Chapter 1758: A Single Lotus
Not only had the Xumi Dao Field been breached, but Zhang Ruochen had also escaped. Shang Zihong's fury erupted completely, and he slaughtered all six Nine-Step Saint Kings in one fell swoop.
Immediately afterward, the three figures merged into one.
It was utterly shocking!
Silence fell over the island. Not only the cultivators of the Kunlun Realm, but even the Saint Kings of the Paradise Realm held their breath, gazing at Shang Zihong as if looking up at a heavenly god.
A Nine-Step Saint King was a being standing at the pinnacle below the Great Saint realm, yet the six of them together had only exchanged a few dozen moves with Shang Zihong.
"The technique Shang Zihong cultivates should be the 'Three Corpses Refining the Dao' from the 'Taiyi Divine Technique Ranking.' That 'Three Corpses Refining the Dao' is one of the most difficult techniques in the universe to cultivate, with only a handful of cultivators ever succeeding. Shang Zihong's comprehension and talent are truly extraordinary," Zhang Ruochen thought to himself.
Shang Zihong, holding a blood-drenched sacred sword and riding a three-colored auspicious cloud, crossed over twenty miles in an instant, appearing outside the Dao Field and locking eyes with Zhang Ruochen ahead.
That speed was not much slower than Zhang Ruochen's Great Space Teleportation.
Soon after, the kings of the Paradise Realm gathered around, some standing on the ground, others flying in the sky, all radiating murderous intent. There were still three to four hundred of them.
Zhang Ruochen said, "In the Truth Heaven Domain, most cultivators only know that Wang Xu cultivates the Path of Flowing Light. But very few know that your mastery of the Path of Flowing Light far surpasses Wang Xu's. Impressive, truly impressive."
The Path of Flowing Light was the fastest among the speed-type sacred paths. When cultivated to its peak, a cultivator could potentially reach the speed of light, or even surpass it. It was a sacred path that was not much weaker than the Eternal Paths.
Shang Zihong said, "The Path of Flowing Light is just one of the three sacred paths I primarily cultivate."
Zhang Ruochen nodded. He had already noticed that Shang Zihong did not cultivate just one sacred path; he also cultivated a flame-attribute sacred path and an ice-attribute sacred path, both of which were supreme sacred paths.
He was, in Zhang Ruochen's experience, the first cultivator to primarily cultivate multiple sacred paths.
However, the three sacred paths Zhang Ruochen primarily cultivated were the Way of Time, the Way of Space, and the Sword Dao. Whether in terms of future growth potential or the power of the sacred paths themselves, they were all superior to Shang Zihong's.
Zhang Ruochen said, "The Xumi Dao Field has already been breached, and soon the Equality of All Beings will activate. Even if you still hold an absolute advantage, the upcoming battle will likely make your losses even more severe. Shang Zihong, let's call it a day here. You should retreat."
"Call it a day?"
Shang Zihong shook his head.
Today, the Paradise Realm's losses were severe, more than ten times those of the Kunlun Realm. Moreover, more than half of the Paradise Realm's Saint Kings were still trapped inside the divine hall. How could Shang Zihong possibly stop here?
He couldn't afford to lose face, and neither could the Paradise Realm.
Shang Zihong said, "Do you think the Xumi Dao Field only has space traps and time formations? There are over twenty time cultivators and space cultivators within the Dao Field. As the Heir of Time and Space, you should understand how powerful the forces of time and space are. With their methods, any Kunlun Realm cultivator who enters will only find death."
"Are you so confident?"
Zhang Ruochen smiled slightly and added, "I admit, you never underestimate your enemies. You always use two, three, or even ten times the force to crush your opponents. But your opponent is not as weak as you imagine."
Just now, Xiao Hei had sent Zhang Ruochen a telepathic message: the time cultivators and space cultivators in the Xumi Dao Field had already become food for the three-legged corpse-eating insect.
The unreliable owl had finally done something reliable.
Seeing Zhang Ruochen so calm and composed, Shang Zihong's gaze grew heavy. He wondered, could Zhang Ruochen still have some hidden card?
"Whoosh!"
Within the Xumi Dao Field, the massive Buddha statue radiated dazzling golden light.
A vast, ethereal sound of Buddhist chanting descended from the nine heavens, purifying the fierce killing intent on the island. As if influenced by some mysterious force, the battle intent of all the cultivators present grew weaker and weaker.
"The Kunlun Realm cultivators have activated the Equality of All Beings."
"How is this possible? We set up so many lethal measures, and in the end, it all came to nothing?"
...
The kings of the Paradise Realm were all furious.
All their hatred was directed at Zhang Ruochen. If not for him, the Kunlun Realm cultivators would have been completely annihilated, and they would have obtained a large number of precious cultivation techniques and high-rank sacred arts.
Even with all his composure, Shang Zihong's eyes turned icy cold.
Even though the situation had deteriorated to this point, Shang Zihong was unwilling to retreat. He wanted to step into the Xumi Dao Field, kill Zhang Ruochen, and destroy the Kunlun Realm.
But the Paradise Realm Saint Kings behind him had lost their fighting spirit.
Today, the Paradise Realm had suffered an unprecedented setback. Although they still held an absolute advantage, their morale was shattered. In contrast, the Kunlun Realm cultivators all wore expressions of readiness to die, clearly prepared to fight to the death to protect the Xumi Dao Field.
Now, Shang Zihong was caught in a dilemma.
He could neither attack nor retreat.
