Chapter 1588: Intercepting a Five-Step Saint King
The human man blocking Shang Feng’s path was, of course, Zhang Ruochen.
Shang Feng’s eyes were filled with confusion. He couldn’t help but glance at the True Illusion Saint Flower growing in the palm of his hand, then looked back at Zhang Ruochen. “The illusion formed by the True Illusion Saint Flower is enough to fool a Seven-Step Saint King-level expert. How could you possibly see through me? How could you have discovered me?”
Zhang Ruochen held the Abyssal Ancient Sword in one hand and the Yi Emperor Bone Staff in the other, speaking calmly, “No matter how powerful your illusion technique is, in the end, you are still within space.”
“Space…”
Shang Feng released his spiritual power to probe the surroundings. After confirming there were no other cultivators, he let out a laugh. “You really are Zhang Ruochen. Heh, if you had stayed hidden in the Hundred Flower Palace, you might have lived a few more days. Why come out seeking death?”
“Boom.”
A vast and awe-inspiring saintly might erupted from within Shang Feng’s body. His form seemed to transform into a sacred mountain, his eyes like the sun and moon, and streams of saintly qi flowed through the space like rivers.
This was the might of a Five-Step Saint King.
Zhang Ruochen’s hair and robes billowed in the wind. His body was like a small boat adrift in a vast ocean, seemingly on the verge of being torn apart by Shang Feng’s saintly power at any moment.
Flames of demonic energy burned in Shang Feng’s pupils. He chuckled, “A mere Half-Step Saint King dares to intercept a Five-Step Saint King? Don’t you know that no matter how severely a Five-Step Saint King is injured, killing a Half-Step Saint King is as easy as crushing an ant?”
“Unfortunately, I am no ant.”
Zhang Ruochen unfolded his Space Domain, enveloping an area of a hundred zhang, completely isolating it from the outside world.
Seeing Zhang Ruochen’s unusual actions, Shang Feng grew cautious, fearing an unexpected turn. He struck first, sending a demonic flame claw mark through the air.
Even severely injured, Shang Feng’s current strength was extraordinary. This single claw mark was enough to slay a Two-Step Saint King.
On the other side, Zhang Ruochen activated the saintly qi within his body. The Abyssal Ancient Sword in his hand shimmered with tens of thousands of inscriptions, trailing a long black sword light.
“Sword Strike Without Regret.”
With this strike, Zhang Ruochen not only employed the Great Perfection-level Sword Seven but also channeled ninety-three Truth Rules into it, doubling the power of his sword technique.
“Bang, bang.”
A series of explosions rang out.
The formidable force reverberated within the Space Domain, tearing the street beneath them into fragments and leaving dozens of shocking sword scars.
The Abyssal Ancient Sword shattered the claw mark Shang Feng had sent, breaking it into clumps of demonic flame that fell to the ground, burning countless molten craters into the earth.
However, Zhang Ruochen was also pushed back dozens of zhang by the force of the claw mark. He crouched low, lowering his center of gravity to steady himself.
A flicker of disbelief crossed Shang Feng’s face. Even though that claw strike was casual, it shouldn’t have been something a Half-Step Saint King could withstand.
“No wonder you’re ranked first on the Sacred Merit Ranking. You’re truly exceptional.” Shang Feng’s expression grew serious.
Zhang Ruochen slowly rose to his feet, glancing at the bloody wound on the tiger’s mouth of his right hand, where a sharp pain throbbed.
He muttered to himself, “The gap in cultivation is still too great. With my current physical strength, a direct clash with you has already left me injured.”
“Knowing the gap in cultivation shows you have some self-awareness,” Shang Feng said.
The saintly power radiating from Shang Feng intensified severalfold. Black demonic flames enveloped his entire body, causing the temperature within the Space Domain to skyrocket, dozens of times hotter than boiling water.
Zhang Ruochen was certainly not arrogant enough to believe he could contend with a Five-Step Saint King at his current level. Just now, Shang Feng had underestimated him and struck casually, hoping to suppress him. That was why Zhang Ruochen had tested his own strength by clashing with him for a single exchange.
“Bang.”
Zhang Ruochen thrust the Yi Emperor Bone Staff into the ground, pressing his palm against the skull at its top. He channeled a stream of spiritual power into it.
