# Chapter 2007: A Twist of Fate
(This chapter is 4,400 words, consider it two chapters in one!)
...
A terrifying flame flew from Shang Zi's fingertip, transforming into a fire dragon that roared as it pounced toward Zhang Ruochen.
Yet, seeing the fire dragon approaching, Zhang Ruochen did not dodge, as if his injuries were too severe for him to move.
"What a pity. Zhang Ruochen managed to withstand that terrifying strike, yet he still cannot escape death."
Many cultivators watching could not help but shake their heads and sigh.
Just as many believed Zhang Ruochen was doomed to be torn apart by the fire dragon, he finally made a move.
Zhang Ruochen pressed his fingers together like a sword, sharp sword light emerging at his fingertips.
"Swish."
A fiercely sharp sword beam shot forth from Zhang Ruochen's fingertips.
"Crash."
The menacing fire dragon was instantly cleaved in two by the sword beam, its body shattering into sparks of flame that faded into nothing.
Shock flickered in Shang Zi's eyes as he stared intently at Zhang Ruochen.
The finger strike he had just executed seemed casual, but it was actually a mid-rank sacred art of immense power. Logically, given Zhang Ruochen's current state, he should have been utterly incapable of blocking it.
"Zhang Ruochen still has strength to fight back."
The many powerful figures watching also wore expressions of shock.
After staring at Zhang Ruochen for a moment, Shang Zi said in a deep voice, "You... you actually broke through to the Dao Domain realm as well."
Shang Zi truly had not expected that, in such a perilous situation, Zhang Ruochen could not only withstand his attack and survive, but also miraculously and quietly break through in cultivation.
"You could break through, so why can't I?" Zhang Ruochen said calmly.
Even though he was severely wounded, he showed no sign of weakness.
The reason he could break through so quickly was naturally thanks to the Tongtian Sacred Pill given by Gu Songzi. Earlier, when he saw Shang Zi condense his Dao Domain, Zhang Ruochen had discreetly swallowed the Tongtian Sacred Pill.
He had already reached the peak of the Rule Grand Heaven realm, only a step away from condensing his Dao Domain.
After taking the Tongtian Sacred Pill, he finally grasped the secrets of the Dao Domain realm.
Just now, when he was struck by Shang Zi's ultimate attack and the situation was extremely critical, not only the Tongtian Sacred Pill but also the medicinal power of the Seven Star Divine Ling's "Sun" leaf erupted in a massive surge.
Zhang Ruochen finally succeeded in condensing his Dao Domain, stepping into an entirely new level of cultivation.
Fortunately, he had just succeeded in condensing his Dao Domain, which blocked part of the attack; otherwise, he would certainly be even more severely injured now.
Zhang Ruochen had originally wanted to conceal his breakthrough, buying time to heal his injuries. He hadn't expected Shang Zi's eyes to be so sharp, seeing through his disguise in an instant.
Thus, he could no longer continue hiding it.
A terrifying killing intent emanated from Shang Zi. "Even if you've broken through, it still won't change anything."
Immediately, Shang Zi struck again, unleashing the Wanlian Pagoda.
He wanted to take advantage of Zhang Ruochen's severe injuries to kill him with lightning speed, giving him no chance to turn the tables.
"Then you underestimate me too much."
Zhang Ruochen replied coldly.
As he spoke, Zhang Ruochen poured a large amount of sacred qi into the Mountain-Hiding Demon Mirror hovering above his head, activating powerful supreme power.
Earlier, using the Blazing God Leg had indeed consumed most of the sacred qi in his body, but because his cultivation had broken through, his recovery speed had accelerated.
Moreover, the moment he broke through, he had swallowed several sacred pills—both healing pills and pills to stabilize his cultivation and restore sacred qi.
In the Sword Grave battle and the Xianji Mountain battle, he had killed many powerful figures and obtained a great number of treasures, including many types of sacred pills, which now came in handy.
Additionally, the divine sun formed by the Seven Star Divine Ling's Sun leaf in his Divine Light Qi Sea continuously released vast amounts of essence qi, possessing both healing and restoring sacred qi.
Thus, in a very short time, Zhang Ruochen's injuries had recovered considerably, and his sacred qi had become much more abundant.
"Boom."
The two supreme powers collided violently, nearly tearing apart the stable space.
Shang Zi did not stop, continuously activating the Wanlian Pagoda while attacking with the Red Child Sword.
More importantly, the forces of extreme yin and extreme yang surged forth from Shang Zi's body, colliding with each other, giving rise to all sorts of strange changes.
Without a doubt, Shang Zi intended to use that terrifying technique again, delivering a fatal blow to Zhang Ruochen.
The previous strike had already severely wounded Zhang Ruochen; another strike would surely take his life.
"That Zhang Ruochen is really tenacious. Under those circumstances, not only did he survive, but he also broke through. Perhaps this battle might still have a turning point," the Thousand Star Heavenly Maiden said with considerable surprise.
Somehow, seeing Zhang Ruochen still alive, the Thousand Star Heavenly Maiden inexplicably felt much more at ease.
