Chapter 2271: Release the Heavenly Slaves, Open the Hunting Grounds
While in seclusion within the Seven Star Imperial Palace, Zhang Ruochen had spent considerable time studying the cultivation techniques for the fifth layer of the Divine Demon Prison Suppression and had also taken out the *Heavenly Demon Prison Suppression Diagram* to contemplate.
However, as a Thousand-Question-level high-rank sacred art, even a Thousand-Question realm Great Saint would need a long time to have any hope of successfully cultivating it.
Perhaps due to the vast gap in cultivation realms, even with the assistance of the Heart of Truth, Zhang Ruochen found the cultivation techniques for the fifth layer profound and obscure, difficult to comprehend, with many parts he simply could not understand.
Zhang Ruochen had once gone to consult the Sky-Connecting Divine Tree. The Sky-Connecting Divine Tree told him that when a high-rank sacred art is unleashed, it not only erupts with one's own power but also naturally draws upon the power of heaven and earth.
It was like a mortal swinging a palm, which would stir up a faint breeze.
The wind was the power of heaven and earth.
The higher the grade of a high-rank sacred art, the stronger its resonance with heaven and earth, and the more heavenly and earthly power it could draw upon when unleashed.
For this reason, if a cultivator's realm was insufficient, it was very difficult for them to fully comprehend a high-rank sacred art.
Theoretically, an Indestructible realm Great Saint could not successfully cultivate a Hundred-Shackles-level high-rank sacred art. A Hundred-Shackles realm Great Saint could not successfully cultivate a Thousand-Questions-level high-rank sacred art.
For Zhang Ruochen to want to cultivate a Thousand-Questions-level high-rank sacred art to great perfection while in the Indestructible realm was nearly impossible.
Even the Dragon-Elephant Prajna Palm, which he had been cultivating since childhood, had only fused three Thousand-Questions realm dragon souls and three Thousand-Questions realm elephant souls, which could only be considered minor completion. To reach great perfection, besides needing to fuse two more Thousand-Questions realm dragon souls and two more Thousand-Questions realm elephant souls, he also needed a deeper understanding of the palm technique itself.
Aided by such heavenly and earthly treasures as the Dao-Deriving Sacred Fruit and Divine Jade Nectar, Zhang Ruochen's consciousness became a blank slate. Closing his eyes, he could feel the various rule patterns around his body.
The sacred dao rules within his body became clearer.
The images from the *Heavenly Demon Prison Suppression Diagram* automatically presented themselves in his mind.
The text of the Divine Demon Prison Suppression technique floated around these images in his mind. The previously obscure and difficult parts were suddenly comprehended, as if he had received an epiphany.
No one knew how much time passed, but the Great Forest Emperor, sitting opposite the Fate Creek, noticed that a vast amount of chilling demonic energy was being released from within Zhang Ruochen's body.
That demonic energy gathered behind him, forming a pitch-black cloud mass that transformed into various shapes—sometimes an ancient demon mountain, sometimes a black yin tree, sometimes a shadowy demon army...
"He is using the Dao-Deriving Sacred Fruit and Divine Jade Nectar to cultivate a demonic high-rank sacred art."
The Great Forest Emperor's eyes widened, and he gritted his teeth. If he hadn't lost the gambling ritual, he too could have used the Dao-Deriving Sacred Fruit to perfect the Death Incantation Art he had been cultivating for a hundred years.
Wind Empress, sitting not far away, looked over and thought to herself, "Such powerful demonic aura, stirring the rules of heaven and earth. Is Zhang Ruochen cultivating a Hundred-Shackles-level high-rank sacred art?"
Many Great Saints were using the Dao-Deriving Sacred Fruit to cultivate high-rank sacred arts, but only a handful could match the power fluctuations emanating from Zhang Ruochen.
For someone in the Indestructible realm to cultivate a Hundred-Shackles-level high-rank sacred art was indeed an extraordinary feat.
