Chapter 2314: Wujiang's Heart
The dark force contained within the third dark star enveloped a universe spanning millions of miles in radius. Standing at the edge of the darkness, it resembled a bottomless abyss of death, inspiring awe even in Great Saints.
Bore's figure was exquisitely graceful. Beneath her long, slender jade-like legs, she trod upon a Styx River stretching thousands of miles, its waves shimmering with light and its nether energy vast and profound, lending her aura an air of ethereal mystery.
Wujiang was also a peerless figure of great wisdom and tenacity, utterly unswayed by carnal desires. Yet, upon first seeing Bore, he found himself no different from any flesh-and-blood being. He felt the position of his heart and discovered it was alive.
Bore seemed perpetually shrouded in a veil of mystery, making her impossible to fathom.
The more elusive she was, the more she tugged at his heartstrings.
"Rustle."
The waters of the Styx rapidly contracted, transforming into dozens of flowing ribbon-like bands that coiled around Bore's form, flowing like streams.
"This is the place. Let's go."
With the aid of the Styx, Bore's speed greatly increased as she charged ahead into the void region imbued with dense dark force. From start to finish, she remained as cold as frost, like a snow mountain that had not thawed for ten thousand years.
"Be careful. Let me lead the way. Zuo Mu Shengjun is the strongest among all the Thousand Questions Realm Heavenly Slaves; he won't be easy to deal with."
Wujiang's voice was warm and gentle, his bearing heroic and spirited. With each step he took, dark flowers bloomed beneath his feet.
A single stride carried him a hundred miles.
Before long, Bore and Wujiang discovered, near a small planet two hundred miles in diameter ahead, the corpses of numerous Heavenly Slaves suspended in space.
Some corpses were only half a meter long, with bodies resembling butterflies.
Others were as massive as mountains, with lion-like heads.
...
All races were represented.
Even stranger, every corpse had become withered and shriveled, their luster gone, their sacred essence drained.
Bore's fingertip lightly touched the shoulder of one corpse. A rustling sound arose, and the corpse instantly turned to ash, scattering like something made of sand.
"There's a fluctuation of power ahead. Interesting—someone has arrived before us."
Wujiang's lips curled upward, revealing an intrigued expression.
His spiritual power had reached the sixty-sixth level, a level few among the Hell Realm cultivators in this Heaven Hunting Battle could match. Even with the suppression of the dark star's power, Wujiang's perception remained exceptionally sharp.
"To have killed so many Heavenly Slaves, this opponent is no ordinary figure."
A glint of unusual light flickered in Bore's eyes.
As her fingertip touched the corpse, she sensed a trace of a familiar aura and already knew who had come here.
How dare he come here?
Had his injuries... already healed?
"It's Zhang Ruochen. I've already sensed his aura. Haha, what a narrow path for enemies. Perfect—I'll eliminate him today as well." Wujiang's speed suddenly surged as he transformed into a streak of black light and shot forward.
Wujiang's resolve to kill Zhang Ruochen was unwavering, not only because he was the Dark Son's junior uncle but also because of Zhang Ruochen's status as an Eon-level genius.
With the Quasi-Emperor Grade Sacred Intent Pill, Wujiang had managed to fuse his fourth type of Sacred Intent, the "Flying Cloud Sacred Intent." However, Flying Cloud Sacred Intent was merely a seventh-grade Sacred Intent, and after fusing it, he still had not cultivated a second-grade Sacred Intent.
A second-grade Sacred Intent was more than ten times harder to achieve than he had anticipated.
The Sacred Intent he had now fused was still a top-tier third-grade, merely possessing a hint of the essence of a second-grade Sacred Intent.
Even if he seized another Quasi-Emperor Grade Sacred Intent Pill, Wujiang believed his chances of fusing a second-grade Sacred Intent were still negligible. His talent had hit a bottleneck that no amount of pills could remedy.
The only way now was to devour Zhang Ruochen through the Path of Darkness.
Only then could he ascend to the next level.
Watching Wujiang speed away, Bore let out a soft sigh, a contemplative look in her eyes.
On the dark star, spatial power would be greatly weakened. Dark force, however, would benefit from the environment, allowing cultivators of the Path of Darkness to unleash twelve-tenths of their combat strength.
With this shift in advantage, even if Zhang Ruochen's combat power had grown beyond its former self, he would likely face grave danger.
"I hope there truly is Dark Time-Space Matter inside the dark star," Bore thought to herself.
Mo Yin and the Great Senluo Emperor, who were hunting Heavenly Slaves, detected Wujiang's aura. They ceased their killing and stood on a black cosmic rock, gazing in the direction from which Wujiang was flying.
"Who is he?"
The Great Senluo Emperor stood behind Mo Yin and asked.
Mo Yin's expression turned solemn. "An enemy. A very powerful enemy."
"I'll kill him."
The Great Senluo Emperor brandished a newly seized Star-Splitting War Blade, surging with overwhelming battle intent.
"Good, that's the spirit. No matter how strong the enemy, you must not show a trace of fear."
