Chapter 2100: Another Sudden Change
Xiao Hei and the others were acting covertly, using formations to conceal themselves, so they did not attract anyone's attention.
There was also one most important point: right now, everyone's focus was almost entirely on Zhang Ruochen. Who could spare the attention to care about anything else?
Flapping his wings, Xiao Hei stored the formation along with the short, thin old man away, then said, "Let's go help Zhang Ruochen first. We'll interrogate this old fellow later."
With the Dark Son dead and Hell Realm's morale low, this was a perfect opportunity to crush them.
Ao Xinyan, Dead Zen Ancestor, Heavenly Fate Corpse Emperor, and the group of Awakeners did not hesitate. They immediately shot forward at their fastest speed, pouncing on the retreating Hell Realm army.
The situation on True Dragon Island was now extremely complicated. The Awakeners appeared very mysterious. Even though the Underworld Hall Seven Absolute Kill Gods had encountered them, they had no idea of their identities or origins. It was difficult to connect them to the declining Kunlun Realm; instead, they might be mistaken for ambushers deliberately sent by the Heavenly Court Realm.
After all, the era in which the Awakeners were born was extremely ancient. Some could be traced back hundreds of thousands of years. Not a single one was a being born within the last ten thousand years. Almost everything related to them had been erased by time.
Therefore, they could now strike freely without too many scruples.
"Roar."
Suddenly, violent beastly roars rang out, one after another.
Hundreds of strange divine power monsters of various shapes and sizes charged out from all directions, directly crashing into the Hell Realm army.
"Pfft."
In the blink of an eye, hundreds of Hell Realm experts were torn to shreds, unable to offer any resistance.
Of course, given the power of these divine power monsters, even if they had resisted, it would have been futile.
These divine power monsters all possessed power comparable to Undying Great Saints, but they lacked intelligence. However, they mastered the means of time, space, darkness, and origin. Even top-tier Nine-Step Saint Kings could lose their lives.
"Damn it, where did so many terrifying monsters come from?"
The experts on the Hell Realm side were both shocked and enraged.
The experts on the Heavenly Court Realm side were also stunned. First, a terrifying dragon-headed wolf-bodied monster appeared and killed the Dark Son, who had broken through to the Great Saint Realm. Now, a whole group of them had emerged, presenting a formation that seemed intent on annihilating the entire Hell Realm army.
Inevitably, many experts on the Heavenly Court Realm side retreated a bit further to avoid being caught up in it. There was no choice; the aura of these divine power monsters was too fierce and intimidating.
A smile appeared in the eyes of the Thousand Star Heavenly Maiden as she murmured softly, "Hell Realm is in for a world of trouble this time."
Earlier in the underground world, she had personally witnessed the terror of these divine power monsters. If it hadn't been for Zhang Ruochen protecting her, she would have likely perished long ago.
"Who would have thought that Zhang Ruochen actually controls such a terrifying force. On True Dragon Island, he can act with impunity," Nether Tiger True Lord thought to himself in shock.
He couldn't help but feel extremely fortunate that he hadn't truly fought Zhang Ruochen. Otherwise, it would have brought immense trouble to both him and the Big Dipper Civilization.
His thoughts racing, Nether Tiger True Lord's attacks also became more ruthless. He decided to fully cooperate with Zhang Ruochen to annihilate the Hell Realm experts.
There were many experts on the Hell Realm side. Apart from the Underworld Hall Seven Absolute Kill Gods and the Bone Clan Three Emperors and Ten Venerables, there were also many top-tier Nine-Step Saint Kings. If Zhang Ruochen hadn't summoned the Monster King, a rout would never have occurred.
It must be known that after the Underworld Hall Seven Absolute Kill Gods formed the Seven Absolute Kill Formation, they could almost rival the Heavenly Palace's Four Heavenly Kings. Even experts like Ao Xukong and Nether Tiger True Lord could only temporarily hold them off.
As for the Bone Clan Three Emperors, they all mastered Vajra Power and possessed astonishing combat strength. The Ten Venerables could form a terrifying battle formation, not much inferior to the Underworld Hall Seven Absolute Kill Gods.
Unfortunately, they were now retreating step by step, almost wishing they could immediately withdraw from True Dragon Island.
At this moment, Zhang Ruochen was standing on the head of the Monster King, relentlessly pursuing the Underworld Hall Seven Absolute Kill Gods.
