Chapter 1986: Only Despair Remains
Turning his gaze, Zhang Ruochen looked at the Space Exquisite Ball. Inside, the tens of thousands of Sacred Bright remnants were all severely injured, their bodies mutilated, and many were on the verge of death. If they were not treated in time, there would be no saving them.
Zhang Ruochen took out a large amount of Life Spring and sent it into the Space Exquisite Ball.
Immediately, the Life Spring transformed into spiritual rain, falling upon every Sacred Bright remnant, seeping into their bodies and merging into their bloodlines.
At present, the Sky-Connecting Divine Tree trunk was merging its divine power into the Sky-Connecting Divine Tree sapling, allowing the sapling to grow rapidly. As a result, the Life Spring it produced was becoming more and more abundant.
Once the Sky-Connecting Divine Tree sapling fully absorbed the essence of the trunk, it would grow to an astonishing degree. At that time, the Qiankun Realm itself would expand accordingly.
In Zhang Ruochen's view, the greatest significance of acquiring the Sky-Connecting Divine Tree trunk was to nurture the new sapling of the Sky-Connecting Divine Tree.
The better the new sapling of the Sky-Connecting Divine Tree grew, the better the cultivation conditions in the Qiankun Realm would be. That would be the foundation for Zhang Ruochen to rebuild the Sacred Bright.
Seeing the condition of the tens of thousands of Sacred Bright remnants gradually improve, Zhang Ruochen frowned instead. He said in a deep voice, "So ruthless. They injured everyone's Sacred Soul. This means that even if they survive, their path of cultivation will be cut off."
Life Spring could indeed quickly heal the physical injuries of everyone, but it could not heal the trauma inflicted on the Sacred Soul. Unless the Sky-Connecting Divine Tree grew back into a true divine tree, only then could all kinds of injuries be healed.
Including Yan Kaixuan, all tens of thousands of Sacred Bright remnants, without exception, had their Sacred Souls injured, and the damage was fundamental. It should have been caused by some secret technique from the Soul Realm.
Clearly, the other side had done this deliberately.
Just then, Mu Lingxi interjected, "I know a secret method that can heal the trauma inflicted on the Sacred Soul."
Hearing this, Zhang Ruochen immediately turned his head to look at Mu Lingxi. "Lingxi, are you sure you can do it?"
"Don't worry, I will make sure they all recover completely," Mu Lingxi said with a smile.
At this moment, Zhang Ruochen had no time to think too much. He nodded and said, "Alright, you help them heal first. I'll go find the Twelfth Imperial Uncle. Remember, don't push yourself too hard."
"Mm, I know what I'm doing," Mu Lingxi nodded.
"Lord Chen, I'll go help the Little Saintess," Shoushu quickly said.
Zhang Ruochen said nothing. With a wave of his hand, he took Mu Lingxi, Shoushu, and Yan Kaixuan into the Space Exquisite Ball.
Without a moment's pause, Zhang Ruochen immediately activated the Flowing Light Merit Armor, unleashing a thousand times the speed of sound, and rushed southeast.
The top priority was, of course, to rescue Mingjiang Wang.
The southeast direction Yan Kaixuan mentioned was not outside Saint Ming City, but inside Saint Ming City.
The Heavenly Realm Faction had moved too quickly, completely sealing off Saint Ming City. No one could escape. Mingjiang Wang and the others had merely broken through the encirclement of a group of Heavenly Realm Faction experts. Unlike Yan Kaixuan, they had not been captured, but they had not escaped danger either.
While flying in the direction Yan Kaixuan had indicated, Zhang Ruochen released his powerful spiritual power, searching with all his might for traces of Mingjiang Wang.
Inside the Space Exquisite Ball, Mu Lingxi cut her wrist with her fingernail. Blood exuding a chilling aura immediately gushed out.
Since awakening the Ice Phoenix bloodline, the blood in Mu Lingxi's body was no longer that of an ordinary human, but phoenix blood.
"Little Saintess, what are you doing?" Shoushu asked, both surprised and puzzled.
Mu Lingxi's expression was slightly serious. "To heal the damage to their Sacred Souls, I have to use the phoenix blood in my body, combined with the secret technique of the Phoenix Clan."
"Ah? How much of your blood will that take? If Lord Chen finds out, he definitely won't let you do this," Shoushu said, his face full of tension.
Mu Lingxi whispered, "That's exactly why I didn't tell him. In truth, I know very well that with my current strength, I can't help him much. But I still want to do everything I can to help him."
"But, Little Saintess, can you hold up?" Shoushu asked, very worried.
Mu Lingxi said, "Don't worry, it'll be fine. If I can't even do this small thing, wouldn't that make me seem too useless? Alright, let's begin. You help me."
Shoushu nodded repeatedly. Since Mu Lingxi had put it that way, what more could he say? Although he was afraid of death, as long as it was something within his power, he would never refuse.
Immediately, Mu Lingxi and Shoushu began to act, using phoenix blood combined with the Phoenix Clan's secret method to heal the Sacred Soul injuries of the tens of thousands of Sacred Bright remnants.
