Chapter 1520: Unsealing the Seal
Standing outside the demon hall, Ji Hua couldn't help but let out a laugh: "Zhang Ruochen is too foolish. Even if his ancient cauldron can block the Star Heaven Warhammer, the force of that strike from the Star Heaven Warhammer is so terrifying. Sitting inside the cauldron, wouldn't he be shaken to divine form annihilation by the sound waves?"
When a giant bell is struck, even if the person standing inside doesn't have their eardrums burst, they would likely faint from the shock.
The sound waves generated by the Star Heaven Warhammer striking the Kaiyuan Deer Cauldron were tens of thousands of times more powerful than a giant bell being rung. Even a Saint King might not be able to withstand it.
"Not necessarily."
The Rakshasa Princess still had a good understanding of Zhang Ruochen, knowing that even in the most dangerous moments, he remained quite rational and would never do something so self-defeating.
"Is that so? It seems the princess has great confidence in him, heh." Ji Hua let out a cold, sneering laugh.
"Boom."
On the battlefield below, the Star Heaven Warhammer came crashing down, striking the bottom of the Kaiyuan Deer Cauldron.
Immediately, the cyan light and golden radiance on the cauldron's body burst apart, and a deafening roar spread across the ninety-nine sacred mountains.
All the sacred mountains shook.
The saints and Rakshasa marquises who were closer were killed by the shockwave, turning into blood mist. Those farther away were also sent flying.
A Le, White Li Princess, and Han Qiu quickly activated the Buddha Emperor Relic to block the ripples spreading outward.
Even saints a thousand miles away could barely stand steady, showing just how terrifying the force was that Zhang Ruochen, sitting inside the cauldron, had endured.
The land centered around the Kaiyuan Deer Cauldron, stretching dozens of miles, all sank into the ground. Smoke filled the air, and the earth was left in ruins.
After delivering this strike, most of the Rakshasa marquises in the Nine-Nine Return to One Formation had exhausted their evil qi and sat down on the ground.
Only First-Class Marquis Yuanyi still had some strength left. After retrieving the Star Heaven Warhammer, he strode toward the area where the Kaiyuan Deer Cauldron was located, laughing: "Opposing the Rakshasa Clan only leads to death. Haha."
In his view, Zhang Ruochen was already dead.
First-Class Marquis Yuanyi approached the Kaiyuan Deer Cauldron, looking at the ancient cauldron in the pit, secretly delighted: "Struck by the Star Heaven Warhammer without a single scratch, this cauldron must be a great treasure..."
Suddenly, the ancient cauldron below flew up on its own.
First-Class Marquis Yuanyi was startled and retreated like lightning.
From the cauldron, a gourd flew out, hovering in midair with flowing water light. It was Zhang Ruochen's Water Star Gourd.
In fact, after Zhang Ruochen used sacred qi to activate the Kaiyuan Deer Cauldron, he immediately hid inside the Water Star Gourd, so the shockwaves didn't harm him at all.
"Whoosh—"
Zhang Ruochen rushed out of the Water Star Gourd, chasing after First-Class Marquis Yuanyi. He clenched his five fingers into a fist, executing the Luo Water Fist Art, and threw a punch that had been fully charged.
First-Class Marquis Yuanyi had just used the Two Radiance Perfection power of the Star Heaven Warhammer, consuming most of his evil qi. Forced into a corner, he had no choice but to raise the Star Heaven Warhammer and strike it against Zhang Ruochen's fist.
"Boom."
Purple light burst from Zhang Ruochen's fist as it collided with the Star Heaven Warhammer, producing a sound like metal clashing.
First-Class Marquis Yuanyi's palm became bloody, and he could no longer hold onto the Star Heaven Warhammer, watching helplessly as it flew away.
"What terrifying power." That was the last thought in First-Class Marquis Yuanyi's mind.
The next moment, Zhang Ruochen's fist struck him, shattering all his bones and breaking his body into dozens of pieces.
Seeing this, Ji Hua, standing outside the demon hall, had an especially cold and gloomy expression. If she didn't have to continue overseeing the operation of the Thousand Star Formation, she would have personally gone to suppress and kill this human man.
Too arrogant, and too terrifying.
Killing over a thousand Rakshasa marquises single-handedly, including several first-class marquises and a Saint King. Such a heaven-defying figure would surely become a trump card for the Heavenly Court Realm in the future and must be eliminated as soon as possible.
Ji Hua turned to look at the Rakshasa Princess beside her, only to find that this princess, who was usually not one to show her emotions, now had a face full of anger, her eyes seemingly about to burst into flames.
"Princess, there's no need to be so furious. He's only showing off for a moment. I'll dispatch more strong men to destroy him now." Ji Hua said in a hoarse voice.
But Ji Hua didn't know that what angered the Rakshasa Princess wasn't Zhang Ruochen killing a large number of Rakshasa marquises. Rather, she had discovered that the one who possessed the purple divine stone wasn't the Nine Nether Sword Saint, but Zhang Ruochen.
Just now, when Zhang Ruochen killed First-Class Marquis Yuanyi, he had used the power of the purple divine stone.
"So it was you, you despicable man. Not only did you steal the sundial, but you also went to such lengths to kill me." The Rakshasa Princess was furious, more angry than she had ever been before.
"Stop targeting that Sword Saint. All of you, listen to my orders: capture the Guanghan Realm divine envoy Zhang Ruochen. Remember, take him alive, must take him alive. Whoever captures him will not only be enfeoffed as a king but also receive a planet as a fief."
The Rakshasa Princess practically gritted her teeth as she issued this command.
The first-class marquises who had been besieging the Nine Nether Sword Saint were puzzled by the Rakshasa Princess's order. Why had the target suddenly changed?
