Chapter 2328: Such Prestige
Suffering a spiritual power attack, Yue Tinghai’s brain throbbed with sharp pain. Instantly, his entire body’s strength slackened, his limbs trembled, and he couldn’t control his knees as they bent downward.
“Roar!”
Yue Tinghai let out an unwilling, furious roar from his throat: “Zhang Ruochen, a Great Saint cannot be humiliated… From now on… no end… until death…”
The space around Yue Tinghai trembled violently.
Overwhelmed by that spatial force, Yue Tinghai could no longer hold himself up. Heavily, he fell to his knees, pressing the ground into a large sunken crater.
Centered on Yue Tinghai’s body, the space within a ten-mile radius froze solid.
The world fell into utter silence.
“Whoosh—”
Wind Queen’s exquisite figure flew down onto the city wall. Her almond-shaped eyes revealed a shocked expression as she said, “This is unwise. Doing this is unwise.”
“What’s unwise about it?” Zhang Ruochen asked.
Wind Queen said, “A Great Saint can be killed, but not humiliated. Especially someone like Yue Tinghai—a proud son of heaven, a seed of the gods. Suffering such a profound disgrace, not only he, but also the forces behind him, even the entire Jingtian Tribe, will regard you as an enemy.”
“Yue Tinghai doesn’t have that much influence. A loser has no glory in the Hell Realm. The cultivators of the Jingtian Tribe worship the Hundred-Shackle Great Perfection Great Saint Yue Tinghai, not a kneeling Yue Tinghai,” Zhang Ruochen said.
Wind Queen sighed softly, “Perhaps you’re right. As long as we truly lead the Undying Blood Clan to claim first place among the ten clans, then all cultivators of the Undying Blood Clan will see us as their pride and revere us as gods.”
Twenty-three beams of holy light flew from afar, landing below Cloud City.
They were the twenty-three Great Saints of the Jingtian Tribe.
Seeing Yue Tinghai suppressed and kneeling on the ground, some were terrified, some enraged, and some rushed forward, trying to rescue him, only to be blocked by the frozen space.
“Zhang Ruochen, what you’re doing is humiliating the entire Jingtian Tribe. We may not be your match, but once the Heaven-Hunting Battle ends, the gods of the Jingtian Tribe will never let you off.”
A young female Great Saint, appearing around twenty years old, shouted in anger. She spread six blood wings and slashed her sword at the frozen space.
“Crackle!”
Zhang Ruochen moved his spiritual power, and a bolt of lightning in the shape of a dragon-snake flew down from the clouds, sending her flying backward. Her body turned to charcoal, severely injured.
“Yue Tinghai did something wrong, so he needs to reflect properly. On the Heaven-Hunting Battlefield, the gods of the Jingtian Tribe can’t control him, so I’ll discipline him on behalf of the gods,” Zhang Ruochen said.
“Who do you think you are? What right do you have to discipline a Great Saint of the Jingtian Tribe?”
“Whether Yue Tinghai did something wrong isn’t for you to decide with a single word!”
Seven or eight Great Saints of the Jingtian Tribe activated their blood fiend aura, preparing to attack Zhang Ruochen.
Zhang Ruochen’s voice turned icy and bone-chilling: “The only reason Yue Tinghai isn’t dead is that he could withstand one of my punches and still has some use. But as for you—if any of you dares to offend me, I, Zhang Ruochen, will kill without mercy.”
Hearing this, the Great Saints of the Jingtian Tribe felt as if doused with cold water, sobering up a bit.
They were facing Zhang Ruochen, after all!
This guy was famously fearless, having already killed countless divine sons and daughters of the Hell Realm. Even the Seventh Son of the Ghost Lord, Xu, had died by his hand. What wouldn’t he dare to do?
