Chapter 1491: Rakshasa Clan Camp
Upon hearing the sounds of battle, Lingquan Shaojun immediately rushed over. Seeing Zhang Ruochen, who had transformed into Saint Arrow Marquis, he called out, "Saint Arrow Marquis, where is Zhang Ruochen?"
Zhang Ruochen quickly clasped his hands in salute and replied in a rough voice, "Reporting to Shaojun, Zhang Ruochen's strength is terrifyingly powerful. Your subordinate failed to stop him."
Lingquan Shaojun clasped his hands behind his back, a fierce light flashing in his eyes. "Given Zhang Ruochen's strength, you are indeed no match for him. To kill him, this Shaojun will have to act personally."
"Of course. With Shaojun's strength, dealing with a mere Zhang Ruochen would be a trivial matter." Zhang Ruochen echoed in agreement.
Lingquan Shaojun nodded. "Zhang Ruochen was able to use Spatial Displacement and has now escaped. It seems we can no longer pursue him. No matter, let us first go pay respects to the Princess. She should have further instructions."
"The Princess? Could it be the legendary Rakshasa Princess?"
Zhang Ruochen's expression remained unchanged, but a huge storm raged within him. He felt both anticipation and the need to be even more cautious.
Following Lingquan Shaojun, he left the Two Poles Swamp and entered a dense forest where space was disordered.
"Are we heading to the Rakshasa Clan camp?"
Zhang Ruochen released his spiritual power and could detect that both underground and in the air, a large number of inscriptions had been arranged. Some inscriptions had existed before, while others had been recently carved.
If one did not know the safe route, any Saint who intruded into this area would surely die.
Before long, an ancient castle appeared before them.
The castle seemed to have an extremely long history. Many parts had collapsed and were patched up with rubble. A hundred zhang away from the castle, Zhang Ruochen saw many Rakshasa Marquises. Some were devouring the flesh and blood of Saints, some were meditating, and others were patrolling.
For the Rakshasa Clan, the fastest way to cultivate was to devour the flesh and blood of living beings. Their innate physique and cultivation techniques allowed them to convert the blood energy and saintly power contained in the flesh into their own strength.
The higher the quality of the flesh they devoured, the faster their cultivation grew.
This was why Yuan Hun had been divided and eaten by them.
"The Rakshasa cultivators gathered near the castle are at least at the level of Fourth-Class Marquises. And there are many of them. If they all charged out, could the Saints of the Seven Sha Tuo Realms withstand them?" Zhang Ruochen was secretly alarmed.
The strength of a Fourth-Class Marquis was comparable to a True Saint.
Guarding the castle gate were four Second-Class Marquises: two martial Saints who had reached the peak of the Supreme Saint realm, and two Rakshasa women whose spiritual power had reached the peak of the forty-fourth rank.
"Greetings, Shaojun."
"Greetings, Saint Arrow Marquis."
Seeing figures as important as Lingquan Shaojun and Saint Arrow Marquis, they naturally dared not check their identities and let them pass directly.
In the central area of the castle was a broken hall. Stone pillars thicker than millstones stood tall, and stone statues exuded a sacred aura. Walking through the hall, Zhang Ruochen and Lingquan Shaojun appeared especially small.
At this moment, a large number of Rakshasa First-Class Marquises were gathered in the hall. Each exuded an extremely fierce evil aura, their blood energy as powerful as divine dragons, giant elephants, or qilins, making one's heart tremble.
Powerful First-Class Marquises, such as Yang Qi, Qian Yu, and Xianli Hou, stood at the front. The weaker ones stood farther back.
Entering the hall, Zhang Ruochen was secretly shocked. The number of Rakshasa First-Class Marquises far exceeded his expectations—nearly a hundred.
If just these First-Class Marquises charged out, they could probably sweep through the Saints of the Seven Sha Tuo Realms.
Moreover, these were only the First-Class Marquises gathered in the hall. On the ninety-nine sacred mountains and even on the fragments of the four great families of the Ancestral Spirit Realm, there were likely many more First-Class Marquises.
"How is this possible... How can the Rakshasa Clan be this powerful?"
Zhang Ruochen suppressed his shock, trying to appear calm.
After all, among the Saints of the Guanghan Realm, those who could contend with a First-Class Marquis numbered fewer than five. Even in the powerful Great Demon Ten Directions Realm, those who could match a First-Class Marquis probably numbered fewer than thirty.
The top geniuses of a major world seemed insignificant in the eyes of the Rakshasa Clan.
Of course, this was because Zhang Ruochen did not know that the Rakshasa Princess had transferred three million Marquises from Giant Tower Star to the Ancestral Spirit Realm, specifically to annihilate the Saints of the Seven Sha Tuo Realms.
Even if a First-Class Marquis was a one-in-ten-thousand elite, a large number could be selected from an army of three million Marquises.
Seeing the number of First-Class Marquises in the hall, Zhang Ruochen had already guessed the Rakshasa Clan's goal. His long-standing worries were finally confirmed.
The Rakshasa Clan had laid a net that covered heaven and earth, yet the Saints of the Seven Sha Tuo Realms were still fighting among themselves for merit points. Zhang Ruochen found it utterly ridiculous.
