Chapter 1869: Floral Fragrance Fills the Sky
The Blood Bee Shura King leaned against the small hill that had risen behind him, holding his sword horizontally to block the Azure Heaven Floating Pagoda. The sacred armor on his body was covered in dense patterns, writhing like earthworms.
When the supreme power struck the sacred armor, more than half of it was neutralized.
The Butcher found it hard to believe, saying, "How is that possible? Even a supreme sacred artifact can't kill him?"
"Roar!"
The Blood Bee Shura King let out a mighty roar, and a tall, imposing Great Saint battle soul surged out from within his body.
Unable to withstand the Blood Bee Shura King's immense power, the small hill behind him exploded with a thunderous crash, turning into rubble and dust that flew in all directions.
It was quite common for cultivators to refine the beast souls of savage beasts into their own battle souls.
For example, Zhang Ruochen had thirteen dragon souls and thirteen elephant souls within him.
However, for a Saint King realm cultivator to refine the saint soul of a Great Saint into their own battle soul was extremely rare, and the difficulty was no less than killing a Great Saint.
Given the Blood Bee Shura King's strength, he was clearly not yet capable of challenging a Great Saint.
But his physical strength and spiritual will far exceeded those of cultivators in the Dao Domain realm.
With the enhancement of the Great Saint battle soul, the Blood Bee Shura King broke free from the suppression of the Azure Heaven Floating Pagoda, leaped into the air, soared over the pagoda, and charged toward Zhang Ruochen and the others.
The Blood Bee Shura King knew very well that he could not directly clash with the Azure Heaven Floating Pagoda. The greatest weakness of Zhang Ruochen and his group was themselves.
"We must stop him."
Zhang Ruochen took out another stack of talismans, holding them in his hand, while simultaneously manipulating the Azure Heaven Floating Pagoda to prepare for a second attack.
The Blood Bee Shura King might withstand one strike from a supreme sacred artifact, but not necessarily ten.
The sacred qi within the Heavenly Beginning Fairy's body turned into a white sacred river, flowing endlessly into the jade stele floating in midair. The semicircular light shield became even more dazzling.
"Killing Sword Dao, Cross Slash of Death."
"Break for me."
The Blood Bee Shura King swung his war sword, activating the primal divine power within it and combining it with the Killing Sword Dao to unleash a cross-shaped mark.
With a "bang," the semicircular light shield was torn apart, and the jade stele turned into powder.
"Here he comes. What now?" The Butcher looked at Zhang Ruochen.
Without realizing it, the cultivators of the Heavenly Beginning Civilization had all come to regard Zhang Ruochen as their backbone.
"The Coming Man and the Going Traveler have blocked our retreat. We can't break through the blood mist in a short time. We have no choice but to fight the Blood Bee Shura King head-on," Zhang Ruochen said.
"Those two damned bastards—I'll find a time to chop them into pieces," the Butcher said angrily.
"We can't let the Blood Bee Shura King get close, or none of us will be able to withstand even one of his sword strikes."
Zhang Ruochen's expression was extremely serious. He threw out all the talismans in his hand, turning them into a dense barrage of attacks.
The Blood Bee Shura King said, "Using the same trick a second time—do you think it can still stop me?"
"Swoosh—"
The Blood Bee Shura King merged with his war sword, breaking through the attack zone formed by the exploding talismans and arriving within ten zhang of Zhang Ruochen and the others.
"Die."
The Blood Bee Shura King's first sword strike was aimed at Zhang Ruochen.
The Azure Heaven Floating Pagoda had not yet returned and could not block the Blood Bee Shura King. Zhang Ruochen had no choice but to channel all his sacred qi into his left leg.
His left leg ignited, releasing a scorching wave of heat.
But before Zhang Ruochen could launch his kick, a graceful white figure stepped in front of him—the Heavenly Beginning Fairy. Her back was beautiful and moving, her long black hair fluttering in the wind, her silhouette soft and enchanting.
Zhang Ruochen had seen the Heavenly Beginning Fairy's back before.
But at this moment, her back made him lose focus for a moment.
"She..." Zhang Ruochen's gaze grew somewhat dazed.
The Heavenly Beginning Fairy's jade-like fingers formed a orchid finger seal, and the vertical eye on her forehead opened. Her pupils emitted a colorful, starlike radiance, as if containing a vast starry sky within.
Before the Blood Bee Shura King, the scene before him vanished, and he found himself in a starry expanse.
Ahead of him, a multicolored nebula spun rapidly, turning into a vortex. From the center of the vortex, a beam of light shot out, striking him.
"Pfft."
The Blood Bee Shura King was sent flying backward, crashing heavily several li away.
Blood dripped from the vertical eye on the Heavenly Beginning Fairy's forehead as it slowly closed. Her face, breathtakingly beautiful, turned pale, and her delicate body trembled slightly.
Unleashing that attack had cost her a heavy price.
For some reason, Zhang Ruochen felt a surge of anger. He activated the power of the Blazing God Leg, took a single step, and his foot landed several li away, appearing above the Blood Bee Shura King.
The Blood Bee Shura King looked up and saw a thick layer of fiery clouds in the sky above.
A massive footprint pressed down from the fiery clouds.
"Great Saint battle soul."
The Blood Bee Shura King thrust his war sword into the ground, once again summoning the Great Saint battle soul. He leaped upward, striking upward with both palms.
"Boom, rumble."
The Blood Bee Shura King was stomped back to the ground, his body sinking into the earth. The black wings on his back were scorched, and the sacred armor on his body turned red-hot.
The attack the Heavenly Beginning Fairy had launched earlier had already injured him.
