Chapter 1838: Passing the Torch
“The explosive power of a Dao Domain realm expert at the moment of death is truly terrifying. Even a Supreme Sacred Artifact couldn’t suppress it.”
Thinking back to the battle with Xie Canghai, Zhang Ruochen still felt a lingering fear.
If not for the Blood-Haired Man and Chen Yuhua severely wounding Xie Canghai twice in succession, Zhang Ruochen, even wielding a Supreme Sacred Artifact, would have had to avoid his sharp edge.
Nevertheless, Xie Canghai was ultimately killed, eliminating this great enemy.
Zhang Ruochen fixed his gaze on Chen Yuhua and walked over.
Chen Yuhua was entirely shrouded in a heavy, dying aura. He no longer possessed the imposing presence of a peerless Saint King, nor the domineering, slaughterous spirit that had once shaken the Eastern Domain and swept across all directions.
He was merely a dying old man at the end of a glorious life.
“Zhang Ruochen… I knew… you would definitely return to Kunlun…”
Chen Yuhua spoke weakly, a faint smile appearing on his withered face.
Zhang Ruochen said, “Your Highness recognized me.”
As he spoke, Zhang Ruochen’s figure, appearance, and aura rapidly changed, reverting to his original form. After years of tempering, Zhang Ruochen was no longer as delicate-looking as before, and a sharp, imposing aura naturally emanated from him.
“A cultivator who can simultaneously wield the Azure Heaven Burial Tower and the power of space… besides you… who else could it be? Your arrival is good… very good… If you become the Lord of the Eastern Domain Sacred City, this old man… even in death… can rest in peace… cough, cough…”
“Lord of the Eastern Domain Sacred City?”
Zhang Ruochen shook his head, saying, “Your Highness seems to have misunderstood my purpose here. I am not a cultivator of the Kunlun Realm. I came only to take something from Xie Canghai’s body.”
“Your purpose here… is not important… Whether you are a cultivator of the Kunlun Realm… is also not important. What matters is that the Eastern Domain Sacred City and the Eastern Domain… cough, cough… both need you. Only you can be the next Lord of the Eastern Domain…” A flame emerged from Chen Yuhua’s mouth.
Within the flame was a fire-shaped command seal.
“This is the Torch Command Seal, passed down from ancient times… It is the symbol of the Lord of the Eastern Domain’s identity. With this command, you can summon the various sects and clans of the Eastern Domain.”
Chen Yuhua held out the Torch Command Seal, raising it tremblingly in the air.
Zhang Ruochen did not take it.
The identity of the Lord of the Eastern Domain was indeed illustrious, but it also carried a heavy responsibility.
Chen Yuhua continued, “You must remember… the Torch Command Seal… is the key to opening the Torch Tower. As long as… as long as you control the Torch Tower, you can control the ancient inscriptions of the Eastern Domain Sacred City, and thus control the entire Eastern Domain.”
“Torch Tower.”
Zhang Ruochen repeated the words, raising his head to gaze at the majestic three hundred and thirty-three-story ancient tower on Spirit Mountain. That must be it.
“Senior, if you pass the position of Lord of the Eastern Domain to an outsider, are you not afraid the Empress will vent her anger on the Chen Clan?” Zhang Ruochen asked.
Chen Yuhuan smiled bitterly, “If I do not pass the Torch Command Seal to you, tonight will be the night of the Chen Clan’s annihilation. Besides… in today’s Kunlun… besides you… who else can bear this heavy responsibility… whose backbone can hold up the sky of the Eastern Domain?”
“Zhang Ruochen, accept the Torch Command Seal… save the Chen Clan… save the Eastern Domain… This old man… is eternally grateful…”
As he spoke these words, Chen Yuhua’s tone carried a hint of pleading.
He was afraid.
He was afraid Zhang Ruochen would refuse.
Being Zhang Ruochen was obviously easier than being the Lord of the Eastern Domain. As a cultivator forced to flee the Kunlun Realm, there was truly no need for him to bear all this.
