Chapter 2341: Decision in the Temple
Yan Zhexian merely stood casually at the temple gate, and around her delicate body, dense arrays of talisman patterns automatically manifested, interweaving like a spiderweb.
White sacred light radiated from her, resonating with the Buddhist light within the temple.
"Considering that you just sheathed your sword and spared a life, cripple your own cultivation, and I can guarantee you leave here alive," Yan Zhexian said.
Yan Huangtu gave her a deep look but said nothing, tacitly acknowledging her promise.
Zhang Ruochen held the wet black umbrella, calm and composed. "If I cripple my own cultivation, even if I leave here alive, I'll soon die elsewhere."
Yan Zhexian said, "I can guarantee your life until the day you die of old age."
Yan Huangtu wore a faint, knowing smile. "When a direct descendant of the Yan Clan speaks, every word is as good as gold. Xian'er says she can guarantee your life, and she will. Zhang Ruochen, I think this is your only choice now. Otherwise, death awaits you."
"Just the two of you? Can you kill me? Yan Zhexian, where are those hundreds of Great Saints you mentioned? I don't see them."
Zhang Ruochen's gaze seemed contemptuous, but his nerves were already taut. As his eyes casually swept around, he was actually assessing the layout and environment of the bronze temple.
Logically, Que and Lan Ying would never miss an opportunity at the Yan Clan's home star. They would definitely come.
But why hadn't he seen them along the way?
Since the Yan Clan had set up a net here, they must have deployed all their experts. Where was Xi? Where were the Eight Sons of Life and Death? Where was Yan Wushen?
Fighting Yan Huangtu now was unwise.
Yan Huangtu saw Zhang Ruochen's intention to flee and said, "Stop looking. This bronze temple has only one exit."
As he spoke, Yan Huangtu pointed to where Yan Zhexian stood.
Yan Zhexian twisted her wrist and drew a flame-shaped talisman pattern in front of her, sealing the temple gate.
Though not yet activated, the flame talisman radiated astonishing heat, turning the Buddhist platforms, bronze statues, and pillars inside the temple a glowing red.
"You can't leave today. The will of the Yan Clan has never been shaken since ancient times," Yan Zhexian said.
Zhang Ruochen said, "With the temple gate sealed, Brother Yan, do you intend to fight me to the death here?"
"I couldn't ask for more."
Yan Huangtu slowly rolled up his sleeves and continued, "Since you defeated Wujiang, you naturally qualify to fight me. The Imperial Dao I cultivate requires constantly defeating powerful enemies, accumulating momentum, and achieving a breakthrough in my state of mind to advance my cultivation."
"The Imperial Dao is the supreme will, capable of controlling all paths under heaven. Only with a breakthrough in the Imperial Dao can I fuse more Sacred Wills and reach the level of a Second-Rank Sacred Will."
"So, swallowing quasi-emperor-grade Sacred Will Pills might work for others, but not for me. What I need is to defeat all opponents in the world—or kill them."
Yan Huangtu's aura continuously rose, strands of golden divine light bursting from his pores, filling the entire bronze temple.
"Roar!"
Dragon roars echoed from within his bones, deafening.
Under this impact, the flame talisman Yan Zhexian had drawn trembled violently. She was secretly shocked, "Fifth Uncle's cultivation has grown even stronger!"
Yan Zhexian knew that Yan Huangtu could fight head-on with peak Thousand-Question Realm Great Saints.
For other Hundred-Shackle Realm Great Perfection Great Saints, this was unimaginable. While they were still chasing rankings below the Thousand-Question Realm, Yan Huangtu was already contending for a position among the top experts below the Ten-Thousand-Life-and-Death Realm.
The difference was like heaven and earth, incomparable.
Now, Yan Huangtu had become even more unfathomable, and Yan Zhexian felt she could no longer see through him.
"It seems this battle won't require us. Yan Huangtu can take Zhang Ruochen alone," a Great Saint Talisman Master behind her said with a smile.
Yan Zhexian shot him a cold glare. "Do you think Zhang Ruochen is easy to deal with? If he fights to the death and triggers the Dark Time-Space Substance, have you considered the consequences?"
The destructive power of Dark Time-Space Substance had spread throughout the Yan Clan, making even Great Saints pale at the mention.
In such a narrow space inside the bronze temple, if Zhang Ruochen were pushed to the brink, he might use the Dark Time-Space Substance to take Yan Huangtu down with him.
"So, you're saying Zhang Ruochen is already in an invincible position?" That Great Saint Talisman Master's expression turned serious, no longer as optimistic as before.
"Who in this world is truly invincible? If Zhang Ruochen uses the Dark Time-Space Substance, he'll only die himself."
Yan Zhexian said this meaningfully, then added, "Help me. I'll draw another 'Flower Dance in the Human World' to bury Zhang Ruochen in sorrow."
