Chapter 1499: Life and Death Poles
After sailing about a hundred miles across the Nether Ice Cold Sea, gales of wind blades rose across the surface. The closer they got to the Phoenix Nest, the sharper these winds became.
It was as if real blades were flying within the wind.
"Whoosh!"
Zhang Ruochen, the Rakshasa Princess, and Chu Siyuan all raised light shields to protect their bodies from the wind blades flying in from all directions.
When they were still thirty miles from the Phoenix Nest, the Parasol Tree Divine Tree stopped.
Ahead of them, the sacred energy of heaven and earth spun rapidly, forming a massive vortex. The Phoenix Nest sat at the very center of this vortex.
The wind blades within the vortex were even fiercer. In addition, clusters of blue-white Purifying Divine Flame spun and flew within it. It was a place thick with danger—even a Saint King would find it difficult to break through.
The Rakshasa Princess said, "This vortex is the final barrier area to enter the Phoenix Nest. The deeper you go into the vortex, the greater the danger. Only by using spatial power can we possibly break through the vortex and force our way in."
"Is that so? This old man doesn't believe it!"
Chu Siyuan had already reached the Saint King realm, so he naturally had the capital to be proud. He took out a foot-long bronze brush, a sheet of painting paper, and an inkstone.
The painting paper was forged from a rare metal, six feet long and ten times thinner than ordinary paper.
The inkstone held the blood of a Beast Emperor. Even without any external power added, the energy contained within the blood itself emitted a scorching heat, like a furnace.
Chu Siyuan had expended great effort to obtain a small amount of Beast Emperor blood from the imperial court. He had always treasured it as a rare treasure and rarely used it.
"Wind-Fixing Pillar."
Chu Siyuan channeled his spiritual power into the bronze brush, twisted his wrist, dipped it into the Beast Emperor blood in the inkstone, and began frantically sketching on the metal paper.
The Rakshasa Princess touched her chin with her jade-like fingers, looking quite interested. After all, it was rare to encounter a spiritual power cultivator who practiced the path of painting in the Rakshasa Clan.
After a moment, Chu Siyuan stopped his brush. He pressed a withered hand onto the painting, and a surge of spiritual power burst forth.
"Boom."
The painting flew into the vortex, emitting a dazzling golden light.
Then, a ten-thousand-foot-tall golden pillar appeared, standing on the sea surface. Blood patterns flowed across its surface.
The vortex's rotation speed did indeed slow down, and the sea surface gradually became calm.
Just as the vortex seemed about to disappear...
Suddenly, dense spatial cracks appeared around the Wind-Fixing Pillar, like insect bites, quickly tearing it to shreds.
"Boom."
The vortex erupted again, sweeping in all directions.
Chu Siyuan's eyes widened. "The space here is too fragile. Once a power exceeding the Saint level enters the vortex, countless spatial cracks appear. But without power surpassing the Saint level, how can we withstand the wind blades and Purifying Divine Flame?"
The Rakshasa Princess was secretly a bit surprised.
This old fellow's strength was still quite formidable. If not for the interference of spatial power, he might have actually been able to stabilize the vortex.
From start to finish, Zhang Ruochen had been observing carefully. Only now did he speak, "It's not that the spatial structure is fragile, but that a highly sophisticated spatial formation has been arranged within the vortex. If we break the formation, we can enter."
The Rakshasa Princess had obviously studied the spatial formation here before. "It is indeed a spatial formation. In addition, there is another killing formation—the Life and Death Poles Formation. The two formations complement each other and are almost completely integrated. If we try to break the spatial formation alone, we will be attacked by the Life and Death Poles Formation. If we try to break the Life and Death Poles Formation alone, we will also be attacked by the spatial formation. So, both formations must be broken simultaneously."
Zhang Ruochen said, "So, you threatened me with the Merit Record Wall just to use me to help you break the spatial formation?"
"Exactly," the Rakshasa Princess said.
Chu Siyuan's expression turned serious. "The Life and Death Poles Formation is an eighth-rank formation, extremely complex and profound. Even a Saint King who breaks into it would likely die inside."
The Rakshasa Princess chuckled lightly. "The Ice Fire Phoenix's skill in formations is only mediocre. This princess has some confidence that she can break the Life and Death Poles Formation it set up."
"Young people these days are getting more and more arrogant," Chu Siyuan said.
In truth, the Life and Death Poles Formation set up by the Ice Fire Phoenix was not as inferior as the Rakshasa Princess claimed.
However, given the Ice Fire Phoenix's level of cultivation, there should have been a ninth-rank formation guarding its nest. But the Life and Death Poles Formation was only eighth-rank. Even when fused with the spatial formation, its power still fell short of a ninth-rank formation. That was why the Rakshasa Princess said the Ice Fire Phoenix's formation skills were mediocre.
