Chapter 2077: Xiao Hei Goes Berserk
After completely memorizing the "Prison Suppression Demon Scripture" and "Demon God Prison Suppression," Zhang Ruochen shifted his gaze and refocused on the Heavenly Demon Stone Inscription.
In comparison, this Heavenly Demon Stone Inscription was undoubtedly more precious. Not only did it contain the supreme inheritance of the demonic path, but it was also likely the core part of a divine artifact.
"Absorb."
Zhang Ruochen waved his hand, mobilizing strands of spatial force, attempting to store the Heavenly Demon Stone Inscription.
The Way of Space was an eternal way, its power transcendent. Even the sealing talisman could not completely restrain it.
Of course, this was also because Zhang Ruochen's achievement in the Way of Space was now extremely high. If an ordinary space cultivator had come here, they would have been completely unable to use spatial power.
But no matter how Zhang Ruochen manipulated the spatial force, the Heavenly Demon Stone Inscription remained unmoved, as if it were one entity with the Heavenly Demon Mountain.
"Does it require breaking the sealing talisman first?"
Shifting his gaze, Zhang Ruochen looked at the sealing talisman on the stone platform.
From the very beginning, he had seen that this sealing talisman was likely created by a powerful Spiritual Power Great Saint, extremely profound and not easily broken.
Activating his Divine Mark Eye, Zhang Ruochen carefully examined the sealing talisman and the Heavenly Demon Stone Inscription. Having finally climbed to the mountaintop, he naturally would not give up easily.
Seeing Zhang Ruochen remain still for a long time, Xiao Hei quickly flashed up, stepping onto the hundredth stone step and appearing beside Zhang Ruochen.
"What's the situation?" Xiao Hei asked, puzzled.
Zhang Ruochen withdrew his Divine Mark Eye and said in a low voice, "There is a close connection between the Heavenly Demon Stone Inscription and the sealing talisman. If we can take the Heavenly Demon Stone Inscription, the sealing talisman will naturally dissolve."
"How do we take it?" Xiao Hei quickly pressed.
Zhang Ruochen pondered briefly and said, "It's simple. Use powerful force to peel the Heavenly Demon Stone Inscription off the stone platform."
"That's easy. Let this Emperor do it. One wing will send it flying."
Xiao Hei stepped forward, ready to flap his wings.
Zhang Ruochen said, "Let me try. You stand guard for me."
Xiao Hei naturally had no objection to this and immediately stepped aside.
Taking a deep breath, Zhang Ruochen walked forward, activated the vast blood qi within his body, grabbed the Heavenly Demon Stone Inscription with both hands, and exerted force suddenly.
Instantly, the Heavenly Demon Stone Inscription trembled slightly but did not separate from the stone platform. Its weight was far beyond Zhang Ruochen's expectations.
A strange light flashed in Zhang Ruochen's eyes. He mobilized even more of his blood qi. Beside him, a dragon and an elephant materialized, granting him unparalleled strength.
"Ha!"
With a low shout, the vast blood qi instantly engulfed the Heavenly Demon Stone Inscription.
"Rumble."
The entire Heavenly Demon Mountain shook violently. A powerful demonic aura surged down from the mountaintop, spreading like a tide in all directions.
At this moment, Zhang Ruochen unleashed the full power of his physical body without reservation, enough to lift an ancient divine mountain or raise a star.
Finally, the Heavenly Demon Stone Inscription was truly moved, slowly separating from the stone platform below.
The sealing talisman emitted a brilliant radiance. A powerful force pressed down on the Heavenly Demon Stone Inscription, attempting to stop Zhang Ruochen.
A sharp light burst from Zhang Ruochen's eyes. He gathered his strength in one go, releasing every ounce of power within his physical body.
"Crack."
As the Heavenly Demon Stone Inscription was lifted, the sealing talisman ignited on its own and quickly vanished. Instantly, Zhang Ruochen felt the Heavenly Demon Stone Inscription in his hands become a thousand times lighter, easily held.
A smile appeared in Zhang Ruochen's eyes. With a thought, he stored the Heavenly Demon Stone Inscription.
After all that effort, the Heavenly Demon Stone Inscription was finally in his hands.
