Chapter 2254: Defeating the Thousand Questions
The Nine Nether Soul-Devouring Flame was extremely yin and evil. Combined with a finger technique sacred art that the Yu Emperor had cultivated, its power became even more concentrated, and the explosive force multiplied.
That penetrating power could not be withstood even by a star.
"Boom!"
"Boom!"
...
Fist shadows and palm shadows continuously shattered, yet continuously manifested anew, like layers of waves advancing forward one after another.
One layer, two layers, three layers...
Reaching all the way to the eleventh layer of tremor force.
When the final layer of tremor force erupted, even with Yu Emperor's cultivation at the Great Perfection of the Hundred Shackles Realm, she was forced to retreat more than ten zhang before she could withstand it.
She landed on the ground, her gaze filled with doubt, and said, "What sacred intent did you just use?"
"Yin-Yang Five Elements Sacred Intent," Zhang Ruochen said.
"Nonsense, where is there any Five Elements Sacred Intent? At most, it only contained the Water Path Sacred Intent. Aside from that, it also seemed to contain the essence of fist and palm techniques."
Yu Emperor's cultivation was profound, and her insight was naturally sharp. She had already analyzed most of the techniques Zhang Ruochen had just employed.
Zhang Ruochen said, "It's just a name. Why bother caring so much about it?"
Yu Emperor probed, "This is a fused sacred intent, isn't it? Has it reached the third rank?"
The cultivators around them were all visibly moved.
"Third-rank sacred intent?"
Zhang Ruochen was only at the Immortal Realm, yet he could fuse sacred intents and cultivate them to the third rank?
Luo Sha gently bit her red lips. She had also noticed some clues earlier and thought to herself, "Those on the Hundred Shackles Great Perfection Ranking only succeeded in fusing sacred intents and cultivating third-rank sacred intents after reaching the Hundred Shackles Realm. Zhang Ruochen, as expected of an Eon-level genius, has already reached this height in the Immortal Realm. I wonder if Yan Wushen can do the same?"
Many Great Saints would stay in the Hundred Shackles Great Perfection Realm for a long time.
First, because they needed to repeatedly temper their Immortal Saintly Bodies to reach the most perfect level.
Second, they wanted to eliminate hidden dangers in their cultivation, to avoid encountering difficulties after entering the Thousand Questions Realm. They also did not want to face a death tribulation upon entering the Ten Thousand Deaths, One Life Realm.
Third, and most importantly, they wanted to do their utmost to polish their sacred intents to the strongest level.
Because, after reaching the Thousand Questions Realm, sacred intents would solidify, and they could no longer fuse or cultivate new sacred intents.
Zhang Ruochen said, "So you saw through it."
A flash of surprise passed through Yu Emperor's eyes, but she maintained a cold expression and snorted lightly, "If not for the third-rank sacred intent, with your cultivation, how could you have blocked that finger of mine just now? Unfortunately, your application of sacred intent is still too unskilled and unfocused. Otherwise, in that exchange just now, I would have had to use my own sacred intent to neutralize it."
Zhang Ruochen nodded and said, "You're right. I still need to spend a long time familiarizing and polishing it. It would be best to fight hundreds or thousands of battles to fully grasp the essence, changes, and mysteries of sacred intent."
Sacred intent was a concrete manifestation of the origin of heaven and earth. It was far more than just the attack from earlier.
Although Zhang Ruochen had used sacred intent just now, he could not unleash its full power. It felt like having a body full of strength but being unable to apply it.
"Then let me show you my application of sacred intent and see if you can withstand it."
Yu Emperor released her Blood Sea Sacred Intent. In an instant, a vast sea of blood appeared, pulling Zhang Ruochen into a world of sacred intent, as if he were floating on an endless sea of blood.
At that moment, Zhang Ruochen became infinitely small.
Yu Emperor, however, merged with the blood sea, possessing boundless energy.
In truth, Zhang Ruochen had already used all his strength in that earlier exchange to neutralize Yu Emperor's finger force. Now, with Yu Emperor unleashing her Blood Sea Sacred Intent, she was far more powerful than before.
