Chapter 2159: Becoming a God
Outside the Central Imperial City, the sacred army assembled by the Hell Realm had already exceeded forty million, with nearly one-tenth of them being Saint King realm powerhouses.
Such a formidable force, placed in any other merit battlefield, would be invincible, sweeping all before it.
Yet in the Kunlun Realm, this was merely a portion of the forces the Hell Realm had invested. Even more armies remained behind the various world fissure battlefields, yet to enter.
Zhang Ruochen encountered no obstacles as he directly left the imperial city, appearing on the open battlefield outside.
The closer one got to the imperial city, the stronger the influence of the formation divine patterns, and the more stable the ground became, extremely difficult to damage. Otherwise, with the repeated clashes of top-tier experts on both sides, the area around the imperial city would have long since fallen into ruin.
The several hundred experts who had arrived at top speed earlier now followed behind Zhang Ruochen, appearing on the city wall, eager to see what he intended to do.
Zhang Ruochen stood in midair, waving his hand. The Abyssal Ancient Sword and the Blood-Drop Sword flew out, deploying the Yin-Yang Two Forms Sword Formation, evolving into a vast, boundless Yin-Yang Taiji diagram that blotted out the sky and covered the sun.
A profoundly mysterious sword intent rapidly spread out at this moment, formless and intangible, yet truly existing. Every sword cultivator could genuinely perceive it.
"Hum."
In an instant, all the swords of the cultivators inside and outside the imperial city trembled violently, subjected to a powerful summons. Many swords were completely out of control, flying toward the Yin-Yang Taiji diagram in the sky.
At the same time, the flowers, grass, earth, and stones outside the city also underwent strange changes, revealing a sharp edge as countless sword lights shot up into the sky.
When one's sword path reached a certain level, all things in heaven and earth could become swords.
Zhang Ruochen's gaze was cold as he formed sword seals with his hands, activating the Yin-Yang Two Forms Sword Formation.
"Swoosh——"
A terrifying sword light, tens of thousands of zhang long, burst forth from the Yin-Yang Taiji diagram, piercing heaven and earth, splitting the cosmos.
Instantly, almost all cultivators experienced an illusion: the world turned pitch black, the sword light became the only radiance, and their minds were involuntarily drawn to it.
The sword light slashed down from the sky, heading straight for the Hell Realm's camp, unstoppable.
The Hell Realm's camp was protected by mysterious formations laid by formation masters, with extremely strong defenses. Even an ordinary Immortal Great Saint attacking would find it hard to damage them in the slightest.
But now, facing the tens-of-thousands-of-zhang-long sword light, these formations were virtually useless, unable to withstand it.
"Boom."
The sword light broke through the formations like a splitting bamboo, cleaving the entire camp in two from the center.
Even though the ground outside the city was incredibly solid, it was now forcibly cut open, creating a deep trench ten zhang wide that stretched for a thousand li.
In many places along the way, scorching magma erupted, a terrifying sight.
With this single strike, the Hell Realm suffered heavy casualties. Countless cultivators were annihilated in both form and spirit, and even more were injured.
And this was despite the presence of formations and experts who had stepped in to block the attack. Otherwise, the casualties would have multiplied.
The Central Imperial City, though called a city, could not be regarded as an ordinary one.
It was more like a small world.
Just as the Eastern Domain Sacred City was a planet, the Central Imperial City was even larger than that.
Although the Hell Realm had forty million sacred army soldiers, surrounding such a vast, world-like city was no easy task.
The formations they had deployed could not be strong everywhere, so they naturally could not withstand Zhang Ruochen's attack.
"What a powerful sword strike."
On the city wall, the experts of the Heavenly Court Realm all showed expressions of shock, and many couldn't help but gasp.
It was hard to imagine that a Saint King realm cultivator could unleash such a terrifying attack. Below the Great Saint realm, how many could withstand it?
Blood Heaven Evil Lord and Radiant Heavenly Prince both wore grim expressions. They undoubtedly regretted questioning Zhang Ruochen earlier—it had clearly not been a wise move.
With a sword strike like that, who would dare say anything afterward?
Within the Hell Realm's camp, formation masters acted swiftly, deploying powerful formations to prevent further attacks.
"Shua."
Figures shot out from the damaged camp.
All who emerged were top-tier experts, including the Bone Clan's Three Emperors and Five Venerables, whom Zhang Ruochen knew well.
