Chapter 1487: Captured Again
"Why wouldn't I dare?" said Princess Bai Li.
Qiu Yu, possessing a true divine body, was indeed formidable. Throughout the entire Kunlun Realm, there were likely few beings who could oppose him at the same cultivation level.
Yet Princess Bai Li was not afraid of him.
Qiu Yu knew that today was the best opportunity to kill Zhang Ruochen, so he stopped wasting words with Princess Bai Li and directly mobilized a strand of Tree God Divine Qi within his body, merging it with the Flame God Fist Gloves.
Instantly, a hundred-zhang-tall flaming figure manifested behind him.
"Today, whoever blocks me will die."
Qiu Yu let out a furious roar, surging sacred power through his body as he controlled the flaming divine shadow to attack Princess Bai Li.
That flame power, like a violent storm, possessed an intensity that seemed to surpass the Saint realm, reaching the level of a Saint King.
Princess Bai Li produced the Yin Kong Tower. The tower's body grew larger and larger, spinning and flying as it emitted a chilling ghostly fiend aura.
"Boom."
The two forces collided.
The Yin Kong Tower's body shook violently from the flaming divine shadow's fist imprint, all its ghostly fiend aura burned away by the flames. Moreover, a tiny crack appeared on the tower's surface.
Unfortunately, the Yin Kong Tower was merely a top-ranked sacred artifact on the Thousand-Mark Sacred Artifact List, while Qiu Yu wore the Flame God Armor—the gap in grade was simply too vast.
Qiu Yu was slightly surprised. "Princess Bai Li actually blocked my full-force strike."
In the Kunlun Realm, aside from Zhang Ruochen, Qiu Yu had never encountered an opponent at the same level, and cultivators who could block his strike were extremely rare.
At his peak, Qiu Yu could completely contend with an ordinary One-Step Saint King.
Of course, now that he was severely injured, his strength was greatly diminished.
Princess Bai Li remained composed, continuing to control the Yin Kong Tower to block Qiu Yu's relentless attacks.
After enduring twelve consecutive strikes, the Yin Kong Tower finally exploded with a thunderous roar, shattering into fragments of sacred artifacts that shot out in all directions like rays of light.
The Heaven-Shaking Tiger witnessed this scene, his heart jolting with shock.
"What a formidable fellow! He actually shattered a battle tower comparable to a Ten-Thousand-Pattern Sacred Artifact with just his fists. Such strength is not even a fraction weaker than this Saint. If he weren't injured, wouldn't he be even stronger than me?"
The Heaven-Shaking Tiger finally realized Qiu Yu was a dangerous figure. Earlier, he had been feigning weakness. If he had truly underestimated him, he might have been ambushed today.
"At just the mid-stage of Supreme Saint, his strength surpasses even a Half-Step Saint King. Could this Qiu Yu possess a Perfect Physique?" the Heaven-Shaking Tiger mused.
Qiu Yu grew stronger as he fought. Half his body transformed into a parasol tree, while the other half remained human. He continued to channel the power of the Flame God Fist Gloves, pressing down on Princess Bai Li.
"Nine-Tailed True Shadow."
Sacred power surged within Princess Bai Li's body. Countless sacred dao rules burst forth from her delicate form, interweaving into the phantom of a nine-tailed white cat. The cat was extremely sacred, its pupils filled with divine patterns.
It was a soul shadow of the Bai Li Ancestor.
In the ancient era, the Bai Li Ancestor was the master of the Nine Li Palace, wielding extraordinary influence throughout the Kunlun Realm.
Princess Bai Li and Prince Bai Li were the Bai Li Ancestor's offspring, but they had been sealed away by the Ancestor using secret arts shortly after birth. Only in this era had the Nine Li Palace unearthed them from underground.
"Boom."
The Nine-Tailed True Shadow clashed with the Flaming Divine Shadow. The two powerful forces stalemated, neither gaining the upper hand.
The ground beneath Princess Bai Li and Qiu Yu split open, forming a gap several meters wide.
Fortunately, they were on the Qifeng Sacred Mountain, where the Phoenix Clan had arranged inscriptions to withstand their power. If this had been elsewhere in the Ancestral Spirit Realm, the continental plates might have shattered.
Princess Bai Li, a primordial descendant who had undergone the baptism of the Heaven-Splitting Earth-Cleaving era and stolen a leaf from the Seven-Star Divine Lingzhi, was naturally not weaker than Qiu Yu.
"Is this all the so-called Heavenly Root has to offer?"
A cascade of light rain flew out from within Princess Bai Li, merging with the Nine-Tailed True Shadow.
Instantly, the power unleashed by the Nine-Tailed True Shadow grew even stronger, forcing Qiu Yu and the Flaming Divine Shadow back seven steps, retreating over fifty zhang.
"How can she be this powerful?"
Qiu Yu's face showed disbelief.
Even if he were uninjured and at his peak combat strength, defeating Princess Bai Li would not be an easy task.
Qiu Yu glanced sidelong at the Heaven-Shaking Tiger and said coldly, "What are you waiting for? If we wait any longer, the Spirit Flame Demon Consort might return. We must join forces and finish this quickly."
"Finally showing your true colors. This brat truly has no reverence for this Saint."
Though the Heaven-Shaking Tiger detested Qiu Yu, he knew they had to act swiftly. So, he began circulating his sacred qi, causing tiger roars to erupt from his meridians and sacred channels, shaking the very air.
Facing two top-tier powerhouses simultaneously, Princess Bai Li felt some pressure.
But then, Princess Bai Li noticed that the Heaven-Shaking Tiger and Qiu Yu both changed expressions, as if they had seen something terrifying, and both stopped in their tracks.
