Chapter 1998: Blood Debt Must Be Paid in Blood
"Zhang Ruochen, do you truly intend to leave yourself no way out?"
Great Xi King frowned deeply, her gaze fixed intently on Zhang Ruochen.
In her view, Zhang Ruochen was forcing himself onto a path of no return. Slaughtering the experts of the Heavenly Realm Faction might bring him momentary satisfaction, but he would have to bear terrible consequences for it.
Great Xi King actually did not care about Zhang Ruochen's life or death, but Zhang Ruochen had planted a fearsome fire insect inside her body that could control her fate. If, at the final moment, Zhang Ruochen chose to drag her down with him, she would undoubtedly die unjustly.
Zhang Ruochen's gaze swept over Great Xi King, and he sneered, "A way out? With your Heavenly Realm Faction making such a grand show of force, would you even leave me a way out?"
Shang Zihong's brows furrowed with a hint of murderous intent. "Zhang Ruochen, you're absolutely right. No matter what you do, the outcome won't change. You must die."
"Zihong, are you not going to care about Zi Linglong and the others?" Great Xi King asked hastily.
Shang Zihong's eyes opened and closed, and an intensely fierce killing aura surged from him. "As long as Zhang Ruochen is killed, any price can be paid. They should have long been prepared for this."
At these words, many experts of the Heavenly Realm Faction couldn't help but show expressions of shock, almost thinking they had misheard.
Great Xi King said no more, for she could already see that Shang Zihong's resolve to kill Zhang Ruochen was unshakable. Even if she herself were captured by Zhang Ruochen now, Shang Zihong would not change his mind.
"Shang Zihong, you are truly ruthless," Zi Linglong said through gritted teeth.
Gu Tianyin let out a self-deprecating laugh. "They say I, Gu Tianyin, am sinister and venomous, but compared to you, Shang Zihong, I'm nothing but a minor demon. In your eyes, we are all nothing more than pawns, to be sacrificed at the critical moment to achieve your goals."
"Shang Zihong, how dare you treat me like this? My master will never let you off," Chi Sheng roared, glaring at Shang Zihong in fury.
Being about to become an abandoned pawn, anyone would feel anger and resentment, but they were powerless to change anything.
Like Feng Gudao, Zi Linglong, Chi Sheng, and Gu Tianyin also regretted boarding Shang Zihong's pirate ship, plunging themselves into an irredeemable situation. But now, regret was too late.
Zhang Ruochen's expression grew calm. He let out a light breath and said, "In that case, there's no need to keep them any longer."
From the start, he had never intended to let Zi Linglong and the others go, because they had committed horrific slaughter in Shengming City. If he did not kill them, how could he comfort the souls of the fallen in Shengming City?
Even if Shang Zihong had used Chi Kunlun to exchange for Zi Linglong and the others, Zhang Ruochen would have found a way to eliminate them all afterward.
Now that Shang Zihong was unwilling to hand over Chi Kunlun, there was even less reason to keep Zi Linglong and the others alive.
To save Chi Kunlun, he did not necessarily need to rely on Zi Linglong and the others. If he could capture Shang Zihong, he could still rescue Chi Kunlun.
"Thank you, Master."
Mo Yin revealed a charming smile and immediately released many roots, which pierced into the bodies of Zi Linglong, Chi Sheng, and Gu Tianyin.
Three top-tier Lin Dao realm experts were a rare and great tonic. Why would she refuse?
"Shang Zihong, you will come to no good end. I'll be waiting for you down below," Gu Tianyin roared with extreme venom.
"Ah, I'm not reconciled! Why have I ended up like this?" Chi Sheng shouted, his heart full of unwillingness.
Zi Linglong, on the other hand, said nothing, only staring unblinkingly at Shang Zihong with a chilling gaze.
Shang Zihong's face darkened to the extreme. He coldly gave the order, "Destroy Peacock Villa. Leave no one inside alive. Kill them all."
At this point, Shang Zihong had lost all interest in playing games with Zhang Ruochen. He only wanted to eliminate Zhang Ruochen in the simplest and most brutal way to vent the hatred in his heart.
Immediately, the experts of the Heavenly Realm Faction all made their moves, including Shang Zihong himself.
Shang Zihong summoned the Five-Colored Merit Divine Stele, which descended like a massive ancient divine mountain, pressing down heavily toward Peacock Villa.
"Boom."
Although the formation outside Peacock Villa was extremely sturdy, under such a terrifying assault, it still trembled, and some formation patterns were damaged.
"Rather than waiting for them to break the formation and kill us, it's better for us to take the initiative and strike out," Bao Lie said, his battle intent blazing.
The more unfavorable the situation, the more necessary it was to take the initiative and seize control of the battle.
Jin Yu's eyes flashed with golden light. "Back when facing the Chi Qing Central Empire's attack, I chose to retreat and failed to protect Shengming's lands and people. This time, I will not retreat again. Since they dare to slaughter Shengming's people, they must pay the price."
"To dare destroy Shengming City is unforgivable," Luo Chen said, lightning flashing in his eyes.
