Chapter 1523: Invincible Posture
The aura of a Great Saint enveloped the demon hall, also protecting the Rakshasa Princess and Ji Hua within the temple.
"Such powerful force, even the demon hall cannot withstand it," the Rakshasa Princess sighed softly.
"Can a mere Supreme Saint really overturn heaven and earth?"
Standing beside the Rakshasa Princess, Ji Hua's expression was quite ferocious. He raised a pair of withered hands above his head and let out a hoarse roar: "Grief of Heaven and Earth, Thousand Stars Fall."
Sacred mountains collapsed, and the silver-thread flowing-light iron tower was completely buried in the earth. However, the Thousand Star Grand Formation was still operating, capable of unleashing one final wave of attacks.
Above the ninety-nine sacred mountains, nearly a thousand small planets, driven by the formation, rapidly descended, turning into flaming boulders that crashed toward the ground.
Even if just a single small planet fell, it could kill all living beings within a thousand miles.
A thousand small planets falling was like the end of the world.
Among them, over three hundred small planets were directed at Zhang Ruochen's location, shaking the sacred qi of heaven and earth and stirring up violent hurricanes.
"The Thousand Star Grand Formation has activated its strongest attack. Everyone, flee this place immediately!"
In the region of the ninety-nine sacred mountains, whether they were saints of the Shatuo Seven Realms or Rakshasa marquises, all fled in the direction away from Zhang Ruochen.
Because the area where Zhang Ruochen was located was the most densely targeted by the falling planets.
Ji Hua's spiritual power was formidable, allowing him to somewhat control the landing positions of the small planets, avoiding areas where Rakshasa marquises gathered and only attacking the saints of the Shatuo Seven Realms.
"Boom, rumble."
One by one, the small planets continuously struck the Immovable Wisdom King, causing that golden giant figure to tremble violently, producing a cacophony of booming sounds, while the ground shook incessantly.
Soon, the area centered around the Immovable Wisdom King, spanning hundreds of miles, was completely piled high with small planets.
The Thousand Stars Fall possessed terrifying destructive power. All ninety-nine sacred mountains were leveled, replaced by craters formed by the planets' impact. Around the craters were shocking fissures in the earth, as if the entire world were about to be torn apart.
Only in the area where Zhang Ruochen was located, because so many small planets had fallen, a towering stone mountain had formed. Around the stone mountain, dust and smoke rose into the sky, shrouding the world and blocking everyone's view.
This attack cost the Shatuo Seven Realms dearly. At least ten thousand saints died, reduced to ashes of calamity, and even more saints were severely injured.
Those beings not on the Ancestral Spirit Realm, merely watching the battlefield projections, were also horrified, continuously gasping in shock.
Fortunately, everyone on the battlefield was a saint. If ordinary beings had been there, all life within ten thousand miles would have been utterly annihilated.
"Zhang Ruochen alone bore nearly half the power of the Thousand Star Grand Formation. Can he still survive?" Many cultivators from the Guanghan Realm and Kunlun Realm were hoping he could create another miracle, unwilling to see him die.
Someone said uncertainly, "He should be able to, right? Earlier, the Star Heaven Warhammer couldn't kill him; he could hide inside a space treasure."
"Are you stupid? Can the Thousand Star Grand Formation be compared to the Star Heaven Warhammer? Even a space treasure would likely be smashed to pieces. Besides, when the Thousand Star Grand Formation fell earlier, Zhang Ruochen didn't escape into a space treasure because he was covering the Kunlun Realm saints' retreat."
"Zhang Ruochen has people and things he cares about, so he has weaknesses."
...
The Thousand Star Grand Formation had vanished. The saints of the Shatuo Seven Realms were all fleeing into the distance, trying to break out of the encirclement of the Rakshasa marquis army.
Of course, some saints stayed behind, gazing at the stone mountain formed by the piled small planets, their eyes filled with anticipation.
