Chapter 2315: Three-Way Struggle
"Can't escape. Space, freeze."
Zhang Ruochen stepped forward with his right foot and stomped hard, releasing all the space rules from his Qi Sea. They merged with his Space Domain, then surged toward Zuo Mu Shengjun, who was charging forward at full speed.
"Chi chi."
The space around Zuo Mu Shengjun turned liquid-like, trembling gently.
Then, like a great river freezing over, it solidified inch by inch.
Zuo Mu Shengjun's body had been merged with space, invisible to the naked eye. But as the space froze, his form flickered into a faint shadow.
Yu Huang's face lit up with joy. "Is he suppressed?"
"Zuo Mu Shengjun's cultivation is extremely strong. I can only hold him temporarily. Quickly, use the Soul-Devouring Flute to erode his five senses and spiritual will."
Zhang Ruochen's sacred Qi and Blood Fiend Qi surged continuously from the soles of his feet, spreading in all directions to sustain the Space Domain.
Zuo Mu Shengjun's cultivation had reached the mid-stage of the Thousand Questions Realm, and his combat power rivaled that of peak Thousand Questions Realm experts. Even with all his strength, Zhang Ruochen could only restrain him for a short time.
Yu Huang understood this was the critical moment that would decide victory or defeat. She drew her fingertip across her right wrist, cutting through skin and blood vessels.
Crimson, scorching Great Saint blood dripped onto the Soul-Devouring Flute.
The flute seemed to come alive, absorbing the Great Saint blood as dense, blood-red patterns surfaced on its body. These patterns had been inscribed by the flute's previous owner—each one a divine mark.
"Hua—"
An increasingly powerful divine force surged from the Soul-Devouring Flute.
Whether it was the wind stirred by the divine power or not, even before she began to play, faint flute notes echoed across the dark star.
Yan Cuo and the other two saints of the Falling Star Divine Temple, weaker in cultivation, felt sharp stabs of pain in their brains from the flute's influence. They had to mobilize their spiritual power to resist.
"The Soul-Devouring Flute is a Divine Relic Ancient Artifact. With Yu Huang's Great Saint blood fueling it, it has finally gained divine power," Fang Mofeng said.
Yu Huang held the flute with both hands, exhaling a long, steady breath from her crimson lips.
Instantly, a melody—sometimes mournful and plaintive, sometimes stirring and soul-stirring—echoed between heaven and earth.
The sound waves coalesced into various forms: blood-robed divine generals, soul-reaping death envoys, headless Shura... all surging toward Zuo Mu Shengjun, sealed within the frozen space.
Even the residual notes carried immense power.
Including Fang Mofeng, the three Great Saints of the Falling Star Divine Temple felt their heads about to split. They quickly retreated far away, not daring to stay close.
"Yu Huang's flute sound is terrifying. If a non-spiritual-power Great Saint is directly attacked, they'll surely lose their mind and turn into a mad demon."
"A mere Blood Heaven Tribe has produced two top-tier powerhouses like Zhang Ruochen and Yu Huang. Unbelievable."
...
Yan Cuo and the other two saints, along with Fang Mofeng, were only affected by the residual sound, yet they were already so overwhelmed.
Zuo Mu Shengjun, directly assaulted by the flute's sound and with his spiritual power sealed, unable to use spiritual defenses, soon let out agonized roars from within the frozen space.
Seeing this, Fang Mofeng let out a long sigh of relief. "Zhang Ruochen and Yu Huang are too powerful. With their combined strength, Zuo Mu Shengjun won't last long. His death is certain."
"Boom."
A pillar of purple lightning tore through the darkness, connecting from beyond the sky to the ground.
The ground, far harder than mystic iron, was struck by the lightning pillar and shattered, sending countless fragments flying. Dense, earthworm-like electric patterns spread across the surface.
Mo Yin's face was pale as she stood at the lightning's center, rushing toward Zhang Ruochen and Yu Huang. She transmitted a message: "Master, Wujiang is here."
"Mm."
Zhang Ruochen responded calmly.
Mo Yin was his parasitic plant. No matter how far apart they were, Zhang Ruochen could sense what she saw, heard, and experienced.
In truth, he had already known the moment Mo Yin and Wujiang clashed in the sky.
"Pity. I couldn't kill Zuo Mu Shengjun before Wujiang arrived."
Zhang Ruochen sighed inwardly and looked up.
Ten thousand zhang above, death qi swirled into spiral clouds, with colorful Nether Flower petals drifting within.
Wujiang stood at the center of the spiral clouds, his body radiating an eerie, dazzling light.
"Zhang Ruochen, you truly surprise me. In just a few days, you've gained the power to suppress Zuo Mu Shengjun. It seems I can't let you live today." Wujiang's voice, melodious and resonant, echoed across the entire Third Dark Star.
