Chapter 2113: Duel in the Starry Sky
Xing Yuan and Chen Hu both involuntarily stepped back, a hint of shock appearing in their eyes. They were top-tier Saint Kings at the third level below Great Saints, yet they still could not withstand the pressure of Great Saint Jin Hui's might.
The so-called strength comparable to an Undying Great Saint was utterly insignificant before Great Saint Jin Hui.
Seeing that Great Saint Jin Hui was preparing to strike, the atmosphere on the scene became exceptionally tense, with almost everyone silent as cicadas in winter, not daring to breathe loudly.
"So strong."
Zhang Ruochen's heart trembled. He secretly circulated the sacred qi within his body to neutralize the crushing pressure of the Great Saint's might.
Although he knew that Great Saint Jin Hui had come with ill intentions, he had not expected the other party to actually plan to make a move against him at the Merit General Relay Station.
But even if the other party was a Patrol Envoy and possessed great strength, it was impossible to make him, Zhang Ruochen, bow his head.
Back on Moon God Mountain, facing the divine thought avatar of the Black Heart Demon Lord, Zhang Ruochen had not flinched, let alone now.
"Great Saint Jin Hui, please calm your anger."
Just then, a voice suddenly rang out.
A young man clad in gray-white armor stepped out from the crowd, enduring the immense pressure to walk to Zhang Ruochen's side.
This person had an ordinary appearance, but he exuded an extremely noble aura, innate and natural. Although he had not yet become a Great Saint, he already possessed the aura of an emperor.
"The first son of Extinction Emperor—Ji Kongyuan."
Although it was their first meeting, Zhang Ruochen recognized his identity at a glance.
Setting aside Zhang Ruochen, Ji Kongyuan had been the number one Saint King of Guanghan Realm for hundreds of years, able to secure a place even on the Heavenly Court's "Saint King Merit Ranking."
However, Ji Kongyuan was extremely low-key and seemed very mysterious, so few people had truly seen through him.
Taking a brief measure, Zhang Ruochen thought to himself, "It seems everyone has underestimated Ji Kongyuan. His strength has at least reached the third level below Great Saints, and perhaps even the second level. He really has hidden himself deeply."
Ji Kongyuan cupped his hands and said neither humbly nor arrogantly, "Great Saint Jin Hui, as everyone knows, the Divine Envoy issued a challenge to the Son of Darkness on True Dragon Island, a duel to the death. Yet the Golden Sun Twin Kings chose that moment to assassinate the Divine Envoy, actively provoking internal strife. However, the Divine Envoy did not kill them, only suppressed them. This is enough to show that he is not a bloodthirsty person."
"Therefore, there must be some misunderstanding behind the Divine Envoy's killing of Blazing Sun Heavenly Son."
Ji Kongyuan had not originally wanted to get involved, but if he allowed Zhang Ruochen and Great Saint Jin Hui to fight, things would likely spiral out of control.
Regardless, Zhang Ruochen was the Divine Envoy appointed by the Moon God. If the matter escalated, Guanghan Realm would not be able to stay out of it either.
At the same time, Ji Kongyuan secretly transmitted a message to Zhang Ruochen: "Divine Envoy, endure for a moment and the wind will calm. Do not clash head-on with the Blazing Sun Civilization. Great Saint Jin Hui is not easy to deal with. If you fight him, you will easily suffer losses."
"Great Saint Jin Hui's strength has reached the peak of the mid-Undying stage. He has condensed an eighth-rank Halberd Dao Sacred Intent and has also cultivated two Undying-level high-rank sacred arts. He is not someone a Saint King can contend with."
Upon hearing this, Zhang Ruochen's heart stirred. With his experience, he naturally understood the difference between a Great Saint and a Saint King.
Even the weakest Undying Great Saint would forge an extremely powerful Undying Sacred Body, which would not decay for ten thousand years after death—something no Saint King's body could compare to.
Moreover, the power within a Great Saint was the Great Saint Force that transformed the ordinary into the miraculous. Their control over the rules of heaven and earth and the primordial qi became extremely exquisite. The scope and quantity they could mobilize would greatly increase, and when they executed high-rank sacred arts, the power would be even greater.
