# Chapter 2350: Teasing Zhe Xian
"Pfft!"
"Pfft!"
Que had beheaded three Hundred Shackles Great Perfection Great Saints in quick succession, striking fast, precise, and ruthless. Clearly, he had been pushed to his limits today, disregarding the "no killing" prohibition.
Just as he was about to slay the fourth of the Eight Life-Death Sons, the pitch-black copper temple burst forth with Origin Light.
Yan Wushen charged out from the darkness, half the flesh on his body gone, revealing large patches of golden bones. His face was twisted and ferocious, like a Yama from hell.
In the palms of his hands, Origin Rules condensed into an Origin Dao Tower.
"Die!"
His body sprang up, hurling the Origin Dao Tower at Que.
Yan Wushen, too, had been consumed by rage today.
In an instant, the entire copper temple was filled with surging power and force, wind howling, energy billowing.
Que had no choice but to abandon his killing intent. He swung his sword backhand, dragging out a dazzling, piercing arc of sword light that slashed toward the Origin Dao Tower.
"Boom!"
The Origin Dao Tower shattered, transforming into even more blinding Origin Light.
Yan Wushen and Que each spat out a mouthful of blood, flying backward in two different directions.
In the blink of an eye, the remaining five of the Eight Life-Death Sons all appeared inside the copper temple. Seeing the three lying on the ground, they found that their life energy was rapidly draining away.
The Eight Life-Death Sons had grown up together, cultivated together, and were as close as brothers.
Seeing this scene, their eyes nearly split with rage. Each propped up the "Book of Life" and "Book of Death," activated the incomplete Indestructible Undying Grand Formation, and attacked Que.
"Kill!"
Que knelt on one knee, supporting his body with his sword, gritting his blood-drenched teeth as he charged forward to meet them.
Zhang Ruochen glanced at Yan Wushen, extremely surprised.
In such a narrow space as the copper temple, having triggered the Dark Time-Space Substance, Yan Wushen had actually managed to survive.
Yan Wushen was severely wounded. After climbing to his feet, ignoring his own injuries, he rushed to the side of the three Hundred Shackles Great Perfection Great Saints, mobilizing Origin Power and Buddha Light to purify the Void Qi that had invaded their bodies.
Que's three sword strikes had hit vital points, and Void Power had invaded the three men's bodies.
If the Void Power was not neutralized in time, no matter how powerful their life force, they would be devoured by the Void in moments, dying without even a trace left.
Zhang Ruochen turned into a gentle breeze, descending from the top of the bronze statue, and glanced at Yan Wushen.
Yan Wushen's gaze also locked onto him.
Their eyes met, both filled with various complex emotions.
If he struck now, this was the perfect opportunity to kill Yan Wushen, and he would surely die.
But Zhang Ruochen did not strike. He quickly averted his gaze and rushed toward the temple gate.
Against an opponent like Yan Wushen, Zhang Ruochen did not want to kill him while he was saving others. That was the first reason.
The second reason: Yan Wushen could not be killed.
The Dark Time-Space Substance had destroyed the talisman markings and many formation patterns inside the temple. As Zhang Ruochen reached the entrance, he found residual formation inscription marks floating in the air.
"Not good!"
A dazzling sword light flew toward him from ahead, its radiance so bright it felt like it would blind Zhang Ruochen's eyes.
Zhang Ruochen quickly closed his eyes and sensed with his spiritual power.
"It's a Ninth-Rank Sword Formation."
The blinding sword light came from eighty-one war swords, controlled by dozens of Great Saint Formation Masters. They transformed into a long dragon of war swords, charging at Zhang Ruochen.
Zhang Ruochen extended his right hand, fingers rotating.
Instantly, thirty-six Space Swords condensed in the space before him, clashing with the eighty-one flying war swords.
This Ninth-Rank Sword Formation was overseen by a Formation Earth Master, its power boundless.
The two types of war swords collided, producing ear-splitting sword cries.
Thousands upon thousands of sword lights manifested, and sharp sword qi flew out, striking the walls, pillars, and floor of the copper temple, leaving white marks.
The copper temple was made of some unknown material, containing some mysterious power. Even Great Saints could not destroy it, and even the Dark Time-Space Substance could not shake it.
"Purple Gold Gourd."
Zhang Ruochen summoned the Purple Gold Gourd, using Supreme Power to protect his body, and pressed his arm down toward the ground.
The thirty-six Space Swords formed a sword path, their blades tumbling as they surged along the ground into the distance, striking the Formation Earth Master who was presiding over the sword formation.
"Chi! Chi! Chi!"
The Formation Earth Master's defenses were pierced through. Three Space Swords stabbed through his chest, abdomen, and right leg.
The Formation Earth Master let out a scream, sent flying backward.
Just as he was about to be hit by the other seven Space Swords and suffer the calamity of being torn apart by chaotic swords, Yan Zhe Xian's green jade brush swept out, forming seven talisman patterns that severed the seven Space Swords.
Without the Formation Earth Master's direction, the Ninth-Rank Sword Formation's power greatly diminished.
