Chapter 1608: A Third Party Intervenes
The destructive power of the Hundred-Step Life-Erasing Talisman was indeed terrifying. It severely wounded several top-tier experts, killed a swath of heretical cultivators, and stunned the entire scene.
However, wouldn't Zhang Ruochen, who was at the very center of the destruction, have died even more miserably?
Was Zhang Ruochen using a mutual destruction technique?
Clearly, everyone's worries were completely unnecessary.
Just as Zhang Ruochen unleashed the Hundred-Step Life-Erasing Talisman, the "Seven-Level Pagoda Talisman" stuck to his body burst forth with brilliant radiance, transforming into a seven-story Buddhist pagoda that enveloped his entire form.
Inside the pagoda, on Zhang Ruochen's left shoulder, the Hundred Saint Blood Armor was slightly dented. A wound had opened there, and blood gushed out like a fountain.
That wound had nothing to do with the Hundred-Step Life-Erasing Talisman. It was caused earlier when he fought four experts alone and was struck by Mr. Mu's Evil Finger Technique.
In the end, Mr. Mu, Mrs. Mu, Wang Xu, and Zhan Yu were all extremely powerful. Relying solely on Zhang Ruochen's own strength, it was impossible for him to block the attacks of all four.
Without the Hundred-Step Life-Erasing Talisman, if the fight had dragged on, Zhang Ruochen would have suffered a major defeat.
Of course, without the talisman, Zhang Ruochen would never have allowed himself to be surrounded by four top experts. He would have retreated to another position long ago.
"Now is the time."
Zhang Ruochen performed a Space Displacement and appeared before Zhan Yu. He thrust his sword toward Zhan Yu's brow.
From within Zhan Yu's body, twelve Saint King-level dragon souls surged out, baring their fangs and claws as they attacked Zhang Ruochen, trying to protect their master.
"Pfft."
Zhang Ruochen's Sword Dao realm was profound. He swept aside the twelve dragon souls and, taking advantage of Zhan Yu's critical, near-death state, pierced through his head with a single sword strike.
With a bang, Zhan Yu's head exploded, turning into a cloud of blood mist.
The twelve dragon souls did not dissipate. They continued to coil around Zhan Yu's corpse.
"Twelve Saint King-level dragon souls are worth over a hundred million Sacred Stones. Zhan Yu must have spent all his wealth on them."
Zhang Ruochen's heart stirred. If he could refine these twelve dragon souls into his arm, not only would his physical strength increase greatly, but he could also faster cultivate the Eleventh Palm of the Dragon-Elephant Prajna Palm to Great Perfection.
Now was not the time to collect the dragon souls. He had to deal with the other heretical cultivators first.
Zhang Ruochen pushed his speed to the limit, flashed over to Mr. Mu and Mrs. Mu, and killed them both.
Mr. Mu and Mrs. Mu were both top experts at the Five-Step Saint King realm, with the potential to impact Great Saint. Yet they died at the hands of a Half-Step Saint King—a truly unjust death.
Finally, Zhang Ruochen swung his sword toward Wang Xu, intending to eliminate him as well.
Struck by the Hundred-Step Life-Erasing Talisman's impact, Wang Xu felt dizzy, his vision blurred, and his ears ringing. His condition was at its worst, and he could barely remain standing.
By the time he circulated his Saint Qi through a full cycle and recovered, he saw a pitch-black sword light already thrusting toward his brow.
Wang Xu was horrified.
It was too late to block with his blade. He had no choice but to activate the Divine Marks on his body again.
"Boom."
The tip of the Abyssal Ancient Sword struck Wang Xu's brow, blocked by the Divine Marks as if hitting a layer of iron.
Divine light and sword energy scattered in all directions.
Wang Xu heard a thunderous roar inside his skull. His body was sent flying again, crashing heavily to the ground.
At this moment, Wang Xu felt as if his head was heavier than a mountain. It was difficult for him to stand up again, which made him realize things were very bad.
"Such powerful Divine Marks."
Zhang Ruochen frowned as he looked at the strands of Divine Marks on Wang Xu's body. Then, he mobilized Space power, preparing to tear the space itself.
Even Divine Marks should not be able to withstand a Space Rift.
This time, he had to eliminate this formidable enemy, Wang Xu.
Zhang Ruochen stomped his right foot hard on the ground, causing the earth to sink. His body shot forward like an arrow.
