Chapter 2392: Overwhelming a Hundred Saints
"Where is Yuánfēi Great Saint? We must inform him of this immediately and prepare early."
Zhang Ruochen carried a gust of wind as he landed not far from the dark, ugly woman, walking forward step by step, his gaze fixed on the battlefield ahead.
"Yuánfēi Great Saint and Princess Bore are not here; they have gone to pursue the Chi Emperor," the dark, ugly woman said.
Including the two Hundred-Shackle Great Perfection Great Saints, there were a total of ninety-four Death Clan Great Saints present.
Their bodies were thick with death qi, exuding a corrosive power, and powerful energy fluctuations erupted continuously, causing the air to churn and boil.
The Death Clan Great Saints were not attacking chaotically; instead, they had formed two combined attack formations.
The innermost formation consisted of sixty Great Saints.
Each released hundreds of millions to tens of billions of Sacred Dao rules, totaling over a hundred billion, which interwove and transformed into various attack forms: human-shaped lightning, palace-shaped fireballs, death shadows...
Zhang Ruochen did not know how the Death Clan managed to make the Sacred Dao rules of sixty Great Saints merge completely without mutual rejection.
But he was very clear: if over a hundred billion Sacred Dao rules surged toward him simultaneously, with all kinds of attacks falling together, he might not be able to withstand it. He would most likely choose to retreat temporarily rather than endure head-on.
However, the twenty-two Undying Blood Clan Great Saints trapped in the center had no way to retreat and could only resist with all their might.
They were all burning their Great Saint blood, turning into twenty-two figures of flame, letting out long howls as they blocked the attacks of the sixty Death Clan Great Saints.
"Fight, fight to the last drop of blood."
"This is the last day of the Heaven Hunting Battle; the Undying Blood Clan must not fall on this day."
...
Blood Demon was the strongest among the twenty-two Undying Blood Clan Great Saints. He sat cross-legged in the void, manifesting nine Heavenly Demon images, like nine demonic worlds unfolding.
Nine blood holes appeared on his body, continuously flowing out nine blood streams that surged into the nine demonic worlds, resisting the Death Clan Great Saints' attacks.
But Blood Demon's body rapidly shriveled.
His Great Saint blood would soon be exhausted.
The other twenty-one Undying Blood Clan Great Saints had also burned more than half of their blood, their combat power declining, and they began to fail in defending against the Death Clan Great Saints' attacks.
A sense of despair spread in the hearts of every Undying Blood Clan Great Saint.
Having spent hundreds of years rising from hundreds of millions of Undying Blood Clan cultivators to become emperors in the Saint realm, each had lofty ambitions and was extremely unwilling to die like this.
But for the sake of the Undying Blood Clan, they could sacrifice themselves.
They absolutely could not fall on the last day.
If they did, today would become a lifelong regret, and they would be mocked by other cultivators for the rest of their lives.
"You are the Undying Blood Clan, and we are the Death Clan. Your lives are destined to be ended by us," said the Death Clan Hundred-Shackle Great Perfection Great Saint with horns on his head, his voice indifferent.
The dark, ugly woman said, "Hand over the Undying Blood Clan members hidden on you. Stop struggling in vain."
Zhang Ruochen did not act rashly; he was observing, thinking to himself: "The inner layer of sixty Death Clan Great Saints is responsible for attacking. The outer layer of thirty-two Death Clan Great Saints, together with that horned Hundred-Shackle Great Perfection Great Saint, are responsible for releasing death thought power to suppress the Undying Blood Clan Great Saints from self-destructing their Saint Sources when dying. And that dark, ugly woman, Longli Great Saint, is guarding the outermost layer, guarding against sneak attacks from enemies."
"The two Hundred-Shackle Great Perfection Great Saints pose the least threat. The two combined attack formations need to be broken first. As long as their power cannot combine, the threat is not great."
Having made up his mind, Zhang Ruochen, with his hands behind his back, condensed dense, tiny space rifts.
Each space rift was only an inch long.
The dark, ugly woman was cautious, sensing the spatial fluctuations, and immediately fixed her gaze on Zhang Ruochen.
Make a move.
"Shua!"
Zhang Ruochen condensed over three hundred space rifts and infused them with time imprints.
With a wave of his hand, the three hundred-plus space rifts, like a rain of black blades, flew silently toward the dark, ugly woman and nearly a hundred Death Clan Great Saints.
"Watch out... ah..."
The dark, ugly woman had just shouted when her protective death qi shield was pierced, leaving six bloody holes on her body, flesh and bone seemingly gouged out directly.
