Chapter 1917: The Fifth Layer of Time Sword Art
Zhang Ruochen extended both arms, and thirteen dragon souls and thirteen elephant souls manifested, exuding an overbearing might that blocked all incoming attacks.
Turning his hand, Zhang Ruochen took out the Abyssal Ancient Sword and slashed toward the red-haired Dao Domain realm Death Clan strongman on the far left.
This strike appeared simple, yet it was impossible to evade.
A look of shock appeared in the red-haired Dao Domain realm Death Clan strongman's eyes. He hurriedly raised his Seven Radiance Ten-Thousand Pattern Sacred Artifact-level war blade, attempting to block the sword.
"Crack."
The war blade shattered instantly, utterly unable to withstand the Abyssal Ancient Sword.
Without any pause, the Abyssal Ancient Sword slashed down, landing solidly on the red-haired Dao Domain realm Death Clan strongman.
No inscription patterns appeared on the surface of the Abyssal Ancient Sword. Only the purple divine stone embedded in the hilt emitted a faint glow. Its weight was immeasurable, reaching tens of millions of jin, comparable to a star.
The purple divine stone itself had been condensed from a star beside a black hole.
The Death Clan strongman plummeted like a meteor.
"Boom."
The ground was smashed into a deep pit, layers of earth sinking, and vast clouds of dust surged toward the sky.
Inside the deep pit, no trace of the Death Clan strongman could be found, only a pile of shattered bones.
"So terrifying? One sword strike killed Wu Sui Wang, a Dao Domain realm cultivator."
"He only used his physical strength."
"His physical body is indeed formidable. That sword of his is heavier than ten mountains."
...
The remaining three Dao Domain realm Death Clan cultivators, realizing the terror of the human man before them, simultaneously pressed their palms together and unleashed a Death Secret Art.
"Thought Power Reaching Heaven."
The ground beneath the three Dao Domain realm Death Clan cultivators shattered, forming an isolated island, while the earth around the island rose into the air.
It was as if a landmass spanning hundreds of li had lifted off, hurtling toward Zhang Ruochen.
Zhang Ruochen turned instantly, the Abyssal Ancient Sword in his hand trembling slightly.
"Whoosh."
In this expanse of heaven and earth, countless Time Imprints materialized, like the endless stars in the universe, dotting the space and enveloping the three Dao Domain realm Death Clan cultivators.
Time seemed to freeze in that moment.
"Shua."
A blurry afterimage flashed by. Zhang Ruochen and the Abyssal Ancient Sword, like a beam of light, pierced through the hundreds-of-li landmass and appeared behind the three Dao Domain realm Death Clan cultivators.
The three Dao Domain realm Death Clan cultivators stood motionless, then their heads separated from their bodies, falling from midair.
With a single sword strike, he had defeated three Dao Domain realm cultivators.
Too stunning!
The Jie Tian realm Death Clan cultivator who had fled turned back and witnessed this scene, his heart filled with terror. "How is this possible?"
"Nothing is impossible."
Killing intent surged in Zhang Ruochen's eyes as he raised his sword and gave chase.
Seeing Zhang Ruochen closing in, the Jie Tian realm Death Clan cultivator roared, "I am Mo Gu General under Red Star Divine Son! If you dare kill me, the Divine Son will never forgive you!"
Zhang Ruochen said coldly, "Red Star Divine Son? Never heard of him. But don't worry, it won't be long before I send Red Star Divine Son down to reunite with you."
Threatening him with a Death Clan Divine Son was far too naive.
Activating Spatial Displacement, Zhang Ruochen instantly appeared behind Mo Gu General.
Countless Time Imprints clearly manifested, completely enveloping Mo Gu General.
The flow of time in this space changed, as if entering a state of stasis.
"Radiant Moon Like a Song."
Zhang Ruochen swung his sword, thrusting straight at Mo Gu General's brow.
"Such a fast sword."
That was the last thought in Mo Gu General's mind.
"Crack."
Mo Gu General's skull shattered, and his Sacred Soul was extinguished.
The next moment, his body, condensed from Death Evil Qi, collapsed, leaving only a headless skeleton.
The skeleton was crystalline like jade, with various secret patterns engraved on it. With a bit of refinement, it could become a powerful war artifact.
The Death Clan was one of the Upper Three Clans of Hell Realm, an evolved form of the Corpse Clan and Bone Clan among the Middle Three Clans, and a new life form. The Death Clan army stationed in Linyang City had evolved from the Bone Clan.
The skeleton left by Mo Gu General was undoubtedly of great value.
Zhang Ruochen would not waste it. With a wave of his hand, he collected the Sacred Bones left by Mo Gu General and the four Dao Domain realm Death Clan cultivators, along with several evil artifacts.
