshu Cainü was extremely intelligent, Lingquan Shaojun was an incredibly formidable figure, practically an invincible existence within the Saint realm.
How could Zhang Ruochen not be worried at all?
"Alright. I also want to go meet this Lingquan Shaojun and see just how remarkable a figure he is."
"Really? That's wonderful!"
Qing Mo was like a teenage girl, petite and delicate, leading the way ahead. Zhang Ruochen, appearing elegant and refined, walked with his hands behind his back, unhurriedly following behind her, gradually disappearing into the dense forest.
...
...
Walking out of that ancient maple forest, one could see the thirty-three sacred mountains in the deepest part.
Between the sacred mountains and the forest lay a vast swamp. In the swamp grew clusters of crimson plants, their leaves and roots crystalline and translucent, burning with flames.
Streams of cold air also rose from the swamp, condensing into white mist turtles, mist dragons, mist phoenixes... The scene was quite strange yet filled with danger.
Because in the swamp, one could often see saints and Rakshasa marquises frozen into ice sculptures.
From this, one could imagine how terrifying the cold air was here.
Deep within the swamp, cold air and flames intertwined.
Dozens of Kunlun Realm saints walked above the swamp, advancing slowly. Characters flew beneath their feet, above their heads, and beside them, blocking the attacks of cold air and flames.
Chu Siyuan and Yue Shuzi walked at the front, mobilizing their spiritual power to support a bamboo slip sacred text.
The characters swirling around them flew out from that bamboo slip sacred text.
Besides them, the other eight of the Nine Heavens Mysterious Maidens, over a dozen Confucian saints, and over a dozen Domain Kings from the Ministry of War followed closely behind.
After a series of battles, Canglan Wusheng's face showed exhaustion. "Danqing, their target seems to be you. Do you know why?"
Recently, they had been attacked fourteen times, each more ferocious than the last.
Initially, their team consisted of over two hundred saints. Now only forty-some remained, more than half dead.
Due to excessive spiritual power consumption, Shengshu Cainü's face was quite pale. "Perhaps it has something to do with the Confucian Ancestor Sacred Text. According to the speculations of Confucian sages throughout the ages, the four Confucian Ancestors' spiritual power attainments likely exceeded the seventieth rank, possessing abilities no weaker than gods. In some aspects, they even surpass gods."
"The Rakshasa Clan is also a leader in the path of spiritual power throughout the entire universe. They would certainly be very interested in the Confucian Ancestor Sacred Text. I can't think of any other possibility."
Suddenly, the space above the swamp shook violently.
Then a fireball ten zhang in diameter came crashing down, slamming into the countless characters.
"Boom."
Tens of thousands of characters were blasted flying. One of the Ministry of War's True Saints was struck by the fireball, sent flying, turning into a mass of blood and flesh, dying on the spot.
"Not good. The Rakshasa Clan's strong ones have caught up again."
Canglan Wusheng and over a dozen Domain Kings from the Ministry of War charged forward, standing in front of spiritual power cultivators like Chu Siyuan and Yue Shuzi, taking out sacred artifacts and forming a battle formation.
"Ha ha."
Laughter rang out.
Lingquan Shaojun, clad in black lightning armor, his burly figure revealed in the swamp like a demon god, strode forward.
The cold air that could freeze saints to death and the flames that could burn saints to death automatically dissipated within ten zhang of Lingquan Shaojun, unable to harm him.
"Fleeing into the Two Poles Swamp to escape the Rakshasa Clan's eyes? You're too naive."
Lingquan Shaojun let out a disdainful laugh, then added, "Confucian cultivators to the left, martial cultivators to the right. If you obediently comply, perhaps you might live to see another day."