The inch-long space rifts passed through her body, each capable of taking away a palm-sized chunk of flesh.
After infusing the space rifts with time imprints, their flight speed was more than ten times faster than before. At such a close distance, how could she, with her Hundred-Shackle Great Perfection cultivation, possibly dodge?
"Shua, shua."
The Great Saints reacted quickly, but the space rifts were faster.
More than half of the ninety-plus Death Clan Great Saints were hit by the space rifts, letting out muffled groans and suffering varying degrees of injury. The attacks of the two formations were naturally interrupted, and their formation patterns scattered.
Angry glares all fixed on Zhang Ruochen.
"Who are you?"
"No need to ask; it's Zhang Ruochen."
Zhang Ruochen secretly regretted that inside the White Jade Divine Tree, he could not tear open larger space rifts; otherwise, they would not have been merely injured.
"Shua!"
In an instant, Zhang Ruochen's body vanished from its spot.
"Bang!" Before the dark, ugly woman could react, Zhang Ruochen struck her neck with a palm blade, breaking her cervical vertebrae and sending her body flying sideways.
The next moment, Zhang Ruochen appeared before the horned Death Clan Great Saint, pressing a light palm toward him.
This Hundred-Shackle Great Perfection Great Saint barely raised an arm to block, but Zhang Ruochen broke his arm, sending his body flying like a cannonball, crashing into a branch. The sound of bones breaking came from within, and blood seeped from his head and back.
In less than a breath, he had severely wounded two Hundred-Shackle Great Perfection Great Saints.
"Thud!"
Zhang Ruochen stomped his left foot in the void, which rippled like water.
Then, a raging sea of divine flame spread out, enveloping all the Death Clan Great Saints.
"Time Grand Bell."
Zhang Ruochen raised his hands, and the time imprints of heaven and earth rapidly gathered above his head, condensing into a giant bell that spun quickly.
At a certain moment, a deafening bell toll rang out.
Time imprints and sound waves surged like water, crashing into every Death Clan Great Saint, sending them all flying like fallen leaves.
The time imprints cut away a portion of their lifespan, leaving their bodies in a brief state of weakness.
At that moment, the divine flame burned through their protective death qi, invading their bodies. Their skin turned crimson and then into black dust, spreading inward.
"Shua, shua."
The Seven-Star Ghost Lotus flew from Zhang Ruochen's hand, its seven petals spinning and slashing continuously, dismembering the undying sacred bodies of one Death Clan Great Saint after another, sending hands, feet, and heads flying everywhere.
This series of techniques was unleashed within a single breath.
The twenty-two Undying Blood Clan Great Saints stared blankly at Zhang Ruochen, unable to believe that a Hundred-Shackle Great Saint possessed such terrifying combat power, single-handedly overwhelming nearly a hundred Death Clan Great Saints.
This scene would be unforgettable to them forever.
"He's here, he's finally here. Zhang Ruochen has finally come!" one Undying Blood Clan Great Saint laughed heartily, his nerves finally giving way as he fell from midair onto a branch.
Blood Ningxiao stopped activating her secret technique, her face pale, but a smile appeared on her delicate, small face, as if seeing a glimmer of light in long darkness. She murmured, "Cousin... Ruochen cousin..."
It seemed that being Zhang Ruochen's cousin was a source of pride.
Suddenly, Zhang Ruochen sensed something and spun around, throwing a punch.
The dark, ugly woman activated a secret technique, burning her lifespan, and struck out a hand seal that clashed with Zhang Ruochen's fist. Her broken cervical vertebrae had already reconnected, and her eyes burned with angry flames.
"Boom!"
Zhang Ruochen received her palm strike, his body only shaking slightly.
After burning her lifespan, the dark, ugly woman could briefly unleash combat power comparable to an early-stage Thousand-Question Great Saint, but before Zhang Ruochen, it was still insufficient.
Zhang Ruochen kicked out, striking her chest.
"Pfft!"
The dark, ugly woman spat blood and flew backward.
Zhang Ruochen reached out his hand, about to use spatial power to pull her back, when suddenly his head ached, and the spatial power he was channeling was interrupted.
It was death thought power.
Led by the horned Hundred-Shackle Great Perfection Great Saint, dozens of Death Clan Great Saints simultaneously unleashed death thought power, attacking Zhang Ruochen.
"Seeking death."
Zhang Ruochen recalled the Seven-Star Ghost Lotus, using supreme power to protect his body.
Then, he clasped his hands together, and a massive Immovable Wisdom King sacred image rose behind him, emitting a radiance brighter than the sun, its momentum climbing higher and higher.
