Chapter 2397: Tiger's Roar and Dragon's Cry
After Que and Lan Ying left, the Great Saints of the Undying Blood Clan, Death Clan, and Yama Clan erupted into a fierce battle in the void near the White Jade Divine Tree.
Under the leadership of Blade Prison Emperor and Wind Empress, the Undying Blood Clan's Great Saint army launched three assaults and finally broke through the encirclement.
Unfortunately, the teleportation formation had already been destroyed by the Bone Clan Great Saints.
Blade Prison Emperor stood at the edge of the shattered Space Teleportation Array, his face cold and grim. "This is a huge problem! Zhang Ruochen is being besieged by Yan Wushen, Que, and Lan Ying. He might not be able to hold out until the end of the Heaven Hunting Battle. Wind Empress, can you use the Path of Fate to repair the teleportation formation?"
Wind Empress shook her head. "Many parts of the teleportation formation have been shattered into dust, and the space inscriptions are completely destroyed. My mastery of the Path of Fate is not enough to repair it."
Blade Prison Emperor took out the rhombus mirror fragment and checked the points on it.
The Yama Clan's points were dropping rapidly. Clearly, Shi Shenghua and Yi Xuan Great Saint had already reached the Yama Clan's home star and were slaughtering the Yama Clan's members.
But wiping out all the Yama Clan members was simply impossible.
So, the final key to victory still lay with Zhang Ruochen.
Blade Prison Emperor's gaze swept over the Undying Blood Clan Great Saints who were still fighting, and he transmitted his voice with spiritual power: "The Heaven Hunting Battle is about to end. Continuing to fight is meaningless. The Undying Blood Clan's Great Saints should withdraw from the battlefield immediately to avoid losing points for the clan due to active attacks."
The Undying Blood Clan Great Saints all withdrew from the battle.
The Great Saints of the Yama Clan, Death Clan, Bone Clan, and Stone Clan, having already hunted down all the Great Saint Heavenly Slaves, also stopped fighting. Some directly withdrew from the battlefield, while others took out their rhombus mirror fragments and stared intently at the point changes on the mirrors.
Less than an hour remained until the end of the Heaven Hunting Battle.
As for the Underworld Clan Great Saints, they had used the teleportation formation to return to their home star long before Que and Lan Ying went after Zhang Ruochen. There was no other choice—their home star was under attack by the Rakshasa Clan, and they had to return immediately for reinforcements.
The battle erupting on the Underworld Clan's home star would decide the rankings for third and fourth place.
...
"Rip."
Que turned and swung his sword, unleashing the Void Sword Technique, striking Lan Ying's spirit body.
As the sword light pierced through, a considerable portion of Lan Ying's spirit body was devoured by the void, splitting his body in two.
Lan Ying let out a miserable cry, and his two halves struggled to recombine for a long time.
He was both a killing spirit born from the Cosmic Divine Fetus and the sword spirit of the Asura Sword. His spirit body was inherently indestructible—even if shattered ten times, it could still reform.
But under the attack of the Void Sword Technique, just one strike had severely wounded him.
Shadow Dan Sword hovered above Que's head, shrouding him in its sword aura.
He cautiously approached the yellow bronze cauldron. From the hollow patterns of the cauldron, black gaseous patterns flowed out, wrapping around the cauldron's body.
Que didn't believe Zhang Ruochen would so easily hand over the Emperor-grade Sacred Intent Pill, so he remained wary and didn't rush in.
"Such a powerful dark force. If I rashly touch the bronze cauldron, even with my cultivation, I might suffer a great loss."
Que discerned the nature of the black gaseous patterns and realized that this bronze cauldron was no ordinary vessel—after all, not any container could withstand dark force.
Even a Monarch Sacred Artifact would be corroded into scrap metal by dark force.
Back then, Zhang Ruochen had only broken through the black gaseous patterns by using the Yin-Yang Five Elements Sacred Intent.
Que mobilized the power of the void, filling his hands with it. His two arms suddenly vanished, becoming invisible to everyone except himself.
His hands pressed against the black gaseous patterns, and the void force continuously destroyed the dark force, creating a large hole two meters in diameter. Que stepped inside.