“Boom.”
The earth trembled violently, and bright pillars of light rose into the night sky.
The Torch Tower responded. The bottom three layers lit up, emitting light threads like spiderwebs that shot out in all directions, activating the ancient inscriptions in the sky and underground.
“What happened?” Zhang Ruochen’s expression changed.
Chen Yuhua said, “They’ve made their move… they’ve made their move… Zhang Ruochen, accept the Torch Command Seal… only you can stop them… If the Eastern Domain Sacred City falls, the cultivators and people of the Eastern Domain will be enslaved, humiliated, and killed… This old man begs you!”
…
…
Heavenly Absolute Island.
With a thunderous “boom,” the Heavenly Absolute Pavilion was shattered by a powerful sacred force, reduced to rubble. Wood chips and stones flew everywhere.
Divine Cliff Scholar stepped onto a white formation disk and flew into the air, his eyes burning with fury.
Behind him stood a group of Saint King realm experts, including Wang Lairén, Qu Xingzhe, Da Xi Wang, and Hua Cangying.
Divine Cliff Scholar raised his head, his pupils shining with sacred light as he saw through the formations arranged on Heavenly Absolute Island. He snorted coldly, “A Heaven-Covering Grand Formation! You were actually able to set up a Heaven-Covering Grand Formation to deceive my perception. Impressive, impressive. There must be a rather formidable Formation Saint Master on Heavenly Dao Island, right?”
Jiang Yunchong and a group of richly dressed cultivators emerged from the ruins, appearing opposite Divine Cliff Scholar.
Beside Jiang Yunchong stood a graceful figure in a green long dress, her features delicate, holding an umbrella over his head.
She was only a semi-transparent shadow, like a ghost or an illusion.
The Formation Saint Master Divine Cliff Scholar had guessed was her, Yin Ruo.
Jiang Yunchong laughed, “To deceive a Formation Earth Master for so long, Yin Ruo, your formation skills have improved again. It seems you’ll soon reach the Earth Master level as well.”
That beautiful soul shadow smiled faintly, her smile extremely beautiful, like a spring breeze brushing the face.
Wang Lairén said in a low voice, “Sir, time has been wasted. What now? Should we continue tonight’s operation?”
Divine Cliff Scholar’s eyes were sharp, “We’ve been preparing for so long. We can’t cancel the operation just because of a small accident. Proceed as planned. Leave this place to me.”
Wang Lairén, Qu Xingzhe, and the others transformed into streaks of sacred light and rushed out of Heavenly Absolute Island.
Yin Ruo extended a semi-transparent hand, raised it, and softly chanted, “Formation, rise.”
Countless points of light flew from her palm.
The formation on Heavenly Absolute Island was activated. The sky became overcast with dark clouds, lightning interweaved, and attack powers fell, blocking Wang Lairén, Qu Xingzhe, and the others.
“Using a formation in front of a Formation Earth Master is truly overestimating your abilities.”
Divine Cliff Scholar’s index finger pointed at a formation node in the southwest. A loud explosion sounded from the sky.
A corner of the Heaven-Covering Grand Formation enveloping Heavenly Absolute Island shattered.
At the shattered part of the formation, the dark clouds dispersed, forming a huge hole through which moonlight shone down.
Wang Lairén, Qu Xingzhe, Da Xi Wang… all flew out through the hole, heading in various directions across the Eastern Domain Sacred City.
At the same time, the cultivators tasked with attacking the eighty-one Eastern Domain Sacred Prince Mansions made their moves, launching thunderous assaults. The entire Eastern Domain Sacred City was plunged into war.
Jiang Yunchong raised both hands. The sacred energy of heaven and earth rapidly converged, condensing into a strange bird over ten miles long. The strange bird flapped its wings, rushed out of Heavenly Absolute Island, and pursued Da Xi Wang and the others.
“Destroy it for me.”
Divine Cliff Scholar waved his sleeve, and a formation seal a hundred zhang in diameter flew out, striking the strange bird and shattering it into pieces.
