Chapter 1702: Ten Divine Heir Disciples
"It's very difficult to break through the spatial barrier. How did these people manage to break in?" Zhang Ruochen was quite curious.
Mo Xiaogu had been observing the cultivators present and said, "It was the Ten Divine Heir Disciples who made their move and broke through the spatial barrier."
"How do you know?"
"Just a guess."
Mo Xiaogu dragged Zhang Ruochen down from the shoulder of the Great Saint fierce beast, landing on the ground. She pointed to a young man with graying hair standing at the southern edge of the depression and said, "One of the Ten Divine Heir Disciples, 'Plucking Stars with One Hand,' the aloof and detached Nie Xiangzi."
"Nie Xiangzi."
Zhang Ruochen fixed his gaze on him.
Mo Xiaogu continued, "Nie Xiangzi had already reached the Nine-Step Saint King realm a hundred and twenty years ago. Back then, he had few rivals below the Great Saint level. He even exchanged five moves with a true Great Saint. Although he spat blood and collapsed after those five moves, that battle only increased his fame. A hundred and twenty years later, if Nie Xiangzi were to clash with a Great Saint again, it probably wouldn't be as simple as just lasting five moves."
"It's said that while traveling through the cosmos, Nie Xiangzi discovered an ancient treasure star. He spent over ten years transporting it billions of miles back to the Heavenly Court Realm, settling it in the Truth Heaven Domain as his own cave dwelling."
"Because of this, the title 'Plucking Stars with One Hand' was used to describe him."
A flicker of surprise appeared in Zhang Ruochen's eyes. "Exchanging five moves with a Great Saint? This Nie Xiangzi is indeed a formidable figure."
For a being below the Great Saint level to contend with a true Great Saint, even for just one move, is an extremely difficult feat.
The Great Venerable, Wu Shen Tianzi, and Tianchu Xianzi were already the top experts of the Ancient Civilization faction. Yet, even with the three of them joining forces and wielding a Supreme Sacred Artifact, they couldn't stand against a half-step Great Saint fierce beast.
A true Great Saint is countless times more powerful than a half-step one.
Mo Xiaogu said, "The Ten Divine Heir Disciples of the Truth Divine Temple are all figures at the top of the 'Saint King Merit Ranking.' It's perfectly normal for them to unleash combat power at the Great Saint level. Even someone like the Great Venerable, the number one expert of the Ancient Civilization faction, is just a junior in their eyes. They could suppress him with a single finger."
"They've actually accumulated enough to break through to the Great Saint realm at any time, but they've been suppressing their cultivation, refusing to advance."
Zhang Ruochen asked, "Why?"
Mo Xiaogu chuckled. "There are many reasons. For example, some of them want to cross the tenth sea of the Truth Sea to seize a supreme opportunity."
"Some of them are doing it to fight against the armies of the Hell Realm on the Merit Battlefield. You have to understand, in the battles between the Heavenly Court Realm and the Hell Realm, only beings below the Great Saint level can enter the World Battlefield to fight. Those above the Great Saint level clash in the vast, boundless starry sky."
"Experts like them, at the very peak below the Great Saint level, can play a huge role on the Merit Battlefield, even changing the battlefield's landscape and the outcome of the war."
The Rakshasa Princess had come to the Heavenly Court Realm alone, so she had naturally prepared thoroughly, having reviewed the profiles of all the famous experts in the Truth Heaven Domain.
Then, she pointed out a few more people, all of whom were among the Ten Divine Heir Disciples.
Just then, Mo Xiaogu pointed at Ji Fanxin, her beautiful eyes shimmering with a hint of smoke. "Isn't that your Golden Step Dragon Carriage? How did it become the carriage of the Hundred Flowers Fairy, Ji Fanxin?"
Zhang Ruochen was about to say something when he suddenly snapped awake, thinking to himself, *That was close.*
"Golden Step Dragon Carriage? Are you talking about the Hundred Flowers Fairy's carriage?" Zhang Ruochen asked, feigning ignorance.
Seeing that her probing had yielded no results, a trace of disappointment flashed in Mo Xiaogu's eyes. She smiled and said, "Yes, that sacred carriage is even more powerful than Tianchu Xianzi's White Feather Peacock Sacred Carriage, reaching the level of a Nine-Shine Ten-Thousand-Pattern Sacred Artifact. Don't you recognize it?"
"The Hundred Flowers Fairy is a disciple of the Mandala Flower God. With her noble status, it's perfectly normal for her to possess a Nine-Shine Ten-Thousand-Pattern Sacred Artifact."
After saying this, Zhang Ruochen added, "Some cultivators have already entered that depression to seize the Divine Spring. Should we follow?"
"No rush. That depression is filled with ancient divine inscriptions and ancient yin energy. It won't be easy for them to break in. Let's first settle some personal grudges with this princess."
Mo Xiaogu pulled Zhang Ruochen and walked straight toward Ji Fanxin.
Mo Xiaogu and Zhang Ruochen, accompanied by a Great Saint fierce beast, had made quite a grand entrance, attracting the attention of many cultivators. Fortunately, the presence of the Ten Divine Heir Disciples kept them from feeling intimidated.
Around Ji Fanxin, many powerful figures had gathered, most of them her suitors.
Not far away, the experts of the Demon God Realm faction were also closely watching Mo Xiaogu and Zhang Ruochen's every move.
It was worth noting that Ji Fanxin was one of the top experts of the Demon God Realm faction.
"What personal grudge does the Rakshasa Princess have with Ji Fanxin?" Zhang Ruochen pondered this question.