The commotion caused by the two battles at the city gate was too great. It had already alarmed all the Heavenly Realm Faction experts remaining in Saint Ming City, and they were rushing towards the city gate.
"Although Shang Zihong is no longer in Saint Ming City, there are still many experts left in the city. Zhang Ruochen charging in alone is courageous, but it's not advisable."
"Feng Gudao of the Soul Realm, Chi Sheng of the Ruiya Realm, Zi Linglong of the Hongyang Realm, and Gu Tianyin of the Cha Realm—all of them are top-tier experts at the Lin Dao Realm, even stronger than Cang Long and Yan Ba. Zhang Ruochen's chances of winning against them are extremely low."
"Feng Gudao is known as the strongest under the Great Saint of the Soul Realm. He once used a secret technique from the Soul Realm to ambush an Immortal Great Saint, severely wounding him and nearly succeeding. Now, Feng Gudao is using the Soul-Holding Great Art to control a great number of Saint King experts, including dozens of Nine-Step Saint Kings. He alone can pose a huge threat to Zhang Ruochen."
"Chi Sheng is no slouch either. He is the strongest under the Great Saint of the Overlord Divine Hall and is also the de facto leader of the Ruiya Realm. His physical body is extremely powerful. It is said that his arms, legs, head, and neck have all become immortalized. Ordinary methods simply cannot cause him substantial harm."
......
Seeing Zhang Ruochen charge into Saint Ming City, many watching cultivators couldn't help but sigh for him.
In their eyes, Zhang Ruochen charging into the city alone like this was no different from a lamb walking into a tiger's den.
As long as those top-tier experts made a move, Zhang Ruochen would be lucky to escape with his life, let alone rescue anyone.
Looking at the ruined Saint Ming City and the corpses scattered everywhere, Zhang Ruochen couldn't help but burn with rage. These were the people of the Sacred Bright, most of them ordinary people. How could the people of the Heavenly Realm Faction bring themselves to do this?
By destroying Saint Ming City, Shang Zihong clearly wanted to cut off the roots completely, to utterly eradicate the Sacred Bright. It was truly vicious.
"Shang Zihong, you are asking for death." Zhang Ruochen clenched his fists, his killing intent surging.
Never before had he wanted to kill someone so badly.
Shang Zihong had crossed his bottom line. If he didn't kill him, his hatred would never be appeased.
"Boom."
A deafening loud noise brought Zhang Ruochen's thoughts back to reality.
The sound came from directly in front of him. The power fluctuation was extremely strong. It should have been caused by the self-destruction of a Saint King realm expert.
Feeling this power, Zhang Ruochen's heart tightened. He immediately performed a Space Shift.
Ripples spread through space, and Zhang Ruochen appeared out of thin air on a sacred mountain very close to the point of the explosion.
This sacred mountain was not very tall, but it was filled with a very rich sacred aura. It was a rare cultivation treasure land, which should have been sacred and peaceful.
But at this moment, the mountain was stained with blood. Many top-tier Saints, and even Saint Kings, had spilled their blood on the sacred mountain. The scent of blood and the aura of slaughter spread everywhere.
Zhang Ruochen's gaze locked onto a rock, or rather, the person lying on the rock. That person was none other than his Twelfth Imperial Uncle—Mingjiang Wang.
Mingjiang Wang was in a terrible state. Half of his body had been smashed to pieces, and an arrow was stuck in his chest, yet to be pulled out.
Beside Mingjiang Wang, four people were guarding him loyally. Zhang Ruochen was very familiar with these four. They were originally Mingjiang Wang's most elite generals, and now each of them had become a Saint King.
If not for them, Mingjiang Wang would never have lasted this long.
Originally, Yan Kaixuan had also been by Mingjiang Wang's side, but he had been captured by the Heavenly Realm Faction experts.
There was no need to guess. The Saint King who had just self-destructed must have been one of Mingjiang Wang's generals.
"A mere One-Step Saint King actually thought he could drag us down with him by self-destructing. How naive."
A Saint King expert of the Heavenly Realm Faction sneered.
The self-destruction just now had indeed startled them, but no one had died because of it.
Saint King realm experts usually cherished their lives. Those who dared to self-destruct were extremely rare.
"Hm? Zhang Ruochen."
Suddenly, an expert sensed Zhang Ruochen's presence.
"Retreat quickly."
Without a moment's hesitation, all the Heavenly Realm Faction experts who had been pursuing Mingjiang Wang immediately chose to retreat.
There was no choice. Zhang Ruochen had a fearsome reputation. They were not top-tier experts. If they encountered Zhang Ruochen and didn't retreat, they could only wait for death.
"Mo Yin, deal with them."
Zhang Ruochen said in a deep voice.
Immediately, Mo Yin emerged from Zhang Ruochen's spine, releasing numerous vines that wrapped around all the retreating Heavenly Realm Faction experts.
"Ah."
In an instant, some Heavenly Realm Faction experts let out miserable screams.
