Chapter 2023: Nine Nether Yin Sparrow
Outside Infant Lord Peak, powerful demonic energy surged, forming vast demonic clouds that blotted out the sun, like the arrival of doomsday.
"Boom."
Numerous demonic path experts struck, frantically attacking Infant Lord Peak.
"I heard Zhang Ruochen is the leader of the Blood God Sect. If we attack the Blood God Sect, won't we attract Zhang Ruochen here?" a demonic path expert asked with some concern.
This person had bare, large feet, a massive bald head, and an exposed upper body covered in complex ink-like patterns, resembling demonic serpents coiled on his skin.
His name was He Yuan, from the Shadow Demon Realm, a relatively weak major world ranked low in the Heavenly Court.
He Yuan's cultivation had reached the Dao Domain realm, making him the strongest among the non-Black Demon Realm cultivators, earning him the right to stand alongside the top experts of the Black Demon Realm.
Present were four top experts from the Black Demon Realm—three men and one woman—whose auras were extremely powerful, none weaker than Du Mosheng, and even stronger than He Yuan.
One of them, a man with strange demonic scales on his forehead, sneered coldly, "Zhang Ruochen can't even protect himself right now. How could he care about the Blood God Sect?"
"Besides, our attack on the Blood God Sect this time was secretly planned. By the time Zhang Ruochen gets word, the Blood God Sect will already be under our control."
"Let's focus on breaking the formation here first and seize the four 'Heavenly Demon Stone Inscriptions' as soon as possible. If we delay too long, unexpected changes may occur," a deep voice said.
The speaker was a middle-aged man in blood-red armor with an enormous mouth. When he spoke, he revealed sharp, saw-like teeth, making him look extremely ferocious.
Immediately, the group struck, each unleashing powerful demonic sacred arts, launching a full-scale assault.
With the addition of five top experts, the formation enveloping Infant Lord Peak shook even more violently, as if it might collapse at any moment.
The entire Infant Lord Peak trembled, sending large amounts of rocks tumbling down.
Inside the Guiyuan Divine Palace, Sun Dadi suddenly stood up, flames of fury burning in his eyes, and roared, "What are we waiting for? Let's go out and fight them to the death! Even if I die, I'll take a few down with me!"
Elder Yuanxing knew there was no turning back, so he also stood up and said solemnly, "We have no retreat. We must fight to the death with the enemy."
Hearing this, everyone present showed resolute determination, displaying a spirit of defying death.
Led by Sun Dadi, a group of Blood God Sect experts walked out of the Guiyuan Divine Palace, all prepared to sacrifice themselves to protect the Blood God Sect.
"Elder Yuanxing, don't be stubborn. It's not too late to surrender now. The Blood God Sect's cause is lost. Your continued struggle is meaningless," a sacred voice came from outside Infant Lord Peak, spoken by the Netherworld Heavenly Palace Master.
Those who betrayed the Blood God Sect and defected to the Black Demon Realm were not limited to the four Sea Underworld Dharma Kings. Not everyone had backbone and blood; many chose to grovel before the Black Demon Realm to survive.
"Traitor, shut up! You have no right to speak to us!" Sun Dadi roared angrily.
Compared to the invaders, he despised these ungrateful traitors even more, wishing he could strike them dead with a single palm.
Unfortunately, they were trapped on Infant Lord Peak and couldn't get out, powerless against these traitors.
"Crack."
The protective formation of Infant Lord Peak emitted a breaking sound, and the sacred light showed signs of collapse.
"Fight to the death!"
Flames surged around Sun Dadi, his battle blood fully boiling.
Behind him, Elder Yuanzhou, Hai Lingyin, and others also fully activated their sacred Qi, ready to strike at any moment.
"The formation is about to break. Soon we'll have the four 'Heavenly Demon Stone Inscriptions,'" the four top experts of the Black Demon Realm said excitedly.
They had been ordered by the Black Heart Demon Lord to come to the Kunlun Realm, and one of their most important tasks was to collect the thirty-six authentic 'Heavenly Demon Stone Inscriptions.' Each one they collected was a great merit.
Suddenly, the four top experts of the Black Demon Realm and He Yuan changed expression, quickly turning around to gaze into the distance.
Far away, they saw a heavenly river appear, surging and roaring as if flowing from the Nine Heavens, rapidly sweeping in from the horizon.
On the heavenly river stood a figure, walking on water, with a dragon and tiger accompanying him on either side, manifesting incredibly fearsome phenomena, like a heavenly god on patrol.