Kong Lanyou grabbed one of Zhang Ruochen's hands and said softly, "Cousin, eight hundred years ago, I couldn't protect you and watched you die under Chi Yao's sword. Now, I will never let anyone harm you again."
Hearing the words of these four, Zhang Ruochen's emotions surged violently. He tightly held Kong Lanyou's hand, his gaze sweeping over each of them in turn, and said firmly, "Shengming cannot be humiliated, and the blood of Shengming's people cannot be shed in vain. None of these people from the Heavenly Realm Faction will escape."
Long ago, Zhang Ruochen had known this day would come, so he felt no fear. Instead, he looked forward to crossing swords with Shang Zihong and settling their grievances and enmities.
"Then let's fight to our hearts' content."
In an instant, Jin Yu and the others were all filled with an intense battle intent.
No matter how many experts the Heavenly Realm Faction had, they could not make them retreat or fear.
"Third Senior Brother, I remember you use a bow and arrow. I happen to have a decent set here, containing one hundred thousand inscriptions."
As he spoke, Zhang Ruochen took out a golden divine bow and a cyan arrow and handed them to Jin Yu.
Jin Yu's eyes lit up, and he quickly reached out to take the bow and arrow, laughing heartily, "What a treasure! With this set of ten-glare ten-thousand-pattern sacred artifact-level bow and arrow, my strength will be greatly enhanced."
Then, Zhang Ruochen turned to Luo Chen. The Space-Time Secret Scripture appeared in his hand, and when he opened it, a sacred blade gleaming with sharp, dark light emerged.
This sacred blade was the Moon Blade, which he had suppressed after killing Canglong—a powerful monarch-level battle weapon.
The fact that a monarch-level battle weapon had been bestowed showed just how much the You God wanted Zhang Ruochen dead.
"Fourth Senior Brother, this is a monarch-level battle weapon. With your strength, refining it should not be difficult," Zhang Ruochen said.
He could tell that among these three senior brothers, the most low-key Luo Chen was actually the strongest, even surpassing Jin Yu, and might even be comparable to Kong Lanyou.
Ming Emperor's standards were extremely high. In his life, he had only taken six disciples, each of whom was extraordinary. Even the sixth disciple, Lu Yuanzhi, though slightly lacking in cultivation talent, was an unparalleled genius in artifact refinement.
Hearing the words "monarch-level battle weapon," even Luo Chen, who was usually indifferent, couldn't help but show a shocked expression. He hadn't expected Zhang Ruochen to possess such a weapon and be willing to give it to him.
"Fourth brother, what are you waiting for? Hurry up and refine it! With the enemy at hand, don't be so hesitant," Jin Yu urged.
Hearing this, Luo Chen snapped back to reality. He quickly reached out, drew the Moon Blade from the multi-dimensional space, and then activated his vast sacred Qi to begin refining it.
Zhang Ruochen put away the Space-Time Secret Scripture and turned his gaze to Kong Lanyou.
Before he could say anything, Kong Lanyou gently shook the bamboo flute in her hand and said with a warm smile, "I have this, and it's enough."
Seeing the bamboo flute, many thoughts were stirred in Zhang Ruochen's heart.
Eight hundred years ago, Kong Lanyou always liked to follow him around, pestering him to play, and she had even been jealous of Chi Yao, saying that his heart only thought of Chi Yao.
To make Kong Lanyou happy, he had personally composed the "Lanyou Melody" and played it for her on the bamboo flute.
Now, eight hundred years had passed, and Kong Lanyou had kept that bamboo flute all along.
Zhang Ruochen could see that this bamboo flute had become extremely extraordinary, imbued with an immortal aura, no less inferior to those top-tier ten-thousand-pattern sacred artifacts.
To turn an ordinary bamboo flute into a powerful sacred artifact, he couldn't imagine how much effort Kong Lanyou had put into it.
Thinking of this, Zhang Ruochen felt a deep pang of sympathy. He had come directly to eight hundred years later, while Kong Lanyou had waited for him for eight hundred long years.
Besides sympathy, Zhang Ruochen's heart was also filled with a heavy sense of guilt.
At this moment, the screams of Zi Linglong, Chi Sheng, and Gu Tianyin abruptly ceased. They had all been drained dry by Mo Yin, dying a miserable death.
Mo Yin's aura rose steadily, and her cultivation had clearly advanced by a significant margin.
If this continued, by devouring more experts, reaching the Lin Dao realm was within sight.
It didn't take long for Luo Chen to successfully refine the Moon Blade, and his entire demeanor became noticeably sharper.
At the same time, the formation protecting Peacock Villa grew increasingly unstable, with more formation patterns being worn away.
"Charge out."
Without further delay, Zhang Ruochen and the other six immediately moved, flashing out of Peacock Villa to take the initiative.
"Since you're all so eager to die, I'll grant your wish," Shang Zihong said, his eyes gleaming coldly.