Once the Death Evil Qi was purified, they could be used for the Abyssal Ancient Sword to absorb and refine.
The Abyssal Ancient Sword was now an Eight Radiance Ten-Thousand Pattern Sacred Artifact. With the purple divine stone amplifying its power, its might rivaled a Nine Radiance Ten-Thousand Pattern Sacred Artifact.
But this was far from enough. The Abyssal Ancient Sword needed to absorb and refine more war artifacts to grow stronger.
Now that the Abyssal Sword Spirit had formed a Dao Body, and the finest one at that, its growth rate would accelerate significantly.
"I still haven't grasped the essence of 'Radiant Moon Like a Song.' If Mo Gu General had been on guard, this strike might not have been effective."
Zhang Ruochen muttered to himself, dissatisfied with that sword strike.
"Radiant Moon Like a Song" was the fifth layer of the "Time Sword Art," also known as the Moon Sword. It was even more profound than "Cycle of Reincarnation." Zhang Ruochen had only just begun to cultivate it, mastering only the surface.
After his cultivation broke through to the Rule Small World realm, he could not make major breakthroughs in cultivation in a short time.
He needed to settle down, allowing his mind and cultivation to fully harmonize before considering further breakthroughs.
The further one progressed, the more one could not afford to be impatient. Every step had to be steady.
With his cultivation maintained at the Rule Small World realm, if Zhang Ruochen wanted a significant increase in strength, he could only focus on cultivating martial techniques and divine abilities.
Zhang Ruochen primarily cultivated the Way of Time, Way of Space, Sword Dao, Palm Path, and Fist Path. A breakthrough in any one of these could greatly enhance his strength.
The "Time Sword Art," which combined the Way of Time and Sword Dao, was mysterious and unpredictable, with boundless power. It had always been one of Zhang Ruochen's key trump cards, and he would invest more time and effort into comprehending it.
As for the Palm Path, it could not be improved for now. Whether it was the Dragon-Elephant Prajna Palm or the Seven Orifices Blood Nether Palm, Zhang Ruochen had already cultivated them to their peak. Before becoming a Great Saint, it would be difficult to make any substantial breakthroughs.
Unless he could find Great Saint-level dragon souls and elephant souls.
The Fist Path, however, required careful study. If he could cultivate the eleventh layer of the Luo Water Fist Art, it would evolve into a High-rank Sacred Art, allowing him to crush all opponents below the Great Saint realm.
But to reach the eleventh layer, he would have to go to the Nine Bends Heavenly Star.
Moreover, the Luo Water Fist Art and the Dragon-Elephant Prajna Palm complemented each other—one soft, one hard, like Yin and Yang. Cultivating both simultaneously held great significance.
In truth, Zhang Ruochen very much wanted to comprehend Sword Ten, but he had not mastered any insights left by predecessors, so he had no starting point.
Sword Ten had always existed only in legend. From ancient times to the present, very few had cultivated it successfully.
In the last thousand years, only Sword Emperor Xue Hongchen had achieved it.
Wanxiang City should have collected Sword Emperor Xue Hongchen's insights on Sword Ten, but Wanxiang City would likely not share them easily.
For now, Zhang Ruochen could only focus his efforts on cultivating the "Time Sword Art" and studying the "Way of Space."
"Fairy, this place is only one hundred and twenty thousand li from Immortal Machine Mountain. We can get there quickly. But before that, I want to find someone first," Zhang Ruochen said.
Ji Fanxin said, "You're looking for Pei Yutian?"
She had also heard about Pei Yutian's attack on Linyang City.
So she immediately guessed Zhang Ruochen's intention.
Zhang Ruochen nodded. "Yes. I believe Pei Yutian won't die so easily, but his situation must be very dire now. That's why I have to find him."
He once owed Pei Yutian a favor, and he had to repay it no matter what.
Not to mention that this place was very close to the cliff where Pei Yutian fell. Even if it were far away, he would still go to find Pei Yutian.
If Pei Yutian was still alive, he would rescue him.
If Pei Yutian was already dead, he would find his remains and give him a proper burial.
"That's fine. Since we're already in the Northern Domain, there's no rush for this moment," Ji Fanxin said.
Zhang Ruochen smiled. "Thank you, Fairy."
Without further delay, Zhang Ruochen put away the altar and dashed ahead.
Life and Death Cliff was a very special place, even eerie. Anything that flew over it would inexplicably fall.
Many strong experts had gone to investigate, trying to find the reason, but all returned empty-handed.
It seemed that Pei Yutian, pursued by the Death Clan with no way out, had chosen to risk everything by staking his life on a desperate gamble.
Fleeing to Life and Death Cliff gave him a glimmer of hope.
Fleeing elsewhere would almost certainly mean certain death.
