Chapter 2193: Pressing Forward, Marching Toward Death
Outside the Kunlun Realm, space had become extremely unstable, trembling incessantly, with power of nothingness seeping out, gradually eroding this stretch of starry sky.
The root cause was the large-scale divine war raging between the Heavenly Court Realm and the Hell Realm.
Prolonged combat within the void space would prove taxing even for powerful deities, and the slightest carelessness could result in erosion by the power of nothingness.
This time, the Heavenly Court Realm was led by the War God Bian Zhuang and the Truth Temple Lord, forming an exceptionally formidable lineup that had held a considerable advantage from the very beginning.
Moreover, they had slain deities from the Hell Realm.
As a result, after a series of fierce battles, the gods of the Hell Realm had begun to contemplate retreat.
With the gods of the Heavenly Court Realm obstructing them, even if they now locked onto the spatial coordinates of the Peach Tree, it would be extremely difficult for them to succeed.
The Truth Temple Lord was thoroughly enraged. Releasing all restraints, her divine body swelled to become larger than a planet, and her vast divine power transformed into a nebula that swirled around her.
Hundreds of billions of Truth Rules flew out from within the Truth Temple Lord's body, intertwining with one another and rapidly coalescing into an immensely vast chaotic universe, within which countless rivers of stars flowed, boundless and without end.
Seeing this, Desolate Heaven's gaze sharpened. He quickly released his own Truth Rules, condensing them into his Truth Realm Form.
Like the Truth Temple Lord, he was a peerless genius who cultivated the Way of Truth, having manifested the rare "Boundless Universe" Truth Realm Form.
"Boom."
The two Truth Realm Forms, each as vast as a chaotic universe, collided head-on.
On the surface, there was little difference between the two Truth Realm Forms.
Yet, when the collision actually occurred, the Truth Realm Form that Desolate Heaven had condensed immediately revealed its flaws, being crushed and torn apart by massive fissures.
"Bang."
Within Desolate Heaven's Truth Realm Form, countless stars exploded. The entire chaotic universe collapsed rapidly, an irreversible decline.
"Not good."
Desolate Heaven's heart sank as the pressure multiplied.
Immediately, he raised his stone axe, unleashing a surge of divine power to shield himself.
"Boom."
Desolate Heaven's Truth Realm Form completely exploded, and the terrifying force engulfed his divine body.
Although he was a Truth Envoy, possessing one percent of the Truth Esoterica, and his condensed Truth Realm Form was of the highest caliber, compared to the Truth Temple Lord, his achievements on the Way of Truth were still far behind.
Crushed by the Truth Temple Lord's Truth Realm Form, even with the stone axe to defend himself, Desolate Heaven suffered severe damage. A small portion of his extremely hard stone body shattered, sealing his defeat.
"Betraying your master and ancestors, betraying the Truth Temple, betraying the Heavenly Court Realm—Desolate Heaven, you must pay the price for this." The Truth Temple Lord looked down at the suppressed Desolate Heaven, her gaze cold and resolute.
As she spoke, the Truth Temple Lord reached out a hand. It was immense, containing a starry sky within, with rivers of stars spinning, releasing an overwhelmingly terrifying force as it pressed down toward Desolate Heaven.
Desolate Heaven's pupils contracted as he clearly sensed an enormous threat.
"Merge, Shatter Void."
Desolate Heaven let out a fierce roar from his throat.
Instantly, his damaged stone body fused with the stone axe.
The stone axe had always been born together with Desolate Heaven; the two shared the same origin, as if they were one. When fused, they could unleash their greatest power.
However, given Desolate Heaven's formidable strength, few had ever forced him to merge with the stone axe.
Now, he chose to do so not for a bloody battle, but to escape. The Truth Temple Lord was absurdly powerful, beyond what he could currently contend with.
"Boom."
The stone axe released a sky-shaking divine power, breaking free from the suppression of the Truth Realm Form in one move.
At the same time, the stone axe shattered the void, piercing through the river of stars and the universe, flying out from the void space.
"Stay right here."
The Truth Temple Lord shouted, her outstretched hand grabbing directly for the stone axe.
However, the stone axe's speed was astonishing. In an instant, it had fled far beyond the vast starry sky.
"Boom, boom."
In the starry sky, planets exploded one after another, unable to withstand the impact of the stone axe's flight. Since his birth, Desolate Heaven had rarely been chased so disgracefully.
