Chapter 1926: Great Saint-Level Elephant Soul
After a long time, all the sword qi had dissipated, ultimately failing to destroy the multi-dimensional space, and naturally unable to harm Zhang Ruochen.
Zhang Ruochen closed the Space-Time Secret Scripture, the multi-dimensional space vanished, and everything returned to calm.
But Luo had already left, nowhere to be seen.
Luo herself was a Space Controller; if she wanted to flee, few could stop her.
Starting from the Merit Battlefield of the Ancestral Spirit Realm, Zhang Ruochen had dealt with Luo three times. The first two times, he had the upper hand, but this time, it seemed Luo had gotten the better of him.
"The sword hilt Luo obtained is no small matter. If she breaks into the Nether Prison, she might be able to free the Underworld King. I must warn Zhenmiao and the old clan leader to be on guard."
A hint of worry arose in Zhang Ruochen's heart, and he quickly carved a Message Light Talisman and sent it out.
Luo had been to the Sword Grave and might have truly uncovered its secrets, posing a huge threat that couldn't be ignored.
Fortunately, with Zhenmiao Xiaodaozi and Shi Mingyuan guarding the Sword Grave now, it wouldn't be easy for anyone to break in.
As long as they were prepared, Luo probably couldn't stir up trouble in the Sword Grave.
"I wonder how that Yuan Xianzi is doing. I'd better go check."
Calming his mind, Zhang Ruochen flashed toward the direction Yuan Xianzi had retreated.
The Rakshasa Clan strongman who went after Yuan Xianzi was no ordinary opponent; his strength likely wasn't much weaker than Black Flame General.
Before long, Zhang Ruochen appeared above a great river, where Yuan Xianzi and that Rakshasa Clan strongman were locked in battle.
As Zhang Ruochen arrived, he saw Yuan Xianzi wield a delicate jade-green knife, cutting off one of the Rakshasa strongman's arms.
"It seems I was overthinking. This Yuan Xianzi's strength is greater than I expected. Indeed, the nine fairies on the 'Nine Immortals Beauty Chart' are all extraordinary—not only possessing peerless beauty but also top-tier strength," Zhang Ruochen remarked in admiration.
The Rakshasa strongman retreated rapidly, his severed arm already dissipating into nothingness.
No, to be precise, it had turned into billions of source particles invisible to the naked eye. The Way of Source was truly terrifying.
"That knife is unusual, containing a very strong Source aura. Could it be a Source treasure?" Zhang Ruochen's eyes flickered with curiosity as he fixed his gaze on the jade-green knife in Yuan Xianzi's hand.
Aside from the controllers of the Nine Eternal Paths, others who wanted to cultivate them had to rely on external aids.
For example, cultivating the Way of Truth required going to the Truth Heaven Domain and using Truth Patterns for enlightenment.
The Source Divine Temple had long vanished. Unless one was born a Source Controller, only by obtaining treasures containing the Way of Source could one hope to comprehend Source Rules from them.
"Pfft."
The Rakshasa strongman used his hand as a blade, slicing off half his shoulder.
He had no choice. The wound on his shoulder still had residual Source power, breaking down his physical body. If he didn't cut it off, he would soon be completely decomposed into billions of Source particles.
Turning his gaze, the Rakshasa strongman looked at Zhang Ruochen, who stood three hundred zhang away, and his brow furrowed.
One Yuan Xianzi was already hard to handle, having severely wounded him.
Now with Zhang Ruochen joining, it was like adding insult to injury.
Inevitably, the Rakshasa strongman began to think about retreating. If he kept this up, he might end up losing his life here.
"Bang."
The Rakshasa strongman suddenly leaped down from midair and dove into the river.
"Thinking of fleeing now? Don't you think it's too late?" Zhang Ruochen said.
He activated a Space Secret Art, creating a massive Space Rift that cut the great river in two.
Though the Rakshasa strongman reacted quickly, a deep wound appeared on his waist, nearly cutting him in half, with blood gushing out.
Just as he was about to change direction, Yuan Xianzi flashed over, and the jade-green knife turned into countless invisible Source particles, slipping through the wound on his waist and instantly burrowing into his body.
"Ah!"
The Rakshasa strongman let out a miserable scream.
The next moment, his body collapsed, as if evaporating from the world.
Then, Yuan Xianzi used a Source Secret Art, causing the Rakshasa strongman's body to reform, complete and intact. But he had no life left—his soul had been annihilated, leaving only an empty shell.
"Thank you for your help, Zhang Gongzi," Yuan Xianzi said with a smile.
Zhang Ruochen replied, "With your strength, even without my intervention, this Rakshasa strongman would never have escaped. Your Way of Source is truly impressive—it's an eye-opener for me."
A flicker of surprise passed through Yuan Xianzi's eyes. "I didn't expect Zhang Gongzi to recognize that I was using the Way of Source. But I'm just a Source cultivator, nothing too remarkable."
"I happen to know something about the Way of Source. Seeing your extraordinary techniques, I made a guess," Zhang Ruochen said, fabricating an excuse without revealing that the Thousand Star Heavenly Maiden was a Source Controller.
Yuan Xianzi didn't dwell on the matter and instead asked, "Zhang Gongzi, do you know the true identity of that Luo Yi?"
Zhang Ruochen nodded. "Luo Yi is the Rakshasa Princess Luo. Unfortunately, I couldn't keep her here."
