Chapter 1888: Martial Realm Divine Son
On the ice bed lay an aged body, his limbs curled and withered, thin as tree roots freshly dug from mud. Strands of white hair, like spider silk, scattered around the ice bed, untrimmed for centuries.
Lying on the ice bed was none other than Shi Mingyuan.
"The old clan leader is still alive—how wonderful!"
"If the old clan leader can recover, with his mastery of spiritual power and rune path, why would our Zhenyu Ancient Clan fear the Undying Blood Clan?"
The sacred realm elders of the Zhenyu Ancient Clan stood in two neat rows below, their eyes filled with shock and worry, yet also a deep sense of anticipation.
Three hours earlier, Zhang Ruochen had sent Shi Mingyuan into the Qiankun Realm and asked the Sky-Connecting Divine Tree to purify the evil dao consciousness within him. Thus, Shi Mingyuan was no longer frenzied and no longer attacked other cultivators. However, the Nether King Blood Poison still remained in his body, plunging him into a deep sleep.
At this moment, Zhang Ruochen, Bao Lie, Xiang Chunan, and Luo Yi joined forces, channeling their own sacred qi into Shi Mingyuan's body, forcing out the Nether King Blood Poison drop by drop. The four of them had spent most of the day but had only expelled a third of the poison.
Shi Ren stepped forward and asked, "Brother Zhang, how is it?"
"A third has been cleared. Quickly feed the old clan leader some pills to boost blood qi. We'll continue clearing tomorrow," Zhang Ruochen said.
Below, the sacred realm elders of the Zhenyu Ancient Clan all showed delighted expressions.
One elder said, "If a third can be cleared in one go, then in just two more days, the blood poison in the old clan leader's body should be completely gone, right?"
"It's not that simple. The old clan leader is deeply poisoned; his entire bloodstream has merged with the Nether King Blood Poison. With our cultivation levels, it's impossible to fully remove it—only a Great Saint could manage that. We have to rely on continuous blood replacement and regeneration to dilute the poison," Zhang Ruochen said.
Shi Ren asked, "Then how long until Grandfather wakes up?"
Zhang Ruochen thought for a moment and said, "Half a month. After half a month, the blood poison in the old clan leader's body should be reduced to less than a thousandth. With his own cultivation, he can suppress the poison, and he might wake up then."
"Thank you, Brother Zhang. Our Zhenyu Ancient Clan owes you too much. From now on, Shi Ren's life is yours," Shi Ren said, his expression extremely serious and his eyes reddening.
Zhang Ruochen smiled and said, "Take good care of the old clan leader. I need to leave the Sword Grave for a while."
"Where are you going?" Shi Ren asked.
"I'll be back soon."
With those words, Zhang Ruochen had already vanished from the Sword Tomb Palace.
Leaving the Sword Grave, Zhang Ruochen inscribed a message light talisman and sent it into the sky beyond. This light talisman was for Master Yindoluo in the Western Region, to retrieve the Sky-Soaring Sword stored there.
"The Sword Grave and Zhenyu Ancient Clan are protected by formation divine marks left from the Middle Ages. Sending a message requires coming out—what a hassle."
Zhang Ruochen shook his head lightly and was about to return to the Sword Grave.
Suddenly, his eyes sharpened. He immediately formed a palm seal and struck out a flame dragon, hurtling toward a desolate mountain thirty miles to his right.
"Sizzle."
In the desolate mountain, a blood-red circular mark emerged, like a cave appearing out of nowhere. A figure clad in Hundred Saint Blood Armor leaped out from the blood-colored cave, spreading his fleshy wings, and dense blood qi covered the area for a thousand miles.
"Clatter."
In his hand, he held a chain like a steel dragon, colliding with the flame dragon Zhang Ruochen had struck. The dragon shattered into countless fireballs.
"Heh, good awareness—you could actually detect my aura," the Martial Realm Divine Son laughed.
Blood qi spread to Zhang Ruochen's front, enveloping him. Zhang Ruochen could feel a strange power flowing within the blood qi, like mud, suppressing his cultivation and movement speed.
"To break one of my palm strikes, this Undying Blood Clan cultivator is no ordinary figure," Zhang Ruochen thought.
After all, Zhang Ruochen's cultivation was just a step away from the Nine-Step Saint King. Even a casual palm strike carried the force of toppling mountains and overturning seas.
Unfazed, Zhang Ruochen scanned his surroundings and said, "The Undying Blood Clan has sent quite a few people. Besides a Baihuan Divine Son, another has appeared. The rest of you, show yourselves too."
The Martial Realm Divine Son narrowed his eyes and said, "You encountered Baihuan Divine Son and survived?"
Zhang Ruochen smiled, taking a blood-red sacred source from his storage ring and holding it in his palm. The aura from the sacred source spread out.
The Martial Realm Divine Son's expression changed instantly. "It's Baihuan Divine Son's aura. Who killed him?"
"His sacred source is in my hands. Who do you think killed him?" Zhang Ruochen countered.
"It was you."
