Chapter 1605: Zhang Ruochen's Goal
Zhang Ruochen did not want to confront Qiong Lin head-on for the time being. He used Spatial Displacement and vanished from his original position, dodging Qiong Lin's full-force strike.
"Boom."
The Blood Refining Demon Mace struck the ground. Not only did it fail to hit Zhang Ruochen, but it also sent several evil cultivators flying backward.
The Blood Refining Demon Mace missed its target, and Qiong Lin was immediately consumed by rage. He was about to give the order to activate the pre-prepared measures to suppress the space.
But at that moment, he sensed an extremely dangerous force about to erupt.
In the distance, Zhang Ruochen had taken out his only Heavenly Firmament Purple Fire Talisman. He mobilized his Saint Qi and injected it into the talisman as quickly as possible.
Qiong Lin's expression changed drastically, and he roared, "Watch out!"
The evil cultivators also sensed the danger. Some activated defensive-type Sacred Artifacts, while others rapidly retreated.
Qingliaoya, ranked seventy-third on the Sacred Merit Ranking, had the fastest reaction speed. He took out a high-grade defensive talisman and pressed it toward Zhang Ruochen's location.
"Boom."
The Heavenly Firmament Purple Fire Talisman shattered, unleashing a torrent of purple flames. Like a vortex of fire, it roared and surged in all directions.
The scorching flames melted the gates of the Yin-Yang Hall into molten copper.
The power of the Heavenly Firmament Purple Fire Talisman was comparable to a Sacred Art technique unleashed by a Fourth-Step Saint King.
Now, all cultivators had their cultivation suppressed to the Half-Saint King realm.
It could be said that no cultivator could withstand the Heavenly Firmament Purple Fire Talisman with their own power alone. This included Qiong Lin, the leader of the Black Demon Realm—all of them fled.
"Sizzle, sizzle."
Some of the evil cultivators were a fraction too slow in their reactions. The purple flames clung to them, and their bodies instantly ignited like lanterns, turning into fireballs.
Over twenty fireballs burned simultaneously, accompanied by roars, curses, and screams.
The demonic clouds around Qiong Lin were burned thin, revealing his true appearance. He looked young, with a cyan-colored face and a string of iron rings on his forehead. His eyes were exceptionally long, extending all the way to his ears.
In these long eyes were a total of eighteen pupils—nine in the left eye and nine in the right.
Qiong Lin snorted coldly, raised both palms, and pressed them forward. Two patches of yin-cold demonic qi clouds flew out, enveloping the twenty-plus fireballs.
Moments later, the purple flames dissipated, leaving behind only over twenty charred corpses.
Qiong Lin lightly kicked one of the blackened corpses, and it instantly turned to ash.
In another direction, Qingliaoya used a defensive talisman to form a white light net, which managed to block the purple flames for a single breath's time.
Of course, that single breath was enough for the other evil cultivators to escape, saving the lives of several dozen cultivators. Otherwise, there would have been far more than just over twenty corpses on the ground.
It was worth noting that each of those over twenty corpses, when alive, was a top-tier prodigy from one of the three major worlds. One or two out of ten had the potential to cultivate to the Great Saint realm. Killing them was like killing several future Great Saints.
Such a loss was unbearable for any major world.
Suddenly, the entire Yin-Yang Hall fell silent.
All the evil cultivators were on high alert. They finally understood why Shang Zihong had called Zhang Ruochen a "great calamity" for the Yin-Yang Hall. This formidable enemy was truly difficult to deal with.
Outside the Yin-Yang Hall, chaos reigned. Cultivators from various major worlds gasped in shock.
A group of Heavenly Fire Demon Butterflies hovered in the air, chattering, "Was it that easy? Just one attack talisman, and it caused such heavy losses to the Yin-Yang Hall?"
"Just one attack talisman? That attack talisman is worth at least ten million Sacred Stones. Even this princess would have to go bankrupt to afford one," the Demon Butterfly Princess said irritably.
