Chapter 2275: Ten Thousand Eyes Divine Illusion
Zhang Ruochen looked up and saw densely packed handprints flying toward him. Space trembled, air currents surged rapidly, and waves of power stacked upon one another like the waves of the Heavenly River.
The handprints carried dark force, devouring the sacred radiance emanating from Zhang Ruochen's body.
"Even a distracted attack is this powerful. Wujiang is indeed a formidable enemy not to be underestimated."
Although Zhang Ruochen appeared to be here to seize the quasi-emperor-grade sacred pill, he actually harbored another purpose—to probe the depth of Wujiang's cultivation, lest they meet on the Heaven Hunting Battlefield and he be caught off guard.
Those who could cultivate to the Great Perfection of the Hundred Shackles Realm within a thousand years were all extraordinary, each with trump cards. Even Thousand Questions Realm Great Saints who underestimated them would suffer greatly.
Moreover, Wujiang ranked among the top on the Hundred Shackles Realm Great Perfection Ranking. Naturally, Zhang Ruochen took him very seriously and dared not be the least bit negligent.
Instead of clashing head-on with Wujiang, Zhang Ruochen used Great Space Teleportation to cross space and vanish from his original position before the hundred handprints landed.
Wujiang noticed this but showed no surprise, as if he had long guessed that Zhang Ruochen would use Great Space Teleportation to evade. A cold, mocking smile appeared on his face as he muttered to himself, "A space controller isn't invincible."
His lips moved, and the power of a curse silently emanated from his body, like mist, like cotton, like a net, enveloping the cosmic space for a thousand miles.
For the Underworld Clan, curse power was their most fundamental means.
Just as: a sword cultivator's sword, the devouring power of a Devouring Saint Flower, the knowledge of a Confucian path cultivator...
The mystery and strangeness of curses could be compared to time and space.
At this moment, Wujiang was casting the "Blood Devouring Curse," one of the six great curses of the Underworld Clan, specifically designed to deal with blood-and-flesh beings like humans, Rakshasa Clan, and Undying Blood Clan.
Once contaminated by the curse, the blood within a cultivator's body would rapidly drain away until they turned into a dried corpse.
Even the caster didn't know where the lost blood went or who devoured it.
"Whoosh—"
Space trembled lightly, and Zhang Ruochen's figure reappeared, about a hundred miles away from both Wujiang and the Immortal's Finger, forming a triangular stance.
The Blood Devouring Curse detected Zhang Ruochen's aura and converged on him entirely.
"Not good."
The curse power invaded his flesh, causing Zhang Ruochen's skin to sink in, his body rapidly withering and becoming shriveled. Even mobilizing his sacred qi and Purifying Divine Flame for defense proved ineffective.
The power of the Blood Devouring Curse was pervasive; no defense was useful.
"Just enjoy the pain of having your blood drained," Wujiang said, shaking his head lightly, too lazy to look further.
Killing Zhang Ruochen, in his view, was only slightly harder than crushing an ant.
Zhang Ruochen's hands embraced emptiness as his body contracted, quickly turning into a small point of light. The light point flickered once, performing a Great Space Teleportation to flee a thousand miles away, escaping the space covered by the Blood Devouring Curse.
"Such terrifying curse power. Compared to Wujiang's methods, the curse attacks I encountered in Kunlun Realm were worlds apart."
Zhang Ruochen wasn't panicked, as he had long known that in terms of pure strength, there was still a huge gap between him and Wujiang. His purpose in contending for the quasi-emperor-grade sacred intent pill was to see just how big that gap was.
His body had already shriveled by nearly half, with a large amount of sacred blood lost.
He mobilized all his Purifying Divine Flame to burn away the power of the Blood Devouring Curse within him, but the effect was minimal. His sacred blood continued to drain, and an intense weakness invaded his entire body, making him drowsy.
In theory, Purifying Divine Flame could break curse power, but it depended on the relative strength of the flame and the curse. A drop of water could extinguish a candle flame but not a bonfire.
Even with the same emperor-flame-level Purifying Divine Flame, different cultivation realms and different numbers of fire path rules integrated would naturally produce different power outputs.
