Chapter 2188: Yama Heavenly Dao
Zhang Ruochen stood atop the altar, his gaze fixed on Bookworm and Baichi, who were struggling to hold on. Both were severely wounded, relying solely on their powerful willpower to endure until now.
Even someone as strong as Baichi had his physical body covered in cracks, his sacred blood nearly drained dry. Bookworm was even worse, with only one arm remaining and a large hole in his chest, pierced through front and back, allowing a clear view of his beating heart.
With injuries this severe, an ordinary Nine-Step Saint King would be hard-pressed to even survive, let alone continue fighting.
"A friend comes from afar, what joy it is, hahaha."
Bookworm's body swayed, but he couldn't help bursting into laughter.
As long as they could hold the Space Teleportation Array, even if he and Baichi perished and their paths vanished, they would die a worthy death.
Baichi remained silent, channeling the last of his sacred blood from his body, merging it into the "Confucian Ancestor Sacred Scripture."
Even with the arrival of reinforcements, he did not relax in the slightest. Instead, he felt an even greater sense of urgency.
The Space Teleportation Array leading to the location of the Peach Tree lay in the peach grove behind them, its outline barely visible through the peach blossoms.
Under the assault of the Hell Realm's powerful experts, they had no room to retreat.
"The Kunlun Realm has reached a moment of life and death. All cultivators, heed my command—strike with full force," Zhang Ruochen said.
Immediately, the sacred altar released overwhelming sacred might, hurtling forward at extreme speed.
The Dragon-Protecting Pavilion members, along with numerous scattered saints, jointly activated the altar. Its power was unimaginable; even if a ruin realm stood in its way, it would be shattered into pieces.
At the same time, the many powerful experts standing on the altar all struck out, unleashing various sacred arts and battle weapons, holding nothing back.
Zhang Ruochen also summoned the Mountain-Hiding Demon Mirror, awakening powerful supreme force, condensing into ten thousand layers of demon mountains that pressed down from above.
"Yu Tian Bone Emperor, Dark Demon, Jue Xin—you three clans continue the assault. Those two scholars are at the end of their rope and won't hold out much longer. The rest of you, block Zhang Ruochen and his group," Yan Wushen immediately commanded.
As he spoke, he handed the sacred jade containing the Nine Heavens Mysterious Saint's blood to the Stone Clan's leader, Shi Juexin.
Shi Juexin stood a hundred zhang tall, his aura profound, possessing an indestructible stone body even stronger than an ordinary immortal sacred body. Few dared to clash head-on with him.
Shi Qianjue chuckled darkly: "Rest assured, we'll deal with those two quickly. Once I lock onto the Peach Tree's spatial coordinates, I'll immediately inform Desolate Heaven Ancestor."
Yan Wushen waved his hand, producing an ancient, weathered stone bridge, very similar to the Bridge of Helplessness he had condensed using secret arts.
This bridge was indeed named "Bridge of Helplessness," a natural formation of heaven and earth that had taken shape over tens of millions of years. It was inscribed with countless complex secret patterns, possessing infinite power, and was a treasured artifact of the Yama Clan.
Considering the importance of this mission, the Yama Clan's deities had specifically allowed Yan Wushen to bring the Bridge of Helplessness, to be used as needed.
Behind Yan Wushen stood four Yama Clan powerful experts. At this moment, the four of them coordinated with Yan Wushen to jointly activate the Bridge of Helplessness.
To the cultivators of the Heavenly Court Realm, the Yama Clan had always seemed mysterious, as Yama Clan cultivators rarely appeared on the Merit Battlefield. Yan Wushen was an exception.
The four experts dispatched this time were also relatively unknown, but each was extremely powerful. The weakest among them possessed seventy percent of Yan Wushen's evil body's strength. The strongest was only slightly weaker than Yan Wushen's good body, by a hair or two.
As the supreme clan of the Hell Realm, the Yama Clan's foundation was unfathomably deep.
