Chapter 1518: Killing Until the Rakshasa Army Trembles
By consecutively slaying two first-rank marquises, Zhang Ruochen had indeed instilled considerable fear in the Rakshasa army present.
At the sight of Zhang Ruochen’s figure, they couldn’t help but retreat.
“What’s there to fear? He’s just one man. No matter how strong he is, can he withstand our siege?” Blood Nether Python roared, unleashing a Saint King-level sacred might to scold them.
Led by five first-rank marquises, the Rakshasa marquises standing on the evil clouds finally overcame their terror and formed one Nine-Nine Unity Grand Formation after another.
As the formations activated, the power fluctuations surging from the evil clouds grew even stronger.
“Sect Master, we’ll aid you.”
A Le, Han Qiu, and White Li Princess were unwilling to let Zhang Ruochen face the Rakshasa army alone. Suppressing their injuries, they charged forward and stood shoulder to shoulder with him.
Zhang Ruochen could see that all three were severely wounded. Even after taking healing sacred pills, they would need time to recover.
“Go and heal first. Once your injuries are forty to fifty percent recovered, you can join me in battle. Leave this to me.”
Zhang Ruochen took out the Buddha Emperor Relic and tossed it to White Li Princess, saying, “The power of the relic can purify the evil qi within you. If danger arises, the three of you can activate the relic’s power to protect everyone.”
The saints among the remnants of the Sacred Bright Central Empire were deeply moved. The Crown Prince was willing to risk life and limb for their sake. If not for their own injuries, they would have fought alongside him without regret, even unto death.
For now, they focused all their efforts on healing.
Zhang Ruochen strode forward, each step covering thirty zhang. On his third step, he bent his legs slightly and leaped into the air.
“Since you insist on meddling, today I’ll kill you too.”
Blood Nether Python raised its massive head, glaring with ferocious eyes, and issued a command: “Kill him.”
Immediately, the numerous Rakshasa marquises on the evil clouds let out furious roars, channeling the power of the Nine-Nine Unity Grand Formations to attack Zhang Ruochen.
There were twelve such formations in total.
The sacred arts flying out from the formations were terrifying in might. One resembled a river of lightning dozens of zhang wide, each bolt like a heavenly blade, shattering the sacred mountains behind Zhang Ruochen. If such an attack landed on him, even with his formidable physique and defenses, he would likely suffer severe damage.
Another sacred art coalesced into a one-eyed demon, its body as tall as a sacred mountain. It punched out, causing the sacred qi of heaven and earth to tremble incessantly.
…
Each of the twelve Nine-Nine Unity Grand Formations was overseen by a second-rank marquis, and five were commanded by first-rank marquises. Thus, the power they unleashed far exceeded anything Zhang Ruochen had encountered before.
Any one of these formations could fearlessly attack a One-Step Saint King.
Within a radius of several hundred li, chaotic sacred dao energy filled the air. The remnants of the Sacred Bright Central Empire couldn’t heal in peace, deeply worried for Zhang Ruochen’s safety.
Zhang Ruochen clashed with the one-eyed demon, then flickered and landed atop its head.
“Collapse.”
With sacred qi surging wildly within him, Zhang Ruochen roared and pointed a finger at one of the Nine-Nine Unity Grand Formations.
Above that formation, space trembled violently, emitting a crackling sound before collapsing from the inside out, forming a gaping hole dozens of zhang in diameter.
Inside the hole was pitch-black darkness—the Void Space that could annihilate all life.
Of the ninety-nine Rakshasa marquises forming that formation, seventy to eighty were swallowed by the Void Space. Outside, their mighty bodies disintegrated into countless particles like sand sculptures.
Only a few escaped, but they were terrified out of their wits.
Zhang Ruochen was too terrifying. With a casual finger, he could collapse space itself. How could they fight him? No one was his match.
“Boom, boom, boom.”
The surrounding space shattered continuously.
Clad in his blood armor, Zhang Ruochen was like a demon, breaking through one Nine-Nine Unity Grand Formation after another. Countless Rakshasa marquises were devoured by the Void Space, leaving no trace behind.
Moreover, Zhang Ruochen’s speed was lightning-fast, and he could use spatial displacement. Even if they could activate the formations’ power, they could hardly hit him.
The five first-rank marquises were now feeling a chill in their hearts.
This Zhang Ruochen was more like a ferocious fiend from Hell than they were. Within his small frame seemed to harbor inexhaustible sacred power, like a volcano or a blazing sun.
In the distance, atop a sacred mountain, stood a magnificent demon palace.
It hadn’t been there before, as if it had flown in from beyond the heavens.
The demon palace was forged from the skull of a Great Saint, towering over seven hundred zhang. Its surface was covered in demon iron imbued with mysterious power, adorned with various sacred jades and strange stones.
Remnants of the Great Saint’s power were still sealed within the palace.
Any ordinary saint approaching within a hundred zhang of the palace would be forced to kneel by the Great Saint’s aura.
The Rakshasa Princess’s injuries had fully healed, and she was once again radiant.