Now, enduring the full force of Zhang Ruochen's Blazing God Leg, his injuries compounded, and he spat out a mouthful of blood.
But astonishingly, he held his ground with both arms, firmly supporting the Blazing God Leg without falling.
When the power of the Blazing God Leg began to wane, the Blood Bee Shura King roared, "Get back."
Zhang Ruochen felt a vast, boundless force surge up from the sole of his foot, sending him stumbling backward. The bones in his leg emitted a series of cracking sounds, as if they were about to break.
"The gap in cultivation is still too great. Even the Blazing God Leg can't do anything to him." Zhang Ruochen smiled bitterly.
In the distance, the Coming Man and the Going Traveler were utterly shocked.
"Zhang Ruochen... can actually injure the Blood Bee Shura King? Is this kid really only at the Eight-Step Saint King level?"
"Impossible. The Blood Bee Shura King can easily kill Dao Domain realm experts. How could an Eight-Step Saint King injure him?"
Just then, Divine Cliff Master descended from midair, landing before the Coming Man and the Going Traveler.
Seeing Divine Cliff Master, both the Coming Man and the Going Traveler showed joy, their unease calming down.
"Greetings, Master."
The Coming Man and the Going Traveler both clasped their hands in salute.
Divine Cliff Master clasped his hands behind his back, looking into the distance, and laughed loudly, "The infamous Blood Bee Shura King is nothing special, being beaten so badly by a junior from the Heavenly Court. If this battle gets out, I'm afraid your reputation will be utterly ruined."
The Blood Bee Shura King's gaze was cold. He wiped the blood from the corner of his mouth and looked at Divine Cliff Master, a look of unprecedented wariness appearing on his face.
The Blood Bee Shura King did not rush to attack again. "The renowned Divine Cliff Master has come to Luo Water—quite unexpected. If your target is me, I can only advise you to abandon that idea immediately."
Divine Cliff Master was injured and did not want to provoke such a formidable enemy as the Blood Bee Shura King. "You may leave now."
The Blood Bee Shura King was a shrewd man. He did not want to fight both a formation saint master and Zhang Ruochen's group at the same time. So, he picked up his war sword and retreated into the blood mist.
"Although they are all cultivators of the Heavenly Court, they seem to have old grudges. Let them fight first. Once one side finishes off the other, I'll make my move."
The Blood Bee Shura King wanted to seize the supreme sacred artifact from Zhang Ruochen and capture the Heavenly Beginning Fairy. How could he truly retreat?
Divine Cliff Master's gaze fell on Zhang Ruochen and the Heavenly Beginning Fairy. His smile faded, and he said darkly, "Fairy, you shouldn't have gotten so close to Zhang Ruochen, and you definitely shouldn't have made an enemy of me. When you made your move in the Eastern Domain Sacred City, did you ever consider today's outcome?"
The Heavenly Beginning Fairy's face was pale, but she remained as proud as a cold plum. "Today's outcome is still uncertain."
Divine Cliff Master said, "If you think that with a supreme sacred artifact, you can escape my grasp, then you underestimate a formation saint master."
Zhang Ruochen sniffed lightly, catching a faint floral fragrance in the air.
"Is she here?"
A look of joy appeared in Zhang Ruochen's eyes.
Divine Cliff Master's spiritual power far surpassed that of everyone present. He sensed something and turned to look behind him.
There, on the barren ground, colorful, fragrant flowers were sprouting. A breathtakingly beautiful figure walked over from the horizon, exuding an ethereal, otherworldly aura.
"The Hundred Flowers Fairy, Ji Fanxin." The Coming Man said.
The Going Traveler said, "Why is she in Luo Water too?"
Divine Cliff Master's brow furrowed deeply, but soon relaxed. He took the initiative to greet Ji Fanxin, smiling, "I've long admired the Hundred Flowers Fairy's name. May I ask why the fairy has come to War Soul Star?"
Ji Fanxin pressed her red lips together and said lightly, "I have no interest in you. I came to War Soul Star just to earn some merit points."
Divine Cliff Master showed a look of understanding. "Is the fairy perhaps planning to eliminate the Blood Bee Shura King, this great threat to the Heavenly Court? The Blood Bee Shura King's cultivation is quite formidable. Forgive my bluntness, but I fear the fairy is no match for him. How about cooperating with me?"
Divine Cliff Master did not know that Ji Fanxin had always hidden her true strength, thinking she was merely a supremely talented saintly cultivator, perhaps not even as strong as a Dao Domain expert.
"How would we cooperate?" Ji Fanxin drew closer.
Divine Cliff Master used spiritual power to transmit his voice, saying, "If the fairy pretends to have seen nothing today, I will help you eliminate the Blood Bee Shura King. With his head, the fairy can surely earn a great deal of merit points."
Divine Cliff Master's goal today was to eliminate Zhang Ruochen and the Heavenly Beginning Fairy to avenge the Eastern Domain Sacred City incident.
Thus, he would certainly have to kill the Blood Bee Shura King to silence him.
The reason he dared not kill Ji Fanxin to silence her as well was that if two fairies from the "Nine Immortal Beauties Painting" died on War Soul Star, it would cause an uproar.
How could the Heavenly Palace not thoroughly investigate the matter?
If even a trace of evidence was found, Divine Cliff Master, even as a formation saint master, would not escape death.
If he could win Ji Fanxin over and have her testify that the Blood Bee Shura King killed the Heavenly Beginning Fairy and the others, Divine Cliff Master could rest easy.
A faint smile appeared on Ji Fanxin's face. "Thank you for your kindness, Master. Unfortunately, I already have an ally. And as luck would have it, that ally happens to be your enemy."
(End of Chapter)