Chapter 1937: Strength Reigns Supreme
Above the military camp, atop a thick white cloud, Zhen Yuan, Xuan Yuan Liekong, and Lu Baiming sat together, leisurely drinking tea and chatting.
Lu Baiming had already set up an extremely intricate formation to conceal the white cloud, making it impossible for anyone to detect.
"The Tu brothers have always had hot tempers. I wonder if Zhang Ruochen can subdue them," Xuan Yuan Liekong said.
Having also come from Wanxu Realm, he undoubtedly understood the Tu brothers best, including their personalities and strength.
"How strong are the Tu brothers exactly?" Zhen Yuan asked.
Xuan Yuan Liekong smiled. "They haven't been in the Heaven-Connecting Realm for very long, far from reaching its peak. However, each of them is no weaker than Black Flame General at his prime, and perhaps even stronger. If they join forces, even an ordinary Proximate Dao Realm expert might not be a match for them."
Hearing this, Zhen Yuan and Lu Baiming were slightly surprised. The Tu brothers' strength was greater than they had anticipated.
"In other words, the Tu brothers' strength is at the mid-to-upper level of the Proximate Dao Realm. Are you sure Zhang Ruochen can handle them?" Lu Baiming frowned slightly.
Testing Zhang Ruochen's strength was indeed a good idea, but the opponent had to be chosen carefully.
Zhen Yuan revealed a smile. "Senior Brother Lu, don't worry. Junior Brother Zhang is the Heir of Time and Space, with remarkable skills. Since he dared to accept the challenge, he must be confident. Let's just watch from here."
Lu Baiming said no more and turned his gaze to the training ground below. He was quite looking forward to seeing how brilliantly Zhang Ruochen would perform.
Zhang Ruochen walked slowly into the training ground, calmly facing the Tu brothers.
At this point, the battle was inevitable.
Warming up before the war with the Death Clan wasn't a bad idea.
Immediately, an expert activated the formation within the training ground to prevent the battle's power from spreading too far.
"Zhang Ruochen, you make the first move, so you don't miss your chance later," Tu Di said arrogantly.
Zhang Ruochen replied, "You go first. Let me see what skills you have."
"Arrogant enough. Don't blame us for not giving you a chance then. No need for my big brother or second brother to act; I alone can defeat you. Take this move—God King War Heaven Fist!" Tu Di sneered, his eyes full of contempt.
He didn't stand on ceremony with Zhang Ruochen and struck immediately. Hundreds of thousands of fist path rules converged on his fist, drawing on the power of heaven and earth. A towering phantom of a God King appeared behind him, exuding supreme authority, domineering and unmatched.
"God King War Heaven Fist, a renowned fist path sacred art from Wanxu Realm. It's said that when cultivated to the extreme, it can transform into a divine ability, invincible in offense."
"Tu Ren's God King War Heaven Fist has already reached the mid-rank sacred art level, specifically the most powerful Tongxuan level within that rank. He has truly grasped the essence of the God King War Heaven Fist, and its power is not far from that of a general high-rank sacred art."
Feng Yan showed a worried expression, somewhat concerned for Zhang Ruochen.
In fact, as Tu Ren made his move, Zhang Ruochen also acted. A celestial river appeared around him, winding and unending.
The God King War Heaven Fist was extremely domineering, while the Luo Water Fist Art was relatively gentle. Zhang Ruochen planned to use softness to overcome hardness, dissolving Tu Ren's punch into nothingness.
370,000 fist path rules emerged, and vast amounts of sacred energy continuously surged from his acupoints.
Having tempered his physical body to the level below a Great Saint, Zhang Ruochen's 144 acupoints had been expanded to an enormous size, each containing a vast lake of sacred energy. This allowed his power to be nearly inexhaustible.
Although Tu Ren's cultivation was two realms higher, the fist path rules he had cultivated were not much more than Zhang Ruochen's, so Zhang Ruochen had no fear of engaging him in a fist technique duel.
"Nine Bends, Nine Turns."
The celestial river surged and twisted like a divine python, coiling around the God King phantom.
"Boom."
The celestial river quickly collapsed, but it also gradually dissipated the power of the God King War Heaven Fist.
In the end, although some fist force still struck Zhang Ruochen, it could no longer harm him in the slightest, not even forcing him back half a step.
"Hmm?"
Seeing this, Tu Ren was clearly very surprised.
He was a Heaven-Connecting Realm expert and an Imperial Son. Even if he hadn't used his full strength, he had still employed a Tongxuan sacred art. Under normal circumstances, even an ordinary Heaven-Connecting Realm expert might not be able to withstand it, yet Zhang Ruochen had effortlessly blocked it.
On the cloud layer, Lu Baiming's eyes showed a hint of surprise. "Junior Brother Zhen, Junior Brother Zhang's cultivation has clearly reached the Great Heaven and Earth of Rules. Why did you say it was the Small Heaven and Earth of Rules?"
