# Chapter 1809: Xuan Ancient Ore Vein
The sky was filled with twinkling starlight, while rosy clouds rose from the ground. In midair, streams of Heaven and Earth sacred energy flowed.
Nine dragons pulled a golden ancient chariot as they flew beneath the starry sky, emitting a sacred aura that shook the heart.
Inside the dragon carriage, Zhang Ruochen had refined the Tulip Demon Incense, achieving a major breakthrough in his spiritual power, reaching the fifty-eighth rank that countless spiritual power cultivators dreamed of.
A cultivator with fifty-eighth rank spiritual power was comparable in combat to a seven-step Saint King, or even an eight-step Saint King, among sacred path cultivators.
Zhang Ruochen sensed the tremendous change in his Sacred Heart. It felt as if it had transformed into a small universe, infinitely vast. He spread open his palm, and instantly, the sacred energy and spiritual energy of Heaven and Earth flew over on their own, condensing in his palm into lightning, transforming into flames, wind blades, and ice crystals.
With a thought, the surrounding Heaven and Earth became turbulent, and dark clouds covered the starry sky.
Zhang Ruochen cupped his hands toward Ji Fanxin and said, "Thank you, Fairy."
"No need to be polite. That Tulip Demon Incense was useless to me anyway."
Ji Fanxin held a crystal-clear flower in both hands as she cultivated, comprehending the rule patterns on the flower.
It was no ordinary flower, but a Rule Imperial Artifact.
Qi Sheng and Ying Huo sat in the dragon carriage, occasionally glancing at Ji Fanxin, trying to guess her identity.
Ying Huo used spiritual power to communicate with Qi Sheng: "Could her strength be greater than Zhang Ruochen's? If so, even if we lure Zhang Ruochen to Qi Xiaotian and Shi Kai, we won't be able to trap and kill him."
Qi Sheng replied, "If she really is that strong, we can use her hand to eliminate Qi Xiaotian and Shi Kai. Of course, it would be best if they both suffer heavy losses, giving us a chance to escape."
In truth, compared to Zhang Ruochen, Qi Sheng wanted to eliminate Qi Xiaotian even more.
Ji Fanxin opened her eyes and looked toward them.
Ying Huo and Qi Sheng were both startled, thinking to themselves, Can this woman hear our spiritual power communication?
Ji Fanxin said, "Zhang Ruochen, sealing their spiritual power might be safer."
Zhang Ruochen guessed that Ying Huo and Qi Sheng had been communicating using spiritual power.
But he hadn't learned any methods to seal spiritual power, which was somewhat troublesome.
"Spiritual power isn't that easy to seal, is it?" Zhang Ruochen said.
"Alright, I'll teach you a technique called the Prison Heart Finger. Watch carefully."
Ji Fanxin's fingers moved like lightning shadows, with strands of spiritual power flowing over her fingertips before condensing into a finger force that shot out, striking Ying Huo's heart.
Ying Huo let out a muffled groan, and his spirit became much more sluggish.
"Did you see clearly?" Ji Fanxin asked.
Zhang Ruochen nodded, then formed a Prison Heart Finger and struck Qi Sheng's heart.
With his spiritual power enhanced, Zhang Ruochen learned everything quickly.
In the past, with techniques like the "Prison Heart Finger," he would have needed at least several hours of study to comprehend. But now, he could master it instantly.
From now on, Zhang Ruochen's speed in comprehending sacred dao rules would also increase dramatically.
The Golden Step Dragon Carriage flew through the Xuanhuang Region for three hours. The Heaven and Earth Dual Pole Compass in Zhang Ruochen's hand emitted a layer of light. As the light grew brighter, a majestic ancient mountain appeared ahead.
The Golden Step Dragon Carriage dove downward, stopping on the plain at the foot of the mountain.
Zhang Ruochen held the Heaven and Earth Dual Pole Compass as he stepped out of the carriage. Looking up at the ancient mountain, which rose with five-colored rosy clouds, his heart stirred with excitement. "That Xuan Ancient Ore Vein should be beneath this ancient mountain."
"This ore vein was already mined by people long ago," Ji Fanxin said.
Zhang Ruochen carefully observed the ancient mountain and noticed some ancient patterns on its surface.
Although many patterns had become blurred due to the passage of time, judging by their profound level, dangers still existed within the ancient mountain. Any ordinary cultivator who intruded would surely meet their death.
On the northern side of the ancient mountain, Zhang Ruochen discovered a mine pit.
The five-colored rosy clouds shooting into the sky emanated from this mine pit, making the sacred energy concentration in the surrounding area far exceed other places.
Arriving here, the light emitted by the Heaven and Earth Dual Pole Compass reached its peak, illuminating most of the ancient mountain.
"Excellent! The Heaven and Earth Dual Pole Compass is shining so brightly, indicating that there must be a heavy treasure underground. Could we really dig up some divine stone?"
Zhang Ruochen rushed toward the mine pit. Suddenly, the light of the Heaven and Earth Dual Pole Compass dimmed.
"Brightness is auspicious, darkness is ominous. Not good, danger."
Zhang Ruochen put away the Heaven and Earth Dual Pole Compass, burst into extreme speed, and retreated backward.
From the mine pit, a piece of black metallic ore the size of a house shot out like a beam of light, carrying a piercing wind sound.
If Zhang Ruochen hadn't dodged quickly, the metallic ore would have struck him. Even with his powerful physical body, such a hit would likely have left him slightly injured.
"Boom."
The black metallic ore flew a hundred miles before crashing to the ground, creating a pit a hundred zhang in diameter.
Zhang Ruochen sensed Shi Kai's aura and immediately activated his Text Armor, covering his entire body. At the same time, the Fire God Fist Sleeves and arm guards on his arms released flames.
