# Chapter 1906: Red Robe Dripping Blood
"Sword Nine."
Zhang Ruochen's gaze was sharp as he exerted all his strength to deliver a sword strike.
Brilliant sword light and flames burst forth, with destructive aura spreading everywhere, as if wanting to destroy everything.
If not for being inside the Sword Grave, the surrounding tens of thousands of miles would have collapsed from this collision.
A battle at the Great Saint level could easily shatter stars.
For any major world, a battle between Great Saints would be a great catastrophe.
Countless flames of purgatory splashed and fell from the sky, turning into scorching fire rain, melting everything.
"How is it?"
Xiang Chunan and the others all turned their gazes toward Zhang Ruochen, wanting to know the specific situation.
Zhang Ruochen's body did not move. Holding the Skyward Sword, he stared at Blood Butcher Divine Son. One of his sleeves was missing, burned to ashes by the purgatory flames.
On the other side, Blood Butcher Divine Son's face was ashen. A strand of hair fell, cut off by the sword energy.
On the surface, he seemed to have some advantage, but he was not satisfied at all. An existence he regarded as an ant had actually managed to cut off his hair. If it had been a bit closer, would it have been able to injure him?
"Boom."
Violent purgatory flames surged from Blood Butcher Divine Son's body, filling the sky.
That severed strand of hair ignited and instantly turned to ashes.
The Endless Purgatory Tower shook violently, with countless mysterious inscriptions emerging, radiating brilliant light. A faint divine power permeated the air, as if wanting to completely solidify space.
If this were outside the domain, stars would probably have been shaken down.
"Hiss."
Everyone inside the Sword Grave couldn't help but shiver, feeling their scalps go numb.
There was clearly no wind, yet everyone felt a gentle breeze blowing past, carrying a thick bloody aura, as if a purgatory was about to descend upon the mortal world.
Legend had it that inside the Endless Purgatory Tower was a purgatory world, where even gods could be suppressed and refined.
In fact, it had once suppressed a deity, which was why a faint divine power remained.
Every Supreme Sacred Artifact capable of killing gods possessed incredible power. Searching through many major worlds, one could hardly find a few.
Zhang Ruochen's expression was solemn. He borrowed power from the sixteen ancestors as much as possible while simultaneously mobilizing Truth Law.
Although the Sword Grave suppressed the Way of Truth, it could still play some role. Even if it only amplified his power by one times, the significance was enormous.
Blood Butcher Divine Son's attack was no small matter. He had to go all out; otherwise, he would surely suffer greatly.
The "True One Thunder Fire Sword Art" was unleashed, filling the world with thunder and fire everywhere.
This sword art was particularly suited to Zhang Ruochen. First, Zhang Ruochen cultivated spiritual power and was most skilled in thunder-type spells. Second, Zhang Ruochen mastered the Purifying Divine Flame, having reached the minister flame level.
Combined with his astonishing talent in the Sword Dao, cultivating the "True One Thunder Fire Sword Art" was effortless. He had long comprehended its essence thoroughly.
Fortunately, the Purifying Divine Flame he controlled was extremely strong, giving him strong immunity to the purgatory flames. Otherwise, his situation in the battle against Blood Butcher Divine Son would have been even more unfavorable.
"Boom."
Two extremely powerful forces collided, causing the entire Sword Grave to shake violently.
Staggering, Zhang Ruochen retreated several miles backward, completely neutralizing the incoming force.
Sparks flew from the Endless Purgatory Tower, some inscriptions dimmed, and its emitted power clearly weakened.
Blood Butcher Divine Son's expression grew even uglier. He had thought he could easily deal with Zhang Ruochen, but the situation was somewhat beyond his expectations.
"This Divine Son wants to see how many rounds you can last against me by borrowing the power of those yin spirits," Blood Butcher Divine Son snorted coldly, launching another attack.
No matter how strong external power was, it couldn't last forever. As long as he continued attacking, Zhang Ruochen would soon collapse.
"You are strong, but defeating me inside the Sword Grave is impossible."
Zhang Ruochen held the Skyward Sword horizontally, brushed the dust off his body, and then a sword domain formed from tens of thousands of sword energies automatically manifested.
In the distance, dense blood mist surged into the Sword Grave, and figures of powerful Undying Blood Clan members appeared one after another.
Nine-Eyed Heavenly King crossed his arms in front of his chest and snorted coldly: "Saying we're useless, but when he encounters a troublesome opponent like Zhang Ruochen, he can't finish the fight quickly either."
Xia Wenxin's long hair fluttered as he looked at the distant battlefield with a smile on his face: "Whether it's Blood Butcher or Zhang Ruochen with the power of sixteen Sword Saint yin spirits added to him, both possess strength comparable to Great Saints. It's better for us not to interfere in this battle."
A single strike from a Great Saint was not easy to withstand.
At this moment, breaking into their battle circle was no different from being attacked by two Great Saints simultaneously. It would only lead to death.