After a moment's hesitation, Que didn't approach further. Instead, he struck the cauldron lid with a palm strike from a distance.
"Clang!"
The lid was knocked off.
From the cauldron, a dark blue light surged out.
The light was blindingly bright, dyeing Que's pupils dark blue. Then, blood flowed from his eye sockets.
"What terrifying light! This aura... it's an Emperor-grade Sacred Pill! The sacred dao fluctuations are no weaker than a Supreme Realm Great Saint."
Que was shocked and immediately retreated backward.
It was an Emperor-grade Sacred Pill, not an Emperor-grade Sacred Intent Pill.
"Swish, swish, swish."
Each beam of pill light was like a peerless divine sword, stabbing straight at Que.
Thousands of beams of pill light flew toward Que.
Shadow Dan Sword moved in front of Que, slashing continuously to form an impenetrable sword curtain. But the power unleashed by the Emperor-grade Sacred Pill was too terrifying. The sword curtain held for only an instant before being shattered.
"Pfft! Pfft! Pfft..."
Beam after beam of pill light struck Que.
Que desperately tried to activate the void force, making his body ethereal, but he was a step too slow.
Hit by over a hundred beams of pill light, Que was sent flying, drenched in blood.
Even against a Supreme Realm Great Saint, Que's cultivation was far from sufficient. The Emperor-grade Sacred Pill hadn't even acted personally—just the light it emitted was enough to overwhelm him.
"It didn't die?" A voice came from within the cauldron.
Yes, Que hadn't died.
When the pill light struck him, his body had entered a semi-ethereal state, neutralizing most of the attack's power.
Que propped up his severely wounded body, turned into a patch of void, and fled the area at top speed. Once in the void state and at a certain distance, even a Supreme Realm Great Saint wouldn't be able to find him.
Lan Ying and Yan Wushen both stared at the yellow bronze cauldron with astonishment.
How had another Emperor-grade Sacred Pill appeared on the Heaven Hunting Battlefield?
And this Emperor-grade Sacred Pill was clearly unsealed, with terrifying combat power.
Not just them—even some deities were now uncertain and alarmed.
Emperor-grade Sacred Pills were extremely rare and even had some use for deities.
The divine shadow of Xue Jue War God appeared in the Destiny Temple. "An Emperor-grade Sacred Pill has appeared, breaking the balance of the Heaven Hunting Battlefield. To protect the lives of several outstanding juniors, I request that the God Venerable end the Heaven Hunting Battle early."
"Request that the God Venerable end the Heaven Hunting Battle early."
The deities of the Undying Blood Clan all appeared and spoke in unison.
Ghost Lord's sinister voice rang out: "The Heaven Hunting Battle has been held for a hundred sessions. Never has anyone been allowed to break the rules set by the Destiny Temple. Even if only one hour remains, we must wait it out. If he can't handle it, Zhang Ruochen can simply withdraw from the battlefield. With the Myriad Realm Divine Eye, can an Emperor-grade Sacred Intent Pill kill him?"
Withdraw from the battlefield?
All the Undying Blood Clan members were betting on Zhang Ruochen. If he chose to withdraw, those members would be considered dead, and the Undying Blood Clan's points would be halved.
A deity of the Death Clan appeared. "Xue Jue, don't worry too much. Since Que could escape with his life, Zhang Ruochen should be able to as well. Besides, the Emperor-grade Sacred Pill was brought out by him."
"The rules of the Destiny Temple absolutely cannot be broken. Otherwise, future Heaven Hunting Battles won't be able to proceed." Another deity spoke.
...
With Ghost Lord leading the charge, the deities of other clans were happy to watch the spectacle and all spoke up, urging Fortune and Blessing God Venerable to uphold the Destiny Temple's rules and not end the Heaven Hunting Battle early.
The deities of the Shura Clan's Green Deer God King and the Yama Clan remained silent, not appearing in the Destiny Temple.
Fortune and Blessing God Venerable said, "The Heaven Hunting Battle will continue. No deity may interfere with the battlefield. Anyone who violates the rules will be punished by the Destiny Temple's Judgment Division."