"A few days ago, Junior Brother Zhang's cultivation was indeed at the Small Heaven and Earth of Rules. It seems he made a breakthrough during his seclusion these past few days," Zhen Yuan said, also somewhat surprised.
Breaking through a cultivation realm in just four days—if word got out, few would believe it.
"When he was at the Small Heaven and Earth of Rules, Zhang Ruochen could kill Black Flame General with a single sword strike. Now that his cultivation has broken through to the Great Heaven and Earth of Rules, his strength must have multiplied. I believe the upcoming battle will be very exciting," Xuan Yuan Liekong said with a smile.
Although he thought highly of Zhang Ruochen, the Tu brothers were no pushovers either. For Zhang Ruochen to defeat them, he would have to show his true strength.
"Again."
Tu Ren's eyes suddenly turned fierce, and he threw another punch.
A massive amount of sacred energy and the power of heaven and earth poured in, causing the God King phantom to become much more solid and imposing, as if it would crush the void.
"Ghosts and Gods Crossing Over."
Zhang Ruochen's expression was calm as he executed the eighteenth form of the Luo Water Fist Art.
As the fist technique was performed, two massive phantoms, one bright and one dark, appeared, treading on the celestial river like a god and a ghost walking side by side. The scene was eerie and terrifying, with an astonishing momentum.
"Boom."
Zhang Ruochen's two iron fists struck out simultaneously. The ghost and god phantoms collided with the God King phantom, causing the rules of heaven and earth to become chaotic.
However, Tu Ren's God King War Heaven Fist was so domineering that it tore the ghost and god phantoms apart, unstoppable.
A cold light flashed in Zhang Ruochen's eyes. The celestial river beneath his feet churned, and his arms vibrated, bursting into blazing flames that turned into two vast fire clouds.
"Soul-Breaking Long Song."
The thirtieth form of the Luo Water Fist Art was executed. The celestial river soared up, flowing between the two fire clouds, creating a very strange scene.
Finally, the force of the God King War Heaven Fist was completely exhausted and fully blocked.
"Luo Water Transforms into Sword."
Zhang Ruochen was unwilling to remain on the defensive and launched an attack.
The thirty-sixth form of the Luo Water Fist Art: the celestial river condensed into a giant sword, containing an indestructible and terrifying sword intent.
At the same time, Zhang Ruochen mobilized nearly 70,000 truth rules within his body, merging them into the giant sword. This made the sword more solid, its power multiplied, revealing unmatched sharpness.
"Break for me!"
Tu Ren roared, throwing a simple and crude punch.
"Boom."
The giant sword first developed cracks, then shattered completely.
Although Tu Ren had broken the "Luo Water Transforms into Sword" technique, he was also impacted by the backlash, involuntarily retreating two steps.
In this exchange, he had ended up at a disadvantage.
"Using truth rules, you can increase your power by as much as eight times!" Tu Ren was shocked.
Almost every major world sends talented disciples to the Truth Heaven Domain to comprehend the Way of Truth.
However, as an eternal path, the Way of Truth is extremely profound. Not to mention reaching a high level, even entry is very difficult.
The vast majority of cultivators can only use the Way of Truth to unleash double the attack power, which is of little significance.
Using the Way of Truth to unleash seven times the attack power is already enough to shake the Truth Heaven Domain, something even many divine disciples of the Truth Divine Temple cannot achieve.
As for eight times the attack power, except for a very few divine disciples of the Truth Divine Temple, almost no one else can hope to reach it.
Another point is that, under normal circumstances, using the Way of Truth requires some preparation time and cannot be used freely.
But Zhang Ruochen could not only use the Way of Truth to unleash eight times the attack power but also use it very skillfully, without needing much time to prepare.
All of this stemmed from his possession of twelve ten-thousandths of the Truth Esoterica.
As geniuses from Wanxu Realm, the Tu brothers had also been to the Truth Heaven Domain. Unfortunately, they had no high talent in the Way of Truth, which was like a chicken rib to them, so they hadn't put much effort into comprehending it.
"Aren't you going to join forces? I don't have much time to waste with you," Zhang Ruochen said.
"Attack together."
Tu Tian said coldly.
"Whoosh."
Their figures moved, and the Tu brothers occupied three different positions, surrounding Zhang Ruochen.
They formed the same fist seal, and many sacred rules emerged, drawing in the power of heaven and earth.
The three had the same attribute of power, perfectly combining to condense an extremely massive and solid God King shadow, standing tall between heaven and earth, as if it would pierce the sky and shatter the mountains and rivers.
This God King shadow emitted a terrifying pressure, like a true peerless God King descending, with overwhelming divine might.