“Molten Rock Nether Fire Palm.”
The temperature of Shang Feng’s demonic flames rose even further, melting the ground beneath him into golden droplets. He formed hand seals and struck out with an imposing palm technique.
Zhang Ruochen’s skin stung from the heat of the demonic flames. He uttered, “Yi Emperor, awaken!”
“Whoosh—”
The Yi Emperor Bone Staff emitted a chilling, yin-cold aura and stood upright, transforming into a massive black skeleton. Embedded in the black skeleton’s forehead was a golden Buddha Relic, radiating a sacred aura.
Evil and sacred forces intertwined.
The black skeleton struck out with a palm, sending Shang Feng’s palm force surging back.
“Bang.”
Shang Feng couldn’t withstand the black skeleton’s palm strike and was blasted backward dozens of steps. Already severely injured, this heavy blow caused him to lose control of his wounds, coughing up saintly blood.
“This… this is the Yi Emperor Bone Staff of the Dark King…”
Shang Feng’s expression turned quite ugly. He shook his head, “No, the Yi Emperor Bone Staff isn’t this powerful.”
“The Yi Emperor Bone Staff indeed isn’t this powerful, but I embedded a Buddha Emperor Relic into the staff, so naturally, it has become this formidable,” Zhang Ruochen said.
Carrying the Abyssal Ancient Sword, Zhang Ruochen followed behind the black skeleton, once again activating the inscriptions within the sword.
The Yi Emperor Bone Staff was forged from the skull and spine of a Great Saint, with a fragment of that Great Saint’s saint soul preserved inside the skull. Originally, it could only unleash the power of a Three-Step Saint King.
But with the Buddha Emperor Relic embedded in it, the Yi Emperor Bone Staff’s power could now rival a peak Four-Step Saint King, far surpassing Zhang Ruochen’s own strength.
The black skeleton attacked Shang Feng, sending out a black palm print interwoven with golden Buddhist patterns, carrying both righteous and evil power.
Shang Feng was pushed back again, feeling deeply frustrated.
If he hadn’t been severely wounded by Yao Jue Wang and the others, suppressing the black skeleton and Zhang Ruochen would have been no trouble at all.
Moreover, to block the final strikes of Shao Yao Wang and Tian Huo Wang, Shang Feng had used up all his protective treasures. Now, every time he blocked an attack from the black skeleton, his injuries worsened.
“If I kill Zhang Ruochen, the master, the Yi Emperor Bone Staff will become a lifeless object.”
Shang Feng stopped trying to fight the black skeleton head-on. Using the Demon Trace Step, he darted between the skeleton’s legs and struck a palm at Zhang Ruochen. This palm was more than three times stronger than the one he had used at the start.
Even if Zhang Ruochen were formidable, being hit by this palm would either kill him or leave him severely wounded.
But to Shang Feng’s frustration, Zhang Ruochen didn’t engage him directly. Instead, he used a Space Displacement technique, appearing above and behind Shang Feng, slashing downward with his sword.
“You’re asking for death.”
Shang Feng struck back with a reverse palm, clashing with the Abyssal Ancient Sword.
“Boom.”
The sound of metal clashing rang out. Zhang Ruochen was sent flying backward, landing on the black skeleton’s head, his entire arm numb with pain.
There was no helping it—Shang Feng’s cultivation was too profound. He could block the Abyssal Ancient Sword with his bare hands. Such power was truly beyond Zhang Ruochen’s reach.
Shang Feng, however, was even more furious. As a Five-Step Saint King, he couldn’t even deal with a Half-Step Saint King, driving him to madness. He wanted nothing more than to crush Zhang Ruochen.
“Forget it. Even if it aggravates my injuries, I will kill Zhang Ruochen.”
Earlier, Shang Feng had held back, afraid that using too much power would worsen his wounds and leave permanent, incurable internal damage. So he had suppressed his strength below the Five-Step Saint King level.
But now, he didn’t care. Without using Five-Step Saint King-level power, he couldn’t kill Zhang Ruochen.
