Chapter 2349: Crisis on All Sides
Inside the bronze temple, the divine statue of the Dragon Multitude stood tall on the central altar.
A faint spatial fluctuation appeared within the ancient mirror embedded in the statue's chest.
"Hua"
A tiny point of light flew out from the mirror's surface.
The light point landed and transformed into Zhang Ruochen's figure.
The moment his body materialized, the talisman patterns all around were activated, forming a sea of flowers within the cramped space of the temple.
The sea of flowers was colorful and breathtakingly beautiful.
On the ground, a riot of purples and reds. In the air, petals drifted like rain.
"Shua!"
A petal flew past Zhang Ruochen's cheek.
The petal was sharper than a blade, cutting through his protective sacred Qi and piercing the skin defense of his demigod body, leaving a shallow bloody mark on his face.
A drop of Great Saint blood flowed from the wound.
"What formidable talisman patterns. Just a single petal is more powerful than a full-force sword strike from some Great Saints."
Zhang Ruochen immediately activated his Space True Domain, controlling its size to a diameter of one zhang to form the strongest defensive power.
At the same time, the blood fiend Qi within his body surged wildly out of his pores.
The Space True Domain, one zhang in diameter, was illuminated by blood light, resembling a massive blood-colored fetal egg. The light then spread from the bronze temple to the outside.
...
At the foot of Sleeping Buddha Mountain, in a dark region.
The five experts of the Undying Blood Clan all sensed the powerful sacred Dao fluctuations coming from the mountaintop. Knowing that something major must be happening, their nerves were taut.
Suddenly, the bronze temple, which had been emitting golden light, burst forth with dazzling blood radiance.
Da Senluo Huang revealed a delighted expression and said, "It's Ruochen's signal! Hurry, let's all attack together, coordinate from inside and out, and break the Yama Clan's setup."
Seeing the blood light emanating from the temple, Dao Yu Huang and Feng Hou both showed expressions of surprise and joy, their evaluation of Zhang Ruochen rising another notch.
To be able to extricate himself while contending with powerhouses like Que, Lan Ying, and Yan Huangtu—did this mean Zhang Ruochen already possessed combat power to rival them?
Yue Tinghai's face changed repeatedly, and he felt quite bitter.
He suddenly realized that his own mental acuity was indeed lacking. He was not as experienced and deep as Dao Yu Huang, nor as meticulous and flawless as Feng Hou. His actions and words were still too impulsive.
"Attack! Strike the bronze temple!"
By the time Yue Tinghai shouted this, Da Senluo Huang had already drawn the Ice Wood Divine Bow and shot an arrow.
"Pu Chi."
The divine wood arrow dragged a light tail over a hundred meters long, struck an Undying Realm Great Saint outside the bronze temple, pierced through his body, and left a basin-sized bloody hole.
He was severely wounded instantly, losing his combat ability.
Mo Yin's movement technique was as fast as a ghost. She ascended Sleeping Buddha Mountain and arrived below the three hundred and eighty-fourth bronze step. Her snow-white jade hands pressed down on the ground.
"Shua shua."
Her ten fingers transformed into ten lightning-violet vines, rushing up the steps and entangling ten Yama Clan Great Saints.
After a series of screams, all ten Yama Clan Great Saints were charred black by lightning.
The ten lightning vines shot up into the sky, flinging them away to fall down the mountain.
"Enemy attack!"
"Powerful enemies are attacking from below!"
...
Above the bronze steps, chaos reigned.
All the Yama Clan Great Saints had their attention focused on the temple. Who would have expected an attack from the rear?
As Feng Hou, Dao Yu Huang, and Yue Tinghai joined the battle, the combined attack formation formed by the one hundred and ninety-eight Yama Clan Great Saints was quickly broken into pieces, forcing them into a difficult defensive struggle.
The Yama Clan Great Saints were all extremely frustrated.
If they hadn't been ambushed and had faced a frontal confrontation, no matter how powerful Feng Hou, Dao Yu Huang, and Shi Shenghua were, they wouldn't have had an easy time against their combined attack formation. They wouldn't have been broken through so easily.
...
In the Destiny Temple, the gods were all watching the Dragon Multitude Bronze Temple.
Unfortunately, they could not peer into the golden world created by Zi Qinglong and did not know what was happening inside, so they could only make various speculations and deductions.
Zhang Ruochen being the first to return to the bronze temple exceeded the predictions of most gods.
"This junior's cultivation has improved considerably again. Could it be that he can also share in the opportunities of the Yama Clan's home star?"
"Did you sense it? Zhang Ruochen has the aura of an Imperial Grade Sacred Intent Pill on him."
...
Even though the gods had profound mental states and vast knowledge, they were all astonished at this moment, feeling utterly perplexed.
They simply could not figure out how Zhang Ruochen had taken the Imperial Grade Sacred Intent Pill from Que's hands.