"Hehe, this Heavenly Demon Mountain, this Emperor is taking it!"
Xiao Hei chuckled and immediately released powerful sacred qi, enveloping the Heavenly Demon Mountain.
With the sealing talisman gone, sacred qi could now be used freely.
The artifact spirit of the Heavenly Demon Mountain was still in a dormant state, so it did not resist and was easily collected.
"Owl Saint Beast, die!"
Just as Xiao Hei was rejoicing, a golden ancient cauldron suddenly came crashing in.
The golden ancient cauldron radiated golden light all over, releasing waves of supreme power. Even if a star stood in its way, it would be shattered.
"Boom."
Before Xiao Hei could react, he was sent flying by the golden ancient cauldron.
Clearly, this was the Golden Sun Twin Kings retaliating, trying to regain their lost face from Xiao Hei.
At the same time, the Golden Sun Twin Kings quickly formed complex hand seals, combining their sacred qi to manifest a golden giant hand hundreds of feet wide, striking at Zhang Ruochen from afar.
This was an immortal-level high-rank sacred art of the Blazing Sun Civilization, called Star-Shattering Palm. When cultivated to perfection, a single palm strike could shatter a star.
With the Golden Sun Twin Kings joining forces, they undoubtedly executed the Star-Shattering Palm to its peak. Its power was formidable, enough to make even an Immortal Great Saint choose to retreat.
With no way to avoid it, Zhang Ruochen had to quickly mobilize the seventy-two thousand palm path rules within his body, combining them with his abundant sacred qi to execute the Dragon-Elephant Prajna Palm.
Aside from the sword path, Zhang Ruochen's achievement in the palm path was the highest. After all, the Dragon-Elephant Prajna Palm was the first technique he had cultivated, and it was also the first high-rank sacred art he had mastered.
"Roar."
Earth-shaking dragon roars and elephant trumpets sounded. A dragon and an elephant burst forth from Zhang Ruochen's palms, carrying yang energy tens of thousands of times stronger than ordinary beings, meeting the striking golden giant hand.
"Boom."
The dragon, the elephant, and the golden giant hand all exploded simultaneously. Destructive force spread in all directions.
After the golden giant hand shattered, a golden wave still surged forward, pushing Zhang Ruochen back several steps.
Zhang Ruochen steadied himself, forcefully suppressing the surging blood qi within his body, his gaze locked firmly on the Golden Sun Twin Kings.
"Oh?"
The Golden Sun Twin Kings' eyes narrowed slightly. They hadn't expected Zhang Ruochen to withstand the Star-Shattering Palm they had executed together.
With a wave of his hand, the Golden Sun Twin Kings recalled the golden ancient cauldron and poured vast sacred qi into it.
They no longer wanted to delay and prepared to launch their ultimate strike, using the golden ancient cauldron to kill Zhang Ruochen.
At this moment, the seven Bone Clan venerables had all stepped aside, quietly watching the battle between the two sides, showing no intention of intervening.
They were more than happy to see Zhang Ruochen and the Golden Sun Twin Kings fight to the death, so they could reap the benefits later.
"Roar."
Just as the Golden Sun Twin Kings were about to unleash the golden ancient cauldron, a thunderous roar suddenly rang out, causing the entire hidden space to shake violently.
"Whoosh."
In an instant, everyone in the hidden space turned their heads toward the source of the roar.
The Golden Sun Twin Kings' expressions changed, their eyes showing great surprise.
They had thought that Xiao Hei, having taken the full force of the golden ancient cauldron, would be dead or crippled. Unexpectedly, he was now completely unharmed.
Not only that, but Xiao Hei's body had grown enormous, reaching a thousand feet tall, the same size as the Black Demon Mountain before.
A crimson body paired with a giant black cat head looked extremely bizarre.
"You have completely angered this Emperor. None of you will escape." Xiao Hei's eyes gleamed with murderous intent.
At this moment, Xiao Hei was like a revived prehistoric ferocious beast, exuding a terrifyingly fierce aura.
Feeling this aura, the Golden Sun Twin Kings felt a trace of unease in their hearts, and the hairs on their bodies stood on end.
