Chapter 2247: Inner Demons Grow Fierce
Zhang Ruochen mobilized all the sacred Qi in his body to protect his spiritual platform in his brain, preventing his mental will from being overwhelmed by the overwhelming masculine energy.
"Crackle."
His body ignited, flames rolling fiercely, his skin glowing like hot iron, his hair like golden threads.
Fortunately, Zhang Ruochen's undying body and demigod physique were strong enough. If it had been any other Undying Realm Great Saint, struck by a millionfold surge of masculine energy, they would have surely been burned to ashes.
"All along, I have used the water attribute power contained in my fist path to restrain the fire attribute power of my palm path. But this time, the grade of the Sacred Intent I condensed is different, breaking the balance between the two."
Zhang Ruochen's figure flickered, crossing space, and landed on the Cosmic Void Cold Ice Stone inside the gourd. He sat down cross-legged.
He spread his hands and slowly raised them upward, drawing the power of the Cosmic Void Cold Ice Stone into his brow's Qi Sea. Then, following his meridians and sacred channels, it surged to every part of his body, suppressing the masculine energy.
"Roar!"
"Bellow!"
From his left and right arms, the sounds of dragon roars and elephant trumpets rang out.
Three Hundred Shackles Realm-level dragon souls and elephant souls burst forth from his arms, manifesting on his left and right sides. The six souls also erupted with fierce masculine power, like wild horses breaking free, rushing from his arms along his neck toward his head.
At the same time, the blood within his body ignited, emitting deafening phoenix cries.
His demigod physique had been nurtured using the divine blood of a Blood Phoenix at the God Realm. The Blood Phoenix's divine blood had originally fully merged with his own blood.
But now, a change occurred.
Previously, Zhang Ruochen was always in peak condition. Even if there were hidden dangers, he could suppress them with his powerful cultivation. But now, all the hidden dangers erupted at once in an instant.
With a resounding phoenix cry, an enormous Blood Phoenix phantom appeared above Zhang Ruochen's head, its wings spread wide, boundless and vast.
Compared to it, the three dragons and three elephants were like three earthworms and three ants.
"It's the remnant soul of the Blood Phoenix."
Even when a god falls, remnant souls linger between heaven and earth, never completely extinguished.
That Blood Phoenix released powerful divine soul energy, assaulting Zhang Ruochen's mental will, trying to break him down, then seize his body and replace him.
If it were a true divine soul, Zhang Ruochen would certainly be unable to withstand it.
But it was just a remnant soul, lacking the ability to seize Zhang Ruochen's body. Of course, its eruption at this moment caused considerable trouble for Zhang Ruochen, making it even harder for him to suppress the masculine energy.
Just as Zhang Ruochen was going all out to suppress the masculine energy, the three dragons and three elephants, and the Blood Phoenix's remnant soul, a fourth force erupted.
This fourth force originated from his left leg.
Zhang Ruochen's left leg had merged with the Blazing God's divine leg. Now, dense blazing patterns emerged on his leg, releasing a devastating divine flame power that surged from his leg to his abdomen, merging with the millionfold masculine energy.
Zhang Ruochen could defeat a Hundred Shackles Realm peak Great Saint with his Undying Realm mid-stage cultivation because his body contained all sorts of incredible powers.
These powers, while making him stronger than cultivators at the same level, also carried enormous hidden dangers.
The four hidden dangers erupted simultaneously, pushing Zhang Ruochen's body to the brink of collapse. His long hair flew wildly, and his ten golden wings converted the sacred Qi in his body into surging blood fiend Qi. His mental state was greatly affected, his thoughts chaotic, and his mind filled with various negative emotions: bloodlust, greed, lust, devouring, cruelty.
Everyone has a demon living inside them.
As one's cultivation grows stronger, the demon also becomes more powerful, occasionally jumping out to influence the original self's mind and judgment.
Just then, the voice of the Sky-Connecting Divine Tree rang in Zhang Ruochen's mind: "Your crisis stems from your inability to suppress the masculine energy within you, allowing other hidden dangers to take the opportunity to erupt. You can try merging the fist path Sacred Intent and the palm path Sacred Intent. That might temporarily suppress the masculine energy."
Zhang Ruochen clenched his teeth, his eyes bloodshot, and asked, "How do I merge them?"
"Follow the method I teach you, step by step."
Then, the Sky-Connecting Divine Tree's voice transmitted sentence by sentence into Zhang Ruochen's mind, guiding him to merge the two Sacred Intents in the optimal way.
Although the Sky-Connecting Divine Tree's combat power was very weak, it was a wise being.
It had once been one of the longest-lived beings in the universe, with profound knowledge of heaven and earth, cultivation, and all things. Even gods could not compare to it.
In the Kunlun Realm, countless gods had listened to its teachings to reach the God Realm.