Though he had heard of Zhang Ruochen's prowess from Bore and Que Fei, Wujiang hadn't believed Zhang Ruochen could match Zuo Mu Shengjun before arriving at the Third Dark Star.
The sight of Zuo Mu Shengjun suppressed and screaming in agony struck Wujiang like a thunderbolt.
Zhang Ruochen's cultivation speed was too fast. If he didn't kill him today, he might never have another chance.
If he let Zhang Ruochen break a few dozen more shackles, the next time they met, Wujiang might have to flee at the mere sight of him.
Today was the last opportunity.
Wujiang's eyes quickly swept over Yu Huang and Mo Yin. With his powerful spiritual power, he could clearly sense that their strength was formidable—not something to be resolved in three or five moves.
If Zhang Ruochen, Yu Huang, and Mo Yin were all at their peak, their combined force could rampage across the Heaven Hunting Battlefield.
With their sudden rise, plus Dao Yu Huang and Feng Hou, the Undying Blood Clan's overall strength was now nearly on par with the Yama Clan, making them one of the most powerful forces in this Heaven Hunt.
"It seems I have no choice but to do this."
Wujiang joined his index and middle fingers on both hands, crossing his arms to form a cross-shaped hand seal.
The black lightning mark on his brow opened again.
This time was different from before. Wujiang fully activated the dark force within him, his long hair flying and robes billowing. Under the influence of the dark force, his body turned into a patch of darkness, like a black hole spinning in the sky.
"Hua la."
A thick black beam, one zhang in diameter, shot from the black hole, heading straight for Zhang Ruochen, who was fully focused on manipulating space. The power of the black beam resonated with the dark star's energy, growing stronger as it neared the ground.
"Mo Yin, take the Purple Gold Gourd. Hold him off for a moment."
The Purple Gold Gourd at Zhang Ruochen's waist flew out and landed in Mo Yin's hands.
With a Supreme Sacred Artifact in hand, Mo Yin's confidence soared. She held the gourd with one hand, releasing a torrent of lightning from her five snow-white fingers, pouring it continuously into the gourd's base.
Inside the Purple Gold Gourd, all the Supreme Inscription Runes were activated.
The gourd shook violently, swaying and growing until it became a purple-gold gourd mountain.
From the gourd's mouth, a pillar of golden flame shot out, colliding with the descending black beam.
"Boom, rumble."
Supreme power and dark force clashed like two great rivers, unleashing a mountain-toppling wave of energy.
Mo Yin, having just absorbed a large number of Heavenly Slaves and at her peak strength, used the Supreme Sacred Artifact's might to block the descending black beam.
The three Great Saints of the Falling Star Divine Temple gasped in shock.
"Another top-tier powerhouse has appeared? And she calls Zhang Ruochen 'master'? This... this Blood Heaven Tribe's strength is too terrifying." Yan Hanyu's voice trembled.
Fang Mofeng's expression grew grim. "Wujiang is attacking Zhang Ruochen to break the frozen space and free Zuo Mu Shengjun."
"We must not let him succeed. Zuo Mu Shengjun must die. If he doesn't, once he retaliates, countless Great Saints of the Hell Realm will perish. And we'll be his primary targets—doomed without a doubt." Mo Cuo said.
The three Great Saints exchanged glances, each sending a brilliant Shura battle qi pillar into the Purple Gold Gourd, aiding Mo Yin in resisting Wujiang.
Wujiang snorted coldly. "You think you can stop me?"
Countless Nether Flower petals gathered behind Wujiang, condensing into exactly one hundred hand seals.
All the hand seals arranged themselves in a circular formation.
"Impossible! Is Wujiang using the Hundred-Hand Life-Death Palm Seal while simultaneously unleashing the Dark Destruction Light?" Fang Mofeng's face turned ashen.
Both the Dark Destruction Light and the Hundred-Hand Life-Death Palm Seal were Wujiang's ultimate techniques, far more powerful than ordinary Thousand Questions-level high-rank sacred arts.
Wujiang could unleash both simultaneously only because his spiritual power was strong enough.
It was like one person unleashing the combat power of two.
The Hundred-Hand Life-Death Palm Seal descended, generating immense pressure that weighed down on everyone below.
Every cultivator on the dark star felt as if a mountain had been placed on their backs, growing heavier and heavier. The three Great Saints of the Falling Star Divine Temple, their legs trembling, had to withdraw their Shura battle qi pillars to protect their sacred bodies.
"Is Wujiang... trying to... kill us all... on this dark star?"
Yan Hanyu was the first to falter. Her protective battle qi shattered, and she fell to the ground. Blood beads oozed from her fair skin as her body trembled violently.