A strange light also appeared in Zhang Ruochen's eyes. This was the first time he had seen Xiao Hei like this.
Especially the terrifying aura emanating from Xiao Hei, which even made Zhang Ruochen feel wary.
Although Xiao Hei was often unreliable, judging by his current stance, he clearly wasn't bluffing. He truly intended to have a great battle with the Golden Sun Twin Kings.
"Xiao Hei hasn't really fought since regaining his true form. I wonder how much of his strength he has recovered," Zhang Ruochen thought to himself.
Just as Zhang Ruochen was pondering, Xiao Hei had already made his move. His wings spread out, spanning thousands of feet, blotting out the sky like clouds hanging from the heavens.
"Whoosh."
Dozens of formation flags flew out, scattering in all directions.
Under Xiao Hei's control, the dozens of formation flags released a large number of complex formation patterns, sealing off the entire hidden space. It seemed he truly intended to trap all the strong warriors of the Blazing Sun Civilization and the Bone Clan.
Seeing Xiao Hei make his move, Zhang Ruochen naturally couldn't stand idly by. With a thought, he summoned the Mountain-Hiding Demon Mirror and connected his mind with its artifact spirit.
The Mountain-Hiding Demon Mirror instantly expanded to a hundred feet in size. Over a million supreme inscription runes appeared on its surface, forming towering demon mountains around Zhang Ruochen.
During Zhang Ruochen's previous seclusion, the Mountain-Hiding Demon Mirror had been slowly repairing itself, and its power was now far greater than before.
It was worth noting that the Mountain-Hiding Demon Mirror had originally been a top-tier supreme sacred artifact, having survived multiple eon calamities. However, it had suffered severe damage in a great disaster.
Now, with its artifact spirit and body combined, it was constantly repairing itself, and its power was increasing day by day.
"Sealing off the entire space with a formation? Are you trying to trap us too? In that case, we'll have to take you out first."
The Eight-Armed Venerable snorted, releasing a terrifying killing intent.
Originally, the seven Bone Clan venerables had wanted to sit back and watch the fight, but now it seemed they could no longer stay out of it.
"Golden Sun Twin Kings, you deal with Zhang Ruochen. Leave this owl saint beast to us," the Eight-Armed Venerable said loudly.
With that, the seven Bone Clan venerables immediately attacked, swinging their black gold long staffs and smashing them fiercely toward Xiao Hei.
Xiao Hei's eyes were contemptuous. "A pile of rotten bones. Watch this Emperor shatter you all."
As he spoke, Xiao Hei swung one of his wings like a heavenly blade, striking horizontally.
"Boom."
The black gold long staff was blocked. No matter how much supreme power it released, it couldn't even damage a single feather on Xiao Hei.
"How is this possible?"
The seven Bone Clan venerables were all shocked.
With their combined strength, even an Immortal Great Saint's immortal sacred body might not be able to withstand the force of the black gold long staff.
Could Xiao Hei's body be stronger than an immortal sacred body?
"Is this your strongest attack? Too weak. It's not even enough to scratch this Emperor's itch." Xiao Hei said disdainfully.
Then, an extremely powerful force erupted from Xiao Hei's body, sending the black gold long staff flying.
The next moment, Xiao Hei opened his mouth and spewed out a torrent of divine fire, engulfing the seven Bone Clan venerables.
As an Undying Bird, Xiao Hei's specialty was undoubtedly the Way of Flame. The Undying Divine Fire he commanded not only possessed extremely strong regenerative power but also terrifying destructive force, capable of burning everything to ashes.
On the other side, the Golden Sun Twin Kings also attacked Zhang Ruochen, fully activating the golden ancient cauldron to release an overwhelmingly scorching power.
Zhang Ruochen, in turn, struck out with the Mountain-Hiding Demon Mirror, colliding violently with the golden ancient cauldron.
At the same time, Zhang Ruochen wielded the Abyssal Ancient Sword and took the initiative to attack the Golden Sun Twin Kings.
A phantom of the River of Time materialized, flowing slowly. Zhang Ruochen swung the Abyssal Ancient Sword, easily drawing strands of time imprints from the phantom of the River of Time.
