# Chapter 2246: Fourth Rank
"Palm Dao Sacred Intent Insights" was personally written by Xue Jue War God. The text was heavy, each character like a palm strike, surging toward Zhang Ruochen.
If Zhang Ruochen's cultivation had not reached the Great Saint realm, he probably would not have been able to read more than a few characters before spitting blood and suffering severe injury.
Zhang Ruochen held the scroll with one hand, his body as steady as a boulder. The vast and profound masculine energy within him circulated rapidly, and no matter how powerful the force of the characters, they could not harm him in the slightest.
"When writing 'Palm Dao Sacred Intent Insights,' Xue Jue War God's cultivation probably had not yet reached the Divine realm. Although each character was like a palm strike, it did not contain divine power."
Xue Jue War God was hailed as a prodigy who appeared only once in an eon. Naturally, he had unique insights into Sacred Intent. The content written in the insights was complex and obscure. Zhang Ruochen read very slowly, occasionally pausing for long periods of deep contemplation, pouring all his focus into it.
Zhou Zhen stood nearby, his eyes flickering with uncertainty, his inner struggle intense.
"Zhang Ruochen has poured all his concentration into studying and comprehending. At such close range, if I were to launch a sneak attack, the probability of success would be extremely high. As long as I suppress him and control his Sacred Soul and spirit, I can order him to take me out of Hell."
Zhou Zhen was eager to try and was about to make his move.
Suddenly, thinking of something, his heart trembled slightly. He thought to himself: "Could Zhang Ruochen be deliberately testing me?"
The more he thought about it, the more Zhou Zhen felt it was highly likely.
Why would Zhang Ruochen study "Palm Dao Sacred Intent Insights" right in front of him? Couldn't he imagine that Zhou Zhen might launch a sneak attack?
Zhou Zhen cursed inwardly, feeling that Zhang Ruochen was too cunning. Fortunately, he was smart; otherwise, the consequences of a failed sneak attack would certainly be dire.
"What should I do now? I can't defeat him, and I can't escape. Do I really have no choice but to completely surrender to Zhang Ruochen? Tell him everything?"
Although he had become a Spiritual Power Great Saint and could protect his memories, and was confident that with Zhang Ruochen's current Spiritual Power intensity, he absolutely could not seize his memories.
But Zhang Ruochen was Xue Jue War God's grandson, and this was Hell Realm.
As long as Zhang Ruochen was willing, inviting a top-tier Spiritual Power Great Saint would certainly not be difficult. At that time, could he still protect the secrets in his mind?
"Uncle Master, being in Hell, one's body is not one's own. None of this can be blamed on me." Zhou Zhen sighed deeply in his heart.
It took a full half month for Zhang Ruochen to finish reading "Palm Dao Sacred Intent Insights." The gains were enormous, giving him a deeper understanding of both the Palm Dao and Sacred Intent.
He felt some regret in his heart. He should have sought advice from Qingsheng Great Saint earlier. If he had been fully prepared before condensing his Fist Dao Sacred Intent, he might have been able to surpass the Fifth Rank.
Cultivating a single Dao to produce a Fifth Rank Sacred Intent was already an outstanding achievement for any Great Saint.
However, what Zhang Ruochen pursued was not merely outstanding, but unrivaled supremacy, or unmatched excellence under heaven.
"Cultivating Sacred Intent is not simply about fusing one type of Sacred Dao Rule. It requires a deeper understanding of that particular Dao. If one can observe the power of that Dao's Esoterica, the deeper the enlightenment, the stronger the condensed Sacred Intent will be."
Zhang Ruochen smiled and shook his head. The total amount of Palm Dao Esoterica in heaven and earth was only "one." How many gods could grasp the Palm Dao Esoterica?
Obtaining the opportunity to observe the power of Palm Dao Esoterica was no easy task.
Just as Zhang Ruochen was about to close the book, he noticed there was still a last page. However, this page seemed to be glued to the book cover, which he had overlooked earlier.
Zhang Ruochen tried to turn it, only to find that this page weighed a thousand jin.
After opening it, there was a faint palm print on the paper.
But when Zhang Ruochen looked closely, his spirit and consciousness were instantly sucked in.
The palm print became infinitely huge, like it had transformed into a universe, with each fingerprint resembling a vast star river.
"This is... a Palm Dao Esoterica Imprint. Excellent!" Zhang Ruochen said.
There was no need to guess; it must have been left for him by Xue Jue War God.
Since Xue Jue War God had cultivated Palm Dao Sacred Intent when he was a Great Saint, after becoming a god, he must have grasped part of the Palm Dao Esoterica.
Sitting cross-legged at the center of this palm heaven and earth, Zhang Ruochen entered a state of complete immersion in Dao comprehension.
At this moment, Xue Jue War God, who was sitting together with Ming Wang and Xue Hou, sensed something and said, "The second type of Sacred Intent he plans to cultivate is the Palm Dao."
Xue Hou said, "Chen'er's main cultivation focuses are Sword Dao, Time Dao, and Space Dao. Cultivating Fist Dao Sacred Intent and Palm Dao Sacred Intent first should just be practice."
