Chapter 1603: Trap and Doppelganger
The five-foot dwarf, the crocodile-headed evil path supreme saint, and the fanged evil woman were all startled by Blood Cliff’s explosive shout.
They were all top-tier experts and immediately reacted, stepping apart to disperse while circulating the sacred qi within their bodies, their entire forms wrapped in saintly light.
Blood Cliff was especially impressive. In the blink of an eye, he shot out a blood-red spike toward the location of the spatial fluctuation.
The blood-red spike was a ten-thousand-pattern sacred artifact, always hidden within Blood Cliff’s sleeve.
Blood Cliff had already activated the spike’s first-level perfect power. As soon as Zhang Ruochen appeared, he could immediately strike, catching Zhang Ruochen off guard.
Even if he couldn’t kill Zhang Ruochen, wounding him would be enough to make a name for himself among evil path cultivators.
“Such fast reaction speed.”
Zhang Ruochen had originally planned to take the seventeen heads in the first moment.
But now he had to change his strategy. After all, if a ten-thousand-pattern sacred artifact activated to its perfect power struck his body, even with his formidable physique, he would definitely be injured.
“Whoosh—”
Ripples emerged in the space.
From the center of the ripples, a golden-glowing hand extended and clashed with the blood-red spike. Instantly, violent surges of sacred qi energy wildly erupted in all directions.
“Zhang Ruochen really came!”
“How did he silently break through the three layers of defensive formations?”
“Forget that for now. Let’s activate the Three Evil Star Formation immediately and trap him first.”
The five-foot dwarf, the crocodile-headed evil path supreme saint, and the fanged evil woman immediately infused their sacred qi into the killing formation beneath their feet. The formation patterns of three killing arrays emerged, completely enveloping an area several dozen zhang in radius.
Above their heads, each of them condensed a rock sphere ten zhang in diameter.
Looking at the textures on the spheres, they resembled miniature planets.
These three rock spheres were indeed refined from three small planets, each a thousand li in diameter, and were integrated with the three killing formations. Activating any one formation had the power to kill a first-step saint king.
When all three killing formations were activated simultaneously to form the Three Evil Star Formation, they could even partially restrain space, kill a second-step saint king, and trap a third-step saint king—an incredibly terrifying power.
“Attack together, suppress Zhang Ruochen.”
The three evil path supreme saints were extremely excited. Capturing Zhang Ruochen would be an unparalleled achievement. With the power of the Three Evil Star Formation, they had some confidence in accomplishing this feat.
However, just as they were about to activate the formation and launch the three ten-zhang rock spheres, they realized the formation had slipped out of their control.
Before they could react, they felt a chill in their chests and looked down.
They saw that their bodies had been pierced by a vine.
From the vine, countless root hairs as fine as silk threads burrowed into their flesh, instantly draining them into dried corpses.
“Sizzle.”
Purifying Divine Flame surged from within the three dried corpses, and in the next moment, they turned to ash.
Mo Yin’s graceful figure appeared, her brow slightly furrowed. “I’ve already broken through to the saint king realm, yet after absorbing just three supreme saints, I’m already full? It seems supreme saints contain far less blood qi and sacred power than ordinary saints.”
As Zhang Ruochen’s parasitic plant, Mo Yin could gain many benefits from him.
For example, she had absorbed a wisp of Purifying Divine Flame from his body and could use it as an attack method.
“Boom.”
The golden hand in the spatial ripples struggled with the blood-red spike for a moment before erupting with even greater force, sending the spike flying backward to crash violently into the ground.
Blood Cliff’s face changed dramatically, and he immediately retreated far away.
Zhang Ruochen stepped out from the spatial ripples. Instead of pursuing Blood Cliff, he flew to the top of the Yin-Yang Hall’s gate and reached out to untie the iron chain binding the second senior brother’s head.
From the withered head came an extremely urgent and faint voice: “Little junior brother, retreat quickly! They tampered with our heads…”
“Run, run!” The third senior brother’s head let out a heart-wrenching roar.
“Little junior brother, don’t worry about us… Leave immediately. We’ll be siblings in the next life… Or perhaps there is no next life…” The fifth senior sister said.
Bai Su’s voice sounded: “Your Highness, Your Highness, this is a trap. You must escape quickly…”
“Your Highness, don’t seek revenge for us. For the billions of people of the Holy Bright Central Empire, you must survive.”
The voices of over a dozen subordinates from the Holy Bright Central Empire came from the heads, filled with an incomparably sorrowful tone, like the final cries on a battlefield.
“Sizzle.”
The seventeen withered heads, hanging from the iron chains, now glowed with crimson patterns. Terrifying destructive auras emanated from within.
From the heads came only a series of agonized screams.
“So vicious.”
Zhang Ruochen naturally understood what was happening. He knew he couldn’t take them back today. Though they were within reach, he simply couldn’t save them—it was utterly devastating.
In that instant, countless past scenes flashed through Zhang Ruochen’s mind.
“Your third senior brother is notoriously stingy, but your second senior brother isn’t like that. What’s there to begrudge giving to your own junior brother?” Saying this, Zhu Hongtao spat out the beast-origin golden pill from his mouth and handed it to Zhang Ruochen.