Most importantly, once one's strength reached the mid-Undying stage, they could condense a Sacred Intent, enhancing all aspects of a Great Saint's abilities.
So-called Sacred Intent involved extracting a single type of sacred dao rule, continuously condensing and refining it to extract the true essence of the sacred dao. It was like the soul of the cultivated sacred dao, infinitely mysterious and profound.
The Three Thousand Great Daos, the Seventy-Two Supreme Sacred Daos, and the Nine Eternal Daos could all be used to condense the true essence of the sacred dao.
Every cultivator cultivated more than one sacred dao, so the number of Sacred Intents they could condense was not limited to one.
Theoretically, a Great Saint could condense up to nine types of Sacred Intent—this was an ultimate number.
However, each additional Sacred Intent condensed doubled the difficulty, and the number of Sacred Intents was not necessarily better; the key lay in their grade.
Some exceptionally talented Great Saints could even fuse two different Sacred Intents together, creating a variant Sacred Intent, which was usually incredibly miraculous.
For every Great Saint, condensing a Sacred Intent was never a trivial matter. Once successfully condensed, the grade was almost fixed, and improving it was extremely difficult.
Sacred Intent directly affected one's future achievements. Only by condensing a high-grade Sacred Intent could one hope to become a god, or even a powerful deity who controlled Profound Meaning.
According to the summaries of past sages, to become a god, one needed at least a fifth-rank Sacred Intent.
And to master Profound Meaning, one needed a third-rank or higher Sacred Intent. The connection between the two was extremely close.
No matter which great world, any Great Saint who could condense a fifth-rank or higher Sacred Intent would receive great attention, being called a True God Seed, meaning they had hope of becoming a god.
However, high-grade Sacred Intents were extremely difficult to condense. Even if one cultivated a Supreme Sacred Dao, the grade of the condensed Sacred Intent might still not be high.
Great Saint Jin Hui was a good example. He had extracted the halberd dao rules from the Seventy-Two Sacred Daos, expended great effort to condense the Halberd Dao Sacred Intent, yet it was only eighth-rank.
This achievement was quite ordinary among Great Saints, but it was far beyond what the weakest Undying Great Saints could compare to, and there was a world of difference between it and Saint Kings.
No matter how strong a Saint King was, when facing a Great Saint who had condensed a Sacred Intent, let alone defeating them, even the possibility of contending was slim.
"Misunderstanding? The Blazing Sun of Destruction of Blazing Sun Heavenly Son is in Zhang Ruochen's hands. Everything is crystal clear. What misunderstanding is there?"
"If not for Nether Tiger True Lord stepping in, Zhang Ruochen would have already killed the Golden Sun Twin Kings, not just suppressed them. Ji Kongyuan, your attempt to exonerate him is a complete waste of effort. Deep in his bloodline, he is a bloodthirsty demon."
Seeing Ji Kongyuan step in to mediate, Xing Yuan immediately spoke up.
Ji Kongyuan's brow furrowed slightly. He gave Xing Yuan a deep look and said, "Great Saint Jin Hui, the Divine Envoy—"
"What do you think you are, daring to interfere in my affairs? Get lost!" Great Saint Jin Hui roared, releasing an even more powerful Great Saint pressure.
An invisible force struck Ji Kongyuan's chest, forcing him to retreat repeatedly, a muffled groan escaping his mouth.
Ji Kongyuan's expression instantly turned extremely ugly. As the eldest son of Extinction Emperor, no one had ever dared to rebuke him like this. This was not only an insult to him but also a trampling on Extinction Emperor's dignity.
At the same time, Great Saint Jin Hui had already made a move against Zhang Ruochen, condensing a golden hand from sacred qi and reaching straight for him.
Ji Kongyuan quickly said, "Great Saint Jin Hui, Zhang Ruochen is the Divine Envoy appointed by the Moon God. If you attack him so recklessly without regard for your status, are you not afraid of incurring the Moon God's wrath?"
