Chapter 1873: Five Palms to Kill
The Blood Bee Shura King erupted with full force, unstoppable as he cleaved apart the seven sacred artifacts unleashed by the three elders with his war sword. Some fell to the ground, others were severed in two.
That war sword seemed to possess the power to destroy all material things in the world.
"Bam, bam."
The three elders couldn't even hold off the Blood Bee Shura King for a single breath before being sent flying. The Fool was pierced through the chest by a sword qi, leaving a transparent, bloody hole—a serious wound.
At the critical moment of life and death, the Blood Bee Shura King's explosive power was three parts stronger than usual.
"Your opponent is me."
A roar came from above the Blood Bee Shura King's head.
Murong Yefeng caught up, raising his palm to form a demon stele-shaped seal, attacking the Blood Bee Shura King.
"Fast indeed."
The Blood Bee Shura King was secretly alarmed. Among those below the Great Saint realm, he had never encountered such a terrifying opponent. That man's power and reaction speed both reached the peak level below the Great Saint.
"Killing Sword Dao, Heaven and Man as One."
The Blood Bee Shura King gripped his sword with both hands, his Great Saint battle soul swelling into a massive shadow.
He slashed out with his sword, clashing with the demon stele seal.
"Boom."
The Blood Bee Shura King's arms nearly dislocated as he was forced back a hundred zhang before stopping. Compared to his earlier sweeping dominance, he was now indescribably embarrassed.
He wasn't just pushed back—he was crushed. His opponent's combat power far exceeded his own.
The Butcher got up from the ground, stunned. "Too strong, right? The Blood Bee Shura King seems completely helpless. Where did Zhang Ruochen find such a powerhouse?"
"Everyone attack together. We can't let the Blood Bee Shura King escape—no releasing a tiger back to the mountain."
The cultivators present summoned their sacred artifacts, surrounding the Blood Bee Shura King, denying him any chance to flee.
Ji Fanxin's spiritual power had recovered somewhat. Her delicate jade hands slowly rose upward.
Instantly, within hundreds of li of this land, tender green leaves sprouted from the soil, and a profusion of vibrant flowers bloomed, dazzling and beautiful.
Within the sea of flowers surged powerful spiritual power, ready to suppress the Blood Bee Shura King at any moment.
If the Blood Bee Shura King tried to flee, the spiritual power could form an attack to stop him.
If he attempted to self-destruct his sacred source to take everyone down with him, Ji Fanxin's spiritual power could suppress that thought in time.
It was because of Ji Fanxin's presence that the Blood Bee Shura King felt the threat of death for the first time. Even on the main battlefield of the merit war, surrounded by thousands of Saint realm cultivators, he had never felt so despairing.
Zhang Ruochen said, "Yezi, do you need me to lend you the Azure Heaven Floating Tower?"
Murong Yefeng had already returned the Nine Phoenix Cauldron to the Black Market and wasn't carrying a Supreme Sacred Artifact.
Murong Yefeng laughed. "Your Highness underestimates me too much. Dealing with a mere Dao Domain realm Shura King, do I need a Supreme Sacred Artifact? Believe it or not, I can kill him within five palms."
"Good. If you can kill the Blood Bee Shura King within five palms, his head is yours—none of us will contend for it. Besides that, I'll give you a generous gift," Zhang Ruochen said.
The Blood Bee Shura King's head could be exchanged for a large amount of merit points, which could then buy merit treasures.
Although Murong Yefeng's cultivation had reached the peak below the Great Saint, the Kunlun Realm's incomplete heaven and earth rules in the past made it hard to cultivate a powerful physique.
So Murong Yefeng needed to exchange for merit treasures to enhance his physical constitution and elevate his combat power further.
Among those present, those who could surpass the Blood Bee Shura King weren't just Murong Yefeng—Ji Fanxin was also capable.
Zhang Ruochen knew Murong Yefeng needed merit points, so he gave him the chance to kill the Blood Bee Shura King. Ji Fanxin would only step in if needed after five palms.
Murong Yefeng didn't hesitate. He pushed his sacred qi to the extreme, feeling like rivers were flowing inside him. Vast sacred qi surged out, turning into a leaden cloud.
Hundreds of thousands of palm dao rules interwove within the leaden cloud, forming a Five Finger Mountain that pressed down on the Blood Bee Shura King.
The Five Finger Mountain, a thousand zhang tall, was no different from a true ancient divine mountain. Its aura suffocated even the Nine-Step Saint Kings present.
"Five Finger Qiankun Hand," Zhang Ruochen murmured.
This technique was a secret art of the Murong clan.
As far as Zhang Ruochen knew, eight hundred years ago, even the Murong clan head hadn't mastered it. Zhang Ruochen's teacher, Shangguan Que, once commented that if this sacred art was cultivated to great perfection, it could rival the Sacred Bright Imperial Clan's secret art, "Great Star Radiance Hand."
Unfortunately, eight hundred years ago, Zhang Ruochen's cultivation was too low to access such profound techniques.
The imperial clan's tens of thousands of martial arts scriptures had long been lost—possibly taken by the Chi Qing Central Empire, secretly moved by the Dragon-Protecting Pavilion, or even hidden in the Bright Hall.
"Boom."
