Chapter 1813: Shura
Zhu Xia patted the cloth bag in his hand, letting out a cold, sharp laugh: "It's useless. This bag is refined from the skin of the Green Great Saint and inscribed with the residual patterns of an ancient ninth-rank formation. Any attack you launch against it will rebound onto yourself. Stop trying to resist and obediently become my blood slave."
Zhu Xia was highly confident in his Eight Trigram Array Robe. It was a peculiar treasure he quite cherished, having used it to capture and kill countless powerful enemies.
"Rustle."
Suddenly, the cloth bag swelled up, growing larger and larger until it soon reached the size of a house.
Then, it became as massive as a mountain...
Zhu Xia's old eyes, narrowed into slits, snapped wide open. He quickly channeled his spiritual power into it, activating the formation inscriptions on the Eight Trigram Array Robe.
"How has that cripple grown so enormous? Could his true form be not human, but some savage primordial beast?"
Though startled, Zhu Xia remained confident in the Eight Trigram Array Robe. After all, when the Green Great Saint was alive, his body stood three thousand zhang tall. He could drink an entire river dry in one gulp and crush a towering mountain with a single stomp.
Gradually, the cloth bag expanded tenfold again, taking on a gourd-like shape. The surrounding mountains seemed like mere mounds in comparison.
Hundreds of miles away, the Simpleton and the Butcher wore stunned expressions. They had initially planned to rush over and help when they saw the Cripple being sucked into the bag. Now, they halted, exchanging bewildered glances.
"What a huge... gourd..." the Simpleton marveled.
As the bag swelled to its limit, it finally burst the Eight Trigram Array Robe. A deafening explosion rang out, sending powerful gusts of air in all directions.
A gourd hovered in midair.
Lightning bolts crackled across its surface.
The surrounding area, influenced by a strange force, became shrouded in mist and layered clouds, even bringing a light drizzle.
The object that had torn through the Eight Trigram Array Robe was none other than the Water Star Gourd.
The Water Star Gourd grew on the Water Star Vine, which itself coiled around the ancient water spirit root of the Kunlun Realm, the "Plantain Divine Tree." Each Water Star Gourd's true body was as massive as a star.
In fact, the Water Star Gourd was a naturally born supreme treasure. If fully activated, it could reach several thousand li in diameter. Rolling just once across the land, it could crush billions of living beings.
However, Zhang Ruochen had yet to fully master the power to control the Water Star Gourd.
Just as Zhu Xia was momentarily stunned, Zhang Ruochen appeared behind him. With a single sword strike, he pierced through Zhu Xia's Sacred Heart, and the sword's force shattered the Sacred Soul within.
Whether a formation master or a spiritual power cultivator, their greatest weakness was their fragile physical body.
"Ah... I... refuse to accept..."
Struck by Zhang Ruochen's sword, Zhu Xia fell backward, plummeting to the ground.
"Thud."
His body hit the earth, turning into a bloody pulp.
Zhang Ruochen flew down beside the mangled corpse, extracting a wisp of its Sacred Soul and storing it away.
After all, Zhu Xia was a notable figure in the Undying Blood Clan. Killing him would earn a considerable amount of merit points.
With those merit points, he could exchange them for merit treasures at a merit station. Such treasures could enhance cultivation and spiritual power, improve a cultivator's physique, boost wisdom, and more—their uses were endless.
"Retract."
Zhang Ruochen reached out with his palm, pulling the Water Star Gourd back through the air. He praised, "What a fine treasure. Once my spiritual power breaks through to the fifty-ninth rank and my mastery of the Way of Space and Way of Time deepens, I'll refine you into a time-space treasure."
Zhu Xia's mount, the "Three-Headed Golden Bat," circled overhead, glaring down at Zhang Ruochen with all three pairs of eyes blazing with ferocity. It let out a strange cry, forming golden ripples that shattered the clouds for ten thousand li around.
"Not good..."
Caught off guard, Zhang Ruochen was struck by the sound waves. A splitting headache hit him, his vision darkened, and his body swayed. Who would have thought a mere mount could possess such formidable strength?
The Three-Headed Golden Bat's cultivation had reached the Nine-Step Saint King realm. Its cry could directly attack a cultivator's Sacred Soul, making it an incredibly fearsome creature.
Not just Zhang Ruochen, but even Qi Sheng and Ying Huo, who had fled a thousand li away, collapsed to the ground, clutching their heads in agonized screams.
The Simpleton and the Butcher, being far enough away and possessing deep cultivation, were less affected.
"No wonder Zhu Xia's danger rating on the 'Hell Stone Clan Ten Thousand Evils Record' reached level five. The beast he raised is this terrifying."
The Butcher chuckled grimly, pulling the large cleaver from his back. He swung his arm like a windmill.
"Whoosh"
The cleaver flew hundreds of miles, slicing down with a wet thud, severing one of the Three-Headed Golden Bat's heads.
Enraged by the pain, the bat grew more frenzied and dove toward the ground.
Sharp claws lined the edges of its golden leathery wings, gleaming coldly like blades, as it tore toward Zhang Ruochen. The claws ignited as they cut through the air.
This strike was equivalent to a full-power blow from a Nine-Step Saint King.
At this critical moment, a massive black shadow charged forward, blocking Zhang Ruochen. It struck out with a bone handprint, sending the Three-Headed Golden Bat flying and crashing into the ground, kicking up dirt.
