Chapter 2112: Challenging a Great Saint
After bidding farewell to Ao Xinyan, Zhang Ruochen headed straight for the Merit Star, while Xiao Hei took the World Gate Key and went ahead to a safe location.
Having not visited the Merit Star for a long time, it was still bustling with activity as ever.
As the situation on the Kunlun Realm Merit Battlefield intensified, large numbers of powerful cultivators from various worlds and ancient civilizations of the Heavenly Court side poured into the Kunlun Realm every day.
As an Eternal Undying Great World, the Kunlun Realm harbored countless opportunities, holding immense appeal for both the Hell Realm and the Heavenly Court Realm, drawing the attention of all the realms of the Heavenly Court and the Ten Clans of Hell.
Zhang Ruochen was currently at the peak of his fame. The moment he arrived at the Merit Star, he immediately caused a huge sensation, becoming the focus of cultivators from all realms.
Such a major event had occurred in the Yin-Yang Sea, involving a great number of cultivators. It was impossible to conceal, and it wouldn't be long before it spread throughout the myriad realms of the heavens.
"What are you all staring at Zhang Ruochen for? Has he done something earth-shattering again?"
Some cultivators, unaware of the situation, were very puzzled.
"Your information is too outdated. Not long ago, a series of major events happened in the Yin-Yang Sea of the Kunlun Realm, all related to Zhang Ruochen."
"The Hell Realm dispatched a powerful army of Saint Kings, led by the Dark Son, the Seven Absolute Assassins of the Nether Hall, and the Three Emperors and Twelve Venerables of the Bone Clan, entering the Yin-Yang Sea to seize the World Gate Key, which is closely linked to the World Spirit of the Kunlun Realm. The Thousand Star Civilization, Big Dipper Civilization, Giant Spirit Civilization, Blazing Sun Civilization, and Heavenly Dragon Realm somehow got wind of the news and also sent many powerful cultivators."
"But in the end, the Hell Realm lost thousands of Saint King-level experts, including the Dark Son and seven Venerables of the Bone Clan. The Blazing Sun Civilization's Heavenly Son was also killed, and the Twin Golden Sun Kings, along with over a thousand Saint King experts of the Blazing Sun Civilization, were suppressed."
Immediately, a cultivator who knew the details began to explain.
Hearing this, those cultivators who hadn't yet heard the news all showed shocked expressions, hardly believing what they were hearing.
"The Dark Son is a peerless genius meticulously cultivated by the Darkness Temple, who fused with the aberrant Dark Force from the Abyss of Darkness, possessing strength at the top tier below Great Saint. Although Zhang Ruochen is strong, how could he possibly kill the Dark Son?"
"The Twin Golden Sun Kings, when fighting together, can rival a top-tier expert below Great Saint. Who could suppress them? If Zhang Ruochen were really that powerful, how could the Blood God Sect have been breached before?"
Some cultivators shook their heads, refusing to believe any of it.
Raising one's strength from the second tier below Great Saint to the first tier is no easy feat. Zhang Ruochen certainly had that potential, but it should have taken a considerable amount of time.
Looking across the Heavenly Court Realm and the Hell Realm, all the top-tier experts below Great Saint had cultivated for a considerable time, requiring at least several hundred years of accumulation; it couldn't be achieved overnight.
"Don't you believe it. The Dark Son was indeed defeated by Zhang Ruochen. Afterwards, he even violated the rules by taking a King-grade Sacred Pill to break through to the Undying Great Saint realm, but was swallowed whole by a monster subdued by Zhang Ruochen. It was a complete and utter defeat."
"And this time, the Blazing Sun Civilization truly fell into Zhang Ruochen's hands. Their Heavenly Son was killed, and the Twin Golden Sun Kings tried to avenge him, but they were no match for Zhang Ruochen, who suppressed them with a raise of his hand."
"Zhang Ruochen has truly risen, and no one can stop him. He is now the undisputed War God of the Kunlun Realm. Since his return, he has caused the Hell Realm too many losses."
......
Many cultivators couldn't help but discuss it, and some even showed reverence in their eyes.
