Chapter 1920: Divine Thought Body
The death evil qi within the Black Flame General surged out wildly, pouring into the Death Shadow, causing it to become increasingly solid, as if the true God of Death was about to descend into this cavern.
The Death Shadow extended a hand, drawing upon vast death thought power, meeting the Azure Sky Burial Tower head-on.
The Azure Sky Burial Tower spun rapidly, releasing wave after wave of supreme power, the space showing signs of tearing.
Yet, it failed to destroy the Death Shadow's hand, being forcibly held back.
At the same time, the Death Shadow extended its other hand, and a strange bracelet radiating deep, dark light flew out.
This bracelet consisted of twelve beads, each engraved with complex patterns, seemingly possessing unfathomable divine power.
However, only three beads were solid; the others remained in a illusory state, as if not yet fully condensed.
Now, the three solid beads emitted a deep light, and the intricate patterns engraved on them emerged.
"Freeze."
The Black Flame General roared, urging the bracelet to fly above the Azure Sky Burial Tower.
The bracelet released a powerful secret force, as if it could bind everything.
Instantly, the Azure Sky Burial Tower stopped spinning, its supreme power unable to burst forth, being completely suppressed.
"Hmm?"
A strange light flickered in Zhang Ruochen's eyes, catching him by surprise.
"Death thought power is indeed extraordinary. With the artifact spirit's consciousness asleep, the Azure Sky Burial Tower seems unable to deal with this Black Flame General," Zhang Ruochen thought to himself.
A Jietian realm expert was indeed not to be underestimated.
After the battle at the Sword Grave, the Azure Sky Burial Tower had consumed too much of its origin power, and the artifact spirit's consciousness had fallen into a deep sleep, unable to recover in a short time.
Without the artifact spirit's cooperation, the power the Azure Sky Burial Tower could unleash was undoubtedly greatly diminished.
With the Azure Sky Burial Tower suppressed by the bracelet, the Death Shadow leaned forward, reaching out its hands to grab Zhang Ruochen and the other three.
Ji Fanxin raised a hand, and the petals swirling around her flew out, forming a river of flowers to block the Death Hand.
Xiang Chunan stepped forward and roared, "Death Clan, you deserve to die. Grandpa Xiang will give you a hat to wear."
As he spoke, he took out the Metal Demon Crown, pouring vast demonic qi into it. Tens of thousands of inscriptions emerged, intertwining to generate powerful supreme power.
The Black Flame General's pupils contracted: "Another supreme sacred artifact."
What kind of background did these people have? When had supreme sacred artifacts become so common?
Without time to think further, the Black Flame General quickly sacrificed more essence to make the Death Shadow even more solid.
Centered on the Death Shadow, countless death rules emerged, forming a vast Dao Domain, drawing in countless rules floating between heaven and earth, revolving around the domain.
"Boom."
The Metal Demon Crown struck the Dao Domain, its violent power surging, but it failed to break through. Instead, it was absorbed by the domain, as if trapped in a quagmire.
"You three, go deal with Pei Yutian immediately and retrieve the Epoch Sacred Medicine."
The Black Flame General secretly transmitted a message to the three Death Generals.
"Yes."
The three Death Generals immediately moved.
Now that the Black Flame General was holding off Zhang Ruochen and the others, and Ziyang Saint King and the other Heavenly Court Saint King had already retreated to the side, it was the perfect time to seize the Epoch Sacred Medicine.
Once the Epoch Sacred Medicine was in hand, they wouldn't need to continue fighting Zhang Ruochen and the others to the death; they could retreat immediately. Even if Pei Yutian had already swallowed the Epoch Sacred Medicine, they had ways to refine the medicinal power.
Ziyang Saint King and the other Heavenly Court Jietian realm Saint King were currently watching from the side.
They had originally said they would help the Flower Fairy, but after seeing Zhang Ruochen unleash the Azure Sky Burial Tower, they immediately backed off to avoid being caught in the crossfire.
That Heavenly Court Jietian Saint King's eyes gleamed, and he whispered, "Two supreme sacred artifacts! Ziyang Saint King, this is even more valuable than the Epoch Sacred Medicine."
Ziyang Saint King's eyes also gleamed with greed, staring intently at the Azure Sky Burial Tower and the Metal Demon Crown, an uncontrollable covetousness appearing in his gaze.
With his cultivation level, if he could possess a supreme sacred artifact, he could contend with Lindao realm experts and be nearly invincible among those below the Great Saint realm.