Taking the Five Finger Qiankun Hand head-on, the Blood Bee Shura King was driven deep into the ground. His skin cracked all over, and a large amount of sacred blood sprayed from his body.
Terrified, the Blood Bee Shura King dared not provoke Murong Yefeng again and tried to escape through the ground.
"Where do you think you're going?"
Murong Yefeng released his Dao Domain, covering dozens of li, enveloping Zhang Ruochen and the others.
At that moment, Zhang Ruochen felt the space solidify, making even moving a finger difficult. Moreover, his ability to mobilize time power became extremely hard.
Earlier, when Zhang Ruochen fought the Coming-and-Going Man and the Going Walker, he hadn't felt this way.
Probably because the Coming-and-Going Man and the Going Walker had just reached the Dao Domain realm, their Dao Domains weren't strong enough.
Murong Yefeng's Dao Domain far surpassed theirs in both strength and size.
The Dao Domain locked onto the Blood Bee Shura King underground and forcibly pulled him out.
"Bam."
Murong Yefeng's palm struck the Blood Bee Shura King's chest, clashing with the war sword in his hand, sending him flying again.
Within the Dao Domain, Murong Yefeng's speed was astonishing. Before the Blood Bee Shura King could land, a third palm hit his back.
The Blood Bee Shura King had also cultivated a Dao Domain, but it couldn't compare to Murong Yefeng's, so he was completely suppressed. Even with his Great Saint battle soul, he had no power to fight back.
"Bam."
After a few moments, the Blood Bee Shura King's armor shattered, his body exploded, and a rain of blood fell from the sky.
Murong Yefeng landed on the ground, holding a broken corpse, and grinned at Zhang Ruochen. "How about that? Exactly five palms."
"Clap, clap."
Zhang Ruochen clapped his hands, delighted. "Impressive. It seems I still need to train harder to spar with you."
"With Your Highness's talent, surpassing me is just a matter of time. I, on the other hand, have trained for eight hundred more years and am not much stronger than you—truly shameful," Murong Yefeng said.
Then Murong Yefeng added, "I won't be polite about the Blood Bee Shura King's corpse and his war sword. If anyone has objections, take it up with my crown prince."
Naturally, no one objected—they hadn't contributed much.
"Your Highness, what about that generous gift you mentioned?"
A hint of anticipation gleamed in Murong Yefeng's eyes.
Zhang Ruochen said, "The battle isn't over yet. Let's deal with the enemies on War Soul Star first, and that gift will definitely be yours."
The Blood Emperor Bees were still trapped in the "Red Sun Divine River Map," including four queen bees, totaling several hundred.
Ji Fanxin was very interested in the Blood Emperor Bees. She walked over to Tianchu Immortal and said, "I have a sacred flower whose fragrance can control Blood Emperor Bees. It seems you can only trap them, not subdue them. How about letting me have them?"
The Butcher, the Fool, and Li Miaohan were all pleased, thinking this was a good idea.
Tianchu Immortal said coolly, "The Hundred Flowers Immortal's skills are extraordinary, admirable. However, subduing Blood Emperor Bees is a trivial matter—it won't stump Luo Ji, just takes some time."
Anyone could tell that Tianchu Immortal was competing with Ji Fanxin, as if fighting for a breath of pride.
Murong Yefeng transmitted to Zhang Ruochen, "These two famous immortals of the Heavenly Court seem to have old grudges. If they fight, it'll be interesting."
"Can't you hope for something good?"
Zhang Ruochen's eyes showed contemplation. Could it be, as Jiang Yunchong and Ji Fanxin had guessed, that he still held some weight in Tianchu Immortal's heart?
For some reason, Zhang Ruochen's mind flashed back to Tianchu Immortal's silhouette.
At that time, that beautiful back had stood before Zhang Ruochen, repelling the Blood Bee Shura King for him.
Tianchu Immortal opened her third eye on her forehead, revealing a colorful nebula-like light mass within her pupil.
This third eye could see the spiritual will of all things and also release powerful spiritual will. Using its power, Tianchu Immortal erased the Blood Emperor Bees' spiritual will and gave them new ones.
However, her third eye could only be used once a day.
Forcing a second use resulted in crimson blood dripping from her eye. Her exquisite face turned as white as porcelain, devoid of any color.
After subduing the Blood Emperor Bees, Tianchu Immortal's full chest heaved violently, her vision went dark, and she nearly fainted.
Zhang Ruochen wanted to support her, but Li Miaohan steadied her first.
Zhang Ruochen stared at Tianchu Immortal for a moment, restraining himself from stepping forward. "Brother Butcher, Brother Fool, stay and take care of Her Highness. Yezi, Immortal, let's go deal with that Ghost Clan powerhouse."
Zhang Ruochen, Murong Yefeng, and Ji Fanxin re-entered the blood mist. When they reached the Divine Blood Lake shore, they saw only fragments of corpse king flesh and blood everywhere.
Even the Great Saint corpse king had been frozen inside an iceberg.
Qu Shan Old Mother stood amidst the flesh fragments, radiating a chilling aura. She said to Zhang Ruochen and the others, "You're too late. Chang has already escaped. If not for these dead things holding me back, I would have shattered his Ghost King body and made him dissipate into nothing."