Holding a sacred staff, she stood upright in the center of the demon palace, surveying the battlefield below. Her phoenix-like eyes finally fixed on the area where Blood Nether Python and Zhang Ruochen were fighting.
Behind the Rakshasa Princess, a somewhat aged voice sounded: “Princess, that divine envoy from Guanghan Realm is no less skilled in space than you are. If he keeps killing, it will cause considerable losses to our clan.”
The speaker was an old woman with graying hair.
On her brow were interwoven evil patterns, forming the shape of a vertical eye. She also held a sacred staff.
It looked more like a spear, as its tip was extremely sharp.
The Rakshasa Princess hesitated briefly before asking, “Senior Sister, what do you propose?”
This old woman, named Ji Hua, was a disciple of one of the Rakshasa Princess’s masters. Her spiritual power far surpassed the princess’s, reaching the fifty-sixth rank. Ji Hua’s mastery of formations was profound, earning her the title “Sacred Teacher.”
The Thousand Star Grand Formation was her creation.
“Stabilize the space and eliminate him.”
Ji Hua’s eyes gleamed with killing intent. Then, she let out a sinister laugh: “In terms of talent and appearance, few in all the heavens are worthy of you, Princess. He is one of them. But I fear you might be reluctant to kill him.”
“He is a peerless prodigy of the Heavenly Court, while I am a princess of Hell. We are irreconcilable enemies. Why would I be reluctant?”
Having said that, the Rakshasa Princess changed her tone: “However, the Grandmaster once prophesied that whoever can remove the Ten Thousand Saint Plain Garment from me would be my destined one.”
“That divine envoy from Guanghan Realm is that person?”
Ji Hua’s eyes widened in disbelief.
“Yes.”
The Rakshasa Princess’s heart was conflicted.
When Zhang Ruochen removed the Ten Thousand Saint Plain Garment, she had been at a loss, unable to understand why that person had to come from the Heavenly Court.
Was this a joke from the heavens, or had the Grandmaster’s prophecy been wrong?
Ji Hua pondered for a moment, then let out a deep laugh: “The Grandmaster also said that you should be emotionless in this life to achieve greater heights. Perhaps she was hinting that when you meet your destined one, you should kill him immediately, lest you be trapped by love and harm yourself.”
The Rakshasa Princess understood this truth well, but she was still a woman who had cultivated alone for over a hundred years. Naturally, she was curious about her destined one, wanting to know him and understand what it would be like to be with him.
The more intelligent a person, the stronger their curiosity.
And that curiosity often led the clever to their doom.
“Princess, have you already fallen for him?”
Seeing the Rakshasa Princess remain silent for a long time, Ji Hua asked with concern.
The Rakshasa Princess collected herself and said, “How could that be?”
“In that case, let’s kill him today, so he won’t disturb your heart in the future.”
Ji Hua’s sacred heart surged with a formidable spiritual power, which she infused into the sacred staff in her hand.
The staff emitted a piercing screech, then shot out from the demon palace like a streak of light, tearing through the sky and landing on the battlefield where Zhang Ruochen and Blood Nether Python were fighting.
“Boom.”
The nine-foot-long staff plunged into the ground, instantly growing to nine hundred zhang tall, like a pillar holding up the sky. It solidified the space within a thousand li by a hundredfold.
The air seemed to turn solid. Ordinary martial artists here would be unable to move at all.
With Zhang Ruochen’s current cultivation and spatial mastery, it was now extremely difficult to tear space or use spatial displacement.
Zhang Ruochen’s gaze locked onto the distant demon palace, where he saw the Rakshasa Princess and Ji Hua.
Blood Nether Python burst into laughter: “Sacred Teacher Ji Hua has used the Qianxu Sacred Staff to stabilize space. Zhang Ruochen’s spatial techniques are useless now.”
“Kill him. Without his spatial power, Zhang Ruochen is just a trapped beast, nothing to fear.”
The previously terrified Rakshasa marquises regained their confidence, letting out long howls as if Zhang Ruochen could only surrender now that space was fixed.
Zhang Ruochen’s eyes were cold. Instead of retreating, he charged forward. One arm manifested a dragon shadow, the other an elephant shadow; one leg bore a luan shadow, the other a phoenix shadow.
“Bang, bang.”
With every palm strike, a Rakshasa marquis was shattered into pieces. Few could survive a single blow from Zhang Ruochen.
He pushed straight through, killing a swath of enemies, leaving only bloody remains on the ground.
Initially, over a thousand Rakshasa marquises had besieged the saints of the Sacred Bright Central Empire. Now, after just two quarters of an hour, fewer than three hundred were still alive.
Blood Nether Python was furious. The princess was watching from the demon palace, and it had led over a thousand Rakshasa marquises but couldn’t defeat a single human at the Supreme Saint realm, instead suffering heavy losses. What future did it have in the Rakshasa Clan?
“Die!”
Blood Nether Python charged out from among the retreating Rakshasa marquises, attacking Zhang Ruochen.
(End of chapter)