Turning her gaze, the Thousand Star Heavenly Maiden looked toward where Qing Xiao and Bu Qianfan were. At the moment, their situation was quite unfavorable.
The reason was that Huan Ji had used illusion techniques to confuse them, making it impossible for them to distinguish reality from illusion, leaving them very passive.
"Huan Ji, is it? I let you escape last time. This time, I'll take care of you. Let me see if you've improved," the Thousand Star Heavenly Maiden murmured.
Using a marvelous technique, the Thousand Star Heavenly Maiden completely changed her appearance and figure, transforming into a handsome young gentleman, clearly not wanting to be recognized.
Originally, she hadn't wanted to interfere, but now she couldn't hold back.
So, she decided not to suppress her thoughts any longer, doing whatever she wanted—this too was a method of tempering her will.
Zhang Ruochen had said her state of mind was flawed, that she couldn't persevere through setbacks. So she would show Zhang Ruochen her transformation.
Without further hesitation, the Thousand Star Heavenly Maiden turned into a streak of light, heading straight for Huan Ji.
As a fellow master of illusion techniques, she was very interested in dueling Huan Ji again.
On the other side, behind Shang Zi, a massive ferocious beast and a Flame Emperor quickly condensed.
Compared to the previous time, the ferocious beast and Flame Emperor condensed this time exuded an even more terrifying aura.
The ferocious beast and Flame Emperor opened their mouths simultaneously, releasing two completely different extreme forces that intertwined with each other, shooting toward Zhang Ruochen like a cannonball.
Zhang Ruochen immediately formed a fist seal. A heavenly river appeared, winding around him, flowing slowly, its beginning and end unknown.
"Boom."
The intertwined extreme forces struck the heavenly river. Although they caused it to tremble violently, they did not tear it apart, naturally failing to reach Zhang Ruochen's body.
Seeing this, Shang Zi's gaze turned even darker. The ferocious beast and Flame Emperor behind him once again released extreme destructive power.
The heavenly river surrounding Zhang Ruochen suddenly transformed into a massive dragon, opening its mouth to swallow the terrifying force that came crashing down.
"Bang."
The dragon exploded, splashing a great amount of water that scattered onto the scorching lava lake.
The temperature of the lava lake was too terrifying. As soon as the water droplets fell, they were completely evaporated, forming thick water vapor.
Zhang Ruochen remained extremely calm, using the Luo Water Fist Art to protect himself, then silently circulating his technique to heal his injuries and restore sacred qi.
The longer he could delay, the more advantageous it would be for him.
However, blocking Shang Zi's attacks was no easy task. The combination of two high-rank sacred arts, along with a supreme sacred artifact and a divine relic ancient artifact, meant that any carelessness would lead to big trouble.
"Boom."
The Red Child Sword released terrifying divine power, slicing the heavenly river apart with one strike.
"It's time to end this."
Cruelty flickered in Shang Zi's eyes.
The power of the ferocious beast and Flame Emperor condensed to its peak, then they charged out simultaneously. The forces of ice and fire merged in collision, erupting with unimaginable terrifying might.
Sensing this terrifying aura, the powerful figures who had been fighting each other all stopped, instead going all out to defend.
With the previous experience, no one dared to be careless now.
Zhang Ruochen's gaze was sharp. The Abyssal Ancient Sword was in his hand, and 750,000 sword dao rules were fully mobilized, with a large number of heaven and earth rules surging in.
The purple divine stone embedded in the sword hilt emitted a rich purple glow. A surging secret force surged forth, pouring into the sword body.
"Break."
Zhang Ruochen let out a low roar as the Abyssal Ancient Sword slashed down fiercely.
A purple-tinged red sword beam flew out, colliding with the two high-rank sacred arts Shang Zi had unleashed.
With this strike, Zhang Ruochen had used all his strength, activating the power of the Flame God Armor and the purple divine stone to the utmost.
"Boom."
The purple-tinged red sword beam was indestructible and unstoppable, directly cutting through the two high-rank sacred arts Shang Zi had unleashed, as if splitting heaven and earth.
Although the two high-rank sacred arts were broken, the terrifying power they contained still erupted wildly, and Zhang Ruochen naturally bore the brunt of it.
Just then, the purple divine stone released a thick purple aura, forming a powerful barrier that enveloped Zhang Ruochen.
"Bang."
Under the crushing of the terrible force, the lava lake below erupted violently.
Thick pillars of lava shot into the sky.
At the same time, the purple-tinged red sword beam tore through the sky, heading straight for Shang Zi.
"What?"
Shang Zi's expression changed. He quickly activated the Wanlian Pagoda to block.
"Boom."
The Wanlian Pagoda was sent flying backward by the sword beam, crashing into Shang Zi and sending him flying as well.
A sharp force penetrated the Wanlian Pagoda and also pierced through the three-colored treasure armor Shang Zi wore, acting on his physical body.
"Pfft."
Shang Zi spat out a large mouthful of blood, and a great amount of blood flowed from within the three-colored treasure armor.
The three-colored treasure armor was unharmed, but a gruesome wound had appeared on Shang Zi's chest, deep enough to reveal bone, nearly cutting him in two.