Calling it the "Teacher of Gods" was not an exaggeration.
Under the guidance of the Sky-Connecting Divine Tree, Zhang Ruochen simultaneously mobilized the Blood Sun Sacred Intent and the Nine Shocks Sacred Intent, making them merge.
The Blood Sun Sacred Intent was like a blazing star, constantly burning and releasing astonishing destructive force. The Nine Shocks Sacred Intent was like a wave, layer upon layer.
As soon as the two Sacred Intents touched, they violently shook, each resisting the other.
"Boom, rumble."
Zhang Ruochen's body was already being torn apart by the Blazing God Leg, the Blood Phoenix's remnant soul, and the three dragons and three elephants. With the addition of the opposing forces from the two Sacred Intents, even his demigod body felt agonizing pain, as if it were about to split into pieces.
"Merging Sacred Intents is an extremely difficult task. Not even one in a hundred Great Saints can succeed. You must combine your own internal and external forces, using three powers simultaneously as aids."
"The internal power can be provided by the Qiankun Realm."
"The external power can be provided by the Purple Gold Gourd."
Following the Sky-Connecting Divine Tree's instructions, Zhang Ruochen's ten golden wings released ten streams of blood fiend Qi, activating the Purple Gold Gourd. Inside the gourd, the Destruction Golden Sun and the Cosmic Void Cold Ice Stone rapidly spun, pulling him to the center of the vortex.
At the same time, the Qiankun Realm pressed down from above the Blood Sun Sacred Intent and the Nine Shocks Sacred Intent. This way, even if the two Sacred Intents fiercely repelled each other, the opposing force they generated could not affect Zhang Ruochen's physical body.
Merging Sacred Intents was an extremely slow process, taking an entire month.
After the two Sacred Intents merged, they were still unstable and would need a long time to harmonize.
"Blood Sun and Nine Shocks have merged, giving birth to the Tenth Shock. The Sacred Intent should have reached the third grade. I'll call it the Blood Sun Ten Shocks Sacred Intent," Zhang Ruochen thought to himself.
Every Great Saint's merged Sacred Intent was unique and could be named by themselves.
With the palm path Sacred Intent and fist path Sacred Intent merged, the millionfold masculine energy within Zhang Ruochen's body became somewhat milder, no longer as fierce and violent as before.
Although Zhang Ruochen's mental will was still affected by negative emotions, he could maintain his rationality. He forcibly suppressed the masculine energy, the Blood Phoenix's remnant soul, the three dragons and three elephants, and the flame divine power.
The Sky-Connecting Divine Tree's voice sounded again: "The masculine energy within you is still unbalanced. I suggest that the third Sacred Intent you cultivate next should be the Water Path Sacred Intent of the Five Elements. Only by merging the Water Path Sacred Intent into the Blood Sun Ten Shocks Sacred Intent can you achieve balance. Of course, you must be fully prepared, as new crises may arise then."
Zhang Ruochen nodded and said, "I understand. Thank you for your guidance."
The Sky-Connecting Divine Tree spoke solemnly: "Zhang Ruochen, you have exceptional talent, a demigod physique, and a Five Elements Chaos Undying Sacred Body. Whether it's the millionfold masculine energy, the Blood Phoenix's remnant soul, the three dragons and three elephants, or the Blazing God Leg's flame divine power, they are unlikely to cause you lasting harm."
"The greatest source of trouble is your own inner demons, which have grown stronger."
"At this stage, the impact is not too great. With your mental will, you can suppress it. But when you reach the Thousand Questions Realm and the Ten Thousand Deaths One Life Realm, it will certainly create enormous obstacles and fatal threats."
Star Character Palace.
"Swoosh!"
Zhang Ruochen flew out of the Purple Gold Gourd, his ten wings still spread, his entire body emitting chaotic, fierce, and sharp blood fiend Qi.
Zhou Zhen, who had been waiting nearby, was pushed back four steps by the fiendish energy radiating from him.
"You... what's wrong with you?"
Zhou Zhen looked at Zhang Ruochen, feeling a sense of unfamiliarity.
At this moment, Zhang Ruochen's face was twisted, his eyes filled with wild and sharp light. Just one glance from him made Zhou Zhen's heart tremble with fear.
Ignoring Zhou Zhen, Zhang Ruochen walked outside.
With each step, Zhang Ruochen's spirit and aura changed.
By the time he stepped out of the palace gate, he had fully recovered, forcibly suppressing all negative emotions. At least on the surface, he seemed no different from before.
Mo Yin approached him and said, "Master, during the time you were in seclusion, several cultivators came wanting to visit you. Do you want to see them?"
"Who are they?" Zhang Ruochen asked.
"Princess Luo Sha of the Heavenly Luo Divine Kingdom..."
