Chapter 1547: The Power of a Mid-Rank Sacred Art
From within the Golden Step Dragon Carriage, Su Qingling’s voice rang out: “You’re going too far too. Do you really think we’re just lambs for the slaughter?”
“Heh heh.”
Wang Xu revealed a disdainful expression, not taking Su Qingling seriously at all.
Su Qingling clearly possessed some kind of trump card. She mobilized the sacred qi within her body, channeling it to her back. There, at the center of her back, strange patterns emerged, interweaving into a talisman.
“Boom.”
Immediately after, a surge of immensely powerful sacred dao force erupted from within her.
Zhang Ruochen’s eyes flashed with a sharp light. He murmured, “A Sacred Mark Talisman. And it seems to be no ordinary one. As expected of the granddaughter of Nine Spirits Great Saint, she indeed has a life-saving measure.”
The power contained within a Sacred Mark Talisman was no small matter. Although it couldn’t deal with a being like Liao Sang Jun, who stood at the peak of the Saint King realm, it was more than enough to handle an ordinary Saint King.
Wen Shusheng and Ling Mi also possessed Sacred Mark Talismans and immediately activated them.
Soon, the power fluctuations emanating from the three of them completely suppressed Wang Xu, Tian Shu, and Tian Miao.
Yet, there was not a trace of fear in Wang Xu’s eyes. Instead, he let out a laugh: “You’re truly naive. Do you think we came so thoroughly prepared to kill you without accounting for the fact that you might be carrying Sacred Mark Talismans?”
“So what? Since we all have Sacred Mark Talismans, killing us won’t be so easy for you,” Wen Shusheng said. His Sacred Mark Talisman condensed into a sacred tree, and the silver light radiating from it flowed like a river.
“Sorry, but I didn’t bring a Sacred Mark Talisman,” Wang Xu said.
Su Qingling, Wen Shusheng, and Ling Mi all looked bewildered. Since he could make it onto the Sacred Merit Ranking, his identity was clearly extraordinary. How could he not have a Sacred Mark Talisman?
And without one, how could he remain so calm?
Strange!
Too strange!
At that moment, Tian Shu and Tian Miao, standing atop the stone peak, both let out a laugh, as if mocking their ignorance. Then, they simultaneously looked up toward the sky.
Above, thick black clouds shrouded the heavens.
But within the clouds, a speck of light appeared, resembling an increasingly brilliant star.
Zhang Ruochen’s eyes also locked onto the sky, focusing on that star. His pupils contracted sharply: “That’s… a circular command seal…”
“Whoosh.”
A dazzling starlight cascaded down.
Immediately, a loud explosion rang out from within Su Qingling, Wen Shusheng, and Ling Mi.
The Sacred Mark Talismans on their bodies all shattered, turning into specks of light that dissipated into the air.
Wen Shusheng glanced at the star above, then at Wang Xu and the others, his expression shifting dramatically. “I understand now. I know who you are. You’re from the Merit Divine Temple.”
Zhang Ruochen knew little about the Heavenly Court realm, but he understood that Wen Shusheng was right. Only the merit treasures refined by the Merit Divine Temple could shatter Sacred Mark Talismans.
Back then, the Sacred Mark Talisman Zhang Ruochen carried had shattered when he entered the Merit Battlefield.
“You people from the Merit Divine Temple just won’t give up, will you? Are you specifically targeting our Guanghan Realm?” Su Qingling’s eyes blazed with anger as she spoke indignantly.
Wang Xu chuckled darkly. “Our goal is to kill Zhang Ruochen. It has nothing to do with you. But since you’ve learned things you shouldn’t know, we’ll have to kill you too.”
“Boom!”
The next moment, bright divine marks appeared all over Wang Xu’s body. A flood of sacred dao rules surged from within him, coalescing into a several-zhang-tall True Self Shadow.
Once the True Self Shadow manifested, the sacred qi of heaven and earth streamed toward Wang Xu endlessly, causing the power fluctuations radiating from him to grow stronger and stronger.
Zhang Ruochen also condensed his True Self Shadow.