"It seems I need to reach at least the Hundred Shackles Realm to refine this curse power with Purifying Divine Flame. For now... I'm still lacking." While enduring the discomfort of blood loss, Zhang Ruochen tried other methods to counter the curse power.
The Fulu Black Robe High Priest nodded slightly and praised, "The Blood Devouring Curse is one of the six great curses of the Underworld Clan. For Wujiang to have cultivated it to the seventh layer at such a young age is remarkable. In theory, only Supreme Realm Great Saints of the Underworld Clan can achieve this. For a Hundred Shackles Realm Great Saint to reach the fifth layer is already considered peerless talent."
The Dan Attendant said, "Don't forget, he is the disciple of that one from the Darkness Temple and possesses ten thousand hands and ten thousand eyes. In the future, he will surely have heaven-reaching abilities. With his strength, he could be invincible at the same cultivation level."
"Unfortunately, this era has produced a Cosmic Divine Fetus and a Natural Imperial Dao Divine Bone, which have kept him suppressed."
"For Zhang Ruochen to provoke Wujiang before reaching the Hundred Shackles Realm is not a wise move."
The Fulu Black Robe High Priest said, "In a moment, Zhang Ruochen should die under the Blood Devouring Curse. Hmm... For now, we're still in the pill-grabbing phase, and they haven't entered the Heaven Hunting Battlefield yet, so it's not officially started. I'll help him a bit, at least save his life, to avoid trouble with Xue Jue War God."
Just as the Fulu Black Robe High Priest was about to act, he noticed something and stopped, letting out a soft exclamation.
"Whoosh—"
Zhang Ruochen, suspended in cosmic space, emitted a brilliant green light from his abdomen, purifying all the power of the Blood Devouring Curse.
Even his withered body instantly recovered, his skin becoming smooth and jade-like again.
The green light was the light of the Divine Wood Heart, containing infinite life essence, which was the natural nemesis of the Blood Devouring Curse.
To enhance his spiritual power, Zhang Ruochen had long swallowed a Divine Wood Heart, absorbing the knowledge of an eon from the Sky-Connecting Divine Tree. Unexpectedly, it proved useful at this moment.
With the Blood Devouring Curse dispelled, Zhang Ruochen's essence, energy, and spirit fully recovered. He flashed out again, charging toward Wujiang and the Immortal's Finger Dan Ling.
Wujiang, with his profound cultivation, had already suppressed the Immortal's Finger Dan Ling and was in the critical moment of collecting it.
When he discovered that Zhang Ruochen had actually neutralized the Blood Devouring Curse and was approaching again, a look of surprise appeared in his eyes.
"Zhang Ruochen can neutralize the Blood Devouring Curse?"
It was worth noting that with the Blood Devouring Curse, a Thousand Questions Realm Great Saint had suffered a great loss at Wujiang's hands.
The area within a thousand miles was covered by the power of the Blood Devouring Curse, making it impossible for blood-and-flesh beings to approach. How had Zhang Ruochen done it? How had he blocked the curse's power?
"Your Blood Devouring Curse is formidable, but it can't do anything to me. Step aside immediately, or I'll take you in too."
Zhang Ruochen held the Purple Gold Gourd in both hands, standing below the Immortal's Finger, but aimed the gourd's mouth at Wujiang.
"Sizzle."
At the gourd's mouth, 36 million space inscriptions emerged, spreading for hundreds of miles.
Wujiang knew the power of that gourd well and didn't dare underestimate it. He glanced behind him and spotted a small planet in the form of a hundred-mile-long boulder.
He released his spiritual power, condensing it into an invisible giant hand, grabbed that small planet from afar, and hurled it at Zhang Ruochen.
"Absorb!"
Zhang Ruochen shouted softly.
Space violently collapsed and contracted, instantly crushing the small planet into fragments and absorbing it into the gourd.
The suction force wasn't completely blocked and still fell upon Wujiang and the Immortal's Finger Dan Ling, pulling them rapidly closer.
"What powerful suction!"
Wujiang's expression changed slightly, and he immediately released his dark force.
Centered on his body, the surroundings turned pitch black, devouring all power that approached him. From a distance, the area where Wujiang stood formed a massive black hole.
