Chapter 2131: If I Do Not Enter Hell, Who Will?
Seeing that Luo Xu had completed his inspection, the Bloodwing Grand Prince couldn't help but urge in a deep voice, "Zhang Ruochen, stop stalling. Make the exchange now and release Her Highness the Princess."
"As you wish."
Zhang Ruochen spoke calmly, leading Luo Sha as he stepped forward step by step.
Seeing this, Luo Xu did not hesitate and immediately followed. The *Ten Thousand Lamps Picture* hovered above his head, ready to launch an attack at any moment.
The Bloodwing Grand Prince's gaze was locked tightly onto Luo Sha, as if he wished to strike immediately and forcibly snatch Luo Sha back from Zhang Ruochen's hands.
When he was still ten zhang away from the Bloodwing Grand Prince, Zhang Ruochen stopped. The Sacred Dao Ancient Tea Tree was already within reach.
However, Zhang Ruochen could sense that the bright yellow sacred box in the Bloodwing Grand Prince's hand exerted strands of binding force on the Sacred Dao Ancient Tea Tree. It was not something that could simply be taken away at will.
The two exchanged a glance, understanding each other's thoughts.
Zhang Ruochen released his restraint on Luo Sha and gently pushed her forward, while the Bloodwing Grand Prince slowly closed the sacred box.
For a moment, the atmosphere on the scene became extremely tense.
Finally, Luo Sha arrived before the Bloodwing Grand Prince, and the sacred box's binding on the Sacred Dao Ancient Tea Tree completely disappeared.
"Shua."
Zhang Ruochen and the Bloodwing Grand Prince acted simultaneously. One enveloped the Sacred Dao Ancient Tea Tree with his power, while the other wrapped Luo Sha with his force.
A massive spatial vortex appeared, releasing an immensely powerful suction force that drew the Sacred Dao Ancient Tea Tree inside.
The next moment, the Sacred Dao Ancient Tea Tree appeared in the jungle small world. All its roots moved in unison, quickly taking root in a patch of fertile soil.
"Zhang Ruochen, no one has ever dared to threaten our Rakshasa Clan. You must die today."
Just then, the Bloodwing Grand Prince's cold shout rang out as he ordered the Rakshasa Clan cultivators hidden nearby: "Attack!"
"Hua."
All the cloud energy shrouding Purple Cloud Mountain dissipated in an instant. Countless dark red currents appeared, gathering in the sky and occupying most of the heavens, condensing into a ferocious claw that struck directly at Zhang Ruochen.
The ferocious claw emitted an extremely malevolent aura, as if a terrifying Great Saint-level savage beast had struck, far beyond what a Saint King could compare to.
Zhang Ruochen remained calm and composed. Behind him, astonishing power fluctuations emerged.
A vast ninth-rank formation manifested, condensing immense might and releasing a dazzling sacred light, like a divine sun hanging in the sky, making it impossible to open one's eyes.
"Boom."
The sacred light collided with the ferocious claw, unleashing an unimaginable impact of power.
The destructive force spread wildly in all directions, annihilating everything it touched.
Even top-tier Nine-Step Saint Kings would find it difficult to withstand such an impact.
Under this shock, within the vast, rolling mountain range of Purple Cloud Mountain, peaks collapsed one after another. Massive amounts of dust surged up like thick smoke, blotting out the sun and plunging the entire region into darkness.
The *Ten Thousand Lamps Picture* hovered above Zhang Ruochen and Luo Xu, transforming into a majestic giant painting that protected the two, shielding them from any impact.
On the other side, aside from the Bloodwing Grand Prince and Luo Sha, a large number of Rakshasa Clan powerhouses also revealed themselves.
A total of eighty-one Rakshasa Clan experts, all with cultivations above the Nine-Step Saint King realm, had just formed a formation and launched that powerful strike.