"Even if you had such a powerful attack talisman, you'd need Zhang Ruochen's ghostly and unpredictable spatial techniques, as well as the ability to seize the opportunity and strike with precision, speed, and accuracy to unleash the talisman's full power."
"Otherwise, if those evil cultivators from the Yin-Yang Hall were prepared, no matter how powerful your talisman, they would have long since fled. The ten million Sacred Stones spent on the talisman would be wasted."
"From this, it seems this Zhang Ruochen is truly extraordinary. I really hope he can teach those wicked guys in the Yin-Yang Hall a harsh lesson."
...
The group of Heavenly Fire Demon Butterflies deeply despised the Yin-Yang Hall. Seeing Zhang Ruochen make them suffer such a loss, their goodwill toward this stranger greatly increased.
Not far away, Ji Fanxin, Dan Ling Wang, and Yao Jue Wang stood together, their faces showing joy.
But they were well aware that the reason Zhang Ruochen was able to strike a heavy blow against the Yin-Yang Hall was mainly because the Yin-Yang Hall had initially underestimated him.
Zhang Ruochen had precisely grasped this psychological weakness and decisively struck, causing such massive losses to the Yin-Yang Hall.
Such an opportunity would never come again.
Yao Jue Wang frowned, curious, "Zhang Ruochen used that attack talisman to break through the encirclement of the Yin-Yang Hall's evil cultivators. Why didn't he take the chance to escape?"
Dan Ling Wang was also puzzled, "The Yin-Yang Hall has already lost two Saint Kings and over twenty top-tier geniuses. Zhang Ruochen has avenged the owners of those seventeen heads. He shouldn't be staying in the Yin-Yang Hall. Could it be that the Yin-Yang Hall has activated some other hidden force to trap Zhang Ruochen, making it impossible for him to leave?"
It wasn't just Yao Jue Wang and Dan Ling Wang who were confused. Countless cultivators in the Heavenly Capital Sacred Market couldn't figure out the reason either.
Ji Fanxin's eyes were solemn as she said, "Zhang Ruochen wants to destroy the Yin-Yang Hall."
"What?"
Yao Jue Wang and Dan Ling Wang were both shocked.
Because, in their view, destroying the Yin-Yang Hall was not something one person or a few people could accomplish.
In history, the few major crises the Yin-Yang Hall had faced were all due to sieges by dozens of major worlds. Yet, even then, they had managed to hold out and survive.
For Zhang Ruochen to try to destroy the Yin-Yang Hall alone—if you put it nicely, it was a heaven-defying feat. If you put it badly, it was walking straight to his death.
...
...
Not far from the Yin-Yang Hall, in a Daoist temple, there was a hundred-zhang-tall observation platform built from Sacred Jade, emitting a crystalline white light.
On the four sides of the observation platform were carved four divine beasts: dragon, tiger, phoenix, and turtle.
Under the light of the Sacred Radiance, the shadows of the four divine beasts emerged, like four divine mountains surrounding the central observation platform.
On the observation platform, two men sat on either side of a chessboard, playing a game.
One of them wore a Daoist robe, exuding a refined and elegant aura, with a perpetual smile on his lips.
Sitting opposite him was none other than Shang Zihong, clad in three-colored Sacred Armor.
Who would have thought that at this critical moment, Shang Zihong was not commanding the Yin-Yang Hall but playing chess here?
Shang Zihong held a chess piece between two fingers, hesitating to place it, and said, "If I had known you were in the Truth Heaven Domain, I would have prepared more thoroughly."
The Daoist-robed man smiled, "Even the Heavenly Dao has its flaws. No matter how thorough the preparation, there will always be gaps. So, it's better to let things take their natural course."
Shang Zihong placed the chess piece in an empty spot on the board and said, "Are you Daoists really going to meddle in this? I don't think it's a wise decision."
"Where is the meddling? I merely invited you for a game of chess. Don't let other thoughts distract you, or you might lose."
The Daoist-robed man picked up a chess piece and placed it on the board, causing a massive shift in the game, capturing a large swath of Shang Zihong's pieces.