The black hole also emitted a strong suction force, pulling against the power from the gourd, with neither side gaining the upper hand.
After absorbing the quasi-emperor-grade sacred intent pill and the Immortal's Finger Dan Ling into the gourd, the 36 million space inscriptions returned to the gourd's mouth and subsided.
Wujiang emerged from the black hole, standing a dozen miles opposite Zhang Ruochen, his face full of killing intent. "Return that quasi-emperor-grade sacred intent pill, and I'll spare your life for now."
Zhang Ruochen capped the gourd, showing no fear as he stared at him. "I'd like to see what other tricks you have. Go ahead and use them."
"Fine, you're asking for death. Don't blame me."
The black lightning pattern on Wujiang's brow released strands of electric light, slowly splitting open to reveal a vertical eye. In its pupil, dense illusory light appeared, forming ten thousand eyes arranged before him.
In that instant, Zhang Ruochen's consciousness became blurred, unsure whether he was in an illusion or the real world.
He only felt that the world he was in was illuminated by ten thousand beams of light. Ten thousand eyes hung above him like stars, each emitting an aura as terrifying as a god's.
If it were another cultivator, even a Great Saint, being stared at by ten thousand gods' eyes, they would probably have already knelt on the ground.
But Zhang Ruochen held on with his strong will, his body taut like an iron bar, refusing to yield in the world of the "Ten Thousand Eyes Divine Illusion."
"Not bad, your willpower is quite strong. Unfortunately, your cultivation and spiritual power are too weak."
Wujiang walked step by step toward Zhang Ruochen, his face heroic but extremely cold. He added, "With spiritual power at only the sixty-second level, you dare to oppose me actively. Don't you know that with your pitiful cultivation, you should flee as far as possible when you encounter me?"
Zhang Ruochen could hear Wujiang's voice and sense him approaching, but the ten thousand gods' eyes locked onto him, pressing him to resist with all his might. Beyond that, he couldn't even lift a finger.
"Rumble."
Zhang Ruochen activated the will of the Immovable Bright King Great Venerable in his sacred heart, slowly raising his arms. Above his head, a nine-layer divine palace heavenly realm appeared, opposing the ten thousand eyes.
He silently recited in his mind: "Everything is an illusion. Wujiang cannot unleash the divine might of ten thousand gods. It's all an illusion. I must overcome the illusion and find the truth."
...
In the distant river of dan qi, Luo Sha, who had just collected a king-grade sacred intent pill, happened to see this scene and grew anxious inwardly: "That reckless Zhang Ruochen, how can he challenge a powerhouse like Wujiang now? Wujiang's spiritual power has already reached the sixty-sixth level. With just his spiritual power, he has defeated Thousand Questions Realm Great Saints. If he adds his innate divine ability, the Ten Thousand Eyes Divine Illusion, even strong Thousand Questions Realm cultivators have to retreat when encountering him."
Wujiang walked up to Zhang Ruochen, extended an index finger, and spat out dark force from its tip, forming a black blade. He slowly thrust it toward Zhang Ruochen's brow.
"Rustle."
Space trembled slightly.
"Stop!"
Luo Sha used Great Space Teleportation, appearing opposite Wujiang. Rings of spatial ripples spread beneath her feet, as if she were standing on the surface of a lake.
Wujiang didn't look at her directly, saying somewhat casually, "Princess Luo Sha had better not meddle. With just you, you can't stop me. If your imperial brother were here, there might be a chance."
"I'm not here to stop you; I'm here to save you," Luo Sha said.
Wujiang's eyes showed a hint of confusion. He stopped the blade and stared at Luo Sha. "Save me?"
"The Heaven Hunting Battle has officially begun. If you kill Zhang Ruochen, you'll lose 500,000 points. Do you have 500,000 points now?"
Luo Sha's beautiful eyes were charming, revealing a captivating smile. She added, "If your points go negative, you'll be immediately expelled from the Heaven Hunting Battlefield. Don't you want to participate in the Heaven Hunting Battle?"