With the aid of the phantom of the River of Time, Zhang Ruochen executed the Time Sword Art with greater ease.
After his recent series of seclusions, Zhang Ruochen had already cultivated the Moon Sword to perfection. Not only could being struck by the Time Sword be deadly, but even being grazed by a single sword qi could cut off ten years of a cultivator's lifespan.
Even top-tier Saint King warriors, if continuously touched by the sword qi, would have their lifespans drained and die.
The Golden Sun Twin Kings were indeed powerful, but facing Zhang Ruochen's Time Sword Art, they found themselves overwhelmed.
Especially since Zhang Ruochen could also perform Spatial Displacement during battle, making his position unpredictable and hard to defend against.
While Zhang Ruochen and the Golden Sun Twin Kings were locked in a stalemate, Xiao Hei, aided by the formation, had completely suppressed the seven Bone Clan venerables.
A powerful spatial force appeared, condensing into a peerless sharpness that struck out abruptly.
"Space Rift Slash."
Although the seven Bone Clan venerables reacted quickly and blocked with the black gold long staff, their formation was instantly shattered.
"Rumble."
At that moment, the hidden space shook violently. The space became extremely unstable, as if on the verge of collapse.
"Rip."
A massive space rift appeared, tearing a huge hole in the formation Xiao Hei had set up.
Seeing this, Xiao Hei quickly acted, retrieving the dozens of formation flags.
These formation flags were the crystallization of his heart's blood, and they could not be destroyed.
"Even if this space is about to collapse, you won't escape. This Emperor is going on a killing spree." Xiao Hei let out a long howl.
"Boom."
A powerful aura erupted from Xiao Hei's body.
"Whoosh."
Xiao Hei's speed skyrocketed. He turned into a streak of light and instantly appeared beside a Bone Clan venerable.
Before the Bone Clan venerable could react, Xiao Hei swung his blade-like wing and struck down like lightning.
"Crack."
Xiao Hei's wing was indestructible, actually splitting the Bone Clan venerable's skull.
A destructive force surged into the skull, crushing his sacred soul.
A Bone Clan venerable with a Great Saint's bone had fallen.
"How... is this possible?"
The remaining six Bone Clan venerables were all shocked.
The twelve Bone Clan venerables were all top-tier experts below the Great Saint level. Even a powerhouse like Yan Wushen couldn't kill them in a single strike.
Unafraid of attacks from supreme sacred artifacts, able to shatter a Great Saint's bone in one blow and kill a top-tier expert—was this something a Saint King realm cultivator could do?
"What kind of monster is this? Too strong. We can't win. Run, we must run."
"That can't be Saint King-level power. It's a Great Saint, definitely a Great Saint."
Faced with Xiao Hei's sudden rampage, the remaining six Bone Clan venerables couldn't muster any will to fight. They suspected that this was a Great Saint who had secretly infiltrated the Kunlun Realm Merit Battlefield. Otherwise, it couldn't be this powerful.
The gap in strength was too vast. If they continued fighting, they would likely be completely annihilated.
"Where do you think you're going?"
Xiao Hei roared. Flapping his wings, he rapidly pounced on another Bone Clan venerable.
"This venerable will fight you to the death!"
Seeing that he was about to be caught, the Bone Clan venerable stopped and turned to summon a black sacred seal.
The sacred seal was a monarch-level war artifact. Under the full activation of the Bone Clan venerable, nearly three hundred thousand king-level inscription runes appeared, making it as massive as a mountain, crashing heavily toward Xiao Hei.
"Absorb."
Xiao Hei opened his mouth, releasing a terrifying suction force.
Before the Bone Clan venerable could react, the sacred seal was swallowed by Xiao Hei in one gulp.
"Rip."
Xiao Hei's wing struck down from the sky, unleashing a peerless sharpness.
The Bone Clan venerable extended both bone hands, desperately trying to block the strike.
"Crack."
His two bone hands shattered instantly, and then his skull split open as well.
"This venerable actually..."
With a heart full of fear, the Bone Clan venerable's consciousness was annihilated in an instant.
In the blink of an eye, two Bone Clan venerables had fallen. Against the berserk Xiao Hei, they appeared utterly fragile and powerless.
...
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