A peculiar smile appeared in Zhang Ruochen's eyes, and he muttered, "Divine might? No matter how well imitated, it's still fake."
Sacred energy circulated, surging rapidly into his left leg.
In an instant, Zhang Ruochen's left leg turned crimson red. 100,000 profound rules emerged, and waves of scorching fire radiated from the sole of his foot, spreading in all directions, causing the entire training ground to shake violently.
Previously, refining the Sun Leaf had not only tempered Zhang Ruochen's physical body to the level below a Great Saint but also fully refined the 100,000 divine rules within the Blazing God Leg. He could now use the Blazing God Leg freely, and the higher his cultivation realm, the greater the power he could unleash.
"This aura…"
Feeling the terrifying divine might emanating from Zhang Ruochen, the Tu brothers' expressions changed drastically.
Under the impact of this divine might, the God King shadow they had condensed showed signs of collapsing.
When a false god meets a true god, it is ultimately fragile.
"God Stomps Nine Heavens."
Zhang Ruochen raised his left leg, fully activating the power of the Blazing God Leg while executing a mid-rank sacred art level leg technique.
"Boom."
He stomped three times in succession, unleashing a vast divine power that could move mountains and seas. The space immediately shattered.
In an instant, the enormous God King shadow exploded, and the overwhelming power that had been pressing down on Zhang Ruochen vanished into thin air.
"Bang."
The Tu brothers were all struck by the scorching waves of fire, flying backward before crashing heavily to the ground. Their blood and energy were disrupted, their strength couldn't be mustered, and they nearly spat blood.
Zhang Ruochen clasped his hands behind his back and slowly descended to the center of the training ground, like an emperor descending to the mortal world, looking down on all.
The Tu brothers all turned their gazes to Zhang Ruochen, as if looking up at a War God, their hearts filled with shock and unable to calm down.
The three brothers were known for their arrogance. Throughout the entire Northern Domain battlefield, few could earn their respect.
They were extremely confident in their own strength, unafraid to fight even against top-tier Proximate Dao Realm experts.
But just now, they had suffered a crushing defeat. Even with their combined attack, they couldn't block a single move from Zhang Ruochen. This undoubtedly filled them with a strong sense of frustration.
It felt as if Zhang Ruochen was their nemesis. Facing him, they simply couldn't fully display their strength.
What was hardest for them to accept was that during the battle, Zhang Ruochen hadn't even used his most skilled Time Way or Space Way.
Also, they knew Zhang Ruochen had cultivated the Dragon-Elephant Prajna Palm into a high-rank sacred art, yet he hadn't used it either.
"Big Brother is truly Big Brother! He won too easily!" Xiang Chunan laughed heartily.
Feng Yan also breathed a sigh of relief. He had been worried that Zhang Ruochen would be trapped in a tough battle.
Now it seemed his worry was completely unnecessary.
He could only say that he was increasingly unable to see through this sworn big brother. The trump cards he held far exceeded expectations.
"What technique did Zhang Ruochen just use? Why did it have such powerful divine might?" Xuan Yuan Liekong asked with a look of surprise.
Although he had thought Zhang Ruochen could defeat the Tu brothers, he hadn't expected him to win so easily, ending the battle in the blink of an eye.
Zhen Yuan smiled. "It seems Junior Brother Zhang still has many secrets we don't know about. With him and the Hundred Flowers Fairy joining forces, they will surely give the Death Clan a big surprise."
"Let's go. There's nothing more here. We should prepare for other things." Lu Baiming took a sip of tea and urged the white cloud to fly out of the camp.
Zhang Ruochen's display of such strong strength undoubtedly increased his confidence in attacking Immortal Mechanism Mountain tomorrow morning.
At this moment, the training ground was unusually quiet. Apart from Xiang Chunan cheering and celebrating, the other onlookers remained silent.
The Tu brothers stood up and walked together to Zhang Ruochen.
Their expressions were somewhat complicated. They exchanged glances, then lowered their proud heads and cupped their hands to Zhang Ruochen. "We accept our defeat. Greetings, Commander."
"Greetings, Commander."
Seeing that the Tu brothers had softened, the many soldiers watching also reacted and bowed to Zhang Ruochen one after another.
In the world of cultivators, strength reigns supreme. The powerful strength Zhang Ruochen had displayed earned their respect.
Zhang Ruochen's gaze swept across the entire audience, and many emotions welled up in his heart.
If his strength weren't enough, there would be no place for him here. Everyone would only see him as a joke.
Only with sufficient strength can one make others fear and respect you.
Dignity, status, power—everything is built on the foundation of strength.
...
Sorry, I was watching the World Cup yesterday. Brazil's match was too frustrating—they didn't score a single goal in ninety minutes, so I got delayed. I'll make up for the update today.
This chapter is 4,000 words. There will be more updates today.