The Truth Temple Lord took a step forward, closely following the stone axe, clearly not intending to let Desolate Heaven off so easily.
Seeing Desolate Heaven defeated and fleeing, the gods of the Hell Realm lost all will to fight and retreated one after another.
With that, this divine war had essentially come to an end.
Deities from the Hell Realm had fallen, so this time, the Heavenly Court Realm had gained the upper hand.
...
Inside the Azure Rainbow Pavilion.
Zhang Ruochen's hair bristled with rage. Holding the Imperial Emperor Divine Ruler, he shrank the earth into an inch, taking a single step to arrive at the spatial rift.
But by now, the elites of the Ten Clans of Hell had already retreated onto the Void Chaos Bridge, rushing at top speed toward the spatial rift on the other side.
Wan Xin was the fastest; in the blink of an eye, he was already out of sight.
Yan Wushen stood atop the Void Chaos Bridge, blocking Zhang Ruochen's path.
"Yan Wushen, you dare to block me? Do you really think I can't kill you? Anyone who blocks me today dies."
Zhang Ruochen's gaze was icy cold as he swung the Imperial Emperor Divine Ruler, slashing it toward Yan Wushen.
"Then let's fight."
Yan Wushen's expression was extremely grave. With a wave of his hand, over a dozen powerful war artifacts flew out, meeting the Imperial Emperor Divine Ruler.
These war artifacts had belonged to the strong ones of the three clans whom Zhang Ruochen had killed earlier, and Yan Wushen had collected them. Each war artifact was extremely powerful; the weakest could rival a Monarch Sacred Artifact, and several could even compare to a Supreme Sacred Artifact.
No matter what, he had to buy time for the cultivators of the Hell Realm to retreat.
Even if Zhang Ruochen wielded a divine artifact, he was unafraid.
"Crack."
The moment the Imperial Emperor Divine Ruler swung out, a war artifact emitted a sound of cracking, then shattered into bright fragments that scattered.
Before a divine artifact, even a Monarch Sacred Artifact was little different from scrap metal.
After destroying seven war artifacts in a row, Zhang Ruochen's strike was finally blocked.
"Rumble."
Just then, the Void Chaos Bridge beneath them shook violently, rapidly crumbling into nothingness.
This was because the gods of the Hell Realm had retreated, and the Void Chaos Bridge had lost the control of the deities.
However, taking advantage of the gap created by Yan Wushen blocking Zhang Ruochen, the top-tier Saint Kings of the Ten Clans of Hell had all withdrawn from the void space, suffering no further casualties.
Yan Wushen used a space treasure to protect himself, commanding the remaining war artifacts as he rapidly retreated backward.
The erosive power of nothingness was terrifying. Even the space treasure, after sustaining it for a few breaths, began to show cracks.
Yan Wushen's thick brows furrowed deeply. He knew he could not remain in the void space any longer. "According to the agreement between me and Xiu Chen Heavenly God, this battle was supposed to defeat you completely and bring your physical body back to the Hell Realm for it to possess. Unfortunately, with the Imperial Emperor Divine Ruler in your hands, I cannot do anything to you."
"Since Wan Xin has captured Chi Kongle, it means he has already decided to use Chi Kongle as your replacement."
Leaving these words behind, Yan Wushen took out a spindle-shaped space treasure, shattered a section of space behind him, leaped up, and left this void world.
The reason Yan Wushen revealed Xiu Chen Heavenly God's secret was to lure Zhang Ruochen to the Hell Realm. He felt that his struggle with Zhang Ruochen would only truly be decided when they reached the Great Saint Realm.
If Zhang Ruochen went to the Hell Realm, they would have more opportunities to clash.
"Zhang Ruochen, you are my whetstone. With your existence, I can become stronger." Yan Wushen's voice drifted over, echoing through the void space.
...
...
"Xiu Chen Heavenly God... possession..." Zhang Ruochen's eyes filled with dense bloodshot veins, as if he were about to fall into demonic madness.
So, Wan Xin had captured Chi Kongle to deliver her to a deity of the Hell Realm for possession.
And the result of possession meant that Chi Kongle's sacred soul would be devoured, leaving only an empty shell.
Thinking of all this, no matter how steady his state of mind, it became chaotic.
Zhang Ruochen gritted his teeth, speaking repeatedly, "No, no... impossible. Kongle absolutely cannot be harmed, absolutely cannot come to harm."
