Chapter 2355: Kindred Spirits
Zhang Ruochen stood alone on a patch of six-colored star mist, gazing ahead.
Colors, light, time, space, including the rules of heaven and earth, all showed signs of distortion here.
Further ahead was a pitch-black void, containing unfathomable danger. The star mist twisted into ribbons of color, lingering on the surface of the darkness.
Cultivators at the Saint realm who traveled the cosmic star sea feared encountering such places the most.
This place was the edge of the Seventh Dark Star.
"The energy here is a hundred times stronger than the Third Dark Star. The Seventh Dark Star is not a place ordinary cultivators can go," Zhang Ruochen thought to himself.
The core area covered by the Third Dark Star was only a million miles in diameter.
The Seventh Dark Star, however, spanned six million miles.
Even a Great Saint would find it extremely difficult to set foot on the Third Dark Star. Zhang Ruochen suspected that an average Immortal Realm Great Saint, upon reaching the Seventh Dark Star, might not even be able to fly off the ground.
The Undying Blood Clan had over six hundred Great Saints, a target too large, so Zhang Ruochen had put them all into the Purple Gold Gourd.
Zhang Ruochen decided to first investigate the situation on the Seventh Dark Star alone, then release the Great Saints to launch a full-scale purge, avoiding unnecessary casualties.
Just as Zhang Ruochen was about to fly into the dark space, his Heart of Truth trembled slightly, generating a sensation.
"Oh?"
He looked back, his gaze crossing layers of space, and saw a flying starry rock ten thousand miles away.
Multiple powerful energy fluctuations emanated from that starry rock.
...
...
This starry rock, like a stone mountain tens of thousands of meters long, flew through the universe, never stopping.
On a clearing within the stone mountain, bloodstains covered the ground, and dozens of Saint corpses lay scattered.
Sacred blood burned, turning into sacred flames tinged with the smell of blood.
Thirteen Saint King slaves were pinned to the ground by strands of powerful death thought power, kneeling. They had none of the dignity or authority of Saint Kings; instead, their clothes were tattered, their bodies emaciated, no different from beggars on the street.
Even their eyes, due to prolonged torture, humiliation, and enslavement, had become turbid, losing the spirit that a Saint realm expert should possess.
In addition, there was a white-bearded old man at the Great Saint realm.
His Great Saint blood had been drained countless times, his blood energy extremely thin, making him even more gaunt. His aged face looked like a layer of skin stretched over bone.
The white-bearded old man knelt on one knee before Source Demon God Son and Qi Yang, staring at the corpses on the ground, his heart aching as if twisted, yet he still spoke in a pleading tone: "I am the Realm Lord of Jiannan Realm. Spare our lives, esteemed ones, and we will devote the entire realm's power to serve you both. From now on, all living beings of Jiannan Realm will be your slaves. We will build one hundred thousand sacred temples in the realm, carve divine statues, and have all beings worship you."
Source Demon God Son raised his chin, a mocking smile appearing on his face: "A Realm Lord of an entire realm, willingly kneeling at my feet? Are you that afraid of death?"
"It's not that I fear death, but that I dare not die."
The white-bearded old man knelt on the ground, his head bowed, letting out a bitter laugh.
Then he continued: "I am the only being in Jiannan Realm to have cultivated to the Great Saint realm. At least I have some use, able to speak a few words with the Great Saints of the Hell Realm and beg for a slave's identity."
"But if I die, who will speak for the beings of Jiannan Realm? They will either become food for the Rakshasa Clan, or be slaughtered by the Ghost Clan and Corpse Clan, becoming wandering souls and wild ghosts, with corpses strewn across the land."
As he spoke, tears streamed down the face of this Great Saint.
"I ask for nothing else... only... only to find a way for them to survive."
Behind the white-bearded old man, the thirteen Saint Kings were also in tears.
They wept not for themselves, but for the billions of beings of Jiannan Realm.
They were already the strongest in Jiannan Realm, yet they couldn't find a way for their mother realm to survive. The pain in their hearts, the unwillingness, the helplessness, made them want to die.
Yet they continued to live on like dogs, enduring until now.
Qi Yang, clad in golden armor, handsome and exquisite, with narrow, upward-slanting eyes, smiled wickedly: "Does Jiannan Realm have beautiful women?"
"Yes... yes, there are. If you accept Jiannan Realm as a slave realm, all the beauties of our realm will be yours, my lord," said a Saint King slave, a glimmer of hope in his eyes.
Qi Yang chuckled lightly and snorted: "My imperial palace already has seven thousand consorts and thirty thousand maidservants, including no small number of Saint and Saint King beauties of national renown. How could the mortal women of your Jiannan Realm catch my eye? I was just joking with you, and you actually took it seriously?"