These experts all bore angry expressions, their killing intent overwhelming.
Everything had happened too suddenly. Although they had reacted quickly, they could only reduce the losses, not avoid them entirely.
"Zhang Ruochen, are you looking for death? Do you really think no one can deal with you?" a Ghost Clan expert roared.
If this were any other time, he might have been wary of Zhang Ruochen. But now, with the Hell Realm's experts gathered, what could Zhang Ruochen do, no matter how strong he was?
Zhang Ruochen glanced at the Ghost Clan expert and said flatly, "Not convinced? Then come and fight me, this king."
Hearing this, the Ghost Clan expert's expression shifted slightly. He was indeed a top expert of the Ghost Clan, beneath the Great Saint realm, fearing few. But when it came to fighting Zhang Ruochen, he couldn't help but feel intimidated.
Not to mention Zhang Ruochen's record of defeating Yan Wushen, just the sword strike he had just displayed—how many could remain unfazed by that?
"What? No one dares to step forward? Are all Hell Realm cultivators this cowardly?" Zhang Ruochen said coldly.
At these words, all the Hell Realm experts burned with fury. Such contemptuous words were unbearable for anyone.
A slightly short figure stepped forward, five chi tall, entirely encased in dark golden armor, with two thick, bony horns on his head. Black flames swirled around his body.
Under the scorching black flames, the surrounding space twisted, as if about to melt.
"Hell Destruction Flame—it's Bone You Emperor."
On the Heavenly Court side, an expert murmured.
Bone You Emperor was the current strongest of the Bone Clan below the Great Saint realm, firmly ranking in the top ten among the many experts of the Ten Clans of Hell.
Not only was his strength formidable, but his defense was also astonishing. His demigod-level bone body could clash head-on with a Supreme Sacred Artifact. Ordinary attacks against him were like tickles.
Bone You Emperor released a powerful aura, locking onto Zhang Ruochen, and said, "The Hell Realm cannot be insulted. Let this emperor test you."
He was extremely confident in his own strength. He knew about Shan Wu Shen and was well aware that Zhang Ruochen had defeated the weaker evil body in Luo River.
Yan Wushen's reputation was indeed great, hailed as invincible below the Great Saint realm.
But without a fight, Bone You Emperor didn't believe he was necessarily inferior to him. Moreover, since arriving in the Kunlun Realm, his cultivation had advanced further, and he felt he could even fight Yan Wushen's good body.
For this reason, Bone You Emperor believed Zhang Ruochen was not invincible.
Besides, if no one stepped forward now, what face would the Hell Realm have left?
"Then let this king see how many strikes you can withstand," Zhang Ruochen said calmly.
As he spoke, Zhang Ruochen casually waved his hand. The Yin-Yang Two Forms Sword Formation immediately rotated, the Yin-Yang Taiji diagram contracting. Two sharp sword lights shot out from the yin and yang eyes, emitting completely different sword intents—one of life, one of death—intertwining and cycling endlessly.
Bone You Emperor snorted coldly, showing no intention of dodging. Instead, he planned to use his powerful bone body to directly clash with the two sword lights.
For Bone You Emperor, his demigod-level bone body was his most powerful weapon, every part usable in battle.
As Bone You Emperor channeled his power, a vast number of demigod rules emerged on his fist, releasing immense strength.
In his past life, he had cultivated to the demigod realm, just one step away from true godhood. The rules he had cultivated were already fused into every bone in his body. Even after falling for countless millennia, they had never dissipated.
This was the key to the unparalleled strength of a demigod-level bone body.
"Bang."
The life-and-death sword lights were unpredictable, sometimes sharp, sometimes soft, cutting a massive black rift in space and striking solidly against Bone You Emperor's fist.
Despite his desperate resistance, he was still sent plummeting from midair.
"Boom."
Bone You Emperor landed on his feet, like a meteor crashing down, instantly shattering the ground.
"What powerful strength. Has Zhang Ruochen's power increased significantly recently?" Bone You Emperor thought to himself.
Yan Wushen had secretly entered the imperial city to fight Zhang Ruochen, causing a great commotion inside, but the Hell Realm side was still unaware of this.
Of course, no one had witnessed the battle between Zhang Ruochen and Yan Wushen, so almost no one could accurately estimate Zhang Ruochen's true strength.
