Chapter 2183: Sacred Altar Suppresses Sacred Hall
Within the Primordial Divine Hall, all the strong ones of the imperial court had gathered together. Even though they faced several top-tier leader figures, they showed no trace of fear.
The Nine Heavens Mysterious Maiden stood tall and graceful, her robe stained with blood. After the earlier battle with the Heartless Evil Lord, her injuries had worsened, and her mental energy was greatly depleted. She was relying entirely on her powerful will to hold on.
"Finally, this day has come—the time to offer our lives and blood for the Kunlun Realm," the Nine Heavens Mysterious Maiden said, a resolute look appearing in her eyes.
Raising her sacred sword high, she declared loudly, "Let us burn our lives, burn our sacred blood, and fight the final battle to protect the Kunlun Realm. Let the Heavenly Realm Faction witness our will and courage."
Hearing these words, everyone present felt their spirits shaken. The sacred blood within them boiled, and they all released an immensely high battle intent.
"If you want to destroy the Kunlun Realm, you must first step over our corpses."
"The men of the Kunlun Realm shed blood, not tears."
"We may die, but the Kunlun Realm will not perish. One day, the Kunlun Realm will stand again at the pinnacle of the universe. When that time comes, the great worlds behind you will all be held accountable."
"Fight for the Kunlun Realm, without regret even in death."
...
Many strong ones spoke out one after another, their emotions running extremely high. They were all prepared to sacrifice themselves for the Kunlun Realm.
At almost the same moment, led by the Nine Heavens Mysterious Maiden and the six Realm Sons, all the strong ones of the imperial court began to burn their lives and sacred blood, elevating their power to the utmost.
"Sizzle, sizzle."
For a time, the power of everyone converged into one, transforming into an incomparably brilliant light that pierced through time and space, illuminating past and present, becoming eternal.
"Kill."
Including Radiant Heavenly Prince, several leader figures of the Heavenly Realm Faction all made their moves, unleashing high-rank sacred arts. Each one was enough to destroy stars beyond the domain and punch through the ruins realms.
"Boom."
The violent attacks collided, causing the Primordial Divine Hall to shake violently.
If not for the fact that the Primordial Divine Hall had been nourished by the divine power of Empress Chi Yao and had become extraordinary, it would have already shattered into pieces.
Because they were burning their lives and sacred blood, the hair of all the strong ones of the imperial court quickly turned from black to snow white, and their skin became dull and lost its luster, as if they had aged a thousand years in an instant.
Yet, even so, they only held on for a short while before their strength was exhausted.
"Bang."
Everyone on the imperial court's side was sent flying backward.
No one spat blood, because they had no blood left to spit.
Their faces all turned pale as paper. They collapsed to the ground, without even the strength to move a finger, having completely lost the power to resist.
The gap in strength was too vast. Even by risking their lives, it was difficult to change anything.
Radiant Heavenly Prince sighed, "Why bother? You clearly had a path of survival to choose, yet you insisted on taking a path of death. How foolish. Everything you've done is meaningless."
"We are different from you. You willingly act as a dog for the Heavenly Realm, while we strive to live with dignity. Having a leader like you in the Tianquan Great World is a tragedy," the Nine Heavens Mysterious Maiden said.
At this moment, she alone still had a bit of strength left to stand up and face the several leader figures of the Heavenly Realm Faction.
A cold look appeared in Radiant Heavenly Prince's eyes. "It doesn't matter what you say now. In the end, you cannot escape the fate of becoming my woman, Radiant Heavenly."
Just as the Nine Heavens Mysterious Maiden was about to respond, a wondrous change occurred within her. Nine beams of sacred light burst forth from her body, transforming into nine faint figures that surrounded her, their appearances identical to the nine Mysterious Maidens.
Within these nine faint figures, each contained a teardrop, radiating divine light of different colors.
"Nine Radiance Divine Tears."
Radiant Heavenly Prince's eyes immediately lit up.
The reason he had entered the Kunlun Realm was precisely for this item.
At this moment, the divine light of the nine divine tears grew increasingly brilliant. They produced a strange resonance with each other, each releasing a mass of radiance that infused into the Nine Heavens Mysterious Maiden's body.
Instantly, the dull skin of the Nine Heavens Mysterious Maiden regained its luster, and sacred radiance seeped out from every inch of her skin.
"Unexpectedly, at this moment, I have reached the realm the Empress spoke of," the Nine Heavens Mysterious Maiden couldn't help but sigh.