The horned Hundred-Shackle Great Perfection Great Saint's expression changed, and he shouted, "All Death Clan Great Saints, retreat immediately. I will hold the rear."
Great Saints had strong vitality; Zhang Ruochen's earlier wave of attacks had only killed six Great Saints. The remaining Death Clan Great Saints were either injured or had Purifying Divine Fire invading their bodies, all weakened significantly.
Watching the increasingly towering Immovable Wisdom King sacred image, they could not help but feel fear.
"Such powerful sacred might. Where is this still a Hundred-Shackle Great Saint? The Thousand-Question Great Saints I've seen are far weaker than him."
Sounds of breaking wind rang out!
Over eighty Death Clan Great Saints flew off in different directions. Their speed was so fast that their true bodies were already dozens of miles away, but their afterimages remained clear at the original spot.
The Immovable Wisdom King sacred image grabbed the horned Hundred-Shackle Great Perfection Death Clan Great Saint, crushing his undying sacred body continuously, with bones cracking and popping.
"Ah! Zhang Ruochen, you can't kill me. This is just the Heaven Hunting Battle; we have no fundamental personal enmity. Let me go, and I will remember this favor."
The horned Death Clan Great Saint screamed in agony, fear rising in his heart. He did not want to be crushed to death by Zhang Ruochen like this.
Zhang Ruochen said, "You are also a top figure of this generation in the Death Clan. Being squeezed like a clay figurine in front of so many cultivators—how could you not harbor resentment? If I let you go, will you remember my favor? No, you will remember your hatred and anger. Once you have a chance, you will definitely find a way to kill me."
The dark, ugly woman flew in from behind, wielding a monarch sacred artifact like a thread, extending over a thousand meters, resembling a bright strand of light.
Without turning his head, Zhang Ruochen condensed a bolt of lightning in the void, striking her.
This lightning was a spiritual power attack.
The dark, ugly woman's death qi dissipated, and she screamed as she fell downward.
"Bang!"
The Immovable Wisdom King sacred image's palm exerted force, crushing the horned Death Clan Hundred-Shackle Great Perfection Great Saint's physical body into a cloud of blood mist.
The Purifying Divine Fire in its palm refined his sacred soul into a wisp of green smoke.
Until death, that Hundred-Shackle Great Perfection Great Saint could not believe that Zhang Ruochen would actually kill him.
Zhang Ruochen did not pursue the fleeing Death Clan Great Saints. Some had Purifying Divine Fire invading their bodies, others had their lifespans cut; they could not recover their combat power in a short time.
At least for today, they could not continue fighting.
Blood Ningxiao flew before Zhang Ruochen, looking at her cousin, who had repelled nearly a hundred Great Saints with a wave of his hand. Her pale face flushed with a hint of red, and she said softly, "You shouldn't have killed Xu Man Great Saint. He is a true god seed of the Death Clan, with a divine realm backer. Killing him will create a mortal enmity."
Zhang Ruochen said, "Are the grudges between the Undying Blood Clan and the Death Clan few? Anyway, I've already killed several divine sons and daughters of the Death Clan. Adding one more won't make much difference."
"The status of divine sons and daughters may not compare to that of a true god seed," Blood Ningxiao muttered, but she did not dare say it loudly.
Inside the White Jade Divine Tree, unable to tear open large spatial rifts, Zhang Ruochen could not send enemies into the void space, so he had no choice but to kill.
"Greetings, Ruochen Great Saint."
The Undying Blood Clan Great Saints all bowed to Zhang Ruochen, their eyes filled with awe and admiration.
Zhang Ruochen said, "Give me all the clansmen you are carrying."
Blood Ningxiao hesitated for a moment but still said, "Cousin, carrying the clansmen on you will definitely affect your combat performance."
"Don't worry, I have several monarch sacred artifacts suitable for storing life. I won't use these monarch sacred artifacts as battle weapons."
As he spoke, Zhang Ruochen took out eleven monarch sacred artifacts in succession: a brush, a cauldron, a sword... all with stable and vast internal spaces, where even ordinary humans could survive for a period.
The Undying Blood Clan Great Saints looked at each other in dismay.
The only monarch sacred artifacts they had were all shattered, a heavy loss. After all, the monarch sacred artifacts brought into the Heaven Hunting Battlefield were their strongest battle weapons, worth more than half their wealth.
In contrast, Zhang Ruochen casually produced over a dozen.
Such a contrast made them feel a pang of sorrow.
They were all Great Saints—why was the gap so big?
Zhang Ruochen stored the surviving thirty-four million clansmen into the eleven monarch sacred artifacts, then looked at the Undying Blood Clan Great Saints and said, "You are too badly injured. Withdraw from the battlefield. Leave the rest to me."