The Martial Realm Divine Son grew wary, no longer underestimating the human man before him. Baihuan Divine Son's combat power might not be top-tier, but his illusion and transformation arts were extraordinary—even ordinary Great Saints found them hard to guard against. Anyone who could kill Baihuan Divine Son was definitely an expert.
In the distance, within a white cloud, a bone mountain floated. Nine-Eyed Heavenly King and others watched the Martial Realm Divine Son and Zhang Ruochen. When they sensed Baihuan Divine Son's aura from the sacred source, their expressions turned unnatural.
"Baihuan Divine Son died at the hands of an unknown nobody—what a shame. He was too arrogant and looked down on everyone, so he capsized in a ditch," a long-faced divine daughter sneered.
There was no pity, only mockery and a killing intent aimed at Zhang Ruochen.
"An unknown nobody? You seem to underestimate him."
At that moment, from the highest point of the bone mountain, a magnetic voice sounded. The two divine sons and six divine sons and daughters of the Undying Blood Clan all turned their gazes toward that figure, many with awe and respect in their eyes.
The figure, back to the crowd, had beautiful blood-red long hair and a tall, lean build. He was holding a bamboo scroll and studying it. Slowly, he turned around, revealing a face so handsome it was extreme. If not for his Adam's apple and male voice, any cultivator would have thought him a peerless beauty, no less than the nine fairies on the *Nine Immortal Beauties Chart*.
"Xia Divine Son, do you know who he is?" the long-faced divine daughter asked.
Xia Wenxin said unhurriedly, "This man is named Zhang Ruochen, the most valiant and battle-hardened among the younger generation of the Kunlun Realm. He inherited Xumi Saint Monk's Way of Time and Way of Space and became the Moon God's divine envoy. In talent, fortune, and background, he is top-tier. And you think he's an unknown nobody?"
"So he's Zhang Ruochen."
Nine-Eyed Heavenly King showed a very interested expression. The five eyes on his face opened simultaneously, gazing across a thousand miles of void at the human man confronting the Martial Realm Divine Son.
After a moment, Nine-Eyed Heavenly King seemed somewhat disappointed. "Xia Divine Son seems to have misjudged this time."
"What do you mean?" Xia Wenxin asked.
Nine-Eyed Heavenly King said, "Even if Zhang Ruochen inherited Xumi Saint Monk's Way of Time and Way of Space and can dominate at the same cultivation level, his current realm is probably not even Nine-Step Saint King. With such cultivation, no matter how strong he is in other aspects, how powerful can his overall strength be?"
"At the Eight-Step Saint King realm, he might be invincible. But at the Rule Small Heaven realm, can he still be? At the Rule Large Heaven realm, where would he rank? If he encounters a Dao Domain realm expert, he'll probably have to flee."
Xia Wenxin remained silent.
The long-faced divine daughter laughed. "So he's just an Eight-Step Saint King. Such a weakling is called the most valiant in the Kunlun Realm? It shows how far the Kunlun Realm has fallen."
A divine son with silver patterns on his forehead laughed. "The Martial Realm Divine Son has thick Great Saint blood in him. At the Eight-Step Saint King realm, he can briefly clash with Rule Large Heaven experts. This is a good chance to test the abilities of this Heir of Time and Space."
"Heh, Yun Divine Son, are you joking? The Martial Realm Divine Son is no longer at the Eight-Step Saint King realm. After absorbing a lot of sacred blood on the Merit Battlefield, he has condensed his Dao Domain. His cultivation is a full three realms higher than Zhang Ruochen's. Are you sure this is testing Zhang Ruochen's abilities, not just crushing him outright?" the long-faced divine daughter laughed.
"Don't forget, time power and space power are formidable. Zhang Ruochen's combat strength might not be so simple. Otherwise, how did Baihuan Divine Son end up as a sacred source?" the third divine son, whose figure was like an iron tower, said in a low voice.
"Maybe Baihuan Divine Son wasn't killed by Zhang Ruochen at all, but by some other expert," Yun Divine Son said.
"We should still warn the Martial Realm Divine Son, so he doesn't get caught off guard by Zhang Ruochen."
The long-faced divine daughter's lips moved, sending a soundless wave into the Martial Realm Divine Son's ear.
The Martial Realm Divine Son's eyes lit up, and he laughed. "So you're the heir of Xumi Saint Monk. Good, very good. Then today, you might have a way out. Hand over the inheritance secret scripture, and this divine son will spare your life."
Zhang Ruochen realized there were likely other Undying Blood Clan experts nearby, and probably more than one. The Martial Realm Divine Son, a veteran of countless battles, saw the change in Zhang Ruochen's eyes and understood that this Heir of Time and Space was looking for an opportunity to retreat.
"Haha, don't dream. You're not leaving today."
The Martial Realm Divine Son's chain spun rapidly, extending to a thousand zhang. As it spun faster and faster, it formed a massive vortex, tearing apart the surrounding mountains and sweeping them into the sky.
"I gave you a chance to hand it over willingly, but you refused. This divine son will just have to take it myself."
"Clatter."
The chain carried countless rocky mountain bodies, darkening the sky. A roaring sound echoed, and then a world-destroying force crashed down toward Zhang Ruochen.