The Great Saints qualified to attend the Heaven Hunting Banquet were all unparalleled prodigies of their generation. Yet, seeing Zhang Ruochen on the verge of successfully cultivating a Hundred-Shackles-level high-rank sacred art, they too felt a sense of awe and despair.
"This fluctuation..."
Yan Wushen stared at the cross-legged Zhang Ruochen, a thoughtful expression appearing between his brows.
"Boom!"
Suddenly, centered on Zhang Ruochen, even more demonic energy condensed, born from nothingness between heaven and earth, turning the Fate Creek basin into a sea of demons, spreading further and further outward.
Behind him, strands of demonic energy intertwined and rose.
Accompanying the demonic energy were purple lightning dragons and snakes, accompanied by thunderous roars.
The demonic energy and lightning interwove, coalescing into a massive divine-demon phantom, a dual-bodied entity—a demonic shadow on the front and a divine body on the back—like a towering statue, looking down upon the cultivators in the Fate Creek basin.
"A Thousand-Questions-level high-rank sacred art." Yan Wushen murmured to himself.
The cultivators in the Fate Creek basin could truly feel the terrifying pressure of the divine-demon phantom. How could they not know that Zhang Ruochen had cultivated a Thousand-Questions-level high-rank sacred art?
The shock in their hearts was even greater. They instinctively felt this was absolutely impossible.
If Zhang Ruochen was so heaven-defying, then they, the proud sons of heaven who had become top-tier Saint Kings and Great Saints within a thousand years... no, how could they still be called proud sons of heaven? They were nothing but a group of mediocrities.
How could they accept such a result?
"Zhang Ruochen must have hidden his cultivation. He's probably already reached the Hundred-Shackles realm."
"Exactly, that must be it. No wonder the Great Forest Emperor and Xu both lost to him. This man is deep and has hidden too much."
"It is said that no matter what one's cultivation level, as long as one cultivates a Thousand-Questions-level high-rank sacred art to success, one can use it to clash head-on with a Thousand-Questions realm Great Saint for a single blow. Does Zhang Ruochen already possess the strength to contend with a Thousand-Questions realm Great Saint?"
...
The discussions were endless. At this Heaven Hunting Banquet, Zhang Ruochen continuously shattered their perceptions.
Inside the Divine Bone Jade Pagoda floating in the sky, those Thousand-Questions realm Great Saints could not remain calm either, letting out surprised exclamations. Because even among them, there were those who had not cultivated a Thousand-Questions-level high-rank sacred art to great perfection.
Zhang Ruochen retracted the vast demonic energy back into his body, and the divine-demon phantom disappeared.
However, the aura on his body still carried a domineering demonic nature. His long hair flew without wind, and his pupils held a sinister flavor.
The power contained in the blood of the Undying Blood Clan within his body had overpowered the power of human blood.
The power of the inner demon had further increased.
Those Kunlun Realm cultivators watching the projection found it difficult to connect the current Zhang Ruochen with the one from before. It felt like a gentle and refined scholar had completely fallen, transforming into a world-covering demon king embodying all evil powers.
Many cultivators who had firmly stood by Zhang Ruochen's side now fell silent.
They were not doubting Zhang Ruochen, but rather felt that the gods of the Hell Realm had forcibly changed him—either by bewitching him, refining his sacred soul, or planting an evil will within him.
The cultivators of the Blood Heaven Tribe, however, were overjoyed and their confidence in Zhang Ruochen grew even stronger.
With Zhang Ruochen and Yu Huang leading them, this year's Heaven Hunting Banquet would surely change their fate of being at the bottom. They only revered the strong and worshipped power. Whether Zhang Ruochen had changed or not was completely unimportant.
So what if he had fallen to the demonic path?
Good and evil, god and demon, have always existed within every living being and dead spirit. Any manifestation is still themselves.
There is no absolute good, nor pure evil.
One thought can make one a god; one thought can also make one a demon.