"Boom!"
A dark purple thunderbolt fell from the clouds, striking the top of the bronze temple. Instantly, dense lightning wrapped around the temple.
Inside the temple, lightning also scattered, taking the form of dancing dragons and snakes.
At that moment, the auras of Yan Huangtu and Zhang Ruochen peaked.
Yan Huangtu struck first, his fist wrapped in divine light, shooting out like a great sun meteor.
As he punched, a massive golden shadow surged from his body, like an ancient divine emperor manifesting.
Zhang Ruochen was unafraid, striking out with a palm, the Immovable Bright King Saintly Form rushing out of his body.
"Boom!"
Fist and palm collided, producing a sound even more deafening than the thunder, echoing repeatedly within the bronze temple, as if the space itself might explode.
If an Immortal Realm Great Saint were inside the temple at that moment, they would likely have collapsed with blood flowing from all seven orifices.
The two bodies instantly separated.
"Bang!"
Zhang Ruochen flew backward, crashing into the bronze wall over ten zhang behind him, producing a metallic clang like a great bell being struck.
Ancient divine patterns emerged on the bronze wall, absorbing all the impact.
Zhang Ruochen's physical body was tough, and he wasn't injured. He slid down the bronze wall and quickly recovered.
Yan Huangtu stepped back four paces to steady himself. "Below the Thousand-Question Realm, no one can match my strength. Not Lan Ying, not Luo Shengtian, not Wujiang, and not you. If you want to keep fighting, Zhang Ruochen, you'd better show your true skills."
His innate Imperial Dao Divine Bones gave Yan Huangtu unmatched strength and defense.
It was said that when he first broke through to the Hundred-Shackle Realm, he took a punch from a Ten-Thousand-Life-and-Death Realm Great Saint. Though his flesh and blood were completely destroyed, his skeleton was unharmed, allowing him to regenerate.
His Saint Soul and Saint Source were both located within his bones.
With his current cultivation, even a Supreme Realm Great Saint would find it no easy task to kill him.
"Yan Huangtu is indeed formidable. To match him in strength, I'd need to break at least eighty shackles. Mo Luo War Emperor was also powerful, but compared to Yan Huangtu, he's far behind," Zhang Ruochen thought to himself.
In terms of pure strength, even Que and Lan Ying might not match Yan Huangtu.
Only Divine Prince Luo Shengtian could possibly go toe-to-toe with him, as Luo Shengtian also focused on strength, possessing a pair of innate divine eyes and having refined two active Divine Throne planets.
How could one's physical body withstand two active Divine Throne planets without being extremely abnormal?
Zhang Ruochen said, "Cultivation isn't just about physical strength; it's also about the Sacred Dao. Let's see how much power you can unleash under the suppression of the three Eternal Paths."
"Whoosh."
Space True Domain, Virtual Time Domain, and Truth Realm Form simultaneously burst from Zhang Ruochen's body, covering the entire bronze temple.
Standing still, Zhang Ruochen slowly moved his hands, and dense Time Rules surged from his Qi Sea, spinning around him, forming a phantom of the River of Time.
"Now, take a strike from me."
Zhang Ruochen struck out with a palm, and the phantom of the River of Time surged endlessly toward Yan Huangtu.
Suppressed by the Space True Domain, Virtual Time Domain, and Truth Realm Form, Yan Huangtu felt as if he were trapped in a quagmire, with countless chains binding him and molten venom eroding his body.
"Boom!"
Yan Huangtu stomped the ground, and golden Yan Clan Qi surged wildly, spreading out into a world-scroll painting.
At the same time, a Gate of Fate manifested behind him, finally blocking the suppression of the three Eternal Paths.
"Rustle."
The sound of flowing water.
The River of Time passed through the golden world Yan Huangtu had manifested, crashing toward his chest.
Yan Huangtu dared not let the River of Time touch him, so he quickly executed a Thousand-Question-level high-rank Sacred Art, shouting, "Ten Thousand Dragons Pay Homage!"
With a punch, countless dragon shadows flew out, all golden, forming a river of ten thousand dragons.
The river of ten thousand dragons collided with the River of Time. There was no earth-shattering sound, but the two continuously offset and annihilated each other.
"Yan Huangtu's Imperial Dao Divine Bones' Nine Dragon Divine Patterns are truly mysterious. Combined with the Ten Thousand Dragons Pay Homage fist technique, they can block the River of Time's invasion," Zhang Ruochen marveled inwardly.
Yan Huangtu was even more shocked. He had gone all out with this punch, combining divine patterns with a Thousand-Question-level fist technique, yet it only matched Zhang Ruochen. It was unbelievable.
The River of Time flowed from beginning to end, and Yan Huangtu's fist power was exhausted.
In this brief interval, the two were tested.
Whoever could change tactics faster and land the second strike would gain the upper hand in the ensuing clash.