Luo Yan frowned, a contemplative look in his eyes, and said, "Truly incredible. That kid from the Blood Absolute family is indeed very interesting. Something that seemed impossible became possible in his hands."
Tian Yin's temperament was gentle and moving. She said gracefully, "If Zhang Ruochen can keep the Imperial Grade Sacred Intent Pill and break out of the encirclement, he will surely undergo an even greater transformation. Then, the situation on the Heaven Hunting Battlefield will definitely change."
"Whether he can break out and escape the Yama Clan is indeed a greater test." Luo Yan nodded.
With a net above and traps below, and powerful enemies in pursuit, Luo Yan believed that even if Zhang Ruochen's combat power were doubled, breaking the situation would not be easy. The key was whether the other Great Saints of the Undying Blood Clan could unleash extraordinary strength.
The gods of the ten major tribes of the Undying Blood Clan had all gathered together, closely watching the Yama Clan's home star.
They knew very well whether the Undying Blood Clan could suppress the Yama Clan on the Heaven Hunting Battlefield and seize first place among the ten clans—this battle was crucial.
"If I were young, I would have already used forbidden arts, burned my blood, and struck with the most powerful force to first cripple the first layer of power formed by the one hundred and ninety-eight Yama Clan Great Saints."
"Then, I would charge up the bronze steps and break the formations and talisman patterns from the outside. Killing a group of formation masters and talisman masters would be as easy as cutting melons and vegetables. How relaxing."
"Look at those juniors. They clearly all far surpass the Yama Clan Great Saints in strength, yet they fight so softly, lacking any momentum. If I were their age, I would have already bathed the ground with Yama Clan Great Saint blood."
A god from the Huangtian Tribe watched anxiously, clutching his chest and pounding his head, wishing he could personally charge onto the battlefield.
This crucial battle was too important for the Undying Blood Clan.
"In the temple, the Yama Clan has deployed over a hundred Great Saint talisman masters and formation masters with various means. Zhang Ruochen won't last long. If Feng Hou and Dao Yu Huang cannot threaten the Yama Clan's talisman masters and formation masters from the outside in time, the Undying Blood Clan might suffer a complete defeat and be annihilated today." An elder at the level of a great tribal leader said so.
The god from the Huangtian Tribe started shouting again, "Hurry up and burn your sacred blood! Use forbidden arts! Hurry! Fight! Turn heaven and earth upside down! Trample that so-called supreme clan underfoot!"
The other gods of the Undying Blood Clan all rolled their eyes.
Unless it was a life-or-death moment, who would burn their sacred blood to fight?
Not everyone was as crazy as you. For a madman like you to survive and cultivate to the divine realm was practically a miracle.
"Dao Yu Huang and Feng Hou's talents are indeed not bad, but they don't know how to seize the moment. Even if they don't burn their sacred blood, they should use their trump cards, right? What are they holding back at a time like this?" The god from the Huangtian Tribe clutched his chest, looking as if his liver ached.
In truth, Dao Yu Huang, Feng Hou, Mo Yin, and even Yue Tinghai were all going all out, attacking upward.
But the Yama Clan had too many Great Saints. Although their surprise attack had crippled several dozen, over a hundred Great Saints remained. Under the leadership of Xi and over a dozen Hundred Shackles Realm experts, they quickly stabilized their formation.
Xi wore a wide Xuan robe, held a blackwood staff, and had a delicate face. Looking down from above, he said, "Dao Yu Huang, daring to break into the Yama Clan's home star—are you here to die?"
Dao Yu Huang slashed four Yama Clan Great Saints away with his blade, climbed a few more steps, and laughed loudly, "A weakling ranked only thirteenth dares to say I'm here to die?"
Xi's expression did not change, but his voice grew colder, "Good! Let me see if your blade is as hard as your mouth."
He raised his blackwood staff above his head and chanted a series of ancient incantations.
The black light emitted by the staff extended like fine threads into the distant, deep darkness.
"Caw caw!"
In the darkness, harsh crow cries rang out.
Two Nine-Life Blood Crows, their bodies blood-red all over, released auras comparable to Thousand Questions Realm Great Saints and attacked Dao Yu Huang simultaneously.
The art Xi used was soul-capture among shamanic arts.
With soul-capture, he could control all living beings.
Although the Nine-Life Blood Crows had powerful combat strength, their intelligence and will were far inferior to those of Thousand Questions Realm Great Saints. Thus, with his sixty-fifth level spiritual power, Xi could control two of them.
As Dao Yu Huang was tied down by the two Nine-Life Blood Crows, the battle outside the bronze temple became even more intense.
...
Yan Zhexian and sixty-one Great Saint talisman masters guarded the only exit of the bronze temple—the temple gate.
Several dozen Great Saint formation masters sat around the temple, each releasing their spiritual power, driving the three ninth-rank grand formations to their limits. Among them were three formation earth masters.
Inside the temple.
The "Flower Dance Human World" talisman patterns, combined with the three ninth-rank grand formations, suppressed Zhang Ruochen so much that he could only defend passively, unable to move even a single step.
Petals, like rain, continuously surged toward Zhang Ruochen.
Of the three ninth-rank grand formations, two were offensive formations, condensing into eighty-one sacred swords and a formation beast with combat power reaching the peak of the Thousand Questions Realm.
In just a few breaths, Zhang Ruochen's body was covered in blood, with as many as twenty-seven wounds.
Fortunately, he had avoided the vital points, and the wounds were shallow.
"The Yama Clan really spared no expense. Even if Que, Lan Ying, and I were all uninjured and at our peak, breaking the talisman patterns and formations in this bronze temple would not be easy."
In Zhang Ruochen's view, the danger here was already enough to threaten the life of a Ten-Thousand Deaths One Life Realm Great Saint.
He could only hope that Mo Yin, Dao Yu Huang, and the others could break in from the outside as soon as possible.
Breaking the formation from the outside inward was obviously much easier.
Of course, Zhang Ruochen did not place all his hopes on others. His mind raced, thinking of ways to break the situation.
"First, retreat."
Zhang Ruochen was about to charge toward the ancient mirror on the chest of the Dragon Multitude statue when a figure flew out of the mirror first, manifesting as Yan Wushen.
"This makes things even more troublesome. Truly, misfortunes never come singly."
Zhang Ruochen's mind shifted. He formed a palm with the five fingers of his right hand and struck at Yan Wushen.
Yan Wushen clearly had not expected the situation inside the bronze temple to be like this.
He immediately activated his Nine-Zhang Six-Foot Golden Body and exchanged a palm strike with Zhang Ruochen. The powerful force erupted from their palms, shattering many talisman patterns.
Countless petals dissipated into smoke.
"Zhang Ruochen, you have no way out. Give me the Imperial Grade Sacred Intent Pill, and I will give you a fair chance to fight."
Having clashed with Zhang Ruochen three times without a decisive victory had become an obsession in Yan Wushen's heart.
If he did not break this obsession, it would affect his cultivation mindset.
Zhang Ruochen did not answer him. His body moved like lightning, shifting horizontally to the right.
The formation beast that had been chasing Zhang Ruochen suddenly charged straight at Yan Wushen with overwhelming momentum.
Knowing he had been outmaneuvered by Zhang Ruochen again, Yan Wushen had no choice but to raise his golden giant arms and strike at the formation beast.
The formation beast's attack was incredibly fierce. Even with Yan Wushen's strength, he was knocked backward repeatedly, his body pressed against the temple wall.
Taking advantage of this opportunity, Zhang Ruochen threw out a drop of Dark Time-Space Substance. Then, his form turned into a golden light and rushed into the ancient mirror on the chest of the Dragon Multitude statue.
"Hong Long."
The Dark Time-Space Substance was detonated. Powerful forces of darkness, time, and space scattered in all directions, filling the entire bronze temple and destroying a large number of talisman patterns and formation inscriptions.
A very strong force even surged out from the temple gate.
At this moment, Zhang Ruochen returned to the golden world where Zi Qinglong was.
The moment he landed on the ground, he saw Que, tattered and battered, holding the Yingdan Sword, charging over at high speed.
Que's speed was extreme, his flight path like a black line. He brushed past Zhang Ruochen and rushed into the water-patterned light curtain, heading for the bronze temple.
"As expected of the number one on the Hundred Shackles Great Perfection Ranking. Even with such severe injuries, he could still break free from the Undying Undying Grand Formation and escape from the Eight Life-and-Death Sons." Zhang Ruochen thought to himself.
The Eight Life-and-Death Sons chased closely behind.
Zhang Ruochen calculated silently. The destructive power of the Dark Time-Space Substance had already been worn away. So, he turned around and rushed back into the water-patterned light curtain.
"Hua!"
Returning to the bronze temple, Zhang Ruochen found that the originally cramped space inside the temple had become pitch black, greatly affecting his vision, making it almost impossible to see his hand in front of his face.
It was caused by the residual Dark Time-Space Substance.
The energy fluctuations in the temple were extremely chaotic, making it difficult to probe even with spiritual power.
Without time to check whether Yan Wushen had been killed by the Dark Time-Space Substance or to find where Que was hiding, Zhang Ruochen immediately activated his Space True Domain, Void Time Domain, and Truth Realm Form, ambushing above the head of the Dragon Multitude statue. His eyes were fixed on the ancient mirror on the statue's chest.
A moment later.
Spatial fluctuations appeared on the mirror's surface.
One of the Eight Life-and-Death Sons was the first to rush out.
Just as Zhang Ruochen was about to make a move, that Hundred Shackles Great Perfection Great Saint among the Eight Life-and-Death Sons was pierced through the head by the Yingdan Sword in a single strike. Blood splattered, staining the statue.
The next moment, the Yingdan Sword flew back into Que's hand, cutting down the second of the Eight Life-and-Death Sons who rushed out of the ancient mirror.