Princess Bai Li turned to look and found Zhang Ruochen and A Le standing up simultaneously, flanking her on the left and right.
Zhang Ruochen merely glanced at the Heaven-Shaking Tiger and Qiu Yu before quickly walking toward Mu Lingxi, who lay in a pool of blood, to check her injuries.
The Heaven-Shaking Tiger and Qiu Yu both exploded backward like lightning, fleeing down the Qifeng Sacred Mountain.
Princess Bai Li said to A Le, "Pick one first."
A Le, holding his rust-covered iron sword, vanished from his spot in a flash. The next moment, he appeared behind the Heaven-Shaking Tiger.
"What a freak. Every time he goes through life and death, his cultivation surges by a huge margin." Princess Bai Li found that even with her eyesight, she could only see an afterimage of A Le.
This showed how terrifying his speed was.
Princess Bai Li also burst into extreme speed, merging with the Nine-Tailed True Shadow to pursue Qiu Yu.
The Heaven-Shaking Tiger sensed a killing aura behind him. He fully activated his sacred qi, pushing his speed to the limit. Sharp wind forces formed around his body, and as he rushed past, even the stones beside him exploded.
Yet the killing aura drew closer and closer.
Soon, it was within ten zhang of him.
The Heaven-Shaking Tiger halted his legs, twisting his sturdy body 180 degrees midair. He wrapped his arms into a circle, then pushed his palms forward.
"Mountain-Pushing... Force..."
Unfortunately, before the Heaven-Shaking Tiger could unleash his sacred art, A Le's iron sword had already pierced through his brow. A Le twisted his wrist, sending a burst of chaotic sword qi surging out.
"Bang." The Heaven-Shaking Tiger's head exploded.
Even without his head, the Heaven-Shaking Tiger still unleashed the "Mountain-Pushing Force," though it didn't strike A Le. It only caused the Qifeng Sacred Mountain to shake violently.
Finally, the Heaven-Shaking Tiger's body fell backward, crashing heavily to the ground.
Qiu Yu was slightly faster than the Heaven-Shaking Tiger. He quickly reached the foot of the Qifeng Sacred Mountain. Seeing Princess Bai Li still a hundred zhang away, he felt a momentary relief, thinking he had escaped.
"Zhang Ruochen, one day, I will trample you under my feet."
Qiu Yu muttered fiercely, about to flee, when he looked up and froze.
There stood Zhang Ruochen, holding Mu Lingxi in one arm and the Abyssal Ancient Sword in the other, blocking his path.
Zhang Ruochen's gaze was icy cold. Just meeting his eyes made Qiu Yu's heart tremble.
Behind Qiu Yu, Princess Bai Li quickly caught up.
From another direction, A Le emerged from the parasol tree forest, carrying a blood-drenched iron sword. He had clearly killed the Heaven-Shaking Tiger.
"How do you want to die?" A Le asked.
Qiu Yu felt his scalp tingle but forced himself to stay calm. "If I self-detonate my sacred source, we'll all die here."
"First, you'd need the ability to self-detonate your sacred source."
Before Qiu Yu could react, Zhang Ruochen appeared behind him. Before Qiu Yu could deploy any defensive measures, Zhang Ruochen struck him on the crown of his head, knocking him unconscious.
"Use the Binding Saint Lock to tie him up. Keep his dog life—he might be useful later." After saying this, Zhang Ruochen strode swiftly back into the Qifeng Sacred Mountain.
In the distance, the Rakshasa Princess stood on the branch of a ten-thousand-year-old parasol tree. Her figure was incredibly beautiful and alluring, blending into the surrounding scenery as if she were part of a painting.
Her gaze fixed on Princess Bai Li as she muttered to herself, "Another top expert has emerged. Zhang Ruochen's ranks are truly full of talent. Even I, a Rakshasa Princess, can barely compare."
The Rakshasa Princess was far too clever not to see through the Eight Divisions Realm's Realm Son Yuan Hun's purpose.
In truth, Yuan Hun hadn't held her back for long. She had long since returned to the Qifeng Sacred Mountain. The reason she hadn't shown herself was that she was waiting for Zhang Ruochen to use his divine war artifact.
The Rakshasa Princess wanted to know how powerful Zhang Ruochen's divine war artifact was. How many steps of Saint King could it contend with? How many times could it be used?
Unfortunately, Qiu Yu and the Heaven-Shaking Tiger had disappointed her greatly.
Beneath the parasol tree, a Rakshasa woman emerged from the soil.
This Rakshasa woman did not cultivate spiritual power but martial arts. She wore a rather revealing black battle armor, her skin as white as jade, with large areas of her chest, abdomen, and thighs exposed. Her aura was both heroic and seductive.
This woman was named Qian Yu, possessing a Perfect Physique.
Unlike Yang Qi and Ling Quan Shaojun, Qian Yu had no great backing, clan, or kingdom behind her. Thus, she was completely loyal to the Rakshasa Princess, one of the top experts under her command.
Qian Yu clasped her hands and said, "Reporting to Your Highness, the two women you ordered eliminated have broken through our encirclement, but they are both severely injured."
"So, they still managed to spread the news. Now all the saints of the Shatuo Seven Realms know they can exchange merit points at Zhang Ruochen's place?" the Rakshasa Princess said.
Qian Yu immediately knelt on one knee. "Please punish me, Your Highness."
After Zhang Ruochen dispatched Mo Yin and Han Qiu, the Rakshasa Princess had also ordered the Rakshasa Clan to do everything in their power to surround and kill them, hoping to thwart Zhang Ruochen's plan.
If Zhang Ruochen's plan succeeded, then the Rakshasa Princess's scheme to weaken the Shatuo Seven Realms using the Merit Record Wall would fail.
...
(There will be another chapter tonight.)