"A Great Saint at the Hundred Shackles Great Perfection Realm is indeed extraordinary. Perhaps I must use the Truth Realm Form, Space Domain, Virtual Time Domain, and Yin-Yang Five Elements Sacred Intent all together to break her Blood Sea Sacred Intent," Zhang Ruochen said.
He had the Truth Path, a trump card that could instantly amplify his attack power tenfold. How could Yu Emperor not have a means to instantly amplify her attack power several times?
Zhang Ruochen knew this battle would not be easy. He had to go all out.
Even if it was just a spar, as the leader of his tribe, he absolutely could not lose.
"Whoosh—"
A blade light suddenly tore through the blood sea from the northwest, like a polar light connecting heaven and earth, slashing straight toward Yu Emperor.
"Hmm?"
Both Yu Emperor and Zhang Ruochen showed a hint of surprise, not expecting a third party to join the battlefield.
That blade light had astonishing penetrating power, even stronger than Yu Emperor's earlier finger force.
Yu Emperor quickly guessed the identity of the newcomer. A murderous intent appeared in her eyes. She extended a snow-white jade hand, mobilized the power of the blood sea, and pointed a finger outward.
The powerful Nine Nether Soul-Devouring Flame merged with the blood sea, transforming into a blood river that collided with the blade light.
"Boom."
Both the blood river and the blade light shattered simultaneously.
"Haha, not bad. In just a hundred years, you've improved so much that you can block a full-power strike from this Saint. Quite an improvement!"
An aged voice rang out as a cloth-clad old man, carrying a divine-patterned simple blade, landed on the blood sea. His white hair was disheveled, and his face, arms, and legs were covered in thick grime, making him look quite unkempt.
Zhang Ruochen keenly sensed that the old man's cultivation had surpassed the Hundred Shackles Realm and reached the Thousand Questions Realm.
Among Great Saints, the most numerous were still those at the Immortal Realm and Hundred Shackles Realm.
Those who could enter the Thousand Questions Realm were considered among the upper echelons of Great Saints.
For example, the Guanghan Realm, a great world with billions of living beings, probably only had about ten Great Saints above the Thousand Questions Realm.
Even in the Blood Heaven Tribe, such experts were quite limited, and each held significant influence.
Yu Emperor completely ignored Zhang Ruochen, locking her gaze on the old man, and said coldly, "Shen Nansheng."
"Oh my, little girl, you haven't forgotten this Saint's name. It seems that blade strike from a hundred years ago left a deep impression," Shen Nansheng said with a grin, revealing yellow teeth.
Yu Emperor's anger surged even more. Blood patterns appeared on her crystal-clear face, and two cyan light pillars shot from her pupils, as if she had transformed into a demon god, charging at Shen Nansheng.
Zhang Ruochen felt his footing give way, and his body uncontrollably left the blood sea, reappearing in the Hanhai Manor.
Qingsheng Great Saint had somehow already appeared in the manor. With a wave of his sleeve, the battling Yu Emperor and Shen Nansheng flew into the desert battlefield Zhang Ruochen had created earlier.
Without a doubt, Zhang Ruochen had just been forcibly pulled out by him.
"Today, I truly witnessed the power of a Supreme Realm Great Saint," Zhang Ruochen said.
Qingsheng Great Saint's earlier move seemed simple, but being able to effortlessly send a Thousand Questions Realm Great Saint and a Hundred Shackles Great Perfection Great Saint into another space was a technique Zhang Ruochen could only admire with his current cultivation.
Qingsheng Great Saint wore a stern expression as he walked toward Zhang Ruochen.
Zhang Ruochen said, "Uncle, was this Shen Nansheng an opponent you arranged for Yu Emperor? It seems they have some deep-seated grudge. They both unleashed all their trump cards as soon as they started."
"Shen Nansheng is one of the four strongest Great Saints of the Qianche Divine Temple. The Xia Clan, to which Xia Yu belongs, borders the Qianche Divine Temple, both located in the Southern Ridge of the Blood Heaven Tribe World. After the Xia Ancestor fell, the Xia Clan lost its divine guardian, and many of its interests and territories could not be defended, leading to annexation by the Qianche Divine Temple."