"The further you go, the harder it gets. If it were me, I would first condense Time Sacred Intent and Space Sacred Intent, then Sword Dao Sacred Intent. As for other Sacred Intents, I would condense as many as I could later; they aren't that important anyway." Ming Wang said.
Xue Jue War God said, "You are a pure sword cultivator, so taking that path is not wrong. However, Zhang Ruochen will definitely take the path of fusing Sacred Intents, so every type of Sacred Intent he cultivates is very important. In the end, it will determine whether he can fuse a Second Rank Sacred Intent."
Xue Hou said, "Chen'er's first condensed Fist Dao Sacred Intent reached the Fifth Rank, which is already top-tier."
Xue Jue War God shook his head, "In the Saint King realm, he cultivated Fist Dao Sacred Intent to perfection. Condensing a Fifth Rank Sacred Intent can only be considered passing."
Xue Hou knew that Xue Jue War God had very high standards and held great expectations for Zhang Ruochen, which was why he used the word "passing" to describe Zhang Ruochen's performance.
"After all, the Fist Dao is not one of Chen'er's three main cultivated Daos." Xue Hou said.
For the vast majority of Great Saints, they could only cultivate one type of Sacred Intent. But from beginning to end, they never considered whether Zhang Ruochen could condense a second, third, or even more Sacred Intents.
Because they felt that Zhang Ruochen condensing multiple Sacred Intents was a matter of course.
The key was only how many he could condense.
Ming Wang said, "If Zhang Ruochen's three main cultivated Daos can all reach the Fourth Rank, and his other non-main cultivated Daos all reach the Fifth Rank, then fusing a Second Rank Sacred Intent in the future won't be too difficult."
Xue Jue War God nodded slightly, "It depends on whether he can bring us unexpected surprises."
Fusing a Second Rank Sacred Intent was their greatest expectation for Zhang Ruochen.
To be precise, many major figures in Hell Realm were paying close attention to Zhang Ruochen and Yan Wushen, wanting to know which of the two could condense a Second Rank Sacred Intent.
Whoever succeeded would be the representative figure of this eon, worthy of being recorded in history.
Xue Jue War God said, "That crazy old man from the Yama Clan sent me a message yesterday. Yan Wushen has already condensed three types of Sacred Intent: two Fifth Rank and one Fourth Rank."
Xue Hou said, "Yan Wushen can freely enter the Yama Divine Hall for cultivation, and his Spiritual Power is strong, which greatly helps in condensing Sacred Intent. It's only natural that he is one step ahead. Chen'er has the Sundial to assist him; catching up is just a matter of time. There's even a good chance he will surpass him."
Ming Wang said, "I'm somewhat looking forward to seeing what rank of Palm Dao Sacred Intent Zhang Ruochen can condense. Is there a possibility he might surprise us and condense a Fourth Rank?"
"The probability is very low... Eh..."
Xue Jue War God's expression changed slightly.
"What's wrong?" Xue Hou asked.
A rare smile appeared in Xue Jue War God's eyes, "Interesting! Very interesting! The Palm Dao Esoterica Imprint I left for Zhang Ruochen is profound and vast, containing infinite subtleties. I once had Qingsheng study it, but even after a hundred years, he could only analyze fifty percent. But Zhang Ruochen..."
"He just started analyzing; has he already entered the door?" Ming Wang said.
Xue Jue War God nodded, "Let's wait and see. I really want to know how fast his analysis speed is."
One hour later.
Xue Jue War God said, "Analyzed ten percent."
Two hours later.
"Analyzed twenty percent."
...
Six hours later.
"Analyzed fifty percent."
Ming Wang and Xue Hou exchanged a glance. Even with their state of mind, strange changes appeared on their faces.
In just six hours, it was comparable to Qingsheng Great Saint's hundred years of bitter cultivation?
Qingsheng Great Saint had managed to cultivate to the Supreme Realm; he was certainly no mediocre person. How could the gap be so huge?
Even if Zhang Ruochen had the Sundial to assist him, six hours of cultivation was only half a year.
Ming Wang laughed, "Fortunately, Third Brother isn't here; otherwise, he would definitely suffer a severe blow. If I were him, I wouldn't be able to hold my head up in front of Zhang Ruochen from now on."
Ten hours later.
"Analyzed ninety percent."
Xue Jue War God said, "It should be about time to stop. For an Immortal Realm Great Saint, analyzing an Esoterica Imprint to ninety percent is already the limit. Continuing to analyze would just be a waste of time."
Just as Xue Jue War God was about to withdraw the Palm Dao Esoterica Imprint, he was surprised to detect that Zhang Ruochen's analysis degree had reached ninety-one percent.
"How can he still analyze?"
This time, even Xue Jue War God could not remain calm.
A fast analysis speed proved high comprehension, which was still within the realm of understanding.
But the analysis degree had a barrier; how could it exceed ninety percent?
Amid Xue Jue War God's astonishment, Zhang Ruochen spent another two hours analyzing the Palm Dao Esoterica Imprint to one hundred percent.