Mo Xiaogu was very direct and got straight to the point. "Ji Fanxin, if this princess isn't mistaken, this Golden Step Dragon Carriage of yours should belong to the Heir of Time and Space, Zhang Ruochen, shouldn't it?"
Hearing this, Zhang Ruochen immediately understood what Mo Xiaogu was trying to do. What personal grudge did she have with Ji Fanxin? She was clearly trying to stir up trouble.
As expected, this statement immediately sparked murmurs among the crowd.
Ji Fanxin's suitors, the cultivators of the Demon God Realm faction, and even those from the Paradise Realm faction, along with the Ancient Civilization faction cultivators who had just arrived, all exchanged glances.
Zhang Ruochen, however, seemed indifferent, enjoying the spectacle.
Who told Ji Fanxin to casually use his Golden Step Dragon Carriage? It was only temporarily in her possession, and she was acting as if it were her own.
Ji Fanxin stood beside the Golden Step Dragon Carriage, flowers blooming beneath her feet, and petals drifting through the sky. She remained very calm. "That's right, it was Zhang Ruochen's. But now, it's mine."
Mo Xiaogu snorted coldly. "Giving away a Nine-Shine Ten-Thousand-Pattern Sacred Artifact as a gift? Zhang Ruochen is certainly generous."
"Young lady, you're mistaken. This Golden Step Dragon Carriage wasn't a gift from him. He left it with me as a deposit and hasn't redeemed it yet," Ji Fanxin said.
Mo Xiaogu said, "So… your relationship is out of the ordinary?"
"Not really. We're just business partners," Ji Fanxin said.
All along, Ji Fanxin had avoided trouble by hiding her relationship with Zhang Ruochen. But now that it had been exposed, she couldn't continue to conceal it, so she admitted it openly.
Ji Fanxin didn't want trouble, but she wasn't afraid of it either.
Even if the Paradise Realm faction learned of her business dealings with Zhang Ruochen, Ji Fanxin believed that with her current cultivation, she could handle it.
Perhaps, when Ji Fanxin decided to use the Golden Step Dragon Carriage, she already had enough confidence to face the exposure of her relationship with Zhang Ruochen.
Having achieved her goal, Mo Xiaogu said no more and pulled Zhang Ruochen straight toward the depression. A smug smile appeared on her face. "From now on, this Hundred Flowers Fairy will be plagued with trouble. It would be even more interesting if the Demon God Realm faction and the Paradise Realm faction start fighting."
"You came to the Paradise Realm just to stir up trouble everywhere?" Zhang Ruochen said.
Mo Xiaogu said, "That's none of your business."
"Whoosh!"
A blinding flash of light passed before their eyes, followed by the scream of a cultivator.
"Another ancient divine inscription."
"The ancient divine inscriptions here are too dense. There's no way to completely decipher them."
…
Zhang Ruochen looked ahead and saw a Saint King realm being trigger an ancient divine inscription in the depression. His body was sliced in two by a beam of light.
In just half an hour, several Saint King realm cultivators had fallen in that depression.
The other cultivators who wanted to seize the Divine Spring became more cautious, unwilling to take risks easily. They were all waiting for someone else to pave the way.
Zhang Ruochen and Mo Xiaogu didn't act rashly either.
Mo Xiaogu studied the inscriptions on the ground, while Zhang Ruochen analyzed the spatial structure of the area, trying to find the safest path.
At that moment, the experts of the Paradise Realm faction were preparing to retrieve the Divine Spring.
The Paradise Realm faction had sent only five people, including Shang Zi and Gongzi Yan. Clearly, these five all possessed extraordinary means, and none of them were simple characters.
Zhang Ruochen said to Mo Xiaogu, "Look, it's your cousin."
Mo Xiaogu shot Zhang Ruochen a glare. "The leader of the Palace Divine Temple, Shang Zi; the leader of the Time Divine Temple, Mo Yan; the leader of the Blood Battle Divine Temple, Xunya; the leader of the Paradise Realm, Zhou Yu; and the leader of the Soul Realm, Wuying Xianzi Lian Xi. Not bad, all top-tier figures. If Wang Tian hadn't died, he should have been here too. What a pity. Wang Tian was a peerless hero with the potential to become a god, yet he died unjustly at the hands of you and a hundred-thousand-year-old ancient sacred medicine."
Zhang Ruochen could tell that Mo Xiaogu was mocking him, implying that he was inferior to Wang Tian. But he didn't care and didn't argue with her.
Shang Zi, Gongzi Yan, and the others also carried a liquid similar to the Demon-Slaying Divine Blood. They had pre-identified the divine patterns and used the demon blood to corrode them, advancing steadily.
Soon, the five of them had entered the depths of the depression, getting closer and closer to the Divine Spring.
Strangely enough, they didn't bother picking the sacred medicines along the way. Instead, they headed straight for the center of the depression, their goal clearly being to seize the Divine Spring.
Zhang Ruochen, however, noticed something. "Besides the ancient divine inscriptions left behind, that depression holds other dangers. Shang Zi and the others probably don't dare to pick the sacred medicines."
Soon, Zhang Ruochen's speculation was confirmed.
A mouse clan being covered in golden soft fur followed the path opened by Shang Zi and the others, sneaking into the depression to try to dig up a ninety-thousand-year-old sacred medicine.
But as soon as it dug up the sacred medicine, the ground beneath it collapsed. In an instant, an area several zhang in radius turned into nothingness.
That Saint King realm mouse clan being didn't even have time to escape before it was swallowed by the void, vanishing without a trace.
Gasps of cold air could be heard from countless cultivators present.
Even more shocking was that the void space that appeared didn't disappear. It remained like a broken spatial hole, pitch-black and icy cold, devouring the surrounding light and heat, appearing extremely eerie.