The Nine Heavens Mysterious Maiden, Shengshu Cainü "Nalan Danqing," Miaoshou Shennü "Qing Mo," Canglan Wusheng "Wan Canglan," Siming Shennü "Xian Feizi"... each of them was a talented and extraordinary proud daughter of heaven. Any one of them alone was stunningly brilliant.
Yet, when the nine women merged into one, incarnating as the Nine Heavens Mysterious Maiden, they fell far short of their expected height.
The Nine Heavens Mysterious Maiden had once sought advice from Empress Chi Yao about the reason.
Empress Chi Yao had explained it in detail once: the nine women were nine different individuals, each with their own will, making it difficult to achieve true unity of mind. Moreover, their powers differed and repelled each other, making true fusion hard.
The nine women needed time to harmonize and undergo countless trials to fully align, perfectly unleashing the power they possessed, and even greatly enhancing it beyond the original foundation.
Only then would the Nine Heavens Mysterious Maiden become the true Nine Heavens Mysterious Maiden, with future achievements possibly surpassing the Empress.
For this reason, the nine Mysterious Maidens had maintained their combined state for a long time, inseparable from each other, to accelerate the harmonization. Now, under immense pressure, the minds and wills of the nine Mysterious Maidens had finally completely merged and connected.
"Whoosh."
The nine faint figures re-entered the Nine Heavens Mysterious Maiden's body.
Without hesitation, the Nine Heavens Mysterious Maiden mobilized the remaining residual power and infused it into the "Confucian Ancestor Sacred Book," striking it out with full force.
"Even now, you still want to struggle? Suppress her."
Radiant Heavenly Prince shook his head and waved his hand, sending the Taiji Formation Diagram flying out.
The Taiji Formation Diagram slowly rotated, releasing Yin and Yang Qi, enveloping the "Confucian Ancestor Sacred Book."
"Boom."
The "Confucian Ancestor Sacred Book" flipped open, and an ancient sacred shadow stepped out from the pages. The white beard on its chin swung out like a heavenly blade.
With irresistible force, it slashed through the Taiji Formation Diagram and landed on Radiant Heavenly Prince.
"Pfft."
A small half of Radiant Heavenly Prince's body was severed. The divine patterns on his skin broke, sacred blood splattered, sacred bones shattered, and his internal organs were exposed. He was in an extremely miserable state, letting out a scream.
"Impossible. Your power is almost exhausted. How could you so easily severely wound me?" Radiant Heavenly Prince said while swallowing healing sacred pills and retreating backward.
The current Nine Heavens Mysterious Maiden was too terrifying. Before her, he seemed to have no power to fight back.
Had she already fully mastered the power of the Nine Radiance Star Tears?
"Pfft!"
The Nine Heavens Mysterious Maiden was at the end of her strength after all. After delivering this strike, a large mouthful of blood spilled from her rosy lips, and her body swayed unsteadily.
"The situation is bad. Let's join forces to suppress the Nine Heavens Mysterious Maiden. If necessary, we can kill her."
The five leader figures of the great worlds from the Heavenly Realm Faction acted simultaneously, each unleashing an Eon Sacred Artifact. They shattered the sacred shadow above the "Confucian Ancestor Sacred Book" and pressed down heavily.
If the Nine Heavens Mysterious Maiden were in her prime, with her powers fully integrated, she would not fear them.
But she was too weak now. Suppressed by five Eon Sacred Artifacts, she couldn't even open the "Confucian Ancestor Sacred Book." Yet, she did not fall. She propped herself up with her sacred sword, struggling to hold on.
"Zhang Ruochen is the unbreakable backbone of the Kunlun Realm. Then I... am willing to be the last breath of the Kunlun Realm—never admitting defeat, never giving up, dying without regret," Shengshu Cainü said, supporting herself with one hand on the sword and the other on the "Confucian Ancestor Sacred Book." The sacred light on her body grew dimmer, and her skin cracked inch by inch.
Seeing this scene, the eyes of the imperial court's strong ones were filled with gloom and grief, revealing despair.
In the end, they could not escape the fate of destruction. From now on, the imperial court would cease to exist.
This outcome filled them with both resentment and sorrow. Without strong power, they could only be slaughtered.
The Devouring Heaven Rabbit had already returned to its original form, its body covered with cracks. It struggled and shouted, "Master Chen, we can't hold on any longer! If you don't come over now, we'll all die here. I, Guo Guo, don't want to die yet... There are so many things I haven't eaten. Before I die, at least let me eat a Great Saint angel wing..."
"Boom."
The battle outside the Primordial Divine Hall grew even fiercer.
Zhang Ruochen's gaze fell on the Primordial Divine Hall.