Wind Queen was genuinely afraid Zhang Ruochen might go on a killing spree, so she quickly said, “Last night, Yue Tinghai manipulated a tsunami, trying to kill thirty million Undying Blood Clan members on the Blood Heaven Continent. I can testify to this. Committing such a grave crime—luckily it’s on the Heaven-Hunting Battlefield, or the Undying Divine Temple would have already taken him away to extract his soul and flay his skin. You weren’t involved in last night’s events, were you?”
In the Hell Realm, strength truly reigned supreme. The powerful could decide the fate of the weak.
But no clan would allow its members to massacre their own people on a large scale. Someone who did would end up like Zuo Mu Shengjun.
Relatively speaking, the Undying Blood Clan’s punishment was even harsher.
Not just the twenty-three Immortal Realm Great Saints of the Jingtian Tribe, but even Yue Tinghai, kneeling on the ground, changed color.
On the Heaven-Hunting Battlefield, killing thirty million clansmen wasn’t a big deal for a Hundred-Shackle Great Perfection Great Saint. After all, his value alone far exceeded thirty million clansmen.
If last night’s attack had succeeded, the gods of the Jingtian Tribe would definitely have protected him, and the Undying Divine Temple couldn’t have done anything.
But the attack failed, and now Zhang Ruochen and Wind Queen had exposed it. With such a loss of face, the gods of the Jingtian Tribe would surely be deeply disappointed in him. Would they still protect him?
“No… no, we had no idea what happened last night.”
“Did Yue Tinghai really commit such a heinous crime?”
“I swear I knew nothing about last night’s events. It has nothing to do with me.”
…
The Great Saints of the Jingtian Tribe sensed something was wrong and quickly became docile.
The reason they dared to defy Zhang Ruochen’s orders was that they believed Wind Queen and Blade Prison Emperor would never submit to him and would stand up to oppose him.
But Wind Queen had sided with Zhang Ruochen. Along with Yu Huang, Yi Xuan Great Saint, and Gu Chenzi, they had formed a force that the other eight tribes combined couldn’t match.
“They’re here!”
Zhang Ruochen looked up at the sky, rolling with blood clouds, and sensed powerful sacred dao auras.
The Great Saints of the ten tribes were arriving from all directions of the planet.
Yue Tinghai being suppressed to his knees by Zhang Ruochen was a warning signal.
The cultivators of the other seven tribes were afraid of suffering the same fate. Who would dare to wait for Zhang Ruochen to personally invite them?
“Fengtian Tribe’s Yao Bing, leading seventeen Great Saints of our tribe, comes to pay respects to Ruochen Great Saint.”
Eighteen beams of blood light descended from the sky, landing outside Cloud City.
“Motian Tribe’s Yihui Shengjun, leading twenty-four Great Saints of our tribe, comes to pay respects to Ruochen Great Saint.”
…
One by one, blood-colored figures appeared outside Cloud City.
Those stationed on their home planets, aside from one or two Hundred-Shackle Realm experts, were mostly Great Saints who had just broken through to the Immortal Realm.
In moments, over a hundred Great Saints had gathered outside Cloud City.
Except for the Qitian Tribe, cultivators from all the other tribes had arrived.
Zhang Ruochen snorted coldly and gave an order: “Yu Huang, go personally to the Qitian Continent and invite all the Great Saints of the Qitian Tribe here. Remember, you must invite Blade Prison Emperor.”
Yu Huang frowned slightly, “Is Blade Prison Emperor on his home planet?”
“Even if his true body isn’t there, he must have a spiritual power clone,” Zhang Ruochen said meaningfully.
At the horizon, a dense blood cloud flew over, rolling like a blood sea.
From within the blood cloud came a heavy, domineering voice: “No need to trouble Yu Huang. I and the Great Saints of the Qitian Tribe have already arrived!”
The blood cloud descended like a river waterfall, crashing down to the ground with a rumble.
Blood energy instantly covered a thousand miles of land. When it dissipated, Blade Prison Emperor and over a dozen Great Saints of the Qitian Tribe appeared outside the city gate.
It wasn’t Blade Prison Emperor’s spiritual power clone—it was his true body.
