Chapter 1526: The Sacrificial Rite
Of the Sacred Bright Central Empire's saints, only a little over one hundred and seventy were still alive, all of them powerful figures within the Saint Realm.
They all knew that Zhang Ruochen, using Qiuyu as a sacrifice, was not offering to heaven and earth, but to the Qiankun Realm and the Sky-Connecting Divine Tree.
Many commoners and cultivators of the Sacred Bright Central Empire lived within the Qiankun Realm. As long as the Sky-Connecting Divine Tree, this heavenly earthly root, grew stronger, the environment of the Qiankun Realm would improve, becoming more suitable for cultivation, bringing immense benefits to their descendants and disciples.
Qiuyu had inherited part of the Parasol Divine Tree's power and had also obtained Qiao Zu's Great Saint tree body, making him the perfect offering for the Sky-Connecting Divine Tree.
Therefore, the saints of the Sacred Bright Central Empire were extremely excited.
In their hearts, they had already developed a certain sense of belonging to the Qiankun Realm.
"Chi chi."
Over a hundred streams of Saint Qi were continuously injected into the Kaiyuan Deer Cauldron, causing the inscriptions on the cauldron to grow brighter and brighter, releasing an immensely profound sacred power.
The Kaiyuan Deer Cauldron began to refine Qiuyu.
"Boom."
"Boom."
...
The massive cauldron body shook violently.
A powerful force rampaged within, trying to break free.
With each tremor, the sky and earth shook in unison, and ripples of energy spread outward like water patterns. The saints gathered around all felt dizzy and nauseous, their blood qi churning within, as if they were about to be blasted away by that force.
"He's been suppressed, yet he's still this strong."
"Qiuyu possesses a Great Saint's physical body and a trace of the Parasol Divine Tree's divine power. With our cultivation, refining him is nearly impossible."
The assembled saints felt immense pressure. After all, they were not refining an ordinary being. A creature like Qiuyu was rarely born even in a major world.
Qiuyu's voice came from within the cauldron: "Zhang Ruochen, I am the heavenly earthly root of the Kunlun Realm, blessed with great fortune. You cannot refine me."
Qiuyu continued to rampage inside, causing the Kaiyuan Deer Cauldron to shake even more violently.
Cracks appeared in the ground around the cauldron, and the relatively stable earth began to show signs of collapse.
Having let Qiuyu escape several times already, Zhang Ruochen was determined to suppress and kill him this time, no matter what.
"There is still one hour until the end of the Sacred Merit War. That should be enough time."
Zhang Ruochen muttered to himself, then soared into the air, rushing above the Kaiyuan Deer Cauldron. Suspended in midair, a vast amount of Saint Qi surged from his one hundred and forty-four acupoints, transforming into one hundred and forty-four bridges of heavenly earthly Saint Qi.
"Whoosh."
The one hundred and forty-four bridges of heavenly earthly Saint Qi descended, merging with the Kaiyuan Deer Cauldron.
The cauldron gradually stabilized, but Qiuyu's voice grew weaker, losing its earlier confidence, and he even began to beg Zhang Ruochen.
Unfortunately, Zhang Ruochen paid him no heed.
"Hua—"
The Kaiyuan Deer Cauldron spun rapidly. Golden characters detached from the cauldron, flying into the air, resonating with the holy light radiating from Zhang Ruochen's body.
The Space-Time Divine Martial Mark appeared on Zhang Ruochen's brow, as if a gate to the Qiankun Realm had opened.
Wisps of crimson flame-like mist rose along the one hundred and forty-four bridges of heavenly earthly Saint Qi, flowing into Zhang Ruochen's brow, entering his Qi Sea, and converging into the Qiankun Realm.
"Sha sha."
Within the Qiankun Realm, the leaves of the Sky-Connecting Divine Tree shimmered with a layer of holy light, gently swaying as they rapidly absorbed the flame-like mist surging from the Kaiyuan Deer Cauldron.
Inside the trunk of the Sky-Connecting Divine Tree, a crackling sound echoed. It visibly grew taller and thicker. For ten thousand li around, spiritual herbs sprouted from the ground, emitting twinkling starlight.
The landmass of the Qiankun Realm also expanded outward.
