Chapter 1982: Crisis at Sacred Bright City
Qiu Yichi's sudden appearance in this hidden sacred awakening land within Phoenix Lake truly surprised Zhang Ruochen, and it stirred a sense of unease within him.
Zhang Ruochen had always been quite wary of Qiu Yichi. This former wife of the Blood God Sect's leader possessed extremely formidable methods and had nearly brought the Blood God Sect to ruin.
More importantly, Qiu Yichi seemed to be connected to Xue Hou, and that was what concerned Zhang Ruochen the most.
At this moment, Zhang Ruochen very much wanted to capture Qiu Yichi, but he dared not act rashly, fearing that Lin Fei and Kong Xuan might be harmed.
Of course, if Qiu Yichi dared to harm Lin Fei and Kong Xuan, he would make her pay an extremely heavy price.
Secretly, he had already slowly released his Space Domain, enveloping the entire small courtyard.
"Zhang Ruochen, why such anger? I merely stumbled upon this sacred awakening land and came in to take a look. I haven't harmed anyone. You should know, we are not enemies," Qiu Yichi said with a seductive smile.
Zhang Ruochen's gaze turned icy. "But we are even less friends. Will you surrender willingly, or shall I make a move?"
"Zhang Ruochen, attacking me serves no purpose. Instead, I think you should go to Sacred Bright City right now," Qiu Yichi said very calmly.
Zhang Ruochen's eyes darkened. "What do you mean?"
"Many of your enemies have already headed to Sacred Bright City. If you arrive too late, Sacred Bright City might have already turned into ruins," Qiu Yichi said indifferently.
Hearing this, Zhang Ruochen's mind trembled. If what Qiu Yichi said was true, the situation was undoubtedly extremely serious.
Just then, Qiu Yichi drifted away.
"Stay right there."
Zhang Ruochen reacted swiftly and immediately made his move.
Regardless, he had no intention of letting Qiu Yichi leave. Capturing her would give him more confidence when he later ventured into the Endless Abyss.
"Chen'er."
Lin Fei let out a soft cry and then fainted beneath the parasol tree.
Seeing this, Zhang Ruochen's expression changed drastically. Abandoning the pursuit of Qiu Yichi, he flashed into the small courtyard at top speed.
Taking advantage of this opportunity, Qiu Yichi fled at extreme speed, directly leaving Phoenix Lake, her whereabouts unknown.
Zhang Ruochen appeared beneath the parasol tree and reached out to support Lin Fei.
To his slight relief, Lin Fei had only been startled and was otherwise unharmed.
Turning his gaze, Zhang Ruochen looked toward the pavilion nearby. Kong Xuan lay collapsed inside, also unconscious.
Kong Xuan was only a One-Step Saint King, far too weak compared to Qiu Yichi. Facing Qiu Yichi, she naturally had no power to resist.
Zhang Ruochen released a strand of Spiritual Power, probing into Kong Xuan's body.
The next moment, Kong Xuan slowly awoke. She quickly got up and ran over, speaking nervously, "Master, what happened to the Empress? This servant is guilty for failing to take good care of the Empress."
As she spoke, Kong Xuan knelt in fear, believing she had made a grave mistake.
"Get up. This has nothing to do with you. Take good care of my mother," Zhang Ruochen said as gently as possible.
Kong Xuan stood up and reached out to support Lin Fei.
Zhang Ruochen then performed a Space Displacement and appeared on the small island where he had previously been in seclusion.
"Zhang Ruochen, what happened?"
Seeing the anxiety in Zhang Ruochen's eyes, Gu Songzi couldn't help but ask.
He had spent the past ten years refining pills and had not fallen into deep cultivation like the others.
Zhang Ruochen showed a grave expression. "I need to go to Sacred Bright City. I'm not sure when I'll be back. The inner demon Qiu Yichi infiltrated Phoenix Lake earlier, which means Phoenix Lake is no longer hidden. You must strengthen your defenses."
Hearing this, Gu Songzi revealed a surprised look. He had personally set up the formations around Phoenix Lake, yet Qiu Yichi had managed to pass through them silently—quite a remarkable skill.
"Leave this to me. I will change the formation structure of Phoenix Lake," Gu Songzi nodded.
Just then, Mu Lingxi suddenly stood up and said seriously, "I'll go with you to Sacred Bright City."
Although she didn't know exactly what had happened, she sensed that Sacred Bright City was in trouble. At a time like this, she had to be by Zhang Ruochen's side.
Seeing the firm determination in Mu Lingxi's eyes, Zhang Ruochen knew that nothing he said could stop her.
Zhang Ruochen had no choice but to nod. "Alright, let's go together."
Just as they were about to leave, Gu Songzi took out two jade-green pills. "These are Tongtian Saint Pills I refined. Take them with you; they might come in handy."
Neither Zhang Ruochen nor Mu Lingxi stood on ceremony with Gu Songzi. Each reached out and took one pill.
Without further delay, they soared into the air and left Phoenix Lake at top speed.
To reach Sacred Bright City, using the Space Teleportation Array at a Merit Branch Station was undoubtedly the most efficient method.
Zhang Ruochen put on the Flowing Light Merit Armor, brought Mu Lingxi along, and burst forth at a thousand times the speed of sound. In no time, they arrived at the Sixty-Second Merit Branch Station.
Using the Space Teleportation Array, Zhang Ruochen and Mu Lingxi soon appeared at the Fifty-Fourth Merit Branch Station, which was only ten thousand miles away from Sacred Bright City.
"Zhang Ruochen is here. This is going to be interesting!"