"That's... Zhang Ruochen."
After recognizing the face of the figure on the heavenly river, the four top experts of the Black Demon Realm and He Yuan all changed expression drastically.
"How did Zhang Ruochen arrive so quickly?" He Yuan trembled.
He had been worried from the start that Zhang Ruochen would appear, and now his fears had come true.
"Le... Leader."
Led by the Netherworld Heavenly Palace Master, a group of Blood God Sect traitors turned pale instantly.
Atop Infant Lord Peak, Sun Dadi laughed loudly, "I knew the leader would come back! You Black Demon Realm bastards, you want to destroy our Blood God Sect? You can't do it!"
Elder Yuanxing and the others were also excited. Zhang Ruochen's return at this moment surprised them and filled them with joy.
"The leader is back! The Blood God Sect is saved!"
Many Blood God Sect disciples gathered on Infant Lord Peak couldn't help but shed tears of joy.
Among the crowd, Ji Shui, the tenth disciple of Sea Underworld Dharma King, also looked at Zhang Ruochen, who was riding the heavenly river.
When Sea Underworld Dharma King chose to betray the sect, all his disciples followed him, except Ji Shui. Because of this, Ji Shui was nearly killed by Sea Underworld Dharma King.
Now, Ji Shui's gaze toward Zhang Ruochen was complicated. Back when Zhang Ruochen disguised himself as Gu Linfeng and entered the Blood God Sect, they had many interactions. She had witnessed Zhang Ruochen's rise in the Blood God Sect, from a flag master of the Netherworld Heavenly Palace to the divine son, and then to the leader of the Blood God Sect.
In fact, from the moment Zhang Ruochen comprehended the secrets of the 'Blood God Diagram' and cultivated ten blood spiritual veins, Ji Shui knew he was extraordinary.
Countless thoughts flashed through her mind, and a faint smile appeared on Ji Shui's face. Zhang Ruochen's return gave her renewed hope that the Blood God Sect would not perish.
Her decision had proven to be extremely wise.
"Long live the leader!"
For a moment, many Blood God Sect disciples cheered excitedly.
The cultivators who had been secretly observing also showed surprise.
"Zhang Ruochen actually showed up? Isn't he afraid of the universe and those who might target him?"
"It seems Zhang Ruochen has never feared anyone. Before, even when he knew it was a trap set by the Heavenly Realm Faction, he jumped in without fear. In the end, those who set the trap became his prey."
"As expected of the Heir of Time and Space, what boldness! It seems these Black Demon Realm people are in trouble!"
"Facing Zhang Ruochen, they probably don't even have a chance to escape."
...
Clearly, after a series of battles, everyone had come to recognize Zhang Ruochen's strength, and no one dared to underestimate him anymore.
The man with strange demonic scales on his forehead panicked and said solemnly, "Why would Zhang Ruochen appear now? What... what should we do?"
The middle-aged man with the blood-red mouth had a grave expression, "Zhang Ruochen has already locked onto our aura and sealed off a large area of space. It's too late to escape now."
"Even top-tier Lintao realm experts like Canglong and Yanba, and even the stronger Shang Zi, died at Zhang Ruochen's hands. Even if we join forces, we probably can't threaten Zhang Ruochen," the only female Dao Domain realm demonic path expert sighed.
Hearing this, everyone's eyes dimmed. They couldn't win in a fight, and they couldn't escape. It was truly despairing.
Originally, this despair should have belonged to the Blood God Sect, but in the blink of an eye, it had shifted to them.
The cycle of cause and effect was too fast.
The heavenly river surged and appeared directly in front of Infant Lord Peak.
Zhang Ruochen stood on the heavenly river, hands behind his back, scanning all the demonic cultivators present, and said coldly, "Since you're here, none of you will leave."
"Zhang Ruochen, what do you want?" the man with strange demonic scales on his forehead asked, bracing himself.
Zhang Ruochen sneered, "You've killed many of my Blood God Sect disciples without reason, and you ask me what I want? Isn't that ridiculous?"
"Ten thousand years ago, the Black Demon Realm relied on the Blood God Sect to grow strong. Now you want to destroy the Blood God Sect? Truly ungrateful, a pack of untamed wolves."
Hearing Zhang Ruochen hit a sore spot, all the Black Demon Realm cultivators looked grim.
To them, the era when they depended on the Blood God Sect was a disgrace, and they hated hearing anyone mention it.