These Undying Blood Clan Great Saints did not leave; they stood still, silently telling Zhang Ruochen they wanted to continue fighting alongside him.
Only Blood Demon stood up, letting out a long sigh: "I've lost too much Great Saint blood; I can't continue fighting. Don't just stand there—let's go together. Zhang Ruochen is the Heir of Time and Space. If he wants to escape, even if the Death Clan and Yama Clan Great Saints join forces, they can't stop him."
Hearing this, the Undying Blood Clan Great Saints nodded, finding it reasonable.
"Hua, hua."
White light flickered, and the Myriad Realms Divine Eye sent all the Undying Blood Clan Great Saints out of the battlefield.
As Blood Demon said, what Zhang Ruochen should do now was to take the remaining Undying Blood Clan members and flee immediately, hiding until the Heaven Hunting Battle ended.
That way, the Undying Blood Clan could at least rank second, with hope of keeping first place.
As long as the Chi Emperor was not killed by the Yama Clan.
Zhang Ruochen did not flee. He took out the rhombus mirror piece and glanced at it:
Undying Blood Clan: 89,750,000 points.
Yama Clan: 89,070,000 points.
The Undying Blood Clan was still ahead.
But how long could they stay ahead?
"Luo Sha and Mo Yin should react soon. I hope the final deciding method is not a contest of which clan kills the Chi Emperor."
Zhang Ruochen did not want to kill the Chi Emperor, and he hoped to win in an easier way.
But to be safe, he had to find the Chi Emperor first, at least to prevent the Yama Clan from killing him. If there was an opportunity, he would not mind cutting off one of the Chi Emperor's hands or legs.
So, Zhang Ruochen released his spiritual power to probe for the auras of the Chi Emperor, Yuánfēi Great Saint, and others, then unfolded his ten wings and flew in one direction.
This time, he did not transform into a Death Clan cultivator.
The fleeing Death Clan Great Saints had surely already passed the news to Yuánfēi Great Saint. With his intelligence, he would be cautious and on guard. Transforming into a Death Clan cultivator would be meaningless.
Of course, Zhang Ruochen hid himself within space, as if invisible.
...
The "Substance and Void Word Scroll" unfolded, turning into a light map a hundred miles long.
The scroll was densely covered not only with words but also with mountains, rivers, and lakes.
The words and scenes flickered in and out of existence, sometimes ethereal, sometimes solid.
A full four hundred Death Clan Great Saints stood at various positions on the "Substance and Void Word Scroll."
The Chi Emperor was about a dozen miles from the "Substance and Void Word Scroll," being attacked by countless words. There were at least a hundred thousand words, each ten feet long, heavier than mountains, forming an ocean of text.
"Boom, rumble."
Although the Chi Emperor was powerful, defending tightly and continuously slashing away the surging words, even when the words were shattered into nothingness, they immediately reformed and continued attacking him, as if endless.
Yuánfēi Great Saint and Bore stood at the center of the "Substance and Void Word Scroll," surrounded by words beneath their feet.
"Using word attacks to exhaust the Chi Emperor's sacred qi. When he has only his physical strength left and is exhausted, we can kill him easily," Yuánfēi Great Saint said.
Bore stood nearby, a flicker of confusion in her eyes.
She had to admit that she had underestimated Yuánfēi Great Saint before. He was not as easy to manipulate as he appeared on the surface; he hid many things. For example, the power of the "Substance and Void Word Scroll" had only now fully erupted, having been held back before.
Originally, Bore thought the "Substance and Void Word Scroll" was a divine artifact temporarily bestowed by the Death Clan's gods to Yuánfēi Great Saint.
But seeing his skillful use of the "Substance and Void Word Scroll," she had to suspect that this supreme sacred artifact had been Yuánfēi Great Saint's battle weapon for a long time.
Being able to hide all the Death Clan Great Saints with the "Substance and Void Word Scroll," evading the Chi Emperor's perception, approaching him, and then suddenly erupting to trap him completely—what did that mean?
It meant that Yuánfēi Great Saint had cultivated the Way of Nothingness and had considerable skill.
Otherwise, how could he precisely control the "void" power of the "Substance and Void Word Scroll"? This was something Bore had not known before.
Not to mention Bore, even Que, standing within the "Substance and Void Word Scroll," showed a contemplative expression.
...
This chapter has over five thousand words. There's no other way—since I boasted that the Heaven Hunting Battle would end in five or six chapters, I have to increase the chapter length. It's not easy for me, sweat...