Chapter 1747: Death of Wan Zhaoyi
Before the Xumi Dojo had been found, the group of Kunlun Realm cultivators heading to the depths of the island would not only be of no help, but would actually be a burden to Zhang Ruochen.
They seemed to understand this as well, and so, following the Divine Demon Rat, they temporarily withdrew from the illusion array.
Zhang Ruochen's gaze swept across the surroundings, and he asked, "Where is Zhen Miao?"
"It seems he has already gone alone into the depths of the island," said Shi Shenghua.
Her feet extended numerous roots that burrowed into the corpses of the Heavenly Realm Saint Kings, absorbing nutrients.
"Shang Zihong is no ordinary cultivator. Zhen Miao cannot handle him. We need to catch up quickly. Don't bother absorbing nutrients for now; after this battle is over, all the nutrients will be yours."
Zhang Ruochen executed the Great Space Teleportation, taking Xiao Hei, Shi Shenghua, and Xie Chengzi with him as they crossed the void, heading straight for the depths of the island.
...
The island was enormous. Near its central area stood a series of towering, steep peaks.
These peaks had all suffered varying degrees of damage. Some entire mountains were ablaze; others had been cleaved in two, forming steep canyons; and still others had been flattened into the ground.
A massive, radiant divine temple sat nestled among the mountains.
The leader of the Blood Battle Divine Temple, Xun Ya, along with four Four-Winged Scarlet Angels, controlled a wheel-shaped Great Saint Ancient Artifact, tearing a rift in the temple's defenses.
"As expected of the famous Blood Battle Divine Wheel, we've finally breached the temple."
"Without the protection of the temple's defensive layer, those Kunlun Realm cultivators are like fish on a chopping block, waiting to be slaughtered."
"This battle is finally coming to an end."
...
With that, the Heavenly Realm Saint Kings rushed through the rift and into the temple at top speed.
Great Saint Ancient Artifacts vary in power.
The lowest-grade ones are merely vessels used a few times by a Great Saint, imbued with their aura and capable of unleashing a very faint trace of Great Saint power.
However, the most powerful Great Saint Ancient Artifacts grow alongside the Great Saint, becoming their natal battle weapons.
Inside such a weapon, a space of its own can form, storing vast amounts of Great Saint power. The artifact spirit itself can even reach the Great Saint realm.
The Blood Battle Divine Wheel used by Xun Ya was of the latter type.
However, upon arriving in the Truth Heaven Domain, the Truth Divine Temple had sealed the artifact spirit of the Blood Battle Divine Wheel.
Even so, the Great Saint power stored within the Blood Battle Divine Wheel could still unleash incomparably mighty force. It was this very force that had torn a gap in the temple.
Xun Ya hovered in the air, holding the millstone-sized Blood Battle Divine Wheel with both hands. "The Nine Heavens Mysterious Maiden is truly formidable. Controlling this temple, she managed to withstand seventy-three strikes from the Blood Battle Divine Wheel before it was breached. For this, more than half of the Great Saint power stored in the wheel has been consumed."
Then, Xun Ya issued a decree: "Capture the Nine Heavens Mysterious Maiden alive. Do not kill her."
The moment the temple was breached, the Nine Heavens Mysterious Maiden, Luo Xu, Li Xian, Wan Zhaoyi, and others inside all spat out mouthfuls of blood, as if struck by a heavy fist, flying backward.
They had already reached their limit, holding out for as long as they could.
Watching the endless stream of Heavenly Realm Saint Kings flying into the temple, Li Xian's eyes dimmed. "What a pity. The illusion array set up by the Heavenly Realm is too powerful. We haven't even found the real Xumi Dojo, and we're already surrounded and trapped here."
The Nine Heavens Mysterious Maiden slowly propped herself up. "Using the Siming Compass, I can calculate the location of the Xumi Dojo. We should be very close to the real one. Unfortunately, Shang Zihong is meticulous in his actions. He deployed a quarter of the Saint Kings, giving us no chance to turn the tide."
"Before attacking the Xumi Dojo, didn't we all know this battle would be a fight for survival with a slim chance of success? Since we couldn't seize that slim chance, we can only fight to our last breath, killing as many as we can."
