Chapter 1501: The Rules of the Merit Divine Temple
“Whoosh——”
From the nine heavens above, a three-colored divine light pierced through the black cloud layers, landing atop the Merit Record Wall and enveloping it.
The attack power unleashed by the three top experts was all blocked by the three-colored divine light, not even knocking off a layer of lime from the Merit Record Wall.
Dongliu Sword Venerable, Xue Lingfeng, and Li Mu all breathed a sigh of relief, grateful that the Merit Record Wall had not been destroyed.
However, they immediately showed puzzled expressions.
Where had that divine light come from, actually protecting the Merit Record Wall, unwilling to see it destroyed?
The being who unleashed that light was definitely far beyond the Saint realm, possibly even… a god.
Zhang Ruochen was also momentarily stunned. He couldn't help but look up toward the sky, searching for answers.
“Boom.”
The Merit Record Wall fell downward, but instead of sinking into the Nether Ice Cold Sea, it floated on the surface. Three-colored divine light flowed across the wall's surface, as if covered by a layer of light film.
On Moon God Mountain, Manjian Great Saint walked out of the great hall, standing on the high steps, and roared toward the heavens: “What is going on? Who is interfering with the Saint Merit War?”
The Great Saints of the Guanghan Realm were all extremely angry.
Because they realized that the divine light had flown out from the Merit Divine Temple. Clearly, some major figure from the Heavenly Court Realm had intervened to protect the Merit Record Wall.
Above Moon God Mountain, a mass of three-colored divine clouds appeared, stretching for eighty thousand miles. From within the clouds came an incredibly terrifying divine might.
A majestic voice emerged from the divine clouds: “The duration of the Saint Merit War is three months. There are still two days until its end. Before that time, the final Merit Record Wall cannot be destroyed.”
Faced with such divine might, even the Great Saints felt immense pressure.
However, for the survival of the Guanghan Realm, they had to step forward and argue their case with the gods.
In the Heavenly Court Realm, there were strict restrictions on gods. Therefore, as long as one stood on the side of reason, Great Saints had no need to fear gods.
Jiemie Great Emperor, one of the three giants of the Guanghan Realm, walked out of the hall with his hands behind his back. Looking up at the divine clouds in the sky, his face showed no trace of fear. He said: “From ancient times to the present, no living being has the right to interfere with the Merit War. Not even gods have that authority.”
The god's voice rang out, devoid of any emotion: “This Merit War is different from all previous ones, so an exception can naturally be made. If, in future Merit Wars, every participant's first thought is not to kill more evil beings from Hell, but rather how to destroy the Merit Record Wall, then what meaning would the Merit War have?”
Jiemie Great Emperor continued: “Since the god knows that this Saint Merit War is different from previous ones, it should be ended immediately, rather than watching the Saints of the Shatuo Seven Realms fight against three million Rakshasa Marquises. In the end, how many will return alive?”
“The Merit Divine Temple has its own rules. For the sake of fairness, the three-month period cannot be increased by a single day, nor decreased by a single day.”
Having said this, without allowing Jiemie Great Emperor to speak further, the divine clouds in the sky dispersed, and the divine might also vanished.
Jiemie Great Emperor clenched his fists tightly, thunderous explosions echoing from his palms. The rage in his heart seemed as if it would burn away everything in heaven and earth.
Zhang Ruochen had fought desperately to secure first place in the Saint Merit War for the Guanghan Realm, yet due to the interference of the Merit Divine Temple, all his efforts might be overturned.
With only two days left, how easy would it be for the Guanghan Realm to maintain its first-place position in the Saint Merit War?
In the perilous Ancestral Spirit Realm, guarding the Merit Record Wall for two days was simply impossible.
“This enmity is irreconcilable. If I become a god in the future, I will surely cut down his divine soul,” Jiemie Great Emperor said in a deep voice.
Wu Zu, another of the three giants, spoke up: “Moon God and Tree God will return soon. When they do, they will naturally go to the Merit Divine Temple to seek an explanation.”
Jiuling Great Saint said: “The actions of the Merit Divine Temple this time are indeed unfair. They allow themselves to change the rules, yet refuse to end the Merit War early. When the gods of the Shatuo Seven Realms return and see this situation, they will certainly not let the matter rest.”
…
In the Ancestral Spirit Realm, Nether Ice Cold Sea.
Those present did not know exactly what had happened, but they understood that the final Merit Record Wall could not be destroyed. This meant there was still a chance to turn things around.
Dongliu Sword Venerable, Xue Lingfeng, and Li Mu all showed joy, about to continue fighting for the Merit Record Wall.
From the distant sea surface came an arrogant laugh. The power of the sound waves shook the freezing thousand-year Nether Winter Water, raising massive waves.
“Interesting, interesting. It seems the gods of your Heavenly Court Realm are unwilling to end the Merit War, wanting to keep them on this battlefield.”
Lingquan Shaojun stood atop a hundred-meter-long basalt shell, accompanied by over a dozen First-Class Marquises. They rode the wind and waves, approaching with smiles on their faces, yet releasing fierce killing intent.
Faced with this large group of top Rakshasa experts, everyone present sensed danger.
Dongliu Sword Venerable glanced at Zhang Ruochen and Li Mu, then said: “Let's deal with the Rakshasa first, then fight over the Merit Record Wall. What do you say?”
