Chapter 1979: A Battle Then
Sensing the thick gunpowder between Zhang Ruochen and Xingyun Saint King, the others couldn't help but feel at a loss, unsure which side to support.
Tian Saint King frowned slightly. She was well aware of Xingyun Saint King's dissatisfaction with Zhang Ruochen, but for it to come to this was going too far.
Yet she also knew how explosive Xingyun Saint King's temper was. If she spoke up now, she might incur his displeasure as well.
Bearing the terrifying saintly might radiating from Xingyun Saint King, Zhang Ruochen stepped into the sacred hall one step at a time, his gaze suddenly turning sharp.
He didn't want to stir up trouble, but he was by no means someone who feared it.
Since Xingyun Saint King refused to show him any respect, he had no need to leave any face for him.
"Suppress me? Xingyun Saint King, you have quite the nerve. It seems the Moon God truly no longer exists in your eyes. You've become utterly arrogant beyond bounds." Zhang Ruochen shouted loudly.
Xingyun Saint King abruptly stood up, snorting coldly, "Trying to use the Moon God to pressure me? Zhang Ruochen, you underestimate me too much. I will make you understand that in this world, the strong always rule."
He was naturally aware of Zhang Ruochen's various achievements in the Kunlun Realm, but he didn't take Zhang Ruochen seriously because of them. He was convinced that Zhang Ruochen's strength wasn't that great—in the three major battles of the Eastern Domain Sacred City, the Central Domain Sword Grave, and the Northern Domain Immortal Machine Mountain, Zhang Ruochen had relied entirely on external forces.
And at Phoenix Lake, Zhang Ruochen would have no external help to rely on. As long as he used a little skill, he could easily suppress him.
He didn't dare to actually do anything serious to Zhang Ruochen, but teaching him a lesson would be no problem at all.
"Xingyun Saint King—"
"Xingyun, you—"
Mu Lingxi and Tian Saint King spoke almost simultaneously, trying to stop Xingyun Saint King.
Zhang Ruochen raised his hand to stop them, saying, "You don't need to interfere in this matter. I want to see what he can do to me."
As he spoke, Zhang Ruochen secretly transmitted a message to Mu Lingxi: "Don't worry, he can't do anything to me."
Hearing this, Mu Lingxi immediately relaxed. She believed Zhang Ruochen would never do something without being sure of success.
"Bold indeed. Zhang Ruochen, if you can withstand three of my moves, I'll let this matter drop." Xingyun Saint King looked down at Zhang Ruochen.
Zhang Ruochen said indifferently, "Go ahead."
"Arrogant enough. Take my first move."
Xingyun Saint King struck immediately, slapping out with his palm.
Over seven hundred thousand palm path rules emerged, converging together. Vast saintly qi surged forth, condensing into a blazing sacred furnace that blasted toward Zhang Ruochen.
This blazing sacred furnace was extremely solid, interwoven with countless rule patterns, like a true sacred furnace containing unmatched sacred power.
"A Transcendent-level mid-rank sacred art, the Flame-Scorching Heaven Palm."
Bu Ji let out an exclamation.
The Guanghan Realm had been plundered and suppressed by various realms, and only a few Transcendent-level mid-rank sacred arts had been preserved. Each one was extremely powerful, and when cultivated to the pinnacle, they were no less than ordinary high-rank sacred arts.
The Flame-Scorching Heaven Palm was the most famous Transcendent-level mid-rank sacred art of the Guanghan Realm, and very few had managed to master it.
No one expected that Xingyun Saint King would immediately use his most skilled ultimate technique, showing no intention of holding back at all.
Zhang Ruochen didn't dodge. His gaze grew even sharper as he reached out and grabbed forward. The space in front of him twisted, and the incoming sacred furnace directly reversed direction, hurtling back toward Xingyun Saint King.
Having comprehended the space rules integrated into the Space-Time Secret Scripture, Zhang Ruochen's mastery of the Way of Space had greatly improved. He could now freely use various space techniques with astonishing power.
"Space techniques."
Xingyun Saint King narrowed his eyes and slapped out, shattering the blazing sacred furnace into pieces.
"Not bad. Take my second move."
Xingyun Saint King flew out of the sacred hall to avoid damaging it with excessive force.
The next moment, he appeared above Phoenix Lake, his aura growing stronger and his momentum rising steadily.
Phoenix Lake was incredibly mystical; even a Great Saint's attack might not cause much damage, so he could strike without restraint.
As Xingyun Saint King executed his sacred art, the heaven and earth rules and power within three thousand miles surged violently, converging toward him.
Vast flames erupted from Xingyun Saint King's body, condensing into an enormous fire phoenix. Countless heaven and earth rules continuously merged into the phoenix's body, making it more solid and its aura even more terrifying.
The previous move was just a test, using very little power. Now he was getting serious.
"What's happening? Why is such a powerful aura appearing?"
In an instant, all the saints of the Guanghan Realm were alarmed, turning their gazes toward Phoenix Lake.
"That's Xingyun Saint King. Who is he fighting?"
"My heavens, is this the power of a Lintao Realm expert? Being able to mobilize such a vast range of heaven and earth rules and power, it's like becoming the master of a whole region."
"That seems to be the Divine Envoy. Why is Xingyun Saint King fighting the Divine Envoy?"
"I heard the Divine Envoy has been slaughtering across the Kunlun Realm. His strength is unfathomable. Xingyun Saint King probably wants to spar with him."
