Chapter 1913: Ascending the "Saint King Merit Ranking"
As the saying goes, when enemies meet, their eyes blaze with fury. This phrase could not be more accurate for the current moment.
Shang Zi's expression shifted but quickly returned to normal. Within the Merit General Station, he could not make a move against Zhang Ruochen. Some rules could not be overstepped; otherwise, even his master, Yan God, would not be able to protect him.
"Zhang Ruochen, what are you doing on Tianquan Star? Trying to flee the Kunlun Realm?" Si Han laughed.
Last time, he and Shenya Mr. had joined forces, attempting to occupy the Eastern Domain, but Zhang Ruochen had ruined their plans. He had been waiting for an opportunity to settle the score with Zhang Ruochen.
Especially recently, he had gained a great deal in the Kunlun Realm, his strength had increased significantly, and his confidence was naturally greater. He did not believe he could not deal with Zhang Ruochen now.
Zhang Ruochen glanced coldly at Si Han and said indifferently, "A defeated opponent, what right do you have to meddle in my affairs?"
"Who are you calling a defeated opponent? If it weren't for the ancient inscription patterns, I could crush you as easily as swatting a mosquito," Si Han said.
Zhang Ruochen remained extremely calm and said flatly, "There aren't that many 'ifs' in the world. When you actually manage to do it, then you can spout your nonsense."
"Zhang Ruochen."
Si Han clenched his fists, his eyes practically shooting flames.
To be ridiculed in front of so many people—this was utterly outrageous.
If Zhang Ruochen fell into his hands, he would extract Zhang Ruochen's sacred soul and torment him for thousands or tens of thousands of years to vent the hatred in his heart.
"Don't mind him. Let's go in and exchange our merit points first," Shang Zi said calmly, stopping Si Han from continuing his confrontation with Zhang Ruochen.
In the Merit General Station, such a confrontation was utterly meaningless. It would only make them a laughingstock.
Of course, if they were in a different place, there would be no need for words; they would simply strike directly.
He had come to the Kunlun Realm with a very important mission: to kill Zhang Ruochen.
In his eyes, Zhang Ruochen was like a grasshopper after autumn—he didn't have many days left to jump around.
Si Han snorted heavily, withdrew his gaze, and followed Shang Zi into the Merit Value Exchange Hall.
Da Xi Wang remained silent, her gaze somewhat evasive as she followed closely behind.
Zhang Ruochen cast a glance at Da Xi Wang, and the corners of his mouth lifted slightly, revealing a peculiar smile.
He could sense that those flame flying insects were still inside Da Xi Wang's body, not yet neutralized. He could still use them to control her.
"Interesting. Very interesting."
Zhang Ruochen murmured with a smile, then stepped into the Merit Value Exchange Hall.
"Zhang Ruochen is arrogant enough to provoke even Shang Zi."
"You wouldn't know. Zhang Ruochen and Shang Zi have long been irreconcilable. There will definitely be a battle between them in the future."
"Shang Zi is the leader of the Merit Divine Hall, a direct disciple of Yan God, and backed by the Paradise Realm. Zhang Ruochen probably can't defeat him."
"Don't underestimate Zhang Ruochen. He is the Heir of Time and Space, the Divine Envoy of the Moon God, and the fiancé of Empress Chi Yao. These identities are no worse than Shang Zi's. From what I know, Zhang Ruochen has faced countless dangers since his rise and has survived them all. His life is truly tough."
Seeing Zhang Ruochen confront the Paradise Realm faction, many people began to discuss it animatedly, all eager to watch the drama unfold.
Entering the Merit Value Exchange Hall, two rankings clearly came into Zhang Ruochen's view: the Saint Merit Ranking and the Saint King Merit Ranking.
Zhang Ruochen had once surpassed the Thousand Star Celestial Maiden in the Ancestral Spirit Realm battle, becoming the number one on the Saint Merit Ranking.
Of course, he was now a Nine-Step Saint King, so his focus was naturally on the Saint King Merit Ranking.
To ascend the Saint King Merit Ranking was no easy task. At the very least, one needed to accumulate one billion merit points, which meant killing many Saint King-level experts from the Hell Realm.
This time, many powerful Saint Kings from the Heavenly Court Realm had flooded into the Kunlun Realm, all aiming to ascend the Saint King Merit Ranking and make a name for themselves.
"Shang Zi has already ascended the Saint King Merit Ranking. It seems he has killed quite a few Hell Realm experts on the Kunlun Realm Merit Battlefield."
"Da Xi Wang, Huan Ji, and Si Han are also on the list. They have some skill."
Zhang Ruochen's gaze swept over the Saint King Merit Ranking, and a hint of surprise appeared in his eyes.
According to the rules set by the Merit Divine Hall, killing a Half-Saint earned ten to one thousand merit points; killing a Saint earned one thousand to one hundred thousand merit points; killing a Saint King earned one hundred thousand to ten million merit points. The number of merit points depended on the strength of the opponent.
To ascend the Heavenly Court Realm's Saint King Merit Ranking, one needed to kill the equivalent of one hundred top-tier Saint Kings.
Because of this difficulty, almost everyone on the list were veteran top-tier Saint Kings who had cultivated for hundreds or even thousands of years.
Shang Zi's merit points had already exceeded 1.8 billion, which was no small feat.
At that moment, he was exchanging his merit points, and his total was visibly changing.
Finally, his merit points surpassed two billion, significantly boosting his ranking.