Driven by the Hell Yama Qi, the Bridge of Helplessness rapidly awakened, emitting an incredibly ancient and distant aura. Faintly, it seemed as if someone was sighing.
A profoundly mysterious power was released from the Bridge of Helplessness, seemingly capable of neutralizing all attacks in the world.
The powerful experts from the other six clans of the Hell Realm also struck out. Each person's methods possessed the power to destroy heaven and earth, causing the special small world of Qinghong Pavilion to tremble violently.
"Boom."
The sacred altar and the Bridge of Helplessness collided fiercely, generating terrifying ripples of power. A large area of space shattered, sending countless space fragments flying.
However, the impact of this force did not spread too far, quickly dissipating into nothingness.
"Zhang Ruochen, with me here, you won't advance another step. No matter how hard you struggle, you cannot change the outcome of the Peach Tree being severed. This time, the Kunlun Realm will fall into eternal darkness, never to see hope again." Yan Wushen stood at the head of the Bridge of Helplessness, hands clasped behind his back, exuding an aura of invincibility.
Zhang Ruochen's expression remained calm. "The fate of the Kunlun Realm is not for you to decide. No matter how many schemes you have, I will face them all."
At this point, they had no way back. They could only fight to the death.
"So many delicious sacred souls—I'm truly looking forward to it. If I devour them all, I won't just recover to my peak state; I'll go even further. Since you've dared to come, don't think any of you will escape." Lan Xuezi's eyes gleamed with ferocity.
Qinghong Pavilion had already been sealed off by the Boundary-Sealing Talisman. Zhang Ruochen's ability to break in was impressive, but getting back out would not be so easy. He had essentially walked into a trap.
"As expected of the fairies from the 'Nine Heavens Beauty Chart'—truly indescribably beautiful. Compassionate Sailor Fairy, Hundred Flowers Fairy, Heavenly Beginning Fairy, Exquisite Fairy—fighting and killing aren't suited for you. It's best to surrender early to avoid accidental injury." The Blood Wing Great Prince of the Rakshasa Clan said, his eyes gleaming.
No matter where, stunning beauties always attracted the most attention.
At this moment, many Hell Realm powerful experts were staring unabashedly at Compassionate Sailor Fairy, Hundred Flowers Fairy, Heavenly Beginning Fairy, and Exquisite Fairy.
The simultaneous appearance of four fairies was an extremely rare occurrence, nearly half of them.
If you added the Shadowless Fairy, whom Zhang Ruochen had suppressed in the jungle small world, it would exceed half.
Ao Xukong stepped forward, releasing supreme dragon qi, pointing at the Blood Wing Great Prince. "You dare to covet my sister? How do you want to die?"
"Arrogant talk. I've always wanted to taste the flesh and blood of a five-clawed golden dragon. I didn't expect you to deliver yourself to my doorstep." The Blood Wing Great Prince sneered.
Ao Xukong snorted coldly. "I'm afraid you don't have the teeth for it. Surrender your life."
As he spoke, Ao Xukong struck, his right hand transforming into a dragon claw, reaching straight for the Blood Wing Great Prince.
"Rip."
The dragon claw was incredibly sharp, tearing several black cracks in the space ahead.
The Blood Wing Great Prince did not retreat, meeting the attack without hesitation, his blood wings slashing out like heavenly blades.
Seeing the two engage, the others did not hesitate either. Zhen Yuan, Murong Fengye, Jiang Yunchong, and the others immediately leaped down from the sacred altar, charging at the Hell Realm's powerful experts.
Nie Xiangzi sought out Blood Chen Heavenly Lord, clearly intending to fight him again. The difference this time was that they would not only determine victory or defeat but also life and death.
Since the battle had begun, only one side would walk out of Qinghong Pavilion alive.
The number of top-tier experts on Zhang Ruochen's side was far less than that of the Hell Realm, but they had the advantage in numbers and could surround their enemies.
If they could kill a few Hell Realm powerful experts first, the situation would change dramatically.