"Clatter."
The stones around the mine pit were controlled by an invisible force, lifting off the ground and condensing into a giant stone blade, which slashed down at Zhang Ruochen.
The stone blade was several hundred zhang long.
Zhang Ruochen wanted to test the power he had gained after breaking through to the six-step Saint King realm, so he didn't dodge. Instead, he formed a palm seal and struck upward.
"Boom."
A powerful sacred force erupted, causing the entire ancient mountain to be covered in dust.
Outside the mountain, Ying Huo quickly said to Ji Fanxin, "Zhang Ruochen must have encountered Shi Kai. With his current cultivation, he's no match for Shi Kai. Fairy, you should go help Zhang Ruochen."
Ji Fanxin showed no intention of acting. "As long as Shi Kai hasn't broken through to the nine-step Saint King realm, he may not necessarily be Zhang Ruochen's match."
"Although Shi Kai isn't a nine-step Saint King, he has the strength to contend with one. Doesn't the Fairy know that the Stone Clan is one of the Upper Three Clans of Hell?" Qi Sheng said.
Ji Fanxin remained calm and composed. "So what if they're one of the Upper Three Clans? Unless it's one of those Stone Clan members with a Dark Matter Body, with Zhang Ruochen's strength, crossing two realms to defeat a Stone Clan Saint King isn't difficult."
Clearly, even against someone of Shi Kai's caliber, Ji Fanxin was still full of confidence in Zhang Ruochen.
But in Qi Sheng and Ying Huo's eyes, this woman was blindly trusting Zhang Ruochen, and he would probably end up dying at Shi Kai's hands.
The flames emanating from Zhang Ruochen's palm melted the several-hundred-zhang-long stone blade into magma.
Drops of liquid fell, turning a large section of the mountain red.
"Cripple, it's only been a few days, and your cultivation has increased this much."
Shi Kai walked out of the mine pit, looking down at Zhang Ruochen outside.
"What a powerful aura. It seems your injuries have fully healed," Zhang Ruochen said.
"Since you know my injuries are healed, why aren't you running for your life?" Shi Kai said.
Zhang Ruochen shook his head. "This Xuan Ancient Ore Vein is within my territory. I'm here to clean out intruders. Why should I run?"
"Your territory?" Shi Kai said.
Zhang Ruochen said, "That's right. From now on, the entire Xuanhuang Region is my territory."
"You really don't know your place. Since you want to die, I'll grant your wish."
Shi Kai struck out with a palm. Over fifty thousand palm dao rules interwove on his hand, and the palm wind spread from the mine pit to five hundred li away, sharper than a gale.
This was a palm strike from an eight-step Saint King, its power truly astonishing.
Knowing that Shi Kai's mastery of the palm dao surpassed his own, Zhang Ruochen didn't dare underestimate him. He formed palm seals with both hands, gathering all his strength, and clashed with Shi Kai's palm.
The Fire God Fist Sleeves released a divine power, turning into a cloud of fire.
"Boom."
Zhang Ruochen was sent flying backward, landing on the plain dozens of li away. His body continued to slide backward, carving out a hundred-meter-long trench.
Shi Kai didn't give Zhang Ruochen a chance to regain his footing. He rushed out of the mine pit and immediately struck a second time.
This strike was even more powerful.
"Dragon-Elephant Divine Furnace."
Zhang Ruochen's body transformed into a divine furnace, emitting yang energy over one hundred thousand times that of an ordinary person. Thirteen dragon souls appeared on his left hand, and thirteen elephant souls appeared on his right hand.
He clashed with Shi Kai once again.
"Boom."
The ground beneath Zhang Ruochen's feet instantly collapsed.
With this palm strike, Shi Kai drove Zhang Ruochen deep into the earth.
However, Zhang Ruochen soon burst out from the ground again. Aside from looking disheveled, he hadn't suffered any serious injuries.
Shi Kai was quite surprised. "Impressive, cripple. At just the six-step Saint King realm, you can withstand two of my palm strikes. Even the top geniuses of the Stone Clan aren't much stronger than you. If the Heavenly Court has a prodigy like you, I should have heard your name by now."
"Why so much nonsense? If you have any more tricks, bring them out. If not, it's my turn to attack." Zhang Ruochen's long hair was disheveled, and his aura was sharp.
"Hmph, quite the big talk."
Shi Kai finally regarded Zhang Ruochen as a worthy opponent. He no longer treated the fight casually and prepared to go all out. His body curled up, transforming into a massive stone ball that hovered in midair, spinning rapidly.
All the grass and broken stones on the plain were sucked up, spinning rapidly around the stone ball.
The stone ball shot forward, crashing toward Zhang Ruochen.
Zhang Ruochen stared at the approaching stone ball as he slowly raised his arms. Over twenty thousand truth rules and numerous palm dao rules converged on his arms.
"Is Zhang Ruochen actually going to take this attack head-on?"
Ying Huo's beautiful eyes widened, thinking Zhang Ruochen was seeking death.
How could a six-step Saint King withstand a full-power attack from Shi Kai?
"Boom."
Mobilizing his truth rules, Zhang Ruochen unleashed a sixfold attack power and clashed with the stone ball, sending it flying back toward the ancient mountain, crashing into a cliff face.
The Xuan Ancient inscriptions within the mountain were activated, and hundreds of bolts of lightning descended from the sky, turning that cliff area into a sea of lightning.
"Shi Kai... was sent flying by Zhang Ruochen..."
Qi Sheng and Ying Huo were both stunned, feeling a chill run through their bodies. They had truly underestimated Zhang Ruochen before.