The deities of the Undying Blood Clan were furious.
They weren't angry at Fortune and Blessing God Venerable—after all, in his position, he couldn't favor the Undying Blood Clan.
If not for Ghost Lord stirring up trouble, Fortune and Blessing God Venerable might have ended the battle early out of a desire to protect talent.
That way, the Undying Blood Clan could have secured victory.
Now, Lan Ying and Yan Wushen could both withdraw from the battlefield, but Zhang Ruochen couldn't. With his cultivation, how could he possibly be a match for a Supreme Realm Great Saint?
Back in the Divine Realm World, Xue Jue War God's expression was grave. "Now, I just hope Zhang Ruochen isn't too stubborn and withdraws from the battlefield immediately. Even if the Undying Blood Clan only gets second place, I want him to save his life first."
"I feel the same way." Luo Yan sat nearby and said.
Xue Zhi Ancient God stroked his beard and said with a smile, "That would naturally be the best outcome—a win-win for everyone."
Xue Jue War God hadn't spent much time with his grandson, Zhang Ruochen, but he knew Zhang Ruochen's personality well and suspected he wouldn't withdraw from the battlefield.
He couldn't help but sigh.
...
On the Heaven Hunting Battlefield.
Lan Ying withdrew from the battlefield immediately.
Only the severely wounded Zhang Ruochen and Yan Wushen remained in that stretch of void. They were both wrapped in strands of pill aura, like divine chains binding them, unable to escape.
Zhang Ruochen glanced at the yellow bronze cauldron, then at Yan Wushen. "Aren't you going to withdraw? If you don't, you might die at the hands of that Emperor-grade Sacred Pill."
"As long as you haven't withdrawn, I absolutely won't." Yan Wushen gritted his teeth, struggling against the pill aura's entanglement.
The pill aura was like chains, dragging Zhang Ruochen and Yan Wushen closer to the yellow bronze cauldron.
The voice of the Emperor-grade Sacred Pill came from within the cauldron: "You two—one with a half-Buddha body, the other with a half-divine body—both have very powerful bloodlines. If I refine you into my pill body, I might gain a chance to ascend to a Divine Pill."
Zhang Ruochen transmitted his voice to Yan Wushen: "Since neither of us plans to withdraw early, why not cooperate for once? Let's suppress that Emperor-grade Sacred Pill first. Then we can continue our fight."
"Suppress the Emperor-grade Sacred Pill?"
Yan Wushen's eyes widened. He thought Zhang Ruochen was insane.
Zhang Ruochen said, "If I'm not mistaken, the yellow bronze cauldron should be able to suppress that Emperor-grade Sacred Pill. That's why it can't come out of the cauldron and can only attack us with pill light and pill aura. As long as we put the lid back on, the Emperor-grade Sacred Pill will be resealed."
"How sure are you?" Yan Wushen asked.
Zhang Ruochen said, "Not at all sure. But we have to try, right? I absolutely refuse to admit defeat, and I won't voluntarily withdraw from the battlefield. If you're scared, now's your chance to withdraw."
"If I withdraw now, the Yama Clan will completely lose its chance to be first. Fine, let's suppress the Emperor-grade Sacred Pill first. I won't accept losing the Heaven Hunting Battle without fighting to the very last moment." Yan Wushen said.
"Good. I'll hold it off and draw its attention. You go put the lid back on."
Zhang Ruochen reattached his severed arm. His internal injuries were extremely severe, and his combat power was far from its peak. But that didn't affect his determination to fight the Emperor-grade Sacred Pill.
No matter what, he had to secure first place among the ten clans.
"Immovable Wisdom King Saint Image."
A massive golden light figure burst out from Zhang Ruochen's body, expanding outward and pushing the pill aura binding him to stretch. The next moment, Zhang Ruochen's body contracted, breaking free from the pill aura's restraint.
"Still trying to escape?"
The Emperor-grade Sacred Pill's voice rang out, and from the yellow bronze cauldron, hundreds of beams of pill light shot toward Zhang Ruochen.