As a master of time, Zhang Ruochen clearly had the advantage. Without wasting time condensing Sacred Art, he directly lifted the Purple Gold Gourd at his waist and used Space Displacement to smash it toward Yan Huangtu's head.
Yan Huangtu was startled. No cultivator had ever dared to fight him in close combat. Was Zhang Ruochen asking for death?
And what was he holding?
A gourd!
Without time to use a Sacred Art, Yan Huangtu could only raise his arm to block.
With his innate Imperial Dao Divine Bones, his body was the strongest shield, unafraid of any attack.
"Bang!"
The Purple Gold Gourd cracked Yan Huangtu's arm, sending sacred blood flying.
To Yan Huangtu, this injury was like a scratch. Just as he was about to counterattack, Zhang Ruochen shifted sideways and swung the gourd at his back.
If it were any other cultivator facing Zhang Ruochen's rapid change of moves, they could only close their eyes and wait for death.
But Yan Huangtu was unafraid. He arched his back, and ten thousand zhang of divine light burst from his body. The Purple Gold Gourd struck his back, breaking through the divine light with a loud "bang."
Yan Huangtu's body rolled on the ground like a ball.
"Take another gourd!"
Zhang Ruochen used Space Displacement again, appearing beside him and smashing down. The gourd in his hand was like an indestructible divine artifact. Without wasting time activating the gourd's Supreme Power, Zhang Ruochen just wanted to suppress Yan Huangtu, leaving him no chance to fight back.
Outside the bronze temple.
Yan Zhexian and the group of Great Saint Talisman Masters were stunned.
They had been eagerly anticipating this battle between Zhang Ruochen and Yan Huangtu. After all, both were unparalleled geniuses, and their clash would surely showcase brilliant techniques. Watching this fight might even yield endless benefits.
But who would have thought the battle inside the temple would look like this?
What was the difference between this and two street thugs fighting?
One was smashing with a gourd, the other blocking without any technique.
A Great Saint Talisman Master found it hard to understand. "This shouldn't be! Yan Huangtu has reached the Hundred-Shackle Realm Great Perfection. With his innate Imperial Dao Divine Bones, his physical strength should far surpass Zhang Ruochen's. How could Zhang Ruochen be his match in close combat?"
"Exactly. In close combat, Yan Huangtu should be invincible," another Great Saint Talisman Master said, frustrated.
The fight inside the temple disappointed him—no ethereal grace, no wondrous techniques, no heaven-shaking explosions.
But Yan Zhexian saw some clues. "You only talk about strength, but you forget speed. Can any of you see Zhang Ruochen's moves clearly?"
The Great Saint Talisman Masters focused, and they saw that Zhang Ruochen's figure inside the temple had as many as seventeen afterimages.
With their cultivation, they could only identify seven as residual images. Among the other ten, they couldn't tell which was the real body.
It was because Zhang Ruochen was too fast!
Yan Zhexian said, "Although Yan Huangtu's strength is formidable, he's suppressed by Zhang Ruochen's speed."
Then she added, "Actually, Yan Huangtu isn't slow either, but trapped in Zhang Ruochen's Space True Domain and Virtual Time Domain, even if he has full speed, he can only use seventy percent."
Yan Zhexian secretly thought about what she would do if she were in Yan Huangtu's position.
Just thinking about it, she immediately shook her head and murmured, "In the future, if I fight Zhang Ruochen, I must never get within a thousand zhang of him. At least stay outside the Space True Domain."
Only then did Yan Zhexian realize that Zhang Ruochen hadn't used his full strength when fighting her.
"The smaller the space, the more advantageous it is for Zhang Ruochen. The plan to ambush him in the bronze temple seems to be a mistake." Yan Zhexian sighed softly, secretly thinking about how to help Yan Huangtu.
Zhang Ruochen was a formidable enemy, more troublesome than imagined.
Just then, a turning point came in the temple battle. Yan Huangtu risked taking three hits from Zhang Ruochen to retrieve his Supreme Sacred Artifact, the Tongtian Ruyi, and swung it, sending Zhang Ruochen flying.
Because the gourd had hit his head three times in a row, Yan Huangtu's scalp was split, his face covered in blood. Holding the Tongtian Ruyi, he stomped his foot and roared through gritted teeth, "Come on! Who's afraid of who?"
With his head bleeding, Yan Huangtu looked like a vengeful ghost, ferocious enough to scare off many cultivators.
Zhang Ruochen wiped the sacred blood off the gourd onto his robe and said, "Forget it. If we really activate the Supreme Sacred Artifacts in such a narrow space, we'd probably both be killed by their power before deciding the victor."
"You'd die, but I wouldn't. Fight! Keep fighting!"
Yan Huangtu had just suffered such a loss, chased and beaten by Zhang Ruochen. The pain didn't matter, but the humiliation did. So how could he let it go?