The thirteen Saint Kings of Jiannan Realm all gritted their teeth, furious, struggling violently, trying to stand up.
"A bunch of lowly slaves, still trying to resist?"
Source Demon God Son's gaze sharpened, releasing even stronger death thought power, pressing them back to their knees, their sacred bones cracking and popping.
"Wastes like you don't even qualify to be my slaves. On the Heaven Hunting Battlefield, you should just be good prey."
The white-bearded Great Saint hung his head, despair in his eyes, tears falling drop by drop.
He couldn't help but wonder, why was the universe so cruel? What had Jiannan Realm done wrong? Why did it have to end like this?
He had been a prodigy, determined to lead Jiannan Realm to prosperity. When there was no path to the Saint King realm, he created one himself.
When there was no path to the Great Saint realm, he toiled for five hundred years, researching a way to become a Great Saint.
When he finally reached the Great Saint realm, he thought he could realize his dream, but what awaited him was the invasion of the Hell Realm.
Before the Hell Realm, he was as weak as an ant.
Qi Yang said: "Stop wasting words with them. Kill them and take their Saint corpses back. We still need some Saint corpses to build the death altar."
Source Demon God Son was about to act when he suddenly sensed a powerful surge of sacred energy rapidly approaching. He looked up ahead.
"Swoosh—"
A golden streak of light, coming from afar, landed on the starry rock, condensing into a sinister yet handsome figure.
Who else could it be but Zhang Ruochen?
The arrogant Source Demon God Son and Qi Yang, upon seeing him, were so frightened that their faces changed. They couldn't help but step back, each summoning a Monarch Sacred Artifact-level battle weapon, assuming a defensive stance.
The kneeling Saint Kings and Great Saint of Jiannan Realm were puzzled.
Why had these two powerful Hell Realm Great Saints suddenly become so tense?
What were they afraid of?
Could that young man with ten golden wings be some kind of extraordinary figure?
Zhang Ruochen was somewhat surprised: "So it's you two. Long time no see."
Source Demon God Son was the younger brother of Source Fei, the number one expert of the Death Clan. He had once been the commander of the Northern Domain Merit Battlefield in Kunlun Realm, a top expert below the Great Saint realm of the Death Clan.
Qi Yang, on the other hand, was the son of "Qi Tian Monarch" of the Death Clan. He had also been to the Northern Domain Merit Battlefield and, like Source Demon God Son, was a top-tier expert below the Great Saint realm.
Qi Yang was extremely fond of beauty. His purpose in participating in the Merit Battlefield was to capture a fairy from the Heavenly Court's "Nine Immortal Beauties Painting." At the time, he had even set his sights on the Hundred Flowers Fairy.
Both Source Demon God Son and Qi Yang had extremely high talent, capable of fighting Great Saints while at the Saint King realm.
Now, they had even reached the Immortal Realm Great Saint level.
The muscles on Source Demon God Son's face twitched, and he said in a deep voice: "Why are you here? Have the Great Saints of the Undying Blood Clan already arrived nearby?"
Source Demon God Son had killed countless innocent people in Kunlun Realm. Zhang Ruochen harbored deep killing intent toward him, but had never found an opportunity to strike in the Fate Divine Domain.
Zhang Ruochen's gaze was sharp: "Is that how you speak to me?"
Feeling the icy killing intent emanating from Zhang Ruochen, Source Demon God Son's whole body turned cold. He continued to retreat, his voice trembling: "My elder brother is the number one expert of the Death Clan, Source Fei the Great Saint. If... if you dare to kill me, my brother will... will surely make you die a miserable death."
Zhang Ruochen walked forward step by step: "Are you threatening me? When has Zhang Ruochen ever tolerated such reckless provocation from a weakling? If I don't kill you, I can't wash away the humiliation on me."
Qi Yang was so frightened his face turned ashen. Seeing Zhang Ruochen walk past him, he quickly retreated far away.
At this moment, how could he dare to play the hero and help Source Demon God Son?
Zhang Ruochen had even said such shameless words, clearly looking for an excuse to kill Source Demon God Son. Rushing up would be no different from seeking death.
If Zhang Ruochen killed someone, he wouldn't deduct points.
Killing one was killing; killing two was also killing.
"If you dare to flee, I'll drain your blood drop by drop, making you wish for death but unable to achieve it," Zhang Ruochen said, glancing at Qi Yang.
Qi Yang, who had been about to escape, was so frightened his legs went weak. With a mournful face, he stopped in place.
Source Demon God Son felt the killing intent on Zhang Ruochen growing stronger, knowing he must be settling old scores from Kunlun Realm.
The current Zhang Ruochen was like a demon king. Not to mention him, even his brother would probably have to be wary.
"Shua!"
Source Demon God Son activated a forbidden art, burning his death energy, and turned to flee, unleashing his ultimate speed.