“Though I’m eager to break through to the half-saint realm, I won’t take such shortcuts. Swallowing your beast-origin golden pill would be no different from drinking your blood.”
“Your junior brother’s character earns my deep respect. But we’re brothers—why be so distant?”
…
“I am willing to be your cultivation guardian, protecting you for thirty years. If anyone dares to harm you, I, Old Zhu, will teach them a proper lesson.”
…
“Little junior brother, take this Meteor Invisibility Cloak. Your third senior brother no longer needs it.”
…
“Crown Prince, Crown Prince, is it really you? Have you returned?” Bai Su’s voice trembled, tears streaming down.
…
“As long as Your Highness returns, the Holy Bright Central Empire is not yet destroyed.”
…
“Your Highness, we will self-destruct our sacred sources to clear a path for you.”
…
The scenes of the past flashed rapidly before Zhang Ruochen’s eyes. Unconsciously, his eyes became completely moist.
Inside the seventeen heads, seventeen sacred sources were triggered by a secret technique, exploding and releasing seventeen earth-shattering forces.
“Boom, rumble.”
The explosion of the sacred sources triggered by the secret technique was far less powerful than a cultivator’s self-destruction, but it was still terrifying. Radiating outward from the Yin-Yang Hall, most of the Heavenly Capital Saint Market trembled slightly.
Countless cultivators were alarmed, realizing something major had happened at the Yin-Yang Hall.
Many beings speculated that Zhang Ruochen had attacked the Yin-Yang Hall. Like a swarm of locusts, they shot through the air with whooshing sounds, rushing toward the area.
Outside the Yin-Yang Hall, the phosphorous demon dog had been shattered into dust by the power of the seventeen exploding heads.
Mo Yin had long obeyed Zhang Ruochen’s command and retreated to a distance, joining Ling Feiyu.
Xiao Hei controlled the three ten-zhang rock spheres, blocking the shockwaves from the head explosions. However, the spheres were pitted and scarred, with some cracks appearing.
Zhang Ruochen stood in front of the three rock spheres, his gaze somewhat vacant. His body was tattered and full of holes, as if it could shatter at any moment.
When the dust settled somewhat, the gate of the Yin-Yang Hall was already crowded with dense evil figures—humanoid, half-human half-beast, and other forms of malevolent beings.
They surrounded Zhang Ruochen.
Among them, the masked Wang Xu stood at the forefront, playing with his Void Moon Blade, and let out a laugh: “Recently, my cultivation has advanced significantly. I really wanted to have another fair one-on-one battle with you. You’re such a rare opponent, but unfortunately, you’re so badly injured now. Tsk, I doubt there will be another chance.”
Zhang Ruochen’s gaze was calm as he swept his eyes over the gathered evils, looking at their ferocious, smug, and arrogant smiles. In the coldest voice, he said, “This time, you have truly angered me.”
Qing Liaoya, ranked seventy-third on the Sacred Merit Ranking, bared his lips, revealing a mouthful of sharp blue teeth. “Anyone can make threats. So what if you’re angered? In this world, it’s all about who has the stronger fist and greater strength.”
Zhan Yu, another expert on the Sacred Merit Ranking, stepped forward holding a dragon-patterned golden blade. “Zhang Ruochen is this badly injured. Young Master Xu might look down on him, but I, Zhan Yu, would like to test the number one on the Sacred Merit Ranking.”
Besides Zhan Yu, several other formidable half-step saint kings stepped forward, all eager to fight Zhang Ruochen alone, even arguing among themselves.
There was no helping it. The title of number one on the Sacred Merit Ranking was too prestigious. No matter whether Zhang Ruochen was injured or not, as long as someone could personally defeat him, they would gain immense fame and use this battle as capital for future boasting.
Thus, they all wanted to step on Zhang Ruochen’s corpse to make a name for themselves and reap the greatest benefits.
At this moment, Zhang Ruochen laughed in extreme anger, his laughter growing louder, shaking the clouds.
“Hey, look.”
An evil cultivator exclaimed in surprise.
The several evil big shots who had been arguing immediately stopped and stared at Zhang Ruochen. They saw his body begin to burn, quickly turning to ash.
“That was just… a doppelganger of Zhang Ruochen…”
These evil cultivators finally realized the truth.
They had all thought Zhang Ruochen had been trapped and severely injured. Now it seemed he had anticipated this and only used a doppelganger.
But that doppelganger was far too realistic.
Blood Cliff’s mouth twitched as he drew in a cold breath, thinking to himself, “At the same half-step saint king realm, Zhang Ruochen’s mere doppelganger is stronger than me. How powerful must his true body be?”
It was worth noting that Blood Cliff was no weakling. He was among the top-tier half-step saint kings, capable of contending with a first-step saint king.
From the darkness opposite the Yin-Yang Hall came the sound of slow footsteps.
Zhang Ruochen’s true body stepped forward, one step at a time, and asked, “Who set up the forbidden techniques inside those heads? Step forward. I want to drink your blood.”
In truth, Zhang Ruochen had already mentally prepared himself. He knew those evil cultivators would surely set up lethal measures inside the heads, preventing him from taking the seventeen heads away. That was why he used a doppelganger to test the waters.
But even with that preparation, what did it matter?
After the tragedy truly occurred, his heart was still unbearably heavy.