"Zhang Ruochen killed the Heavenly Son of my Blazing Sun Civilization and suppressed many of its cultivators. He must give an account. No one can protect him." Great Saint Jin Hui declared loudly.
He had come on the orders of the Blazing Sun Civilization's Old Heavenly Lord, full of confidence. Even the Moon God's name could not intimidate him.
A cold light flickered in Zhang Ruochen's eyes. At a time like this, he naturally could not just sit back and be captured. He immediately mobilized the sacred qi within his body and struck out a palm like lightning.
A green dragon flew out, carrying unmatched Great Saint might, crashing into Great Saint Jin Hui's golden hand.
"Boom."
The green dragon and the golden hand shattered simultaneously, their powers canceling each other out.
"Has Zhang Ruochen gone mad? He dares to fight back? Is he not afraid of further angering Great Saint Jin Hui?"
"He really has gone mad. He thinks that because he accomplished something on the Merit Battlefield, he can challenge a Great Saint. How arrogant and ignorant."
"Any Patrol Envoy is no match for a Saint King. Zhang Ruochen does not know when to advance or retreat. Openly opposing Great Saint Jin Hui is nothing but asking for trouble."
...
Seeing Zhang Ruochen resist, many of the observing cultivators showed expressions of surprise, as if looking at a monster.
They had heard that Zhang Ruochen had once attacked a Patrol Envoy in Kunlun Realm, but that was only a doppelganger, completely different from the main body.
At this moment, Great Saint Jin Hui's gaze grew even colder. If he could not suppress Zhang Ruochen now, where would his dignity be?
"Zhang Ruochen, you have quite the nerve, daring to resist." Great Saint Jin Hui coldly shouted.
Zhang Ruochen was fearless and snorted, "Why can't I resist? Just because you are a Patrol Envoy, I have to let you do as you please? Do you have a Heavenly Decree from the Heavenly Palace?"
"You are ignorant and arrogant. Just for your disrespect toward me, I have reason to teach you a lesson." Great Saint Jin Hui's eyes flashed with cold light as he reached out his hand again.
Zhang Ruochen's brow furrowed slightly. He had not expected Great Saint Jin Hui to be so relentless.
It seemed that killing Blazing Sun Heavenly Son had indeed caused a huge trouble. Even if only for the sake of face, the Blazing Sun Civilization would not easily let him go.
As his thoughts turned, Zhang Ruochen soared into the air and instantly rushed out of the Merit General Relay Station.
The Merit General Relay Station had various arrangements that greatly suppressed space. If he fought Great Saint Jin Hui inside, it would undoubtedly be disadvantageous for Zhang Ruochen.
Moreover, a battle at the Great Saint level might even shatter this planet.
"Where do you think you're going?"
Great Saint Jin Hui did not hesitate for a moment and immediately chased after him.
In the blink of an eye, Zhang Ruochen and Great Saint Jin Hui, one after the other, entered the dim starry sky outside the Merit General Relay Station.
"Boom."
Violent fluctuations of power appeared in the starry sky. Brilliant sacred light burst forth, like a comet tearing across the heavens.
The cultivators in the Merit General Relay Station were all Saints, including Saint Kings, with extraordinary eyesight. Almost all of them could clearly see the scene in the starry sky.
Their gazes were all locked onto Zhang Ruochen and Great Saint Jin Hui, watching their fierce collision.
This was Zhang Ruochen's first time fighting a true Great Saint, and one at the mid-Undying stage at that. Naturally, he did not dare to be careless in the slightest.
From the very beginning, Zhang Ruochen mobilized the Truth Esoterica within his body and fully activated the Flame God Armor to make up for the gap in his physical body.
Although his Five Elements Chaos Body was strong, only his arms had been immortalized so far, which could not compare to a Great Saint's Undying Sacred Body.
Of course, if he could become a Great Saint through his physical body, everything would be different.
"Roar."
Accompanied by the heaven-shaking roars of dragons and elephants, the palm dao sacred image composed of a dragon and an elephant appeared on either side of Zhang Ruochen.