Mo Yin's red lips were as glossy as cinnabar, a faint smile appearing. She drew the Ice Wood Divine Bow, nocked a White Jade Divine Arrow, and aimed it in Wujiang's direction.
As her fingers pulled the string, the cold energy emanating from the Ice Wood Divine Bow condensed into massive ice crystal dragons and serpents in the surrounding void.
"Twang!"
The White Jade Divine Arrow transformed into a beam of light hundreds of meters long and shot forward.
The darkness was split by the white light, and a piercing sharp sound shook the space.
"You dare to attack first?"
Wujiang snorted coldly, his steps unceasing. The black lightning mark on his brow slowly split open, revealing a vertical eye.
Within the vertical eye seemed to lie a boundless dark ocean, releasing surging, overwhelming power.
A beam of dark force, condensed into a pillar of light, shot out from the vertical eye.
"Boom, rumble."
The black and white rays clashed in the void. Soon, the white light dimmed, reverting to the White Jade Divine Arrow, which fell into the darkness somewhere unknown.
The black beam continued to surge forward, heading straight for Mo Yin.
"So powerful."
Mo Yin was very confident in her current strength, yet she still dared not clash head-on with Wujiang. She executed a Space Displacement to evade his onslaught.
The Great Senluo Emperor, however, showed no fear. He raised the twenty-meter-long giant blade with both hands and swung it in a single slash.
"Boom."
The blade struck the beam of light.
The black beam melted the Star-Splitting War Blade in his hands, turning it into black droplets.
The Great Senluo Emperor's massive body was sent flying like a rolling watermelon, and the cosmic rock beneath his feet exploded into dust with a bang.
"Hmm? What's going on? The Great Senluo Emperor's state seems off."
The lightning-marked vertical eye on Wujiang's brow closed, a puzzled expression on his face.
Mo Yin, who had displaced herself, fired a second arrow from another direction.
Wujiang turned his head to look, his gaze as sharp as an eagle's. He extended his right hand. Though it was just one hand, dozens of hand shadows appeared, spinning around the incoming arrow, continuously dissipating its power.
By the time the arrow landed in Wujiang's right hand, it had completely lost its force.
Wujiang lifted the nearly two-meter-long arrow and examined it closely. The arrow was crafted from divine bone. On its tip were carved twenty-seven million inscriptions, including divine patterns.
"A Divine Bone Arrow."
Wujiang uttered these three words, his gaze growing colder as he fixed his eyes on Mo Yin. "I can sense that you share some extremely close relationship with Zhang Ruochen. Of course, that doesn't matter. What I want to know is, how did the Ice Wood Divine Bow of the Great Senluo Emperor end up in your hands?"
Mo Yin toyed with the bow bone, which continuously emitted cold air, and laughed. "The Great Senluo Emperor is a man who knows when to yield. He has already defected to the Undying Blood Clan and become a battle slave to my master."
Wujiang let out a deep laugh and asked no further questions.
He gently extended his arm, and a massive dark handprint flew out, enveloping Mo Yin.
Though just a handprint, in Mo Yin's vision, it seemed like a five-fingered world, boundless and infinite. Even executing a Space Displacement, she could not escape its coverage.
"Is he this strong?"
The smile vanished from Mo Yin's face, and the suffocating sensation grew ever more intense.
"Rustle."
Her hands transformed into dense purple lightning vine tendrils, with white Purifying Divine Flame surging from the leaves. Soon, they evolved into a sea of thunder and fire.
As she retreated toward the dark star, she simultaneously resisted the five-fingered handprint.
"Boom."
The sea of thunder and fire was crushed by the handprint, the lightning vines all shattered, and broken tendrils scattered across the void for a thousand miles. Sparks of lightning still flickered on the vine leaves, but Mo Yin was nowhere to be seen.
"To escape unscathed from my full-force strike—Zhang Ruochen truly has no shortage of talented people around him. Not to be underestimated."
Wujiang locked onto Mo Yin with his spiritual power and intended to pursue her, killing her before she could reunite with Zhang Ruochen. But a roar erupted from behind him.
"Take my move: Ten Thousand Miles of Icy River."
The Great Senluo Emperor activated his Sacred Intent and unleashed a Hundred-Shackle-level high-rank Sacred Art, striking out with a palm.
A vast, boundless icy river surged from the Great Senluo Emperor's palm, striking at Wujiang's back.
"What are you doing? I am Wujiang. Stop this at once."
Wujiang thought the Great Senluo Emperor had been controlled by a Soul-Controlling Art, so he infused his voice with spiritual power, hoping to awaken him from his confusion.
"No matter who you are, no matter how strong you are, no matter what your status, I do not fear you. If you want to fight, then let's fight until the heavens collapse and the earth shatters, until one of us dies."
The Great Senluo Emperor's aura was fierce, his battle intent surging.
Wujiang frowned deeply. The former Great Senluo Emperor would never have dared to act so arrogantly before him.
Every time before a battle, the Great Senluo Emperor had already conceded defeat.
"Break for me."
