Chapter 2006: The Ultimate Strike
“Could that be... the Flame Emperor Art!”
Some of the cultivators watching the battle couldn’t help but let out exclamations of surprise.
As soon as these words were spoken, it immediately caused an uproar, with many cultivators showing expressions of shock.
“The Flame Emperor Art was created by the Flame God. It is a high-rank sacred art, immensely powerful, extremely fierce and domineering, and very difficult to cultivate. I never expected Shang Zi to have mastered it.”
“And right now, Shang Zi is even able to unleash the Flame Emperor Art together with the Nether Dark Mystic Light, forming a dual realm of ice and fire. Such control is truly terrifying.”
“By unleashing two high-rank sacred arts in this way, the power is almost doubled. Zhang Ruochen is in trouble.”
...
Almost everyone turned their gazes toward the two towering figures behind Shang Zi, feeling deeply shaken in their hearts.
Being able to simultaneously unleash two high-rank sacred arts with completely opposite attributes while maintaining a perfect balance—Shang Zi’s methods were indeed terrifying.
A faint smile finally appeared on Shang Zi’s gloomy face.
He had been cultivating the Flame Emperor Art for a very long time, yet he had always lacked some key elements to master it fully.
Just now, in a state of extreme anger, he had suddenly grasped the key, which was an unexpected surprise.
Being able to master two high-rank sacred arts at the Saint King Realm—just this alone was enough for Shang Zi to become famous across myriad realms. Even a peerless genius like Xuan Yuan Lie Kong could not compare.
“Zhang Ruochen, I really have to thank you. If it weren’t for you, I probably wouldn’t have been able to master the Flame Emperor Art so quickly. As a token of gratitude, let you be the first to experience the power of the Flame Emperor Art,” Shang Zi said with a smile.
Feeling the terror of the two towering figures behind Shang Zi, Zhang Ruochen’s expression immediately turned serious. This time, he truly felt a great threat.
In this situation, Zhang Ruochen had no choice but to fully activate the Flame God Armor and the Mountain-Hiding Demon Mirror, while channeling a large amount of sacred energy into his left leg.
He actually wanted to unleash the Blazing God Leg with all his might, delivering the ultimate strike.
But he knew that even the strongest strike of the Blazing God Leg would not be enough to kill Shang Zi.
And after unleashing his strongest strike, the sacred energy in his body would be completely depleted, unable to recover immediately.
At that point, he would lose his combat power and be at Shang Zi’s mercy.
“Shang Zi’s strike is no small matter. I need to unleash fifty percent of the Blazing God Leg’s power to have a chance of blocking it.” Many thoughts flashed through Zhang Ruochen’s mind, and he made a decision.
Normally, when he used the Blazing God Leg, he only mobilized ten percent of its power, which didn’t consume much sacred energy and could be recovered almost instantly.
But if he used fifty percent of the Blazing God Leg’s power, the power would increase greatly, but it would also consume half of his sacred energy. Even with the Divine Sun in his Divine Light Qi Sea continuously releasing essence, it would take a considerable amount of time to recover.
This would undoubtedly have a significant impact on his ability to use other techniques later.
But at this point, Zhang Ruochen couldn’t afford to worry about that. If he were severely injured by Shang Zi’s strike, he would have even less ability to fight back.
With a large infusion of sacred energy, Zhang Ruochen’s left leg turned crimson red, and a hundred thousand thick flame rules emerged. The scorching aura almost melted the space around him.
The ferocious strange beast and the flame emperor behind Shang Zi charged forward simultaneously, like ghosts and gods walking side by side, exuding a terrifying destructive aura.
Wherever they passed, the earth sank deeply, on the verge of total collapse.
“Blazing God Leg.”
At the same moment, Zhang Ruochen’s left leg swept out.
An immensely powerful divine force surged forth, transforming into towering waves of fire that swept across the eight directions.
“Boom.”
Zhang Ruochen was instantly engulfed by the forces of fire and ice. That area seemed to have been struck by a star, creating a devastating shockwave.
Terrifying ripples of power spread through space, layer upon layer, expanding outward at an astonishing speed.
Compared to the low roars of the ferocious strange beast and the flame emperor at the beginning, the power ripples now formed were many times more terrifying.
Many of the strong warriors on both sides of the battlefield stopped fighting immediately, turning to resist these layers of power ripples.
Yet, even so, some strong warriors still ended up injured, and some were seriously hurt.
As for the cultivators watching the battle, they had learned their lesson and retreated far away early on, so the impact they suffered this time was minimal.
Within a radius of ten thousand miles, a massive earthquake occurred at this moment. Mountains shattered, the earth sank, and countless living beings perished as a result.
“Boom.”
A large amount of dark red magma erupted from underground, quickly forming a huge magma lake.
Because hot magma continuously surged from underground, the magma lake remained in a state of boiling, melting large amounts of metal and stone without showing any signs of solidifying.
Chen Hu turned his gaze toward Shang Zi, his eyes lowered, and murmured, “Mastering two high-rank sacred arts at the Saint King Realm and being able to use them together—my junior brother is truly formidable. No wonder the master values him so much.”
“This strike of his is already very close to the three strongest levels of the Approach Dao Realm. At this rate, even without breaking through to the Heaven-Connecting Realm, his strength might reach my current level.”