"Treasures should be in the hands of the strong," Ziyang Saint King said solemnly.
"Whoosh."
A stream of purple qi flew out from Ziyang Saint King's body, turning into a ribbon that swept toward the Azure Sky Burial Tower.
At the same time, the other Heavenly Court Saint King expert also made his move, extending a crimson dragon claw to grab the Metal Demon Crown.
Both had good schemes, intending to seize the two supreme sacred artifacts while Zhang Ruochen and the others were locked in a fierce battle with the Black Flame General.
Although they knew Zhang Ruochen and the Black Flame General were not to be trifled with, fortune favored the bold. Two supreme sacred artifacts were worth the risk.
A cold light flickered in Zhang Ruochen's eyes, and he said coldly, "Courting death."
Turning his hand, the Abyssal Ancient Sword appeared, countless time imprints emerging like stars, beautiful and mysterious.
The Abyssal Ancient Sword struck first, and two time sword qi slashed out.
"Crack."
The purple qi ribbon and the crimson dragon claw appeared extremely fragile, both being severed.
At that moment, Ziyang Saint King and the other Heavenly Court Saint King expert trembled, feeling an intense weakness spreading through their bodies.
"What's happening?"
The two experts were shocked, not knowing what had occurred.
Zhang Ruochen performed a spatial displacement, instantly appearing beside the two experts.
Swinging his sword horizontally, he cut both experts' bodies in half at the waist, purple and crimson blood splattering.
As Jietian realm peak experts, their vitality was extremely strong, so this strike did not kill them.
Zhang Ruochen moved forward swiftly, thrusting the Abyssal Ancient Sword toward the forehead of one of the Heavenly Court Jietian realm Saint King experts.
This person was already severely injured, first losing two hundred years of lifespan from the time imprints, then having his body severed. Now, he had no strength to resist.
"Pfft."
The Abyssal Ancient Sword pierced through his forehead, and the sword qi shattered his sacred soul.
Zhang Ruochen's gaze was cold as he withdrew the Abyssal Ancient Sword and turned to attack Ziyang Saint King.
Terror appeared in Ziyang Saint King's eyes, and he shouted, "You can't kill me! My sect is the Purple Heaven Hall. If you kill me, great disaster will befall you."
"So you're from the Heavenly Realm Faction," Zhang Ruochen said.
Ziyang Saint King thought there was a chance for a turn and quickly continued, "Yes, our Purple Heaven Hall is the number one power in the Hongyang Great World, inherited from the Heavenly Realm. There's just a small misunderstanding between us; there's no need to fight to the death. You wouldn't want to offend the Heavenly Realm because of this, would you?"
"Trying to use the Heavenly Realm to pressure me? It seems you don't know who I am," Zhang Ruochen said with a sneer.
Hearing this, a sense of foreboding arose in Ziyang Saint King's heart, and he asked, "Who are you?"
"Zhang Ruochen," Zhang Ruochen said.
Hearing this name, Ziyang Saint King's pupils contracted sharply, and intense fear surged in his heart.
He had never met Zhang Ruochen before, but he had long heard of his deeds and knew about the various conflicts between Zhang Ruochen and the Heavenly Realm Faction.
He had just used the Heavenly Realm to threaten Zhang Ruochen—it was like throwing himself onto a blade.
"I..."
Before Ziyang Saint King could say anything, Zhang Ruochen raised the Abyssal Ancient Sword and pierced through his forehead.
Zhang Ruochen had never shown mercy to members of the Heavenly Realm Faction, especially treacherous scoundrels who attacked from behind during a battle with the Death Clan.
They deserved to die.
From the moment the Flame God had tried to kill Zhang Ruochen, or rather, from the moment Zhang Ruochen became the Heir of Time and Space, the conflict between him and the Heavenly Realm had become irreconcilable.
Ziyang Saint King's eyes widened, filled with unwillingness, as he fell straight into a pool of blood.
"Boom."
At that moment, from the direction of the Divine Blood Pool, an incredibly terrifying force erupted, and a blood-red blade light shot into the sky.
The three Death Generals had just appeared at the edge of the Divine Blood Pool when their expressions suddenly changed, and they quickly used death thought power to form a protective barrier.
"Bang."
The barrier formed by death thought power trembled violently before shattering.
The blood-red blade light pierced through the barrier, its residual power undiminished, slashing toward the three Death Generals.
The three Death Generals were all sent flying, spitting out large mouthfuls of blood, already severely injured.
In the Divine Blood Pool, Pei Yutian's figure emerged, holding a stone knife that had turned blood-red.
