Chapter 11677: Star Battle Generals
However, Zhang Ruochen soon realized that the various ancient civilizations had already divided the spoils. Given his status, rashly seizing the sacred fruits would likely invite attacks instead.
The Thousand Star Civilization, as one of the top-tier major powers among the factions, could independently assault a single hall.
Those making the move were the four Star Battle Generals riding metallic sacred beasts.
Each of the four Star Battle Generals was terrifyingly powerful. The war spears in their hands were all Great Saint ancient artifacts, capable of channeling the power of a Great Saint.
"Boom."
The war spears struck out repeatedly, tearing apart the formation inscriptions around the hall, advancing forward to break in and harvest the sacred fruits.
Inside that hall grew a dozens-of-zhang-tall purple sacred tree, bearing over a dozen cherry-sized white sacred fruits. Their fragrance was intense, tempting and eye-catching.
No cultivator dared to contend with the Thousand Star Civilization. The Star Battle Generals were ruthless and merciless—anyone who approached would be slain on the spot.
Pu Shan, Li Qinghai, Mo Xiaogu, and Qiu Gu all stared at the sacred fruits in those halls, their eyes filled with longing. Everyone knew those fruits possessed astonishing medicinal power; swallowing just one could greatly increase one's cultivation.
Gu Feng laughed, "Heh heh, you all just wait here obediently. I, Gu, have to go harvest the sacred fruits! Treasures like this—if you miss them now, where will you ever find them again?"
Gu Feng charged toward one of the halls.
Li Qinghai and Mo Xiaogu felt tempted, eager to try.
But what happened next made them abandon any thought of harvesting the fruits.
Gu Feng's first chosen target was actually the hall assigned to the Thousand Star Civilization. The moment he got close, he was attacked by a Star Battle General. The ancient war spear nearly pierced through his body.
"Boom."
The Star Battle General's voice was icy: "Get lost, or die."
Gu Feng gritted his teeth, furious beyond measure, but ultimately chose to retreat rather than fight the Star Battle General. He went to a second hall and encountered the same treatment—attacked as soon as he approached.
Which of the beings who could enter this palace complex wasn't a formidable character?
In the end, Gu Feng slunk back in disgrace, feeling humiliated. He hid his hands in his sleeves, silent and grim-faced.
They were merely hired help brought by the various ancient civilizations. They had already received their rewards before entering, so naturally, they had no right to harvest the sacred fruits now.
Zhang Ruochen pondered for a moment, then stepped forward, heading toward the four Star Battle Generals.
Li Qinghai and Mo Xiaogu were stunned. Even the powerful Gu Feng had been rebuffed—was Lin Yue still not giving up?
Gu Feng grinned, ready to watch Zhang Ruochen make a fool of himself.
As Zhang Ruochen approached the hall, a bone-chilling cold aura rushed at him, nearly freezing him solid.
He looked toward the source of the aura and saw a Star Battle General staring at him with emotionless eyes.
However, recognizing Zhang Ruochen as the honored guest invited by the Heavenly Maiden, the general did not attack directly.
Zhang Ruochen was secretly shocked. The aura emanating from the Star Battle General was even stronger than he had imagined—no wonder even someone as arrogant as Gu Feng had been forced back.
The Thousand Star Heavenly Maiden sat inside her sacred chariot, observing everything. She transmitted a mental message: "Don't attack him. I want to see if he has the skill to take the sacred fruits from your hands."
The Star Battle General withdrew his gaze, lifted his war spear, and continued attacking the formation inscriptions around the hall, tacitly allowing Zhang Ruochen to stay nearby.
Seeing this, Gu Feng's smile froze, and the coldness in his eyes deepened.
Li Qinghai and Mo Xiaogu also found it unbelievable. They thought to themselves, this Lin Yue must have an extraordinary relationship with the Thousand Star Civilization. Could he himself be a cultivator of the Thousand Star Civilization?
Zhang Ruochen had no intention of getting something for nothing. He opened his celestial eye and carefully observed the formation inscriptions in the ground and the air. Then, he condensed a spatial rift in his palm and slashed it toward the weakest point of the formation.
"Hiss."
The spatial rift flew forward, severing all the formation inscriptions, extending all the way to the palace wall.
When the rift closed, a safe path appeared beneath his feet.
Treading that path, Zhang Ruochen actually entered the hall ahead of the four Star Battle Generals. He quickly rushed toward the sacred tree while observing his surroundings.
"Rumble."
The four Star Battle Generals, riding their metallic sacred beasts, leaped over the high palace walls and chased after him, soon drawing level with him.
Suddenly, Zhang Ruochen seemed to notice something and stopped immediately, shouting, "Careful!"
The four Star Battle Generals ignored him and continued charging forward, clad in their star armor and unafraid of any danger. But the Thousand Star Heavenly Maiden secretly ordered them to stop.
Just seven or eight zhang from the sacred tree, the four Star Battle Generals halted simultaneously.
