Chapter 1567: Killing Without a Trace
The Mad Forging Saint King extended a silver claw, reaching forward to grab. On the claw, Truth Rule power was added, instantly doubling its might.
The claw rubbed against the air, sparks flying in all directions.
With his first strike, he went all out, determined to catch Zhang Ruochen off guard and subdue him.
Facing the incoming saintly claw attack, Zhang Ruochen stood as immovable as a mountain, fearless and unshaken.
"Pfft."
Mad Forging Saint King's claw strike landed, instead hitting his own body.
The spot below his neck that was struck immediately caved in. The silver shell shattered, and a large amount of sacred blood gushed out.
"Boom."
With a loud crash, Mad Forging Saint King's massive body slammed heavily to the ground. A roar escaped his mouth: "How is this possible... how... could this happen?"
Having been knocked down by his own attack, Mad Forging Saint King's heart was filled with an indescribable frustration.
Ghost Centipede King, who was chasing behind, froze for a moment, immediately halting his movement and stopping.
Too bizarre!
What exactly happened? The full-force strike Mad Forging Saint King had unleashed actually landed on himself.
A large number of cultivators remained near the Mirror Fragrance Cliff Dao Field. They knew that the strong ones from Cloud Realm would not let the matter rest and would surely come to fight it out with Guanghan Realm.
The real show was yet to come.
Whether Guanghan Realm could hold the Mirror Fragrance Cliff Dao Field was still unknown.
Because of this, they had just witnessed that incredibly bizarre scene, leaving many cultivators dumbfounded.
"Mad Forging Saint King wouldn't self-harm; he must have fallen into a trap Zhang Ruochen set up in advance."
"Zhang Ruochen is not only powerful in combat; he also seems to be skilled in other methods."
...
Ghost Centipede King sensed an intangible danger, feeling uneasy at heart. He quickly retreated backward, only stopping when the sense of crisis in his heart disappeared.
The other Cloud Realm cultivators who caught up also showed tense expressions, no longer daring to underestimate Zhang Ruochen.
"It should be the power of space. Mad Forging Saint King, retreat quickly!" Ghost Centipede King shouted loudly.
Fearing an attack from Zhang Ruochen, Mad Forging Saint King suppressed his injuries and immediately burst forth at his fastest speed, charging backward.
But his body turned in a curve, rushing instead toward Zhang Ruochen.
"Not good..."
Mad Forging Saint King tried to stop his momentum, but it was too late. Zhang Ruochen's palm, appearing from who knows where, pressed down on his head and pushed him to the ground.
"Boom."
The massive silver lion head slammed violently into the ground, blood flowing from the seven orifices of its head.
With this blow, Mad Forging Saint King was even more severely injured, his consciousness somewhat scattered, making it hard to muster any counterattack.
Ghost Centipede King's face darkened. He immediately executed a Sacred Art, unleashing a cloud of ghost fire toward Zhang Ruochen. But those ghost fires deviated from their trajectory, not hitting Zhang Ruochen at all.
Zhang Ruochen walked step by step toward Mad Forging Saint King and took out the Abyssal Ancient Sword.
Just as Mad Forging Saint King was about to die under Zhang Ruochen's sword, Ghost Centipede King roared: "Zhang Ruochen, this is outside the Mirror Fragrance Cliff Dao Field. If you kill Mad Forging Saint King, Truth Temple will not let you off."
Zhang Ruochen coldly glanced at Ghost Centipede King, then raised his sword and brought it down, severing Mad Forging Saint King's four limbs. To prevent Mad Forging Saint King from self-destructing his Sacred Source, Zhang Ruochen used a Saint-Binding Lock to bind him, sealing the sacred power within his body.
Mad Forging Saint King suffered the greatest humiliation of his life, letting out a sky-shaking roar: "Zhang Ruochen, as long as I don't die, one day I'll break every bone in your body into pieces!"
Since Zhang Ruochen dared not kill him, Mad Forging Saint King felt emboldened.