Zhang Ruochen was not at all surprised by this. Given his current reputation, he did not believe that the Rakshasa Clan would send only the Bloodwing Grand Prince alone for the exchange.
Eighty-one Nine-Step Saint Kings, including some of the most top-tier experts—truly a grand gesture, clearly intended to kill Zhang Ruochen.
Xiao Hei revealed himself, chuckling, "Zhang Ruochen, how about this emperor's Virtual-Real Extermination Grand Formation? Dealing with these Rakshasa is a piece of cake."
Hearing Xiao Hei's smug words, the Bloodwing Grand Prince's expression turned grim.
He had thought his preparations were thorough enough. Even if Zhang Ruochen was on guard, he would surely suffer a great loss. But he never expected such an outcome.
From the earlier clash, the Bloodwing Grand Prince already knew that with Xiao Hei, a formation earth master, present, they could gain no advantage.
Fortunately, he had successfully rescued Luo Sha and completed the task assigned by the clan's gods.
"Zhang Ruochen, the Sacred Dao Ancient Tea Tree will stay with you for now. Soon enough, it will fall back into the hands of our Rakshasa Clan," the Bloodwing Grand Prince said coldly.
With that, the Bloodwing Grand Prince prepared to retreat with his people, unwilling to continue entangling with Zhang Ruochen.
After all, this place was close to the Eastern Domain Sacred City. If they attracted some powerful experts, the situation would become very disadvantageous for them.
"Want to leave? Not so easy."
Zhang Ruochen's brow glowed, and the Abyssal Ancient Sword flew out from within, grasped firmly in his hand.
A full million Sword Dao rules were instantly mobilized by Zhang Ruochen. The Abyssal Ancient Sword traced strange trajectories, drawing upon the heaven and earth rules and sacred qi within ten thousand li, releasing an unparalleled and profound sword intent.
Instantly, a large area of space where the Bloodwing Grand Prince stood was separated by the sword intent, isolated from the outside world, as if placed in another dimension.
This was the sixth level of Sword Ten, created by integrating the Way of Space—an extension of the Sword Realm.
Seeing Zhang Ruochen make his move, the eighty-one Rakshasa Clan experts immediately activated their battle formation, using a vast amount of evil and baleful energy to condense a dark red demon mountain, which pressed down from above.
"Rakshasa brats, this emperor is your real opponent. Let me show you what a true ninth-rank formation is!" Xiao Hei roared.
Driven by Xiao Hei, the ninth-rank formation activated once more, condensing dozens of dragon-shaped gale winds, each over a hundred li in diameter, possessing the terrifying power to shred everything.
Originally, Xiao Hei's refined ninth-rank formation had only thirty-six formation flags, but now it had doubled to seventy-two. The formation's power naturally became even stronger, with many more variations.
"Boom."
The dozens of dragon-shaped gale winds, like true dragons emerging, unstoppable, all crashed into the dark red demon mountain.
A hint of gravity appeared in the Bloodwing Grand Prince's eyes. While protecting Luo Sha, he took out a dark red war spear and infused it with his own abundant evil and baleful energy.
Hundreds of thousands of Supreme Inscription Runes emerged from the dark red war spear, releasing streams of sharp Supreme power.
"Chi."
The Bloodwing Grand Prince shook the dark red war spear, thrusting it out like lightning.
An unimaginable blood-colored sharpness burst forth, indestructible, attempting to pierce through the Sword Realm that Zhang Ruochen had created.
"Six Directions All Kill."
Zhang Ruochen's indifferent voice rang out.
In an instant, six silver sword lights appeared, simultaneously striking at the Bloodwing Grand Prince from six directions—above, below, east, south, west, and north—sealing off all his escape routes.
The Bloodwing Grand Prince's gaze condensed. At this moment, he truly felt a great threat. He quickly shifted from offense to defense, desperately blocking the six sword lights.
"Boom rumble."