Upon learning the news, Xue Hou smiled happily, "Third Brother analyzed fifty percent and was able to condense a Fifth Rank Palm Dao Sacred Intent. Chen'er had perfect Palm Dao Rules in the Saint King realm, and now he has analyzed the Palm Dao Esoterica Imprint to one hundred percent. It seems very likely he will condense a Fourth Rank Palm Dao Sacred Intent."
Qingsheng Great Saint's main Palm Dao Sacred Intent was only Fifth Rank. It was only after fusing it with another Sacred Intent he had condensed that he cultivated a Fourth Rank Sacred Intent.
"The Palm Dao is not his main cultivated Dao. Whether he can condense a Fourth Rank Sacred Intent is still unknown." Ming Wang said.
A Fourth Rank Sacred Intent was the limit that a single Dao could condense.
The difficulty of condensing it was more than ten times that of a Fifth Rank Sacred Intent.
...
Zhou Zhen had been staying in the Star Character Palace, on the verge of collapse.
Reading a book, Zhang Ruochen had been at it for an entire year. In the end, even though Zhou Zhen knew that Zhang Ruochen had definitely entered a state of complete immersion, for some reason, he still dared not make a move.
In his heart, he was always afraid of this and that.
"Swoosh—"
The Palm Dao Esoterica Imprint flew out of the book and disappeared.
Zhang Ruochen fully awakened, savoring the experience for a long moment. With a "snap," he closed the book heavily and put it back on the bookshelf.
Zhou Zhen immediately put away his impatient expression, stepped forward, and said with a smile, "Ruochen Great Saint has finally finished reading? I've thought it through very clearly. I can tell you everything."
This year had worn down Zhou Zhen's heart.
After countless hesitations and denials, now, even if Zhang Ruochen were lying before him severely wounded and dying, Zhou Zhen probably wouldn't dare to make a move against him.
Zhang Ruochen glanced at Zhou Zhen, revealing a meaningful smile, and nodded slightly, "Speak."
After a year of testing, Zhou Zhen still hadn't dared to launch a sneak attack.
The little threat Zhou Zhen posed had been completely exhausted.
Although Zhang Ruochen had been fully immersed in comprehending and analyzing the Palm Dao Esoterica Imprint, the artifact spirit of the Seven Star Divine Palace, Huang Tian, had been there all along. If Zhou Zhen had truly attacked, he would have been suppressed before his attack even reached Zhang Ruochen.
After listening to Zhou Zhen's account, Zhang Ruochen remembered one name: Kailuo Dishi.
This person was Zhou Zhen's uncle master and one of the most top-tier Formation Earth Masters of Array-Destroying Palace. He was one of the cultivators closest to becoming a Formation Heavenly Master in the Heavenly Court Myriad Realms.
It was Kailuo Dishi who had involved Zhou Zhen in the plan.
It was indeed Zhou Zhen and Shentu Yun Kong who had given the spatial coordinates of Qinghong Pavilion to Hell Realm. They had also personally handed the Sacred Blood of the Nine Heavens Mysterious Maiden to Yan Wushen.
Of course, Yan Wushen did not know their identities.
"The things Zhou Zhen knows are indeed not much. In this operation, who is the true giant of the Paradise Realm faction that made contact with Hell Realm? That Kailuo Dishi should know more."
Zhang Ruochen very much wanted to personally clean up those behind-the-scenes manipulators in the Heavenly Court, but he was beyond reach. Moreover, with his current cultivation, even if he returned, he would be far from a match for Kailuo Dishi.
"First, condense the Palm Dao Sacred Intent."
With the assistance of Truth Esoterica and the Heart of Truth, Zhang Ruochen's speed in analyzing the Palm Dao Esoterica Imprint far exceeded that of other cultivators.
Now, he had full confidence in condensing the Palm Dao Sacred Intent.
Zhang Ruochen did not leave the Seven Star Divine Palace. Instead, he used his Spiritual Power to recall the five Saint Forms that had been sitting beneath the Sundial comprehending Sacred Dao Rules, merging them with his true body.
Then, he took out the Purple Gold Gourd and flew inside.
He also took out the Eon-level Divine Illumination Lotus and sat cross-legged at its center, quickly adjusting himself to his optimal state.
With the assistance of the Purple Gold Gourd and the Eon-level Divine Illumination Lotus, Zhang Ruochen's condensation of the Palm Dao Sacred Intent proceeded smoothly and naturally, succeeding in just six days.
Fourth Rank — Blood Sun Sacred Intent.
The ten wings on his back fully spread, his skin turned blood-red, and streams of flame flowed around his body, releasing a temperature as scorching as the blazing sun.
"So condensing a Fourth Rank Sacred Intent isn't that difficult either... Not good, what's happening..."
Zhang Ruochen had just opened his eyes, not yet able to rejoice, when something unexpected occurred.
The masculine energy, over a million times that of an ordinary person, suddenly went out of control and erupted. It was as if billions of rivers of magma were surging within his body, then converging together, rushing along his spine toward his brain.