Immediately, the many experts of the Heavenly Realm Faction stopped attacking the villa's protective formation and turned their attacks on Zhang Ruochen and his group.
Di Feng smiled sinisterly. "Kong Lanyou is mine."
As he spoke, a vast amount of terrifying evil Qi surged from Di Feng's body, forming a hundred-zhang giant hand that reached for Kong Lanyou.
Kong Lanyou brought her fingers together like a sword and gently slashed, sending out a sharp sword light that cut toward the incoming evil Qi hand.
"Rip."
The evil Qi hand was immensely powerful, but it was still cleaved in two by the sword light.
However, after being split, the evil Qi hand transformed into two dozens-of-zhang evil Qi hands that continued to grab at Kong Lanyou.
A blurry figure flew out from Kong Lanyou's body, holding the yellowed bamboo flute.
It was Kong Lanyou's sword soul, not as powerful as Zhang Ruochen's, but still not to be underestimated.
The sword soul used the bamboo flute as a sword, executing exquisite sword techniques.
"Boom."
The two dozens-of-zhang evil Qi hands both shattered, turning into rolling, sinister evil Qi.
Kong Lanyou's natural talent in the Sword Dao was not particularly high, but because Zhang Ruochen loved the Sword Dao, she had made herself study it as well.
Over eight hundred years, Kong Lanyou had achieved no small success in the Sword Dao.
Now, as she fought with the Sword Dao, she actually wanted Zhang Ruochen to see, hoping to gain his recognition.
Seeing the many top experts of the Heavenly Realm Faction closing in, Zhang Ruochen let out a cold laugh. "Do you really think I have no one on my side?"
As he spoke, Zhang Ruochen waved his hand, and twenty-six figures appeared, each exuding an extremely powerful aura—all of them were Nine-Step Saint Kings.
"Hmm? Those are the Nine-Step Saint Kings that Senior Brother Feng controlled with his Soul-Holding Great Art," Si Han said, recognizing the experts Zhang Ruochen had summoned.
Feng Gudao had originally controlled thirty Nine-Step Saint Kings. Earlier, to deal with Zhang Ruochen, he had one Nine-Step Saint King self-destruct his sacred source, but Zhang Ruochen hadn't died, and three more Nine-Step Saint Kings had been lost, leaving only twenty-six.
Undoubtedly, this was an extremely formidable force.
These Nine-Step Saint Kings had all been under Feng Gudao's control. Now that Feng Gudao was dead, the control over them was naturally lifted.
After Zhang Ruochen explained the situation, all twenty-six Nine-Step Saint Kings agreed to fight against the experts of the Heavenly Realm Faction.
Mainly, they had no choice. If they didn't stand with Zhang Ruochen, they would likely face only death.
Shang Zihong flew out from the warship and appeared before Zhang Ruochen, saying coldly, "Zhang Ruochen, even if you summon more experts, it's useless. This time, you won't escape."
Clearly, Shang Zihong intended to personally deal with Zhang Ruochen and eliminate this major threat.
Two figures stepped out from Shang Zihong's body, both identical to him, even the aura they emitted was just as powerful.
Facing the formidable Zhang Ruochen, Shang Zihong dared not show the slightest contempt. From the start, he brought out his true skills, executing the "Three Corpses Dao Refinement" he had cultivated.
This technique was said to be one of the hardest to master on the "Taiyi Divine Skill Ranking." Throughout history, very few had succeeded, but Shang Zihong had managed it.
This alone showed how extraordinary Shang Zihong's talent was, rarely matched across the myriad realms.
Shang Zihong's Flame Corpse wielded the Red Son Sword, his Cold Corpse held the Ten-Thousand Refinement Tower, and his Primordial Corpse controlled the Five-Colored Merit Divine Stele—all three were extraordinary treasures.
Zhang Ruochen drew the Abyssal Ancient Sword and held it in his hand, while also summoning the Mountain-Hiding Demon Mirror, suspending it above his head, ready for battle.
"Shang Zihong, let's settle our grievances and enmities tonight, once and for all," Zhang Ruochen said.
Back then, to deal with him, Shang Zihong had hired assassins to kill Bai Su, Zhu Hongtao, Wan Ke, Ling Shu, and a group of Shengming's old followers, and had cruelly hung their heads outside the Yin Yang Hall.
Zhang Ruochen had personally witnessed Bai Su's and the others' heads explode and their sacred souls annihilate. This deep hatred had always been etched in his heart, and he had always wanted to avenge it.
"Second Senior Brother, Third Senior Brother, Fifth Senior Sister, Bai Su, and the soldiers of Shengming—tonight, I will take Shang Zihong's head to comfort your spirits in heaven," Zhang Ruochen thought to himself.
He had waited too long for this day. Now, it was time for Shang Zihong to pay his blood debt.
...
(I'm really sorry. I said I would update yesterday, but my head hurt so much I couldn't do anything, and my whole body felt weak. I'm not sure if it was heatstroke, but I even went to the hospital for an IV. I simply couldn't write. Today, I'm feeling a bit better, so I'll continue writing in the afternoon.)