Seeing Blade Prison Emperor appear, the cultivators of the several tribes that followed the Qitian Tribe breathed a sigh of relief, their eyes gleaming with excitement. They now had a backbone and no longer feared Zhang Ruochen’s fierce might.
Without Blade Prison Emperor, they wouldn’t dare to challenge Zhang Ruochen.
Groups of people actively moved closer to Blade Prison Emperor, forming a stance of opposition against Zhang Ruochen.
The female Great Saint of the Jingtian Tribe, whose body had been charred black by Zhang Ruochen’s lightning, approached Blade Prison Emperor and said weakly, “Zhang Ruochen is acting arbitrarily, inciting internal conflict, and humiliating a Great Saint of the Jingtian Tribe. I beg Blade Prison Emperor to uphold justice.”
“Yue Tinghai would never do anything to harm the Undying Blood Clan. This is all Zhang Ruochen’s deliberate framing. He thinks that because he’s powerful, he can act lawlessly,” another cultivator added.
The remaining Great Saints of the Jingtian Tribe all stood behind Blade Prison Emperor.
They released powerful sacred might, their battle intent surging.
Blade Prison Emperor glanced briefly at Yue Tinghai, kneeling on the ground, and snorted coldly: “Ruochen Great Saint and Wind Queen are figures of such stature—how could they stoop to deliberate framing? You all, stop your insolence.”
The Great Saints of the Jingtian Tribe were all stunned.
The Great Saints of the other tribes exchanged glances, unsure of Blade Prison Emperor’s intentions.
Blade Prison Emperor stood tall and spoke with righteous conviction: “I believe that if Yue Tinghai did something wrong, he deserves punishment. Now that the Undying Blood Clan’s situation is excellent, we should unite and focus outward, striving for better results in the Heaven-Hunting Battle, so as not to disappoint the gods and the expectations of all Undying Blood Clan members.”
“At this moment, anyone who stirs up internal strife will be my first target.”
“Let Yue Tinghai kneel for now. Kneeling on the Heaven-Hunting Battlefield is better than being sent to the Undying Divine Temple for soul extraction and flaying. The young cultivators of the Hell Realm these days lack a sense of awe—this will temper his character.”
As he spoke the last sentence, Blade Prison Emperor’s gaze was as cold as a blade, glaring at Yue Tinghai, clearly carrying a threatening undertone.
Yue Tinghai was already overwhelmed with humiliation. He had thought that with Blade Prison Emperor’s true body returning to the home planet, his situation would change. But instead, Blade Prison Emperor had crossed the bridge after crossing the river, shifting all the blame onto him.
No, this shouldn’t be.
Blade Prison Emperor was such a proud man—how could he give up the fight so easily? He couldn’t possibly be willing to submit to Zhang Ruochen.
Why?
Why?
Yue Tinghai’s heart was filled with grievance, confusion, resentment, and bewilderment.
“Come, follow me into the city to discuss grand plans with Ruochen Great Saint.”
Blade Prison Emperor waved his hand and was the first to step through the city gate.
On the city wall, Wind Queen and Yu Huang exchanged meaningful glances.
Zhang Ruochen had been in the Hell Realm for a short time and didn’t know Blade Prison Emperor well, but they had dealt with him many times and knew exactly what kind of person he was. His recent words were far from normal.
Yu Huang was utterly puzzled, muttering to herself, “What is Blade Prison Emperor planning?”
Zhang Ruochen, however, seemed indifferent. If Blade Prison Emperor was willing to comply, that was good. If not, he would simply beat him into submission.
Wind Queen said, “Blade Prison Emperor is, after all, ranked in the top ten of the Hundred-Shackle Great Perfection List. Since he’s extending an olive branch, we should respond in kind.”
Zhang Ruochen nodded slightly and descended the city wall with Wind Queen and Yu Huang to welcome Blade Prison Emperor.