"The sacred dao rules have indeed increased by a hundred million, and my lifespan has increased by three thousand years. Truly a rare treasure that can only be consumed once every thousand years." After carefully examining himself, Zhang Ruochen sighed with such emotion.
But what pleased Zhang Ruochen the most was the Dao-Deriving Sacred Fruit's assistance in cultivating high-rank sacred arts.
Therefore, he did not continue to consume the remaining eight Dao-Deriving Sacred Fruits, planning to save them for when they were most needed. For now, increasing sacred dao rules and lifespan was not so urgent.
With over one billion six hundred million sacred dao rules, Zhang Ruochen's rule count already surpassed that of many Hundred-Shackles realm Great Saints.
"Oh! The first shackle has loosened so much. Is this also an effect of the Dao-Deriving Sacred Fruit?"
Zhang Ruochen discovered that the first shackle on his right arm had fully manifested, and without consuming the Spirit Roaming Pill, he could already shake it.
If the Dao-Deriving Sacred Fruit could truly assist in breaking shackles, then...
He had to consider changing his previous plan.
Nothing was more important than breaking through to the Hundred-Shackles realm.
During the time Zhang Ruochen spent cultivating the Divine Demon Prison Suppression, the gambling rituals at the grand banquet had completely ended.
The vast majority of cultivators had finished eating all the banquet food, including the Dao-Deriving Sacred Fruits and the Mysterious Extreme Sacred Fruits.
The Mysterious Extreme Sacred Fruit could help top-tier Saint Kings cultivate one of their sacred paths to perfection.
Of course, the perfection referred to here meant the perfection of a single sacred path—cultivating a single sacred path to one million sacred dao rules.
The great perfection realm that Zhang Ruochen and Yan Wushen had achieved at the Saint King realm involved cultivating total sacred dao rules to one hundred million. This was more than ten times harder than cultivating a single sacred path to perfection.
Of course, even cultivating a single sacred path to the perfection of one million rules was extremely difficult. Without the assistance of a foundational treasure like the Mysterious Extreme Sacred Fruit, the entire Hell Realm would produce only a few such cultivators in a thousand years.
Cultivators like Xue Chen, Luo Sha, and Bore had stopped their cultivation at the Saint King realm, not breaking through, precisely because they were waiting for the Mysterious Extreme Sacred Fruit.
Before breaking through to the Great Saint realm, cultivating one's primary sacred path to perfection was crucial for condensing a higher-grade sacred intent in the future.
The Saint Kings present were almost all at the Threshold realm. Before attending the banquet, they had already prepared treasures to condense their Indestructible Sacred Bodies. As soon as they consumed the Mysterious Extreme Sacred Fruit, they could immediately charge into the Great Saint realm.
Moreover, many of their banquet foods were treasures that helped condense the Indestructible Sacred Body and resist the Dao Fusion Tribulation.
For this reason, Saint Kings could be seen breaking through to the Great Saint realm almost every moment.
Saint Kings who had reached the Threshold realm had already crossed countless difficulties and obstacles. The Great Saint realm was just a step away. Although there were some who failed to break through, the proportion did not exceed ten percent.
In the Hell Realm, with just one grand feast, several thousand Great Saints were born instantly.
The morale of the Heavenly Court cultivators on the Merit Battlefield had never been lower. Some were envious, some had lost their fighting spirit, and some were secretly despairing.
Especially the cultivators from weak realms, whose hearts were even more complicated. Not only were they deeply shocked, but they also felt a strong sense of imbalance. Why did the Hell Realm have so many top-tier cultivation resources? Didn't the Heavenly Court have them?
The four dominant worlds certainly had them, and the Heavenly Palace certainly had them. Why weren't they shared?
Were they eaten by those pampered divine sons and daughters, or enjoyed by the gods themselves?
They did not know that the vast majority of cultivators who could attend the Heaven Hunting Banquet were divine sons, divine daughters, divine grandchildren, or had immense backgrounds. For an ordinary Hell Realm cultivator to reach the Great Saint realm within a thousand years was as difficult as ascending to heaven.
