Chapter 1522: Zhang Ruochen Collapses a Holy Mountain
The holy mountain where the demon hall was located was one of the thirty-three central holy mountains, towering seven thousand zhang high, with steep cliffs, cascading waterfalls, and dense arrays of formation inscriptions interwoven throughout—an undeniably perilous and treacherous place.
Zhang Ruochen stood at the foot of the mountain, gazing upward.
Among the forests, cliff walls, and waterfalls, dark red evil-fiend qi surged forth.
Rakshasa marquises clad in sacred armor battle robes, wielding sacred weapons or war banners, were arrayed along the mountain path, guarding the perilous passes and forming battle formations, presenting a posture as if facing a great enemy.
In their eyes, Zhang Ruochen was a peerless fierce man who had killed countless people, a man who could reduce hundreds of Rakshasa marquises to ashes with a mere smile. Who among them could not be afraid?
Within the holy mountain stood over two hundred silver-threaded flowing-light iron towers. Inside each tower, several Rakshasa women sat cross-legged. From their sacred hearts surged powerful spiritual power, which, channeled through the towers, merged with heaven and earth, actually driving the Thousand Star Grand Formation.
"No wonder the divine envoys of the Eight Divisions Realm, using divine weapons, could not break through the Thousand Star Grand Formation. It turns out this formation is not only presided over by a formation saint master but also powered by over a thousand spiritual power saints. Against such a formation, even a figure surpassing the Three-Step Saint King level would likely only be able to sigh in despair," Zhang Ruochen said.
A Le, Han Qiu, White Li Princess, Mo Yin, Swallowing Elephant Rabbit, and Demon Ape stood in a line behind Zhang Ruochen.
The Demon Ape, wielding the Star Heaven War Hammer, with demonic qi rolling around him, said, "Master, give the order. How do we fight?"
Zhang Ruochen's gaze sharpened, fixing on the position halfway up the mountain, landing on Qiu Yu. A fierce killing intent emanated from his body.
Qiu Yu stood halfway up the mountain, hands clasped behind his back, standing tall like an ancient pine. His cold, deep eyes were also fixed on Zhang Ruochen.
With his feet as the center, rare flowers, grasses, and trees sprouted from the ground. A vast life aura spread through the holy mountain, revealing his profound mastery of the Way of Life, which had reached an extremely high level.
"I'll go kill him," Han Qiu said.
"Not yet."
Zhang Ruochen's gaze shifted past Qiu Yu, spotting the figures of Qian Yu and Qian Shu. Besides them, there were also some Third-Class Marquises, Second-Class Marquises, First-Class Marquises, and Saint Kings.
It could be said that this holy mountain was the central command camp of the Rakshasa army.
Even if Han Qiu's Way of Darkness were ever so powerful, killing Qiu Yu here would be as difficult as reaching the heavens.
Moreover, Zhang Ruochen could tell that Qiu Yu seemed to have truly obtained some extraordinary opportunity, his cultivation realm having made a massive leap. Whether Han Qiu could even defeat him was still an unknown.
Qiu Yu's lips curled slightly upward, and he raised his voice, "Zhang Ruochen, you didn't expect we would meet again, did you?"
"Indeed, I didn't expect that someone like you could survive until today without dying," Zhang Ruochen said.
A chill arose in Qiu Yu's heart, and the smile on his face turned colder. "Unfortunately, the one who will die today is you, not me."
"Is that so?" Zhang Ruochen said.
Qiu Yu nodded seriously. "Why don't you take a look behind you?"
"Boom."
The nine-hundred-zhang-tall sacred staff flew over and plunged into the ground behind Zhang Ruochen. The power erupting from the staff completely locked the surrounding space.
At the same time, Lingquan Young Lord and four One-Step Saint King level powerhouses, leading a large group of Rakshasa marquises, rushed over and gathered beneath the sacred staff, sealing off Zhang Ruochen and his group's retreat.
A holy mountain blocked their front, and a large force of Rakshasa elites surrounded their rear. For any saint, this was a death sentence.
Qin Yutong's eyes showed a resolute expression. "Your Highness the Crown Prince, we can self-destruct our sacred sources to help you charge up the holy mountain."
"That's right, we have nearly two hundred saints who can die for you, Lord. Just say the word, and I, Guo Daren, will charge up the holy mountain right now and self-destruct my sacred source," another saint said.
Zhang Ruochen calmed everyone's emotions. "It's just a holy mountain. Since it stands in my way, I'll simply knock it down."
"I'll do it."
The Demon Ape let out a great roar, and then, crackling sounds came from within his body. His form grew taller and taller, becoming increasingly massive, transforming into a three-thousand-zhang-tall ancient ferocious ape.
Around the ancient ferocious ape, demonic clouds rolled as it charged directly at the holy mountain before it, intending to ram it with its body.
If it were just an ordinary mountain, the ancient ferocious ape's strength could easily knock it down. However, the holy mountain before them was interwoven with a vast number of formation inscriptions and reinforced by the sacred power of a large group of Rakshasa marquises.
The moment the ancient ferocious ape charged, it was struck by a burst of blood light surging from the holy mountain. Its massive body flew backward like a leaf, spewing large amounts of blood from its mouth.
"Boom."
The ancient ferocious ape's body crashed heavily to the ground, then rapidly shrank back to its original size.