“I have no objection,” Zhang Ruochen said.
Li Mu also nodded.
Although the four of them were powerful, none of them alone could contend with over a dozen First-Class Marquises. Only by joining forces did they have a chance to fight.
Lingquan Shaojun took out a purple stone, gripping it in his right palm, and sneered: “No need to argue. Today, none of you will leave.”
Divine patterns densely covered Lingquan Shaojun's skin, greatly enhancing both his defense and attack power.
“Boom.”
Like a cannonball, Lingquan Shaojun shot out from atop the basalt shell, his fist clutching the purple stone, striking toward the small boat where Dongliu Sword Venerable and Xue Lingfeng stood.
A fist imprint transformed into a purple cloud.
Dongliu Sword Venerable's eyes were sharp and fierce. His powerful sword intent erupted, and he transformed into a sword light, charging out of the small boat to clash with Lingquan Shaojun's fist.
“Boom.”
The sword light shattered. Dongliu Sword Venerable flew backward, landing back on the small boat. The arm holding his sword trembled slightly, and blood flowed from his tiger's mouth.
In contrast, Lingquan Shaojun's fist didn't even have a blood mark.
A fully powered sword strike couldn't even injure one of Lingquan Shaojun's fingers.
“Lingquan Shaojun already possesses a Supreme Perfection Body, and the divine patterns inscribed on his skin by a god greatly increase his defense, making him nearly invulnerable. The purple divine stone in his hand also enhances his attack power. With such monstrous defense and offense, even a One-Step Saint King would have to retreat when facing him.”
Thinking this, Dongliu Sword Venerable joined Xue Lingfeng in channeling their Saint Qi into the small boat beneath their feet.
The small boat grew larger and larger, eventually transforming into a hundred-zhang-long giant ship. Dense inscriptions emerged, forming a protective light barrier that shielded both Dongliu Sword Venerable and Xue Lingfeng inside.
Lingquan Shaojun retreated to the basalt shell and laughed: “Impressive, you can block my full-powered punch. Your strength is not bad. If you submit to me, you will surely be heavily favored in the future.”
“Submit to the Rakshasa? Are you dreaming?”
Dongliu Sword Venerable and Xue Lingfeng steered the giant ship, ramming it toward the basalt shell.
Kuya Marquis, Xueyu Marquis, Xie Bai Marquis, Qizhen Marquis, and Qianyu Marquis—five First-Class Marquises—raised a shield forged from the bones of a Great Saint. They activated the shield's innate power, blocking the giant ship's impact.
Zhang Ruochen stood in the distance, watching the clash between Dongliu Sword Venerable and Lingquan Shaojun. He muttered to himself: “With just one move, he injured Dongliu Sword Venerable. Lingquan Shaojun's cultivation must have already broken through to the Half-Step Saint King realm.”
When he had clashed with the Nine Heavens Mysterious Maiden, Lingquan Shaojun was still at the peak of the Supreme Saint realm.
But now, Lingquan Shaojun's combat power was far greater than before. An ordinary One-Step Saint King facing him would likely only end in defeat or death.
Only One-Step Saint Kings like Chu Siyuan or Yue Kong could suppress him.
Suddenly, Zhang Ruochen sensed that he was being locked onto. He looked toward the basalt shell and saw four First-Class Marquises charging toward him.
He had some impression of two of them—they were the strongest First-Class Marquises under Lingquan Shaojun.
Xianling Hou and Chengxuan Hou.
Xianling Hou was a Rakshasa woman with a spiritual power level of fifty-five steps.
Chengxuan Hou's strength was also comparable to a One-Step Saint King.
With these two strong attackers leading, plus two other capable First-Class Marquises providing support, this was enough to surround and kill a One-Step Saint King.
Xianling Hou stood in the distance, not approaching Zhang Ruochen. Instead, she sneered: “Zhang Ruochen, today is the day you die.”
Zhang Ruochen said: “Even the Rakshasa Princess wouldn't dare speak such big words. Do you think you can kill me?”
“You overestimate yourself. The reason the Princess didn't kill you back then was that you still had some use. Otherwise, you would have died countless times already,” Chengxuan Hou said in a deep voice.
“Is that so?”
Zhang Ruochen's gaze locked onto Chengxuan Hou. The next moment, he appeared before him, waving his hand to slash out a spatial rift.
Chengxuan Hou's face changed drastically. He quickly shifted to the right, trying his best to avoid the spatial rift.
“Rip.”
Even so, Chengxuan Hou's left arm was severed by the spatial rift, and a large amount of blood gushed from his shoulder.
Without giving Chengxuan Hou time to regenerate his arm, Zhang Ruochen swung his sword again, slashing out a pitch-black sword light that struck his neck.
A head flew up from the neck.
The entire process happened in the blink of an eye. Not to mention Chengxuan Hou, even a true One-Step Saint King would have struggled to defend against it.
After being decapitated, Chengxuan Hou was severely injured but not dead. He quickly retreated, rejoining the other three First-Class Marquises. Now, he no longer dared to underestimate Zhang Ruochen.
“His vitality is this strong?”
Zhang Ruochen was puzzled. He struck out with a palm from a distance. With a bang, Chengxuan Hou's bloody head exploded, turning into a shower of blood.
Strangely, there was no Qi Sea or Saint Source within the head.