He had been knocked into the Divine Blood Pool earlier, a very dangerous situation, nearly devoured by the divine blood.
Fortunately, the stone knife had protected him in time, blocking the power of the divine blood and passing some strange power to him, allowing his injuries to recover by more than half in an instant.
At the same time, the stone knife itself seemed like a living being, absorbing a large amount of divine blood, its blade turning blood-red.
Zhang Ruochen appeared out of thin air behind the three Death Generals, executing "Radiant Moon Like a Song," easily decapitating them.
Then, swinging his fists, he crushed the heads of the three Death Generals one by one, cutting off any chance of survival.
The three Death Generals were not imperial sons or divine sons, only ordinary Daoyu realm cultivators, unable to fight across realms. With Zhang Ruochen's current cultivation level and the mystery of the Eternal Dao, killing them was like slaughtering pigs and dogs.
The Eternal Dao was the supreme path.
Zhang Ruochen turned his gaze to Pei Yutian and asked, "How are you?"
"Still alive, barely. I didn't expect you to appear here. Thank you," Pei Yutian said.
Zhang Ruochen nodded and said, "No need to thank me. Let's not catch up now; let's deal with this Black Flame General first."
A sharp light flashed in Pei Yutian's eyes, and he gripped the stone knife tightly, saying, "Alright."
"Whoosh."
Pei Yutian swung the stone knife, exerting all his strength to slash out a blood-red blade light.
Whether it was because it had absorbed divine blood in the pool, the stone knife had become different, emitting an aura more than ten times stronger than Pei Yutian's own.
The blood-red blade, with its patterns, perfectly matched the mountains and rivers of the Northern Domain, drawing power from heaven and earth continuously, merging with the blade.
It was as if the entire power of the Northern Domain was pressing down on Pei Yutian.
With one slash, thunder and lightning raged across the Northern Domain, the celestial phenomena changed drastically, and the stars trembled.
"Shua."
At the same time, a blurry figure flew out from Zhang Ruochen's body, grasping the Abyssal Ancient Sword, and slashed toward the Death Shadow at an unimaginable speed.
It was the sword soul.
With the sword soul controlling the sword, any sword technique could reach its peak power.
"Rip."
The Death Shadow was cut in half by the Abyssal Ancient Sword, and vast death thought power poured out wildly.
Without the protection of the Death Shadow, the blood-red blade light Pei Yutian had slashed directly struck the Black Flame General.
"Pfft."
The Black Flame General spat blood and was sent flying.
"Suppress."
Zhang Ruochen shouted softly, and the Azure Sky Burial Tower spun, pressing down on the Black Flame General's head.
"No."
The Black Flame General let out an unwilling roar but could not stop the Azure Sky Burial Tower.
With a whoosh, a flash of green light, the Azure Sky Burial Tower sucked the Black Flame General inside, sealing all his power, leaving him unable to resist.
Zhang Ruochen waved his hand, and the Azure Sky Burial Tower quickly shrank, flying into his hand.
Suddenly, the cavern fell silent, and the battle was temporarily over.
"Since Ziyang Saint King appeared in the Northern Domain, his senior brother, Zifeng Saint King, must have come as well," Ji Fanxin reminded.
"Are Zifeng Saint King and Ziyang Saint King close?" Zhang Ruochen asked.
"They are twin brothers, very famous in the Hongyang Great World. Zifeng Saint King's cultivation far surpasses Ziyang Saint King's, known as the number one under the Great Saint in the Hongyang Great World."
"This is a big problem."
Although no one had seen Zhang Ruochen kill Ziyang Saint King, as twin brothers, they had a mysterious connection and could sense who the murderer was.
Moreover, experts like Zifeng Saint King were skilled in some divination secret arts, so precautions were necessary.
Zhang Ruochen said, "Ziyang Saint King deserved to die. Even if Zifeng Saint King were here, he would still meet the same fate."
Hearing this, Ji Fanxin said no more, only mentioning it as a reminder. She believed that even if Zifeng Saint King came looking for trouble, Zhang Ruochen would have a way to deal with it.
The power of time and space was not something ordinary cultivators could fathom.
"Perhaps we should first collect the divine stones and divine blood," Luo Yi interjected.
Thus, Zhang Ruochen and the others all turned their gazes to the strange "starry sky" above the Divine Blood Pool, their eyes gleaming with light.
The twinkling stars in the "starry sky" were divine stones, quite a few in number—twelve in total.