Were women always this fickle?
Still, they didn't dwell on it and immediately rushed toward Zhang Ruochen's direction.
Whether it was being enfeoffed as a king or receiving a planet as a fief, both were things they dreamed of. One represented status, the other a steady stream of resources.
...
The nearly one hundred Rakshasa marquises sitting in the Nine-Nine Return to One Formation, recovering their strength, were all filled with despair. That human had killed First-Class Marquis Yuanyi with just two punches. They would probably all die here today.
But Zhang Ruochen didn't even look at them. Instead, he began collecting the sacred weapons left behind on the battlefield.
"Perhaps in his eyes, we're just ants, not even worth killing."
The nearly one hundred Rakshasa marquises thought optimistically, secretly sighing in relief. They quickly stood up, intending to flee.
But as soon as they turned around, they saw a seductively beautiful woman, so stunning that she surpassed even the top beauties of the Rakshasa Clan, a clan known for producing beautiful women.
Then, they caught a faint, fragrant scent. As they inhaled it, they immediately fell into an illusion.
Mo Yin chuckled softly. Her jet-black hair transformed into hundreds of green, glowing vines, piercing through their bodies and frantically absorbing their energy and blood qi.
Zhang Ruochen glanced at Mo Yin. Seeing that the Merit Wall hadn't been lost, he withdrew his gaze, picked up the Star Heaven Warhammer from the ground, and said: "A total of twenty-seven thousand five hundred inscriptions, a Two Radiance Ten-Thousand-Pattern Sacred Artifact. Not a bad treasure."
Zhang Ruochen was reluctant to let the Abyssal Ancient Sword refine the Star Heaven Warhammer. Such a treasure was rare and could become the ultimate divine weapon of a sect or school, something many Saint Kings would fight over.
"Catch."
Zhang Ruochen tossed the Star Heaven Warhammer to the Demon Ape.
The Demon Ape was a strength-type creature, and the Star Heaven Warhammer was also a strength-type attack sacred artifact. It was most suitable for him. Moreover, the Demon Ape had swallowed a divine medicine and undergone the baptism of heaven and earth's creation, showing considerable potential worth cultivating.
The Demon Ape's injuries had already healed somewhat. It quickly caught the Star Heaven Warhammer.
Just now, it had witnessed the Star Heaven Warhammer unleashing earth-shattering power. Receiving this sacred artifact naturally filled it with ecstasy. "Thank you, master."
The other saints of the Holy Bright Central Empire all showed envy. That was a Two Radiance Ten-Thousand-Pattern Sacred Artifact, which would surely greatly enhance the Demon Ape's combat power.
Seeing the expressions on everyone's faces, Zhang Ruochen smiled slightly: "Those Rakshasa marquises left behind many high-grade sacred artifacts. If anyone is interested, you can each pick one."
Everyone was overjoyed. No one maintained their reserve, and they immediately rushed forward.
Zhang Ruochen's smile faded as he stared into the distance.
There, a Rakshasa woman was fleeing at top speed. It was the first-class marquise who had used the illusion mirror earlier. By now, she had already reached the foot of the sacred mountain where the demon hall stood.
That sacred mountain was completely shrouded in evil qi, emitting waves of powerful energy. Clearly, a large number of Rakshasa strongmen were gathered there.
They were both protecting the Rakshasa Princess and maintaining the Thousand Star Formation.
"Without breaking the Thousand Star Formation, many saints will die here today. But trying to charge up the sacred mountain, break into the demon hall, and kill the formation saint master overseeing the Thousand Star Formation—even a Second-Step Saint King couldn't do that." Zhang Ruochen shook his head slightly, feeling somewhat helpless.
The previous battle had caused a stir among the saint-level cultivators of the Heavenly Court Realm.
Those divine sons, divine daughters, heavenly sons, or heavenly daughters ranked on the "Sacred Merit Ranking" were all moved when they saw the battlefield images transmitted back from the Shatuo Heaven Domain.
On this day, they remembered a name: Zhang Ruochen.
Of course, some battle-hardened saint-level prodigies remained calm, offering their evaluations: "He only killed a Rakshasa who had just entered the Saint King realm. It doesn't show his true level. There are plenty of saints on the 'Sacred Merit Ranking' who have such strength. Only by defeating the Rakshasa Princess can he truly prove his power."
A heavenly daughter from some ancient civilization also commented: "There are many ways to counter his space power. As for his time sword art, it still seems quite shallow. As for the Purifying Divine Flame, it's nothing special in the eyes of those divine sons and divine daughters. Although he has cultivated two eternal paths, that doesn't make him invincible."
The cultivators of Guanghan Realm were a mix of joy and worry.
Joyful because the divine envoy was too powerful, able to sweep everything on the merit battlefield.
Worried because the entire battlefield was one-sided. The Rakshasa marquis army was too massive to be turned around by one person's strength.
Moreover, if the Merit Wall were lost, it would be a catastrophic disaster for Guanghan Realm.
Moon God sat in the Guanghan Divine Palace, her bright eyes gazing at the battlefield images. She watched as a large number of Rakshasa first-class marquises rushed toward Zhang Ruochen: "Now I will lift the seal within you. Zhang Ruochen, unleash yourself fully, turn heaven and earth upside down. When you return to the Heavenly Court, you will be the invincible king among saints."
With a thought from Moon God, the divine power that had sealed the Qiankun Realm within Zhang Ruochen's qi sea dissipated.
"The seal... is lifted..."
Standing on the battlefield, Zhang Ruochen immediately sensed the presence of the Qiankun Realm and the Sky-Connecting Divine Tree. A smile appeared on his face as he looked up at the sky, as if meeting Moon God's gaze across the void.