Chapter 2318: Dark Underground Cave
"What... what is this?"
Wujiang stared intently at that Yin-Yang Taiji mark, clearly sensing that Zhang Ruochen, who had been gradually weakening, was now growing stronger in aura. Like a dying fire that reignites and burns fiercely once more.
"Boom, rumble."
The Yin-Yang Five Elements Sacred Will merged with the Immovable Wisdom King Saintly Form, executed through the Divine Demon Prison Suppression sacred art technique, crushing a massive black hole a hundred miles in diameter, charging into the Nether Realm Kingdom, and grinding the Nether Kingdom's land into fragments.
Between heaven and earth, it seemed no force could block this strike.
"It's a Sacred Will. Zhang Ruochen has indeed cultivated a Second-Rank Sacred Will."
"Nether Ancestor."
"Hundred-Hand Life-Death Palm Seal."
...
Wujiang's heart was filled with terror. The destructive power unleashed by combining a Second-Rank Sacred Will with a Thousand Questions-level high-rank sacred art exceeded his imagination. He poured all his strength into driving his sacred dao rules and Nether Qi.
"Bang!"
All of Wujiang's attacks were shattered by Zhang Ruochen.
The massive palm imprint of the Immovable Wisdom King Saintly Form landed heavily on Wujiang, sending him flying like a meteor, disappearing into the darkness.
The Immovable Wisdom King Saintly Form and the Yin-Yang Five Elements Sacred Will did not last long, quickly dissipating.
Zhang Ruochen's figure reappeared, swaying in the void. Blood trickled from the corner of his mouth, and he trembled unsteadily. The weakness in his body made him feel on the verge of fainting.
"Half of my Great Saint blood has been lost."
Zhang Ruochen's gaze was resolute. He used the sharp nail of his right index finger to pierce his chest, stimulating himself with intense pain. No matter what, he had to hold on at this moment.
The battle was not over yet.
He mobilized the Purifying Divine Flame and the Divine Wood Heart to refine the curse power that had invaded his body.
"Swoosh—"
Zhang Ruochen spread the ten wings on his back, transforming into a golden light and flying out, searching for Wujiang's aura.
The power unleashed by that strike just now must have severely wounded Wujiang.
Moreover, Divine Demon Qi and Yin-Yang Five Elements Sacred Will had invaded Wujiang's body.
Now was undoubtedly Wujiang's weakest moment, the best opportunity to kill him.
Zhang Ruochen followed the residual aura of Wujiang, flying a thousand miles.
The aura suddenly cut off.
"Vanished?"
Zhang Ruochen immediately released his spiritual power and space domain, searching carefully from nearby to afar, leaving no trace unchecked.
But he found nothing.
Wujiang had vanished like evaporating into thin air.
"Dark force remains. It seems Wujiang used some method of the Dark Path to merge with the darkness of heaven and earth, hiding himself." Zhang Ruochen frowned and sighed softly.
The existence of the Dark Star aligned perfectly with Wujiang's cultivation of the Dark Path, giving him a geographical advantage.
He could attack when advancing and hide when retreating.
Of course, the main reason was that Wujiang's cultivation and spiritual power far surpassed Zhang Ruochen's, making it impossible for Zhang Ruochen to locate him.
Zhang Ruochen had cultivated a total of 2.8 billion sacred dao rules.
Wujiang, at the Great Perfection of the Hundred Shackles Realm, had nearly 10 billion sacred dao rules, more than three times Zhang Ruochen's count.
Among the 2.8 billion sacred dao rules Zhang Ruochen had cultivated, space rules numbered only over 20 million.
But Wujiang's Dark Path had over 70 million rules.
Both were Eternal Dao. If the gap in rule count was too large, it was naturally an impossible task for Zhang Ruochen to use space to probe Wujiang hidden in darkness.
"It seems Wujiang is indeed heavily injured, only able to evade my pursuit by hiding."
Zhang Ruochen thought to himself.
The weakness in his body struck again. Worse still, an intense bloodthirsty urge kept assaulting Zhang Ruochen's rationality.
The weakness caused by massive blood loss could not be healed by the Divine Wood Heart.
He had to replenish his blood qi.
Zhang Ruochen's body contained not only Great Saint blood but also demigod blood.
Each drop of blood contained immense energy. If it fell to the ground, it could melt hundreds of miles of earth, turning it into a fiery domain. Such blood, tempered through countless refinements, was not easily restored.
The fastest way to replenish blood qi was, of course, to drink blood.
If he relied on slowly nurturing his body, it would take at least three years to fully recover.
Previously, Zhang Ruochen had used sacred blood and Great Saint blood for cultivation, but at that time, he considered himself human, with no dependence on blood or bloodthirsty urges.
Now, the situation was completely different.
Some things, once the psychological barrier is broken, happen once, then countless times, eventually leading to losing oneself, becoming someone unrecognizable.