Many cultivators noticed what was happening in that hall and marveled. An unknown spatial cultivator could actually command the Star Battle Generals? How incredible!
After all, the status of a Star Battle General was at least equal to, if not greater than, that of a Four-Winged Scarlet Angel of the Paradise Realm.
Zhang Ruochen added, "Fall back."
Following the Thousand Star Heavenly Maiden's orders, the four Star Battle Generals retreated until they stood beside Zhang Ruochen.
Then, Zhang Ruochen took out two Thousand-Mark Sacred Artifacts, activated their Thousand Ripple Annihilation Force, and hurled them at the ground.
"Crash."
From those two spots, violent energy surged up from underground, tearing the earth apart and forming two dozens-of-zhang-tall yellow soil whirlpools. Flowing within the whirlpools were not wind, but countless spatial rifts.
A powerful being had once set up a lethal trap similar to a spatial trap here.
The metallic sacred beasts beneath the four Star Battle Generals showed fear, neighing and stepping back.
One could imagine that if Zhang Ruochen hadn't warned them, and the Star Battle Generals had charged in recklessly, even wearing star armor, they would have been useless—someone would have fallen.
Once the two whirlpools subsided, Zhang Ruochen rushed forward at top speed. Just as he reached for one of the sacred fruits, a war spear shot out from the side, striking his arm with a loud bang.
Because of that block, another Star Battle General plucked the fruit.
The Star Battle General who had intercepted Zhang Ruochen showed an apologetic look in his eyes: "Sorry, it's the Heavenly Maiden's order. She wants us to do everything possible to stop you from taking the fruits."
Zhang Ruochen's earlier actions had earned him some goodwill from these Star Battle Generals, making them less cold and ruthless. Otherwise, they wouldn't have bothered to explain.
"Fine then, let's see if you can stop me."
Zhang Ruochen's figure flickered and vanished from the Star Battle General's sight. When he reappeared, a cherry-sized sacred fruit was already in his hand.
The four Star Battle Generals realized Zhang Ruochen was using spatial techniques.
They immediately changed their strategy: one harvested the fruits, one attacked Zhang Ruochen, and the other two guarded the fruits on the sacred tree.
Their coordination was flawless. Zhang Ruochen made several attempts but came up empty-handed. As the fruits on the tree grew fewer, he had to land back on the ground with a soft sigh.
Just as the four Star Battle Generals thought he had given up, Zhang Ruochen reached out his hand and grabbed through the air, plucking two more fruits in quick succession.
The reason Zhang Ruochen had sighed was that he had to reveal his "Spatial Grasp" technique.
Outside the hall, some powerful figures noticed Zhang Ruochen. "Plucking fruits from several zhang away—this spatial cultivator is no ordinary one," they remarked.
The Wu Shen Civilization's Wu Shen Heavenly Son, one of the most powerful figures among the factions, stood atop the remains of ancient ferocious beasts. His deep eyes looked toward the Thousand Star Heavenly Maiden's sacred chariot. "The ability to retrieve objects from a distance is very useful here. Thousand Star Heavenly Maiden, you've brought in quite a character. Your ambitions are grand!"
"What ambitions? I only want to harvest some sacred fruits. I have no interest in anything else," the Thousand Star Heavenly Maiden replied indifferently.
The Heavenly Beginning Fairy stepped out of her White Feather Peacock sacred chariot, graceful and ethereal, beautiful as a celestial being. "Since you have no interest in other things, sister, why not lend him to me?"
"This person has a strange temperament and is hard to get along with. I only managed to invite him because I hold something he values greatly," the Thousand Star Heavenly Maiden said. "If you want him to help you retrieve the divine spring, it's almost impossible."
If the Thousand Star Heavenly Maiden had no interest in the divine spring, why would she risk her life to enter this deadly place?
Letting go of that spatial cultivator was simply out of the question.
The Heavenly Beginning Fairy understood this, so after making her remark, she said no more.
Zhang Ruochen's "Spatial Grasp" technique was truly a case of reaching across space to take the fruits.
Other cultivators' so-called "retrieving objects from a distance" actually used sacred qi as a bridge to take items from several zhang, dozens of zhang, or even farther away.
The two were fundamentally different.
That was why this move impressed many of the major figures present. Even the Heavenly Beginning Fairy and the Wu Shen Heavenly Son were tempted, wanting to recruit Zhang Ruochen, but they refrained from acting to avoid offending the Thousand Star Heavenly Maiden.
Zhang Ruochen carried three sacred fruits out of the hall and smiled toward the Thousand Star Heavenly Maiden's chariot.
Li Qinghai and Mo Xiaogu looked at him with both envy and a hint of respect.
Zhang Ruochen's spatial mastery was clearly above theirs. Especially that Spatial Grasp technique—only they, as spatial cultivators, understood how difficult it truly was.
Without a word, Zhang Ruochen took out one of the sacred fruits, swallowed it, and began to refine it.
He was eager to know how much this sacred fruit could increase the sacred dao rules within his body.