There were too many beams of pill light. Even Que couldn't block them. With his severely wounded body, Zhang Ruochen dared not try to withstand them head-on. Instead, he threw out the Purple Gold Gourd, contracted his body, and rushed inside.
A dozen or so beams of pill light followed him into the gourd's mouth.
Each beam of pill light contained a spiritual thought of the Emperor-grade Sacred Pill.
Inside the gourd, the pill light continued to chase Zhang Ruochen.
The pill light didn't fly in straight lines but curved like flying swords, slashing at him from all directions.
"Pfft!"
"Pfft!"
...
Zhang Ruochen was hit by several beams of pill light, blood spurting from the wounds on his body.
The last beam of pill light stabbed straight toward his brow.
Just then, a light gate flew over and collided with the pill light.
Bore's slender figure appeared behind the light gate. Her hands pressed forward, and the light gate twisted into a spiral, absorbing the pill light into her True Self World.
Only then did Bore gaze intently at Zhang Ruochen. Her brows furrowed, and an undeniable tenderness flickered in her eyes. "Why are you so badly injured?"
"No time to explain. Come out with me and suppress that Emperor-grade Sacred Pill first. Yan Wushen probably can't hold out much longer." Zhang Ruochen said.
Though full of questions, Bore decisively agreed. "Alright."
Yan Wushen couldn't die. If he died, even if Zhang Ruochen hid in the Purple Gold Gourd, it would be useless. In the end, he would face a dead end.
Either they died together, or they lived together.
While the Emperor-grade Sacred Pill was attacking Zhang Ruochen with pill light, Yan Wushen immediately activated his Space True Domain, broke free from the pill aura, circled behind the yellow bronze cauldron, and picked up the lid.
But before he could act, the Emperor-grade Sacred Pill detected him.
This time, the Emperor-grade Sacred Pill split off dozens of strands of pill aura, all wrapping around Yan Wushen simultaneously. They tightened more and more, crushing his half-Buddha body until it was broken and cracked, his bones fracturing, as if he would be turned into a pile of mud.
"I'll refine you first, then deal with that Undying Blood Clan member hiding in the gourd." The Emperor-grade Sacred Pill said.
Yan Wushen was completely immobilized, dragged by the pill aura toward the yellow bronze cauldron.
"Zhang Ruochen... that bastard... too... too treacherous... telling me to put the lid on while he hides in the gourd..."
As the yellow bronze cauldron drew closer, Yan Wushen couldn't speak a word. His mouth wouldn't move, and he couldn't shout the words to withdraw from the battlefield. He felt like he was going to be screwed over by Zhang Ruochen today.
"Whoosh!"
Zhang Ruochen and Bore flew out of the gourd at the same time.
Because her cultivation was too low, Bore simultaneously burned her Great Saint blood and lifespan, pushing her power to its peak. Then, she exerted all her strength to support the Gate of True Self, and the light of fate shone toward the yellow bronze cauldron.
The power contained in the dozens of strands of pill aura instantly diminished.
Seizing the opportunity, Zhang Ruochen rotated the five fingers of his right hand, condensing thirty-six Space Swords, and swung them in a slash, cutting through all the pill aura binding Yan Wushen.
Yan Wushen was now only a zhang away from the yellow bronze cauldron.
After breaking free, Yan Wushen's crushed and deformed eyes shot out two beams of sharp light. With unparalleled reaction speed, he moved like lightning and slammed the lid down.
"Bang."
The lid sealed shut.
The sacred might emitted by the Emperor-grade Sacred Pill vanished instantly.
It was finally resealed.
This stretch of heaven and earth fell into a long silence.
Zhang Ruochen and Yan Wushen exchanged glances, both showing smiles. At this moment, they had completely forgotten that the other was their great enemy.
From two different directions in the starry sky, the roar of a tiger and the cry of a dragon rang out.
The starry sky near Zhang Ruochen turned white, the light blazing like fire, illuminating all darkness in the world. Faintly, a tiger shadow could be seen manifesting in the white light.
The starry sky near Yan Wushen turned cyan, as if it could wash away all the worldly impurities. A dragon shadow coiled and spiraled through the stars.