At the edges of the world, the Five Elements Qi gradually transformed into heavenly earthly space, causing the world to grow ever larger. If one stood in Zhang Ruochen's Qi Sea and looked toward the Qiankun Realm, it would seem like a map slowly unfurling, revealing more geographical features.
...
...
After the Rakshasa Marquis army withdrew from the Ancestral Spirit Realm, with no external enemies left, the saints of the Shatuo Seven Realms regrouped into seven major camps and converged toward the direction of the Kaiyuan Deer Cauldron.
Each of the seven worlds had suffered varying degrees of loss. Some worlds had lost fifty percent of their forces, while others had lost as much as eighty percent.
Of course, whether it was fifty or eighty percent, it was a tragic tale of blood and tears. Without substantial resources to support them, recovery would be difficult. Even if they survived this Sacred Merit War, they might not survive the next.
For the lower-ranked major worlds, it was a constant struggle for survival, unless a peerless prodigy emerged—someone who could charge forward boldly and make it onto the Heavenly Court's *Merit Rankings* at the Saint, Saint King, and Great Saint levels. Such a figure, upon breaking through to the God Realm, would possess the power to slay gods.
Only by killing a god of the Hell Realm could one change the fate of billions of beings in their home world.
Thus, the prodigies and powerhouses on the *Sacred Merit Ranking*, *Saint King Merit Ranking*, and *Great Saint Merit Ranking* were eagerly courted by all major worlds.
Especially for the lower-ranked worlds, if a prodigy from their home world made it onto the *Sacred Merit Ranking*, it would be a monumental event that could even stir the gods of that world.
Only prodigies who entered the *Sacred Merit Ranking* could be nurtured more easily, with a greater chance of later entering the *Saint King Merit Ranking*, or even the *Great Saint Merit Ranking*.
At this moment, all the saints of the Kunlun Realm had gathered together, numbering just over thirty thousand. Among them were humans, barbarian beasts, and various other exotic species.
They gazed toward the direction of the Kaiyuan Deer Cauldron, complex expressions in many of their eyes.
A saint from the Fire Clan went to seek an audience with Wan Zhaoyi and Shengshu Cainü, saying, "Qiuyu is the future heavenly earthly root of the Kunlun Realm, and the Empress values him highly. Although he did make some mistakes on the battlefield... he is still very young, and it's normal for his resolve to be unsteady. With proper guidance in the future, he can still stand tall and proud."
"Stand tall and proud?"
Wan Zhaoyi clasped his large hands behind his back, a mocking smile on his face. "If he had even a tenth of Zhang Ruochen's character, I might believe he could stand tall in the future. Unfortunately, he doesn't."
Chu Siyuan stood nearby, his voice stern: "Even an ordinary saint, when facing a life-or-death crisis, would self-detonate their Saint Source to perish together with the enemy. But Qiuyu only knows how to yield to the enemy, even betraying them and becoming a dog at their feet. Such a heavenly earthly root, the Kunlun Realm does not need. We can't afford the shame."
Shengshu Cainü was well aware that Qiuyu was merely a pawn placed in the open by the Empress. The true heavenly earthly root the Empress was cultivating was the Peach Tree.
Therefore, Qiuyu's life or death had little impact on the Kunlun Realm.
Of course, the purpose behind the Empress deploying Qiuyu as a pawn was something Shengshu Cainü couldn't quite fathom. Perhaps it was to mislead enemies who might target the Kunlun Realm's heavenly earthly root.
Or perhaps the Empress intended to mold Qiuyu into a blade, specifically to deal with Zhang Ruochen.
Meanwhile, some major worlds were plotting to seize the Merit Record Wall while Zhang Ruochen was occupied with refining Qiuyu.
However, Zhang Ruochen had displayed overwhelming power, forcing even the Rakshasa Marquis army to retreat, so few dared to provoke him.
"Let's test him first. I don't believe he can maintain such formidable combat power forever."
The Knife Prison Realm and the Purple Mansion Realm dispatched a ten-man squad, hiding beneath an Invisibility Saint Umbrella, concealing their auras as they stealthily advanced.
The ten-man squad consisted of top-tier experts, and the Invisibility Saint Umbrella was capable of masking their presence entirely.