When he first entered Yin-Yang Sea, he had encountered three of the Underworld Hall Seven Absolute Kill Gods. Later, after ascending True Dragon Island, he was ambushed by all seven of them. Now, it was time to settle old scores with them.
The Monster King ran wildly while releasing various powerful divine power attacks, causing the Dark Lotus condensed by the Underworld Hall Seven Absolute Kill Gods to tremble continuously.
"Damn Zhang Ruochen, how can he tame such a terrifying monster?" Death Without End fumed angrily.
Xuanming Wushang said in a low voice, "First, withdraw from True Dragon Island. There are Hell Realm Patrol Envoys above Yin-Yang Sea. If that monster dares to go out, it will be killed immediately."
"As long as that monster is gone, even if Zhang Ruochen is strong, he won't be a threat," Blood Ripple said with killing intent in her eyes.
Although they had witnessed Zhang Ruochen defeat the Dark Son with their own eyes, the Underworld Hall Seven Absolute Kill Gods were still full of confidence and showed no fear.
Having made up their minds, the Underworld Hall Seven Absolute Kill Gods did not hesitate. They steered the Dark Lotus and flew straight out of the island.
"Don't think you can escape!"
Zhang Ruochen shouted, swinging the Abyssal Ancient Sword in his hand to slash out sharp sword beams.
After the fierce battle with the Dark Son, his Time-Space Sword Art had become increasingly mature. Every sword strike he made could skillfully incorporate the power of time and space.
On the other side, Xiao Hei and the others had charged into the Bone Clan army. Although they were few in number, each was a top-tier expert, and their destructive power surpassed even that of the hundred divine power monsters.
"You rotten bones, where do you think you're going? Watch this Emperor shatter your bones!" Xiao Hei shouted.
His wings were like two sharp heavenly blades, indestructible. Wherever they passed, the bone bodies of many Bone Clan experts were shattered.
With a Great Saint body and formidable strength, these Bone Clan experts were no match for him.
"Boom."
An extremely massive bone body collapsed with a loud crash, scattering Great Saint bones all over the ground. The Sacred Soul contained within had been annihilated. This was one of the Bone Clan's Twelve Venerables.
All twelve Bone Clan Venerables possessed Great Saint bone bodies. Shattering their Great Saint bones was extremely difficult, something even ordinary Great Saints could hardly accomplish. However, their Sacred Souls were not as strong as their bone bodies and could still be annihilated.
The one who killed the Bone Clan Venerable was a thin, dry-looking man with red hair. He was only about one and a half meters tall, his body covered in red-gold scales. The ferocious aura emanating from him was extremely heavy, like a peerless ferocious beast.
This red-haired man was one of the Awakeners, known as Red Gold King. He was not human by nature and was renowned for his powerful physical body.
Earlier in the Silver Dragon Palace, Red Gold King had sat in the first seat on the left. His strength was beyond doubt.
But even so, after launching a surprise attack, Red Gold King had still fought fiercely with the Bone Clan Venerable for nearly a thousand moves before managing to annihilate his Sacred Soul. It was no easy feat.
Not long after, another Bone Clan Venerable had his bone body shattered and his Sacred Soul annihilated. The one who struck was also an Awakener.
This person was an old man with white hair and beard, looking decrepit and aged. However, his eyes were as sharp as knives, making people dare not look directly at him.
Thousand Absolute Blade King, a peerless Saint King of equal fame to Red Gold King. His blade technique was ruthless, created specifically for killing. Ordinary Nine-Step Saint Kings couldn't even withstand a single strike from him.
Seeing Red Gold King and Thousand Absolute Blade King successively kill Bone Clan Venerables, a strange light flickered in Xiao Hei's eyes. "These two Awakeners are really something. Their strength should be considered barely entering the first tier below Great Saint, similar to the combined Golden Sun Twin Kings. I wonder what era they were born in. This Emperor doesn't even recognize them."
"Thousand Absolute Blade King was born two hundred thousand years ago. Because he cultivated a killing blade technique, he slaughtered countless beings and was eventually suppressed in Yin-Yang Sea. Red Gold King was born one hundred thousand years ago, at the end of the Middle Ages. He belongs to the Dragon Li Clan, bathing in ancestral blood to temper his physical body to the extreme. One has invincible blade techniques, the other has an unmatched physical body. In their respective eras, they were unrivaled," Ao Xinyan explained.