"About a hundred years ago, during a conflict between the two sides, Shen Nansheng slashed at one of the Xia Clan's seven great sacred cities, Haishi Sacred City, from thirty thousand li away."
"At that time, Yu Emperor's Immortal Saintly Body was severed trying to block that strike, and she was severely injured. Their enmity was forged then."
Hearing Qingsheng Great Saint's account, Zhang Ruochen asked curiously, "With such intense conflict between the two major forces, doesn't the Great Tribe Chief of the Blood Heaven Tribe intervene?"
Qingsheng Great Saint said, "How could they intervene? If your strength is insufficient yet you occupy vast resources, conflict is inevitable. It's impossible to manage everything. The rule is survival of the fittest."
"To change the situation, you can only cultivate desperately and become stronger. Hoping others will uphold justice for you requires you to have that value."
"The Great Tribe Chief can only try to control the situation, not forcibly stop everything. If the Blood Absolute Family didn't have the War God sitting in power, many forces would certainly covet it."
"Enough of that. Let's talk about your matter."
Zhang Ruochen stared at the two figures clashing on the desert battlefield, understanding what Qingsheng Great Saint was referring to, and said, "Is it difficult to find those four esoteric marks?"
Qingsheng Great Saint said coldly, "You know that's not what I'm talking about. Since you called me uncle, I can't stand by and watch you go down the wrong path."
Zhang Ruochen said, "This is a path I must walk."
Qingsheng Great Saint, completely different from before, spoke with great severity, "You want to fuse the Palm Path, Fist Path, and Five Elements—this is pure delusion, a dead end. What about your main paths: Sword Path, Time Path, and Space Path? Are you going to abandon them?"
"Of course not," Zhang Ruochen said.
Qingsheng Great Saint said, "Your talent is indeed exceptional. You might even be able to cultivate nine sacred intents like the War God. But that's still only nine. Do you think you're different from other cultivators, able to cultivate ten? Eleven?"
"Since ancient times, how many prodigies have been born? Many of them were as confident as you, with talent equal to yours, yet none succeeded. Instead, many promising cultivators took risks, only to become mediocre and accomplish nothing in life."
"Never think you are unique, and never believe you can oppose heaven and earth or break the limits of the rules. Otherwise, you will surely suffer heaven and earth's punishment, casting you into an abyss of eternal ruin."
Zhang Ruochen said, "All paths are forged by people walking them. The first living being to cultivate to Great Saint, the first Great Saint to comprehend sacred intent, the first cultivator to reach the Divine Realm... none of them knew if they would succeed, but they all moved forward unwaveringly, thus opening up path after path of sacred dao."
"Isn't walking the path of cultivation itself opposing heaven and earth? Constantly breaking the limits of the rules?"
Qingsheng Great Saint said, "You are too arrogant. Sacred intent cultivation is not as simple as you imagine. Listen to your uncle's advice: first cultivate the Time Path, Space Path, and Sword Path, then go comprehend the Five Elements Path."
"Better yet, choose one of the three—Time Path, Space Path, or Sword Path—that you are best at, and fuse it into a second-rank sacred intent. Then, in the same realm, you will be invincible. If you reach the Divine Realm, you will also have a chance to glimpse the highest levels of the divine realm."
"Fusing your three main paths into one second-rank sacred intent should be your all-out goal."
Zhang Ruochen's gaze remained firm, "Cultivating Yin-Yang Five Elements does not necessarily mean I cannot cultivate a second-rank sacred intent."
"Non-primary paths cannot yield a second-rank sacred intent," Qingsheng Great Saint said.
Zhang Ruochen said, "Not necessarily, right?"
"If you can cultivate a second-rank sacred intent by cultivating Yin-Yang Five Elements, then from now on, this Saint's name will be written backward," Qingsheng Great Saint said angrily, with a tone of frustration.
Zhang Ruochen hadn't expected Qingsheng Great Saint to take this matter so seriously. He pondered for a moment and said, "Uncle, have you asked the War God about this?"
"This matter—not even the War God would allow it, let alone your mother. You are trying to destroy yourself," Qingsheng Great Saint said.