"I heard Zhang Ruochen was the crown prince of the former Sacred Bright Central Empire, and Sacred Bright City was its imperial capital. Most of the Sacred Bright remnants are holed up there. Now that Sacred Bright City is in danger, it's only natural for Zhang Ruochen to rush over."
"Zhang Ruochen shouldn't have come. The more critical the moment, the more he should endure."
"That's not necessarily true. Since Zhang Ruochen dares to come, he must have something to rely on. Let's go take a look."
...
Inside the Fifty-Fourth Merit Branch Station, many cultivators were discussing, all with the mindset of watching a show.
Hearing these discussions, Zhang Ruochen's heart sank.
It seemed Qiu Yichi hadn't lied to him. Sacred Bright City was indeed in trouble.
Ever since the Lingxiao Heavenly King Manor was destroyed, Sacred Bright City had become the stronghold of the Sacred Bright remnants, and Empress Chi Yao had not interfered.
For the First Central Empire, concentrating the Sacred Bright remnants in Sacred Bright City actually made management easier, saving a lot of trouble.
After all, as long as Empress Chi Yao was in power, the Sacred Bright remnants could not stir up any trouble in the Kunlun Realm.
Zhang Ruochen and Mu Lingxi did not linger at the Fifty-Fourth Merit Branch Station. They immediately rushed toward Sacred Bright City at top speed.
The Sacred Bright remnants had always been loyal to the Sacred Bright Central Empire. At any time, Zhang Ruochen could not abandon them.
Outside Sacred Bright City, powerful experts from various factions had gathered and were the first to notice Zhang Ruochen and Mu Lingxi's arrival.
"I didn't expect Zhang Ruochen to get here so quickly."
"Getting here quickly is useless. Sacred Bright City's destruction is a foregone conclusion. No one can change that!"
"True. The Heavenly Realm Faction has mobilized many strong this time, determined to destroy Sacred Bright City. The Soul Realm, Ruiya Realm, Cloud Realm, Cha Realm, Yin-Yang Realm, Hongyang Realm, Tiangui Realm, and many other major worlds have united. The momentum is overwhelming. Zhang Ruochen alone cannot possibly withstand it."
"Zhang Ruochen should have known this long ago, yet he still came without hesitation. He truly values loyalty and righteousness. No wonder those Sacred Bright remnants are willing to follow him to the death."
"I think Zhang Ruochen is just foolish. He insists on doing something he knows is impossible. Coming here is nothing but seeking death."
...
Seeing Zhang Ruochen and Mu Lingxi charging toward Sacred Bright City, the onlookers outside the city couldn't help but shake their heads, thinking the two were like moths flying into a flame.
Since the Heavenly Realm Faction had launched such a large-scale operation, even those who held Zhang Ruochen in high regard dared not intervene at this moment. No one wanted to offend the Heavenly Realm.
"Zhang Ruochen, don't go over there. This is a trap set by Shang Zihong. Destroying Sacred Bright City is a pretext; dealing with you is the real goal."
A voice suddenly reached Zhang Ruochen's ears, trying to stop him from entering the city.
Zhang Ruochen was very familiar with this voice. It was Lingyan Mo Fei, the top heavenly proud daughter of the Great Demon Ten Directions Realm. He wondered why she was outside Sacred Bright City.
Zhang Ruochen immediately transmitted his voice using Spiritual Power. "Thank you for the warning, but even if this is a trap, I have to jump into it."
He had already thought of all this, but could he abandon the Sacred Bright remnants in Sacred Bright City because of it? Clearly, he could not.
Lingyan Mo Fei stood on a branch of an ancient towering tree, watching Zhang Ruochen's retreating figure. She shook her head, filled with regret.
During the Merit Battlefield in the Ancestral Spirit Realm, she and Zhang Ruochen had some friendship. Naturally, she didn't want to see Zhang Ruochen walk to his death, but unfortunately, Zhang Ruochen refused to heed her advice.
At this moment, she could not lend a hand. After all, she represented the Great Demon Ten Directions Realm and could not bring trouble upon her own world.
"Zhang Ruochen, I hope you survive. Dying here would be such a waste," Lingyan Mo Fei murmured to herself.
Inside Sacred Bright City, the scene was one of utter desolation. Half the city had been reduced to ruins, and countless people had perished.
The powerful experts of the Heavenly Realm Faction had all turned into butchers. Anyone in Sacred Bright City, whether cultivator or mortal, was mercilessly slaughtered without exception.
In midair, Cang Long's expression was twisted, radiating a terrifying killing intent.
He was largely responsible for the Heavenly Realm Faction's swift attack on Sacred Bright City. It was he who had persuaded Shang Zihong to act quickly and sever Zhang Ruochen's roots in the Kunlun Realm.
"Zhang Ruochen, you forced me to do this. You dared to touch my woman. I will make you regret this," Cang Long said viciously.
Slaughtering those connected to Zhang Ruochen in Sacred Bright City gave him immense satisfaction. Zhang Ruochen and Ruan Ling had conspired to deceive him, and he was determined to exact revenge.
Moreover, this was a mission assigned by the Nether God—to kill everyone related to Zhang Ruochen and make him suffer unbearably.
This time, Cang Long had gathered all the Nether God Temple experts who had entered the Kunlun Realm to launch a full-scale assault on Sacred Bright City.
Unfortunately, the Six Ultimates of the Nether God Temple had all died, and only a few Dao Domain realm experts remained. Compared to Ruan Ling, who was no longer on his side, and the other forces of the Heavenly Realm Faction, the Nether God Temple was now very weak.
But none of that mattered. As long as the goal was achieved, letting other forces take the spotlight was fine.