Zhang Ruochen didn't bother to check. His figure flickered, and he appeared beside the rock where Mingjiang Wang was lying.
"Greetings, Crown Prince."
The four remaining generals beside Mingjiang Wang were all extremely excited. They immediately knelt on one knee and saluted Zhang Ruochen.
Zhang Ruochen's arrival gave them a backbone. On the edge of despair, they saw hope of survival again.
"All of you, rise."
As he spoke, Zhang Ruochen waved his hand, sending hundreds of drops of Life Spring falling, seeping into the bodies of Mingjiang Wang and the four generals.
The four generals were all heavily injured, covered in wounds, and barely holding on.
Nourished by the Life Spring, the four generals' injuries healed rapidly. Their wounds closed at a visible speed.
Even Mingjiang Wang's severe injuries were healing quickly. His broken half of his body was restored to its original state.
After a while, Mingjiang Wang sat up. Although his face was still pale, he was no longer in danger of death.
"Your Highness."
Seeing Mingjiang Wang regain his mobility, the four generals were very excited.
"Ruochen, you shouldn't have come back. Saint Ming City has completely fallen. No one can change anything," Mingjiang Wang said with a sigh and a shake of his head.
Back when they attacked the Lingxiao Heavenly King's Mansion, Mingjiang Wang was already a Saint King realm expert.
As the Kunlun Realm revived, Mingjiang Wang obtained many opportunities, and his cultivation advanced by leaps and bounds, reaching the Nine-Step Saint King realm.
In Saint Ming City, Mingjiang Wang was the undisputed number one expert.
Zhang Ruochen looked at Mingjiang Wang and said solemnly, "Saint Ming City is the root of the Sacred Bright. As the Crown Prince of the Sacred Bright, how could I not return? Am I supposed to just watch the people of the Sacred Bright be slaughtered?"
"I understand your feelings. Don't I also want to protect Saint Ming City and the people of the Sacred Bright? But this enemy is truly too terrifying. I thought that by cultivating to the Nine-Step Saint King realm, I would be fearless in the face of any challenge. But any one of them could severely wound me with a single move. If not for a life-saving item left by my imperial brother, I would have died at their hands."
"Although I saved my own life, I couldn't protect the people of the Sacred Bright. I watched helplessly as the enemy struck, sinking half the city with a single palm strike. Too many people of the Sacred Bright died tragically because of it."
"And Kaixuan, Wang Ji, and the others—they died or were injured protecting me. Now, only the four of them are left. It's my incompetence. I watched my subordinates and my people being killed by the enemy, but I could do nothing!"
By the end, Mingjiang Wang was in tears.
Having witnessed so many horrors, even with his state of mind cultivated over a thousand years, he was on the verge of collapse. Deep despair welled up in his heart.
Thinking back to when the Sacred Bright Central Empire fell and the Sacred Bright lineage suffered a frenzied attack, Mingjiang Wang had endured it, leading the remnants to lie low, waiting for the opportunity to revive the Sacred Bright.
But this time, Mingjiang Wang was utterly despairing. He felt that the Sacred Bright had no hope and would be completely destroyed.
......
(The previous activity for writing lyrics, the first song "Remembering the Past," has been produced by a singer. It's not bad and should be posted on the public account in the next few days. Everyone can go and listen. Add r
Lyrics:
Heavenly Court and Hell Realm are separated by two realms, war and conflict for millions of years
Even though the Kunlun Realm has many talents, unfortunately, there are many treacherous people within
The Saint Monk has observed the past and present, only Ruochen can be entrusted with his legacy
Although Ruochen has astonishing talent, he has rarely experienced difficult battles in his life
The path of sacred cultivation ultimately has flaws, the bloodline reaching sainthood becomes an obstacle
If he is to bear the calamity of Kunlun, he must abandon his bloodline and undergo reincarnation
The Dao is hard to find, emotions are hard to let go, the eternal calamity, the entanglement of love is severed
Originally, the two were in love like a painting, the feelings of the parents were like one family
But born in this chaotic world, yin and yang, life and death, are separated by a single sword
Creation is born, a drop of blood dies, the beloved's heart, blood never stops
Reborn into this weak and sickly body, you have become revered, the world's attention
That scene eight hundred years ago, how could I just lose like this
Spoken: Chi Yao, the grievances of eight hundred years ago, I think there will be an end to them, right?
Female:
Scene after scene from eight hundred years ago, how do you know my suffering?
Everyone in the world knows I am divine and martial, it was not my choice to betray you
Born in this era of demons and monsters dancing, how could you and I enjoy the blessing of love?
But you were born with extraordinary talent, how could you abandon the common people and live alone?
In this life, love is cut off; in the next life, we will hold hands and wander the world
Spoken: You know I killed you a hundred years ago, but do you know that sword also extinguished my heart together with yours? I know that a hundred years later, you will hate me, but for the sake of the common people and for you and me, this is a choice I had to make. The next life is very long, I think you will slowly understand)
(End of this chapter)