His True Self Shadow was the Immovable Wisdom King Body, and the aura it emitted was no weaker than Wang Xu’s. In fact, it continued to intensify.
The two were already clashing in terms of momentum.
In the several-dozen-zhang-wide space between them, dozens of electric serpents and fire dragons appeared, colliding with a rumbling roar.
Wang Xu was shocked to find that his True Self Shadow was at a disadvantage in the clash. His smile faded, replaced by increasing seriousness. “Zhang Ruochen, which divine book or extraordinary technique from the Taiyi Divine Skill Ranking have you cultivated?”
“The Taiyi Divine Skill Ranking?” Zhang Ruochen asked.
Wang Xu said, “The Taiyi Divine Skill Ranking lists the top eighty-one divine books and extraordinary techniques in the universe. Kunlun Realm alone occupies six of them. There’s no way you don’t know that. And if you hadn’t cultivated one of those extraordinary techniques, how could your combat power at the Half-Saint King stage be this strong?”
What Wang Xu mentioned was entirely unfamiliar to Zhang Ruochen.
Zhang Ruochen only knew that Kunlun Realm had six extraordinary scriptures, the pinnacle of cultivation techniques. Countless famous cultivation methods were derived from them or were fragments of them.
As for the Taiyi Divine Skill Ranking, he had never heard of it.
Seeing that Zhang Ruochen seemed genuinely unaware of the ranking, Wang Xu added, “I’m certain you’ve cultivated one of the divine books from the Taiyi Divine Skill Ranking. You should know that the stronger the cultivation technique, the greater a cultivator’s combat power, and the more powerful their True Self Shadow becomes.”
A cultivator’s combat strength depended not only on their physical constitution but also on the quality of their cultivation technique and sacred arts.
The importance of the cultivation technique was no less than that of the physical body.
Zhang Ruochen’s mind stirred. “So, the technique you’ve cultivated is also a divine skill from the Taiyi Divine Skill Ranking?”
“Of course.”
Wang Xu stopped using his True Self Shadow to clash with Zhang Ruochen, as he noticed Zhang Ruochen’s shadow growing stronger, seemingly on the verge of completely suppressing his own.
If the standoff continued, he might be defeated before even making a move.
“Shattering Void First Form: Void Slash.”
Wang Xu, carrying his True Self Shadow, transformed into a fierce storm and charged at Zhang Ruochen.
He didn’t activate his Light Flow Rules, so his speed wasn’t particularly fast.
However, the Void Moon Blade in his hand grew increasingly radiant.
The Shattering Void Blade Technique was a mid-rank sacred art that Wang Xu had spent a great deal of time mastering. It consisted of seven forms, each profound and extraordinary, capable of both grand, sweeping attacks and unpredictable, subtle strikes.
With this blade technique, Wang Xu had been invincible on the Merit Battlefield. Even some Saint Kings chose to avoid him when they encountered him.
“He’s using a mid-rank sacred art. Is he trying to kill me as quickly as possible?”
The power of a mid-rank sacred art far exceeded that of a low-rank one. Facing Wang Xu’s slash, even Zhang Ruochen found it hard to breathe.
Zhang Ruochen’s battle intent surged. He activated the Hundred Saint Blood Armor, channeling the power of a hundred saints. Raising his arms, dragon roars and elephant bellows echoed from within them. Then, a dragon and an elephant flew out.
“Boom.”
The dark blade light struck Zhang Ruochen’s palms.
The immense blade force traveled from Zhang Ruochen’s arms to his legs, then spread outward in ripples. The two stone peaks were struck and instantly shattered, collapsing into massive boulders.
Tian Shu and Tian Miao quickly used their movement techniques to land on the ground.
Their eyes were filled with astonishment. “These two are only at the Half-Saint King stage, yet the power they’re unleashing is no weaker than ours.”
“They’re both monsters. Perhaps only the Young Master, at the Half-Saint King stage, could have surpassed them.”
Wang Xu gripped the blade handle with both hands, hovering in midair, and laughed. “Your palm technique isn’t bad, managing to block the first form of the Shattering Void Blade Technique. But the power of a mid-rank sacred art isn’t as simple as you imagine.”