Zhang Ruochen released his spiritual power and said to the Thousand Star Heavenly Maiden beside him, "Find a way to locate the rune master controlling the Boundary-Sealing Talisman."
Hearing this, the Thousand Star Heavenly Maiden immediately understood. The reason the events at Qinghong Pavilion had not alerted the Heavenly Court Realm's army was mainly due to the Boundary-Sealing Talisman.
If they could kill the Hell Realm's rune master and thoroughly break the Boundary-Sealing Talisman, drawing the Heavenly Court Realm's army here, the crisis could be resolved.
"Leave this to me," the Thousand Star Heavenly Maiden replied.
She was an all-around sacred master, much like Baichi, proficient in various methods, including rune arts.
However, the Hell Realm's rune master had completely hidden his aura using the power of the Boundary-Sealing Talisman. Finding him was clearly no easy task.
Baichi and Bookworm's bodies were already battered and broken. If not for the Peach Tree's divine power permeating through the Space Teleportation Array and continuously infusing their bodies, the Hell Realm cultivators would have crushed them into dust in a single round, annihilating their forms and spirits. How could they have held out until now?
But now, even with the Peach Tree's divine power, they could no longer hold on. The sacred blood in their bodies was nearly drained dry.
Knowing the urgency, Zhang Ruochen transformed into a beam of sacred light, using his physical body to break through the formation net laid by a Hell Realm formation master, charging straight toward Baichi and Bookworm.
The Space Teleportation Array must not be lost. He would guard it personally.
"Zhang Ruochen, you're not getting through!!"
Two undying-level zombie kings from the Corpse Clan, Jiang Lin and Tian Xuan, simultaneously soared into the air, each striking out with a palm.
Zhang Ruochen struck with full force, his double palms thrusting forward. The power of Dragon-Elephant burst from his palms, with nine dragons and nine elephants flying out simultaneously, colliding with Jiang Lin and Tian Xuan's palms.
"Boom."
The powerful shockwaves from the palm force shook the ground in this area violently trembling.
"Our Corpse Clan has inexhaustible power. Zhang Ruochen, no matter how strong you are, you can't fight two at once," Tian Xuan said.
Zhang Ruochen snorted lightly, unleashing the power of the Way of Truth, his palm force continuously multiplying.
Jiang Lin and Tian Xuan were sent flying backward. Their bodies, comparable to immortal sacred bodies, shattered into pieces during their flight, scattering as broken remains.
"Combining the strength of Jiang Lin and Tian Xuan couldn't even stop Zhang Ruochen for one round."
All the Hell Realm powerful experts could no longer remain calm, a single thought forming in their minds: "Zhang Ruochen is undefeatable."
Jiang Lin and Tian Xuan had both reached the undying level. Although their bodies were shattered, they were not dead. The broken remains had not yet fallen to the ground before they condensed back into human form, complete corpse bodies.
Looking up, Zhang Ruochen had already passed them, charging straight toward the two Confucian scholars.
Jiang Lin and Tian Xuan exchanged a glance, saying, "There is always someone stronger. Zhang Ruochen is indeed Yan Wushen's great nemesis. This era will be their backdrop."
Although there were many powerful experts present, only the two of them could be each other's opponents.
Jiang Lin and Tian Xuan secretly speculated that their combat power would need to double individually before they could hope to join forces to restrain Zhang Ruochen.
"Boom."
Yan Wushen intervened, blocking Zhang Ruochen.
Zhang Ruochen glanced again toward Baichi and Bookworm, seeing that they had retreated to the edge of the Space Teleportation Array.
Truly, there was no room to retreat.
"You were distracted. If I had struck at that moment, you would have been injured, fallen into an irreversible disadvantage, and eventually died by my hand," Yan Wushen said.
Zhang Ruochen knew this was Yan Wushen's psychological attack, but he also understood that Yan Wushen was telling the truth. Facing a powerful expert like Yan Wushen, even a moment's distraction could be fatal.