As an Eternal Undying Great World, Kunlun Realm had produced brilliant geniuses in every era. For various reasons, some of the outstanding figures of those eras were sealed using special methods, only now being reborn to become Kunlun Realm's precious foundational strength.
Ao Xinyan also wished she could possess such formidable strength, but unfortunately, she had been cultivating for too short a time and lacked sufficient accumulation. Otherwise, how could she have allowed the Hell Realm army to set foot on True Dragon Island?
Seeing that two Venerables on their side had fallen one after another, the leading Eight-Armed Venerable was furious. "Damn it, who are they? How can they be so strong?"
Although the Underworld Hall Seven Absolute Kill Gods had informed them that there were over a dozen experts around Zhang Ruochen, they had no idea where these experts came from. Each one was mysterious, as if they had appeared out of thin air.
Eight-Armed Venerable was filled with grief and indignation. This time, all twelve Venerables had set out together, hoping to harvest many rare treasures. But in the end, not only had they gained nothing, but four Venerables had been lost one after another. It was maddening.
"Form the formation!"
Eight-Armed Venerable roared, gathering the remaining seven Venerables around him.
The battle formation composed of eight Venerables was still formidable.
With the power of the battle formation, the Dark Gold Long Staff instantly became enormous, releasing a supreme power capable of destroying all things.
Facing the attack of the Supreme Sacred Artifact, Red Gold King and Thousand Absolute Blade King immediately retreated, choosing not to confront it head-on.
"Let this Emperor handle it!"
Xiao Hei moved, charging straight at the Dark Gold Long Staff.
His wings, burning with blazing Undying Divine Fire, collided with the Dark Gold Long Staff.
"Bang."
The power carried by the Dark Gold Long Staff was too terrifying. Xiao Hei couldn't completely block it and was sent flying back more than ten steps.
However, Xiao Hei was completely unharmed, not even a single feather falling off.
"Too weak, not even enough to scratch this Emperor's itch," Xiao Hei said disdainfully.
He had once been a top-tier Great Saint of the Supreme Realm, having cultivated an unmatched Great Saint body. Even the attack of the Divine Dragon Sun-Moon Chaos Tower could be withstood by him. How could a few Saint Kings, activating a Supreme Sacred Artifact that hadn't passed through an Eon Calamity, possibly harm him?
A Supreme Sacred Artifact didn't possess supreme power as soon as it was refined. It needed to be cultivated and then pass through Eon Calamities one by one to enhance its own power.
The more Eon Calamities it had passed, the more powerful the Supreme Sacred Artifact naturally became. It even had the hope of gradually evolving into a Divine Artifact.
Of course, that probability was extremely slim, almost legendary.
Otherwise, with Kunlun Realm's foundation, after enduring countless ages, it wouldn't have only ten Divine Artifacts.
Seeing Xiao Hei, the hatred in Eight-Armed Venerable's eyes grew even stronger. He roared, "Owl Sacred Beast, die for this Venerable!"
An even more massive amount of power was injected into the Dark Gold Long Staff, fully awakening it. A black violent ape materialized, swinging the Dark Gold Long Staff to smash heavily at Xiao Hei.
"Boom."
The earth shattered, and Xiao Hei was smashed deep into the ground.
"This Emperor doesn't show his power, and you really think this Emperor is an owl?"
With a low roar, a demonic light suddenly shot up from the ground, transforming into a towering demon mountain that crashed down on the eight Bone Clan Venerables.
What Xiao Hei had summoned was naturally the Heavenly Demon Mountain, a top-tier Monarch Battle Weapon. Its power was not much inferior to the Dark Gold Long Staff.
The Heavenly Demon Mountain shook, and vast demonic qi surged forth, faintly revealing many Heavenly Demon phantoms.
"Bang."
With four Venerables missing, the battle formation had a major flaw. Under the bombardment of the Heavenly Demon Mountain, it was directly dismantled.
Without hesitation, Xiao Hei, Red Gold King, and Thousand Absolute Blade King moved together, pouncing on three of the Venerables.
None of the three held back. They all unleashed their most powerful techniques, wanting to kill three more Bone Clan Venerables with lightning speed.
"Roar!"
The three Bone Clan Venerables roared, desperately trying to defend themselves. They were not weaklings and naturally wouldn't stand there stupidly waiting to be hit.
With their powerful strength at the second tier below Great Saint, combined with their Great Saint bone bodies, even if Yan Wushen had struck, it wouldn't have been easy to kill them easily.
