Chapter 1584: Thirty-Six Doppelgangers
The eight Heavenly Fire Demon Butterflies brought Zhang Ruochen to the base of the white cliff. They flapped their wings and flew back into the sea of flowers, as if they had no interest whatsoever in comprehending the Truth Way diagrams.
"These demon butterflies are quite amusing. Despite their formidable cultivation, their minds are like little girls," Zhang Ruochen said with a smile.
However, the next moment, sensing two streams of killing intent coming from behind, Zhang Ruochen immediately withdrew his smile and stared intently in that direction.
Two beings, one tall and one short, both clad in Flying Roc Sacred Armor, appeared before his eyes.
The tall being stood a full two meters and thirty centimeters; the short one was only one meter and fifty centimeters, like a dwarf.
They both had human forms, but Zhang Ruochen could sense a powerful barbaric beast aura from them—brutal, fierce, and bloody. Even after transforming into saints, that aura had not disappeared; instead, it had grown even stronger.
The tall being was named Li Hai. Without a word, he formed his right hand into a claw, his fingernails transforming into golden sickles, and struck directly at Zhang Ruochen's neck.
It was a simple claw strike, but it carried a powerful vortex of air pressure, squeezing inward from the outside.
Zhang Ruochen felt the airflow from all directions pressing down on him. The density of the air grew greater and greater, as if it were turning solid.
"So strong. If this were any other Half-Saint King, just this air pressure alone would crush them to the ground. Even a more powerful Half-Saint King would likely be pinned down, unable to move, and then hit by that being's claw—either dead or crippled."
A fierce surge of "anger" erupted within Zhang Ruochen, blazing like a flame burning fiercely in his body.
He had just arrived, and this person attacked him with such ruthlessness without any explanation. What was the meaning of this?
Zhang Ruochen opened all one hundred and forty-four apertures in his body, releasing a torrent of sacred qi that broke through the suppression of the airflow. He struck a palm strike toward Li Hai. Along with the palm force surged a blazing, masculine energy.
"He broke free from the airflow shackles?"
A flicker of surprise appeared in Li Hai's eyes, and he increased the power of his claw, unleashing his full strength.
"Boom."
The claw and palm collided, sending chaotic sacred power rippling outward.
"Crack, crack, crack." The bones of all five fingers shattered. Li Hai flew backward like a scarecrow.
Under the influence of the Joy-Anger Pill, Zhang Ruochen's anger erupted with considerable intensity. He pursued, grabbed Li Hai by one leg, dragged him back, and slammed him hard onto the ground.
"Bang." The ground, inscribed with protective formation runes, trembled slightly.
"Why did you attack me?"
"Why?"
"Who sent you?"
"What do you want? What do you want?"
...
With each question, Zhang Ruochen stomped down heavily, crushing the bones in Li Hai's body. Even the protection of the Flying Roc Sacred Armor was useless.
Because every time Li Hai tried to activate the defensive power of the Flying Roc Sacred Armor, Zhang Ruochen's foot would land, dispersing his sacred power and preventing it from condensing.
The short, thin being, named Li Shan, had not expected Zhang Ruochen to be so formidable. His brother, with such strength, had been knocked down and couldn't get up in a single exchange.
"Stop!"
Li Shan shouted, activating the power of the Flying Roc Sacred Armor. A pair of metal wings spread from his back, unleashing incredible speed. In the blink of an eye, he rushed in front of Zhang Ruochen.
Li Shan was much more cautious. He immediately triggered the defensive power of the Flying Roc Sacred Armor, and a golden Flying Roc phantom shot out from the armor, enveloping him within.
At the same time, he used a blade-shaped Ten-Thousand-Pattern Sacred Artifact, swinging it like a sweeping strike toward Zhang Ruochen's waist.
The power of this slash was more than double that of Li Hai's earlier claw strike.
In truth, Li Hai and Li Shan were evenly matched in strength. Li Hai hadn't even mobilized Truth Rule power. The reason this slash was so powerful was due to the enhancement of the Flying Roc Sacred Armor.
"And why are you attacking me?"
Zhang Ruochen extended his right hand, directly grabbing the Ten-Thousand-Pattern Sacred Artifact blade in Li Shan's hand. He yanked it forward, effortlessly neutralizing the blade's power.
"How is this possible?"
Li Shan's face showed disbelief. Before he could retreat, his vision went dark. Zhang Ruochen slapped him to the ground, snatching the sacred blade from his hand.
The Flying Roc phantom protecting him had already been shattered.
Zhang Ruochen raised the sacred blade and slashed downward.
"Why attack me?"
"What enmity do we have?"
...
"Bang, bang." Sparks flew as the blade struck the Flying Roc Sacred Armor. Blade qi penetrated the armor, leaving shallow and deep bloody wounds on Li Shan's body.
With Zhang Ruochen stepping on his chest, Li Shan couldn't get up to counterattack. Yet, protected by the Flying Roc Sacred Armor, he wasn't killed. The frustration in his heart made him wish he could die on the spot.
