Chapter 1852: Patrol Envoy
The demon dragon transformed into a massive rabbit, extending a claw wreathed in demonic qi, pressing it down on Xue Lie Hongdong. It deliberately flashed a fierce gaze and said, "Master Chen, I’ve captured him. How should we deal with him?"
"Cough, cough."
Xue Lie Hongdong’s internal organs were nearly all shattered, with extensive damage to his meridians and saintly meridians.
He coughed and spat blood.
The physical pain was secondary; what truly infuriated and frustrated him was that he, the young master of War Hammer Palace, had been beaten down by a rabbit. If this got out, he would undoubtedly become a laughingstock in War Hammer Palace.
Of course, at this moment, he should be thinking more about how to save his own life.
Zhang Ruochen grabbed through the air, taking the storage bracelet from Xue Lie Hongdong’s wrist. He immersed his spiritual power into it and examined it, finding it filled with a large quantity of precious refining materials.
Some of these materials were simply unavailable on the market.
"Kill him," Zhang Ruochen said indifferently.
"No, Zhang Ruochen, you can’t kill me. I am the young master of War Hammer Palace. If you take me to War Hammer Palace, you can exchange me for a large number of sacred artifacts. I am the great-grandson of War Hammer Palace’s Grand Elder," Xue Lie Hongdong said.
Zhang Ruochen said, "Not interested. I just want to kill you."
The cultivators of the Divine Sword Holy Land were the foundation of his sixth senior brother, Lu Yuanzhi, and were also loyal ministers of the Holy Bright Central Empire. Zhang Ruochen had to give them an explanation.
"No, no…"
Xue Lie Hongdong’s face turned purple, his mind blank. He had never imagined that he would one day face death.
"When you kill other cultivators, you should be prepared to be killed yourself. I have that awareness, and so should you," Zhang Ruochen said calmly.
"Boom."
A vast might of a Great Saint came from beyond the heavens, shattering all the clouds within a thousand miles.
On this land, all Saint realm cultivators changed their expressions and looked up into the sky.
High in the heavens, stood a majestic figure clad in silver armor. He was extremely far from the ground of the Kunlun Realm, over ten thousand miles away. Only the saintly eyes of a Saint King could make out his form.
"Greetings, Patrol Envoy."
The Saint realm cultivators on the ground all bowed to the silver-armored Patrol Envoy.
The so-called Patrol Envoy was a Great Saint dispatched by the Heavenly Palace, patrolling and overseeing the Merit Battlefield above the Kunlun Realm.
If they discovered cultivators of the Heavenly Court Realm fighting among themselves, causing casualties, the Patrol Envoy would intervene to stop them and punish the perpetrators.
Of course, if they discovered a Great Saint from the Hell Realm appearing in the Kunlun Realm, violating the rules of the Merit War, the Patrol Envoy would also immediately report it or take action to kill them.
The Patrol Envoy could not descend into the Kunlun Realm in person, but they could unleash the power of heavenly punishment.
This was Zhang Ruochen’s first time seeing a Patrol Envoy. When he saw the three pairs of white wings on the back of the silver-armored man, his expression darkened.
"Angels. Another member of the Heavenly Realm Faction."
The silver-armored Patrol Envoy’s voice reached the ground, carrying the pressure of a Great Saint: "Zhang Ruochen, the Merit War does not allow internal strife. Yet you dare to ignore the Heavenly Palace’s heavenly laws, intending to kill your own comrade. Today, I, the Envoy, will deliver heavenly punishment and execute you."
Zhang Ruochen was unafraid of the Great Saint’s pressure, showing no respect in his expression. He raised his voice and said, "If you want to accuse someone, you can always find a pretext. Isn’t that right?"
"Are you saying I, the Envoy, am wronging you?" the silver-armored Patrol Envoy said.
Even a Patrol Envoy could not act with impunity. If they were reported and impeached, they would face serious consequences.
After all, the Heavenly Palace had several other factions, always ready to suppress the Heavenly Realm Faction and install their own people.