The space within a hundred li completely shattered. Countless sharp sword qi overwhelmed the Bloodwing Grand Prince.
"Roar."
The Bloodwing Grand Prince let out a sky-shaking roar, releasing his power without reservation.
After expending a great deal of effort, the Bloodwing Grand Prince finally broke free from the shattered space, covered in blood, looking extremely disheveled.
"How could Zhang Ruochen's strength be so great?"
The Bloodwing Grand Prince's heart sank.
He naturally knew that Zhang Ruochen had recently defeated Yan Wushen at Luo River, but he never imagined Zhang Ruochen would be this strong.
After all, he was one of the most top-tier experts below the Great Saint level in the Rakshasa Clan, not much weaker than Ming Yao or Ming Fo. Yet he couldn't even withstand a single blow from Zhang Ruochen. This undoubtedly filled him with a strong sense of defeat.
Under the Bloodwing Grand Prince's protection, Luo Sha was unharmed, but there was also shock in her eyes.
She had personally witnessed the battle between Zhang Ruochen and Yan Wushen and could confirm that Zhang Ruochen was definitely not this powerful back then. His strength had increased by more than a little.
"Sword Dao Great Perfection is indeed no simple matter," Luo Sha thought to herself.
Being able to cultivate one of the seventy-two Supreme Sacred Daos to the Great Perfection realm at the Saint King level was something few had achieved throughout history.
Without any hesitation, the Bloodwing Grand Prince immediately brought Luo Sha into the battle formation formed by the eighty-one Rakshasa Clan experts.
"Shua."
The battle formation activated, transforming into a dark red light that sped away into the distance.
Zhang Ruochen did not pursue. The Rakshasa Clan had prepared thoroughly, and it was nearly impossible to keep them there. There was no point in wasting effort.
"I've only just comprehended the sixth level of Sword Ten. It's not yet perfected. Otherwise, the Bloodwing Grand Prince would never have been able to break free," Zhang Ruochen thought to himself.
Creating an unprecedented sixth level of Sword Ten on his own was naturally no easy task and could not be achieved overnight. It required more insights to perfectly integrate the Way of Space with the Sword Dao.
Using the Bloodwing Grand Prince to test his sword this time, the overall effect was quite satisfactory to Zhang Ruochen.
After all, being able to severely wound a top-tier expert of the Bloodwing Grand Prince's level with a single sword strike was already quite remarkable.
"Let's go."
Without lingering on the spot, Zhang Ruochen performed a Space Shift, bringing Luo Xu and Xiao Hei with him as he headed toward the Eastern Domain Sacred City.
Not long after the three left, several figures appeared at the edge of Purple Cloud Mountain.
Looking at the shattered mountain bodies everywhere, the few who appeared widened their eyes, filled with horror.
"Zhang Ruochen is too strong. He severely wounded the Bloodwing Grand Prince with a single sword strike. Who can still be his opponent?"
"It seems Zhang Ruochen has truly become invincible below the Great Saint level, completely replacing Yan Wushen. As long as he's in the Eastern Domain Sacred City, we'd better keep a low profile and never provoke him."
"Invincible strength, a reckless style of action—truly terrifying."
...
The events at Purple Cloud Mountain quickly spread, shocking all parties and making them even more wary of Zhang Ruochen.
For a time, the foreign cultivators entrenched in the Eastern Domain Sacred City all became low-key. The lurkers from the Hell Realm vanished without a trace, afraid of being targeted by Zhang Ruochen.
As for Zhang Ruochen, the person involved, he remained very calm, as if nothing had happened, and directly returned to the Sacred Academy.
With a flip of his hand, Zhang Ruochen took out a Space Exquisite Ball and handed it to Luo Xu, saying, "The Sacred Dao Ancient Tea Tree has been transplanted inside. Please trouble Academy Head Luo to deliver it to Shengshu Cainü."
Luo Xu quickly reached out and took the Space Exquisite Ball, his eyes filled with complex emotions—both joy and sorrow.