"Do you think I don't dare to kill you? Believe me, I'll drag you into the Mirror Fragrance Cliff Dao Field right now and suppress you to death," Zhang Ruochen said.
Hearing this, all the confidence in Mad Forging Saint King's heart vanished. He had to suppress his frustration and anger for now.
Only by preserving his life could he have a chance to turn things around.
Mad Forging Saint King wanted to stabilize Zhang Ruochen first, changing his tone as if yielding: "Zhang Ruochen, calm down. Killing me does you no good. But if you spare my life, the seniors of my clan will surely bring a large amount of cultivation resources to ransom me."
In Mad Forging Saint King's view, the cultivation resources of a weak realm ranked third from the bottom could not compare to Cloud Realm.
For the sake of cultivation resources, Zhang Ruochen would surely be tempted.
Indeed, Zhang Ruochen fell for his delaying tactic and did not make a move.
Mad Forging Saint King sneered inwardly, "That senior of my clan has already reached the level of a Five-Step Saint King, and his combat power is not inferior to a Six-Step Saint King. Zhang Ruochen, you still want a ransom? Just wait to die."
Even if Zhang Ruochen's space formation was powerful, Mad Forging Saint King did not believe that a mere Half-Saint King's setup could stop that senior of his clan.
Zhang Ruochen's mind had matured greatly; how could he not see what Mad Forging Saint King was thinking?
However, he wanted to use Mad Forging Saint King to test the power of the Time Formation.
Just how far had the time flow in this area reached?
In the distance, Ghost Centipede King and the others did not act, all remaining silent, just glaring fiercely at Zhang Ruochen. Clearly, they were waiting for other Cloud Realm strong ones.
Cloud Realm had a total of six Dao Fields in Truth Heaven Domain.
The Dao Field where Ghost Centipede King and the others were located was closest to Mirror Fragrance Cliff Dao Field, so they arrived first.
As time passed, strong ones from the second Dao Field, the third Dao Field... all gathered, joining Ghost Centipede King. Their momentum grew, and rays of sacred light spread across the wilderness.
Seeing this scene, even the onlookers were moved.
"The number of Cloud Realm cultivators is too many. Truth Temple must give them at least twenty slots every month."
"Cloud Realm ranks very high on the 'Myriad Realms Merit List,' so they naturally get many slots. Plus, with many strong figures emerging from Cloud Realm who have completed some Truth Temple tasks, they can earn even more slots."
According to Truth Temple's rules, each cultivator who gets a slot can only cultivate in Truth Temple for one month. But they can stay in Truth Heaven Domain for a year, after which they are expelled if they exceed the limit.
It could be said that the stronger a major world, the more prodigies gathered in Truth Heaven Domain to cultivate.
This was a place to nurture the future overlords of Heavenly Court Realm!
Many cultivators thought Zhang Ruochen was in big trouble. How could a mere protective formation hold off so many strong ones?
A voice rang out across the wilderness: "Rage Wind Saint King has arrived."
A heroic man in silver sacred armor tore through the air, causing the sacred energy of heaven and earth within hundreds of miles to tremble violently, producing thunderous explosions.
The Cloud Realm strong ones all bowed to Rage Wind Saint King.
Rage Wind Saint King was still far from the Great Saint realm, but he exuded a hint of emperor's aura.
Like a Great Saint, he was like an emperor among saints.
And he was the senior of the clan Mad Forging Saint King had mentioned.
"Ghost Centipede King, what happened?" Rage Wind Saint King asked.
Ghost Centipede King walked over, moving his lips to recount what had happened earlier to Rage Wind Saint King.
The expression on Rage Wind Saint King's face grew colder and colder. A surge of murderous intent erupted from his body, chilling even the cultivators standing a hundred miles away.
"Rage Wind Saint King is actually in Truth Heaven Domain. Zhang Ruochen is finished!"
"It depends on whether the formation Zhang Ruochen and Su Jing Saint King set up can withstand Rage Wind Saint King's attack. If not, Mirror Fragrance Cliff Dao Field will surely be taken over by Cloud Realm again."