Zhang Ruochen's gaze fixed on the direction of the Sundial, where he saw a slender figure sitting cross-legged on the ground. "No need to say more. I've already seen her."
Mo Yin said, "Forgive me, Master. I tried to stop her, but she claimed she had already reached an agreement with you and insisted on cultivating within the Sundial's range. She was accompanied by a Great Saint-level corpse, and I couldn't stop her."
"I do have an agreement with her. Let her stay and cultivate here. But she must provide the divine stones used to operate the Sundial," Zhang Ruochen said.
Mo Yin smiled and said, "Princess Luo Sha has indeed been providing the divine stones these past few times."
"A few times? What do you mean?"
"The divine stones on the Sundial have been replaced four times."
Zhang Ruochen frowned and asked, "How long was I in seclusion in the Seven Stars Imperial Palace?"
"A little over a day," Mo Yin said.
Zhang Ruochen said, "Placing two divine stones on the Sundial at once can keep it running for two days. Why did it need to be replaced four times in just over a day?"
Mo Yin said, "I don't understand either. The consumption rate of the divine stones has increased several times."
Zhang Ruochen pondered silently, muttering to himself, "Could it be because I was cultivating inside the Seven Stars Imperial Palace and the Purple Gold Gourd?"
Previously, the Sundial's range only covered a radius of two hundred zhang, but when he fought Xiu Chen Heavenly God in the Time Sea, it showed signs of awakening. It must have been from that point that the Sundial's coverage expanded.
Although the Seven Stars Imperial Palace was within the Sundial's two-hundred-zhang range, its internal space was enormous, certainly exceeding two hundred zhang. Perhaps covering the internal spaces of the Seven Stars Imperial Palace and the Purple Gold Gourd was why the divine stones were consumed faster.
Mo Yin said, "Yu Huang, Yi Xuan Great Saint, Gu Chenzi, and Xue Tu all came looking for you, saying they had important matters. Oh, and one of the three candidates for Destiny Goddess, Bore, has come three times wanting to see you."
Zhang Ruochen stopped thinking about the Sundial and asked, "Where is she?"
"She should still be waiting in the estate's reception hall," Mo Yin said.
Bore's visit caught Zhang Ruochen off guard.
A woman as stubborn, proud, and cold as her—how could she take the initiative to visit him?
Moreover, according to what Xuanji Sword Saint had said, she had come to the Hell Realm for an even more important mission. Meeting Zhang Ruochen would easily expose her identity. How could she make such an irrational move?
On the way to the reception hall, Zhang Ruochen's mind kept turning over the reasons for Bore's visit.
He thought of many possibilities.
"Did she guess that I was the one who bid on the Seven Cauldrons Divine Travel Pill, and that's why she came to see me?"
"Does she want to ask me to help her become the Destiny Goddess?"
"Or is she simply coming to see me?"
As he thought, Zhang Ruochen couldn't help but laugh to himself.
He felt he might be overcomplicating Bore.
Since she had made up her mind to step through the gates of hell, abandon the glory and splendor of her past life, become a wisp of a wandering soul, endure the torment of nether fire and nether thunder tribulations, and enter the Hell Realm, her mental will must have transformed to be even stronger than his.
She would never do anything irrational.
Perhaps Zhang Ruochen, on lonely nights when his heart was empty, might suddenly recall that past emotion and do something that reason could not restrain.
But she would never.
Finally, in the reception hall, Zhang Ruochen saw Bore again.
She sat there gracefully, dressed in white, her brows slightly furrowed, serene and natural, yet exuding an icy aura that kept people at a distance.
She was no longer the same as Huang Yanchen once was.
But the moment Zhang Ruochen saw her, it was as if he saw that year's "Huang Senior Sister," one of the Three Demons of the Western Courtyard. The first meeting in life was always unforgettable.
It was also like seeing Princess Yanchen in the great hall of the Qian Water Commandery King's palace. Even during the engagement ceremony, a hint of a smile lingered at the corners of her mouth.
Even more so, it was like the Huang Yanchen standing before the Zifu Palace gate, the Empress's disciple, the pride of the realm, once deeply in love as husband and wife, yet pointing her sword at him.
The past was too painful to recall, yet it always stirred the deep emotions and memories buried in one's heart, bringing joy, sorrow, or regret.
That was what it meant to be human.
She was no longer human. She was Bore, just a wandering soul.
Did she still have emotions?
"Ruochen Great Saint, you cannot escape fate after all. The Hell Realm is your final destination. Once you come, don't think about going back. Of course, I am very glad you came out to see me in person. It is an honor."
Bore's voice pulled his thoughts back to reality.
Zhang Ruochen walked over, sat down calmly and naturally across from her, and said, "For Your Highness Bore to condescend to visit the Hanhai Estate is my honor. May I ask what instructions you have?"