The strong are revered; this is an unchanging rule.
Zhang Ruochen paid no attention to these discussions, as if he were an outsider, and walked straight towards the Merit Value Exchange Hall.
Wherever he passed, the cultivators made way, and even those from the Heavenly Realm Faction dared not step forward to provoke him.
"Hurry and follow, let's see how much merit value Zhang Ruochen will exchange this time."
For a moment, many cultivators followed behind Zhang Ruochen.
Entering the Merit Value Exchange Hall, Zhang Ruochen immediately looked towards the Saint King Merit Ranking, wanting to see if there had been any recent changes.
The number of people on the Saint King Merit Ranking had increased, but the ranking of the top ten thousand hadn't changed much.
When he came last time, Zhang Ruochen's merit value was 6.6 billion points, ranking him 3,342nd. Now, he had only dropped by a little over twenty places.
With a flip of his hand, Zhang Ruochen took out a Space Jade Bottle and began to pour out the Saint Souls of the Hell Realm cultivators he had collected.
As the Saint Souls were poured out, his merit value began to increase rapidly.
After all the Saint Souls were poured out, Zhang Ruochen's merit value jumped from 6.6 billion to 11.4 billion points. His ranking also rose significantly, reaching 786th place, entering the top thousand.
Although Zhang Ruochen had only killed a few thousand Hell Realm cultivators this time, they were all at the Saint King level, so he had exchanged them for an astonishing amount of merit value.
Entering the top thousand meant that Zhang Ruochen could exchange for a better Light Merit Armor.
Although, with his current mastery of the Way of Space, Zhang Ruochen might not necessarily need the Light Merit Armor, since he could get it, there was no reason to refuse.
Immediately, Zhang Ruochen took out the thousand-times-sound-speed Light Merit Armor, had the Merit Divine Hall take it back, and began to undergo the baptism of Merit Qi.
The baptism received by entering the top thousand of the Saint King Merit Ranking was extremely effective. Even though Zhang Ruochen was now a top-tier expert below Great Saint, he still gained considerable benefits. The subtle flaws in his physical body and Saint Soul were eliminated, making them tougher.
"So powerful is the Undying Sacred Light! Zhang Ruochen has used the baptism of Merit Qi to immortalize his arms!" a cultivator exclaimed in surprise.
Under the gaze of all the cultivators in the hall, Zhang Ruochen's arms bloomed with brilliant Undying Sacred Light. A dragon and an elephant materialized, emitting an extremely powerful pressure.
Another cultivator widened his eyes in disbelief. "When Zhang Ruochen fought the Dark Son, his physical body wasn't immortalized at all, this..."
If his physical body wasn't immortalized, he was already at the top tier below Great Saint. How powerful would he become if most of his body were immortalized?
The baptism of Merit Qi didn't take too long. A strange suit of armor, shimmering with silver light, appeared out of thin air and automatically clad itself on Zhang Ruochen, fitting perfectly, as if tailor-made for him.
"A two-thousand-times-sound-speed Light Merit Armor, not bad. It might come in handy at some point," Zhang Ruochen thought to himself.
After a brief assessment, Zhang Ruochen put the Light Merit Armor away.
Comparatively, the Flame God Armor provided a greater boost to combat power and offered stronger defense.
Then, Zhang Ruochen examined his arms. After immortalization, he could clearly feel the difference. Whether using palm techniques or fist techniques, their power would inevitably be greatly enhanced.
However, for now, it was only a preliminary immortalization. After he refined all the Five Elements Divine Objects, the strength of his arms would further increase.
Without staying too long, Zhang Ruochen walked straight to the Merit Treasure Exchange Counter.
Now that he had obtained the top-grade Five Elements Divine Objects, there was no need to keep the merit value. He could use it all to exchange for other treasures.
Zhang Ruochen still had 7.5 billion merit points available, enough to exchange for a large number of treasures.
After careful selection, Zhang Ruochen used these merit points to exchange for several hundred treasures, all of which were considered fine items that could be used to cultivate many powerful experts.