Zhang Ruochen did not mind drinking the blood of enemies and evil beings. What he feared was that, in the future, for the sake of blood and power, he might drink anyone's blood.
That was how inner demons grew, step by step.
Now, Zhang Ruochen was already deeply afflicted by inner demons. How could he dare to sink further into demonhood?
Yet, Zhang Ruochen faced another dilemma. If he could not quickly restore his blood qi and allowed Wujiang to recover first, the situation would become even more dire.
...
On the Third Dark Star, Bore and the Great Senluo Emperor stood at the planet's North Pole.
Before them was a vertical dark underground cave, bottomless.
The cave emitted a powerful pulling force. Even with Bore's Immortal Realm cultivation, she had to exert full effort to resist being pulled down.
Here, the rules of heaven and earth were distorted. Dark rules accounted for over half of all rules, even more terrifying than the dark domain cultivated by a Great Saint.
The Great Senluo Emperor looked down into the pitch-black, cold cave, feeling a chill run through him. "Is this the entrance to the Dark Star's interior? If we jump down, can we still come out?"
The gravitational force on the Dark Star's surface could already severely affect Great Saints.
The suppression inside the star would naturally be even stronger.
Bore's expression was calm. "According to the records in the Destiny Temple's scriptures, the Dark Star's gravitational and dark forces are extremely powerful, especially inside the star, which can even devour time and space. As darkness, time, and space accumulate more and more, the originally formless energy transforms into tangible matter, becoming dark time-space matter."
The Great Senluo Emperor was astonished. "Materialized darkness, time, and space—how terrifying must the energy contained be?"
"A speck of dust-sized dark time-space matter, if its energy is triggered, could pose a lethal threat to an Immortal Realm Great Saint. Of course, this Dark Star is unlikely to produce solid dark time-space matter; liquid form is more probable." Bore said.
Dark time-space matter was so powerful that even a Supreme Sacred Artifact might struggle to withstand it. The Great Senluo Emperor's interest was piqued.
If he could obtain some, wouldn't he be invincible on the Heaven Hunting Battlefield?
However, although the Great Senluo Emperor had dabbled in the three paths of darkness, time, and space, his understanding was still quite shallow, making him a mere novice. Even if he obtained dark time-space matter, could he wield its power well?
If not careful, he might end up killing himself.
Bore said, "Entering the Dark Star's interior indeed carries great danger. The danger comes not only from the Dark Star itself but also from the threats posed by the three forces of darkness, time, and space to cultivators."
"Have you noticed? On the Dark Star's surface, time is distorted. Here, if we stay for ten hours, outside, only one hour should have passed."
"Additionally, space has changed, becoming extremely stable. Even a space controller like Zhang Ruochen would find it hard to cause much trouble here."
"The power of darkness is greatly enhanced. The proportion of dark rules among the rules of heaven and earth is hundreds or thousands of times greater than elsewhere."
"These changes will likely intensify further inside the Dark Star, reaching levels that Great Saints may find unbearable."
"For example, time flow might accelerate a thousand times or slow a thousand times. Space might crush cultivators into dust or stretch them into an infinitely thin line. Darkness might devour the cultivator's body, soul, and consciousness."
The places with the greatest changes in time flow were not time artifacts refined by time gods, but secret realms nurtured by the universe itself.
However, most of these secret realms were unsuitable for cultivation, instead filled with endless danger.
Some of them posed the risk of even gods falling.
The Great Senluo Emperor felt a chill from Bore's words and stepped back two paces. "Bore Highness, let's forget it. The risk of obtaining dark time-space matter is too great. Besides, even if we get it, using it is dangerous and hard to control."
Bore nodded slightly, appearing to have the intention of backing down.
"Boom."
A golden light descended from the sky, landing not far from the Great Senluo Emperor and Bore, kicking up layers of dust.
Zhang Ruochen stepped out of the dust. "Great Senluo Emperor, it seems your memory has been restored by Bore Highness using the Path of Fate. I wonder, if I erase it again, can she still restore it?"
Seeing Zhang Ruochen, the Great Senluo Emperor was both shocked and enraged.
"Why are you here? Where is Wujiang?"
The Great Senluo Emperor stepped in front of Bore and secretly transmitted to her, "Highness, you go first. I'll hold him off."
Bore did not leave.
Zhang Ruochen walked forward step by step. "I defeated Wujiang, and he fled."
"Impossible. How could you defeat Wujiang?"
The Great Senluo Emperor refused to accept this fact, but after probing with his spiritual power, he indeed found no trace of Wujiang, as if he had truly fled.
Zhang Ruochen had only broken fourteen shackles, yet he was already strong enough to defeat Wujiang?
Bore looked at Zhang Ruochen ahead, remaining quite calm. "You and Wujiang should have mutually wounded each other, right? I can sense that your aura is very weak. You're just putting on a strong front."
Zhang Ruochen said, "Even if I'm weak, killing you two is still easy. I can just absorb the death blood in your bodies to replenish my lost blood qi."
