Chapter 1485: Walking on Thin Ice
At the bottom of the cliff, within a thicket of highly toxic thorns, Zhang Ruochen found A Le.
Half of A Le's body was scorched by flames, many bones inside him were broken, his face was pale, and he had no signs of life, like a corpse.
Enduring the intense pain in his own body and the constant feeling of weakness, Zhang Ruochen dragged A Le out of the thorny thicket and laid him flat on the ground.
The Rakshasa Princess walked over to Zhang Ruochen's side, stared at the "corpse" on the ground, and said, "The Merit Battlefield is just this cruel. No one knows whether death or tomorrow will come first. Bury him!"
Zhang Ruochen gently shook his head, still staring at A Le.
The Rakshasa Princess hadn't expected Zhang Ruochen to be so stubborn. She was about to persuade him again when she suddenly sensed something. She let out a soft exclamation and began to carefully observe the "corpse" on the ground.
"How is this possible... He actually has both Life Qi and Death Qi inside him. The Qi of life and death, endlessly circulating."
The Rakshasa Princess had powerful Spiritual Power and could feel the strange phenomenon inside A Le's body.
Even with her experience, she was somewhat shocked.
Inside A Le's body, a Taiji Life-Death Seal had already formed. It could transform Life Qi into Death Qi, and also transform Death Qi into Life Qi.
As long as his willpower was strong enough, he would have an undying body.
Unless he encountered an opponent far too powerful, who could reduce his body to ashes and shatter the Taiji Life-Death Seal, only then could he be killed.
Of course, A Le had only cultivated the "Nine Revolutions Life-Death Art" to the seventh revolution. If he reached the eighth or even the ninth revolution, even if his body were ground to dust, it might not be enough to completely kill him.
Gradually, a trace of color returned to A Le's face. The Life Qi inside his body grew thicker and thicker, and he had passed the most dangerous stage.
Zhang Ruochen breathed a slight sigh of relief.
The four experts of the Eight Divisions Realm also noticed the strange change in A Le and were all amazed.
Feng Mo took a deep breath, thinking to himself, "Zhang Ruochen really has a wealth of talent around him. A Han Qiu who cultivates the Path of Darkness is already terrifying enough. Add an undying cold-blooded swordsman and a Primordial ferocious plant like Shi Shenghua. Even if you picked the top Saint realm prodigies from an entire major world, it would be hard for them to contend with this group."
"Amitabha."
Yuan Hun walked over to Zhang Ruochen, a smile on his face, and said, "This humble monk's Dharma name is Yuan Hun, the Realm Son of the Eight Divisions Realm. I wonder if Benefactor Zhang has time now to discuss the matter of exchanging merit points together?"
Since the other party was a Realm Son, he couldn't be treated lightly.
Zhang Ruochen nodded and said, "Feng Mo should have already told you the rules for exchanging merit points, right?"
"Of course."
Yuan Hun said, "However, Benefactor Zhang wanting to take a thirty percent share of the merit points, isn't that a bit too much? How about we make friends and make it twenty percent?"
Since Yuan Hun was willing to follow Feng Mo here and hadn't directly ambushed Zhang Ruochen, it showed he could accept Zhang Ruochen's conditions.
Now, bargaining with Zhang Ruochen was largely a test of Zhang Ruochen's true strength.
If Zhang Ruochen was severely injured, he wouldn't have the confidence and might agree to the conditions.
The fact that Feng Mo and Yuan Hun had arrived so quickly had actually caught Zhang Ruochen off guard, putting him in a somewhat difficult position.
Having dealt with countless sinister characters, Zhang Ruochen could naturally see through Yuan Hun's intentions. He laughed and said, "The saints of the Kunlun Realm who exchange merit points with me already give me thirty percent. If the saints of the Eight Divisions Realm only give twenty percent, once the news gets out, what will the saints of the Kunlun Realm think?"
The Rakshasa Princess giggled and said, "How about our Great Demon Ten Directions Realm only give ten percent?"
Yuan Hun's expression stiffened slightly. After a moment of thought, he smiled again and said, "Since Benefactor Zhang has difficulties, this humble monk won't force the issue. Let's stick with the thirty percent rule and cooperate for now."
Immediately, Yuan Hun, Jin Chi Bao, and Zhen Tian Hu took out the Rakshasa blood and remnant souls they had, all stored in various precious bottles.
Seeing the Rakshasa blood and remnant souls on the ground, the Rakshasa Princess's jade fingers hidden in her sleeve tightened slightly, and a coldness arose in her heart.
However, she hid it extremely well and didn't show it.
After Zhang Ruochen received his thirty percent share of the Rakshasa blood and remnant souls, he took out the Merit Record Wall and set it up at the bottom of the cliff.
At that moment, the eyes of Jin Chi Bao and Zhen Tian Hu grew somewhat heated. A powerful surge of Saint Qi brewed within them, and they wanted to immediately attack and seize it.
When he took out the Merit Record Wall, Zhang Ruochen also took out a Sacred Sword and held it in his hand.
It was a Divine Artifact bestowed by the Moon God.
Everyone present was a top-tier expert and could naturally feel the Divine Power contained within the Sacred Sword.
Jin Chi Bao and Zhen Tian Hu were both startled. They quickly withdrew their Saint Qi, couldn't help but step back, and roared, "How can you possess a Divine Artifact? Aren't such weapons forbidden from being brought into the Ancestral Spirit Realm?"