At his fingertip, space violently trembled, and a thin crack opened.
That Space Rift was expanding.
The deaths of Zhan Yu, Mr. Mu, Mrs. Mu, and the four Song siblings enraged Qiong Lin. How could he watch Zhang Ruochen kill Wang Xu as well?
"Blood Illuminates the Sky."
The Blood-Refining Demon Mace in Qiong Lin's hand emitted a dazzling blood light, dyeing heaven and earth a bloody red, as if stained with cinnabar.
"Roar."
From the demon mace, dozens of blood-red winged serpent phantoms flew out, their eyes filled with bloodlust.
This technique, "Blood Illuminates the Sky," was a Mid-rank Sacred Art-level mace technique. When executed by Qiong Lin, it was as if a demon god was wielding a blood pillar, creating a power fluctuation like surging waves.
The Space Rift in Zhang Ruochen's hand had not fully formed before it was struck by dozens of winged serpents, shrinking and finally closing completely.
"A sufficiently powerful Saint power fluctuation can indeed interfere with space."
Seeing the Space Rift at his fingertip disappear, Zhang Ruochen knew he had lost the chance to kill Wang Xu. Unwilling to give up, he flicked his arm and threw the Yi Emperor Bone Staff.
The bone staff flew out, transforming into a black skeleton. It stepped on Wang Xu and continued attacking him, trying to break through his Divine Marks.
At the same time, Zhang Ruochen swung the Abyssal Ancient Sword, clashing with the Blood-Refining Demon Mace that Qiong Lin had sent flying.
The moment they touched, Zhang Ruochen was sent flying backward like a kite with a broken string, crashing heavily into the wall of a great hall within the Yin-Yang Hall.
The power of Qiong Lin's strike was even greater than Zhan Yu's. Zhang Ruochen, having hastily executed a sword technique to block, naturally could not withstand it.
Of course, this was because Qiong Lin's cultivation was profound, and his mastery of the Way of Truth and Sacred Arts far surpassed Zhan Yu's, making him so powerful.
If neither used Truth Rules or Sacred Arts and only competed in raw strength, Qiong Lin might not necessarily be stronger than Zhan Yu.
Qiong Lin glanced behind him and roared, "Immediately suppress that black skeleton."
The heretical cultivators in the Yin-Yang Hall had been shocked by the destructive power of the Heavenly Gang Purple Fire Talisman and the Hundred-Step Life-Erasing Talisman. They had all activated their defensive measures—some activating Ten-Thousand Pattern Sacred Artifact-level armor, some taking out defensive talismans and clutching them in their hands, and some wrapping themselves in protective scroll paintings.
Hearing Qiong Lin's command, seven shadowy figures shot out, each unleashing their attacks. Soon, they used a ghost-fire bronze cauldron to suppress the black skeleton and rescue Wang Xu.
Seeing this, Qiong Lin breathed a slight sigh of relief and prepared to focus all his efforts on dealing with Zhang Ruochen.
"Why do I suddenly feel a wave of weakness, like I've lost my strength?"
Qiong Lin found it strange. Fearing a sneak attack from Zhang Ruochen, he became alert and quickly mobilized his Spiritual Power to examine his entire body.
If he capsized in a ditch and died as inexplicably as Mr. Mu and Mrs. Mu, his illustrious reputation would be utterly ruined.
Caution—he had to be extremely cautious.
But after examining himself, Qiong Lin found nothing unusual. Moreover, as he circulated his demonic Qi through a full cycle, that faint sense of weakness vanished completely.
"Could there be a problem with my Hell Refining Demon Art?"
Qiong Lin decided that after suppressing Zhang Ruochen, he would immediately go into seclusion to perfect the Hell Refining Demon Art.
If he let such a minor issue go unchecked, it could very well develop into a life-or-death major flaw.
After the fierce battle, within a radius of three hundred zhang centered on the Yin-Yang Hall's main gate, everything except the statue of the Moon God had been leveled.
Inside the Yin-Yang Hall, aside from the ten great halls and ten formation towers, all the pavilions, towers, wine pools, and forests of meat had been reduced to rubble.
Before Zhang Ruochen could even stand up after crashing into the hall's wall, the Warp and Weft Heaven Net Formation condensed a ball of light above his head.