A burning light appeared in Zhang Ruochen's eyes. The significance of divine stones to him was undeniable. With divine stones, he could activate the Sundial and rapidly increase his strength.
With a flick of his hand, the Abyssal Ancient Sword flew out, stabbing toward the cavern ceiling.
A divine stone was instantly pried loose from the ceiling by the sword without any obstruction.
Zhang Ruochen immediately reached out, and the divine stone flew straight toward him.
"Boom."
At that moment, an incredibly terrifying aura surged from the depths of the cavern.
Zhang Ruochen grabbed the divine stone, then fixed his gaze on the depths of the cavern.
Vaguely, he saw a snake shadow flashing toward him, opening a bloody mouth, looking ferocious.
More importantly, the aura emanating from the snake shadow was extremely terrifying, almost crushing him.
This pressure was something he had never felt since breaking through to the Nine-Step Saint King, not even from Xue Tu.
Not only him, but the others felt the same, almost unable to resist kneeling.
"Quick, retreat."
Zhang Ruochen's expression changed drastically, and he decisively took out a space teleportation scroll.
A strange spatial power appeared, enveloping the five of them, instantly teleporting them out of the cave.
"Boom."
The snake shadow pounced at lightning speed, just barely missing Zhang Ruochen and the others.
"Roar."
The snake shadow let out furious roars, shaking the heavens and the earth, causing large amounts of rock to fall from the cavern, revealing crystalline divine bones hidden within the rocks.
In an instant, the cavern's form changed drastically, revealing a huge white bone snake head, emitting dazzling divine light, dispersing all the yin and evil qi.
As if losing its target, the snake shadow quickly retreated into the depths of the cavern, and the cavern returned to calm, as if nothing had happened.
On the Cliff of Life and Death, the figures of Zhang Ruochen and the other five appeared out of thin air.
As soon as they teleported out, they heard the furious roars from below the cliff, feeling quite alarmed.
"What was that thing? How could it be so terrifying?" Xiang Chunan said with a look of lingering fear.
If they had been a step slower in escaping, they might have lost their lives.
Zhang Ruochen's expression was serious, and he said, "If I'm not mistaken, that was a divine thought evil body, composed of a god's undying divine thoughts. That kind of power is not something we can contend with at our current cultivation level."
"A divine thought evil body? How could such a thing appear?" Xiang Chunan was even more puzzled.
Zhang Ruochen said, "Didn't you see the divine bones exposed after the rocks fell? And the divine stones and divine blood. I suspect that in an extremely ancient era, a god was buried beneath the Cliff of Life and Death. Though the god is dead, undying divine thoughts remain, and the divine corpse cannot be defiled."
Back on the Moon God Mountain, he had fought with the Black Heart Demon Ancestor's divine thought clone, so he had some understanding of divine thought evil bodies.
"With a divine thought evil body there, doesn't that mean we can't collect the divine stones and divine blood?" Xiang Chunan said with a look of anxiety.
He had also tasted the benefits of cultivating with the Sundial and naturally wanted to obtain divine stones.
Now that they had found the divine stones but couldn't get them, how could he not be anxious?
"Actually, there might be a way to deal with the divine thought evil body," Ji Fanxin said.
Zhang Ruochen immediately turned his gaze to Ji Fanxin and asked, "Does the fairy have a way?"
"As far as I know, there is a treasure that can suppress divine thought evil bodies. It's called Five Elements Earth, and it's extremely rare," Ji Fanxin said.
Hearing this, Zhang Ruochen's heart stirred, recalling that when he was at the Sealing God Platform, he and the True Wonder Little Daoist had accidentally entered an ancient manor, which was the Daoist sacred land of the previous civilization of the Heavenly Court—the Dao Garden.
In the Dao Garden, there was a large amount of Five Elements Earth.
Countless evil spirits and creatures outside the Dao Garden dared not step inside, and at the time, they had speculated that there was some power within the Dao Garden that could suppress those evil spirits and creatures.
Now, hearing Ji Fanxin's words, Zhang Ruochen immediately realized that what those evil spirits and creatures feared was the Five Elements Earth.
Mentioning the Daoist sacred land, a figure came to Zhang Ruochen's mind—the leader of the Daoist lineage, Zhen Yuan.
Perhaps the new Daoist sacred land, the Five Elements Temple, also had Five Elements Earth.
No matter what, he had to get some to deal with the divine thought evil body. He was determined to obtain the eleven divine stones in the cavern.
It was said that Zhen Yuan was in the Northern Domain.