Bone You Emperor's hollow eye sockets flickered with two flames, like eyes, coldly staring at his fist.
The power of that strike just now was truly terrifying. It had actually caused the demigod rules he had activated to dim and sink back into his bones.
However, his bone body was not damaged. Only a strange sword intent had invaded his body, attempting to directly attack his sacred soul.
Fortunately, he had a secret treasure within him guarding his sacred soul, allowing him to remain unharmed.
"Roar."
Bone You Emperor raised his head and let out a long howl.
Vast Hell Destruction Flame surged from his bone body, releasing a destructive aura that further shattered the surrounding ground, turning it into viscous magma.
The Hell Destruction Flame was an extremely terrifying flame, possessing power comparable to an eternal path. It existed in the deepest depths of Hell, and from ancient times to the present, very few had been able to master it.
If one were strong enough, releasing the Hell Destruction Flame could incinerate an entire great world to ashes.
As his aura grew, Bone You Emperor's bone body expanded, instantly reaching a thousand zhang. A large number of demigod rules emerged from his body, drawing in the vast rules and sacred qi of heaven and earth.
Bone You Emperor swung his arm, and a long white bone whip appeared, thousands of zhang long, seemingly forged from an entire dragon spine. Each segment was engraved with tens of thousands of supreme inscription runes.
As he swung it, the bone whip seemed to come alive, unleashing powerful supreme power, striking at Zhang Ruochen like lightning.
Zhang Ruochen remained calm, the sword seals formed by his hands changing unhurriedly.
"Yin-Yang Rotation, Devour Heaven and Earth."
The Yin-Yang Taiji diagram slowly rotated, releasing an extremely powerful suction force, like a massive black hole.
The bone whip had just struck when it was caught by the Yin-Yang Taiji diagram, which effortlessly neutralized all its attack power.
Then, several highly condensed sword blades shot out from the Yin-Yang Taiji diagram.
"Bang."
Bone You Emperor was struck by the sword blades, his massive body flying backward, traveling hundreds of li before crashing heavily into a towering mountain range.
In an instant, the mountain range collapsed, dust flying, burying Bone You Emperor's enormous form.
Immediately after, the Yin-Yang Taiji diagram descended from the sky, pressing down like an ancient divine mountain.
Bone You Emperor sat up, struggling desperately to break free from the Yin-Yang Taiji diagram, but he couldn't. His body was almost completely suppressed, unable to move.
Even Yan Wushen, with his good and evil bodies merged, had to expend great effort to tear a gap in the Yin-Yang Two Forms Sword Formation. Bone You Emperor's power was clearly still lacking.
Seeing this, all the experts on the Hell Realm side felt their hearts sink.
Even someone as strong as Bone You Emperor had been defeated so quickly—it was hard for them to accept.
"Strange, why isn't Yan Wushen making a move?" an expert on the Heavenly Court side wondered.
If it was inconvenient to continue fighting inside the imperial city, Yan Wushen should have no such concerns outside.
Given the domineering and overwhelming strength Yan Wushen had displayed, no one believed he would be afraid of Zhang Ruochen.
But now, not only was he not making a move, but even his shadow was nowhere to be seen, as if Yan Wushen had already left this place.
Only Zhang Ruochen knew that Yan Wushen wasn't unwilling to act, but because his good and evil bodies hadn't truly merged completely, leaving a fatal flaw.
Against Zhang Ruochen, who wielded the Abyssal Ancient Sword and Blood-Drop Sword, his chances of victory were slim.
So Yan Wushen must have already gone somewhere to go into seclusion and cultivate. He wouldn't reappear until the good and evil were fully merged.
If he were to lose to Zhang Ruochen in his prime state, it would severely damage Yan Wushen's invincible belief.
The previous two times, he hadn't actually lost.
From another direction of the imperial city, Rakshasa Clan Princess Luo Sha stood in the sky, her gaze fixed on Zhang Ruochen, strange lights flickering in her eyes.
Last time, she had been captured by Zhang Ruochen, who took her sword hilt and forced her clan to trade the Sacred Dao Ancient Tea Tree for her release, which had been a great embarrassment.
She, Luo Sha, was known for her resourcefulness, yet every time she encountered Zhang Ruochen, she ended up at a disadvantage.
"That Zhang Ruochen fellow is getting stronger and stronger. But does he really think no one can kill him by provoking Hell Realm cultivators like this? If Yan Wushen can't, a Great Saint can. If a Great Saint can't, a god can, right?"