After exchanging the treasures, Zhang Ruochen was about to leave when he suddenly felt a strange sensation of being locked onto. Frowning, he secretly went on guard and followed his instinct, looking over.
"A Great Saint." Zhang Ruochen's eyes were stung by the brilliant Sacred Light emanating from the other party, making it hard to keep them open.
Although that person was still dozens of miles away, the light and heat they emitted felt as if they could melt Zhang Ruochen's physical body.
Zhang Ruochen was, of course, no ordinary Saint realm cultivator. He quickly withstood the Sacred Radiance and saw, at the end of his line of sight, a tall, middle-aged man. He wore golden armor, exuded immense authority, and held a halberd, like a War God descending upon the world.
This Merit General Station was specifically established for Saints and Saint Kings. Under normal circumstances, a Great Saint would never descend.
If there was an exception, it would be a Patrol Envoy appointed by the Heavenly Palace.
"Such strong hostility. It seems he's not here with good intentions."
Zhang Ruochen had dealt with Patrol Envoys before, but only their avatars. This was his first time seeing a Patrol Envoy's true body. It would be a lie to say he wasn't wary.
A true Great Saint, an emperor among the Saint realm, stood before him.
The middle-aged man had long golden hair, each strand seeming to contain tens of thousands of rules, capable of slashing stars. He walked through the void, step by step, appearing before Zhang Ruochen. With an aura that dominated heaven and earth, he declared, "Zhang Ruochen, how dare you! You have ignored the Heavenly Rules established by the Heavenly Palace, killing and suppressing allies. What is your crime?"
At this moment, many cultivators had gathered around, surrounding the Merit Treasure Exchange Counter.
A Saintly Shadow that looked somewhat familiar to Zhang Ruochen appeared nearby and sneered, "The Blazing Sun Heavenly Son went to the Yin-Yang Sea with good intentions to stop the Hell Realm's scheme. How noble! Yet Zhang Ruochen, in order to seize the treasures on the Blazing Sun Heavenly Son, cruelly killed him. It's truly infuriating. If he is not severely punished, it will surely dishearten the hearts of our allied worlds."
Another Saintly Voice came from afar: "Zhang Ruochen has repeatedly violated the Heavenly Rules, trampling on the dignity of the Heavenly Palace. He should be severely punished. Please, Patrol Envoy, arrest him!"
A cold glint flashed in Zhang Ruochen's eyes. Such instigation was most likely from cultivators of the Heavenly Realm Faction, with whom he had deep enmity.
And the fact that the Patrol Envoy had arrived at the Merit Star so quickly to block him was probably also due to these people tipping him off.
If his guess was correct, the Patrol Envoy before him should be from the Blazing Sun Civilization. The death of their Heavenly Son was a monumental event for them.
"Release the cultivators of the Blazing Sun Civilization immediately, then surrender and be bound. Don't force me to act," the middle-aged man said in a commanding tone, displaying a powerful will.
The Blazing Sun Civilization had been somewhat troubled about how to deal with Zhang Ruochen. Now that he had taken the initiative to leave the Kunlun Realm and come to the Merit Star, it was like walking into a trap.
Without the constraints of the Kunlun Realm, no matter how great Zhang Ruochen's abilities were, he couldn't escape his grasp.
Although the other party was a Great Saint, Zhang Ruochen was not someone to be easily manipulated. His expression indifferent, he said, "Is this the attitude of your Blazing Sun Civilization? Right and wrong are not for you alone to decide."
So what if he was a Patrol Envoy?
Trying to use power to pressure him, Zhang Ruochen, was absolutely impossible.
"Zhang Ruochen, no matter how you quibble, you cannot change the fact that you killed the Blazing Sun Heavenly Son. Not only have you violated the Heavenly Rule forbidding internal strife, but you have also suppressed over a thousand experts of the Blazing Sun Civilization, adding to your crimes."
The Saintly Shadow that had been standing in the distance earlier stepped forward from among the Saint realm cultivators and said loudly.
This person wore three-colored armor, a jade crown on his head, and had deep eyes and an extraordinary bearing.