Zhang Ruochen retreated into the Xumi Dao Field and stood beneath an ancient temple. Immediately, he felt an overwhelming pressure surge down, suppressing his cultivation to the Saint realm.
Suddenly, Zhang Ruochen noticed that the green lotus seed in his bosom had become scorching hot and was trembling violently.
At the same time, the calm lake water began to churn, rising higher and higher. The water gradually turned milky white, like liquid jade essence.
"Whoosh—"
The green lotus seed flew out of Zhang Ruochen's bosom.
"Come back."
Zhang Ruochen used Space Capture, reaching out to grab it from a distance.
But the green lotus seed erupted with a powerful force, shaking off the space, and continued flying toward the massive Buddha statue at the center of the Dao Field, landing on its forehead.
A Six-Step Saint King standing behind Shang Zihong said in a low voice, "Young Master Zihong, it seems a major change is happening inside the Xumi Dao Field. Should we take this opportunity to attack?"
"Don't act rashly. Zhang Ruochen is not easy to deal with. Be careful—this might all be his trap. Stay outside. I'll go see what Zhang Ruochen is up to."
"Young Master, going in alone?"
"Don't worry. If I want to leave, no one can stop me."
Shang Zihong burst into extreme speed, like a beam of three-colored light, charging into the Xumi Dao Field.
Inside the Dao Field, the Kunlun Realm cultivators all changed expression and hurriedly activated their sacred artifacts.
Earlier, Shang Zihong had crossed two cultivation levels and killed eight Nine-Step Saint Kings in a row—a brilliant feat still fresh in everyone's minds.
Now, with everyone at the same cultivation level, how terrifying would Shang Zihong become?
Chi Kunlun, his injuries healed and his spirit full, grabbed his sacred sword and declared, "I'll fight him."
"Brother, I'll go too."
Chi Kongle knew how fearsome Shang Zihong was and prepared to join forces with Chi Kunlun.
Luo Xu, the Nine Heavens Mysterious Maiden, the Standing Monk, and Princess Bai Li all understood Shang Zihong's power better than Chi Kunlun and Chi Kongle. In the Dao Field, anyone facing Shang Zihong alone would surely die.
But they were no weaklings. If they attacked together, even Shang Zihong would have to retreat.
Just then, they saw a figure wreathed in flames intercept Shang Zihong.
"It's Zhang Ruochen."
"Damn it, Zhang Ruochen is definitely no match for Shang Zihong. Everyone, hurry over and help Zhang Ruochen."
...
Just as the Kunlun Realm cultivators were about to swarm forward, Luo Xu stopped them. "Everyone, don't act recklessly. A large number of Paradise Realm experts are still outside the Dao Field, ready to attack at any moment. Zhang Ruochen is not that weak. At the same cultivation level, he might be able to fight Shang Zihong."
"Everyone, stay and guard the Dao Field. Follow Luo Xu's orders. I'll go help Zhang Ruochen." The Nine Heavens Mysterious Maiden grabbed the Sky-Burning Sword and rushed out.
"I'll go too."
Qing Xiao, his injuries healed, followed the Nine Heavens Mysterious Maiden.
Before the Nine Heavens Mysterious Maiden and Qing Xiao could reach the battlefield, they saw a blinding burst of fire surge forth, carrying a terrifying energy storm that swept toward them.
The Nine Heavens Mysterious Maiden quickly raised the Confucian Ancestor Sacred Book to protect herself and Qing Xiao, her phoenix-like eyes gazing forward.
At the center of the flames, Zhang Ruochen stood in a bow stance, activating the power of the Flame God Armor's fist gloves, clashing with the crimson sacred sword swung by Shang Zihong.
The two stalemated for a moment before both explosively retreated.
Shang Zihong retreated all the way outside the Dao Field before neutralizing the powerful force and steadying himself.
Zhang Ruochen retreated to the front of the Nine Heavens Mysterious Maiden and Qing Xiao, using the power of the Confucian Ancestor Sacred Book to slowly come to a stop. In front of him were deep footprints.
This clash was evenly matched.
However, Shang Zihong had not split into three, and Zhang Ruochen had not used the powers of time and space.
The cultivators of both the Paradise Realm and the Kunlun Realm were stunned. They had not expected that Shang Zihong, who had been unstoppable while crossing cultivation levels earlier, would be pushed back by Zhang Ruochen at the same level.
"Young Master Zihong has finally met his match."
"Zhang Ruochen is this powerful? It seems retaking the Xumi Dao Field today is no longer possible."
Suddenly, the green lotus seed embedded in the Buddha statue's forehead released a dazzling green light that illuminated heaven and earth. A vast amount of life energy surged into the statue and, through it, into the ground.
The white lake surface sprouted patches of emerald-green lotus leaves.
The island, scorched black by the battle, grew red flowers and green grass, becoming vibrant with life.
From the soil beneath the Buddha statue, countless silver roots emerged, spreading upward and converging at the top. From the tips of the roots, a large number of jade-like lotus leaves grew, glowing with green light.
"Sizzle."
At the center of the leaves, a pure white lotus slowly bloomed.
The lotus, like a divine lamp, emitted light that turned the night into day. The light extended outward, and before long, the land for ten thousand miles was illuminated.
All the cultivators present were stunned.
Zhang Ruochen was the first to react. He used Space Teleportation, appearing atop the Buddha statue's head, and grabbed the lotus. If his guess was correct, this lotus should be the supreme treasure left behind by Xumi Saint Monk.
But the moment his hand touched the lotus, his expression changed.