# Chapter 1997: Brutal Slaughter
Shang Zihong's gaze locked onto Zhang Ruochen, his expression involuntarily turning somewhat gloomy.
Earlier, he had been restless and uneasy, vaguely sensing that something was wrong. He hadn't expected it to actually come true—there really was a problem on the Saint Ming City side.
Even he couldn't fully understand what had gone wrong. With his arrangements in Saint Ming City, how could Zhang Ruochen have escaped?
Now, Zhang Ruochen opened his mouth demanding Chi Kunlun, which only further enraged Shang Zihong. It was precisely because of Chi Kunlun that he had been wounded by a Yama Clan powerhouse and had his top-grade Flowing Light Merit Armor taken away. He was still burning with fury over that.
The other Heavenly Realm Faction powerhouses also furrowed their brows. Zhang Ruochen's appearance at Peacock Manor truly surprised everyone.
From the blood covering Zhang Ruochen's battle armor, combined with the fact that he immediately demanded Chi Kunlun, it was clear that Zhang Ruochen hadn't escaped from Saint Ming City—he had clearly experienced a brutal slaughter.
But since something had gone wrong in Saint Ming City, why hadn't they received any transmission?
Clearly, the situation in Saint Ming City was far more complicated than they had anticipated, with many things happening beyond their expectations.
"Who is Chi Kunlun?" Jin Yu asked curiously.
He had just emerged from the Space Canyon and wasn't very familiar with the outside situation. He hadn't heard the name Chi Kunlun before, nor did he know what relationship this Chi Kunlun had with Zhang Ruochen.
But instinctively, Jin Yu had no good feelings toward anyone surnamed Chi.
If not for the Chi Clan, how could Senior Brother have died? Why would they have needed to hide in the Space Canyon?
Jin Yu wasn't the only one curious. Bao Lie and Luo Chen were also puzzled, wondering why Zhang Ruochen was asking Shang Zihong for someone surnamed Chi.
Kong Lanyou sighed softly and said quietly, "Chi Kunlun is Cousin's son with Chi Yao."
"What? How could..."
Jin Yu and the other two widened their eyes, finding it extremely hard to believe.
They all knew that Zhang Ruochen had been killed by Chi Yao eight hundred years ago, and at that time, the two were still very young. They couldn't possibly have crossed that line.
But eight hundred years later, Zhang Ruochen and Chi Yao should be as incompatible as fire and water. How could they have had children?
Kong Lanyou gently shook her head. "The matter between them is very complicated. It can't be explained in just a few words. But in any case, Chi Kunlun is indeed Cousin and Chi Yao's son."
In truth, no one could fully explain what had happened between Zhang Ruochen and Chi Yao, but Kong Lanyou could vaguely guess what had occurred back then. That should be the reason Zhang Ruochen had crazily charged to the gates of the Purple Micro Imperial Palace.
Hearing this, Jin Yu and the others said nothing more. They didn't want to upset Zhang Ruochen, and this wasn't the time to discuss such matters—not with the enemy right before them.
On the war vessel, Si Han appeared beside Shang Zihong and shouted, "Zhang Ruochen, where are Senior Brother Feng and the others?"
Zhang Ruochen had arrived at Peacock Manor, but Feng Gudao and the others were nowhere to be seen, with no news of them either. This made Si Han feel a sense of foreboding.
"Si Han, why are you so nervous? Do you think Zhang Ruochen could be a match for Feng Gudao and the others? They're probably just delayed by something. Nothing will happen to them." Di Feng fanned his jade fan, speaking with extreme nonchalance.
Hearing this, Si Han's heart settled considerably. Feng Gudao, Zi Linglong, Chi Sheng, and Gu Tianyin—the four of them were all top-tier powerhouses, close to the three strongest levels below Great Saint. There was no way Zhang Ruochen could be their match.
Even if the situation had changed somewhat, Feng Gudao and the others should be fine.
After all, with their level of strength, even Di Feng and Xing Yuan would have difficulty easily dealing with them. If they couldn't win, they could still escape.
"Swoosh."
Zhang Ruochen produced four Saint-Binding Ropes in his hand, each one binding a person.
Seeing the four people bound by the Saint-Binding Ropes, Di Feng's gaze instantly hardened, becoming extremely sinister. Because the bound ones were precisely Feng Gudao, Zi Linglong, Chi Sheng, and Gu Tianyin.
He had just told Si Han that nothing would happen to Feng Gudao and the others, and the next moment, Zhang Ruochen brought them out—clearly deliberately slapping his face.
Si Han's expression changed dramatically. He couldn't believe what he was seeing.
"How is this possible..."
The other Heavenly Realm Faction powerhouses also furrowed their brows.
This situation was something none of them had ever anticipated.
Zhang Ruochen gripped the four Saint-Binding Ropes tightly, stepping heavily on Feng Gudao's body. "Shang Zihong, hand over Chi Kunlun. I don't want to say it a third time."
Shang Zihong's mouth twitched slightly, his expression growing even darker. Where was he supposed to find Chi Kunlun now?
On the surface, however, Shang Zihong remained indifferent. "If you want Chi Kunlun, release the four of them first."
Zhang Ruochen's eyes flashed with cold light. "Shang Zihong, do you take me for a fool? If you don't hand over Chi Kunlun, all four of them will die."
"Zihong, hand over Chi Kunlun." Feng Gudao looked at Shang Zihong with pleading eyes.
He didn't want to die, especially not in such a humiliating way.
Shang Zihong appeared calm on the surface, but inside, his emotions were churning. If Chi Kunlun were still in his hands, he would definitely exchange him for Feng Gudao and the others.
After all, these four all had strong backgrounds. If they died in Kunlun Realm, the forces behind them would surely be enraged. Even he would face considerable trouble.