Only by killing Zhang Ruochen and earning this great merit could he secure a high status upon returning to the Black Demon Realm. Otherwise, as a long-term spy in the Thousand Stamen Realm with no friends or foundation in the Black Demon Realm, his life would be quite difficult.
Sensing Shang Feng’s increasingly powerful aura, Zhang Ruochen immediately commanded the black skeleton to attack.
At the same time, he opened all one hundred and forty-four apertures in his body, releasing a surge of saintly qi to activate the fifth level of the Hundred Saint Blood Armor’s power.
“Whoosh—”
One hundred saintly shadows flew out, positioning themselves around the area like stars surrounding the moon, guarding Zhang Ruochen at the center. Each saintly shadow possessed the power of a Thorough Ground Realm Saint.
The Hundred Saint Blood Armor had eight levels of power, corresponding to the eight realms of a Saint: Lower Realm, Middle Realm, Upper Realm, Mysterious Yellow Realm, Thorough Ground Realm, Heaven-Connecting Realm, True Realm, and Ultimate Realm.
With Zhang Ruochen’s current cultivation, he could only activate the sixth level at most. But doing so would be like having one hundred Heaven-Connecting Realm Saints empowering him, which would suppress him so heavily that he could barely move.
Instead, activating the fifth level, with one hundred Thorough Ground Realm Saints empowering him, allowed Zhang Ruochen to still move at a decent speed.
“Boom.”
Shang Feng unleashed Five-Step Saint King-level power, stomping the ground. A thick wave of energy spread across the surface, shaking both the black skeleton and Zhang Ruochen, making them unsteady.
“Bang.”
Shang Feng punched the black skeleton in the chest, sending it flying.
Seizing the opportunity, Zhang Ruochen gathered the power of the hundred saints. Like a war god clad in blood armor, he gripped the Abyssal Ancient Sword with both hands and slashed horizontally at Shang Feng’s waist.
“This strike has decent power, but it’s still a bit short of a Three-Step Saint King. Facing me, a prince, you’re no different from an ant.”
Shang Feng pressed his palm against the sword’s edge, actually catching the Abyssal Ancient Sword and neutralizing all the force of Zhang Ruochen’s strike. Then, with a flick of his arm, he flung both the sword and Zhang Ruochen away, sending them crashing toward the ground.
But before Zhang Ruochen hit the ground, his figure vanished.
“Space Displacement again.”
Shang Feng sensed a faint spatial fluctuation behind and below him.
His eyes sharpened, and he stomped down, landing directly on the edge of the Abyssal Ancient Sword. The immense force pressed down like a demonic mountain.
“Die!”
Shang Feng formed a palm seal at lightning speed and struck at Zhang Ruochen’s head.
“Whoosh—”
Zhang Ruochen vanished from his spot again, dodging Shang Feng’s killing blow.
The next moment, Zhang Ruochen appeared over thirty zhang away from Shang Feng, kneeling on one knee, gasping for breath. The previous exchanges had been perilously close—if he had been even half a moment slower, Shang Feng would have killed him.
Even though he had carefully calculated each move, retreating immediately with Space Displacement after each strike, he had still suffered some internal injuries from the shockwaves of Shang Feng’s palm force.
The black skeleton got up and returned to Zhang Ruochen’s side, its eerie, ghost-fire eyes glaring at Shang Feng across from them.
At this moment, Shang Feng felt an overwhelming weakness, as if he had suddenly aged two hundred years. This sense of frailty was even more unbearable than his physical injuries.
“What’s happening?”
Shang Feng’s eyes showed terror. His body trembled slightly, and he could barely stand.
Unlike the weakened Shang Feng, Zhang Ruochen was brimming with battle intent. He raised the Abyssal Ancient Sword, staring at the Time Imprint on its blade, and said calmly, “It’s the power of time.”
Earlier, Zhang Ruochen’s strikes weren’t meant to kill Shang Feng. Instead, they had been layering Time Imprints onto Shang Feng’s body, cutting away his lifespan and weakening him.
Now that the situation was settled, Zhang Ruochen revealed the secret.
“Yi Emperor, go. Kill him.”
Zhang Ruochen’s voice was cold and detached.
…
(I have plans tonight, so there likely won’t be an update. This… I’m truly sorry. Of course, if I return early, I will definitely write another chapter.)