Wangqiu Divine Son, whose figure was like an iron tower, said: "If we can distract Zhang Ruochen, perhaps Blood Butcher can win faster."
Xia Wenxin's gaze swept over Bao Lie, Ji Fanxin, and the others, saying: "In that case, choose an opponent."
"I'll go first."
Nine-Eyed Heavenly King was full of pent-up anger and had long wanted to fight fiercely.
The fleshy wings on his back spread out like two huge blood clouds. His body flew into the air, and his right hand stretched forward. From the eye in his palm, a beam of light three zhang in diameter shot out.
Before the beam arrived, the surging wind force had already rushed over, causing sand and stones to fly in front of Bao Lie, Ji Fanxin, and the others.
"Roar."
Bao Lie let out a low roar and punched out with all his strength.
The fist imprint turned into a Nebula Leopard, enormous and lifelike, scattering large amounts of starlight wherever it passed.
"Boom."
The two clashed, and the powerful force shook heaven and earth.
Nearby volcanoes collapsed one after another, magma surged from underground, turning hundreds of miles into a blazing red.
The next moment, Nine-Eyed Heavenly King arrived above Bao Lie, laughed loudly, and another beam of light flew from his eye.
Ji Fanxin took out a translucent purple petal and held it in her palm, saying: "Daring to break in here, Nine-Eyed Heavenly King, you are too arrogant."
"Hua."
The purple petal flew out, splitting into two, two into four, four into eight... finally turning into a rain of flowers filling the sky.
This was no ordinary flower rain but a spiritual power attack.
Being hit by any petal would injure both spirit and sacred soul.
However, before the flower rain could land on Nine-Eyed Heavenly King, it was attracted by a strange force and turned into a torrent, flying over.
Xia Wenxin, with blood-red hair and handsome features, used a bamboo scroll to collect all the petals.
"The famous Hundred Flowers Fairy is indeed stunningly beautiful." Xia Wenxin stared at Ji Fanxin, an appreciative look on his face.
"Be careful, even Nether Immortal suffered at her hands. Roses have thorns; be careful not to get pricked," Nine-Eyed Heavenly King said while fighting Bao Lie.
The next moment, Xia Wenxin and Ji Fanxin moved almost simultaneously, their speed reaching the extreme, instantly disappearing from everyone's sight.
Led by Wangqiu Divine Son, several other divine sons and daughters, along with the Undying Blood Clan army, surrounded Xiang Chunan and the others.
"Swish."
Zhenmiao Little Daoist shot out seven Divine Throne Planets, arranging them in seven different positions. Numerous formation inscriptions appeared on the planets' surfaces, forming a ninth-rank grand formation.
With the ninth-rank grand formation, along with assistance from Xiang Chunan, Grand Minister of Works, Second Minister of Works, and others, they barely managed to hold off Wangqiu Divine Son and his group.
Now, only Shi Qiankun had not joined the battle. He looked into the distance and saw a group of Undying Blood Clan members charging toward Cold Volcano.
"Not good. Cold Volcano is where Zhang Ruochen is condensing a physical body for the Abyssal Ancient Sword. We absolutely cannot let the Abyssal Ancient Sword fall into the hands of the Undying Blood Clan."
Shi Qiankun took out a talisman and stuck it on his chest. His entire body was then enveloped in white light as he flew out rapidly.
Catching up to that Undying Blood Clan group, Shi Qiankun unleashed blood-suppressing talismans and numerous Lianshan talismans, killing over seven hundred Undying Blood Clan sacred realm cultivators and suppressing them beneath stone mountains.
Standing atop Cold Volcano, Shi Qiankun wiped the sweat from his forehead and breathed a slight sigh of relief.
"There is actually a talisman that can restrain the Undying Blood Clan. Could you let me have a look?" A strange voice sounded.
Hearing this voice, Shi Qiankun's expression changed drastically.
A wisp of black mist appeared out of thin air, condensing into Nether Immortal's figure.
A moment ago, he was at the foot of the mountain.
The next moment, he was already halfway up the mountain.
Shi Qiankun knew he was no match for Nether Immortal, so he turned and jumped into the belly of Cold Volcano.
"Hehe, it seems besides the 'Star Chart,' there will be unexpected gains this time."
Nether Immortal pursued Shi Qiankun precisely for the "Star Chart."
"Hmm? This Cold Volcano seems a bit strange."
Nether Immortal lightly stomped his foot. A rumbling sound echoed, and the massive mountain body developed numerous cracks before collapsing, revealing everything inside.
Inside the mountain belly, the Abyssal Ancient Sword floated beneath the Sundial. A black-clothed youth sat cross-legged on the sword, his appearance strikingly similar to Zhang Ruochen, as he was desperately condensing a physical body.
His body sometimes solidified and sometimes became illusory.
After years of effort, the sword spirit of the Abyssal Ancient Sword was condensing a physical body, at a critical moment, about to succeed.
Shi Qiankun stood at the other end of the Sundial, looking at Nether Immortal descending from the sky. He let out a long sigh, a hint of despair in his eyes.