The Sacred Dao Ancient Tea Tree had been recovered, but Chu Siyuan could never be brought back to life.
"Alright, I'll set off immediately."
Quickly composing himself, Luo Xu said.
Recovering the Sacred Dao Ancient Tea Tree was a monumental event for the entire Confucian Path. How to arrange it required careful discussion.
Watching Luo Xu leave, Zhang Ruochen once again arrived at the sacred hall at the end of the Chaotic Saint Stairway, because Lei Jing was still waiting for him there.
Speaking of which, the sacred hall was an excellent cultivation ground. The heaven and earth rules were very active, and the sacred qi was extremely dense.
For someone like Lei Jing, who had just reached the Saint realm, cultivating in the sacred hall for a period of time could bring great benefits.
"Is Academy Head Luo's matter settled?" Lei Jing asked.
Zhang Ruochen said, "Yes, there's nothing else now. Master and disciple can have a few good drinks."
As he spoke, Zhang Ruochen directly took out several jars of aged fine wine from the jungle small world.
That Xuan Kong Saint King was a lover of good wine and had stored quite a few fine wines in the jungle small world. Now was the perfect time to offer them to Lei Jing.
While drinking, Zhang Ruochen chatted with Lei Jing about his recent experiences.
Since returning to the Kunlun Realm, although the time had not been too long, many things had happened, repeatedly pushing him to the forefront of the storm.
Although Lei Jing had already heard about these things, hearing Zhang Ruochen recount them personally still left him deeply shaken, and he couldn't help but feel great pity for Zhang Ruochen.
Unfortunately, he was too weak. Having cultivated to the Saint realm in this lifetime might already be his limit, and he could not help Zhang Ruochen.
After several jars of wine, Lei Jing became a bit tipsy and sighed, "Time flies so fast. In four more days, it will be the memorial day for those fallen royal clan members of the Thousand Water Commandery. You and Yanchen... sigh."
Regarding the matter between Zhang Ruochen and Huang Yanchen, Lei Jing did not want to say much, only feeling great regret.
Hearing this, Zhang Ruochen's heart stirred. Back then, because of him, the Undying Blood Clan had attacked Huang Yanchen's relatives. Apart from Huang Yanchen's parents, almost everyone else had died, which filled him with deep guilt.
Later, even Huang Yanchen's parents were killed by experts of the Ghost Clan. All Zhang Ruochen could do was have A Le strike and kill that Ghost King.
Zhang Ruochen had thought Huang Yanchen was dead, so he had let go of the past.
But he never expected that during his trip to the Northern Domain's Immortal Machine Mountain, he would see Huang Yanchen again. However, by then, Huang Yanchen had transformed into a candidate goddess of the Destiny Temple.
Full of questions about this change, Zhang Ruochen had no idea who to ask for answers.
"Master, I vaguely remember you mentioned something about her last time. Can you tell me more in detail?" Zhang Ruochen asked seriously.
Last time, when Lei Jing mentioned Huang Yanchen, both master and disciple had gotten dead drunk. Zhang Ruochen had recalled some fragmented things after waking up.
Lei Jing said, "Actually, it's nothing much. Before Huang Yanchen disappeared, she had returned to the Thousand Water Commandery, also went to the Yunwu Commandery, and visited the Western Academy, as if reminiscing and lingering. I met her once and saw her silently shedding tears, whispering that she wanted to go through the Ghost Gate, to change some fate. She also said... 'Once through the Ghost Gate, two lives from then on. Cut off all the present, forget the joys and sorrows of the mortal world. If I do not enter hell, who will?' All kinds of incomprehensible words. After that, I never saw her again."
"If I do not enter hell, who will?"
Hearing these words, Zhang Ruochen frowned deeply. His usually calm heart stirred with unquenchable ripples, and he murmured to himself, "The Ghost Gate above White Star?"