There were many Saint realm cultivators present, and Zhang Ruochen was the Divine Envoy of the Moon God, with an extraordinary status. The silver-armored Patrol Envoy truly did not dare to casually deliver heavenly punishment.
Zhang Ruochen felt contempt in his heart. Where was the Patrol Envoy when the Divine Sword Holy Land was being slaughtered? Where was the Patrol Envoy when the Eastern Domain Saint King Manor was under large-scale attack?
Zhang Ruochen was too lazy to argue with him, because arguing would be useless.
Zhang Ruochen said, "Xue Lie Hongdong massacred cultivators of the Kunlun Realm at the Divine Sword Holy Land in the Eastern Domain Saint City. He deserves death. The cultivators of the Divine Sword Holy Land are the descendants of my senior brother, and I have the right to avenge them. Even if I haven’t killed Xue Lie Hongdong yet, killing him would be carrying out justice on behalf of heaven."
"Presumptuous! Even if Xue Lie Hongdong has violated the heavenly laws, only the Heavenly Palace can punish him. If you kill him, you are defying the heavenly laws and deserve heavenly punishment," the silver-armored Patrol Envoy said angrily.
"The heavenly laws of the Heavenly Palace need to be revised. Especially for members within the Heavenly Palace, they should be stricter," Zhang Ruochen said with sharp eyes.
"You…"
Suddenly, dark clouds gathered in the sky, and lightning flashed across the heavens and earth.
The saintly might emanating from the Patrol Envoy grew even more fierce and domineering, as if he was about to unleash a destructive force. This greatly increased the pressure on the Saint realm cultivators on the ground, making them tremble with fear. Some of them even knelt down.
Zhang Ruochen summoned the Azure Sky Floating Pagoda, holding it in his palm, and activated its supreme power, saying, "Heavenly punishment cannot be delivered casually. I haven’t killed Xue Lie Hongdong yet, and you want to kill me. Doesn’t that violate the heavenly laws?"
The silver-armored Patrol Envoy was slightly startled, realizing he had been too hasty.
If there were cultivators from the Pangu Realm Faction or the Myriad Demon Realm Faction present, and they used this as a reason to impeach him to the Heavenly Palace, not only might he lose his position, but if the Moon God came to the Heavenly Palace, his life might not be spared.
Moreover, his mission this time was not only to deal with Zhang Ruochen but also to rescue someone.
He would first rescue the person, then slowly deal with Zhang Ruochen.
The silver-armored Patrol Envoy withdrew the lightning and condensed a projection, descending into the Kunlun Realm, hovering a hundred zhang above the ground.
Although it was just a projection, the aura it emitted was still extremely powerful, enough to crush an ordinary Saint King.
"You say Xue Lie Hongdong massacred cultivators of the Kunlun Realm in the Eastern Domain Saint City. Do you have evidence? If not, I can cripple you right now and take you back to the Heavenly Palace for severe punishment," the Patrol Envoy’s projection said.
"Of course, I have evidence."
Although Zhang Ruochen was not afraid of the Patrol Envoy, he did not want to oppose the Heavenly Palace.
So, he took out a scroll.
On the scroll was an imprint of the images of Xue Lie Hongdong’s massacre at the Divine Sword Holy Land, clear and irrefutable evidence.
The Patrol Envoy’s eyes sharpened. "This Xue Lie Hongdong is truly seeking death. If he wanted to seize the 'Heavenly Craftsmanship Complete Record,' he shouldn’t have been so blatant."
With this scroll as evidence, even if Xue Lie Hongdong were handed over to the Heavenly Palace for punishment, he would most likely face death.
"Zhang Ruochen, you are the Divine Envoy of the Moon God. You should understand that the heavenly laws cannot be broken. Even if you have evidence, killing Xue Lie Hongdong would still lead to your own death," the silver-armored Patrol Envoy’s projection said.
Zhang Ruochen’s expression shifted constantly as he thought of a way to deal with this.