If Zhang Ruochen hadn't toppled the sacred mountains, none of them could have escaped today. Those who valued loyalty and righteousness naturally didn't want him to die.
Some saints also stayed to seize the Merit Book Wall.
A few saints from the Guanghan Realm remained, ready to guard the Merit Book Wall, such as Wu Hao, Su Qingling, Wen Shusheng, Ling Mi...
Su Qingling bit her lip lightly, her eyes reddening. "Zhang Ruochen has been the one desperately guarding the Merit Book Wall all along. Our Guanghan Realm owes him too much. He must not die."
Wen Shusheng, Ling Mi, and others deeply admired Zhang Ruochen, and their faces now showed worry.
Wu Hao, however, was somewhat pleased to see this outcome. Since the Saint Merit War began, all the limelight and achievements had been taken by Zhang Ruochen, highlighting his own incompetence as a realm son.
If Zhang Ruochen returned alive to the Heavenly Court Realm or the Guanghan Realm, he would undoubtedly become the center of attention, a hero-like figure.
And he, Wu Hao, the so-called number one heavenly pride of the Guanghan Realm, would only be Zhang Ruochen's foil.
Of course, Wu Hao would never reveal these negative emotions. He sighed lightly, "Even if Zhang Ruochen dies under the Thousand Star Grand Formation, this glorious battle today is enough to etch his name into the annals of the Guanghan Realm. This is the pride of the Guanghan Realm. Everyone, don't be too sad. Now, the Merit Book Wall has fallen into the hands of those Kunlun Realm saints. Although they all obey Zhang Ruochen, this situation may change after his death. We must recapture the Merit Book Wall and guard it until the end of the merit war."
Qiu Yu felt both some joy and some disappointment.
Joyful that he was ultimately the one who laughed last, while Zhang Ruochen was shattered to pieces.
Disappointed that the one who killed Zhang Ruochen was not him.
Then, Qiu Yu's gaze turned to the group of saints from the Holy Bright Central Empire, a sinister look appearing on his handsome face. "The debts Zhang Ruochen owes, you will repay!"
Earlier, when the small planets fell, led by A Le, White Li Princess, and Han Qiu, all the saints formed a circle, jointly activating the Buddha Emperor Relic, unleashing the power of the Great Saint's origin, and surviving the calamity.
But before they could retreat, Qiu Yu led a large group of Rakshasa marquises to surround them.
"You really are suited to being a dog. Before, you were at least a dog under the Empress, but now you've become a dog of the Rakshasa Princess," Han Qiu mocked with a sneer.
Qiu Yu was furious. He waved his hand and said coldly, "Attack!"
"Boom, rumble."
The Rakshasa marquis army either unleashed sacred arts or struck with sacred artifacts, attacking all at once. In an instant, the nearly two hundred saints of the Holy Bright Central Empire were engulfed in dust and caught in the flames of war, with people constantly falling into pools of blood.
Han Qiu transformed into a massive black hole, flying out from the dust and charging at Qiu Yu.
Qiu Yu had inherited the legacy of the Great Saint "Qiao Zu" from the Wutong Tree Clan, and his body had merged with Qiao Zu's trunk, as if he possessed a body as powerful as a Great Saint.
With just one strike, Qiu Yu severely wounded Han Qiu, forcing her to retreat.
Qiu Yu himself hadn't expected his power to be so formidable. He looked at his hands and let out a deafening laugh: "The Dark Body is nothing special. With my current strength, one palm strike can kill a Saint King, let alone ants like you. Haha!"
Now, Qiu Yu's entire body exuded strands of Great Saint qi, utterly unmatched by any saint.
The saints of the Holy Bright Central Empire knew Qiu Yu would never let them go, and despair filled their faces.
"Is this the end?"
The Rakshasa Princess paid no attention to Qiu Yu's revenge against the saints of the Holy Bright Central Empire. Her beautiful eyes were fixed on the stone mountain before her. For some reason, she felt a sense of loss and disappointment. Could it be that her destined one, after this brief flash, had been crushed into dust?