"So it was her. Luo is full of tricks; dealing with her is indeed no easy task." Yuan Xianzi showed a look of realization.
Previously, Luo's danger level on the "Ten Clans of Hell Myriad Evils Record" was level seven, which was already high, but now it had likely increased.
"Hmm?"
Suddenly, Zhang Ruochen became alert.
"Shua."
His figure shifted sideways by one zhang.
"Xiu."
A war halberd shot through the air, piercing the afterimage Zhang Ruochen had left behind.
Zhang Ruochen instantly turned, his gaze locking onto two figures slowly approaching from downstream.
They were a man and a woman, both with extraordinary bearing and emitting incredibly powerful auras.
The man reached out, and the war halberd he had thrown flew back into his hand.
"Dead Clan evolved from the Corpse Clan."
Zhang Ruochen used his Divine Mark Eye to identify their identities.
He could tell that the physical bodies of this man and woman were exceptionally strong, likely not inferior to his own. Both were at the peak of the Heaven-Connecting Realm, surpassing that Rakshasa strongman, and they looked formidable.
From the moment they appeared, the man and woman had fixed their gazes on Zhang Ruochen, making his heart sink slightly. Their presence here was probably no coincidence—they were after him.
Could it be because he had broken into the underground space of Immortal Machine Mountain that the Dead Clan had targeted him?
"Zhang Ruochen, come with us," the male Dead Clan member said coldly.
Zhang Ruochen asked, "Why should I go with you? And where to?"
"Stop wasting words. Our master wants to see you. If you don't cooperate, we'll have to use force," the male Dead Clan member said, brandishing his war halberd with overbearing authority.
Zhang Ruochen pressed further, "Who is your master? Source Demon Sonzi?"
He was genuinely curious. Who wanted to see him? And they sent two top-tier strongmen.
Such a grand gesture must mean it was a major figure from the Dead Clan, and he even suspected it might be related to the Destiny Temple.
"Zhang Ruochen, you ask too many questions. Are you coming with us or not?" the female Dead Clan member said impatiently.
As she spoke, a small black bell appeared in her hand, its surface covered with intricate patterns, emitting a very eerie aura. It was clearly no ordinary item.
Zhang Ruochen reached out, and the Abyssal Ancient Sword appeared in his hand. He said calmly, "I hate being threatened, especially by Hell Realm cultivators."
"It seems we'll have to make you suffer a bit," the male Dead Clan member said with a fierce look, charging forward instantly.
As he moved, a massive elephant shadow appeared behind him, enormous and exuding a terrifying aura that clearly surpassed the Saint King Realm.
A gleam of light flashed in Zhang Ruochen's eyes. "This guy has refined a Great Saint-level Elephant Soul into his body. I can't let him escape."
To master the twelfth palm of the Dragon-Elephant Prajna Palm, one needed to refine a Great Saint-level Dragon Soul and Elephant Soul into both arms.
But Great Saint-level Dragon and Elephant Souls were extremely precious. Even with enough sacred stones, there was no channel to buy them.
The male Dead Clan member before him actually had a Great Saint-level Elephant Soul in his body. This was a gift from heaven, and Zhang Ruochen had no intention of letting it go.
He swung the Abyssal Ancient Sword, unleashing streams of condensed sword energy.
The male Dead Clan member swung his war halberd, empowered by the Great Saint-level Elephant Soul, unleashing unimaginable power. With one swing, space was nearly torn apart.
All the sword energy was blocked, and then he launched an attack, sending waves of Death Evil Qi toward Zhang Ruochen.
"Roar!"
The Great Saint Elephant Soul let out a mighty roar, its sound waves forming terrifying ripples that spread rapidly in all directions.
Zhang Ruochen's eyes narrowed, and he grew serious, not daring to be careless.
A Heaven-Connecting Realm strongman with a Great Saint Elephant Soul was no pushover.
"Sword Nine."
Zhang Ruochen swung the Abyssal Ancient Sword, executing a profound sword technique he had comprehended from the "Wordless Sword Manual."
"Boom."
The sword energy clashed with the Death Evil Qi and sound waves, creating a powerful shockwave that caused the river to stop flowing and the ground to crack and sink.
The male Dead Clan member instantly closed in on Zhang Ruochen, swinging his war halberd down.
Relying on his strong physical body and power, he favored close combat, as that was the only way to fully display his advantages.
Zhang Ruochen raised his left arm, opening the acupoints on it. Vast sacred energy continuously poured into the Flame God Armor, causing it to burst into blazing flames and collide with the war halberd.
At the same time, Zhang Ruochen raised the Abyssal Ancient Sword with his right hand, using his physical strength to deliver a full-powered slash.
The purple divine stone embedded in the sword hilt emitted a faint glow, making the Abyssal Ancient Sword incredibly heavy.
"Clang."
The Abyssal Ancient Sword struck the male Dead Clan member solidly, the force like a meteor falling from the sky.
The male Dead Clan member initially dismissed it, not thinking Zhang Ruochen's sword could pose any threat.
But when the Abyssal Ancient Sword actually hit, his expression changed drastically.
The terrifying force carried by the Abyssal Ancient Sword was something the male Dead Clan member couldn't withstand. He was sent hurtling toward the ground at high speed.
"Boom."
The earth shook as if hit by a massive earthquake. The ground plates cracked open, and at the center, a giant pit appeared, a thousand zhang deep, filled with dust, obscuring everything inside.