The shadow was the skeletal form of the Yi Emperor Bone Staff.
The black skeleton pounced, pinning the bat down and devouring it, sucking its Sacred Soul into its mouth.
Deprived of its Sacred Soul, the bat convulsed twice before growing cold.
Gradually, the pain in his mind faded, and Zhang Ruochen recovered.
"That was close. Thank goodness the Chaos Time-Space Lotus strengthened my Sacred Soul, or it would have shattered."
Zhang Ruochen swallowed a pill to heal his Sacred Soul before walking over to the Three-Headed Golden Bat to extract a drop of its Sacred Blood.
"This Three-Headed Golden Bat should belong to the Hell Shura Clan, right?" Zhang Ruochen mused, stroking his chin.
A melodious female voice came from the clouds: "Correct, it is indeed a Shura."
Three figures descended from the sky, landing before Zhang Ruochen.
Zhang Ruochen recognized them all: the Heavenly Beginning Celestial Maiden, the Butcher, and the Simpleton.
Seeing the Butcher and Simpleton standing behind the Heavenly Beginning Celestial Maiden surprised him briefly, but he quickly understood. "So the 'Celestial Maiden' they mentioned is Luo Ji."
Meeting Luo Ji again stirred complex emotions in Zhang Ruochen.
One was a noble, peerlessly talented, and breathtakingly beautiful Celestial Maiden, the epitome of grace. The other was the fallen prince of a declining world.
They should never have crossed paths much, yet fate had bound them together.
Zhang Ruochen had thought that after giving her the Divine Spring, they would be even, able to forget each other in the vast world. But destiny toyed with them, bringing them together here.
The Butcher pulled his cleaver from the pit and laughed heartily: "Brother Cripple, you're truly impressive. The Three-Headed Golden Bat is a formidable Shura species, yet you withstood its sonic attack at the Six-Step Saint King level. Your Sacred Soul must be on par with a Nine-Step Saint King's."
Zhang Ruochen avoided looking at the Heavenly Beginning Celestial Maiden, though he felt her gaze fixed on him.
Pretending not to know her, he clasped his hands and smiled: "I must thank Brother Butcher for your timely aid."
"Heh, my slash didn't even kill it. What's there to thank? It was your skeleton that knocked it flat with one palm. By the way, what exactly is that skeleton of yours? How is it so powerful?" the Butcher asked curiously.
Before Zhang Ruochen could answer, the Heavenly Beginning Celestial Maiden said, "The Yi Emperor Bone Staff."
Zhang Ruochen finally turned to look at her. "Miss has sharp eyes. Indeed, it is the Yi Emperor Bone Staff."
"Then, you are Zhang Ruochen, the Divine Envoy of the Moon God?"
The Heavenly Beginning Celestial Maiden had been staring at him, not missing a single subtle movement.
Her gaze seemed to see right through him.
Zhang Ruochen felt uneasy. Could she have recognized me? Impossible. No matter how keen her eyesight, she shouldn't be able to see through my Formless and Featureless Thirty-Six Transformations.
Zhang Ruochen didn't answer her, merely offering a faint smile as he walked toward the black skeleton, retracting it into his hand, where it transformed back into a bone staff.
Sensing the tension, the Butcher's eyes darted, and he let out a chuckle: "So Brother Cripple is the famous Heir of Time and Space, Zhang Ruochen. I've heard you took down the Black Heart Demon Lord's divine doppelganger. Impressive, impressive. I forgot to introduce you—this is the Celestial Maiden I mentioned before, one of the nine fairies on the 'Nine Beauties Immortal Painting,' the Heavenly Beginning Celestial Maiden."
The atmosphere remained awkward, with both Zhang Ruochen and the Heavenly Beginning Celestial Maiden silent.
The Butcher was baffled. Normally, any male cultivator meeting the Heavenly Beginning Celestial Maiden would be thrilled, rushing to flatter and chat, or at least offer admiring glances and praise.
But Zhang Ruochen showed no reaction. Was he even a man?
Clearing his throat, the Butcher added, "To be honest, the Simpleton and I are both cultivators from the Heavenly Beginning Civilization."
Zhang Ruochen said, "I've heard that the Heavenly Beginning Civilization borders the Hell Shura Clan and is constantly at war. Brother Butcher must know a lot about the Shura Clan, right?"
"Of course."
The Butcher spoke freely: "Among the lower three clans of the Hell Realm, the Undying Blood Clan absorbs the blood of living beings to rapidly advance their cultivation. The Rakshasa Clan devours flesh and blood to speed up their progress. As for the Shura Clan, they absorb battle intent and battle qi to elevate their cultivation realm."
"In other words, for the lower three clans to grow stronger, they must keep killing and destroying."
"The Undying Blood Clan and Rakshasa Clan are true races, but the Shura Clan encompasses all kinds of beings, many of whom have ascended or smuggled themselves into the Shura Star Pillar Realm from other worlds."
"Any creature that loves killing, destruction, and battle can transform into a Shura. Of course, they must undergo the baptism of the Shura War Soul Sea to officially become a Shura and a member of the Hell Realm."
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The side story "Red Dust Tribulation" of *Eternal God Emperor* has been published on the WeChat public account. Dear readers, hurry over to check it out!
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