"The fated one, the fated one... maybe, the fated nemesis!"
Luo Sha sighed softly, her head aching at the thought.
On another side, in the Undying Blood Clan's camp, many Undying Blood Clan experts were also watching Zhang Ruochen, including Blood Chen Heavenly Lord.
Blood Chen Heavenly Lord gazed at Zhang Ruochen from afar, a glint of light flashing in his eyes as he murmured, "Xiao Xiao, see that? That's the son of Fourteenth Aunt and a human."
"Cousin?"
Blood Ning Xiao looked with interest at Zhang Ruochen in the distance.
She appeared to be only sixteen or seventeen, with a bewitching face. Her body was sometimes clear, sometimes blurry, sometimes returning to nothingness, looking very strange.
"It's cousin, at least eight hundred years old. You're only a little over a hundred," Blood Chen Heavenly Lord said.
Blood Ning Xiao's beautiful eyes sparkled, and she smiled, "Pretty strong, huh? But I don't believe he can defeat Yan Wushen. That big guy Yan Wushen has an extraordinary background—someone like him probably only appears once in an eon."
Blood Chen Heavenly Lord made no comment, his expression calm. After a long while, he said, "Fourteenth Aunt has already become a god."
"What? She became a god?" Blood Ning Xiao was astonished.
After all, her grandfather, Blood Jue War God, was already a god and the first war god of the Blood Heaven Tribe, having defeated several ancient gods of the Blood Heaven Tribe with his momentum of coming from behind.
And now, the Blood Jue Family had produced another god. The entire tribe would likely undergo a massive upheaval.
Blood Chen Heavenly Lord nodded slightly, "Not long ago, she contacted me."
"When will Fourteenth Aunt return to the Hell Realm?" Blood Ning Xiao asked.
Since she had become a god, she would definitely have to go back.
"Soon, but she still has some matters to attend to in the Kunlun Realm. Sixth Uncle is still suppressed. Before leaving, Fourteenth Aunt will definitely go to rescue him," Blood Chen Heavenly Lord said.
Blood Ning Xiao said, "Sixth Uncle is still alive?"
Blood Chen Heavenly Lord glared at her, "Fourteenth Aunt once told me that if Sixth Uncle has been suppressed for so long without dying, his mind, body, and will must have reached the level of a god, perhaps even surpassing an ordinary god. The day he breaks free will be the day he becomes a god. Do you dare to curse a god to die?"
The Blood Jue Family would produce another god?
Blood Ning Xiao was shocked again, then sighed, "Once Fourteenth Aunt and Sixth Uncle return, the Blood Jue Family will be turned upside down. Those people from back then will probably face a reckoning. What do you think Grandfather will choose?"
"With two gods returning, what do you think?"
Blood Chen Heavenly Lord continued, "No one expected that the illegitimate Sixth Uncle and Fourteenth Aunt, forced to come to the Kunlun Realm, would both become gods. Now even Fourteenth Aunt's descendant is such a monster. If those old fogies from the direct line in the clan find out, they'll probably cry."
Blood Ning Xiao snorted coldly, "Illegitimate children go to the merit battlefield to fight, attacking stars and conquering realms, while the direct-line children stay in the clan enjoying the fruits of labor, only needing to cultivate. The Blood Jue Family's rules should have been changed long ago."
"Who says the strongest in every generation are the direct-line children? Their bloodline is purer, making it easier to become Great Saints, so naturally they don't need to go to the merit battlefield."
A hint of mockery appeared in Blood Chen Heavenly Lord's eyes, clearly not fond of the direct-line members of the clan.
The reason was that his father was also an illegitimate child, just not forced like Nether King and Blood Queen to be sent to the Kunlun Realm to fight for the Undying Blood Clan.
Speaking of which, he had been bullied quite a bit by those direct-line members since childhood. If he hadn't been outstanding enough, he wouldn't have his current status, let alone gain the attention of Blood Jue War God.
In the Hell Realm, many experts didn't need to go to the merit battlefield. Some heavenly prodigies might not even be known by name in the various realms of the Heavenly Court.
He, Blood Chen Heavenly Lord, was only the publicly acknowledged strongest below the Great Saint realm of the Blood Heaven Tribe. The cultivators of the Heavenly Court, aside from gods, had limited understanding of the Hell Realm.