From a distance, Blade Prison Emperor cupped his hands in salute and laughed heartily: “Ruochen Great Saint is truly the qilin son of the Blood Absolute Family. After the Heaven-Hunting Battle, your fame will spread across the world. I admire you greatly.”
Zhang Ruochen said calmly, “I haven’t even reached the Hundred-Shackle Great Perfection Realm yet. What is there for Blade Prison Emperor to admire?”
Blade Prison Emperor said seriously, “Not reaching the Hundred-Shackle Great Perfection Realm, yet able to defeat the Hundred-Shackle Great Perfection Wujiang—that’s what makes it even more impressive. Luo Shengtian can’t do it, Yan Huangtu can’t do it, and Lanying can’t do it either.”
Yu Huang and Wind Queen suddenly understood, and both revealed faint smiles.
The Great Saints following Blade Prison Emperor hadn’t yet received news of Zhang Ruochen defeating Wujiang. Hearing Blade Prison Emperor’s words, they all turned pale with shock.
Suddenly, they understood why Blade Prison Emperor was treating Zhang Ruochen this way.
If Zhang Ruochen had only defeated Xu and Yanhong Great Saint, Blade Prison Emperor might have known he wasn’t a match, but with the support of the other tribes, he could still contend with Zhang Ruochen.
As long as Wujiang and Lanying freed themselves, Zhang Ruochen would likely die, and thus pose no threat.
But just now, Blade Prison Emperor had received news of Zhang Ruochen defeating Wujiang, and instantly abandoned all such thoughts. Since Zhang Ruochen could defeat Wujiang, he wouldn’t fear Lanying either.
Who else on the entire Heaven-Hunting Battlefield could threaten him?
Perhaps Que could.
But Que had no major grudge with Zhang Ruochen and wouldn’t easily make an enemy.
Countless thoughts raced through Blade Prison Emperor’s mind. In an instant, he thought of the gods of the Undying Blood Clan. Now, the Undying Blood Clan had a wealth of experts, seemingly able to contend with the Yama Clan and Shura Clan.
With such a favorable situation, the gods of the Undying Blood Clan would surely want them to achieve better results.
Second place, or even first.
At this point, if he, Blade Prison Emperor, caused trouble, Zhang Ruochen would never let him off, and the gods of the Undying Blood Clan would also be angered.
Considering all this, Blade Prison Emperor had rushed back to the home planet in a panic, ready to discuss grand plans with Zhang Ruochen. Only by doing so could he claim a share of the future merits.
Jin Kun Great Saint of the Qingtian Tribe sent a spiritual power transmission to Blade Prison Emperor, asking, “Did Zhang Ruochen really defeat even Wujiang?”
Blade Prison Emperor said, “Don’t harbor any other thoughts. Zhang Ruochen not only defeated Wujiang but also killed Zuo Mu Shengjun. He has cultivated a Second-Rank Sacred Intent and wields two Supreme Sacred Artifacts. It’s said that even his parasitic plant, Shi Shenghua, has combat power rivaling the top ten of the Hundred-Shackle Great Perfection List. With such strength, on the Heaven-Hunting Battlefield, those who dare to challenge him can be counted on one hand.”
Jin Kun Great Saint’s expression turned grave, “So, in terms of top-tier power alone, our Undying Blood Clan has surpassed the Shura Clan and can contend with the Yama Clan?”
Blade Prison Emperor’s gaze grew solemn, and he nodded heavily, “Yes, this is something unimaginable before. I suspect even the gods of the Undying Blood Clan are surprised.”
“The gods must have great expectations for us. After all, the Yama Clan has taken first place in every Heaven-Hunting Battle. If we can surpass them this time, all our names will be recorded in the Undying Divine Temple’s registry.”
“Rewards are secondary. The key is the significance behind it—even the gods care deeply.”
“As a lower-three clan, defeating the supreme clan is what the gods of the Undying Blood Clan desire most. At this moment, anyone who falters will suffer after the Heaven-Hunting Battle.”
“Zhang Ruochen summoned us here for this very purpose.”