# Chapter 1717: Cihang and Zhenyuan
A world as ancient and indestructible as the Kunlun Realm could condense enough "force" to suppress a god, pinning them down and rendering them unable to move.
The Qiankun Realm was naturally far inferior to the Kunlun Realm, but it was more than sufficient to suppress the saint soul of a Nine-Step Saint King.
Under the suppression of the Qiankun Realm, Qing Jin's saint soul was nearly crushed to pieces.
"Who exactly... are you... why is there a great world inside your body..." Qing Jin's voice came from beneath the Qiankun Realm, filled with unwillingness.
A strand of Zhang Ruochen's saint soul manifested within his Qi Sea. "You don't even know who I am, yet you dare to try and seize my body. I can't tell if you're foolish or just too confident in your own strength."
Qing Jin was furious. In the past, who would dare speak to him in such a tone?
A mere Four-Step Saint King—in his prime, he wouldn't even glance at such an insignificant figure.
Zhang Ruochen summoned the Purifying Divine Flame and sent it surging toward Qing Jin. Then, ignoring Qing Jin's voice, he prepared to use all his strength to escape this place.
The land before him had been shattered by the Star-Destroying Saint Talisman, a scene of apocalyptic destruction.
However, Shang Zi and the others had clearly brought precious treasures to seal off this region. The Star-Destroying Saint Talisman had only devastated an area of several dozen li; beyond that, everything remained intact.
"The Thousand Star Heavenly Maiden truly is covered in treasures. Any random talisman possesses such terrifying destructive power. If I had used it more wisely, I might have severely wounded or even killed Gongzi Yan and the others." Zhang Ruochen felt a pang of regret.
From all directions, powerful and inexplicable energy fluctuations erupted.
To the east, a stunningly beautiful woman radiating yin energy stood at the edge of the land, holding a crimson pearl. The light from the pearl resembled a rising sun, releasing layers of powerful spiritual energy fluctuations.
To the south, Shang Zi dragged a mountain-sized five-colored merit stele as he walked forward step by step, like an immortal descending into the mortal world.
To the west, Xun Ya, the leader of the Blood War Divine Hall, carried a heavy sword, with sword qi flying all around him.
To the north, a handsome man with four white wings stood silently with the First Death Envoy and the Second Death Envoy. The killing intent emanating from him coalesced into a blood-red cloud.
The energy fluctuations from all four directions grew stronger and stronger. Each of these individuals possessed the power to overturn rivers and seas, far beyond what Zhang Ruochen could contend with in his current state. Additionally, the sky and earth were sealed by a powerful spatial force, clearly another underhanded move by Gongzi Yan.
Zhang Ruochen was not intimidated by this display. Calmly, he said, "Shang Zi, you've finally decided to make a personal move this time. Why invite so many experts? Are you really that lacking in confidence, afraid you can't handle me alone?"
Shang Zi smiled faintly. "To be honest, you're the first person I've truly admired. In a situation with no support, you've managed to hold on this long through sheer willpower. If I were in your position, I would have died long ago."
Shang Zi had deep connections in the Paradise Realm and was the leader of the Merit Divine Hall. Countless cultivators were willing to befriend him, and the power he could mobilize surpassed even that of many weak-world Great Saints.
But those who dared to befriend Zhang Ruochen or lend him a hand were few and far between.
Shang Zi continued, "With my strength, killing you myself would be almost certain. But this time, I want absolute certainty, so I invited a few friends."
"There's no such thing as absolute certainty in this world."
While speaking with Shang Zi, Zhang Ruochen was also thinking of a way to escape.
The Shadowless Immortal sent a voice transmission to Shang Zi. "I've lost contact with Qing Jin. Zhang Ruochen may have suppressed him."
"How is that possible?" Shang Zi's expression turned serious.
Did Zhang Ruochen have another trump card?
But what kind of trump card could suppress Qing Jin's saint soul? That was simply impossible!
"Be careful. Zhang Ruochen is more troublesome than we imagined," the Shadowless Immortal said.
What they didn't know was that Zhang Ruochen's heart was filled with despair. He even felt that he might die here today. However, his fighting spirit had not vanished. Even if he died, he would take them down with him.
The Shadowless Immortal pointed at the crimson pearl, and a cloud of ghostly mist emerged, turning the eastern sky pitch black, as if thick ink was churning.
Within the ghostly mist floated hundreds of soul shadows—humans, dragons, vermilion birds, sacred elephants... Each soul shadow was extremely powerful and ferocious.
Zhang Ruochen took out the Yi Huang Bone Staff. At its top, the Buddha Emperor Relic emitted golden Buddhist light, purifying the surging ghostly energy.
But what troubled Zhang Ruochen was that the hundreds of soul shadows showed no fear of the Buddha Emperor Relic. This meant that in life, they had all been overlords in their own right.
"This woman must be the Shadowless Immortal, leader of the Soul Realm. Even her alone is beyond what I can handle now." Zhang Ruochen frowned deeply, preparing to burn his blood and fight to the death.
