Chapter 1510: Victory and Defeat in a Single Thought
Chu Siyuan and the eight Mystic Maidens retreated to a relatively distant position, staring at the two figures on the Merit Wall.
"Does Zhang Ruochen truly possess the strength to contend with Jiuyou Sword Saint?" one of the Mystic Maidens asked, her tone laced with skepticism.
The Goddess of Fate said, "Although Zhang Ruochen's cultivation has not reached the Saint King realm, his combat power is definitely not inferior to a Saint King. However, Jiuyou Sword Saint has cultivated the Sword Dao for over five hundred years, achieving extremely profound mastery. Zhang Ruochen's cultivation time is too short; his foundation is still lacking."
No matter how talented a sword cultivator was, they still needed to spend a great deal of time practicing the Sword Dao to achieve results. Becoming a Sword Dao expert overnight was simply impossible.
"Sword Dao Profound Force can pierce anything unbreakable. With just this one technique, Jiuyou Sword Saint can look down on other One-Step Saint Kings. How could Zhang Ruochen possibly be his opponent?"
Although Zhang Ruochen's strength was formidable, no one believed he could defeat Jiuyou Sword Saint.
...
Zhang Ruochen was clearly aware of the power of Sword Dao Profound Force. Therefore, at the very moment their auras clashed at their peak, he made the first move, thrusting his sword forward.
"Whoosh—"
The sword was like a streak of light.
The countless sword Qis in the sky converged into a single point, merging with the tip of the Abyssal Ancient Sword, radiating a dazzling light.
"In my eyes, your swordsmanship is full of flaws, no different from a child waving a sword. With such meager strength, you are far from being able to vindicate Xuanji."
Jiuyou Sword Saint did not activate the nine sacred swords within his Qi Sea. Instead, he released the sword intent within his body. The powerful sword intent condensed into a white sacred sword, like a white rainbow, slashing toward the Abyssal Ancient Sword.
Any Sword Saint could manifest a Sword Intent Sword.
However, the Sword Intent Sword manifested by a Sword Saint was merely a phantom, similar to a strand of Sword Qi.
But the Sword Intent Sword unleashed by Jiuyou Sword Saint was indistinguishable from a real sacred sword, capable of being both tangible and intangible.
"Boom."
Before the Abyssal Ancient Sword could even enter within three zhang of Jiuyou Sword Saint, it was struck by the power of the Sword Intent Sword and sent flying diagonally. The Sword Intent Sword did not dissipate; instead, it blazed with even more brilliant radiance, transforming into a streak of light and attacking Zhang Ruochen.
Zhang Ruochen naturally understood the terror of the Sword Intent Sword. At the first moment, he summoned the Monument Shield.
"Whoosh—"
The Sword Intent Sword did not violently clash with the Monument Shield. Instead, it passed straight through.
At Jiuyou Sword Saint's level of Sword Dao attainment, the Sword Intent Sword could be both a sword and a strand of sword intent, impervious to any physical defense.
Just as the Sword Intent Sword was about to strike Zhang Ruochen's body and pierce through it, Zhang Ruochen suddenly traced his finger, tearing open a Space Rift.
Colliding with the Space Rift, the immense power contained within the Sword Intent Sword vanished instantly.
Jiuyou Sword Saint's gaze sharpened. He suddenly realized that Zhang Ruochen was not just a sword cultivator but had also cultivated the Way of Time and the Way of Space, two of the Nine Eternal Paths.
This thought had barely flashed through his mind when Jiuyou Sword Saint sensed a spatial fluctuation around his body. The fluctuation grew increasingly intense, as if heaven and earth were about to collapse.
"Not good."
Jiuyou Sword Saint's body transformed into a streak of sword light, shooting into the sky.
At the spot where he had just been standing, dense cracks appeared in the space, which then collapsed with a roar, forming a black hole. The Void Space was exposed, unleashing a powerful devouring force.
Even with Jiuyou Sword Saint's formidable cultivation, he could not contend with the spatial power. He could only continuously throw protective talismans behind him. As the protective talismans shattered, blocking part of the devouring force from the shattered space, Jiuyou Sword Saint finally managed to escape.
"Careless!"
Cold sweat broke out on Jiuyou Sword Saint's back. If he had reacted even half a moment slower, he would have likely died within that shattered space.
That brat Zhang Ruochen must have deliberately feigned weakness earlier to make me let my guard down, then unleashed this killing move.
Zhang Ruochen was naturally disappointed to see Jiuyou Sword Saint escape. But there was no helping it. The Great Saint power left behind in the Phoenix Nest greatly suppressed cultivators' cultivation, preventing even Saint Kings from unleashing heaven-and-earth-shattering battle might.