“Shattering Void Second Form: Void Chaos.”
Twenty-one sacred dao rules flew out from Wang Xu’s body, merging with the blade technique. His form flickered, splitting into seven afterimages.
The Void Moon Blade in his hand resembled a black crescent, radiating a bone-chilling coldness. From an extremely tricky angle, it slashed horizontally toward Zhang Ruochen.
A single slash seemed like seven strikes in one.
When executing the first form, Wang Xu had only infused fourteen sacred dao rules into the blade technique. For the second form, he infused twenty-one, clearly making it far more powerful.
Zhang Ruochen let out a long roar, activating the second layer of the Hundred Saint Blood Armor. The power of a hundred mid-rank saints merged with his own, and he struck out with another palm.
“Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang!”
Seven layers of blade force descended, accompanied by seven metallic clashes. The sounds were sharp and deafening, forcing Zhang Ruochen to retreat seven steps.
After blocking this strike, Zhang Ruochen’s arms ached as if they were about to split, and the blood qi within him became somewhat chaotic.
“Not having cultivated a mid-rank sacred art really puts me at a disadvantage. If I could master the eleventh palm to its peak, the Dragon-Elephant Prajna Palm would be elevated to a mid-rank sacred art, and I could definitely suppress his Shattering Void Blade Technique,” Zhang Ruochen thought.
The tenth palm at its peak was already among the top low-rank sacred arts, but compared to a mid-rank one, there was still a gap.
After all, a mid-rank sacred art could merge with sacred dao rules.
“The third form of the Shattering Void Blade will undoubtedly be even stronger.”
Zhang Ruochen didn’t give Wang Xu a chance to continue his blade technique. He summoned the Abyssal Ancient Sword and used Spatial Displacement. The next moment, he appeared above and behind Wang Xu, slashing downward with all his might.
On the blade of the Abyssal Ancient Sword, countless inscriptions emerged, radiating a dazzling, strange light.
Wang Xu’s eyes sharpened. He activated his Light Flow Rules, transforming into a dark light and shifting horizontally to the right.
“Boom.”
Zhang Ruochen’s sword struck the purple formation diagram on the ground. The sharp sword light tore a gap in the formation.
Huang Wang, standing at the center of the formation, silently cursed, “Not good.”
Huang Wang didn’t believe Zhang Ruochen could break the purple formation, but once a gap was torn, sacred dao fluctuations would inevitably leak out.
If those faint fluctuations were detected by a passing cultivator, the assassination would be a failure.
“Seal it for me.”
Huang Wang pressed his hands onto the bone staff, and his spiritual power surged outward like waves. The gap torn by the Abyssal Ancient Sword closed again.
The area covered by the purple formation expanded, becoming even more stable.
Zhang Ruochen was well aware that the enemies had come with overwhelming force, all top-tier figures. They had prepared thoroughly, leaving him no chance to escape.
So, his only option was to send out a message, hoping for reinforcements.
Earlier, Zhang Ruochen had struck with all his might, tearing a gap in the purple formation and allowing a single sword qi from the Abyssal Ancient Sword to fly out, intending to spread the word.
“We’re in the northern part of the Red Dragon Sacred Domain, within the territory of the Ku Li Sacred Domain. The lord of Ku Li Sacred Domain is Senior Ling Xiu.”
“Other Great Saints might not have the spiritual power to sense this sword qi, but Senior Ling Xiu is a Spiritual Power Great Saint. He might be able to detect it.”
Zhang Ruochen placed half his hope on Ling Xiu.
The other half rested on himself. If it came down to a desperate fight, he might still be able to carve a bloody path and lead Mu Lingxi and the others out of here.
…
(Many readers might have forgotten who Ling Xiu is. Let me refresh your memory.
Ling Xiu: Son of the Demon Emperor, father of Ling Feiyu, junior brother of Shi Qianjue, the leader of the Moon Worship Demon Sect, and senior brother of the Mad Drunkard. He appeared once when Zhang Ruochen went to the Demon Sect’s headquarters to disrupt the wedding.)