"Break!"
Zhang Ruochen's body erupted with a Space Tremor force, striking the eighty-one war swords.
All the war swords flew in disarray.
Yan Zhe Xian's body hovered above the three hundred and eighty-four bronze steps, level with Zhang Ruochen. Her beautiful eyes were cold and sharp. "I didn't expect you to be able to fight your way out of the copper temple. Let me test you again."
"If you don't want the Yama Clan to suffer heavy casualties, you'd better not block me," Zhang Ruochen said.
After all, the Heaven Hunting Battle was completely different from the Heavenly Court and Hell's Merit Battlefield.
The Merit Battlefield was a life-and-death struggle—kill or be killed.
The Heaven Hunting Battle was merely a competition among the various clans of the Hell Realm, not necessarily requiring death. It was only a battle of interests and honor.
Unless absolutely necessary, Zhang Ruochen did not want to deepen his enmity with the Yama Clan on the Heaven Hunting Battlefield.
"Great Roc Talisman!"
The brush in Yan Zhe Xian's hand was stained with the blood of a roc, and she painted a real roc.
The roc spread its wings and flew toward the temple gate.
Zhang Ruochen's tattered ten golden wings on his back spread open, turning into a golden light that sliced the roc in half. Then he flew into the pitch-black rainy night.
After flying a short distance, Zhang Ruochen sensed something was wrong.
The night rain had disappeared!
Before him was bright and clear, and a cold wind hit him from all sides.
He stood in a world of white snow, mountains clad in silver, snowflakes drifting, with no end in sight.
"This is... an Illusion Formation!"
Zhang Ruochen opened his palm and caught a snowflake.
The snowflake melted, turning into a drop of ice water.
Very real, not like an illusion.
"Such a sophisticated Illusion Formation. It must have been set up by a Formation Earth Master and an Illusion Earth Master working together. The Yama Clan truly has no shortage of talent," Zhang Ruochen muttered to himself.
"Zhang Ruochen, you realize now that you've fallen into my trap? I never intended to duel you one-on-one; I only wanted to lure you into the formation."
Yan Zhe Xian's voice remained cold, yet exceptionally pleasant.
"Rumble!"
In the vast glacial world, the earth trembled.
Seven snow-capped peaks, towering into the clouds, broke through the ground and rose up.
The seven peaks resembled seven demonic ghosts, their faces terrifying, yet they emitted a powerful oppressive force, landing on Zhang Ruochen from seven directions.
This oppressive force was real, continuously compressing the Space True Domain, Virtual Time Domain, and Truth Realm Form that Zhang Ruochen had erected, shrinking the space he could move in.
"The Ten-Thousand-Mile Glacier Illusion Formation, plus the Earth Treasury Seven Demon Talismans, with nearly a hundred Great Saint Talisman Masters and Great Saint Formation Masters working together—enough to suppress and kill you, right?"
Yan Zhe Xian's figure appeared atop one of the snow peaks, her appearance beautiful, her aura ethereal, like a pure and flawless snow lotus.
Zhang Ruochen remained calm despite the crisis. "With a Formation Earth Master, Talisman Dao Earth Master, and Illusion Earth Master working together to set up these two grand formations, it's enough to kill even a Ten-Thousand-Death-One-Life Realm Great Saint, let alone me."
"I'll give you one more chance. Abolish your own cultivation, and you may have a path to survival. Think carefully—this is your only chance," Yan Zhe Xian said.
Zhang Ruochen shook his head. "Your setup can indeed kill me. But you're also inside the formation now. I can guarantee that before the formation kills me, I can kill you first."
"Is that so?"
Yan Zhe Xian spoke only one sentence, but seven overlapping voices echoed in the cold wind.
On the tops of the other six snow peaks, another Yan Zhe Xian appeared, still in white robes, holding a green brush, like a snow fairy.
The seven Yan Zhe Xians were indistinguishable from each other.
There was no helping it—for the Earth Treasury Seven Demon Talismans to unleash their full power, Yan Zhe Xian had to enter the formation.
Zhang Ruochen looked at the Yan Zhe Xians atop the seven peaks. "You probably don't know how profound my mastery of the Way of Truth is. Using an Illusion Formation against me will be the stupidest decision you've ever made."
"Whoosh—"
Zhang Ruochen turned into a golden flash, flying at top speed toward one of the snow peaks.
Yan Zhe Xian watched Zhang Ruochen flying straight toward her, a look of surprise appearing on her clear face. She thought to herself, "An Illusion Formation isn't an illusion technique. He can see through it so easily. Could he also be a Truth Controller?"
Without time to think further, Yan Zhe Xian immediately activated the talisman patterns.
Even without the Ten-Thousand-Mile Glacier Illusion Formation, she was confident that with the Earth Treasury Seven Demons, she could suppress and kill the severely injured Zhang Ruochen.
"Boom!"
One of the snow peaks moved. Its form was like a demonic ghost, its massive icy hands forming an ancient seal and striking down at Zhang Ruochen.