"Bang."
In an instant, Xiao Hei and the others had delivered over a hundred strikes, sending the three Bone Clan Venerables flying backward, all suffering considerable injuries.
The Bone Clan Venerable targeted by Xiao Hei was the worst off. After several consecutive clashes, cracks had appeared in his Great Saint bone body. If this continued, he would likely be shattered.
"Boom, boom, boom..."
Just as Xiao Hei and the others were about to continue their attack, the earth suddenly shook violently. The rules of heaven and earth became chaotic, forcing the three to temporarily stop.
For a moment, everyone on True Dragon Island was alarmed. Even those engaged in fierce fighting stopped.
Somehow, many people felt a strong sense of unease, as if something terrible was about to happen.
"Crack."
A large area of space shattered, splitting open into terrifying black fissures that stretched for hundreds or even thousands of miles. The scene was extremely horrifying.
Some unlucky people were inexplicably caught up in it. Before they could react, they were directly swallowed by the space fissures.
"What's happening?" Zhang Ruochen asked in a low voice.
The Monster King quickly replied, "Master, on True Dragon Island, the divine power left over from the ancient divine war erupts periodically. This shatters the space on the island, forming many space faults that divide the entire True Dragon Island into countless regions. It takes a long time to restore to its original state."
As one of the overlords of True Dragon Island, the Monster King had clearly experienced this many times, so he wasn't surprised.
Hearing this, Zhang Ruochen frowned slightly. Ahead of him, a massive space fault blocked his path, and he could no longer see the Underworld Hall Seven Absolute Kill Gods.
He could sense that the space fault ahead was extremely dangerous. Even as a Space Controller, if he were to fall into it, it would be very troublesome.
Turning his gaze, Zhang Ruochen looked around. In the blink of an eye, over a dozen space faults had appeared. The space had become a chaotic mess, so much so that even he couldn't see through it clearly.
With such a major change occurring, it went without saying that many people would suffer misfortune. He wondered how Xiao Hei and the others were doing now.
"Master, although the divine power eruption is dangerous, it's also a good opportunity to obtain treasures. Every time, many hidden spaces are revealed," the Monster King suddenly said.
Hearing this, Zhang Ruochen's heart stirred. He and Xiao Hei had previously discovered a hidden space, from which they obtained a Heavenly Demon Stone Inscription and a Heavenly Demon Mountain.
Hidden spaces preserved from the ancient divine war were bound to be extraordinary, containing extremely precious treasures. Discovering just one could yield a huge harvest.
His mind racing, Zhang Ruochen immediately said, "Let's go back."
Because of the pursuit of the Underworld Hall Seven Absolute Kill Gods, they had already left the Dragon God Temple Ruins. If they couldn't return in time, even if a large number of hidden spaces appeared, they wouldn't be able to reach them.
Although True Dragon Island was now covered with space faults, with Zhang Ruochen and the Monster King's spatial abilities, they could still find a way to return to the Dragon God Temple Ruins in a short time.
"Master, every time the divine power erupts, the five of us overlords will mobilize to collect the treasures that appear. You must be careful of Mu Zu, Dan Huang, and the others," the Monster King warned very seriously.
Since the ancient divine war in the Middle Ages, for various reasons, five powerful overlords had successively emerged on True Dragon Island. Each one was not to be trifled with. Even if a Great Saint realm expert came, they might not be able to escape unscathed.
The Monster King was called Dragon Sha Huang. Although it was a divine power composite, its core essence was the dragon sha derived from the death of a divine dragon.
Besides Dragon Sha Huang, the other four overlords were: Mu Zu, Shi Huang, Dan Huang, and Jian Huang. Each had a special background and unpredictable methods.
In the past, Dragon Sha Huang had no fear of the other four overlords, possessing the strength to match them.
But now, things were different. Dragon Sha Huang had been injured by the God-Defying Stele and had a large number of rule chains drawn out by Zhang Ruochen, greatly weakening its strength. If it encountered them, it would inevitably be at a disadvantage.
A sharp gleam flashed in Zhang Ruochen's eyes. "If I have the chance, I'd like to seize all the treasures collected by those four overlords."
Dragon Sha Huang had collected over a hundred million treasures. It was believed that the treasures collected by the other four overlords were no less.
Without further delay, Zhang Ruochen and Dragon Sha Huang immediately turned around and rushed back to the Dragon God Temple Ruins at top speed.