Wujiang snorted. "Everyone is competing for sacred intent pills now, and we haven't entered the Heaven Hunting Battlefield yet. Do you think using the rules of the Heaven Hunting Battle to pressure me will work?"
Luo Sha turned her gaze to the Fulu Black Robe High Priest and asked, "High Priest, if I seize a pill and another cultivator still tries to snatch it or even kill me, does that violate the rules of the Heaven Hunting Battle?"
Before the Fulu High Priest could respond, Luo Sha added, "The High Priest has already announced that the Heaven Hunting Battle has officially begun."
The Fulu High Priest smiled helplessly, then his voice spread across the river of dan qi: "Once a pill is collected, it cannot be taken by force. Otherwise, it will be considered a violation of the Heaven Hunting Battle rules, and corresponding points will be deducted."
Hearing this, Wujiang's gentle eyes turned fierce. He shot a deep glare at Luo Sha. "Fine, I'll remember this. No one can take what belongs to me. Hmph!"
Wujiang flicked his sleeve heavily and strode away, a distant voice drifting back: "Princess, getting too close to Zhang Ruochen is not a good thing."
"Thanks for the reminder," Luo Sha replied.
The Ten Thousand Eyes Divine Illusion vanished.
Zhang Ruochen recovered from the illusion, his expression grim as he pondered ways to counter Wujiang's technique. Just as other cultivators pondered ways to counter the Way of Time and the Way of Space, there was always a way to resist.
A fragrant breeze approached, drifting to him.
Luo Sha, her long hair flowing and exuding extreme allure, glanced at him, scanning him from head to toe. Seeing that he was uninjured and his mind was clear, she breathed a sigh of relief.
"I told you before, don't provoke the top ten on the Hundred Shackles Realm Great Perfection Ranking for now. How long have you been cultivating? How can you contend with them? Although they appear to be under a thousand years old, including time spent cultivating in time formations, some Hundred Shackles Realm Great Perfection cultivators have trained for nearly ten thousand years. You need to break at least your first shackle before you can initially have the strength to fight them."
"Wujiang's Ten Thousand Eyes Divine Illusion is terrifying. Are your spiritual power and mind unharmed?"
Zhang Ruochen shook his head lightly. "I was forcing him to use the Ten Thousand Eyes Divine Illusion. Seeing it in records and experiencing it firsthand are ultimately different."
"Don't you think you're asking for death?" Luo Sha glared at him with her phoenix-like eyes.
"I've thought of a way to break his Ten Thousand Eyes Divine Illusion," Zhang Ruochen said.
Luo Sha was stunned. "Impossible. The gap in your spiritual power is too great. Even if he doesn't use the Ten Thousand Eyes Divine Illusion and only uses his spiritual power for illusions, you still have no resistance. Only my imperial brother's innate divine eyes, combined with the power of two active Divine Throne Planets in his pupils, can neutralize it. That's why his ranking is higher than Wujiang's."
"Not necessarily. No matter how powerful an illusion is, if it's seen through, it loses its effect," Zhang Ruochen said.
Luo Sha immediately understood Zhang Ruochen's idea. "You want to use the truth to see through the illusion? But the gap in spiritual power is too great. Unless you have one percent of the Truth Esoterica and are a Truth Envoy, it's impossible."
"It doesn't have to be a Truth Envoy."
Zhang Ruochen muttered thoughtfully, then turned to face Luo Sha. "Just now... thank you."
"Hehe, finally saying thank you to this princess?" Luo Sha squinted with a smile, looking like a little fox, feeling that she had gained something, even if it meant offending Wujiang, it seemed worth it.
Soon, Luo Sha's smile faded, and she said seriously, "You need to feel the urgency. Break your first shackle as soon as possible. Otherwise, this Heaven Hunting Battle will be difficult for you."
"Yes, I really do need to break my first shackle soon."
After Luo Sha left, Zhang Ruochen focused on another quasi-emperor-grade sacred pill.
That quasi-emperor-grade sacred pill was being contested by three Hundred Shackles Realm Great Perfection Great Saints, one of whom was the Yan Hong Great Saint, one of the three goddess candidates.
"Maybe I can try testing her methods too."
...
There will be another chapter in the afternoon or evening.
:.: