Chapter 2284: The Might of the Golden Wings
The commotion caused by Zhang Ruochen was so immense that it shook the entire clan star.
Huangtian Continent.
Feng Hou, wearing a gold-thread mask and exuding a noble aura, stood tall by the blood-red sea, where waves surged with ferocious intensity. She gazed into the sky.
Although Zhang Ruochen stood a thousand miles high in the air, the energy fluctuations erupting from his body triggered violent disturbances in the seas of the clan star. Tsunamis and hurricanes formed, and blood-red light shuttled across the heavens.
Yan Beijun stared at the rolling blood clouds in the sky, a deep wariness flashing in his eyes. "It's just a breakthrough to the Hundred Shackles Realm, so why is he this strong? And how could Zhang Ruochen's ten golden wings undergo such a transformation? Those blood-red patterns on the wings look a lot like the legendary Ancestor Divine Marks."
Among the Undying Blood Clan, a legend circulated: any cultivator whose flesh wings could awaken Ancestor Divine Marks was a descendant favored by the Ancestor, destined to receive great fortune and achieve extraordinary things in the future.
Whenever such a cultivator appeared, the Undying Divine Temple would step in and guide them to the temple for training.
The appearance of Ancestor Divine Marks was not merely a symbol of power and talent; it carried extraordinary significance.
"Zhang Ruochen should have awakened the bloodline of the Blood Absolute Ancestor. The aura is incredibly ancient and can exert immense mental suppression on the Undying Blood Clan." Feng Hou's eyes held a smile beneath her mask.
The more outstanding and powerful Zhang Ruochen became, the more advantageous it was for her.
Only then could Zhang Ruochen become the sharpest weapon in her hands, used to deal with Bore and Yan Hong Great Saint.
Yan Beijun said, "Throughout history, cultivators who could awaken the Ancestor's bloodline were invariably direct descendants of pure blood. Although Zhang Ruochen's mother was a deity, she was born of a concubine, so her bloodline was already impure. Moreover, Zhang Ruochen only has half the bloodline of the Undying Blood Clan. How could he possibly gain the favor of the Blood Absolute Ancestor?"
"Zhang Ruochen's talent is extraordinary, rare throughout the ages. He is someone capable of creating miracles," Feng Hou said.
Not far away stood a burly man radiating white sacred light. His long hair was loose, and the muscles on his chest, abdomen, and arms bulged with a metallic sheen. He was a Hundred Shackles Realm Great Perfection Great Saint from the Stone Clan, White Jade Mad Lion.
Hearing Feng Hou praise Zhang Ruochen so highly, White Jade Mad Lion felt a surge of intense jealousy. He snorted coldly, "Whether he has awakened the Ancestor's bloodline remains uncertain. Besides, he's only just broken through to the Hundred Shackles Realm. No matter how strong he is, how far can he go? I'd very much like to test him and see what he's made of."
Beneath her gold-thread mask, Feng Hou's crystal-red lips curled slightly upward. She did not stop White Jade Mad Lion.
In truth, she was also curious about how strong Zhang Ruochen really was.
During the competition for the Sacred Intent Pill, Zhang Ruochen had struck Yan Hong Great Saint with a palm, making her spit blood. Although that strike had an element of surprise, it was still a solid, glorious achievement.
It was enough to make even the top ten Hundred Shackles Realm Great Perfection powerhouses take him seriously.
Now that Zhang Ruochen had reached the Hundred Shackles Realm, just how powerful had he become?
Zhang Ruochen's blood was boiling, and a fierce urge to drink blood repeatedly assaulted his consciousness. He felt like draining the entire blood-red sea below him dry.
The Myriad Realm Divine Eye hovered above the Heaven Hunting Battlefield, capturing Zhang Ruochen's current image and projecting it onto various planets in the Hell Realm, as well as onto the Merit Battlefield.
Seeing Zhang Ruochen's ferocious and sinister appearance, the cultivators of the Kunlun Realm were all shocked.
Those who had once been close to Zhang Ruochen felt a disturbance in their hearts. They found him unfamiliar and frightening.
"Something must have happened to Master. How could he have become like this?" Han Xue frowned deeply, worried about Zhang Ruochen, sensing that his current state was abnormal.
Shang Guan Que let out a long sigh. "He must have merged with his former body. The bloodline of the Undying Blood Clan has finally erupted completely."
...
With his powerful will, Zhang Ruochen suppressed the urge to drink blood. He focused his gaze and saw six figures in the void not far from him, each exuding the aura of a top-tier Hundred Shackles Realm Great Saint.
"Roar!"
White Jade Mad Lion let out a lion's roar, sending sound waves spreading toward Zhang Ruochen.
"Zhang Ruochen, let's spar. I want to know just how strong a so-called Eon-level genius really is."
Without waiting for Zhang Ruochen's consent, White Jade Mad Lion formed claws with both hands and lunged forward. Instantly, two claw prints, dozens of miles long, materialized in the void and attacked Zhang Ruochen.
The two lion claws surpassed the sound waves in an instant.
White Jade Mad Lion was not merely acting out of jealousy; he genuinely wanted to test Zhang Ruochen's strength. Thus, he struck with full force, using a Hundred Shackles-level high-rank sacred art.
Lion King Heaven-Splitting Rift.
Dense sacred dao rules interwove within the two claw prints, pressing the void into a depression.
Zhang Ruochen's eyes turned cold, sharp as two swords.
Attacking without permission—who did he think he was?
If it were Yu Huang or Gu Chenzi doing this, Zhang Ruochen naturally would not be angered and would even be happy to spar with them. But what was White Jade Mad Lion? Did he even know him?
Attacking without consent could already be deemed a malicious assault. If Zhang Ruochen wished, he could send a thought to the Myriad Realm Divine Eye, and White Jade Mad Lion would be deducted five thousand points.
However, Zhang Ruochen did not do so.
Since he had broken through to the Hundred Shackles Realm and was looking for someone to practice on, White Jade Mad Lion, though only ranked thirty-third on the Hundred Shackles Realm Great Perfection List, was still acceptable.
"Swoosh—"
Zhang Ruochen spread his ten wings flat, radiating dazzling golden light. He turned into a streak of light and flew straight toward White Jade Mad Lion.
"Bang, bang."
The golden wings collided with the two giant lion claws, tearing them apart like bubbles.
The Hundred Shackles-level high-rank sacred art, Lion King Heaven-Splitting Rift, was broken so easily.
Seeing this, all the cultivators present were shocked. Zhang Ruochen's ten golden wings were too terrifying—stronger than a Hundred Shackles-level high-rank sacred art and seemingly harder than a Monarch Sacred Artifact.
The ten wings were like blades, flying toward White Jade Mad Lion.
White Jade Mad Lion's expression turned extremely grave. Staring at the rapidly approaching Zhang Ruochen, he immediately activated a deep-red iron ring on his wrist. Hundreds of thousands of king-level inscriptions emerged.
It was a fourth-rank Monarch Sacred Artifact.
The iron ring spun rapidly, expanding to a diameter of thirty-three zhang, releasing a powerful death force.
"Boom."
Zhang Ruochen tilted his body, and his left five golden wings struck the iron ring, producing a piercing metallic clash and scattering a large amount of sparks.
The iron ring was knocked back.
Zhang Ruochen's body paused briefly in midair. Then, flapping his ten wings, he exploded with incredible speed, flying toward White Jade Mad Lion in a zigzag path.
On the ground of the clan star, many Immortal Realm Great Saints could not even see Zhang Ruochen's face clearly. They could only see ever-changing golden light patterns moving at high speed.
Compared to before, Zhang Ruochen's speed had increased dramatically.
This was not just due to his cultivation breakthrough boosting his speed. The more important reason was that the Blood Absolute Ancestor's will and divine shadow had merged into his golden wings, allowing his ten wings to unleash unparalleled speed.
It was like an innate divine ability inherited from a barbaric beast's bloodline.
White Jade Mad Lion's nerves were stretched to the limit. He released his spiritual power entirely, contracting it within a thousand-zhang radius to track Zhang Ruochen's movements, continuously striking out with the iron ring.
He could only defend passively.
"Bang, bang."
The deafening collisions sounded like thunder in the sky above the clan star.
With each collision, White Jade Mad Lion was sent flying backward a great distance. After dozens of clashes, he was flustered and utterly shocked. "Are Zhang Ruochen's golden wings harder than a fourth-rank Monarch Sacred Artifact?"
Suddenly, Zhang Ruochen stopped attacking and stood still in the air.
White Jade Mad Lion let out a long sigh of relief. At least he had managed to block Zhang Ruochen's attacks and gained a rough understanding of his strength.
He could not continue fighting.
If he did, he would likely lose.
Zhang Ruochen, having reached the Hundred Shackles Realm, was indeed terrifying.
"Having just broken through to the Hundred Shackles Realm and being able to fight me to a draw, you truly live up to your reputation as a genius on par with Yan Wushen. Admirable, truly admirable," White Jade Mad Lion said, neither humble nor arrogant.
The Undying Blood Clan cultivators watching nodded slightly, acknowledging Zhang Ruochen's strength.
"Able to fight White Jade Mad Lion to a draw, Zhang Ruochen's combat power among the Undying Blood Clan should rank in the top five. It seems his injury to Yan Hong Great Saint was based on solid strength, not just a successful surprise attack."
"Regardless, the Blood Heaven Tribe has gained another top-tier powerhouse. With Yu Huang and Yi Xuan Great Saint at the Hundred Shackles Realm Great Perfection, the Blood Heaven Tribe's strength can be considered the best among the ten major tribes."
...
As everyone was discussing, Zhang Ruochen snorted coldly, "A draw? I was just testing the toughness of my golden wings. Did you really think you were qualified to be my opponent?"
"What did you say?" White Jade Mad Lion demanded.
Zhang Ruochen did not answer. He transformed into a golden light again, flying even faster than before.
Even White Jade Mad Lion's eyesight found it difficult to track him.
"Swoosh—"
The iron ring flew out, trying to repel Zhang Ruochen as before.
But this time, Zhang Ruochen did not clash with it. He simply sidestepped, flew over the ring, and charged straight at White Jade Mad Lion.
"So fast."
White Jade Mad Lion's expression changed drastically. He spread his arms, transforming them into two white sacred jade lion claws, and even his human head turned into a massive lion's head.
Zhang Ruochen flew above White Jade Mad Lion, and his left five golden wings slashed down like five demon blades.
White Jade Mad Lion raised both claws above his head, releasing ten thousand zhang of sacred light.
"Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang!"
The five wings struck down in succession, sending White Jade Mad Lion's body plummeting rapidly. From a thousand miles high, he fell to the ground, smashing through a mountain range and creating a pit a hundred miles in diameter.
The pit was bottomless.
The next moment, Zhang Ruochen suppressed the fourth-rank Monarch Sacred Artifact iron ring and flew above the pit.
White Jade Mad Lion climbed out of the rubble at the bottom of the pit, white blood flowing from his mouth. His jade-like arms bore five deep cuts like those from a knife or axe, accompanied by cracks.
With his Emperor Sacred Jade's tough physique, he had nearly had his arms crippled by Zhang Ruochen's golden wings.
"Is he really this strong?"
White Jade Mad Lion was even more reluctant to continue fighting. If he did, his arms would definitely be destroyed.
Once his arms were shattered, they would never recover during the Heaven Hunting Battle.
He looked up, and his expression froze. Zhang Ruochen was using Purifying Divine Flame to refine his fourth-rank Monarch Sacred Artifact battle weapon, the Thousand Ring.
This Monarch Sacred Artifact did not belong to him; it was bestowed by a Stone Clan deity before the Heaven Hunting Grand Banquet.
The Heaven Hunting Battle had only just begun, and his weapon had already been taken. He would surely become a laughingstock among the Stone Clan. That deity would also be deeply disappointed in him.
"Zhang Ruochen, we were just sparring. Why are you taking my battle weapon?"
White Jade Mad Lion flew out of the pit, gritting his teeth and glaring at Zhang Ruochen. For the moment, he did not dare to directly attack to reclaim it, opting instead to argue.
Since he could not win, he had to rely on reason.
"Sparring? When did we spar?"
Zhang Ruochen continued refining the Thousand Ring.
Arriving at the Heaven Hunting Battlefield with only a Purple Gold Gourd was far from enough. This Thousand Ring would serve well as a defensive weapon. It was clear that the various clans placed great importance on the Heaven Hunting Battle, bestowing high-grade weapons.
Taking one was equivalent to seizing a large amount of divine stones.
Suddenly, a bold idea formed in Zhang Ruochen's mind.
"Shua! Shua!"
Two blood-red beams descended from the sky.
Feng Hou and Yan Beijun had never expected that White Jade Mad Lion, a Hundred Shackles Realm Great Perfection powerhouse, would lose so quickly.
They immediately chased back to the ground, witnessing this scene.
Zhang Ruochen had taken White Jade Mad Lion's battle weapon and was refining it, with no intention of returning it. White Jade Mad Lion was furious, pointing at Zhang Ruochen and cursing loudly, yet he hesitated to attack.
Both were stunned.
They were shocked that Zhang Ruochen was so ruthless, especially since White Jade Mad Lion was an ally of Feng Hou. They were also surprised that White Jade Mad Lion, known for his fiery temper, was showing such restraint.
...
Recommend a very good book, "City's Demon King" by Happy Er Hao. Don't miss it!