# Chapter 1757: All Powerhouses Battle Zihong
"That is... a space trap."
Even from more than twenty miles away, Zhang Ruochen could still feel the powerful spatial fluctuations.
Before attacking Xumi's Dao Field, Zhang Ruochen had heard that there were cultivators who practiced the Way of Time and the Way of Space studying the space inscriptions and time imprints left behind by Xumi Saint Monk within the Dao Field.
They were either from Paradise Realm or allied with Paradise Realm, naturally intending to lend Paradise Realm a hand.
Zhang Ruochen controlled the purple divine mountain, smashing it toward one direction. Thick purple energy surged forth, colliding with the sixteen divine bones that had stabilized the space.
The sixteen Saint Kings controlling the divine bones were instantly blasted away, their sacred garments shattering as they fell awkwardly to the ground.
A massive hole appeared in the space that had been stabilized by ninety-nine divine bones. Zhang Ruochen and the others rushed through it at top speed.
Although the purple divine mountain possessed boundless power, it was exceptionally heavy. Even with the help of the Yi Emperor's evil spirit supporting it, Zhang Ruochen's speed remained extremely slow, and Shang Zihong quickly caught up.
"If you want to rescue the cultivators of Kunlun Realm, you must first pass through me."
Shang Zihong grabbed the sword hilt with both hands, and the crimson sacred sword immediately emitted a blinding fiery light. Above the sword body, the clouds turned fiery red and began to spin.
The momentum caused the various Saint Kings below to tremble with fear.
"Boom."
The sacred sword slashed down, clashing once more with the purple divine mountain, creating a ring of incredibly powerful airwaves.
All the Saint Kings supporting the divine bones were sent flying.
The purple divine mountain trembled violently and fell downward, actually rushing back toward Zhang Ruochen and the Yi Emperor's evil spirit below.
"Is this Shang Zihong's true power?"
Xie Chengzi and Shi Shenghua each sent out a stream of sacred energy, striking the purple divine mountain. Combining their four powerful forces, they finally managed to block Shang Zihong's attack.
Shang Zihong held the crimson sacred sword, pressing down on top of the purple divine mountain, rendering Zhang Ruochen and the others completely unable to move.
The next moment, a third "Shang Zihong" actually walked out from within Shang Zihong's body.
This third Shang Zihong was also at peak condition, just as powerful as the other two.
"This... how can we fight?"
Shi Shenghua was dumbfounded, then let out a bitter laugh.
She had originally thought Zhang Ruochen was already monstrous enough, with no opponent who could match him in a single move at the same cultivation level.
But Shang Zihong seemed even more heaven-defying.
If all three Shang Zihongs attacked together at the same cultivation level, even if Zhang Ruochen used the power of time and space, he might not be able to win.
The third Shang Zihong flew down and appeared opposite Zhang Ruochen, saying: "I told you long ago, the trap here is deeper than you imagine. I gave you a chance to negotiate earlier, why didn't you cherish it?"
"You are indeed formidable, beyond my expectations."
Zhang Ruochen tried to remain calm, but in his heart, he felt a sense of having the will but not the strength.
Shang Zihong's strength, among cultivators of the same generation, was arguably the greatest Zhang Ruochen had ever seen in his life. Of course, the key issue was that the other party's cultivation level was far higher than his.
If Zhang Ruochen's cultivation reached the Seven-Step Saint King realm, even if there were three Shang Zihongs, they might not necessarily be his match.
"Unfortunately, there is no medicine for regret in this world."
With a booming sound, Shang Zihong stomped his right foot on the ground.
Immediately, a surge of cold energy erupted, condensing into an ice snow storm dragon that charged toward Zhang Ruochen and the others.
Before the ice snow storm dragon even arrived, a thick layer of frost had already formed on the bodies of Zhang Ruochen, Shi Shenghua, Xie Chengzi, and the Yi Emperor's evil spirit.
"Where the hell did Xiao Hei go?" Zhang Ruochen thought to himself, utterly speechless.