Zhang Ruochen said, "Uncle hasn't asked the War God, so how do you know his thoughts? Perhaps only a prodigy of his level in this world can understand my decision at this moment. What he failed to achieve back then, or dared not attempt, I want to try."
Qingsheng Great Saint was stunned, not expecting Zhang Ruochen's will to be so firm.
It seemed he would have to report to the War God, letting him or Xue Hou step in to change Zhang Ruochen's decision.
At this moment, the fierce battle between Yu Emperor and Shen Nansheng in the desert battlefield had already concluded.
Yu Emperor first used a ninth-rank grand formation to trap Shen Nansheng, then used the Soul-Stealing Flute with the "Funeral Soul Sacrificial Melody" to numb Shen Nansheng's five senses, and finally pierced through his chest with a single finger.
The hundred-li desert battlefield was dyed red with sacred blood.
"Ninth-rank Ten Thousand Spirit Formation, Great Kun Tun Finger, Divine Thorn Armor—she still had these trump cards hidden. Xia Yu's combat power has reached the level of the early Thousand Questions Realm."
Qingsheng Great Saint muttered to himself, reached into the void, and pulled the injured Shen Nansheng out of the battlefield, bringing him to his side.
Shen Nansheng's expression was somewhat dim, and he sighed, "In the end, I am old. My blood energy has greatly declined, and I am no longer as formidable as before. The Xia Clan has produced such a formidable young Great Saint. Revival is just around the corner."
Yu Emperor chased after them, still filled with murderous intent, and said, "Qingsheng Great Saint, please don't interfere in this matter. This is a personal grudge between him and me."
"It was this Saint who arranged for him to test your strength, so naturally, I must take him away safely."
Then, Qingsheng Great Saint secretly transmitted a message to Yu Emperor, telling her something.
After hearing it, Yu Emperor asked, "Really?"
"Absolutely true. You can go and try it."
Qingsheng Great Saint nodded with a smile, then left the Hanhai Manor with Shen Nansheng.
Yu Emperor's gaze turned to Zhang Ruochen.
Zhang Ruochen's brow furrowed deeply as he looked at Qingsheng Great Saint's retreating figure, thinking to himself, "What did he transmit to Yu Emperor? Why has she focused her attention on me? He didn't set me up, did he? Using me to take the fall for Shen Nansheng?"
...
When Qingsheng Great Saint went to report, the Blood Absolute War God and Blood Yao Divine Lord were playing a game of chess under a tree, a game that had been going on for a thousand years.
The Blood Absolute War God's expression froze, and he paused for a long time, as if deep in thought.
Blood Yao Divine Lord looked at him with a half-smile, clearly curious about what decision the Blood Absolute War God would make regarding this difficult problem.
After a long while, the Blood Absolute War God finally asked, "Did you explain the consequences to him clearly?"
Qingsheng Great Saint said, "I explained it very clearly, but he wouldn't listen at all. He even said... that you would understand him, and that what you failed to achieve back then, or dared not attempt, he wanted to try."
The Blood Absolute War God fell into memories and, for some reason, couldn't help but laugh, "Good, very good. It seems I underestimated him before. He is cutting off all his retreats, using a desperate move to force himself to move forward."
"Back then, I pondered this matter for nine years and ultimately did not take that step. Yet he took less than a day to solidify his resolve. It seems that sometimes, thinking too much is a bad thing."
Blood Yao Divine Lord said, "Back then, you also bore the responsibility of revitalizing the Blood Absolute Family. Countless eyes were watching you, and you couldn't afford a single misstep. Naturally, you couldn't be as reckless as he is when making decisions."
The Blood Absolute War God looked at Qingsheng Great Saint and said, "Go tell him that the four esoteric marks will be delivered to him within three days. Also, don't tell Qingyin about this. I will seal the heavenly secrets so she won't know. If she finds out... heh heh..."
Qingsheng Great Saint acknowledged and left, sighing as he walked.
"Why would the War God agree to let Zhang Ruochen act so recklessly? Could it be that my talent is too low to understand them? I am a Supreme Realm Great Saint with the potential to become a god."