The Rakshasa marquises on the holy mountain all jeered, "Trying to knock down a holy mountain? How utterly overestimating one's abilities."
But their laughter quickly died down.
They saw Zhang Ruochen, standing at the foot of the mountain, press his palms together. A powerful sacred force surged from within him, and then, behind him, a golden figure materialized.
The golden figure grew taller and taller, until it was finally as massive as the seven-thousand-zhang holy mountain, radiating a divine majesty that struck fear into the hearts of all the Rakshasa marquises present.
That was the "Immovable Bright King Body."
Relying solely on his own cultivation, even if Zhang Ruochen used the "Immovable Bright King Body," he could not have possessed such sacred might. This was because, at this moment, Zhang Ruochen had mobilized the power of the Qiankun Realm, with a portion of an entire world's strength added to his own.
"This... is this really the aura a saint can unleash?"
"Impossible. How can a saint be this powerful?"
...
Many Rakshasa marquises felt suffocated, as if an invisible force were gripping their throats.
On the battlefield where the ninety-nine holy mountains stood, almost all cultivators were drawn to the massive golden figure, their hearts stirring with the urge to kneel and worship.
"My heavens, has Zhang Ruochen been possessed by a true god?"
"See that? That's my junior brother," Zhu Hongtao, the second disciple of Xuanji Sword Saint, said to a nearby saint, laughing proudly.
Zhang Ruochen charged forward. With each step, the ground within a hundred zhang collapsed. Finally, his body, merged with the Immovable Bright King Body, slammed into the holy mountain.
Within the holy mountain, even top powerhouses like Qiu Yu, Qian Yu, and Qian Shu showed expressions of fear.
"This guy... still has trump cards..."
The Rakshasa Princess struck the ground hard with her sacred staff. Immediately, wisps of evil-fiend qi surged from the staff, rushing in all directions toward the demon hall.
The demon hall itself was shaped like a skull. At this moment, the eye sockets blazed with dazzling light, transforming into a sun and a moon.
This entire region was covered by demonic clouds, dark and lightless, with only one sun and one moon hanging in the sky, radiating an unparalleled aura, as if an ancient Great Saint had awakened, looking down upon the countless ants below.
"Boom."
The Immovable Bright King Body collided with the holy mountain.
The demonic qi surging from the demon hall grew denser. The Rakshasa marquises on the holy mountain could not withstand the immense power of the Great Saint, and nearly all of them fell to their knees.
Only Zhang Ruochen and the Rakshasa Princess, within the Immovable Bright King Body and the demon hall respectively, faced each other, shining brightly, like a War God and a Demon Empress locked in battle.
The demon hall did not collapse, but the holy mountain beneath it could not bear the force. Formation inscriptions snapped one after another, emitting "bang bang" sounds. Cliffs crumbled, waterfalls ceased to flow, and flowers, grass, and trees turned to ash.
With a deafening roar that shook heaven and earth, the seven-thousand-zhang holy mountain toppled backward, sending massive amounts of mud and stone crashing down, affecting an area hundreds of li around.
Over two hundred silver-threaded flowing-light iron towers that had supported the Thousand Star Grand Formation all collapsed with the holy mountain, more than half of them buried under the earth.
The number of Rakshasa marquises buried in the mud was incalculable.
Whether on this battlefield or in the Heavenly Court Realm, countless cultivators who witnessed this scene were stunned, their hearts pounding wildly, their eyes wide with shock.
"This is too heaven-defying. Zhang Ruochen is invincible!"
"The Divine Envoy fights across heaven and earth, unmatched under the sky."
"So powerful! Even the Rakshasa Princess is suppressed."
The beings of the Guanghan Realm were boiling with hot blood, roaring wildly. All their previous worries vanished. With the Divine Envoy's strength so immense, who could take the Merit Wall from him?
The beings of the Kunlun Realm, the Eight Divisions Realm, and the other six realms of the Shatuo Seven Realms were also extremely excited. In this Saintly Merit War, the Rakshasa clan would no longer dominate them. Zhang Ruochen's appearance would change everything.
"To be this powerful?" Fang Yi clenched his fists tightly, his mood growing even colder.
The Lingyan Demon Consort, covered in blood, showed a delighted expression on her enchanting, peerlessly beautiful face. "So formidable. I should have properly repaid him when he saved me last time."
Qiu Yu crawled out from the thick mud, staring at Zhang Ruochen, who was merged with the Immovable Bright King Body, gritting his teeth in deep resentment.
On Moon God Mountain, the Great Saints of the Guanghan Realm all exchanged glances, then looked toward Moon God, who sat at the head.
They could tell that Zhang Ruochen was not using his own power but borrowing external force.
However, in the Saintly Merit War, borrowing another's power was forbidden—a violation of the rules. Even if the Guanghan Realm ultimately won, they would face severe punishment.
Moon God, however, remained quite calm. "Rest assured, Zhang Ruochen is using his own power. It's just that this power is somewhat special."
The Qiankun Realm was essentially a part of Zhang Ruochen's body, much like Fang Yi's Baiwei Star. Only, the Qiankun Realm was countless times more powerful than Baiwei Star.
Therefore, after mobilizing the power of the Qiankun Realm, Zhang Ruochen was far stronger than Fang Yi.
...
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