Shouldn't her destined one be a hero who battles across the world, capable of suppressing everything, with an aura of supremacy?
The Rakshasa Princess's emotions were quite conflicted, and even she found it somewhat ridiculous.
Ji Hua pressed his palm into the void, mobilizing powerful spiritual power to retrieve the sacred staff stuck in the ground. He snorted coldly, "The power of the Thousand Star Grand Formation is immense. Zhang Ruochen doesn't have an indestructible body; he must have turned to ashes... What... how is that possible..."
"Crack."
From the stone mountain formed by piled meteorites, dazzling golden light burst forth from every crevice.
The golden light spread for thousands of miles.
"Boom!"
A surge of vast sacred power erupted from within the stone mountain, sending massive meteorites dozens of miles long flying outward.
Earlier, Ling Quan Shaojun and some first-class marquises had already arrived at the base of the stone mountain, hoping to find Zhang Ruochen's remains and seize the treasures on him.
This sudden change sent them all flying backward.
The Immovable Wisdom King, thousands of feet tall, slowly rose from beneath the stone mountain, with Zhang Ruochen's figure standing at the brow of the giant form.
"Roar!"
Zhang Ruochen let out a furious roar, his long hair standing on end, his pupils emitting a dazzling golden light.
The Immovable Wisdom King slapped down with one palm, striking Ling Quan Shaojun and sending him crashing to the ground, his body sinking into a palm-shaped crater, his fate unknown.
Then, Zhang Ruochen advanced together with the Immovable Wisdom King.
"Boom, boom."
With each hand seal struck, a first-class marquis was killed, leaving a palm-shaped crater hundreds of feet long on the ground.
The power unleashed by the Immovable Wisdom King was ferocious, making the already battered Ancestral Spirit Realm seem on the verge of collapse.
"How is this possible?" Ji Hua's eyes nearly bulged out.
The Rakshasa Princess said, "Even the Thousand Star Grand Formation couldn't kill him. Now we're in big trouble."
Even the first-class marquises were terrified by the power Zhang Ruochen unleashed, fleeing and not daring to engage him.
Those Rakshasa marquises who had been besieging the saints of the Holy Bright Central Empire were swept away by a single wave of the Immovable Wisdom King's hand, their sacred bodies turning into clouds of blood mist.
Blood rain fell from the sky.
"So terrifying, run!"
"The farther we get from Zhang Ruochen, the better. His combat power is already invincible."
...
All the Rakshasa marquises were fleeing.
Zhang Ruochen didn't pursue them. Instead, he flew above Qiu Yu. The golden, radiant Immovable Wisdom King stood before Qiu Yu, like an angry Vajra looking down at him.
Qiu Yu noticed a trace of blood at the corner of Zhang Ruochen's mouth and secretly guessed that the power of the Thousand Star Grand Formation must have inflicted considerable injuries on him.
Having inherited Qiao Zu's legacy, Qiu Yu was already confident in his own strength. Seeing Zhang Ruochen injured only boosted his confidence further.
"Heaven has eyes, letting you keep your life. Now I finally have the chance to personally crush you."
Qiu Yu smiled, rapidly circulating the sacred qi within his body. He stomped forward, causing the ground to collapse, while the surrounding earth rose sharply. Dense, fiery tree roots, like mountain peaks, burst from the ground, rising thousands of feet high, attacking Zhang Ruochen.
"With just you?"
Zhang Ruochen fully mobilized the power of the Qiankun Realm, causing the light radiating from the Immovable Wisdom King to become even more blinding. A massive fist slammed into the ground.
"Boom, boom."
The fiery tree roots all shattered, turning into wood chips and fiery rain.
A flicker of surprise appeared in Qiu Yu's eyes, but before he could strike again, a golden giant hand pressed down from above his head.
Before the hand even landed on him, the ground beneath his feet was already sinking.