Chapter 2476: Capturing Shang Xia
“Heavenly Dao Arrow, how could it be a Heavenly Dao Arrow? Could it be Fu Xiangnu?”
Zhang Ruochen’s entire body ached unbearably, and darkness filled his vision.
The armor on his body was wrapped by the Sacred Dao rules formed after the arrow’s explosion, like countless chains binding him, rendering his body immobile.
“Eh! It seems the injury isn’t too severe.”
Zhang Ruochen discovered that only the initial impact force was terrifying, causing his internal organs to churn violently, his bones to crack and pop, his Sacred Soul nearly shaken apart, and he almost passed out.
But once he caught his breath and his Saint Qi resumed circulation, he found that although his whole body ached, he was not actually injured.
Zangjin Baihu’s voice rang out: “Fortunately, you reacted quickly and activated four layers of strong defense in time. The Sacred Dao rules contained in the Heavenly Dao Arrow could not penetrate your armor. Otherwise, even if I mobilized the Zangjin Rule Divine Patterns, I fear I could only have saved your life.”
Zhang Ruochen understood—it was Zangjin Baihu who had acted, neutralizing the impact force of the Heavenly Dao Arrow.
Suddenly, Zhang Ruochen sensed a suffocating aura descending from above, as if the very sky were collapsing. Even space was being compressed, and the ground continuously sank.
What was happening?
Was one Heavenly Dao Arrow not enough, and a second strike was being prepared?
This power was even more terrifying than the Heavenly Dao Arrow.
“No, it’s not aimed at me. It seems the entire Divine Maiden City is enveloped by this aura. Who wants to destroy a sacred city?” Zhang Ruochen’s thoughts were chaotic, and he grew more confused about what was happening.
He had considered that Bai Qinger might act, and that the Paradise Realm might act.
But he had never imagined that the Yama Clan would be the one to strike.
Even more unexpected was that the entire Divine Maiden City was plunged into a crisis of destruction.
One sudden event after another completely exceeded Zhang Ruochen’s expectations.
“Taking this opportunity, I need to leave here first.”
Zhang Ruochen circulated his Saint Qi and Purifying Divine Flame, just about to break free from the Sacred Dao rules binding him, when suddenly, from ten zhang away, a faint, barely perceptible fluctuation of aura came.
The other party had hidden their aura well, but it could not deceive Zhang Ruochen’s Heart of Truth.
Zhang Ruochen quickly withdrew his Saint Qi, lying motionless on the ground, pretending to have been shot dead.
“Shua!”
Shang Xia, dressed in black robes, wearing a veil, and holding a Sacred Sword, her body appearing semi-transparent, waved her sleeve, sweeping away the rubble, wooden pillars, and tiles that had been pressing down on Zhang Ruochen.
She looked at Zhang Ruochen, who had no aura at all, a flicker of surprise passing through her eyes as she muttered to herself: “The Heavenly Dao Arrow couldn’t break through his armor? He really does have many treasures on him. Unfortunately, the shock force of that arrow should have been enough to turn his flesh into bloody mud.”
Shang Xia walked up to Zhang Ruochen, grabbed him by the neck, and was about to stash him into a space treasure when she suddenly recoiled as if avoiding a venomous snake, trying to throw Zhang Ruochen away.
“High alertness, but too late.”
Zhang Ruochen’s eyes snapped open wide, and he struck a palm toward Shang Xia’s abdomen.
“Bang!”
Shang Xia’s delicate body arched backward, flying away.
Zhang Ruochen’s eyes contracted sharply. He sensed that although his palm had struck her solidly, Shang Xia’s cultivation was too high. She had instantly released hundreds of billions of Sacred Dao rules, neutralizing most of the palm’s force.
With a “shua,” Zhang Ruochen pursued, intending to deliver another blow.
Shang Xia was still flying through the air, her abdomen aching as if splitting, a trail of blood at the corner of her mouth, her face full of shock. She could not understand how Zhang Ruochen had survived the Heavenly Dao Arrow.
He did not even seem injured.
Seeing Zhang Ruochen closing in, Shang Xia immediately activated her Sacred Sword, slashing it toward him, producing a brilliant sword light.
This sword strike not only sent sword energy flying but also merged with her Sword Soul, directly targeting Zhang Ruochen’s Sacred Soul.
“Hua!”
Zhang Ruochen vanished before her eyes.
“Not good.”
Shang Xia sensed danger.
Zhang Ruochen emerged from the space behind her, swinging the Dark Gold War Heaven Pillar, striking her heavily on the back of the head.
The Dark Gold War Heaven Pillar was a Supreme Sacred Artifact, capable not only of unleashing supreme power but also, upon impact, severely damaging Shang Xia’s Spiritual Power and Sacred Soul. Her eyes closed, and she fell unconscious.
Zhang Ruochen picked up the unconscious Shang Xia, thought for a moment, plucked a strand of hair from her head, and threw it to the ground.
Then, he sealed her into the “Space-Time Secret Scripture.”
…
Moments later, Kailuo, wearing a white jade mask, along with four Paradise Realm cultivators, appeared at the scene through a space teleportation.