At this moment, Zhang Ruochen sat cross-legged on the ground cultivating. Mad Forging Saint King, with his limbs severed, lay behind him.
Ling Feiyu, Mu Lingxi, Wen Shusheng, and the others could no longer focus on comprehending the Truth Dao diagrams. They all rushed out of the Dao Field, their faces grim as they stared at the Cloud Realm cultivators surrounding it.
The Cloud Realm cultivators were numerous, each one a strong figure.
Rage Wind Saint King's gaze was domineering: "Zhang Ruochen, name your terms. How can you release Mad Forging Saint King?"
After the recent rest, Zhang Ruochen had fully recovered his expended spirit. He opened his eyes again, a sharp gleam in them: "Since you want him, I'll give him back to you."
With that, Zhang Ruochen grabbed the chain of the Saint-Binding Lock and swung his arm, sending Mad Forging Saint King's body flying out of the formation.
The Cloud Realm cultivators were all puzzled, suspecting it was a trap by Zhang Ruochen. None dared to catch the incoming Mad Forging Saint King.
"Thud."
Mad Forging Saint King's body hit the ground heavily.
"Mad Forging Saint King is... dead, his life force completely gone."
A Cloud Realm cultivator exclaimed in shock.
"How is that possible?"
Ghost Centipede King immediately rushed over to carefully examine Mad Forging Saint King's injuries. With a Saint King's powerful vitality, the wounds on his limbs and neck were far from fatal.
"His blood has lost its activity, his life force is withered. Before death, his body had weakened to the extreme. How was he killed?" Ghost Centipede King gasped.
From start to finish, the many Cloud Realm cultivators had watched Zhang Ruochen's every move. It was certain that Zhang Ruochen had only severed Mad Forging Saint King's limbs and had not killed him.
Too bizarre.
A Cloud Realm cultivator said, "Could Zhang Ruochen have used some kind of strange poison?"
"There is no poison in Mad Forging Saint King's body." Ghost Centipede King shook his head, standing up again to look at Zhang Ruochen in the distance, a deep wariness in his eyes. It was because he couldn't figure it out that he was wary.
Rage Wind Saint King no longer suppressed his fury, roaring: "Zhang Ruochen, killing someone outside the Dao Field means you must pay with your life."
Facing Rage Wind Saint King's overwhelming might, Zhang Ruochen remained calm and composed: "Which eye of yours saw me kill him?"
"Denying it won't help. Once I capture you, there will be plenty of ways to make you confess."
Rage Wind Saint King's body erupted with ten thousand feet of sacred light. He took out a high-grade Ten-Thousand Pattern Sacred Artifact and directly activated its three-layer perfect power, blasting it toward Mirror Fragrance Cliff Dao Field.
"Boom, boom, boom."
The Nine Spirit Blood Sea Formation immediately activated, blocking Rage Wind Saint King's attack.
This stretch of land erupted with incredibly violent chaotic power, tearing apart the earth and shattering the clouds in the sky.
Zhang Ruochen, with his hands behind his back, walked into the Dao Field. He glanced at Mu Lingxi and Su Qingling, saying, "Ignore them. Let's go comprehend the Truth Dao diagrams first."
Zhang Ruochen was not worried that the Cloud Realm cultivators could break into Mirror Fragrance Cliff Dao Field.
First, their long-range attacks could not break through the Space Formation and the Nine Spirit Blood Sea Formation.
Second, if they brought in a Formation Saint Master to gradually dismantle the formation, they would only die in the Time Formation.
Seeing Zhang Ruochen stroll so leisurely into the Dao Field, Rage Wind Saint King's anger grew: "A mere Half-Saint King dares to look down on me like this? How outrageous!"
Controlling the three-layer perfect Ten-Thousand Pattern Sacred Artifact, Rage Wind Saint King unleashed over a dozen attacks in a row without breaking the formation. Then, Ghost Centipede King and the others also used their own powers to attack.
The thunderous sounds of assault continued without end.