Recently, Life and Death Cliff had become unusually lively. Not only were Death Clan strongmen gathered there, but many Heavenly Court realm cultivators had also arrived, making it a chaotic mix.
At first, there had been some conflicts between the two sides.
But now, an unspoken understanding had formed. Before finding Pei Yutian, no one was willing to fight to the death.
In less than the time it takes to burn an incense stick, Zhang Ruochen and his three companions arrived at Life and Death Cliff.
Life and Death Cliff was a bloody red. Divine blood had once spilled here, leaving the land barren and even greatly suppressing spiritual power.
As the Kunlun Realm revived, this place became even more eerie.
Suddenly, a figure flew down from midair and appeared beside them, initially showing caution and wariness.
Seeing that Zhang Ruochen and the others were not Hell Realm cultivators, he breathed a sigh of relief. "Are you all also here to seize that Eon Sacred Medicine? I heard Pei Yutian's hiding place has been found. If you don't go down now, the Eon Sacred Medicine will fall into the hands of Hell Realm cultivators."
Zhang Ruochen immediately looked up, his gaze locking onto a gaunt young man.
"Eon Sacred Medicine?" Zhang Ruochen asked.
The gaunt young man looked surprised. "You don't know? Pei Yutian attacked Linyang City earlier to seize the Eon Sacred Medicine. That was Red Star Divine Son's property. Why else do you think the Death Clan is making such a big fuss?"
Hearing this, Zhang Ruochen's heart stirred. He was somewhat surprised that Pei Yutian had been bold enough to rob Red Star Divine Son's Eon Sacred Medicine.
An Eon Sacred Medicine referred to a top-tier sacred medicine that had survived an Eon Calamity. If it advanced further, it would transform into a half-divine medicine.
A sacred medicine that had not survived an Eon Calamity could only be called a hundred-thousand-year ancient sacred medicine.
One Eon was one hundred and twenty-nine thousand six hundred years, an extremely long time. Even many gods could not live that long.
An Eon Sacred Medicine was enough to drive Lin Dao realm strongmen mad.
"You said Pei Yutian's hiding place has been found?" Zhang Ruochen asked.
The gaunt young man said, "That's right. Not long ago, someone discovered that Pei Yutian was hiding in a secret cave beneath Life and Death Cliff. But that cave is very strange, and no one has been able to break in yet."
"Now, strong experts from all sides have gathered at that cave, hoping to get a share of the spoils."
"Rumor has it that Pei Yutian is a peerless prodigy of the Kunlun Realm, blessed with great fortune. He has many good things on him. Even if you don't get the Eon Sacred Medicine, getting other treasures would be worthwhile."
Hearing this, Zhang Ruochen first breathed a sigh of relief inwardly, glad that Pei Yutian was still alive.
But then, a chill surged in his heart. It was one thing for the Death Clan to want to kill Pei Yutian, but even Heavenly Court realm cultivators were plotting to seize Pei Yutian's treasures. How outrageous.
These Heavenly Court realm cultivators had come to the Kunlun Realm not to help it resist the Hell Realm invasion but to target Kunlun Realm cultivators. Their intentions were despicable.
In truth, from the very beginning, Zhang Ruochen knew that many Heavenly Court realm cultivators entering the Kunlun Realm were not there to help. They came for the opportunities within the Kunlun Realm, seeking to plunder various resources. In essence, they were no different from Hell Realm cultivators.
Many thoughts flashed through his mind quickly. Zhang Ruochen smiled. "Then we really can't delay. Otherwise, this trip will be for nothing."
"Right, right, right."
The gaunt young man seemed very eager.
With a flicker of movement, he quickly descended Life and Death Cliff.
Seeing this, Zhang Ruochen and his three companions followed.
Life and Death Cliff was perpetually shrouded in thick fog, heavy with miasma and baleful energy. Ordinary creatures dared not approach.
Following the gaunt young man, they descended thirty thousand zhang before finally reaching the bottom of the cliff.
The bottom was vast, with a horrifying sight—a thick layer of white bones, evidence of countless lives that had perished here.
"Why does it feel so chilly? This place is eerie."
Xiang Chunan couldn't help but shiver.
Ji Fanxin warned, "Be careful. There's something strange about this place."
"Fairy, have you noticed something?" Zhang Ruochen asked.
Ji Fanxin released her powerful spiritual power and carefully sensed the surroundings. Then she said, "My spiritual power is being suppressed... It's hard to judge, but I have a bad feeling."
"Let's go save Pei Yutian first. We'll be cautious," Zhang Ruochen said.
Since they had already reached the bottom of Life and Death Cliff, they couldn't back out just because of some potential strangeness.
"Over there."
Ji Fanxin pointed in a direction.