He usually loved to boast, but at the critical moment, he had gone missing.
"Whoosh——"
A figure flew out, blocking Zhang Ruochen and the others. A blade slashed outward, sending out overwhelming saber energy that shattered the ice snow storm dragon into pieces.
This person was an elderly Nine-Step Saint King beside the palace-dressed woman, his saber technique exuding domineering power.
Shang Zihong's gaze darkened. He turned to look behind him, fixing his eyes on the palace-dressed woman sitting on the palanquin bed, and said: "You dare to ignore my warning?"
The palace-dressed woman smiled charmingly: "I have no choice. Someone has ordered me to ensure Zhang Ruochen's life is spared, no matter what."
Six Nine-Step Saint Kings stood at six positions around the palanquin bed, each sending out a torrent of sacred energy. An ancient mirror rose up, pressing down toward Shang Zihong.
That mirror was like a blood-red sun, suspended in midair.
The blood energy surging from the mirror's surface quickly turned the entire island into a sea of blood mist.
The aura emanating from the ancient mirror was so powerful that even the cultivators of Paradise Realm and Kunlun Realm temporarily stopped and looked over in shock.
"Is that the legendary Supreme Sacred Artifact, the Blood Sea Demon Mirror?" a cultivator from Kunlun Realm exclaimed.
There were many legends about the Blood Sea Demon Mirror. Eight hundred years ago, after the Nine Emperors and Three Empresses of Kunlun Realm, the Blood Empress had held the Blood Sea Demon Mirror as she swept across the world, encountering no opponent.
Even the Green Emperor and the Ming Emperor joining forces could not contend with her.
After the Blood Empress fell, the Blood Sea Demon Mirror disappeared from Kunlun Realm.
The Nine Heavens Mysterious Maiden gazed at the ancient mirror and shook her head, saying: "It's not the real Blood Sea Demon Mirror, just an imitation. But it is still quite powerful. There is no Supreme power within the mirror, but it contains extremely strong Great Saint power."
The ancient mirror, activated by six Nine-Step Saint Kings, possessed formidable might, causing Shang Zihong's expression to become unprecedentedly grave. He took out a silver-white pagoda.
The various kings of Paradise Realm nearby all sent out sacred energy, pouring it into the silver pagoda.
The delicate little pagoda, originally only a few inches tall, transformed into a sacred pagoda hundreds of feet high, releasing Supreme power that blocked the ancient mirror.
That silver-white pagoda was called the "Ten-Thousand Refining Pagoda."
There were seven Ten-Thousand Refining Pagodas in total, and when combined, they formed a Supreme Sacred Artifact.
Of course, Shang Zihong had only obtained one Ten-Thousand Refining Pagoda, and the power it unleashed could not compare to a true Supreme Sacred Artifact.
However, with Shang Zihong and nearly a hundred Saint Kings controlling the Ten-Thousand Refining Pagoda together, dealing with the Blood Refining Demon Mirror was not difficult; in fact, they had the upper hand.
Thus, the battle became a stalemate.
Shang Zihong, standing atop the purple divine mountain, said: "Zhang Ruochen, is there any point in continuing to resist? The cultivators of Kunlun Realm are all useless; they cannot break through the space trap outside Xumi's Dao Field."
"Paradise Realm has more than one hundred and eighty Saint Kings rushing to kill them. Soon, they will be completely annihilated. After dealing with them, it will be your turn."
Zhang Ruochen knew very well that Shang Zihong was trying to break his spirit, so he smiled and said: "You underestimate the cultivators of Kunlun Realm too much. Kunlun Realm is a land of outstanding people and talented individuals. They simply haven't accumulated enough yet. Once they grow, they will surely shine with brilliant radiance."
Shang Zihong said: "Then open your eyes wide and watch as they are killed one by one. Kunlun Realm has declined after all; it cannot return to its former glory."
...
...