Seeing Chi Kongle, the Nine Heavens Mysterious Maiden, and others in their severely injured and weakened state, an even more terrifying killing intent burst forth from him.
He activated the Yin-Yang Two Swords Sword Formation and slashed out an unmatched sword strike.
"Bang."
The sword light landed on Archangel Michael, sending him flying backward, leaving a deep, bone-exposing bloody wound on his body.
"Where do you think you're going? Stay."
Before Zhang Ruochen could rush toward the Primordial Divine Hall, the two Array Earth Masters led their forces in launching an attack. Sacred power surged like ocean waves, blocking his path.
The next moment, Archangel Michael flew back, laughing loudly, "Zhang Ruochen, your mind is finally disturbed. Today, you will surely die here."
Zhang Ruochen's eyes were cold and heavy. The sealing of space and time had greatly affected his strength.
"Whoosh—"
He slashed out another sword strike. Archangel Michael was sent flying for the seventy-fourth time, his body covered in sword wounds, his blood dripping, severely injured.
Yet, Archangel Michael suppressed his injuries with strong will and flew back, his mouth full of blood. "Fight on. My willpower is no weaker than yours. Let's see who wears out first."
Yin Yuanchen, Po Mo Jun, and the two Array Earth Masters also continuously launched attacks, clashing with Zhang Ruochen, disregarding their own lives to suppress him.
A mad look appeared on Yin Yuanchen's face. "Do you feel despair now? Watching the people you care about fall in a pool of blood, yet unable to save them—this is the consequence of opposing the Heavenly Realm."
"But don't worry. They will die, and you won't live either. You'll soon join them."
As he spoke, Yin Yuanchen swung the divine sword in his hand again, gathering a massive amount of death divine power and slashing at Zhang Ruochen.
Having merged with a divine corpse, his defense was extremely strong, and he was not afraid of the current Zhang Ruochen.
The Heavenly Realm Faction held an absolute advantage. While they couldn't easily deal with Zhang Ruochen, they could slowly wear him down.
Human power has its limits. Zhang Ruochen couldn't maintain his peak state forever.
When he was beaten down and weakened, that would be the time of his death.
Especially since Zhang Ruochen was worried about Chi Kongle, the Nine Heavens Mysterious Maiden, and others. Once his mind was disturbed, it would be easy for him to reveal flaws.
It could be said that everything was under control.
Zhang Ruochen's mind was indeed becoming disturbed, unable to remain calm.
He had used various means, including many treasures, but he still couldn't break free, being firmly suppressed.
"Do you know what it means to be a cornered beast? You are that cornered beast now," Po Mo Jun said with a laugh.
"Time Divine Temple, Space Divine Temple, if I, Zhang Ruochen, do not die, I will surely settle this account with you," Zhang Ruochen said, his killing intent boiling.
What he wanted most now was to destroy the two sacred halls suppressing him from above.
No.
It was to kill all the cultivators of the Heavenly Realm Faction before him.
The strong ones of the Heavenly Realm Faction all showed smiles. The situation was settled. Even Zhang Ruochen could no longer change the outcome.
"Rumble."
Just then, a terrifying aura suddenly appeared above everyone's heads.
"What power? Such a strong aura."
The strong ones of the Heavenly Realm Faction all looked up.
The sky darkened, pitch black.
A magnificent sacred altar appeared in the sky, emitting sacred light that dispelled the darkness. Like a blazing sun, carrying immense might, it descended rapidly.
Standing on the altar were dozens of sacred shadows. They looked down upon heaven and earth and said in unison, "Crown Prince, the Dragon-Protecting Pavilion has come to help you slay the enemy."
"Crown Prince, the Dragon-Protecting Pavilion has come to help you slay the enemy."
...
The sacred altar was ninety-nine zhang tall, emitting a jade-like sacred light. Its surface was engraved with complex patterns, with sacred blood flowing along the patterns.
Han Qiu, Shangguan Que... all members of the Dragon-Protecting Pavilion stood at various positions on the altar according to a certain pattern.
Han Qiu said, "The Heavenly Realm Faction dares to oppose the Crown Prince—a grave offense. Today, you will all die."
A Le was also a member of the Dragon-Protecting Pavilion. After learning of the Heavenly Realm Faction's actions, he immediately notified the Dragon-Protecting Pavilion. Thus, the Dragon-Protecting Pavilion was able to gather in time and rush to the Zifu Palace.
The sacred altar was forged from the entire treasury of the Holy Bright Central Empire, collecting the sacred souls of countless deceased saints from the Kunlun Realm.