In any case, handing Xue Lie Hongdong over to this Patrol Envoy was absolutely impossible. If War Hammer Palace worked behind the scenes to rescue Xue Lie Hongdong, how could Zhang Ruochen explain it to the cultivators of the Divine Sword Holy Land?
After a long pause, Zhang Ruochen said, "Thank you for the reminder, Envoy."
Seeing Zhang Ruochen compromise, the silver-armored Patrol Envoy nodded in satisfaction, then said sternly, "I have received news that you have captured the Crimson Envoy Tianchen of the Blood War Divine Temple. Is this true?"
"No."
Zhang Ruochen added, "Tianchen’s cultivation is so formidable. How could I possibly be his match? Envoy, you must be joking."
"Joking?"
The silver-armored Patrol Envoy’s voice entered Zhang Ruochen’s mind: "Zhang Ruochen, name your terms. How will you release Tianchen?"
"Having a Patrol Envoy negotiate with me, the Heavenly Realm really does value me highly," Zhang Ruochen thought with a dark laugh.
To be precise, the Heavenly Realm valued Tianchen especially highly.
After all, Tianchen had a great chance of reaching the Great Saint realm.
Zhang Ruochen transmitted his voice: "Tie up Divine Cliff Master and bring him before me, or give me the Great Xi King."
A cold, fierce aura emanated from the silver-armored Patrol Envoy, freezing the ground for hundreds of miles into a layer of ice. "Presumptuous!"
"You told me to name my terms. This is my condition," Zhang Ruochen said.
The silver-armored Patrol Envoy threatened, "As a Patrol Envoy, I have many ways to kill you, not necessarily by delivering heavenly punishment. If you obediently hand over Tianchen, you might live a little longer."
"I have seen the methods of your Heavenly Realm before. Yet here I am, still alive and well. Go tell Shang Zihong that if he wants to save Tianchen, let him come and fight me. If he wins, I’ll hand Tianchen over. If he loses, I want his life," Zhang Ruochen said.
The silver-armored Patrol Envoy’s expression darkened. "Is this a declaration of war?"
"Exactly, it’s a declaration of war. There should have been a decisive battle between us long ago."
The only person Zhang Ruochen considered a great enemy at the same cultivation level was Shang Zihong. Now that he had stepped into the Eight-Step Saint King realm, Zhang Ruochen finally had the strength to avenge his senior brother and senior sister. Naturally, he was eager for a decisive battle with Shang Zihong.
A battle to determine life and death.
Zhang Ruochen walked step by step toward Xue Lie Hongdong.
The silver-armored Patrol Envoy sensed Zhang Ruochen’s intention, and his projection immediately flew over, reaching out to grab Xue Lie Hongdong.
"Space Rift."
Zhang Ruochen drew a line with his finger, sending a space rift flying out, forcing back the silver-armored Patrol Envoy’s projection.
"Whoosh."
The next moment, Zhang Ruochen appeared beside Xue Lie Hongdong and struck down with a palm.
"Zhang Ruochen, how dare you!"
The silver-armored Patrol Envoy’s projection roared, extending his arm into the void. A white sacred sword flew from beyond the heavens into his hand.
The sword shot like a meteor, piercing toward Zhang Ruochen.
Zhang Ruochen’s palm, aimed at Xue Lie Hongdong, did not fall. Instead, he turned his palm into a claw, grabbing Xue Lie Hongdong’s right shoulder and lifting him up, using him as a shield behind him.
"Pfft."
The sacred sword in the silver-armored Patrol Envoy’s projection pierced through Xue Lie Hongdong’s brow.
After all, it was just a projection, not the true body of a Great Saint. Its reaction speed was naturally no match for Zhang Ruochen’s current level.
Seeing that he had killed Xue Lie Hongdong, a flicker of surprise passed through the silver-armored Patrol Envoy’s eyes.
…
(Sigh, the second chapter still has a thousand words left. I’m too sleepy. I’ll write it tomorrow morning and update before noon.)