"Hiss—"
From the ball of light, a white beam shot down, making the air pressure within dozens of zhang grow heavier and heavier.
After clashing with Qiong Lin, Zhang Ruochen's blood energy was churning, and his Saint Qi was in chaos. He could only muster thirty to forty percent of his strength. How could he withstand the attack of the Warp and Weft Heaven Net Formation?
Before the white beam even landed, Zhang Ruochen felt as if his body was being suppressed by a divine mountain, making it difficult to move.
"It's said that the Warp and Weft Heaven Net Formation can severely wound a Seven-Step Saint King. It seems I have no choice but to use the Seven-Level Pagoda Talisman to block it."
The Seven-Level Pagoda Talisman required a cooldown of one hour after each use before it could be used again. If used again without cooling down, the talisman's lifespan would be greatly shortened.
But at this moment, Zhang Ruochen couldn't care about that. He had to use the Seven-Level Pagoda Talisman to save his life.
In truth, Zhang Ruochen had also considered using the God-Defying Stele to directly destroy the formation inscriptions in the Yin-Yang Hall and the Sacred Artifacts in the hands of the heretical cultivators.
However, after careful thought, he felt the risk of using the God-Defying Stele was too great.
Tonight, he had caused such a huge commotion in the Yin-Yang Hall that it would likely attract a Great Saint from the Truth Divine Temple. With a Great Saint's experience, how could they not recognize the God-Defying Stele?
Even with the Glass Seal Heaven Cover shrouding the area, it might not fool a Great Saint's holy eyes.
Therefore, Zhang Ruochen was very clear-headed. Unless he was truly at a life-or-death juncture, he absolutely could not expose the God-Defying Stele.
Even if he couldn't destroy the Yin-Yang Hall tonight, he could retreat and plan again. He absolutely could not take such a huge risk.
Losing the God-Defying Stele or losing his own life—neither was a result Zhang Ruochen wanted to see.
Buddhist light burst forth from the talisman paper, condensing into a seven-story pagoda that wrapped around Zhang Ruochen's body layer by layer, colliding with the white beam descending from above.
"Boom, boom."
Cracking sounds rang out.
The seven-story pagoda, which could block attacks from a Seven-Step Saint King, was shattered by the formation's beam.
With each layer of the pagoda that broke, Zhang Ruochen's heartbeat accelerated significantly.
"Could it be that even the Seven-Level Pagoda Talisman can't withstand the Warp and Weft Heaven Net Formation's attack?" Zhang Ruochen gritted his teeth and quickly circulated his Saint Qi, trying to calm his chaotic blood energy and Saint Qi as soon as possible.
Only by recovering his cultivation could he more calmly face the crisis before him.
Fortunately, after shattering five layers of the pagoda, the Warp and Weft Heaven Net Formation's wave of attacks rapidly weakened and finally dissipated completely.
Outside the Yin-Yang Hall, Ling Feiyu breathed a slight sigh of relief.
Before attacking the Yin-Yang Hall, Zhang Ruochen had instructed Ling Feiyu to guard outside and wait for his signal. Once he was ready to use the God-Defying Stele, he would have Ling Feiyu activate the Glass Seal Heaven Cover to shroud the hall.
But until now, Ling Feiyu had not received any message from Zhang Ruochen.
She was quite puzzled. "The Warp and Weft Heaven Net Formation is so powerful. Why isn't Zhang Ruochen using the God-Defying Stele to destroy it?"
"Perhaps the master changed his plan on the spot. After all, the risk of using the God-Defying Stele... is truly not ordinary," Mo Yin said thoughtfully.
Just then, Ling Feiyu's pupils contracted. She saw a small light door open at the edge of the Warp and Weft Heaven Net Formation.
Two heretical cultivators supported the severely injured Wang Xu and walked out of the Yin-Yang Hall.
Wang Xu's identity was extraordinary. If Zhang Ruochen killed him, all the heretical figures in the Yin-Yang Hall would be in big trouble. Therefore, Qiong Lin had sent two powerful heretical cultivators to escort Wang Xu out.
"Capture him."
Ling Feiyu knew very well that Wang Xu's identity was not simple. If she could capture him, even if Zhang Ruochen was trapped in the Yin-Yang Hall, she would have leverage to negotiate with Shang Zihong.
But before Ling Feiyu could act, another group of cultivators struck first, surrounding the two heretical cultivators and Wang Xu.