Wan Zhaoyi suddenly stood up. From within his Great Saint Ancient Artifact, the Azure Dragon Treasure Armor, a dragon's roar echoed. A cyan dragon shadow burst from his back and coiled around his body.
Then, Wan Zhaoyi took out the Heavenly Mandate Talisman and strode forward to meet the overwhelming tide of Heavenly Realm Saint Kings, a heroic, death-defying spirit about him.
Back then, to stop the Azure Heaven Blood Emperor from releasing the Nether King, Wan Zhaoyi, who hadn't even reached the Saint King realm, used the Heavenly Mandate Talisman, sacrificing half his Saint Blood and a hundred years of his lifespan to clash three times with the Azure Heaven Blood Emperor.
Though he ended up severely injured and near death, Wan Zhaoyi never regretted it.
No matter how powerful the opponent, he would never back down.
Now, having reached the Fourth-Step Saint King realm, there was even less reason to retreat.
Of course, Wan Zhaoyi was well aware that using the Heavenly Mandate Talisman again to unleash power far beyond his cultivation level would likely cost him his life.
So what?
He couldn't retreat. He had to face the challenge head-on.
"Burn my blood, wield the Heavenly Mandate. My fate is mine to command, not Heaven's."
Wan Zhaoyi's Saint Blood seeped from the gaps under his fingernails, flowing into the Heavenly Mandate Talisman.
Instantly, a series of earth-shaking heavenly sounds rang out from the talisman. A vast aura, comparable to the might of a Great Saint, radiated outward, crashing into the Heavenly Realm Saint Kings like tidal waves.
The Heavenly Realm Saint Kings' expressions shifted. They were stunned for a moment, all stopping in their tracks.
A burly man emerged from the temple, a cyan dragon coiled around him, a scroll of talisman hovering above his head, and his eyes blazing with dazzling cyan light. He looked like a demon god incarnate.
"Who is he?"
"How does Kunlun Realm still have such a powerful expert? The aura he's releasing is terrifying."
"Maybe it's just a strong aura. He could be bluffing. Let's all attack together and tear him apart."
The Heavenly Realm kings unleashed various Sacred Artifacts and Sacred Arts, turning into massive balls of light, all aimed at Wan Zhaoyi.
None of them were weak. Their combined attack had the power to destroy a small world.
"Roar!"
Wan Zhaoyi let out a skyward roar. A surge of immense Great Saint power was released from the Heavenly Mandate Talisman, empowering him.
His legs sank, and his arms spread wide. The flying Sacred Artifacts and Sacred Arts all halted, then reversed course, hurtling back toward the group of Heavenly Realm Saint Kings.
"Boom! Boom!"
Over a hundred Saint King realm experts were sent flying. Some First-Step Saint Kings even suffered severe injuries.
"Who is this man? A young war god trained by Kunlun Realm?"
"Fall back! Don't engage him! Let Lord Xun Ya use the Blood Battle Divine Wheel to suppress him!"
A Fifth-Step Saint King from the Dragon Clan roared, but the next moment, he was shocked to find Wan Zhaoyi's figure appearing before him.
"Boom!"
Wan Zhaoyi threw a punch, piercing through the Fifth-Step Saint King Dragon Clan cultivator's chest, shattering his spine, and sending Saint Blood splattering from his back.
Then, Wan Zhaoyi continued his assault, moving with the grace of a dragon and the stride of a tiger, his speed incredible. With every punch, a Saint King fell.
In just a few breaths, over a dozen Heavenly Realm Saint Kings were torn apart.
The surrounding Heavenly Realm cultivators all turned pale with fear, retreating one after another.
This man was too ferocious. His aura was like a coiled celestial dragon, his strength seemingly capable of shattering stars.
A Sixth-Step Saint King used a talisman, hurling it at Wan Zhaoyi. It unleashed a destructive force capable of killing a Seventh-Step Saint King.
Taking the hit, Wan Zhaoyi's body was covered in wounds.
But those wounds didn't bleed much Saint Blood, because half of his Saint Blood had already flowed into the Heavenly Mandate Talisman. He had no blood left to spill.