Zhang Ruochen stepped forward, also preparing to exchange his merit points.
Exchanging merit points was simple: one only needed to produce a drop of blood or a wisp of sacred soul from a Hell Realm cultivator.
Zhang Ruochen took out a jade bottle and began pouring out drops of blood to exchange.
"He hasn't even set foot on the Merit Battlefield. How many Hell Realm cultivators could he have killed?" Si Han sneered.
"Don't say that. There are quite a few Hell Realm cultivators who have infiltrated the Kunlun Realm. Maybe he happened to run into a squad."
Anyone could hear the mockery in their words.
Si Han laughed heartily and chimed in, "That's right. Who knows, with these merit points, he might even ascend the Heavenly Court Realm's Saint King Merit Ranking."
"Who's going to ascend the Heavenly Court Realm's Saint King Merit Ranking?"
"Are you joking? Zhang Ruochen hasn't even been to the Merit Battlefield. Where is he going to get one billion merit points?"
"There are indeed quite a few Hell Realm cultivators who have infiltrated the Kunlun Realm, but they're scattered everywhere. How easy is it to kill them?"
"Recently, I haven't heard of any large-scale battles breaking out anywhere. So there's no way Zhang Ruochen could have gotten that many merit points."
"What is Zhang Ruochen anyway? He's a coward who doesn't even dare to go to the Merit Battlefield."
"And people still call him the War God of the Kunlun Realm? Aren't they afraid of being laughed at?"
Voices rose from all sides, none of them optimistic about Zhang Ruochen.
Many of those mocking him were undoubtedly from factions hostile to him.
"Hahaha, well said. Some people really are complete cowards."
Si Han laughed even more brazenly.
He was in a great mood now, having shaken off his earlier gloom.
Coming to the Merit Value Exchange Hall to show off—Zhang Ruochen was just asking to be humiliated.
Zhang Ruochen remained very calm, completely ignoring the various discussions in the hall.
As he continued to pour out blood, his merit points grew rapidly.
At first, many people were laughing, waiting to see the show.
But gradually, the smiles on many faces disappeared, replaced by expressions of astonishment.
After emptying one bottle of blood, Zhang Ruochen's merit points had grown to six hundred million, which was no small amount.
Such a number stunned many people.
None of them had that many merit points, so what right did they have to mock Zhang Ruochen?
Inevitably, many chose to remain silent, no longer saying anything.
Si Han's expression changed somewhat, but he still sneered, "Only six hundred million merit points? What's so great about that? He's still far from ascending the Heavenly Court Realm's Saint King Merit Ranking."
No matter what, he would never acknowledge Zhang Ruochen.
Fortunately, his own merit points far exceeded Zhang Ruochen's, so he could still use words to provoke him.
Da Xi Wang frowned slightly, her gaze fixed on Zhang Ruochen. She felt that things couldn't be that simple.
Mainly, Zhang Ruochen was too calm—so calm that it frightened her.
Sure enough, under many watchful eyes, Zhang Ruochen took out a second jade bottle and began pouring out more blood.
"Seven hundred million."
"Eight hundred million."
"Nine hundred million."
Watching the merit points skyrocket, many people were left dumbfounded.
"Gulp... one billion."
When the merit points reached one billion, someone couldn't help but swallow hard, clearly shocked.
But the merit points didn't stop at one billion; they continued to climb.
"How is this possible?"
Si Han's eyes bulged wide, unwilling to believe what he was seeing.
Da Xi Wang shook her head slightly. As she had expected, Zhang Ruochen really did like to surprise people.
At this point, even Shang Zi's expression changed; he could no longer maintain his calm demeanor.
"Two billion, and it's still increasing."
Someone said with a trembling voice.
Shang Zi's face darkened slightly. He had fought tooth and nail on the Merit Battlefield to earn two billion merit points, and in the blink of an eye, someone who had never been to the Merit Battlefield had surpassed him.
Just moments ago, he had been mocking Zhang Ruochen. Now, he had been slapped in the face so quickly. Who was the real joke?
"Three point five billion merit points... Hiss."
When Zhang Ruochen's merit points finally settled, the hall was filled with the sound of sharp intakes of breath.
Such a number of merit points was something many people wouldn't even dare to dream of.
Additionally, someone noticed that the amount of blood Zhang Ruochen had just poured out numbered in the hundreds of thousands of drops—another staggering figure.
"Aside from the Merit Battlefield, where could he have killed so many Hell Realm cultivators? And those blood drops seem to all belong to the Undying Blood Clan."
Many were filled with confusion about this.
"The Undying Blood Clan."
A strange light suddenly flashed in Shang Zi's eyes.
"Zhang Ruochen, the Undying Blood Clan that besieged the Underworld King's Sword Grave must have been completely annihilated, right? Quite the move, silently wiping out hundreds of thousands of Undying Blood Clan troops."
Shang Zi's voice was somewhat low.
"Impossible. The Undying Blood Clan's army of hundreds of thousands was led by several Divine Sons. How could they have been completely wiped out?" Someone immediately objected.
The Undying Blood Clan had mobilized their army to besiege the Underworld King's Sword Grave—this was no secret. Many people knew about it.
They simply felt the waters there were too deep, so few were willing to get involved.
Logically, this shouldn't have happened.
But if it were true, it would be terrifying, enough to shake the entire Kunlun Realm.
In an instant, everyone turned their gaze to Zhang Ruochen, waiting for his answer.