"Boom."
Zhang Ruochen swung the Imperial Emperor Divine Ruler, forcibly tearing space open, charging out of the void space and appearing in the sky outside the Central Imperial City. He plummeted to the ground, causing a large area of the earth to sink beneath his feet.
Even though Wan Xin had already fled far away, Zhang Ruochen locked onto his aura in the very first moment.
"Wan Xin!"
Zhang Ruochen let out a furious roar, shaking space and causing the ground to tremble as he chased at extreme speed.
Outside the Central Imperial City, the cultivators of the Hell Realm had made various preparations, setting up hundreds or even thousands of grand formations for defense and spatial blockade, making it impossible to perform a Great Space Teleportation.
"Zhang Ruochen has quite the nerve, chasing us all the way out of the city!"
"Damn it, does he really think he's invincible under heaven? Outside the city is the camp of our Hell Realm's sacred army, with experts as numerous as clouds. How can he be allowed to act so recklessly?"
"Hmph, he's asking for death. Even with a divine artifact in hand, what of it? He'll still die today."
The strong ones of the Hell Realm who had just escaped from the Azure Rainbow Pavilion all turned their gazes toward Zhang Ruochen, each exuding a murderous aura.
Inside the Azure Rainbow Pavilion, they had been forced to flee in panic by Zhang Ruochen, their mission a failure. Everyone had pent-up anger, and now they could finally vent it.
"Kill Zhang Ruochen."
The leaders of the various clans gave the order simultaneously.
Instantly, countless cultivators of the Hell Realm struck out, unleashing war artifacts, sacred arts, talismans, and more, raining down on Zhang Ruochen in a sky-covering barrage.
The Heavenly and Earthly Rules and sacred qi within ten thousand miles became turbulent, vaguely coalescing into a terrifying storm.
Even a Great Saint, let alone a Saint King, would be annihilated in both divine form and spirit.
Zhang Ruochen flew through the air, radiating a sky-shaking killing intent. He poured his sacred qi without reservation into the Imperial Emperor Divine Ruler, swinging it forward with all his might.
He only wanted to rescue Chi Kongle now. Whoever stood in his way, he would cleave apart.
The Imperial Emperor Divine Ruler bloomed with a dazzling, radiant jade divine light. Hundreds of billions of divine patterns emerged clearly, releasing a vast, ocean-like, domineering divine power.
"Boom."
The many attacks from the Hell Realm cultivators were all dissolved by the divine power of the Imperial Emperor Divine Ruler.
However, Zhang Ruochen still suffered a considerable impact. His body involuntarily staggered backward, blood qi surged violently within him, and he spat out a large mouthful of sacred blood.
As the saying goes, two fists are no match for four hands, and Zhang Ruochen now faced tens of millions of sacred army soldiers from the Hell Realm. It was no different from a moth flying into a flame.
"All formation masters, set up formations immediately! Set up killing formations to block the path ahead."
A Heavenly King of the Shura Clan gave the order loudly.
He knew why Zhang Ruochen had charged out of the city, so no matter what, he would not let Zhang Ruochen catch up to Wan Xin.
The strong ones of the Hell Realm who had participated in the Azure Rainbow Pavilion battle also understood Zhang Ruochen's intent. They rushed ahead of him, blocking his path and continuously launching attacks. This was a golden opportunity to kill Zhang Ruochen, a great enemy of the Hell Realm.
Given Zhang Ruochen's methods, if he chose to retreat—whether left, right, or backward—even with the overwhelming numbers of Hell Realm cultivators, it would be difficult to keep him pinned down.
But if he continued forward, it could only be a path to death.
From within the Hell Realm camp, a large number of formation masters rushed out, setting up formations at the fastest possible speed.
On the surface, the Hell Realm had sent ten Formation Earth Masters, but in reality, there were far more, and the number of Formation Saint Masters was even greater.
With the combined strength of hundreds of formation masters, the killing formation they could deploy would inevitably be immensely powerful, easily capable of annihilating even a Great Saint.
Zhang Ruochen's gaze was firm, revealing a look of resolve. Without a trace of fear, he walked through the air, pressing straight forward.
In the blink of an eye, Zhang Ruochen was surrounded by a massive army of sacred realm cultivators from the Hell Realm. Figures filled the sky and covered the earth on all sides, impenetrable, with the clamor of battle resounding everywhere.
