Chapter 1482: I Will Lead the Merit Battlefield

Chapter 1482: I Will Lead the Merit Battlefield

The Rakshasa Princess giggled, her snow-white, delicate chin bobbing slightly as she said, "Exactly. As long as we cooperate with the Great Demon Ten Directions Realm, mere worlds like Blade Prison Realm and Purple Mansion Realm won't be able to stir up any big waves."

Chu Siyuan hadn't expected to receive such an answer from Zhang Ruochen. Fuming with anger, his beard and mustache bristled as he said, "You... you were once a member of the Kunlun Realm, and for the sake of a demoness, you've forgotten your roots so quickly?"

Zhang Ruochen remained silent, his expression indifferent.

Shengshu Cainü's beautiful eyes were fixed intently on Zhang Ruochen. She knew in her heart that Zhang Ruochen hadn't changed, but having endured so much oppression, abuse, deception, and grievance in the Kunlun Realm, he had become so resistant to it. Deep down, he might not truly be unwilling to help the Kunlun Realm.

Canglan Wusheng, seeing Zhang Ruochen and the Rakshasa Princess acting all lovey-dovey, grew extremely irritated. She turned around abruptly, ready to leave. "Forget it. Since he's unwilling to cooperate with us, let's go now. What's the point of saying more? Zhang Ruochen, the next time we meet, it will be a battle of life and death."

"Wait a moment."

Shengshu Cainü stepped forward and said to Zhang Ruochen, "Can we talk alone?"

"Fine," Zhang Ruochen replied.

Zhang Ruochen and Shengshu Cainü walked side by side. One was clad in battle armor, the other in a white Confucian robe—one firm, one soft. They walked over a carpet of crimson fallen leaves, forming a striking scene.

Shengshu Cainü was refined and elegant, pure and graceful. After a moment of contemplation, she said, "Merit points are a matter of life and death for a major world. If they are truly pushed to the brink with no way out, the three weaker major worlds—the Kunlun Realm, Blade Prison Realm, and Tianmu Realm—will definitely fight to the death for the Merit Record Wall. At that point, even if the Great Demon Ten Directions Realm is powerful, it will suffer heavy losses."

"The Great Demon Ten Directions Realm is the strongest among the Seven Shatuo Worlds, so there's no worry about them ending up at the bottom. Even if they rank last in the Saint Merit War, they can make up for it in the other three battlefields. Thus, once the losses become too great, they will certainly stop cooperating with the Guanghan Realm. At that point, you and the Guanghan Realm might find yourselves fighting alone."

Zhang Ruochen said, "I understand."

Shengshu Cainü stopped walking, her two rows of dense eyelashes lifting as she stared at Zhang Ruochen's sharply defined face. "Given the current situation, unless you willingly hand over the Merit Record Wall, no major world will dare to cooperate with you. Even the saints of the Guanghan Realm, if they come out to protect you, will face catastrophic destruction."

In front of Shengshu Cainü, nothing was off-limits to discuss. Zhang Ruochen's expression grew more serious. "I sense a huge crisis. You must have noticed it too, right?"

Shengshu Cainü nodded gently. "The Rakshasa Clan."

"Exactly."

Zhang Ruochen continued, "No matter how much we fight and struggle, our true enemy will always be the Rakshasa Clan. One major reason I took the Merit Record Wall was to prevent the saints of the Seven Shatuo Worlds from slaughtering each other in rivers of blood, only to be wiped out by the Rakshasa Clan in the end."

Shengshu Cainü said, "The Rakshasa Clan destroyed the other three Merit Record Walls, leaving only the one at the Phoenix Nest, precisely to make us exhaust ourselves through internal conflict."

Zhang Ruochen said, "If I agreed to cooperate with the Kunlun Realm, even if they could exchange for a large amount of merit points, they would ultimately be besieged by the other worlds, suffering countless deaths and severe damage to their vitality. What meaning would such cooperation have?"

Shengshu Cainü realized that Zhang Ruochen understood the situation better than anyone else, without needing her reminders. So she asked, "Then what do you plan to do?"

Zhang Ruochen said, "Right now, my only way to survive is to lead the entire Saint Merit War by myself."

"Are you serious?" Shengshu Cainü was somewhat surprised.

Zhang Ruochen said, "Do you think I'm joking?"

Shengshu Cainü pursed her lips lightly, deep in thought. Suddenly, her eyes lit up as she began to grasp Zhang Ruochen's intention. "The Merit Record Wall is a hot potato, but it's also the most important trump card in your hand. If used well, it might indeed allow you to lead the entire Saint Merit War."

Zhang Ruochen said, "So, the ones I want to cooperate with are not just the Kunlun Realm, but also the Great Demon Ten Directions Realm, the Tianmu Realm, and the Eight Divisions Realm. At the same time, I need to choose the ones to be at the bottom, like the Blade Prison Realm and the Purple Mansion Realm."

Shengshu Cainü was extremely intelligent and understood Zhang Ruochen's purpose in doing this.

First, according to the normal Saint Merit War, the Blade Prison Realm and the Purple Mansion Realm were almost impossible to end up at the bottom. Thus, the Kunlun Realm and the Tianmu Realm, which might end up at the bottom, would choose to cooperate with Zhang Ruochen to suppress the Blade Prison Realm and the Purple Mansion Realm together.

Second, if the Great Demon Ten Directions Realm, the Guanghan Realm, the Kunlun Realm, and the Tianmu Realm were all on the same side, how could the Eight Divisions Realm not know how to choose? With the help of the Mad Demon to contact them, the Eight Divisions Realm would most likely cooperate with Zhang Ruochen as well.