Even the Rakshasa Princess's pupils contracted sharply. She hadn't expected Zhang Ruochen to have such a terrifying trump card.
Once the Divine Power inside the Divine Artifact was triggered, he would be practically invincible in the Ancestral Spirit Realm. No matter how many Rakshasa Marquises attacked him, they would probably be killed by him instead.
Among those present, only Yuan Hun could remain calm, because he knew that the Divine Envoys of the Seven Killing Realms all possessed a Divine Artifact.
"Zhang Ruochen actually exposed his Divine Artifact. It seems he really lacks confidence. However, with the power of a Divine Artifact, trying to seize the Merit Record Wall now would definitely get me killed. I'll endure a little longer." Yuan Hun thought to himself.
Yuan Hun was the first to walk to the bottom of the Merit Record Wall. He opened all the precious bottles and exchanged for 3.2 million merit points.
Then, Jin Chi Bao and Zhen Tian Hu walked over one after another, exchanging for 800,000 and 1.2 million merit points respectively.
The total merit points collected by the Eight Divisions Realm in the Saint Merit War reached 92 million, still ranking third.
Zhang Ruochen, in turn, gained 2.2 million merit points, bringing the total merit points of the Guanghan Realm to 95 million.
Yuan Hun clasped his hands together and said with a kind smile, "Since this first cooperation went so smoothly, Feng Mo will surely bring more and more saints from the Eight Divisions Realm to exchange merit points in the future."
"Pleasure doing business." Zhang Ruochen said.
Yuan Hun's gaze shifted to the Rakshasa Princess, showing a hesitant expression, but finally he said, "Demon Consort, may I have a word in private?"
A smile appeared in the Rakshasa Princess's starry eyes. "Sure."
Yuan Hun and the Rakshasa Princess walked down the Sacred Mountain, followed by Feng Mo, Jin Chi Bao, and Zhen Tian Hu.
After a moment, the Qifeng Sacred Mountain became exceptionally quiet. Zhang Ruochen could no longer hold on. With a "wha" sound, a mouthful of blood sprayed from his mouth. His body trembled, his meridians tightened, and he slowly sat down on the ground.
Earlier, his battle with the Bone Phoenix had already left him severely injured.
The fight with Qiu Yu had worsened his injuries.
Zhang Ruochen should have immediately started healing, but to intimidate the four experts of the Eight Divisions Realm, he had to keep going. As a result, his internal injuries had deteriorated to an extreme point.
Qiu Yu, bound by the Saint-Binding Lock, let out a cold laugh. "Your injuries are already incredibly severe, yet you were still putting up a front. Now you're suffering the backlash, aren't you? In your current state, I'm afraid even moving a finger is extremely difficult."
Although bound, Qiu Yu struggled to stand up, smiling. "Today, I am destined to be the one who laughs last."
Unable to mobilize Saint Qi, Qiu Yu still had considerable physical strength. He reached his fingers through the gaps in the Saint-Binding Lock, grabbed A Le's iron sword, and walked step by step toward Zhang Ruochen.
Suddenly, Zhang Ruochen opened his eyes and uttered two words: "Lingxi."
The space vibrated slightly. Mu Lingxi stepped out from inside the Space Crystal and saw Qiu Yu thrusting his sword at Zhang Ruochen's back. Her expression changed, and she immediately struck out with a palm.
"Bang."
A muffled sound came from Qiu Yu's mouth as he was sent flying.
The iron sword in his hand fell to the ground with a "clang."
"I won't accept this... I was so close... just a little more and I could have turned the tables..."
Qiu Yu roared in anger.
Mu Lingxi quickly surveyed her surroundings and roughly understood the situation.
Both A Le and Zhang Ruochen were severely injured and unable to move.
Where were the others?
"How did this happen? What happened?" Mu Lingxi asked.
Zhang Ruochen sat cross-legged on the ground, motionless, using his Spiritual Power to send a message: "Keep an eye on Qiu Yu. Don't let him escape. Once I stabilize my injuries, I'll explain everything to you."
"Alright."
Mu Lingxi held A Le's iron sword in one hand and the Fengbei Shield in the other, cautiously watching her surroundings. Without a doubt, the safety of Zhang Ruochen and A Le now depended on her protection.
Qiu Yu lay on the ground, a bitter expression on his face. He said in a pleading tone, "Lingxi, even if we never married, we were at least engaged. Let me go. Once Zhang Ruochen stabilizes his injuries, he will definitely kill me."
Mu Lingxi said coldly, "The one who was engaged to you was my father, not me."
"But I am still your fiancé. Do you want to watch me be killed by Zhang Ruochen?"
Seeing that Mu Lingxi was unmoved, Qiu Yu continued, "Have you forgotten that I once saved your life in the Azure Dragon Ruins Realm? Now I'm begging you to spare my life. Is that so hard? I can't believe that the woman I loved most would be such an ungrateful and treacherous person."
The coldness in Mu Lingxi's eyes faded slightly, and a look of struggle appeared on her face. "You don't need to use provocation on me. I have never forgotten that debt of gratitude. Letting you go is impossible. But I will plead with Zhang Ruochen to spare your life."
"Zhang Ruochen is so ruthless, how could he possibly spare me? Lingxi, if you don't let me go, you are killing me with your own hands. You don't kill Qiu Yu, but Qiu Yu dies because of you. How can your conscience be at peace?" Qiu Yu said urgently.