Just as they approached within a thousand li of the Kaiyuan Deer Cauldron, Zhang Ruochen, standing amidst the floating golden characters, suddenly opened his eyes.
"Hua—"
The Abyssal Ancient Sword let out a sharp cry and flew forth.
On the sword's body, a full twenty thousand holy power light patterns emerged, unleashing the power of Dual Radiance Perfection. It crossed a thousand li and struck the Invisibility Saint Umbrella.
"Boom."
The earth shook violently, leaving a bottomless pit.
The Invisibility Saint Umbrella was torn to shreds, and the ten powerful beings lay at the bottom of the pit, their flesh mangled, all life extinguished.
With a single sword strike, ten top experts were slain.
"What kind of trump card does this guy hold?"
Fang Yi, the Realm Son of the Knife Prison Realm, and Dongliu Sword Venerable, the Realm Son of the Purple Mansion Realm, were both startled. The other saints of their worlds showed expressions of fear.
"If you're not afraid of death, go ahead and try to seize the Merit Record Wall. I don't believe I can't kill you all." Zhang Ruochen's voice carried a sonic wave, warning the saints of the Shatuo Seven Realms.
Those who had been eager to act quickly calmed down.
"The Divine Envoy is truly domineering. But I like it."
"With the Divine Envoy's protection, no one can take the Merit Record Wall. The Guanghan Realm will surely be first in the Sacred Merit War."
...
The saints of the Guanghan Realm were filled with pride. Without a doubt, having a Divine Envoy like Zhang Ruochen shining on the merit battlefield would elevate the Guanghan Realm's reputation and status within the Heavenly Court.
The Moon God also held considerable prestige in the Heavenly Court, but as a god, she rarely showed herself.
Zhang Ruochen, however, was different. At the peak of his brilliance, he would only carve out a greater name for himself in the Heavenly Court, becoming a symbol of the Guanghan Realm.
In the future, when cultivators from the Guanghan Realm ventured out, merely mentioning "Zhang Ruochen" would earn them looks of admiration from cultivators of other worlds.
Such was the influence of a peerless prodigy.
About half an hour later, the Kaiyuan Deer Cauldron completely refined Qiuyu, and the sacrificial rite officially concluded.
Zhang Ruochen lifted the bronze ancient cauldron and poured out a pile of carbon ash.
"After absorbing Qiuyu's power, the Sky-Connecting Divine Tree has grown much stronger, and the heavenly earthly Saint Qi in the Qiankun Realm has become denser." Zhang Ruochen was very satisfied.
Just then, Zhang Ruochen looked up and saw all the saints of the Shatuo Seven Realms advancing toward him.
They stopped about a thousand li away, and only the Realm Sons of each world used their movement techniques to come before Zhang Ruochen.
Spirit Flame Demon Consort stepped on petal-shaped clouds of Saint Qi, exuding a seductive charm, and let out an enticing laugh: "Zhang Ruochen, I won't snatch the Merit Record Wall, but a large number of saints from the Great Demon Ten Directions World have fallen on this battlefield. I want to take their remains back to their homeland for burial."
"To be laid to rest in the earth and return to one's roots. No problem, I agree." Zhang Ruochen said.
"Thank you."
Spirit Flame Demon Consort's pretty face smiled even more alluringly.
In truth, what she wanted was not the bones, but the Saint Sources within them.
After all, on this battlefield, hundreds of thousands, even millions, of saint-level beings had perished. The fighting had been so fierce that neither side had time to collect the Saint Sources.
In other words, a vast number of Saint Sources were left scattered across the battlefield.
A Half-Saint who refined a Saint Source had a high probability of breaking through to the Saint Realm. Now that the Shatuo Seven Realms were all severely weakened, only by obtaining a large number of Saint Sources could they quickly recover their strength. Otherwise, they wouldn't be able to handle the next merit war.
Of course, the biggest obstacle to taking the Saint Sources from the battlefield was Zhang Ruochen. Getting past him would not be easy.
"You can take the bones back. But the Saint Sources within them must stay." Zhang Ruochen said.
Hearing this, the smile on Spirit Flame Demon Consort's pretty face froze slightly.