Chapter 1562: King of the Strange
As that golden wave of sacred energy dissipated, the hundreds of acres of osmanthus trees, as if made of sand, crumbled with a rustling sound, turning into powder.
With the osmanthus trees no longer blocking his view, Zhang Ruochen finally saw, at the base of a distant cliff, a man in a golden sacred robe sitting cross-legged. He appeared to be around thirty years old, with a fair, beardless face and pupils like golden stars, deeply engrossed in contemplating a diagram on the cliff wall.
The surviving Yun Realm powerhouses all bowed respectfully to the man and said, "The cultivators of Guanghan Realm have gone too far, killing sixteen sacred realm elites of Yun Realm. Please, King of the Strange, take action to slay them and avenge our fallen cultivators."
The man called "King of the Strange" "awakened" from his contemplation and slowly stood up.
The aura emanating from him was majestic and noble, suppressing the arrogant Yun Realm powerhouses present, making them all unable to lift their heads.
"So many of you attacked together, yet you couldn't even capture six cultivators from Guanghan Realm. You have all brought shame to Yun Realm. Hmph!"
The King of the Strange was also at the Half-Saint King realm, yet his light snort was thunderous, leaving the Yun Realm powerhouses dizzy and pale-faced.
Su Qingling, Li Mi, and Wen Shusheng were no exception. They let out muffled groans, their bodies swaying unsteadily.
Even Zhang Ruochen felt a sharp pain in his eardrums, as if pricked by a needle.
Fortunately, he had absorbed the Golden Spirit Origin, Water Spirit Origin, and a large amount of divine blood, greatly enhancing his physical body, allowing him to withstand it with ease.
"Though also at the Half-Saint King level, that man called King of the Strange has a far superior mastery of power application compared to the others present," Zhang Ruochen thought to himself with a sense of caution.
With just a casual sound wave from his mouth, the King of the Strange had demonstrated his superior skill.
Such a figure had reached an extremely high level of enlightenment in the sacred path. What others might see as an ordinary move, he could integrate with the sacred path, transforming it endlessly and unleashing the power of a sacred art.
"The King of the Strange's cultivation is not inferior to the Twelfth Imperial Uncle's; he should be at the Fourth-Step Saint King realm. Moreover, being able to cultivate in Truth Heaven Domain, he is no ordinary Saint King. Even a Fifth-Step Saint King might not be his match," Zhang Ruochen silently assessed.
If not for the "Equality of All Beings" effect, relying solely on his own strength, Zhang Ruochen would surely die if he faced the King of the Strange.
Of course, if he used the trump card of the Yi Emperor Bone Staff, the outcome would certainly be different.
The King of the Strange exuded a sharp, commanding aura, like a superior looking down on ants.
When his gaze fell upon the purple divine mountain standing beside Zhang Ruochen, flames ignited in his golden pupils. "A treasure that can amplify combat power—truly a rare and sought-after artifact. Zhang Ruochen, present it to me, and I will spare your life."
Zhang Ruochen said, "I've killed so many sacred realm powerhouses of Yun Realm. Is there still a way out for me?"
"Of course there is. Hand over a strand of your natal sacred soul for me to control, agree to be my servant, and I guarantee you won't die."
The King of the Strange's tone was full of authority.
Ling Feiyu, holding the Burial Heaven Sword, walked to Zhang Ruochen's side and said, "Leave him to me."
The King of the Strange's gaze fell on Ling Feiyu. "So, a Second-Step Saint King. No wonder you could kill several sacred realm powerhouses of Yun Realm. But you'd best not challenge me, or you'll die an ugly death."
"Is that so?"
As she spoke these two words, Ling Feiyu also released a sound wave from her crimson lips.
"Bang, bang."
The eardrums of the Yun Realm sacred powerhouses all burst, blood streaming out.
Even the King of the Strange felt the sound wave pierce his eardrums like a sharp sword, causing intense pain. He quickly mobilized sacred power to protect his eardrums, blocking the sound wave.