Zhang Ruochen was not unfamiliar with him. They had met before at the Peacock Villa. He was Shang Zihong's senior brother, Xing Yuan, a top-tier expert of the third tier below Great Saint, cultivated by the Merit Divine Hall.
Xing Yuan coldly glanced at Zhang Ruochen, then cupped his hands towards the middle-aged man and said, "Great Saint Jin Hui, with your status, there's no need to say anything more to Zhang Ruochen. Just arrest him directly."
"Brother Xing Yuan is right. Zhang Ruochen has repeatedly violated the Heavenly Rules and is beyond redemption. Even if you, Great Saint Jin Hui, were to kill him, no one would dare say anything," another person chimed in.
This person had also appeared at the Peacock Villa. He was the previous generation's Scarlet Angel from the Blood War Divine Hall, Chen Hu, whose strength was not much weaker than Xing Yuan's.
Both the Merit Divine Hall and the Blood War Divine Hall undoubtedly harbored deep hatred for Zhang Ruochen. Having a rare opportunity to kick someone when they were down, they naturally wouldn't let it pass.
Xing Yuan and Chen Hu were both harboring malicious intentions, hoping that Great Saint Jin Hui would attack Zhang Ruochen, preferably killing him.
After all, Zhang Ruochen had the backing of the Moon God, a powerful patron. Even if he were taken back to the Heavenly Palace, they probably couldn't do much to him.
"Do you two want to die?" A terrifying killing intent appeared in Zhang Ruochen's eyes.
Back then, when Shang Zihong led his forces to attack Sacred Bright City, these two had contributed significantly. Countless Sacred Bright subjects had died because of them.
If not for the intervention of the Patrol Envoy, Zhang Ruochen would never have let them leave the Peacock Villa.
Now, these two dared to appear before him again and even instigate Great Saint Jin Hui to attack him. It was utterly despicable and deserving of death.
Xing Yuan's eyes narrowed, and he quickly said, "Zhang Ruochen has gone mad, addicted to killing. If we continue to indulge him, more allies will surely fall victim. Please, Great Saint Jin Hui, take charge!"
"Zhang Ruochen, you are too presumptuous! Do you dare to kill someone right in front of me? Do you think no one can control you?" Great Saint Jin Hui said.
Zhang Ruochen's expression also turned cold. "If I really wanted to kill them, no one could stop me. Don't put on your Great Saint airs in front of me. If you want me to release the Twin Golden Sun Kings and the others, you'd better change your attitude."
Hearing this, Great Saint Jin Hui's expression became even uglier. No junior at the Saint King realm had ever dared to speak to him like this.
He knew that Zhang Ruochen had reached the top tier below Great Saint, standing at the pinnacle of the Saint King realm, but that still didn't give him the right to be arrogant in front of him.
Without entering the Great Saint realm, it is difficult to know the true essence of the Saintly Path.
Similarly, without entering the Great Saint realm, one is ultimately just a Saint realm cultivator, not an emperor of the Saint realm.
The three strongest tiers below Great Saint correspond to the combat power to match, defeat, and kill an Undying Great Saint.
However, this refers only to Undying Great Saints in the initial stage.
Moreover, those Great Saints who had shamefully lost to Saint Kings had, during their Saint King stage, cultivated only a little over thirty million Saintly Dao rules. The Undying Saintly Bodies they forged were also very weak, their potential nearly exhausted, and they would find it difficult to improve for the rest of their lives.
In other words, they were among the weakest of the Great Saints.
Although Great Saint Jin Hui's talent was not top-notch, during his Saint King stage, he had cultivated over forty million Saintly Dao rules. He had broken through to the Great Saint realm nearly a thousand years ago, gradually tempering his strength to the middle stage of Undying, not far from the late stage. His strength was far beyond that of a Great Saint who had just entered the Undying realm.
Great Saint Jin Hui had absolute confidence in his own strength. Below the Great Saint realm, not to mention Zhang Ruochen, even Yan Wushen would absolutely not be his match.
"Zhang Ruochen, since you are so ignorant of how to advance or retreat, don't blame me for bullying the weak." Great Saint Jin Hui's eyes were sharp, and he radiated a vast Great Saint pressure.