At this moment, those sacred souls all flew out. Their soul bodies were not faint but rather very solid, indistinguishable from true sacred realm cultivators.
They were very similar to ghost kings among ghosts.
It was a special state, neither human nor ghost.
The Dragon-Protecting Pavilion called them "Scattered Saints."
The Scattered Saints cultivated the sacred path left by Ming Emperor, walking another path of sacred cultivation. In the future, they could also become Great Saint-level or even god-level beings.
This path was called the "Azure Fall Path," created by one of the greatest strong men of the Kunlun Realm during the medieval period, Azure Fall Son.
To be precise, Azure Fall Son walked this sacred path and eventually cultivated into a powerful god on par with Xumi Saint Monk, Ten Calamities Wen Tianjun, and others, shaking all realms and heavens.
As for how the "Azure Fall Path" fell into Ming Emperor's hands, it was unknown.
The number of Scattered Saints was vast, filling the altar.
The sacred altar pressed down, emitting sounds like divine thunder.
"Boom."
The Time Sacred Hall and Space Sacred Hall suspended above bore the brunt, shattered into pieces by the altar's pressure.
The disciples of the two divine temples sitting inside the sacred halls hadn't even reacted before being crushed into meat paste, dying tragically.
"Ah..."
Dongfang Qingyu let out a scream, his sacred body exploding into a cloud of blood mist.
"You've arrived just in time. Kill all the cultivators of the Heavenly Realm Faction, leave none alive."
Without the suppression of the two sacred halls, Zhang Ruochen's aura surged step by step. Finally, he could once again wield the power of time and space.
Time rules and space rules were simultaneously mobilized, merging into the mysterious sword hilt from the Sword Grave. Then, he swung his sword in a single strike.
"Not good."
Archangel Michael's pupils contracted sharply.
He wanted to dodge, but it was too late.
Thus, Archangel Michael could only block with the Judgment Sword in front of him while releasing his vast sacred Qi, doing his best to construct layers of defense.
"Bang."
The Judgment Sword was sent flying. All the defenses were like paper, breached in an instant.
At the critical moment, Archangel Michael brought the twelve rings of light formed by the twelve Judgment Envoys in front of him, using them to block most of the attack.
The twelve rings of light all shattered, turning into a pile of mutilated corpses, scattering blood rain through the air. The air itself sizzled and burned.
All twelve Judgment Envoys died.
Archangel Michael survived but was severely wounded, nearly split in two. The platinum wings behind him were all ground into bloody mud by the sword Qi.
Ignoring him, Zhang Ruochen let out a long roar and charged toward the Primordial Divine Hall.
All of this happened in an instant, so the cultivators of the Heavenly Realm Faction in the Primordial Divine Hall hadn't yet reacted.
What had happened?
Seeing Zhang Ruochen charging over, they all felt their scalps tingle and wished they could flee immediately.
"Don't kill me."
Radiant Heavenly Prince spoke, trying to beg for mercy.
"Die."
Before he could finish his words, the divine sword in Zhang Ruochen's hand had already severed his head.
Extreme killing intent entered his body, quickly destroying his vitality and sacred soul.
"I am a descendant of the Nine Radiance Divine Lord, how could..."
Radiant Heavenly Prince was filled with unwillingness, but his consciousness faded into silence.
"The Nine Radiance Divine Lord has no descendant like you."
Zhang Ruochen slapped Radiant Heavenly Prince's flying head into pieces, annoyed by the sight of that face.
The five leaders of the Heavenly Realm Faction were terrified. They quickly withdrew the five Eon Sacred Artifacts suppressing the "Confucian Ancestor Sacred Book" and hurled them at Zhang Ruochen.
Zhang Ruochen held his sword with both hands. The Abyssal and Blood Drop swords spun endlessly, slicing all five Eon Sacred Artifacts apart, turning them into pieces of scrap metal.
He walked forward step by step.
One step, one sword.
When Zhang Ruochen took five steps and arrived before the Nine Heavens Mysterious Maiden, the five leaders of the Heavenly Realm Faction had all been cut in two, their corpses still flying in midair.
"Thud, thud."
It wasn't until Zhang Ruochen helped the Nine Heavens Mysterious Maiden up that the five mutilated corpses fell to the ground one after another, staining the patterned floor of the divine hall with five gruesome sacred blood corpse paintings.
"Heal your injuries well. Leave the rest to me. Rest assured, they will all die," Zhang Ruochen said, patting the Nine Heavens Mysterious Maiden's cracked jade hands and injecting the Spring of Life into her body.