It could be imagined that without the three-colored treasure armor's protection, Shang Zi would certainly be even more severely injured now.
On the other side, the destructive force dissipated, revealing Zhang Ruochen's figure once more.
Although there was blood at the corner of Zhang Ruochen's mouth, his condition was clearly much better than Shang Zi's.
"How is this possible? Zhang Ruochen actually severely wounded Shang Zi with one sword strike."
"Zhang Ruochen was clearly gravely injured just now. How could he recover so quickly?"
"If Zhang Ruochen's injuries have truly recovered, then it's Shang Zi's turn to be in trouble. Who would have thought that under these circumstances, Zhang Ruochen could still turn the tables? Is he truly an undefeated war god?"
"Not necessarily. Perhaps Zhang Ruochen is already at the end of his rope and is just putting up a front. His opponent is Shang Zi, after all. How could it be so easy to turn things around?"
"There's no need to argue. Judging by the current situation, the two of them should really be able to determine the victor soon. Let's just watch quietly."
...
The many cultivators watching were all shocked. This battlefield truly had twists and turns. Now, no one could accurately predict who would ultimately laugh last.
"How can this be? Zhang Ruochen was clearly severely injured. Even if he had broken through, his strength should have been greatly diminished. So why is he still this strong?" Si Han's eyes widened, finding it hard to believe.
He remembered that back in the Eastern Domain, in a direct confrontation, Zhang Ruochen was far from his match. But now, Zhang Ruochen had far surpassed him, likely able to suppress him with a flip of his hand.
Such a huge gap was undoubtedly difficult for him to accept.
Da Xi Wang's gaze also became very complex. The stronger Zhang Ruochen became, the harder it would be for her to reclaim the treasures he had taken.
One major reason she had not made a move was her fear of Zhang Ruochen, afraid that he would suddenly activate the flame flying insects dormant within her.
Thus, Da Xi Wang could only hope that Shang Zi would suppress or even kill Zhang Ruochen. Then she could not only reclaim her treasures but also eliminate the hidden danger.
But looking at the current situation, it was really hard to say.
Zhang Ruochen held the Abyssal Ancient Sword, his gaze cold as he looked at Shang Zi. "Shang Zi, you're right. It really should end. If you have no other tricks, then accept death."
Before his words had even faded, Zhang Ruochen charged forward with his sword.
After being on the defensive for so long, it was time for him to take the initiative.
It seemed that because Zhang Ruochen had condensed his Dao Domain, the power of the purple divine stone could be further released, making it stronger and granting it more marvelous uses.
"Zhang Ruochen, don't be too arrogant. This time, only you will die." Madness flickered in Shang Zi's eyes.
The primordial corpse that cultivated the Flowing Light Dao stepped out from Shang Zi's body, flashing onto the Five-Colored Merit Divine Stele. It activated the stele, releasing Five-Colored Merit Divine Light to blast at Zhang Ruochen.
Zhang Ruochen did not pause. The Mountain-Hiding Demon Mirror grew very large, with hundreds of thousands of supreme inscription runes appearing on its surface. Strange demonic light swirled, blocking the Five-Colored Merit Divine Light.
The next moment, the Five-Colored Merit Divine Light was reflected, turning back to strike at Shang Zi's primordial corpse.
The reflected Five-Colored Merit Divine Light had clearly increased in power and speed.
"Boom."
Before Shang Zi's primordial corpse could react, it was struck by the Five-Colored Merit Divine Light and sent flying into the sky.
After taking this hit, Shang Zi's primordial corpse spat blood, its body nearly shattering. It was severely injured.
But Shang Zi couldn't care about that now. His Flame Corpse and Ice Corpse combined, going all out to execute two high-rank sacred arts.
At the same time, Shang Zi was also going all out to activate the Red Child Sword and the Wanlian Pagoda. He also plucked the three red feathers from his crown, pouring vast sacred qi into them, transforming them into three hundred-zhang-long flame strange birds.
The aura emitted by the three flame strange birds was very powerful, no weaker than a Nine-Step Saint King.
"You can't stop me."
Zhang Ruochen snorted coldly.
"Swish."
The Abyssal Ancient Sword swung, and a purple-tinged red sword beam slashed out.
"Bang."
The three flame strange birds instantly exploded, reverting to three red feathers, which then burned fiercely.
The three red feathers were originally fire-attribute treasures, but now they could not withstand the divine flame released by the Flame God Armor. In the blink of an eye, the three red feathers turned to ash.
"Boom."
The Abyssal Ancient Sword collided with the Wanlian Pagoda, sending it flying.
In terms of grade, the Abyssal Ancient Sword was far inferior to the Wanlian Pagoda, but it was forged from Creation Divine Iron, unafraid of colliding with any supreme sacred artifact.
"Clang."
Next, the Abyssal Ancient Sword met the Red Child Sword. Both erupted with blazing flames. Purple secret force clashed with evil divine power, causing violent ripples in space.
A terrifying secret force transmitted from the Abyssal Ancient Sword, causing Shang Zi's expression to change drastically. The Red Child Sword slipped from his grasp.
...
(Tomorrow evening, there will be a red envelope giveaway on the official account. Interested readers can go grab it.)