Moreover, the space within the Phoenix Nest was extremely stable. For Zhang Ruochen to execute a technique like Space Collapse was already quite an achievement.
If the battle had taken place outside the Phoenix Nest, Zhang Ruochen's advantage would have been even greater.
Having failed to land a hit, Zhang Ruochen immediately unleashed dozens of Space Rifts in succession, continuously attacking Jiuyou Sword Saint, giving him no chance to counterattack.
The Space Rifts interwove into a net, forcing Jiuyou Sword Saint to dodge passively.
"Jiuyou Sword Saint, who has reached the Saint King realm, is actually being suppressed by Zhang Ruochen?" The Mystic Maidens were somewhat speechless. This was completely different from what they had initially imagined.
Chu Siyuan said, "Zhang Ruochen is getting more and more cunning. He deliberately used sword techniques to attack Jiuyou Sword Saint at the start, making him underestimate his opponent. Then, he caught him off guard with spatial power, immediately gaining the upper hand, and from then on, he didn't give Jiuyou Sword Saint a chance to draw his sword."
The Goddess of Fate said, "Is Jiuyou Sword Saint going to lose?"
Chu Siyuan shook his head. "Jiuyou Sword Saint has experienced countless battles. He will definitely find an opportunity to counterattack. Once he starts to counterattack, that will probably be when Zhang Ruochen loses."
Shengshu Cainü hid her hands in her sleeves, her ten fingers clenched tightly, her heart extremely tense.
The danger of this battle between Zhang Ruochen and Jiuyou Sword Saint was comparable to the Sword Saint duel between Xuanji Sword Saint and Jiuyou Sword Saint. In such a battle, both sides would inevitably go all out, making it difficult to hold back their power at critical moments.
Once defeated, death was highly likely.
Zhang Ruochen unleashed over two hundred Space Rifts in a row. Even though Jiuyou Sword Saint was rich in combat experience, three bloody gashes still appeared on his body.
"Brat, you actually managed to wound me. Not bad."
Anger surged in Jiuyou Sword Saint's eyes. A bright light spot appeared at the center of his brow, and nine sacred swords shot out, flying between the Space Rifts.
"Nine Swords Devour God."
Jiuyou Sword Saint extended a palm, raised it above his head, and remotely controlled the nine sacred swords. Then, he pressed his palm downward.
The nine sacred swords all emitted powerful energy fluctuations. The phantoms of nine flaming sacred birds rushed out from within the sword bodies, emitting deafening cries.
Then, the nine flaming sacred birds simultaneously pressed downward.
Zhang Ruochen was not flustered. He infused the sacred Qi in his body into the Hundred Saint Blood Armor, causing the blood-red armor to radiate brilliant light.
One hundred phantoms of mid-level Saints rushed out from the armor.
The power of the saintly phantoms merged with Zhang Ruochen's body, forming the power of a hundred Saints. Then, Zhang Ruochen stomped his feet on the ground, formed hand seals with both hands, and clapped his palms upward.
"Roar."
"Bellow."
The sounds of a dragon's roar and an elephant's bellow rang out.
The phantoms of a green dragon and a green elephant appeared, combining with Zhang Ruochen's palm seals, sending the nine flaming sacred birds flying back, where they reverted into nine swords.
After this clash, a large area of the ground beneath Zhang Ruochen's feet sank.
The nine sacred swords emitted a "shushu" sound as they flew back into the sky, merging into the interior of a blazing sun.
"That is..."
Zhang Ruochen looked up, gazing above.
But every ray of light emitted by the blazing sun was like a sharp sword, stabbing his eyes so that he couldn't open them. At the same time, Zhang Ruochen also sensed a great crisis, as if the next ray of sunlight falling could pierce through his scalp.
"Jiuyou Sword Saint's signature technique, the Crimson Sun Sword Art." Chu Siyuan exclaimed.
From within the blazing sun, the fluctuations of Sword Dao power grew stronger and stronger, and the heat it emitted seemed as if it would melt the entire Phoenix Nest.
Zhang Ruochen extended both hands, raising his Space Domain. At the same time, he drew upon the most powerful spatial force, using the Space Domain as the center to tear open over a hundred Space Rifts.
"Crash."
From the blazing sun above, fiery red sword Qis fell like a rainstorm, continuously bombarding Zhang Ruochen.
Chu Siyuan and the eight Mystic Maidens in the distance also sensed danger and retreated again.
Most of those sword Qis were devoured by the Space Rifts, but a few fell within the Space Domain, causing Zhang Ruochen considerable trouble.
The Crimson Sun Sword Rain lasted for nine breaths of time. Under the impact of the sword Qis, the soil melted, and the land around Zhang Ruochen was completely transformed into a blazing sea of fire.