Of course, given her and Zhang Ruochen's current cultivation levels, going to break two formations carefully arranged by a Great Saint was still an extremely dangerous task. Among Saints, probably only peerless prodigies like the two of them would have such courage.
The Rakshasa Princess and Zhang Ruochen each cut down a bucket-thick branch from the Parasol Tree Divine Tree. Standing on their branches, they rushed out and broke into the vortex.
The Rakshasa Princess took out a sacred staff and tapped it within the vortex. Instantly, millions of formation inscriptions appeared, like coiled dragons shuttling through the vortex, spinning rapidly.
The Life and Death Poles Formation was indeed extremely complex. Millions of inscriptions intertwined, making it as difficult as ascending to heaven to break. To shatter it with brute force would probably require at least the strength of a Seventh-Step Saint King.
Standing on the Parasol Tree Divine Tree, Chu Siyuan watched the Rakshasa Princess quickly clear away formation inscriptions one by one, and a look of admiration arose in his heart. "Truly formidable. For such a demonic woman to emerge from the Hell Realm, she will surely become a great threat in the future."
On the other side, Zhang Ruochen was also rapidly breaking the spatial formation, advancing simultaneously with the Rakshasa Princess. Their cooperation was almost flawless.
However, while breaking the spatial formation, Zhang Ruochen was also comprehending the Way of Space contained within the formation.
According to the Rakshasa Princess, to cultivate spatial rules to the Ultimate True Ultimate realm, one had to rely on one's own enlightenment. Once one comprehended the Way of Space to a certain level, they would naturally reach the Ultimate True Ultimate.
The first hour passed.
Zhang Ruochen and the Rakshasa Princess advanced about three miles. The vortex's rotation speed slowed by one-tenth.
The fourth hour passed.
They advanced another five miles. The vortex's rotation speed became only half of its original.
The seventh hour passed.
Zhang Ruochen and the Rakshasa Princess reached the depths of the vortex, only ten miles from the Phoenix Nest. The vortex's rotation slowed even further.
It was at this moment that a faint fluctuation came from Zhang Ruochen's Qi Sea.
In the Tongtian River, that spatial rule underwent a transformation, reaching the Ultimate True Ultimate level.
"So simple."
A smile appeared on Zhang Ruochen's face.
Sometimes, when one hasn't reached that realm, everything is shrouded in fog, and all is confusion. After reaching the realm, one realizes that everything is quite simple—they had just overthought it.
Now, he only needed to comprehend time rules to the Ultimate True Ultimate level to reach the Ultimate Saint realm.
"I hope I can find an opportunity for enlightenment in the Phoenix Nest to break through in one go."
Zhang Ruochen desperately craved powerful strength. Only with great power could he calmly face the upcoming life-and-death battle with the Rakshasa Clan.
A full day passed. Zhang Ruochen and the Rakshasa Princess stopped and exchanged glances.
Then, they simultaneously unleashed their most powerful strength, attacking a certain formation node in the air.
"Boom."
The spatial formation and the Life and Death Poles Formation shook violently at the same time. Then, they began to shatter, emitting a series of dull explosions.
Although the vortex disappeared, waves dozens of feet high surged across the sea surface, and large amounts of Purifying Divine Flame and spatial cracks flew in all directions.
The moment they broke the formation, Zhang Ruochen and the Rakshasa Princess simultaneously used their fastest movement techniques, turning into two golden streams of light as they retreated backward, landing back on the Parasol Tree Divine Tree.
On the sea surface, terrifying forces raged wildly.
Zhang Ruochen, Chu Siyuan, and the Rakshasa Princess each activated their most powerful protective treasures to withstand the surging destructive forces.
The worst off was definitely the Parasol Tree Divine Tree. It was continuously attacked by Purifying Divine Flame and spatial cracks. Apart from its main trunk, all its other branches and leaves were either severed or burned to ashes.
Another three hours passed before the sea surface gradually calmed down.
Zhang Ruochen said, "The final barrier outside the Phoenix Nest has been broken. Can you give me the Merit Record Wall now?"
"Of course."
The Rakshasa Princess took out the Merit Record Wall from inside a spatial treasure. Her red lips curled slightly, and then she suddenly threw the Merit Record Wall out.
"I knew you would pull another trick."
Zhang Ruochen stepped on a parasol tree branch, channeling sacred energy into it. Like an arrow leaving the bowstring, he shot out, chasing after the Merit Record Wall.
No matter what, he absolutely could not let the Merit Record Wall fall into the sea.
Only by letting the Guanghan Realm rush to first place could Zhang Ruochen truly let loose. At least for now, he could not be as carefree as the Rakshasa Princess.
That was why he was constantly constrained by her.
"Good luck. I'm rooting for you."
The Rakshasa Princess chuckled, then flew onto a parasol tree branch and rushed toward the Phoenix Nest. A sentence drifted back on the wind: "Qiu Yu, that old man is yours to deal with. Consider it a test from this princess."