The enemy was too powerful; any resistance was futile.
Nether Immortal stood upright, hands behind his back, looking at the Sundial on the ground, listening to the sound of flowing water coming from within it, showing great interest.
"Time flows like a shuttle, sounding like a stream. What a fine time treasure."
Then, his gaze fell upon the Abyssal Ancient Sword, and his eyes lit up again: "Oh? A sword forged from Creation Divine Iron, with its artifact spirit condensing a physical body. Even if I can't find the 'Star Chart,' obtaining these two treasures would make this trip worthwhile. Wonderful, wonderfully wonderful."
The Abyssal Sword Spirit looked up, worry in his eyes: "The Undying Blood Clan is attacking the Sword Grave, and the Underworld Clan has also joined in. Has the Sword Grave been breached?"
Nether Immortal stared at the Abyssal Sword Spirit, saying: "This Divine Son is helping the Undying Blood Clan because we each get what we need. The Sword Grave being breached is only a matter of time. This is the general trend; no one can stop it."
"With Zhang Ruochen here, it won't be so easy for you to breach the Sword Grave," the sword spirit said calmly.
Nether Immortal folded his arms and sneered: "Because your master is too weak, you have become a frog at the bottom of a well. Zhang Ruochen's opponent is Blood Butcher. Even inside the Sword Grave, with every advantage of time and place, he is destined to lose."
"A wise bird chooses its tree to perch on. What's the point of following a dying man? Why not follow this Divine Son? With my strength and the resources I can mobilize, I can help you grow into a peerless divine sword in the future."
The sword spirit laughed: "A dying man... hmm... that's not wrong."
The Abyssal Sword Spirit was too calm, and his laughter was abnormal, giving Nether Immortal an ominous premonition.
"What are you laughing at? Do you believe this Divine Son can erase you right now, just a sword spirit of a seven-glory ten-thousand-pattern sacred artifact? I can always nurture a new sword spirit later," Nether Immortal's gaze turned cold.
Suddenly, Nether Immortal's back felt cold, and the hairs on his skin stood on end. An unprecedented sense of crisis enveloped him, making his entire body unable to move.
"Tap, tap."
Footsteps sounded.
"Who?"
Nether Immortal was greatly alarmed, looking around.
Someone had managed to approach him without his detection—this was a terrifying thing.
A stunningly beautiful woman in red walked out from the dark shadows. Her figure was tall and slender, her hair black and soft, her snow-white neck long, her willow waist slender, her gaze icy cold, her red lips crystal clear. Her face was ninety percent similar to Chi Yao.
Not only was her appearance similar, but even her temperament was extremely alike.
Any living being standing before her would involuntarily feel a sense of oppression, wanting to kneel, wanting to submit, wanting to bow down.
"Empress Chi Yao."
Shi Qiankun couldn't withstand that pressure and directly knelt on the ground.
"Empress Chi Yao... how is that possible?"
Nether Immortal held his breath, his eyes wide open, unable to believe that this woman was truly that god from the Kunlun Realm.
"No, you are a sword spirit."
Nether Immortal was not an ordinary cultivator and quickly saw through the red-clad woman's true identity.
"That's right, I am a sword spirit, named Drip Blood."
The red-clad woman held a blood-red sword in her hand and took another step forward. Instantly, overwhelming killing intent surged toward Nether Immortal.
Perhaps because the Drip Blood Sword had devoured too much blood from living beings, the killing intent on her body had condensed into substance. Before Nether Immortal's eyes, it transformed into a battlefield of mountains of corpses and seas of blood.
The red-clad woman hadn't even made a move, yet the killing intent had already condensed into thousands of war swords, flying toward Nether Immortal.
Nether Immortal's powerful sacred soul seemed about to be torn apart by the killing intent.
"Nether River Array Diagram."
Nether Immortal suppressed the fear in his heart, gritted his teeth, and unleashed an array diagram, evolving it into a Nether River world, trying to block the red-clad woman.
The Nether River Array Diagram was Nether Immortal's greatest trump card. Even attacks from an Immortal Realm Great Saint could be blocked three times.
But...
"Pfft."
The sword in the red-clad woman's hand turned into a flash of blood light, fast as lightning, instantly piercing through the "Nether River Array Diagram" and landing on Nether Immortal's heart.
"Bang."
Nether Immortal was sent flying by the Drip Blood Sword, pinned to a rock, with blood gushing out.
"How could this be..."
Nether Immortal's eyes were wide open, unable to believe this reality.
Below the Great Saint level, someone could actually defeat him with a single sword strike.
The next moment, all the sacred blood in Nether Immortal's body was absorbed by the Drip Blood Sword, turning him into a dried corpse.
The red-clad woman didn't spare another glance at Nether Immortal. All her attention was on the Abyssal Sword Spirit. The cold light in her beautiful eyes disappeared, replaced by deep tenderness.
Drip Blood and Abyssal Depths had always been a pair of lover swords.
The master was heartless, but the swords had feelings.