Led by the leaders of the various clans, they formed powerful battle formations, capable of both offense and defense.
Clearly, everyone was extremely wary of the Imperial Emperor Divine Ruler, none daring to face it alone.
After all, inside the Azure Rainbow Pavilion, the top experts of the ten clans had all witnessed Zhang Ruochen casually slay seven strong ones with the Imperial Emperor Divine Ruler, and even Yan Wushen had nearly met his doom.
"Boom."
Zhang Ruochen swung the ruler, sending hundreds of sacred realm cultivators from the Hell Realm flying. Their bodies, still in midair, turned to ashes of calamity, all annihilated.
But Zhang Ruochen also paid a price.
Jiang Lin and Tian Xuan, leading an army of ten thousand sacred realm cultivators from the Corpse Clan, condensed a grayish-brown blade that broke through Zhang Ruochen's defenses, slashing into his waist. Blood gushed out like a fountain.
This strike nearly cut Zhang Ruochen in half.
Zhang Ruochen did not fall. He stood up again, sending Jiang Lin, Tian Xuan, and the entire ten-thousand-strong Corpse Clan army flying. Among them, over a thousand turned into corpses, falling from the sky and shattering into pieces upon hitting the ground.
But soon, another wave of sacred realm cultivators from the Hell Realm surged forward, blocking Zhang Ruochen's path ahead like a flood.
They sealed off his retreat, leaving no gap.
"Pfft."
Charging forward three hundred miles, he left behind a trail of corpses and blood.
Zhang Ruochen's body bore more wounds. His chest had been pierced, his ribs were nearly all shattered, and his internal organs were mangled.
Yet his gaze remained fixed on the direction Wan Xin had fled.
"Kongle..."
Zhang Ruochen shouted, his voice carrying a hint of sorrow.
Blood flowed from his hair, as his skull had also cracked open. But there was no trace of defeat in him. Instead, the battle intent within him blazed, his killing aura soaring to the heavens as he continued to swing the Imperial Emperor Divine Ruler forward.
The commotion outside the city was so great that it naturally drew the attention of many strong ones within the city.
The Imperial City housed tens of millions of sacred realm soldiers from the Heavenly Court Realm. Those who had rushed to the Azure Rainbow Pavilion earlier were only a small portion, and the top experts were limited to those who had ties with Zhang Ruochen.
Now, many leaders of the various great worlds had arrived atop the city walls, gazing into the distance.
"What exactly happened? What drove Zhang Ruochen to such madness?"
"That's divine power! Could the artifact in Zhang Ruochen's hand be the legendary Imperial Emperor Divine Ruler, capable of measuring the cultivation of Saint Kings, Great Saints, and deities?"
"Does Zhang Ruochen think that with a single divine artifact, he can stand against tens of millions of sacred realm soldiers from the Hell Realm? If that were the case, why would the Heavenly Court Realm have summoned armies from all the great worlds?"
"Zhang Ruochen is already surrounded by the Hell Realm army. Even if he wanted to retreat now, it's too late."
...
The events inside the Azure Rainbow Pavilion were not yet widely known outside.
The leader of the Demon God Realm, Heavenly Peng Prince, furrowed his brow and murmured, "If Zhang Ruochen dies, it will inevitably have a major impact on the morale of the Heavenly Court Realm's side."
He was considering whether to lend a hand at this moment.
Given Zhang Ruochen's abilities, if someone helped him, he might still have a chance to withdraw.
But accomplishing this would require the combined strength of many experts. Even if Heavenly Peng Prince had the will, others might not be willing.
Rescuing Zhang Ruochen was no small matter; it would surely cost many lives, and any world's leader would have to weigh the decision carefully.
Zhou Yu also stood atop the city wall, a sharp glint flashing in his eyes. "Zhang Ruochen, you're walking right into death. You can blame no one. You killed many geniuses of the Heavenly Realm Faction. Even if you don't die at the hands of the Hell Realm's strong ones, the Heavenly Realm Faction will never let you go."
No matter what others thought, Zhou Yu was hoping Zhang Ruochen would be killed quickly.
As long as Zhang Ruochen lived, he posed a great threat to Zhou Yu.
Ever since learning that the Heavenly Realm Faction's plan to ambush Zhang Ruochen had failed, Zhou Yu had been living in fear, dreading that Zhang Ruochen would come to settle accounts with him.
In the current situation, Zhou Yu was undoubtedly the most pleased.