"Shang Zihong's strength is truly terrifying. He is actually fighting three factions simultaneously. If he cultivates to the Nine-Step Saint King realm, who under the Great Saints could still fight him?"
Many cultivators of Kunlun Realm felt a chill in their hearts, having never seen such a fearsome enemy.
Luo Xu, the Nine Heavens Mysterious Maiden, Li Xian, and the others, however, had no mind to watch the battle. They were racking their brains for a solution.
With a space trap blocking their path ahead and a large number of Saint King realm pursuers behind, they were caught between a rock and a hard place.
"Use the Realm Son Seal to stabilize the space."
Bei Gong Lan, one of the nine Realm Sons, took out the Realm Son Seal and held it in her palm.
The Realm Son Seal was a supreme treasure refined by Empress Chi Yao from countless heavenly materials and earthly treasures. Inside it was a nascent world.
The Realm Son Seal would grow stronger as the Realm Sons continued to cultivate, absorbing the sacred dao rules they cultivated, eventually becoming a Supreme Sacred Artifact, with even a slight possibility of becoming a Divine Artifact.
The nine Realm Son Seals were the nine escape routes Empress Chi Yao had left for Kunlun Realm.
Such a mysterious and precious treasure naturally had the power to stabilize space.
The Standing Monk stopped Bei Gong Lan. His pupils turned golden as he stared ahead and said: "Wait. There are not only space inscriptions here but also time imprints. It should be a formation set up by disciples of the Time Divine Temple."
The Standing Monk had refined the Buddha Emperor's golden body and possessed a Great Saint-level sacred body. Naturally, his eyes were also Great Saint eyes.
By circulating Buddhist energy into his eyes and activating the Great Saint rule patterns within his pupils, he could see the time imprints.
"Zhang Ruochen and the others are fighting desperately against Shang Zihong. We absolutely cannot hold them back. Even if there is a time formation ahead, we can only charge forward; we must not retreat," Luo Xu said solemnly.
"Perhaps I can try."
Xue Wuye stepped forward, spreading both hands. A time imprint appeared in one hand, and a space imprint appeared in the other.
These two imprints were bestowed upon him by Xumi Saint Monk.
As Xue Wuye cultivated to the Saint King realm, the power unleashed by the two imprints grew stronger and stronger.
After a while.
A series of explosions came from the direction of Xumi's Dao Field. The space traps and time imprints on the periphery of the Dao Field were all broken. Xue Wuye exhausted all his sacred energy and collapsed to the ground with a thud.
Seeing the cultivators of Kunlun Realm pouring into Xumi's Dao Field, the expressions of all three Shang Zihongs changed slightly.
Taking advantage of Shang Zihong's momentary distraction, Zhang Ruochen withdrew the purple divine mountain, turning it into a purple stone that he held in his hand.
Before Shang Zihong's crimson sacred sword could slash down, Zhang Ruochen took Shi Shenghua, Xie Chengzi, and the Yi Emperor's evil spirit and teleported across space, appearing above the Five-Colored Merit Stele. At the same time, they attacked another Shang Zihong.
"Rumble."
That Shang Zihong snorted coldly, spreading his arms. A ring of scorching flames flew out, sending Zhang Ruochen, Xie Chengzi, the Yi Emperor's evil spirit, and Shi Shenghua all flying backward.
Seizing this opportunity, the True Wonder Little Daoist used the Purple Gold Bagua Mirror to blast away the Five-Colored Merit Stele, breaking free and regrouping with Zhang Ruochen and the others.
"Let's go."
Without a moment's pause, Zhang Ruochen executed the Great Space Teleportation, vanishing from the spot with them.
When they reappeared, they were already standing outside Xumi's Dao Field.
Zhang Ruochen turned back to look and saw that the palace-dressed woman had taken back the ancient mirror and was flying alone toward the horizon, disappearing into the night.
Only the six Nine-Step Saint Kings remained, still holding Shang Zihong at bay.
"Who is she? Why did she help me? And why do those Nine-Step Saint King realm experts obey her commands?"