In any major world, Saints were the backbone, a symbol of that world's prosperity and strength.
If a major world's Saints were wiped out, that world would suffer a severe blow to its vitality, and it might take a thousand years to recover.
Now, over a million Saints of the Seven Sha Tuo Realms were hanging by a thread.
So far, only Zhang Ruochen had realized this.
Among the cultivators of the Heavenly Court, those watching the battlefield mirror saw Zhang Ruochen enter the hall. Some breathed a sigh of relief, while others remained anxious, worried that Zhang Ruochen's identity would be exposed and he would not walk out alive.
"Zhang Ruochen must have discovered the Rakshasa Princess's plan. Now, we'll see how he responds."
"Zhang Ruochen's transformation technique is formidable. Since he fooled Lingquan Shaojun, he should be able to fool the Rakshasa Princess as well."
"So far, in the entire Seven Sha Tuo Realms, the only one who can match the Rakshasa Princess is Zhang Ruochen. He is now the sole hope for all the Saints of the Seven Sha Tuo Realms."
"In this Saintly Merit War, if Zhang Ruochen can save half the Saints in his confrontation with the Rakshasa Princess, he will become famous throughout the Heavenly Court."
"Half? That's impossible. As long as not all are wiped out, that would be a victory."
...
The moment Zhang Ruochen stepped into the hall, many big shots in the Heavenly Court had already designated him as the Rakshasa Princess's opponent.
Becoming the Rakshasa Princess's opponent and gaining recognition was itself an extraordinary feat.
The Rakshasa Princess stood at the highest point of the hall. Her graceful figure was shrouded in thick evil aura, like a rolling mass of blood mist, making it impossible to see her true face.
Just by seeing her silhouette, Zhang Ruochen felt an overwhelming sense of familiarity.
At this moment, the Rakshasa Princess was clearly furious. She scolded, "Have you all taken my words to heart? Before breaking through the deepest barrier area of the Phoenix Nest, you must not deal with Zhang Ruochen, and certainly not appear before him."
Hearing his own name, Zhang Ruochen was somewhat surprised.
Although it was his first time hearing the Rakshasa Princess's voice, and it sounded utterly unfamiliar, Zhang Ruochen felt a sense of familiarity.
Two contradictory feelings existed simultaneously.
"Something's wrong. This Rakshasa Princess definitely has a problem." Zhang Ruochen stared at the Rakshasa Princess above, trying to find the reason.
Lingquan Shaojun stood at the front, somewhat disdainful. "With our Rakshasa Clan's overwhelming strength, can't we break through the deepest barrier area of the Phoenix Nest? Why must we rely on Zhang Ruochen's power?"
Xianli Hou echoed, "That's right. Even if we can't break through, the Princess can dispatch Saint King-level figures. Why be constrained by a human... male..."
The Rakshasa Princess's gaze turned sharp, glaring at Xianli Hou until she dared not continue and immediately shut her mouth.
The atmosphere in the hall grew heavy.
Yang Qi stepped forward to ease the tension, smiling, "How wise and brilliant is the Princess? If you can think of something, how could the Princess not have considered it? The Princess transferred three million Marquises from Giant Tower Star, which should already be the limit the Heavenly Court can tolerate. If she directly dispatched Saint King-level experts to the Ancestral Spirit Realm, how could the Heavenly Court sit idly by? They would certainly send Saint Kings as well, making the situation increasingly uncontrollable. I'm afraid the Phoenix Nest's barrier wouldn't even be broken before the Ancestral Spirit Realm is completely destroyed."
"You must understand, the Princess's goal is to annihilate the Saints of the Seven Sha Tuo Realms and seize the treasure within the Phoenix Nest."
"The bigger the commotion, the more vigilant the Heavenly Court becomes. That would do us no good."
Every piece of information Zhang Ruochen heard in the hall made his heart race.
Three million Marquises?
Zhang Ruochen was not only shocked but also puzzled.
How could the Heavenly Court allow so many Rakshasa Marquises to enter the Ancestral Spirit Realm? Not only did they not send an army to intercept them, but why didn't they end the Saintly Merit War early or notify the Saints who were fighting?
Could it be that the big shots of the Heavenly Court believed the Saints of the Seven Sha Tuo Realms could resist three million Rakshasa Marquises?
No wonder the Moon God once said that for a major world to survive, it must rely on itself. To receive full support from the Heavenly Court, one must be of great value. And sometimes, even that value could be sacrificed.
Lingquan Shaojun looked at Zhang Ruochen with great displeasure and was naturally unconvinced. He asked, "Princess, what is the invaluable treasure in the Phoenix Nest that must be obtained? I don't believe the legacy of the Ice Fire Phoenix is that important to you. Or... could it be that the Princess is actually reluctant to kill that human man?"
Another powerful First-Class Marquis said, "Your subordinate also wishes to know the reason. Now, more than half of the Saints of the Seven Sha Tuo Realms have gathered on the ninety-nine sacred mountains. This is the perfect time to surround and kill them. If we wait any longer, your subordinate fears variables may arise."
The Rakshasa Princess's cold voice rang out, filling the hall: "Since you wish to know, this Princess will tell you."
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