After the Space Rifts disappeared, the nine swords merged into one, held in Jiuyou Sword Saint's hand. He charged out from the blazing sun, merging with the sky full of sword Qis, and thrust straight toward the top of Zhang Ruochen's head.
This sword had already been infused with Sword Dao Profound Force.
"Sword Eight."
Jiuyou Sword Saint and the nine swords were like a flaming meteorite flying from beyond the sky, intent on destroying heaven and earth.
The pressure on Zhang Ruochen was immense. Gritting his teeth, he unleashed the Buddha Emperor Relic, activating the source power within the relic, and used all his strength to block.
At this moment, everyone standing in the distance was extremely tense, realizing that this single sword strike might decide victory, defeat, life, and death.
"Boom."
The nine swords struck the relic, forming a ripple of energy that shot out in all directions.
Unfortunately, the relic could not stop Jiuyou Sword Saint. The sharp sword light still stabbed downward.
"Space Distortion."
Zhang Ruochen's hands pushed upward, and the veins on his face and body bulged out. He was frantically mobilizing Space Rules and sacred power, using all his strength to distort the space above his head.
Finally, the nine swords deviated from their path and stabbed down beside Zhang Ruochen's cheek.
At the moment of the stab, even with the protection of the Hundred Saint Blood Armor, a long bloody gash split open on Zhang Ruochen's cheek. The gash ran from his temple all the way to his jaw, and crimson sacred blood dripped down his chin.
It was easy to imagine that if the power of the Space Distortion had been even slightly weaker, Zhang Ruochen's body would have been pierced through.
"Boom."
This sword strike from Jiuyou Sword Saint hit the ground beside Zhang Ruochen, directly sending him flying. Thousands upon thousands of sword Qis struck the Hundred Saint Blood Armor on Zhang Ruochen's back, producing a series of booming sounds.
Seeing that this sword strike had failed to kill Zhang Ruochen, a flash of surprise passed through Jiuyou Sword Saint's eyes. He then pulled out his longsword and swung another slash at Zhang Ruochen.
While flying through the air, Zhang Ruochen suddenly twisted his body, forming a sword seal with his fingers. Just as Jiuyou Sword Saint thought victory was assured, Zhang Ruochen pointed forward.
"Morning Sword."
In an instant, time stopped.
At the tip of Zhang Ruochen's finger, Sword Qi and Purifying Divine Flame merged into one. Seizing this extremely brief moment, he struck Jiuyou Sword Saint's brow with his finger.
It must be remembered that Zhang Ruochen had just been sent flying by the power of Sword Eight and Sword Qi Profound Force. He was already on the verge of certain defeat. How could Jiuyou Sword Saint have expected that, under such a disadvantage, Zhang Ruochen still had the strength to counterattack?
In the end, Zhang Ruochen's finger did not thrust down. The flame at his fingertip was only an inch away from Jiuyou Sword Saint's brow.
Jiuyou Sword Saint stopped and did not strike again. He thrust the nine swords into the ground, his expression turning wooden, his emotions in great turmoil. After a long while, he said with difficulty, "Is this the Time Sword Art?"
"That's right," Zhang Ruochen said.
"Why didn't you use this technique from the start?"
"The Time Sword Art is my greatest trump card, so naturally, I can't use it casually. Once I use it, I must ensure it can secure victory and defeat the enemy," Zhang Ruochen said.
Jiuyou Sword Saint said, "But why did you hold back your power and not kill me?"
"A man like you should not die at the hands of your own people. Even if you die, it should be on the battlefield fighting against the Rakshasa Clan," Zhang Ruochen said.
Jiuyou Sword Saint laughed. After a moment, the laughter turned into a bitter smile. "I have lost."
Zhang Ruochen withdrew his finger from Jiuyou Sword Saint's brow. Then, he formed a palm seal with his five fingers and quickly struck out, hitting Jiuyou Sword Saint in the chest.
"Bang."
Jiuyou Sword Saint spat out a mouthful of blood, flew backward, and landed on one knee, his face turning extremely pale.
"Back then, you stabbed Master once. Today, I strike you with one palm. From now on, no one owes anyone anything," Zhang Ruochen said.
With this palm strike, Jiuyou Sword Saint would be unable to fight anyone for an hour.
With Jiuyou Sword Saint's combat power lost, Chu Siyuan and the Nine Heavens Mysterious Maiden alone could not seize the Merit Wall from Zhang Ruochen's hands.
...
(I originally planned to split this chapter and post it last night. But after thinking it over, I decided to finish writing the battle and post it together. So this chapter is probably around four thousand words.)