Previously, Chen Hu didn’t think much of Shang Zi, but now he had to take Shang Zi’s strength seriously.
Chen Hu was well aware that it wouldn’t be long before Shang Zi became the strongest among the younger generation of the Merit God Hall, and even he would have to bow his head to Shang Zi.
“Cousin.”
“Junior Brother.”
“Your Highness.”
Seeing Zhang Ruochen engulfed by the destructive force, Kong Lanyou, Jin Yu, Han Qiu, and others couldn’t help but cry out in alarm.
Then, their eyes turned red, and they desperately tried to rescue Zhang Ruochen.
But their opponents were all very strong, firmly holding them back and not giving them any chance to break free.
On the cliff, Chi Kunlun’s eyes were wide with rage, and he couldn’t help but shout, “Father.”
Without a doubt, he had already believed what the mysterious man from the Yama Clan had said.
Chi Kunlun was extremely anxious, wishing he could rush to Peacock Manor immediately.
Even though his own strength was still very weak, he still wanted to fight alongside Zhang Ruochen at this moment.
“It seems the outcome is decided. That Shang Zi kid is quite impressive. He hasn’t been cultivating for long, yet he has mastered two high-rank sacred arts that can complement each other. Once he grows a bit more, he might be qualified to fight me.”
“Those four annoying fellows seem to be catching up again. We can’t stay here any longer. Kid, it’s time for us to go.”
The mysterious man from the Yama Clan stood up, ready to take Chi Kunlun away.
Chi Kunlun immediately roared, “My father won’t die. I’m going to kill Shang Zi.”
“Kid, you can’t kill Shang Zi right now. If you want revenge, come with me obediently. Once you learn my skills, killing Shang Zi won’t be impossible,” the mysterious man said.
“No, I’m not leaving. I’m going to save my father.” Chi Kunlun’s emotions were extremely agitated.
Seeing this, the mysterious man shook his head, raised his hand, and used the Domain Yama Qi to seal Chi Kunlun’s ability to move.
Chi Kunlun’s eyes were wide open, filled with anger and unwillingness, but he was powerless and couldn’t break free from the seal set by the mysterious man.
Regardless of whether Chi Kunlun was willing, the mysterious man grabbed him, took a step, and vanished from the cliff.
In front of Peacock Manor, that area was still shrouded in destructive power, lingering for a long time without dissipating.
“Enduring such a terrifying strike, it seems Zhang Ruochen is in grave danger.”
“What a pity. The Heir of Time and Space has vanished just like that.”
“It’s not that Zhang Ruochen is weak; it’s that Shang Zi is too strong. Using two high-rank sacred arts together—how many at the Saint King Realm can do that?”
“In the end, Shang Zi has won this battle. Zhang Ruochen has fallen, and both the Kunlun Realm and the Guanghan Realm will suffer a heavy blow.”
“The era of Shang Zi has arrived, and no one can stop it.”
...
At that moment, many of the watching cultivators looked at Shang Zi with reverence, impressed by the terrifying strength he had displayed.
In the eyes of many, it wouldn’t be long before Shang Zi grew to the level of Yan Wushen or the Four Heavenly Kings of the Heavenly Palace, easily crushing ordinary Nine-Step Saint Kings.
Gradually, the destructive power in the central area began to dissipate, and many people focused their gaze on that area, wanting to see the final result.
Shang Zi had a smile on his face, his eyes full of pride, looking completely confident of victory.
However, as the destructive power dissipated, the smile on Shang Zi’s face gradually froze, because he saw a figure emerging in that area.
That figure was none other than Zhang Ruochen.
At this moment, Zhang Ruochen was covered in blood. Even with the protection of the Flame God Armor, he was still severely injured, his body covered in wounds, and his physical form on the verge of collapse.
He had underestimated the power of Shang Zi’s strike. He had mobilized fifty percent of the Blazing God Leg’s power, and even at the critical moment, he had unleashed even more power, but he still couldn’t block it.
Zhang Ruochen’s body was covered in cracks, and his internal organs were almost completely shattered. If it had been anyone else, such severe injuries would have meant death, and they wouldn’t have been able to hold on.
Shang Zi looked at Zhang Ruochen with a dark expression and said in a low voice, “Zhang Ruochen, you really have a tough life.”
“Shang Zi, do you want my life so badly? Too bad you can’t have it,” Zhang Ruochen said fearlessly.
Hearing this, Shang Zi snorted coldly and said, “At this point, Zhang Ruochen, do you think pretending to be calm means anything? You’re already at the end of your rope. Even if I use just one finger, I can make you vanish completely.”
Although he hadn’t killed Zhang Ruochen with one strike, Shang Zi wasn’t annoyed. He could see that Zhang Ruochen was severely injured, his physical form on the verge of collapse, making it easy to kill him.
“Is that so? Then go ahead and try,” Zhang Ruochen said calmly.
Seeing Zhang Ruochen’s composed demeanor, Shang Zi’s brow furrowed slightly, feeling that something was off.
Many thoughts flashed through his mind, and Shang Zi’s eyes suddenly became extremely sharp. He extended a finger and condensed a terrifying flame.
“Stop putting on an act. Since you want to die, I’ll grant your wish.”
With that, Shang Zi pointed his finger at Zhang Ruochen from a distance and struck.
...
The worldview of the new book has been published on the public account. Everyone can go take a look. Little Fish thinks it’s quite interesting.