"Bang."
Mo Cuo fell second.
The Hundred-Hand Life-Death Palm Seal was less than a hundred meters from the ground, its deathly energy impacting every cultivator below.
Zhang Ruochen sighed and redirected his space power. All the space rules surged toward the sky, freezing the space above their heads into a massive space shield.
At the same time, the dragon and elephant souls in Zhang Ruochen's arms manifested. He pressed upward lightly with his palm.
"Slap."
The tens-of-meters-thick space shield held for only an instant before the Hundred-Hand Life-Death Palm Seal shattered it, and space returned to formlessness.
The next moment, Zhang Ruochen's palm strike, amplified tenfold by Truth Rules, turned into a golden hand tens of thousands of meters long, colliding with the Hundred-Hand Life-Death Palm Seal.
"Boom, rumble."
The dark star, thousands of miles in diameter, trembled slightly from the force.
The hundred hand seals in the sky all shattered, turning into a rain of Nether Flower petals that scattered down.
On the other side, the dark beam and the Supreme power beam dissipated simultaneously. Wujiang in the sky and Mo Yin on the ground each staggered back several steps.
Clearly, this exchange hadn't favored Wujiang.
Wujiang seemed to ponder for a moment before speaking. "I miscalculated. When competing for the Sacred Intent Pill, I missed my best chance to kill you. Now, with the Devouring Saint Flower by your side, you have the power to contend with me."
Zhang Ruochen said, "Even without the Devouring Saint Flower, you might not be my match."
Hearing this, a smile returned to Wujiang's face. "Your Truth Path is indeed formidable, capable of unleashing tenfold attack power. But your body's endurance is limited. Even with a half-divine body, how many times can you continuously unleash tenfold attacks?"
"You broke my Hundred-Hand Life-Death Palm Seal once. Can you break it ten times?"
"Besides, have you forgotten that my true strength lies in spiritual power and illusion arts? When competing for the Sacred Intent Pill, if not for Princess Luo Sha, you would have died under my Ten-Thousand-Eye Illusion."
Zhang Ruochen glanced at Zuo Mu Shengjun, still trapped in the frozen space.
Without Zhang Ruochen's support, the frozen space was mostly broken by Zuo Mu Shengjun. Yu Huang's flute sound could no longer suppress him.
Zhang Ruochen said, "Wujiang, the purpose of the Heaven Hunt is to hunt Heavenly Slaves. How about we kill Zuo Mu Shengjun first, then fight?"
"Once Zuo Mu Shengjun dies, your Blood Heaven Tribe's three top experts will gather, with two Supreme Sacred Artifacts. How could I still be your match?" Wujiang's eyes were mocking, a cold smile on his lips.
Once upon a time, Zhang Ruochen and Yu Huang weren't even worth Wujiang's notice. Now, they had both grown into formidable powers.
Zhang Ruochen said, "So, you plan to rescue Zuo Mu Shengjun and ally with him against me?"
"Exactly."
Wujiang didn't bother to hide it.
Zhang Ruochen shook his head. "Cooperating with a Heavenly Slave to kill a Great Saint of the Hell Realm—if the gods see this, it might affect your future in the Hell Realm. Don't think the dark star's power can truly block the gods' perception."
"So what if the gods see? In the end, both you and Zuo Mu Shengjun will die by my hand." Wujiang was full of confidence, unconcerned that Zuo Mu Shengjun could hear him.
Now, it was a three-way struggle, each side wanting to kill the other two.
Enemy and friend were decided in an instant.
Whoever was strongest would be killed first.
Facing a great enemy like Wujiang, Zhang Ruochen had to be on full alert, unable to divert his attention. Seeing Zuo Mu Shengjun about to break free, he shouted coldly, "Mo Yin, go help Yu Huang. You must kill Zuo Mu Shengjun. I'll handle Wujiang."
Zhang Ruochen reached out with his hand, recalling the Purple Gold Gourd. Spreading his ten wings, he shot into the sky, taking the initiative to attack Wujiang.
He recalled the Purple Gold Gourd because he knew the Yama Clan's Supreme Sacred Artifact must be in Wujiang's hands. Only with a Supreme Sacred Artifact could he counter one.
"Good! I'll defeat you in one-on-one combat and seize your Eon-level genius destiny."
Wujiang laughed loudly. The black lightning mark on his brow opened again. This time, instead of a dark beam, ten thousand eyes manifested—the very "Ten-Thousand-Eye Illusion" that had once trapped Zhang Ruochen.
With his sixty-sixth-level spiritual power and his identity as an Illusion Earth Master, even Lan Ying and Yan Huangtu had to be wary of him.
Because once trapped in an illusion, even a moment's disorientation could cost them their lives.