The power of this palm strike was no less than the full-force attack of a Thousand Questions Realm peak Great Saint.
Zhang Ruochen used his extreme speed to dodge, continuing upward.
The second demonic ghost-shaped snow peak formed a seal.
The third peak struck.
...
Zhang Ruochen dodged the attacks from five snow peaks in succession. Finally, when the sixth snow peak struck, he had no room to evade and had to activate the Purple Gold Gourd, unleashing its Supreme Power.
From the gourd's mouth surged a thick column of golden fire, colliding with the cloud-sized snow palm.
The two forces clashed, locked in stalemate.
At that moment, the palm strike from the seventh snow peak came crashing down.
"Sixty-plus Great Saint Talisman Masters striking together—the momentum is too great. My current cultivation really can't withstand it."
Zhang Ruochen's eyes turned sharp and cold. He released his hands from the Purple Gold Gourd, his body flickering as he flew through the gaps between the icy palm's fingers.
Above his head was the seventh palm strike.
"River of Time."
Zhang Ruochen struck out with a palm, and tens of millions of Time Rules surged from his body, drawing out the Time Imprints in this space and condensing a River of Time ten thousand zhang long.
The River of Time collided with the icy palm, creating a change in time flow, slowing the palm's descent to a crawl.
Seizing this opportunity, Zhang Ruochen flew up from the edge of the icy palm, charging straight toward Yan Zhe Xian at the peak.
No matter how composed Yan Zhe Xian was, surprise appeared on her beautiful face, and she was somewhat flustered.
Once the Earth Treasury Seven Demon Talismans were activated, they were equivalent to seven Thousand Questions Realm peak Great Saints striking together, capable of contending even with a Ten-Thousand-Death-One-Life Realm Great Saint.
Zhang Ruochen's combat power might be heaven-defying, but he was only at the Hundred Shackles Realm. How could he possibly break through the seven demons' attack circle?
Didn't that mean that even if several Thousand Questions Realm peak Great Saints attacked together, they couldn't kill Zhang Ruochen?
Zhang Ruochen reached Yan Zhe Xian's vicinity. His five fingers formed a claw, and in an instant, he snatched the brush from her hand.
Yan Zhe Xian turned to flee, but Zhang Ruochen grabbed her shoulder with his claw, a pained expression appearing on her beautiful face. Just as she was about to sever her arm to escape, Zhang Ruochen seized her by the neck.
Saint Qi surged from Zhang Ruochen's fingertips, invading her body.
"Tell those Great Saint Talisman Masters to stop activating the talisman patterns immediately, or else..." Zhang Ruochen said.
A resolute look appeared on Yan Zhe Xian's face, her teeth clenched tightly. "Don't even think about it. Even if I die, I'll drag you down with me."
The Earth Treasury Seven Demon Talismans had already taken shape. Even without Yan Zhe Xian directing them, their power was still immense. Zhang Ruochen wasn't confident he could break them. Capturing Yan Zhe Xian was the only way he could think of to break the deadlock.
"Did I say I was going to kill you?"
Zhang Ruochen's lips approached Yan Zhe Xian's snow-white ear, gently breathing warm air, and said softly, "You should know me, Zhang Ruochen. I'm a man who cherishes beauty. Even an enemy like Lian Xi the Fairy of the Soul Realm, I didn't kill. How could I bear to kill you?"
"Shameless wretch."
Yan Zhe Xian thought of how Zhang Ruochen hadn't killed her earlier, likely because he had some ulterior motive toward her. A chill ran through her heart, and she found him utterly detestable.
Yan Zhe Xian had a fiery personality. She released her spiritual power, intending to continue fighting Zhang Ruochen to the death.
But the moment her spiritual power was released, a sharp pain shot through her brain.
Her spiritual power scattered, unable to condense into an attacking force.
"Trying to use me to escape the Yama Clan's home star? You won't succeed," Yan Zhe Xian said.
Zhang Ruochen kissed her crystalline cheek, his pupils turning blood-red, somewhat sinister. "Since you call me a shameless wretch, I'll have to do shameless things. Even if I die today, it'll be worth it."
"What are you going to do?"
Yan Zhe Xian couldn't move at all. That kiss made her feel even more nauseated, and she wished she could tear this shameless wretch to pieces.
"I wonder if the Myriad Realms Divine Eye can see this place."
Zhang Ruochen looked up, one hand gripping Yan Zhe Xian's neck, the other reaching toward the collar of her white robe. His five fingers slowly moved inside, feeling the soft touch.
"All Talisman Masters, stop activating the talisman patterns!"
Yan Zhe Xian's whole body trembled. She closed her eyes and shouted.
Zhang Ruochen's eyes returned to calm. He withdrew his hand and gently stroked her cheek. "Thank you."
"You won't escape today. Those Talisman Masters will listen to me, but the other Great Saints of the Yama Clan won't," Yan Zhe Xian said, her delicate body still trembling. She had never suffered such humiliation in her life.
This shameless wretch, Zhang Ruochen, was now at the top of her kill list.