Just then, an even more dazzling Buddhist light burst forth from the eastern horizon.
Heavenly chanting filled the air, vast and boundless, as if thousands of holy monks were reciting sutras.
The eyes of the Shadowless Immortal, Shang Zi, Xun Ya, and Liancheng Baili all narrowed as they looked eastward.
"She's here. The Buddhist sect has finally decided to get involved," the Shadowless Immortal said, her delicate brows furrowing slightly.
The Shadowless Immortal had always had an adversary.
A year ago, while on her way to the Truth Heaven Domain, she had encountered this adversary and been delayed. That was why she had arrived so late, allowing Zhang Ruochen to grow to such a troublesome level.
Later, the Shadowless Immortal and Shang Zi analyzed the situation and concluded that the other party had deliberately delayed her to buy time for Zhang Ruochen's growth.
After all, Xumi Saint Monk had once shown kindness to the Buddhist sect and had deep ties with them.
A beautiful woman in Buddhist robes, holding a jade pure vase, walked through layers of Buddhist light from the edge of the sky.
She appeared to be only seventeen or eighteen years old, with a red dot between her brows. Her beauty was no less than the Shadowless Immortal's, but she exuded a sacred, inviolable purity.
"It's her indeed, Cihang Immortal," the Shadowless Immortal said.
This Cihang Immortal was one of the nine immortals on the "Nine Immortal Beauties Painting." Her Buddhist powers were boundless, and she had always been able to suppress the Shadowless Immortal, making her the Shadowless Immortal's greatest nemesis.
Cihang Immortal's slender fingers picked a willow branch from the jade pure vase and flicked it through the air.
Drops of golden spring water flew out, transforming into hundreds of Buddhist shadows that surged into the ghostly mist, purifying all the ferocious soul shadows within.
The Shadowless Immortal's eyes turned cold, and strands of chilling energy turned the ground beneath her feet into a frozen plain.
"Amitabha."
Cihang Immortal's eyes were deep like an emerald pool, her voice clear and beautiful, giving a sense of tranquil distance. "Killing people in the Truth Heaven Domain—aren't you afraid of punishment?"
Shang Zi's expression was extremely grave. Cihang Immortal's appearance had caught him off guard.
Since Cihang Immortal could find this place and break through, had she already notified the Truth Divine Temple's divine disciples? If the Truth Divine Temple's divine disciples arrived, the consequences would be dire.
But Shang Zi was also unwilling to let go of this perfect opportunity to kill Zhang Ruochen. He was deeply conflicted.
Suddenly, a Daoist chant rang out: "Wuliang Tianzun."
A beam of white light tore through the blood-red sky.
Then, a young man in Daoist robes descended from the sky, a massive Eight Trigrams imprint forming beneath his feet. The very structure of the land seemed to change with his arrival.
"Zhenyuan." Shang Zi's eyes narrowed.
Zhenyuan held a whisk and smiled faintly. "Brother Zi, you've crossed the line. Do you really think the Truth Heaven Domain won't intervene?"
Zhang Ruochen looked puzzled, staring intently at Zhenyuan and Cihang Immortal. Why had these formidable figures from the Daoist and Buddhist sects appeared here?
"Are they here to save me? But I have no connection with the Daoist or Buddhist sects. I don't even know them." Zhang Ruochen held back from acting, continuing to observe.
The relationships between the various forces of the Heavenly Court Realm seemed more complicated than he had imagined.
When Zhenyuan appeared, Shang Zi realized that today's plan was no longer feasible. He sent voice transmissions to the Shadowless Immortal, Xun Ya, Liancheng Baili, and Gongzi Yan, ordering an immediate retreat.
But just as they were about to withdraw, another powerful saintly might tore through the blood-red sky.
Feng Xi appeared in midair and shouted, "You've broken the rules of the Truth Heaven Domain, and you think you can just walk away? All of you will come with me to the Truth Divine Temple to face judgment."
Liancheng Baili sneered. "So many people who aren't afraid of death. Do you think being a divine disciple of the Truth Divine Temple makes you special? Offend the Heavenly Assassination Organization, and even a god will die. Everyone, let's attack together and break out."
Liancheng Baili drew a sacred sword, and its sword aura turned into a pillar of light that shot beyond the sky.
Overwhelming saintly might erupted as he unleashed an invincible momentum, charging at Feng Xi. He planned to kill the divine disciple first, then escape.
Zhang Ruochen sighed inwardly. "Impressive. No wonder he's the master of the First and Second Death Envoys. With this assassin king's strength, there should be few opponents below the Great Saint realm."
Zhang Ruochen worried for Feng Xi, but he was powerless to intervene in a battle of this level.
Feng Xi did not attack. She didn't even mobilize her saint qi. She simply shook her head gently.
Just as Liancheng Baili was puzzled, a massive handprint pierced through the blood-red sky and landed on him, like swatting a fly, crushing him into the ground.
"Boom."
A handprint crater hundreds of meters long appeared on the earth.
Liancheng Baili lay at the bottom of the crater, covered in blood, unable to stand up.