"Zhang Ruochen, we admit your strength far surpasses ours, but we're not soft persimmons you can squeeze as you please. If it comes to a fight, we may not survive, but few in your Blood God Sect will live either," a Nine-Step Saint King with a youthful face and white hair said coldly.
As he spoke, an intense demonic Qi erupted from his body, and a destructive aura emanated from within.
His meaning was clear: if Zhang Ruochen pushed him too far, he would self-destruct his sacred source and take everyone in the Blood God Sect down with him.
Demonic path cultivators were mostly ruthless, not just toward enemies but also toward themselves.
Since Zhang Ruochen had rushed back to the Blood God Sect at this moment, it showed he cared about it. Threatening the lives of everyone in the Blood God Sect had a high probability of forcing Zhang Ruochen to compromise.
Zhang Ruochen turned his gaze to the speaking Nine-Step Saint King and said indifferently, "Threatening me? Do you think self-destructing your sacred source will work in front of me?"
"Why waste words with them? Just wipe them all out," Bao Lie said impatiently.
Following him, Mu Lingxi, Kong Lanyou, and others also appeared beside Zhang Ruochen.
Seeing Mu Lingxi and the others, all the demonic cultivators present changed expression drastically.
They knew about the battle outside Peacock Manor, so they naturally understood the strength of Kong Lanyou, Jin Yu, Luo Chen, and Bao Lie. Any one of them could annihilate them all.
It seemed they wouldn't be leaving today.
The female Nine-Step Saint King stepped forward, her gaze fixed on Zhang Ruochen, and said, "Zhang Ruochen, I know you're strong, but I still want to fight you, to see how big the gap is between us. Even if I die by your hand, it's not shameful."
"To have reached the Nine-Step Saint King realm, her mentality is indeed extraordinary. At least this woman dares to fight," Zhang Ruochen thought.
Before Zhang Ruochen could respond, Mu Lingxi chuckled lightly, "Not everyone is qualified to fight our leader. How about I play with you? If you can defeat me, you can leave here."
Hearing this, the female Nine-Step Saint King's originally resolute eyes showed a hint of joy. She immediately looked at Zhang Ruochen and asked, "Is that true?"
"What she says is what I say," Zhang Ruochen said.
Although he didn't know what Mu Lingxi was planning, since she wanted to fight, Zhang Ruochen wouldn't stop her.
Besides, with him present, Mu Lingxi wouldn't be harmed.
The female Nine-Step Saint King said, "Good, I'll fight you."
She didn't know Mu Lingxi but could tell her cultivation had just broken through to the Dao Domain realm, so she was confident of victory.
After all, not everyone was as monstrous as Zhang Ruochen.
Mu Lingxi flew out, releasing an icy, bone-chilling extreme Yin Nether Ice force that seemed to freeze the entire world.
The environment of the Blood God Sect was very suitable for Mu Lingxi to fight, with endless icy power at her disposal.
The middle-aged man with the blood-red mouth warned, "Yin Su, don't underestimate her. Be careful."
Although he might not survive today, Yin Su had a glimmer of hope. Zhang Ruochen shouldn't be a man who goes back on his word.
Yin Su Saint King nodded lightly. Life and death were at stake, so she wouldn't be careless.
Activating her technique, a black cloud formed behind Yin Su Saint King. In the cloud perched a giant bird, very similar to a phoenix but fundamentally different, emitting an extremely cold aura.
"Nine Nether Yin Sparrow, I see," Zhang Ruochen said with understanding.
The Nine Nether Yin Sparrow was a powerful ferocious bird born in places of extreme Yin energy. It naturally mastered the fearsome Nine Nether Yin Nether Fire, which specifically targeted sacred souls and was extremely insidious.
Since ancient times, the Nine Nether Yin Sparrow and the Phoenix Clan had been bitter rivals.
No wonder Mu Lingxi wanted to fight. She must have sensed the Nine Nether Yin Sparrow aura on Yin Su Saint King.
Mu Lingxi's body shook, and behind her, a radiant ice phoenix formed, lifelike, releasing an extremely oppressive aura.
"So you have the Ice Phoenix bloodline. Let's see which is stronger—your Ice Phoenix bloodline or my Nine Nether Yin Sparrow bloodline," Yin Su Saint King said with fierce battle intent.
Since the Nine Nether Yin Sparrow and the Phoenix Clan were sworn enemies, she had to fight Mu Lingxi properly and not disgrace the Nine Nether Yin Sparrow clan.
"Then show me your true skill. This is your only chance," Mu Lingxi said calmly.