Wujiang charged toward the Ten Thousand Miles of Icy River, striding forward, fists and palms striking out, shattering the icy river and causing the void to tremble.
"Boom."
After breaking the icy river, Wujiang leaped down from above like a divine eagle, striking the top of the Great Senluo Emperor's head with a palm, firmly suppressing him.
The Great Senluo Emperor let out a long roar. "I will burn my lifespan to unleash my strongest combat power. You cannot suppress me!"
"Sizzle."
A brilliant death flame ignited on the Great Senluo Emperor's body. He was indeed using a forbidden art. As his lifespan continuously burned, an increasingly powerful wave of energy erupted from within him.
Wujiang's palm was constantly battered, nearly losing its hold.
"Could Zhang Ruochen really be so ruthless as to turn him into a battle slave?"
Wujiang was inwardly impressed. Zhang Ruochen dared to turn a Divine Son into such a state during the Heaven Hunting Grand Banquet—wasn't that equivalent to publicly slapping the face of the Great Senluo Emperor's father god, the Crimson Soul Monarch?
How could the Crimson Soul Monarch swallow such an insult?
Though Wujiang was powerful, he was not without concerns.
If the Great Senluo Emperor self-detonated his Sacred Source at such close range, even Wujiang, strong as he was, would face certain death.
Just as Wujiang was caught in a dilemma, Bore caught up. "The Great Senluo Emperor has not been turned into a battle slave. He has merely had part of his memory erased."
Her slender jade finger pressed against the Great Senluo Emperor's brow.
"Whoosh—"
Strands of Fate Rule flowed from her fingertip, like white threads of light, surging into the Great Senluo Emperor's head.
Using the Path of Fate, she constructed new memories.
Being able to construct the memories of a Hundred-Shackle Great Perfection Great Saint was not something any cultivator of the Path of Fate could achieve. Bore only succeeded with the help of her True Self Gate.
After a while, the Great Senluo Emperor calmed down. His body went limp, and he fell into unconsciousness.
Wujiang withdrew his palm and glanced at Bore with some surprise. "Your Highness is only at the Immortal Realm, yet you bring me so many wonders. I truly look forward to Your Highness breaking through to the Hundred-Shackle Realm soon. Leave the Great Senluo Emperor to your care. I will go to the dark star and have a meeting with Zhang Ruochen and Zuo Mu Shengjun."
Bore said, "Wait. Let me remind you: Zhang Ruochen does not seem to have come alone. He has made thorough preparations and has more than one helper by his side. With your strength alone, you may not gain the upper hand. It would be better to first kill Zuo Mu Shengjun and claim the points."
"Are you concerned about me?" Wujiang turned back and asked with a smile.
Bore's eyes were deep and cold. "I am merely afraid that your emotions will cloud your judgment. At this stage, for us, earning points is more important than killing Zhang Ruochen."
"But for me, killing Zhang Ruochen is more important than earning points."
Wujiang's figure blurred and vanished before Bore's eyes, reappearing hundreds of miles away.
"His will is too firm to be swayed by anyone," Bore murmured to herself.
After a moment of thought, Bore's palm glowed with light. She tapped the top of the Great Senluo Emperor's head, awakening him.
"Come, follow me to the dark star."
Though the Great Senluo Emperor had recovered most of his memories, he was still somewhat dazed. He inexplicably felt that Bore's voice was incredibly amiable (qinhe), utterly irresistible. He responded and followed her, flying toward the central dark star.
...
On the dark star, Zhang Ruochen released his Space Domain and Truth Realm Form, manifesting a vast starry sea world.
Starlight shimmered, beautiful and magnificent.
"Space Tide."
This was a great technique recorded in Xumi Saint Monk's Space-Time Secret Scripture. Zhang Ruochen had only initially mastered it upon reaching the peak of the Saint King Realm.
Using this move on the dark star could not tear space apart, but it could cause space to vibrate violently like surging waves.
"Boom, rumble."
Under the impact of successive tremors, Zuo Mu Shengjun could no longer remain hidden and was forced out.
The moment he revealed his liquid form, Zhang Ruochen's Truth Eye locked onto him.
Zhang Ruochen said, "As a mass of Space Purple Rain, you are naturally the prey of a Space Controller, a material used to refine space treasures. You want to escape? Can you?"
In a sense, a Space Controller was the natural enemy of Zuo Mu Shengjun, like a hawk to a snake or a cormorant to a fish.
Only a vast disparity in cultivation could change this disadvantage.
Zuo Mu Shengjun had already realized this and was now rushing at top speed toward the three Great Saints of the Falling Star Divine Temple. He had to possess one of them quickly and transform into a new second form to change his predicament.
As Space Purple Rain, Zuo Mu Shengjun had a tremendous advantage: he could continuously possess new hosts, transforming into a different race, and could conceal himself without a trace.
Zuo Mu Shengjun had once disguised himself as a Snow Barbarian cultivator, deceiving the Falling Star Divine Temple's Hall Master for hundreds of years. No other race could achieve such a feat.