An hour ago, Shang Zihong had received a letter with only two words: "Lian Xi."
Lian Xi was the name of the Shadowless Immortal on the Nine Immortal Beauties Painting. She was also Hun Wang's senior sister, Great Xi Wang, the current leader of the Soul Realm.
Shang Zihong had invited her to the Truth Heaven Domain to use soul techniques to seize Zhang Ruochen's Sacred Soul.
Great Xi Wang had initially agreed and had already set out. But over two months had passed, and not only had she not arrived in the Truth Heaven Domain, but she had also lost all contact. This made Shang Zihong vaguely uneasy.
Thus, upon receiving the letter, Shang Zihong had immediately rushed over.
Shang Zihong stared at the chessboard, not continuing the game, and asked, "Where exactly is Great Xi Wang?"
The Daoist-robed man gestured with his finger and said, "First, finish the game. If you can beat me, I'll naturally tell you."
Shang Zihong said, "Isn't your Daoist sect always known for being open and upright? As the leader of this generation from the Five Elements Temple, a Daoist sacred ground, how can you stoop to such a lowly act? Release Great Xi Wang and don't ruin your own reputation."
The Daoist-robed man knew that Shang Zihong was testing him, trying to confirm whether Great Xi Wang was in his hands.
The Daoist-robed man's expression remained unchanged as he smiled slightly, "As the leader of this generation from the Merit Divine Temple, you should remain calm. Otherwise, you'll disappoint me."
Shang Zihong pondered for a moment, then revealed a faint smile. He picked up a chess piece and said, "Do you think that by restraining me, Zhang Ruochen can walk out of the Yin-Yang Hall alive tonight? Zhang Ruochen's goal is to destroy the Yin-Yang Hall. But this very idea will be his downfall. Tonight, let's see who loses their composure first."
...
...
Outside the Yin-Yang Hall.
Qiong Lin stared coldly at Zhang Ruochen and said, "You didn't take the chance to escape?"
"Why should I escape?"
Zhang Ruochen took out the Abyssal Ancient Sword and held it in his hand.
"It seems you have other ideas. But you will regret not leaving when you had the chance."
Qiong Lin roared, "Activate the formation!"
The Yin-Yang Hall's protective formation, the Warp and Weft Heavenly Net Formation, immediately manifested.
Countless beams of light shuttled through the air, weaving into a massive formation net. The net rapidly expanded outward, enveloping Zhang Ruochen and Xiao Hei in an instant.
"Whoosh."
A black beam of light shot out from the formation, striking at Zhang Ruochen and Xiao Hei.
"Boom," a thunderous sound rang out as the three giant rock spheres blocking Zhang Ruochen and Xiao Hei were shattered into rubble.
Those rock spheres were refined from three small planets—how tough were they?
This showed just how terrifying the power of the Warp and Weft Heavenly Net Formation was.
Zhang Ruochen used Spatial Displacement and appeared beside one of the evil cultivators. He swung his sword.
The sword light was as fast as lightning.
Before the evil cultivator could even react, the Abyssal Ancient Sword had already split his head and Qi Sea in two, blood splattering through the air.
Just as Zhang Ruochen was about to use Spatial Displacement again, he found the space had become extremely stable, as if frozen into lead and iron. This gave him a strong sense of foreboding.
"Zhang Ruochen, do you really think the Yin-Yang Hall can't deal with you?"
Four black figures with extremely powerful auras had appeared around Zhang Ruochen, standing at the four cardinal directions. In their hands, they held powerful ancestral artifacts: the Scorching Sun Sphere, the Luminous Moon Pearl, and two Starry Halberds.
It was these four ancestral artifacts that had stabilized the space.
These four experts were the Song siblings from the Ten Thousand Evil Realm: Song Yang, Song Yue, Song Xing, and Song Chen.
All four of them had perfect physiques. Although none of them were on the Sacred Merit Ranking, when they fought together, they had defeated Qingliaoya, who ranked high on the list. Each of them was even more powerful than a Realm Son from a weaker world.