The Death Clan and Nether Clan also had blood.
However, their blood differed from that of living beings, containing intense death qi.
With a swoosh, Zhang Ruochen charged forward.
The Great Senluo Emperor's expression changed. He released powerful freezing energy and formed palm seals with both hands.
Before his palm force could be unleashed, his body was frozen by space.
With the Great Senluo Emperor's Great Perfection of the Hundred Shackles Realm cultivation, Zhang Ruochen could only freeze him for an instant.
In that instant, Zhang Ruochen grabbed the Great Senluo Emperor by the neck, lifted him, and slammed him heavily to the ground, creating a large pit full of cracks.
"Boom."
The death qi inside the Great Senluo Emperor was scattered by this heavy blow, and blood spilled from his mouth.
Seeing the blood, Zhang Ruochen's eyes became dazed, showing ecstatic joy, but then filled with pain and struggle. His body trembled slightly.
"Die."
Seizing the opportunity, the Great Senluo Emperor struck Zhang Ruochen's chest with a palm, sending him flying.
The palm contained freezing energy that encased most of Zhang Ruochen's body in ice.
The cold awakened Zhang Ruochen. He shook his arms, shattering all the ice. The ice fragments gathered between his hands, melting into an ice sword.
Holding the ice sword, Zhang Ruochen chased after the Great Senluo Emperor and swung it down.
"Bang!"
With one strike, he knocked the Great Senluo Emperor to the ground, cutting a foot-long bloody gash on his right arm.
"Bang! Bang! Bang..."
Strike after strike, the Great Senluo Emperor was covered in bloody sword wounds, completely unable to defend himself.
Bore did not flee but stared intently at Zhang Ruochen.
She noticed that Zhang Ruochen had lost a large amount of Great Saint blood and was in a strange state. He wanted to drink blood but was restraining himself. Each time he swung the ice sword, he hesitated for a moment.
Because of his hesitation, he could not kill the Great Senluo Emperor.
"Gate of True Self."
Bore stepped on the Nether River, her body slowly rising, floating over ten zhang above the ground. Her ten jade fingers formed a seal, controlling the Gate of True Self to fly toward Zhang Ruochen.
The Gate of True Self emitted bright light, shining on Zhang Ruochen.
Affected by the power of fate, Zhang Ruochen's combat strength was further weakened.
The Great Senluo Emperor let out a long roar and immediately counterattacked. His death qi surged out like a river or sea, unleashing hundreds of palm strikes in succession, forcing Zhang Ruochen to retreat step by step.
"Swoosh—"
Meanwhile, about a thousand miles away from the Third Dark Star in the dark void, Wujiang's body appeared, covered in cracks, like a paper figure torn apart and reassembled.
"The Great Senluo Emperor and Bore are doing well. Now is the best chance to kill Zhang Ruochen."
Wujiang's eyes were filled with killing intent. He took out the Nether Clan's Supreme Sacred Artifact, the Ten-Thousand Curse Heavenly Bead, held it in his palm, sat cross-legged, pressed his hands together, and chanted incantations.
Zhang Ruochen, fighting the Great Senluo Emperor and Bore, suddenly felt attacked by a curse again. His blood rapidly decreased, and his whole body felt excruciating.
"Damn it. Wujiang still has the power to unleash the Blood Devouring Curse, and from such a distance, the curse's power is still terrifyingly strong."
Zhang Ruochen realized the danger. The curse's power was too eerie, impossible to guard against.
Was today truly doomed?
Suddenly, a flash of inspiration struck his mind. He recalled what Bore had said earlier to the Great Senluo Emperor and stared at the distant dark underground cave.
Inside the Dark Star, with its distorted time and extreme space and darkness, the curse's power would surely be unable to enter.
With that thought, Zhang Ruochen rushed toward the cave at top speed.
"Where do you think you're going? Zhang Ruochen, today we settle old and new scores together."
The Great Senluo Emperor chased closely from behind, condensing a several-hundred-meter-long ice dragon in his palm. The ice dragon came to life, spiraling through the air, emitting a deafening dragon roar.
Just as the ice dragon's head was about to strike Zhang Ruochen's back, Zhang Ruochen suddenly turned around, flying backward while lashing out with the Ghost Head Whip.
The ghost head and the ice dragon's head collided.
"Crack, crack."
The Ghost Head Whip broke through the ice dragon's body like a hot knife through butter, emerging from the tail and striking the Great Senluo Emperor's chest, piercing through it.
With a splat, the Ghost Head Whip flew out from the Great Senluo Emperor's back.
"I told you, even if I'm weak, killing you is still easy."
Zhang Ruochen gritted his teeth and said this, then leaped into the dark underground cave, the Ghost Head Whip in his hand dragging the Great Senluo Emperor's bloody body.
As he fell, Zhang Ruochen turned around and looked upward, his pupils sharply contracting. He saw that Bore had also jumped down, and their eyes met.