"Such a concentrated sound wave—her control over power surpasses even mine," the King of the Strange thought in shock.
Having cultivated Sword Nine to Great Perfection, Ling Feiyu's control over power was naturally exquisite and unparalleled.
Of course, Ling Feiyu didn't hold a complete advantage, as she and Zhang Ruochen had not yet comprehended the Way of Truth. The King of the Strange, however, had come to Truth Divine Temple to cultivate multiple times, and the Truth Rules he had comprehended were far more profound than Bai Ran's.
Thus, in a real fight, Ling Feiyu might not be the King of the Strange's match.
Although Zhang Ruochen hadn't comprehended the Way of Truth, he mastered the Eternal Paths of "Way of Space" and "Way of Time."
It could be said that Zhang Ruochen, Ling Feiyu, and the King of the Strange each had their own strengths and weaknesses. In a life-or-death duel under the "Equality of All Beings" effect, it was hard to say who would win.
The best approach was for Zhang Ruochen and Ling Feiyu to join forces, giving them at least an eighty percent chance of victory.
"Let me test his strength first. If I can't take him down, then you can help me," Zhang Ruochen said. He knew that in Truth Heaven Domain, he would inevitably face powerful enemies from all realms, some of whom might be even stronger than the King of the Strange. So, by sparring with the King of the Strange first, he could gain experience and handle opponents of the same level more calmly in the future.
"Whoosh—"
Without any warning from the King of the Strange, Zhang Ruochen executed a Time Sword Art. In an instant, the tip of the Abyssal Ancient Sword pierced the King of the Strange's brow.
"Bang."
The King of the Strange's body slid backward, golden light flickering all over him. Soon, he neutralized all of Zhang Ruochen's sword momentum.
The King of the Strange didn't counterattack, merely using his brow to block the Abyssal Ancient Sword.
Gradually, he even steadied his steps, ceasing to retreat.
A smile curled at the corner of the King of the Strange's mouth. "Merging time into your sword art—indeed, it's so fast that even I find it hard to dodge. But the power is far too lacking; it can't even break through my Indestructible Vajra Body."
Zhang Ruochen quickly withdrew his sword and retreated rapidly, his expression becoming unprecedentedly grave.
The Abyssal Ancient Sword was incredibly sharp, yet it couldn't even scratch the King of the Strange's skin.
"I offered you a way out, but you refused. Now, I'll have to devour your flesh, absorb your essence blood, and further advance my Indestructible Vajra Body."
The King of the Strange strode toward Zhang Ruochen. Though it seemed like walking, a fierce gale stirred up, his speed as fast as thunder.
"Yin-Yang Thousand Thunder Hands."
With a mere turn of his palm, the King of the Strange integrated eighteen palm rules into his technique, unleashing a Mid-rank Sacred Art.
The speed at which he executed the Mid-rank Sacred Art surpassed even Wang Xu, ranked seventh on the Sacred Merit Ranking.
The faster the execution, the quicker the variation. Often, before his opponent could gather power, they would already be dead under his palm.
Even Zhang Ruochen was caught off guard by the King of the Strange's attack and had to use Spatial Displacement to evade it.
The King of the Strange, experienced and seasoned, immediately followed up with a second palm strike, as if he could predict the direction of Zhang Ruochen's displacement.
"Impressive. Such insight and experience are beyond what an ordinary sacred realm cultivator could possess."
This time, Zhang Ruochen had no choice but to meet the attack head-on, swinging the Abyssal Ancient Sword.
"Boom, rumble."
From the King of the Strange's palm, hundreds of bolts of lightning surged forth, striking the Abyssal Ancient Sword and sending Zhang Ruochen flying backward.
A Mid-rank Sacred Art possessed boundless power; only another Mid-rank Sacred Art could counter it.
The so-called "Yin-Yang Thousand Thunder Hands" unleashed a thousand thunderbolts with a single palm strike, as if a Thunder God had descended—turning the palm, it was Yang Thunder; covering the palm, it was Yin Thunder.