More than half of the cultivators on the square were startled and looked over in shock.
"Where did this fierce person come from, beating Li Hai and Li Shan to the ground?"
"So ferocious. Does he have a sadistic streak?"
"Li Hai and Li Shan have dealt with many cultivators pursuing the Hundred Flowers Fairy, and they were quite brutal. But now they've met someone even more brutal. Karma is a bitch."
Even the Divine Sons and Divine Grandsons showed a hint of surprise. Clearly, even they had misjudged. That human man's strength was no joke.
The Golden Roc Prince knew very well how powerful Li Hai and Li Shan were. Both had Sub-Perfect Physiques and could suppress even ordinary First-Step Saint Kings. Otherwise, they wouldn't be qualified to stay by his side.
Li Hai being subdued by Zhang Ruochen could be dismissed as carelessness.
But Li Shan had been extremely cautious, using a Ten-Thousand-Pattern Sacred Artifact and activating the Flying Roc Sacred Armor's power—yet he was still easily suppressed by that human man.
Such a figure was either highly ranked on the Sacred Merit Ranking or a Saint King-level existence.
The Golden Roc Prince was more inclined to believe Zhang Ruochen was the latter—a Saint King-level figure who carried a spiritual power-type treasure to deliberately hide his true cultivation, trying to play the pig to eat the tiger.
"This human is truly arrogant. Doesn't he know that beating a dog means disrespecting its master?"
Seeing Li Hai and Li Shan being abused by Zhang Ruochen, the Golden Roc Prince's expression turned extremely cold. However, given his status, he naturally disdained personally dealing with an unknown nobody, lest he be laughed at by the other few present.
The Golden Roc Prince plucked a hair from his head and blew on it. A large amount of sacred power and some Sacred Dao Rules flowed out with his breath, merging into the strand of hair.
Immediately, the hair flew up, radiating dazzling golden light, and transformed into a doppelganger identical to the Golden Roc Prince.
Seeing this, a cultivator from the Thousand Stamen Realm exclaimed, "Mid-rank Sacred Art, Thirty-Six Doppelgangers!"
"Whoosh."
The Golden Roc Prince's doppelganger flickered slightly, its form blurring, and reappeared not far from Zhang Ruochen.
The golden light emanating from the Golden Roc Prince's doppelganger seemed capable of illuminating heaven and earth, stinging Zhang Ruochen's eyes so much that he could barely open them. Though it was just a single figure, to Zhang Ruochen, it felt like a Golden-Winged Roc spanning hundreds of miles was perched there.
The aura radiating from the doppelganger was countless times stronger than that of Li Hai and Li Shan—not even on the same power level.
Although he couldn't control his emotions, Zhang Ruochen's thoughts remained clear.
The Mid-rank Sacred Art "Thirty-Six Doppelgangers": once mastered, plucking a single hair could condense a doppelganger. The doppelganger's power was about ten percent of the true body's.
Sending out all thirty-six doppelgangers could help the true body accomplish many tasks.
It was said there was an even more powerful "Seventy-Two Doppelgangers," a High-rank Sacred Art, where each doppelganger possessed thirty percent of the true body's power. With all seventy-two appearing, they could help the true body kill even more powerful cultivators.
The Golden Roc Prince had only plucked a single hair to condense a doppelganger, yet it was already this formidable. It went without saying that his true body was ten times more terrifying.
But Zhang Ruochen showed no fear. Instead, he activated the Immovable Wisdom King Body, glaring back, confronting the Golden Roc Prince's doppelganger.
"So you're the one who sent them to deal with me?"
Zhang Ruochen grabbed Li Hai and Li Shan, one in each hand, and tossed them toward the Golden Roc Prince. "Keep your dogs on a leash. If they bite again, I'll neuter them for you."
The cultivators present were all startled that this human man dared speak to the Golden Roc Prince like that.
No cultivator had ever shown such disrespect to the Golden Roc Prince.
"Quite the nerve. I wonder if his strength matches that nerve," the Eternal Life Divine Son said with some interest.
The Golden Roc Prince's doppelganger, seeing the Divine Sons and Divine Grandsons watching him like they were enjoying a joke, grew even colder. Killing intent surged. "Kneel down immediately and kowtow three times to this prince. That might quell my anger. Otherwise, when my fury erupts, I'll make you regret ever being born."
"This is the Thousand Stamen Realm's dojo. Do you think you can threaten me?" Zhang Ruochen said.
"Sometimes, death is easier. Living is the real torment."
As he spoke, the Golden Roc Prince's doppelganger fully unleashed its power, enveloping Zhang Ruochen in a surge of sacred force.
All the scenery before Zhang Ruochen vanished, replaced by rolling golden waves. A golden Roc bird, spanning hundreds of miles, circled above his head. With a deafening cry, the Roc extended a claw, and a torrent of sacred power pressed down.
It was as if heaven and earth were collapsing.
Above Zhang Ruochen's head, it felt like a hundred thousand mountains were bearing down, making him feel as if he were falling into an abyss of death.