The strong only grow stronger.
Regardless, the Hell Realm's goal of transmitting the projections to all realms had been achieved.
Zhang Ruochen released the Devouring Saint Flower. Countless tentacles plunged into the Fate Creek, absorbing the creek water.
The water of Fate Creek could not be drunk as much as one wanted. If one's physique was not strong enough, they would quickly reach a saturation point.
By the time Zhang Ruochen finished eating the banquet food on his jade table, the Devouring Saint Flower had just reached its saturation point.
"Master, with the assistance of the Fate Creek water, I should be able to bear a more powerful Dharma Body Fruit. Once I cultivate the Dharma Body, even against a powerhouse like Xu, I should be able to put up a fight."
The Devouring Saint Flower did not dare to be too boastful, as Xu was no ordinary opponent. In his several clashes with Zhang Ruochen, he had not used his full strength.
The Dharma Body Fruit was the fourth fruit borne by the Devouring Saint Flower.
Once the Dharma Body was cultivated, the Devouring Saint Flower would be comparable to a powerhouse at the Hundred-Shackles realm great perfection level.
Having followed Zhang Ruochen, the Devouring Saint Flower had absorbed many strong beings and treasures. The Dharma Body it cultivated would naturally be extraordinary. Otherwise, it would not dare to claim it could contend with Xu.
"About how much longer until your Dharma Body Fruit matures?" Zhang Ruochen asked.
"During the time Master was in seclusion, I absorbed a large amount of divine blood from divine corpses. The Dharma Body is already very close to maturity. If I could absorb two Dao-Deriving Sacred Fruits, I should be able to..." the Devouring Saint Flower said.
Zhang Ruochen cut it off: "Don't even think about it."
The resources Zhang Ruochen had spent to cultivate the Devouring Saint Flower would have been enough to cultivate twenty Great Saints. What he valued was that it had no realm bottlenecks, could break through quickly enough, and had great future potential.
But the Dao-Deriving Sacred Fruits were absolutely out of the question. They were Zhang Ruochen's core interest.
"I can give you divine stones. Cultivate the Dharma Body as quickly as possible." Zhang Ruochen said.
If the Devouring Saint Flower could cultivate its Dharma Body, Zhang Ruochen would effectively have four Hundred-Shackles realm great perfection powerhouses at his disposal, which would be immensely helpful in seizing first place in the Heaven Hunting Banquet.
At the top of the Fate Divine Mountain, within that immensely majestic divine hall, a figure thousands of feet tall walked out. He wore a black robe and was extremely ancient. Although his body was massive, compared to the Destiny Temple, he was as small as a grain of sand.
"Greetings to the Fortune Black Robe High Priest."
All the cultivators at the banquet in the Fate Creek basin sat upright, clasped their hands, and spoke in unison.
The grand banquet had ended, and the Heaven Hunting Battlefield was about to open.
The twelve palaces of the Destiny Temple—Life, Death, Calamity, Fortune, Joy, Anger, Auspiciousness, Misfortune, Past, Future, Void, and Reality—each governed different rights and powers.
The Heaven Hunting Banquet was hosted and managed by the Fortune Divine Palace, which played the greatest role.
The Fortune Black Robe High Priest was the palace manager chosen by the Fortune Divine Venerable, responsible for all matters below the divine level.
The Fortune Black Robe High Priest announced loudly: "Release the heavenly slaves, open the hunting grounds."
The space at the foot of the Fate Divine Mountain violently trembled, and spatial gates appeared one after another, connecting to various different places.
From the spatial gates walked out prisoners, one by one, whose cultivation was sealed and who wore sacred chain shackles. All were above the Half-Saint level, and many had even reached the Great Saint realm.
There were humans, angels, and elves.
There were dragons and rocs.
There were plant-type lifeforms and stone clan cultivators.
There were monks and daoists.
...
...
More and more prisoners walked out from the spatial gates.