"Then why didn't you strike?" Zhang Ruochen took a deep breath, forcibly suppressing his worry about the Space Teleportation Array, focusing his mind completely, and locking his gaze on Yan Wushen.
Yan Wushen said, "Perhaps only one Zhang Ruochen appears in an eon. And for us to meet in this era—the probability is so low it can be ignored. So, compared to destroying the Kunlun Realm, I care more about this battle with you. Killing a Zhang Ruochen who is not at his peak would surely become the greatest regret of my life."
Zhang Ruochen had fully adjusted his state of mind and shook his head. "No, you once lost to me, planting a seed of inner demon in your heart. If you cannot defeat me at my peak, that inner demon will persist. It may not affect your cultivation to Great Saint, but it will certainly become a major obstacle to your eventual godhood. It will also become a variable when you face the Eon Calamity in the future."
From the moment they spoke their first words, they had already begun their attack.
Psychological warfare.
Both were Saint King Great Perfection, with little difference in strength. Whoever gained the psychological upper hand or created a flaw in the other's mind would hold seventy to eighty percent of the victory.
Clearly, Zhang Ruochen, burdened with worry, was at a psychological disadvantage.
Before the battle had even begun, the scales of victory were already tipped in Yan Wushen's favor.
Yan Wushen naturally understood this, so he stopped speaking, merely watching Zhang Ruochen silently. He had already warned Zhang Ruochen once. If Zhang Ruochen made the same mistake again, then killing him would not leave any inner demon.
Zhang Ruochen worked to adjust his state of mind, striving to calm the well within his heart, allowing not a single ripple.
Time continued to pass.
The area where the two stood appeared calm on the surface, but was in fact extremely dangerous.
Their thoughts spread across the void, clashing fiercely.
These thoughts were formless, yet terrifying. Even a Nine-Step Saint King entering this area would likely have their sacred soul annihilated in an instant.
Having been tempered by the Emperor Sovereign Sacred Ruler, Zhang Ruochen's spiritual will had reached a level unimaginable to ordinary people. Below the Great Saint realm, few could compare.
His state of mind was fully restored.
"Boom."
At a certain moment, both Zhang Ruochen and Yan Wushen simultaneously erupted with terrifying killing intent.
For a moment, heaven and earth changed color.
Endless killing aura surged forth, evolving into a world of slaughter.
Every wisp of killing aura took on a tangible form, either as ferocious beasts or deadly weapons. The mere aura they emitted was chilling.
"Roar."
Hundreds of millions of evil spirits roared, crazily charging and slaughtering each other.
Even from a great distance, everyone else in Qinghong Pavilion felt their scalps go numb.
Yu Tian Bone Emperor's mind sank. He had originally wanted to challenge Zhang Ruochen to restore the Bone Clan's honor, but now he suppressed that thought.
He was a genius meticulously cultivated by the Bone Divine Temple, cultivating one of the Bone Clan's three great heavenly daos, the Extreme Jade Heavenly Dao. Every bone was as crystalline as jade, immortal and indestructible, and his sacred soul had no flaws.
Although he was not well-known, in terms of strength, Bone You Emperor and the Three Emperors were far inferior to him.
The Bone Clan had suffered too heavily outside the royal city, losing completely. Helplessly, Yu Tian Bone Emperor had personally descended into the Kunlun Realm.
"With Zhang Ruochen's current strength, even Yan Wushen might not be able to do anything to him. It seems I need to find a way to cause Zhang Ruochen some trouble," Yu Tian Bone Emperor thought secretly.
He was not alone in this thought. Many Hell Realm powerful experts shared the same idea.
The stronger Zhang Ruochen became, the less they could allow him to continue living. Otherwise, he would surely become a major threat to the Hell Realm.
"Boom."
After a series of collisions, the world of slaughter collapsed, and all the killing intent returned to nothingness.