With five major worlds united on the same front, leaving only the Purple Mansion Realm and the Blade Prison Realm, even if they were unwilling, with such a disparity in power, they probably wouldn't dare to wage war against the five worlds.

This path Zhang Ruochen intended to take would not only avoid internal conflict among the seven worlds but also allow him to benefit from it.

Shengshu Cainü said, "Theoretically, it's feasible, but implementing it involves too many variables, great difficulty, and is full of danger. One wrong step, and you'll be doomed. That Spirit Flame Demon Consort is a huge variable. Additionally, the Eight Divisions Realm is powerful and may not be willing to be used by you."

Zhang Ruochen looked up at the sunlight filtering through the gaps in the leaves. "On this battlefield full of dangers, where is there a perfect strategy? If there's a path to take, I should try it. Let's go. We're heading back."

Shengshu Cainü pondered for a moment, as if thinking about something. "Do you know? Huang Yanchen has gone missing."

"Hmm," Zhang Ruochen replied.

Seeing the indifference in Zhang Ruochen's eyes, Shengshu Cainü asked, "Don't you want to know where she went? Whether she's still alive?"

"It doesn't matter anymore," Zhang Ruochen said.

Shengshu Cainü said, "Does it really not matter?"

"Let's not talk about this. Let's go."

Zhang Ruochen clasped his hands behind his back and walked back.

Seeing Zhang Ruochen and Shengshu Cainü return, Canglan Wusheng's gaze shifted to Shengshu Cainü, a questioning look in her eyes. Shengshu Cainü just smiled and nodded in response.

Zhang Ruochen said, "I've already discussed it with Miss Nalan. Cooperation with the Kunlun Realm is not impossible. However, if the Kunlun Realm wants to exchange merit points with me, they must give me thirty percent."

Chu Siyuan said, "Thirty percent? We work hard and risk our lives to earn merit points, and you want to take thirty percent without lifting a finger? Isn't that too much?"

Zhang Ruochen said, "If you're unwilling, that's fine. There will always be other worlds willing to cooperate with me."

"Wait a moment."

Chu Siyuan stroked his beard, his eyes darting around. "How about twenty percent?"

Zhang Ruochen said, "Anyway, once the Guanghan Realm's merit points reach first place in the Saint Merit War, I will destroy the Merit Record Wall. At that point, even if you have plenty of Rakshasa blood and remnant souls, you won't be able to exchange them for merit points."

"Fine, I agree to it." Chu Siyuan quickly said.

Having struck this deal, Chu Siyuan and the Nine Heavens Mysterious Maiden took out all the Rakshasa blood and remnant souls they had on them, giving one-third to Zhang Ruochen.

Even just one-third allowed Zhang Ruochen to exchange for five million merit points, bringing the Guanghan Realm's total to over ninety-three million.

The Kunlun Realm's merit points reached over forty-two million, moving up one spot on the Merit Record Wall, surpassing the Blade Prison Realm to rank fifth.

After exchanging the merit points, the Nine Heavens Mysterious Maiden and Chu Siyuan immediately left to find other Kunlun Realm saints, planning to bring more Rakshasa blood and remnant souls to exchange with Zhang Ruochen.

The Rakshasa Princess watched calmly until the Nine Heavens Mysterious Maiden and Chu Siyuan had gone far before saying, "The Kunlun Realm won't let you exploit them like this. They will definitely take some action. What if they bring a large number of experts next time, suddenly attack, and seize the Merit Record Wall?"

Zhang Ruochen issued an order to Han Qiu and Mo Yin. "You two, spread the news as quickly as possible. The Kunlun Realm, the Tianmu Realm, the Eight Divisions Realm, and the Great Demon Ten Directions Realm—if they give just a small portion of benefits, they can exchange merit points with Zhang Ruochen. As for the Blade Prison Realm and the Purple Mansion Realm, because of their life-and-death enmity with Zhang Ruochen, he refuses to cooperate with them."

Han Qiu and Mo Yin exchanged a knowing smile, understanding Zhang Ruochen's intention. Then, they transformed into two shadowy figures and vanished into the dense forest.

The Rakshasa Princess suddenly realized, "You want the Kunlun Realm, the Tianmu Realm, the Eight Divisions Realm, and the Great Demon Ten Directions Realm to check and balance each other, while deliberately suppressing the Blade Prison Realm and the Purple Mansion Realm, making the other worlds feel superior and eager to cooperate with you. It's a clever tactic, but aren't you afraid of backlash?"

"Afraid? Of course I am. That's why I must be extremely cautious. First, I need to choose a safe location for the transactions," Zhang Ruochen said.

"Is there still a safe place?" the Rakshasa Princess asked.

Zhang Ruochen pointed his finger toward the depths of the ninety-nine sacred mountains. "The most dangerous place is the safest. The deepest part of the Phoenix Nest is undoubtedly extremely dangerous, so very few saints can enter. That way, at least I won't be trapped in a desperate situation surrounded by ten thousand saints."

Once Han Qiu and Mo Yin spread the news, it would cause a huge uproar. Many would likely be furious and think Zhang Ruochen arrogant and greedy. Especially the Blade Prison Realm and the Purple Mansion Realm, which would probably go mad with rage.

At that point, many people would likely take action.

So Zhang Ruochen didn't dare to stay in the dense forest any longer. He immediately set off toward the depths of the ninety-nine sacred mountains.

Upon learning of Zhang Ruochen's plan, the Mad Demon, fearing that Zhang Ruochen would destroy the Merit Record Wall once the Guanghan Realm took first place, hurriedly went to contact the saints of the Eight Divisions Realm, intending to persuade them to cooperate with Zhang Ruochen.

Of course, for the Mad Demon, this was also an opportunity to reap benefits.