As if feeling no pain, Wan Zhaoyi charged forward, unleashing the eleventh palm of the Dragon-Elephant Prajna Palm, striking the Sixth-Step Saint King and blasting him into a cloud of blood mist.
Watching Wan Zhaoyi wreak havoc, the Kunlun Realm cultivators inside the temple were all stirred, their blood boiling.
"As expected of the top-ranked Wan Zhaoyi of the Central Domain's Nine Provinces on the 'Heroes' Ode,' dominating an era. Truly, his combat power is boundless."
"Let the Heavenly Realm cultivators look down on us. Now they know that Kunlun Realm also has heroes who slaughter them like pigs and dogs."
...
Only the Nine Heavens Mysterious Maiden showed no joy on her face. Instead, there was a sense of sorrow.
Because she knew that the last time Wan Zhaoyi had consumed half his Saint Blood and a great deal of his lifespan to fight the Azure Heaven Blood Emperor, he had survived. But the Empress had warned him that if he did it again, it would be the moment of his death.
In other words, every punch Wan Zhaoyi threw now was costing him a great deal of his life.
He was trading life for life.
The Nine Heavens Mysterious Maiden did not stop him, because it was his choice, and she couldn't stop him even if she tried. A proud man like Wan Zhaoyi would rather choose to fight until his last drop of blood and his last breath than fall into the hands of the Heavenly Realm and die a coward's death.
"Zhang Ruochen, why haven't you come yet?"
The Nine Heavens Mysterious Maiden believed that Zhang Ruochen would surely come. He was Kunlun Realm's last lifeline.
If Zhang Ruochen didn't make it, she might have to follow the same path as Wan Zhaoyi, using forbidden secret arts and dying here.
Shang Zihong stood with his hands behind his back, hovering above the temple, watching Wan Zhaoyi's massacre. He nodded in approval. "This man has some of the heroic spirit of Kunlun Realm's ancient sages. Fortunately, he hasn't fully grown yet, or we would have another great enemy."
"A glorious sunset, but it's near dusk. Just a final blaze of glory. He's already a dead man, held up only by an unyielding will and powerful battle intent. I'll send him on his way."
Xun Ya, holding the Blood Battle Divine Wheel, charged into the temple. With one arm, he swung the millstone-sized blood-colored wheel, unleashing violent Great Saint power, and smashed it toward Wan Zhaoyi.
Beneath Wan Zhaoyi's feet lay the dismembered limbs and bodies of dozens of Heavenly Realm Saint Kings, all killed by his fists and palms.
Sensing the ferocious Great Saint power, Wan Zhaoyi looked up.
Beneath his disheveled, blood-soaked hair, Wan Zhaoyi revealed a gaunt, skeletal face, a far cry from the heroic, war-god-like figure he had been. If one looked closely, they would notice his hair had turned white, but it was stained red with blood, making it hard to see.
"Come on! Fight!"
Wan Zhaoyi knew he was nearing the end of his strength, but he forced himself to show a sharp, fierce gaze.
His nearly depleted battle intent flared up once more.
"Roar!"
"Boom!"
A dragon's cry came from his left arm, an elephant's roar from his right.
Wan Zhaoyi unleashed the eleventh palm of the Dragon-Elephant Prajna Palm, striking out with both palms simultaneously, colliding with the massive Blood Battle Divine Wheel.
"Boom!"
The Blood Battle Divine Wheel and Xun Ya were both sent flying backward.
Xun Ya's expression changed in shock. He immediately tried to regain control of the Blood Battle Divine Wheel, but Wan Zhaoyi pursued him, striking out palm after palm, driving Xun Ya crashing to the ground.
"Boom!"
"Boom!"
...
Wan Zhaoyi stood atop the Blood Battle Divine Wheel, pinning Xun Ya down, and continued to strike downward.
With every palm that landed, Xun Ya spat out a mouthful of blood.
After Wan Zhaoyi had delivered sixteen palms, Xun Ya's internal organs were all shattered, and the Blood Battle Divine Wheel was embedded into his flesh.
Just as Xun Ya thought he was going to die here, the ferocious Wan Zhaoyi suddenly stopped, standing motionless on the Blood Battle Divine Wheel.
He was already dead.
Only the sound of the cold wind howling remained in the air, and the white hair dripped with blood.