But the problem was that Chi Kunlun had already been taken away by the Yama Clan powerhouse. Such an inglorious matter was naturally something Shang Zihong didn't want to reveal, especially since he was unwilling to yield to Zhang Ruochen.
The main powerhouses of the Heavenly Realm Faction had also been given a gag order by Shang Zihong—no one was to speak of this matter.
Seeing that Shang Zihong remained unresponsive, Zhang Ruochen's gaze grew even colder. "It seems you truly don't care whether they live or die. Mo Yin."
"Master."
Mo Yin immediately emerged from Zhang Ruochen's spinal bone.
Without needing Zhang Ruochen to say anything, Mo Yin released dozens of root tendrils, plunging them into Feng Gudao's body.
"Ah! Save me, save me!" Feng Gudao screamed, crying out for help in terror.
At this moment, he truly felt death approaching. His essence, energy, and spirit were rapidly draining away, unstoppable.
"Zihong, what should we do?" Si Han showed a panicked expression.
Even Da Xi Wang furrowed his brows now. After all, the one facing death was a top powerhouse of their Soul Realm. If Feng Gudao died, it would be a significant blow to the Soul Realm.
Shang Zihong's gaze was cold and fierce. "Zhang Ruochen, it seems you still haven't seen the situation clearly. If you dare kill Feng Gudao, you and everyone in Peacock Manor will die even faster."
"Threatening me? Shang Zihong, you underestimate me too much. If you don't hand over Chi Kunlun, not just Feng Gudao—Zi Linglong, Chi Sheng, and Gu Tianyin will all die without a doubt." Zhang Ruochen stood firm, showing no intention of compromising.
Hearing this, a terrifying killing intent flashed in Shang Zihong's eyes. His gaze fell on Feng Gudao, whose body was rapidly shriveling, and he felt a moment of hesitation.
"Shang Zihong, is my life not worth as much as Chi Kunlun's?" Feng Gudao roared with a twisted expression.
At this point, Feng Gudao was already regretting it—regretting agreeing to Shang Zihong to wade into this muddy water, only to have Shang Zihong completely disregard his life.
Shang Zihong's gaze hardened. "Chi Kunlun is not in my hands. Even if you kill Feng Gudao, it will be useless."
"Even now, Shang Zihong, you still try to deceive me. Fine. Perhaps you think I truly don't dare kill them." Killing intent surged from Zhang Ruochen's body.
Mo Yin immediately understood and accelerated the devouring of Feng Gudao's essence, energy, and spirit.
"Ah! I won't accept this! I won't accept this! Shang Zihong, you are so ruthless!"
Feng Gudao let out an extremely miserable scream, filled with both unwillingness and intense hatred toward Shang Zihong.
He had personally seen Chi Kunlun standing beside Shang Zihong, yet now Shang Zihong claimed Chi Kunlun wasn't in his hands—clearly intending to leave him to die.
In the blink of an eye, Feng Gudao's screams abruptly ceased. His body had become completely shriveled, with no trace of life remaining.
"Bang."
Mo Yin's root tendrils vibrated, and Feng Gudao's withered body instantly shattered into pieces, then turned to powder, scattering on the ground.
A top Saint King, nearly comparable to an Immortal Great Saint, had perished.
At the same time, Mo Yin's aura surged upward. The power of heaven and earth and the rules of heaven and earth within a radius of two thousand miles crazily converged toward Mo Yin.
Back in Saint Ming City, Mo Yin's cultivation had already reached a critical point. Having just devoured all of Feng Gudao's essence, energy, and spirit, she finally broke through that threshold, advancing from the Dao Domain Realm to the Heaven-Connecting Realm.
Mo Yin's true form was the Devouring Saint Flower, extraordinary by nature. So after breaking through to the Heaven-Connecting Realm, her abilities in all aspects were naturally not comparable to ordinary Heaven-Connecting Realm powerhouses.
When ordinary people break through to the Heaven-Connecting Realm, they can at most mobilize the rules of heaven and earth within a few hundred miles. Even at the peak of the Heaven-Connecting Realm, the range only expands to about a thousand miles.
But Mo Yin was different. Just after breaking through to the Heaven-Connecting Realm, she could mobilize the rules of heaven and earth within two thousand miles, fully comparable to many weaker Realm-Approaching Realm powerhouses.
Combined with some of Mo Yin's special abilities, her current strength was enough to contend with or even kill weaker Realm-Approaching Realm powerhouses.
"Finally reached the Heaven-Connecting Realm. Master, how should we handle these three?" Mo Yin's gaze swept back and forth over the remaining three, excitement shining in her eyes.
Having just broken through to the Heaven-Connecting Realm, if she could devour some more nutrients to consolidate her cultivation, that would be even better.
Zi Linglong, Chi Sheng, and Gu Tianyin were no pushovers—each was a ruthless character. But at this moment, all three showed expressions of terror.
Having personally witnessed Feng Gudao being devoured alive by Mo Yin, anyone would feel fear. Especially since none of them wanted to die. They were all top-tier Realm-Approaching Realm powerhouses, ready to step into the Great Saint Realm at any time.
And with their accumulated foundation, once they entered the Great Saint Realm, they would be far from ordinary Immortal Great Saints. Their future achievements wouldn't stop at the Immortal Realm.
To end up as nutrients for the Devouring Saint Flower would be too tragic.
Seeing Feng Gudao die, the expressions of the Heavenly Realm Faction powerhouses all turned extremely ugly.
To have a top powerhouse of the Heavenly Realm Faction brutally slaughtered right before their eyes—this had never happened before.
Even with Shang Zihong's composure and depth, he was now burning with rage, emitting a terrifying killing intent.
...
(Apologies. I had a bad headache tonight and could only update one chapter. I'll try to rest early and update again tomorrow during the day.)