Within the Divine Light Qi Sea, the Blazing Sun of Destruction and the divine sun formed by the Seven-Star Divine Lingzhi's sun leaves simultaneously spun rapidly, releasing vast, supremely yang and rigid power that merged into the palm technique.
After obtaining the Blazing Sun of Destruction, Zhang Ruochen had rarely used it directly for attacks. Instead, he mostly relied on it for cultivation, tempering his physical body, sacred soul, and sacred qi, while also regulating the yang energy within him, which was hundreds of thousands of times more vigorous than that of an ordinary person.
With the help of the Blazing Sun of Destruction, Zhang Ruochen executed the Dragon-Elephant Prajna Palm, greatly enhancing its power.
Seeing the powerful palm technique Zhang Ruochen unleashed, Great Saint Jin Hui showed a contemptuous expression and said, "Let me show you what a true high-rank sacred art is."
As he spoke, Great Saint Jin Hui quickly formed strange hand seals. A vast number of sacred dao rules and Great Saint Force surged out from within his body, intertwining and emitting dazzling golden light. They rapidly evolved into a golden ocean, suspended in the dim starry sky, beautiful and magnificent, extremely dazzling.
A brilliant Saint King could indeed cultivate an Undying-level high-rank sacred art, but the effect of executing it could not compare to that of a Great Saint.
Only an Undying Sacred Body combined with Great Saint Force could fully unleash the power of an Undying-level high-rank sacred art.
Zhang Ruochen's expression turned solemn. His arms radiated brilliant Undying sacred light, and hundreds of thousands of Truth Rules were all mobilized, injected into the Dragon-Elephant Prajna Palm.
In an instant, the Dragon-Elephant Prajna Palm erupted with nine times the attack power. The dragon and elephant radiated vast Great Saint pressure, their massive bodies almost filling the starry sky.
Zhang Ruochen indeed did not have an Undying Sacred Body, nor did he possess Great Saint Force. However, he had cultivated the Way of Truth to an extremely high level. Coupled with the immortalization of his arms, the amplification from the Blazing Sun of Destruction and the Flame God Armor, the Dragon-Elephant Prajna Palm in his hands could still display terrifying power.
"Boom."
It was like two stars colliding. Eternal sacred light bloomed in the starry sky, seemingly capable of piercing through past, present, and future.
The dragon, the elephant, and the golden star ocean all exploded simultaneously, returning to nothingness.
Struck by the powerful force, Zhang Ruochen retreated repeatedly, leaving a meteor-like trail of light. He crashed into a small planet thousands of miles away, directly piercing through it and causing it to explode into pieces. The flames burning on the Flame God Armor were partially extinguished, but in the end, it had withstood this blow.
On the other side, Great Saint Jin Hui's figure only swayed slightly before steadying itself, like an undying divine sun in the starry sky, illuminating all directions.
"The high-rank sacred art that Great Saint Jin Hui executed was actually blocked by Zhang Ruochen? How is that possible?"
"Great Saint Jin Hui must not have used his full strength. No matter how strong Zhang Ruochen is, he cannot be a match for a mid-Undying Great Saint."
"Just watch. Zhang Ruochen absolutely cannot withstand Great Saint Jin Hui's next strike. There is no suspense in this battle."
...
For a time, many of the observing cultivators began to discuss.
It was precisely because Zhang Ruochen's performance was too astonishing that even Great Saint Jin Hui could not suppress him immediately.
Xing Yuan's eyes were full of coldness as he muttered, "Zhang Ruochen, the more formidable you are, the more furious Great Saint Jin Hui will become. No matter how great your abilities, you cannot escape being suppressed."
"If Great Saint Jin Hui could accidentally kill Zhang Ruochen, that would be even better." Chen Hu sneered.
Zhang Ruochen had already grown up and become a huge threat. Regardless, the Heavenly Realm Faction did not want to see him become a Great Saint, let alone a god.
In particular, Zhang Ruochen's talent in the two paths of time and space was outstanding, and the Heavenly Realm Faction was even more worried that he would become a second Xumi Saint Monk. That would truly be an endless source of trouble.