...
The saints of the Guanghan Realm discussed among themselves, all somewhat confused about the situation.
Soon after, the Mu Clan members were also alarmed by the massive commotion on the lake, flashing out of the manor to watch from afar.
"It seems Xingyun Saint King and Zhang Ruochen are fighting." Mu Qingtian frowned slightly.
Hearing this, Yun Zheng's eyes flashed with a sharp light. "I've long heard that the Wu Clan of the Guanghan Realm doesn't get along with Zhang Ruochen. It seems the rumors are true. Since Xingyun Saint King has made his move, Zhang Ruochen won't have an easy time. Fight on, teach Zhang Ruochen a good lesson."
Since their own ancestor couldn't do anything to Zhang Ruochen, he could only pin his hopes on Xingyun Saint King, eagerly wanting to see Zhang Ruochen in a sorry state.
By the shore of Phoenix Lake, Mu Lingxi, Tian Saint King, and others all fixed their gazes on Zhang Ruochen and Xingyun Saint King. The situation had developed to a point none of them had anticipated, and stopping it was no longer possible.
"Xingyun Saint King has gotten serious, mobilizing the power of heaven and earth. Although the Divine Envoy is strong, his cultivation is only at the Rule Great Heaven realm. How can he resist?" Bu Ji looked worried.
Wen Shusheng nodded. "The Divine Envoy was too impulsive. I hope Xingyun Saint King knows his limits and doesn't hurt the Divine Envoy."
Su Qingling turned to Tian Saint King, anxiously saying, "Aunt, you need to stop them quickly."
"It's too late. No one can separate them now. But don't worry too much; the Divine Envoy might not be unable to handle Xingyun's attack." Tian Saint King shook her head and spoke softly.
In truth, she also wanted to see just how strong Zhang Ruochen really was. Having led several major battles, she didn't believe he relied entirely on external forces.
Mu Lingxi said nothing, just watched Zhang Ruochen without blinking. No matter what, she always had full confidence in him.
On the lake surface, Zhang Ruochen and Xingyun Saint King stood facing each other. The Abyssal Ancient Sword was already in his hand.
"Mobilizing thirty percent of the heaven and earth rules within three thousand miles—among Lintao Realm experts, that's barely mid-tier." Zhang Ruochen muttered calmly.
Immediately, he infused his saintly qi, hundreds of thousands of sword path rules, and over ten thousand time laws into the Abyssal Ancient Sword.
The purple divine stone embedded in the sword's hilt emitted a faint purple glow, beginning to mobilize the surrounding heaven and earth rules.
At his current stage, Zhang Ruochen had three ways to mobilize heaven and earth rules: first, by executing a high-rank sacred art; second, by activating the purple divine stone; and third, by using a Supreme Sacred Artifact.
He hadn't even condensed his Dao Domain yet, so he couldn't directly mobilize heaven and earth rules.
"Hmm? He's not using the Dragon-Elephant Prajna Palm or a Supreme Sacred Artifact right now, so how can he still mobilize heaven and earth rules? And on this scale..."
Sensing Zhang Ruochen mobilizing heaven and earth rules, Xingyun Saint King was startled.
Tian Saint King also showed surprise. "The Divine Envoy is mobilizing heaven and earth rules too. Xingyun mobilized thirty percent within three thousand miles, while the Divine Envoy's range is only two thousand miles, but he's mobilized fifty percent."
Mobilizing heaven and earth rules wasn't just about range; the key was how many rules were actually moved.
If someone could only mobilize rules within a thousand miles but at one hundred percent, that power would definitely surpass someone mobilizing thirty to forty percent within two thousand miles.
Hearing this, everyone showed astonished expressions. They hadn't condensed their Dao Domains yet and couldn't clearly perceive the flow of heaven and earth rules, but they trusted Tian Saint King's words completely.
Mu Lingxi finally showed a hint of a smile. She was now even more confident in Zhang Ruochen.
"Take my second move."
Xingyun Saint King didn't wait any longer and struck out with his palm.
The enormous fire phoenix flew forward, flapping its flaming wings and stirring up waves of terrifying heat, nearly boiling the lake water beneath.
Zhang Ruochen didn't dodge. Instead, he raised the Abyssal Ancient Sword and charged forward.
The Abyssal Ancient Sword swung, and countless time imprints appeared, branding themselves onto the surrounding space.
With his improved mastery of the Way of Time, Zhang Ruochen could now more easily capture time imprints and make them persist for a period.
At the same time, his enhanced mastery of the Way of Space allowed him to mobilize a larger range of heaven and earth rules when activating the purple divine stone, and in greater numbers.
As he further comprehended the time and space rules within the Space-Time Secret Scripture, these abilities would only grow stronger.
Dozens of time imprints clearly appeared, drawn by the Abyssal Ancient Sword to form a strange virtual time. This stretch of space-time seemed to fall into an instant of absolute stillness.
"Whoosh."
Zhang Ruochen swung the Abyssal Ancient Sword, instantly cutting through the fire phoenix's body.
The next moment, the fire phoenix's body split in two, then turned into two flames that quickly dissipated.
"My turn."
Zhang Ruochen muttered, instantly condensing his sword intent soul. He lifted the Abyssal Ancient Sword and took the initiative to attack Xingyun Saint King.
His sword soul had just undergone a transformation, becoming an Earth Sword Soul. He would use Xingyun Saint King to test just how powerful an Earth Sword Soul truly was.