Then, Divine Cliff Scholar pointed a finger at Jiang Yunchong.
This finger formed twelve layers of formation circles, one after another, locking onto Jiang Yunchong and completely sealing his escape routes.
In other words, if he couldn’t withstand these twelve layers of formation circles, Jiang Yunchong would die.
“Just a single finger, yet it draws in the airflow to form twelve linked formations. The methods of an Earth Master are truly terrifying.”
Jiang Yunchong’s handsome face showed no fear. He clasped his hands together, and a large number of sacred dao rules surged out, condensing into a white divine wheel in front of him, which he hurled at the twelve layers of formation circles.
“Bang, bang.”
A series of explosions. The white divine wheel shattered ten layers of formation circles.
But the last two layers of formation circles landed on Jiang Yunchong, sending him and Yin Ruo flying back over a hundred zhang.
Yin Ruo’s formation skills were very high. Using the remnants of the formation on Heavenly Absolute Island, she managed to block the two layers of formation circles.
“Hall Master.”
The group of richly dressed cultivators summoned their sacred artifacts and moved to block Jiang Yunchong.
“You all go immediately and stop them from attacking the Eastern Domain Sacred Prince Mansions. Leave this to me, the Hall Master.” Although Jiang Yunchong looked like a youth, he possessed the bearing of an emperor. No one dared to disobey his orders.
Those richly dressed cultivators quickly retreated and flew out of Heavenly Absolute Island.
Divine Cliff Scholar glanced at those richly dressed cultivators, a contemptuous look in his eyes. He pointed a finger at the sky. Instantly, a huge formation seal appeared in the heavens, covering a hundred miles of the sky.
Within the formation seal, countless dragon and serpent battle shadows emerged, flying out and crashing into those richly dressed cultivators.
“Pfft.”
Screams rang out continuously.
In just one breath, half of those powerful richly dressed cultivators were killed.
“You’re asking for death.”
Jiang Yunchong’s pupils blazed with fierce flames. He roared, “Six Paths Dharma Gate, Sweep Heaven and Earth.”
Six hundred-zhang-tall light gates appeared around Jiang Yunchong’s six directions. A vast amount of sacred dao rules and heavenly and earthly sacred energy converged toward the light gates.
Centered on Heavenly Absolute Island, an area several thousand miles in radius became pitch black, with only the six light gates emitting brilliant radiance.
Divine Cliff Scholar’s expression tightened. He felt that the sacred art Jiang Yunchong was using seemed familiar, but for a moment, he couldn’t recall where he had seen records of such a sacred art.
In his impression, this was a high-rank sacred art with terrifying power.
Saints cultivated low-rank sacred arts.
Saint Kings cultivated mid-rank sacred arts.
Only Great Saints could successfully cultivate high-rank sacred arts. Of course, there were exceptions—extraordinary geniuses among Saint Kings could also master high-rank sacred arts to great perfection.
“Jiang Yunchong, which realm are you from? Why are you stopping me from taking control of the Eastern Domain Sacred City?” Divine Cliff Scholar asked angrily, his voice cold.
Jiang Yunchong said, “The Heavenly Realm Faction wants to take control of the Eastern Domain Sacred City, infringing on the interests of many forces. Why don’t you guess which side I’m from?”
“Six Paths, Dao Character Gate.”
Giving Divine Cliff Scholar no time to think, Jiang Yunchong struck out with one of the light gates.
A high-rank sacred art was not to be underestimated, even by a Formation Earth Master.
Divine Cliff Scholar produced nine black formation flags, forming a battle formation.
The battle formation spun and flew out, colliding with the light gate. The two forces created a collision energy blast. With a thunderous roar, Heavenly Absolute Island was shattered.
Countless cultivators on the island turned to dust in an instant.
In the presence of experts at the level of Jiang Yunchong and Divine Cliff Scholar, the lives of ordinary Saint realm cultivators were as fragile as paper figures.