Zhang Ruochen's mind shifted, mobilizing a million space rules within his body, instantly condensing a Space True Domain.
Without any suppression, his Space True Domain covered an area of a thousand zhang in radius, which was already extremely vast.
Other space cultivators, even if they condensed a Space True Domain, usually did not exceed three hundred zhang.
Almost simultaneously, Yan Wushen also condensed a Space True Domain. The two Space True Domains overlapped, crushing against each other.
"Boom, rumble."
A large area of space violently trembled, revealing countless black cracks.
The Space True Domain Yan Wushen condensed was of comparable quality to Zhang Ruochen's, with neither able to gain an advantage.
Zhang Ruochen was not too surprised by this.
Yan Wushen had cultivated to Saint King Great Perfection, and his Way of Space had also reached perfection, condensing the top-tier One Yuan Space True Domain. This was only to be expected.
"Swoosh—"
With a thought, Zhang Ruochen pointed a finger, and a majestic River of Time immediately manifested.
Unlike the illusory River of Time he had summoned before, this one was extremely condensed, as if it truly existed.
His journey to the Truth Heaven Domain had finally allowed Zhang Ruochen to penetrate the mysteries of the Way of Time, successfully condensing the River of Time.
"A River of Time ten thousand zhang long—Zhang Ruochen has actually broken through the shackles. What a monster." Wan Xin's eyes showed a hint of shock.
When condensing the River of Time at the Saint King realm, the weakest was a thousand zhang long, the stronger ones could reach three thousand zhang, those exceeding five thousand zhang were rare, and the top-tier was nine thousand zhang.
As for ten thousand zhang, it was purely legendary.
Wan Xin also primarily cultivated the Way of Time and was exceptionally talented, condensing an eight-thousand-zhang River of Time, which few could match.
But compared to Zhang Ruochen, it amounted to nothing.
Even if he condensed a nine-thousand-nine-hundred-ninety-nine-zhang River of Time, the one-zhang difference was like heaven and earth.
"Master truly has good judgment. No wonder he didn't care about external appearances and chose to possess Zhang Ruochen," Wan Xin thought.
In his view, Xiu Chen Heavenly God must have seen through everything and thus made such an arrangement.
Xiu Chen Heavenly God was very special. He was not a flesh-and-blood life form but had been born from a piece of Time Divine Jade that developed intelligence and cultivated.
For this reason, Xiu Chen Heavenly God actually had no gender.
However, Xiu Chen Heavenly God's appearance was extremely beautiful, leaning more toward the feminine.
When choosing a body to possess, Xiu Chen Heavenly God had originally intended to find a suitable female body.
Unfortunately, he had never found a suitable one.
Because his original form was Time Divine Jade, ordinary people simply could not become candidates for Xiu Chen Heavenly God's possession.
Two basic conditions had to be met first: first, being a Time Controller; second, possessing the Five Elements Chaos Body.
Xiu Chen Heavenly God had become a deity through the Way of Time, so the body he possessed naturally needed to have the identity of a Time Controller.
As for the Five Elements Chaos Body, it was due to Xiu Chen Heavenly God's special original form. Ordinary physiques could not accommodate his origin.
The Five Elements Chaos Body was like a chaotic universe, highly inclusive, and time was no exception.
Time Controllers and Five Elements Chaos Bodies, though rare, could still be found in the Heavenly Court Realm and Hell Realm.
But having both conditions simultaneously was like searching for a needle in the ocean.
It was at this time that Zhang Ruochen emerged, his bone structure, physique, and identity as the heir of Xumi Saint Monk all catching Xiu Chen Heavenly God's attention, causing him to change his decision.
Xiu Chen Heavenly God had been injured by Xumi Saint Monk. If he could possess Zhang Ruochen, it would also avenge the grudge from back then.
At the same time, he could glimpse the inheritance of Xumi Saint Monk's lineage, cultivating both the Way of Space, and would surely advance further in the future.