As a Fourth-Step Saint King, the King of the Strange's mastery of the Yin-Yang Thousand Thunder Hands had reached a sublime level. Moreover, he could use it continuously without worrying about exhausting his sacred power.
"Zhang Ruochen, my cultivation is suppressed to the Half-Saint King realm, but I'm only a hair's breadth away from the First-Step Saint King. You've just broken through to the Half-Saint King realm and dare to fight me? Eh..."
Suddenly, the King of the Strange's eyes widened in shock.
There stood Zhang Ruochen, completely unharmed amidst the lightning. Not only had he not fallen, but his battle aura was surging, with the sounds of dragon roars and elephant trumpets emanating from within his body.
Zhang Ruochen grabbed the purple divine mountain, leaped up, and pressed it down toward the King of the Strange.
The King of the Strange once again unleashed the Yin-Yang Thousand Thunder Hands, sending bolts of lightning like rivers crashing into the purple divine mountain.
Two powerful forces clashed.
Even the Mid-rank Sacred Art couldn't stop Zhang Ruochen and the purple divine mountain's assault.
"Such immense power."
The King of the Strange felt his internal organs tremble violently as he was forced back step by step. Each step he took backward shattered a large area of the ground, as if the entire Mirror Fragrance Cliff training ground were being crushed beneath his feet.
A dignified Fourth-Step Saint King, forced back by a junior at the Half-Saint King realm—the King of the Strange felt his face had been lost. He roared, "Do you really think I can't deal with you?"
"Whoosh—"
The heaven and earth rules in the training ground trembled slightly.
Then, the King of the Strange mobilized a series of Truth Rules, integrating them into his palm and combining them with the Yin-Yang Thousand Thunder Hands.
The power of the Yin-Yang Thousand Thunder Hands surged several times over.
The King of the Strange pressed his palm forward, and the lightning transformed into the form of flood dragons, striking the purple divine mountain and instead suppressing Zhang Ruochen beneath it.
The King of the Strange had come to Truth Divine Temple to cultivate seven times, and the Truth Rules he had comprehended were far more profound than Bai Ran's, unleashing even greater power.
It could be said that Zhang Ruochen, who hadn't comprehended Truth Rules, was at a significant disadvantage.
"Die!"
The King of the Strange soared dozens of feet into the air, then transformed into a golden light, plummeting rapidly downward. Palm rules and Truth Rules intertwined on his hands as he struck toward the purple divine mountain.
Zhang Ruochen was pinned beneath the purple divine mountain and hadn't yet freed himself when the King of the Strange's powerful palm strike came crashing down.
"Boom."
The purple divine mountain sank seven feet into the ground.
The Mirror Fragrance Cliff training ground was covered in cracks, extending outward. The long stone steps leading to the training ground shattered into over a dozen pieces, as if a cataclysm had struck.
"Is it over?"
The King of the Strange stared at the purple divine mountain, a look of doubt on his face. Suddenly, a sense of alarm arose in his heart. "Not good."
Like a conditioned reflex, the King of the Strange struck backward with a reverse palm, sending out layers of sacred palm power like waves on the sea.
But a two-meter-long space rift, like a small black boat, cut through the waves of palm power and slashed toward the King of the Strange's chest.
"That's... space power."
Sensing immense danger, the King of the Strange's pupils shrank into two tiny golden dots. At the same time, his body shrank ten thousand times, becoming the size of a grain of rice, and he shot away like lightning, trying to evade the space rift's attack.
After shooting thirty feet away, the King of the Strange's body expanded again, returning to its original form.
A bloody wound appeared on his left shoulder.
Even though he dodged quickly, he only barely avoided a fatal blow. A chunk of flesh had been severed by the space rift. Now, a large amount of sacred blood gushed from the wound, staining half of his body red.
"My Indestructible Vajra Body... is utterly defenseless against space power."
The King of the Strange finally realized that the junior at the Half-Saint King realm before him was no easy opponent.
If he wasn't careful, he might just capsize in a ditch today.