"Do you think you can escape from me with your cultivation?"
Zhang Ruochen stretched out a hand and pointed through the air.
"Swoosh—"
A space wormhole mirror surface appeared before his fingertip.
With a "bang," Source Demon God Son fell out of the space wormhole mirror surface, and Zhang Ruochen stomped him hard underfoot.
The divine flame erupting from the sole of his foot burned through Source Demon God Son's protective death energy and death thought power, refining his physical body. The flesh sizzled as it burned.
Enduring immense pain, Source Demon God Son roared: "I want to..."
Before he could say "I want to withdraw from the Heaven Hunting Battlefield," the space around him froze, cutting off his voice.
Qi Yang, standing nearby, watched Zhang Ruochen refine Source Demon God Son, gritting his teeth, his heart trembling: "Zhang Ruochen kills at the drop of a hat. This is too terrifying. What were the gods thinking, letting such a terrifying guy into the Heaven Hunting Battlefield?"
The cultivators of Jiannan Realm looked at each other, both shocked and fearful.
They were very curious—was this young man a cultivator of the Hell Realm or a slave?
If he was from the Hell Realm, why was he so ruthless toward his own kind?
Under the gaze of these eyes, Zhang Ruochen turned Source Demon God Son into ash. The Great Saint source left behind was collected by him.
Seeing Zhang Ruochen's gaze turn to him, Qi Yang was startled. He swallowed his saliva, stepped back, and said: "I..."
"You dare to call yourself 'I' in front of me, Zhang Ruochen?" Zhang Ruochen said.
Qi Yang thought of how Source Demon God Son had been turned to ash for saying the wrong thing, and his face turned green. He quickly said: "Lord Ruochen, I... I swear to the heavens, on the Kunlun Realm Merit Battlefield, I absolutely did not kill indiscriminately. My only goal was to capture a fairy from the 'Nine Immortal Beauties Painting.'"
"Yes, yes, we are actually kindred spirits. Source Demon God Son and I have no friendship; we're not on the same side. Well done, well done! Source Demon God Son must have eaten a divine gallbladder to dare provoke Lord Ruochen the Great Saint. He deserved to die."
Zhang Ruochen approached Qi Yang step by step and patted him lightly on the shoulder: "So you also think he deserved to die?"
Qi Yang's body was pressed down by the pat, almost kneeling. He bowed and said: "Absolutely deserved to die."
Zhang Ruochen's hand rested on Qi Yang's shoulder for a long time before withdrawing: "You are a reasonable person, just like me, acting with principles."
Qi Yang breathed a long sigh of relief and straightened up: "I have seven thousand consorts and thirty thousand maidservants, all captured from various realms, each a top-tier beauty. Since Lord Ruochen is a kindred spirit, after the Heaven Hunting Battlefield ends, you must come to my imperial palace as a guest. I guarantee your satisfaction."
"How could I impose like that?"
"No, no, if you don't come, you're not giving me face. Even if I have to beg, I'll drag you there."
Zhang Ruochen said: "Alright, since you have such sincerity, you are indeed better at handling people than Source Demon God Son."
The cultivators of Jiannan Realm were even more stunned, unable to imagine that a Great Saint-level god son would grovel so much to another Hell Realm Great Saint.
Just who was that Hell Realm Great Saint?
Qi Yang tentatively asked: "Lord Ruochen, are you here to attack the Seventh Dark Star?"
"If I were attacking the Seventh Dark Star, I would have brought the Great Saints of the Undying Blood Clan. Why would I come alone?" Zhang Ruochen said.
Qi Yang was puzzled: "If not to attack the Dark Star, does Lord Ruochen have another goal?"
Zhang Ruochen said: "Didn't you say we are kindred spirits? You should understand the purpose of my visit."
Qi Yang's expression shook, and he stared at Zhang Ruochen's sinister eyes: "Could it be that the legend is true? Lord Ruochen is interested in Princess Bore?"
"If not, how could she have escaped alive from the Third Dark Star back then? A divine daughter candidate of the Destiny Temple, compared to your seven thousand consorts, which do you think is more attractive?" Zhang Ruochen said.
Other cultivators would definitely not believe such nonsense.
But as a "kindred spirit," Qi Yang deeply understood the temptation of beauty.
Even he was extremely covetous of Bore, but her background was too great, and her cultivation was stronger than his, so he dared not act rashly.
"So Zhang Ruochen killed Source Demon God Son not just because of the grudge from Kunlun Realm, but perhaps also because of Bore," Qi Yang thought to himself.
Everyone in the Hell Realm knew that Source Demon God Son had been pursuing Bore, her most loyal follower.
Since Zhang Ruochen was after Bore, how could he not eliminate this eyesore of an opponent?
...
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