Wan Xin now looked forward even more to Yan Wushen suppressing Zhang Ruochen. If he could possess such a perfect physical body, he wondered how powerful his master could become.
"Origin Dao Tower, suppress."
Yan Wushen shouted, and a million Origin Rules surged from within his body.
In an instant, all the Origin Rules intertwined, forming a Dao Tower ten thousand zhang tall, one zhang per layer, exactly ten thousand layers.
The Dao Tower attempted to suppress the River of Time, but the River of Time coiled around the Dao Tower like a divine dragon.
For a moment, time and origin within a large area became chaotic. Everything touched by the two forces turned to ashes.
The others in Qinghong Pavilion could not help but retreat, fearing they would be caught in the aftermath.
The power of the Eternal Dao was too terrifying. Few could remain unafraid.
Especially when wielded by Zhang Ruochen and Yan Wushen, even many Great Saint realm powerful experts would choose to steer clear.
"At the Saint King realm, they can cultivate the Eternal Dao to such a terrifying level. What kind of monsters are they?"
Inevitably, many people harbored such thoughts.
At this moment, everyone clearly recognized the gap between themselves and Zhang Ruochen and Yan Wushen.
"I can't drag this out. I must end it quickly," Zhang Ruochen thought.
Immediately, Zhang Ruochen formed a hand seal, and a vast amount of Five Elements Chaos Qi surged from his body, combining with a million Truth Rules.
In an instant, an extremely massive and unique Truth Realm Form condensed, hovering above Zhang Ruochen's head, exuding a terrifying might that suppressed heaven and earth.
Zhang Ruochen had cultivated a total of eleven sacred daos to perfection, including three Eternal Daos. This was his enormous advantage.
Yan Wushen had one fewer, precisely one Eternal Dao.
Now, by using his Truth Realm Form, he wanted to see how Yan Wushen would respond.
Eternal Daos transcended all things. When reaching Great Perfection, their power was fundamentally different from perfected supreme sacred daos, possessing an essential gap.
"A third perfected Eternal Dao—Zhang Ruochen, you truly surprise me. Very well, let me show you the supreme Yama Heavenly Dao of my Yama Clan."
Yan Wushen's eyes blazed with intense light, and a boundless amount of Primordial Hell Yama Qi surged forth.
An extremely majestic figure appeared behind Yan Wushen, wearing a crown, exuding supreme authority.
As the supreme clan of the Hell Realm, the Yama Clan held the highest status. The Yama Divine Temple had inherited ten powerful heavenly daos, the most among the ten great divine temples.
And the Yama Heavenly Dao was said to be comparable to the Eternal Daos of Nothingness and Fate, controlling the reincarnation and birth and death of all things.
However, cultivating the Yama Heavenly Dao was extremely difficult. Even within the Yama Clan, from ancient times to the present, very few had succeeded, and those who became deities through it were even rarer.
Yan Wushen was the only unparalleled genius in the past ten thousand years to have achieved some success in cultivating the Yama Heavenly Dao at the Saint King realm.
Behind that figure, various unimaginable phenomena manifested: from the opening of the universe, to the birth of all spirits, to the extinction of star rivers, to chaos giving rise to heaven and earth... cycling endlessly, shocking the heart.
A mysterious and domineering force struck out, colliding with Zhang Ruochen's Truth Realm Form.
"Boom."
The Truth Realm Form violently trembled, and a large number of stars shattered.
However, part of the force Yan Wushen had unleashed was also worn away, neither side gaining an advantage.
"Excellent Yama Heavenly Dao, Yan Wushen. You haven't disappointed me either," Zhang Ruochen said.
This was his third battle with Yan Wushen. The other's methods were endless, exceeding his expectations.
What was certain was that Yan Wushen must have only recently mastered the Yama Heavenly Dao. Otherwise, if he had used this technique earlier, the Four Heavenly Kings of the Heavenly Palace would have had no chance to fight back.
...
This chapter is nearly seven thousand words, so it's a bit late.