One of the Dwarf Clan Great Saints said angrily, “Damn it, we’re too late. Who stole Zhang Ruochen’s corpse first?”
Kailuo released his Spiritual Power, scanning the entire ruins, leaving no trace unchecked.
Then, he kicked aside a half-zhang-long boulder, picked up a strand of hair from the crevice, brought it to his nose and sniffed lightly. His eyes beneath the mask turned vicious. “I know who took Zhang Ruochen’s body. Let’s go. I’ll settle this score with her properly.”
One of the Paradise Realm cultivators immediately began inscribing space runes to set up a space formation.
Suddenly, a voice rang out: “Paradise Realm cultivators appearing in the Hell Realm—do you think you can still leave?”
“Who’s there?”
The Paradise Realm Great Saints all summoned their war weapons, looking toward the direction of the voice.
A black umbrella floated in midair, drifting slowly.
When it came within thirty zhang, Yan Yu’s figure materialized beneath the umbrella.
Fu Xiangnu approached from another direction, saying, “The worst thing the Paradise Realm could have done was to shoot Zhang Ruochen in my name. Kela Filin of the Elf Clan, I’ve long heard you are one of the four great archery experts of the Heavenly Court Myriad Realms. Today, I’ll have a chance to face you.”
Yan Yu said, “Hand over Zhang Ruochen’s corpse, and I’ll grant you a whole-body burial.”
…
“Boom, rumble.”
In the sky, the light emitted by the Divine Punishment Heavenly Gang Talisman blazed to its peak.
Purple lightning tore through heaven and earth, crashing down into Divine Maiden City, colliding with the city-protecting grand formation. The light barrier formed by the formation trembled incessantly, like a fragile sheet of paper that could shatter at any moment.
The cultivators in the city were terrified by the power unleashed by the divine talisman, their souls quivering.
If the city-protecting formation broke, how many could survive?
On the Star Observation Platform, all the Great Saint-level experts activated their war artifacts.
Some directly launched attacks, trying to destroy the divine talisman; others clashed with the lightning unleashed by the talisman, helping the city-protecting formation withstand the assault.
Beneath the surface, Divine Maiden City was seething with undercurrents.
Besides Yan Yu, Fu Xiangnu, and the Paradise Realm cultivators, Great Saints from other forces were also rushing toward the location where Zhang Ruochen’s body had fallen.
Even if they did not know that Zhang Ruochen might possess an extremely high-grade Origin Divine Crystal, they knew he carried several Supreme Sacred Artifacts and a vast amount of treasures.
A once-prosperous ancient city descended into chaos.
No one knew how it had suddenly come to this. Who was the mastermind behind it all?
What was the ultimate goal of this turmoil?
After leaving the ruins, Zhang Ruochen arrived at the City Lord’s Mansion. Using the Way of Space and Space Essence, he silently returned to the small courtyard where Xunmu the Grandmaster resided.
He looked up at the enormous talisman in the sky, his heartbeat involuntarily quickening.
“How did a divine talisman appear? Does Bai Qinger have such influence that she can enlist a Rune Path Heavenly Master? And isn’t she afraid of destroying Divine Maiden City?”
Zhang Ruochen could not help but admire Bai Qinger’s boldness—she truly spared no effort to achieve her goals.
But he still could not understand why Fu Xiangnu had attacked him.
No matter how powerful Bai Qinger was, she could not control a strong cultivator like Fu Xiangnu.
Now, there were only two possibilities:
First, the Goddess Twelve Pavilions, knowing they could not monopolize the Origin Divine Temple alone, had formed an alliance with the Yama Clan.
Second, the one who shot the Heavenly Dao Arrow was not Fu Xiangnu.
Relatively speaking, Zhang Ruochen believed the latter was more likely.
After all, from his understanding of Bai Qinger, this woman appeared gentle and delicate on the surface, but inwardly she was bolder and more fearless than any cultivator, often doing things ordinary people dared not attempt.
If she wanted to seize the Origin Divine Temple, she would never share it with the Yama Clan.
Unable to see through her scheme, Zhang Ruochen hid again within the City Lord’s Mansion, continuing to play the role of Xunmu the Grandmaster. He wanted to see what other plans she had and also sought an opportunity to rescue Shangguan Que.
In the City Lord’s Mansion, all the Spiritual Power Saint Masters had gathered at the training ground, each holding a piece of Basalt Stone.
Duan Lingfeng, Shang Yue, and dozens of Great Saint-level experts stood at the center of the training ground, gazing at the Divine Punishment Heavenly Gang Talisman in the sky. The city lord, deputy city lord, and grand commander of Machine Seal Sacred City were all present.
A legendary divine talisman—even Great Saints might only see one in a lifetime.
At this moment, some showed fear in their eyes, some were frenzied, and some were terrified.
As for the Spiritual Power Saint Masters who had not reached the Great Saint realm, their legs trembled uncontrollably. It was not that their mental fortitude was weak, but the terror of the divine talisman exceeded the limits of what their minds could bear.
Zhang Ruochen held his breath, trying to stay calm. Among the group of Great Saints, he spotted the figure of Yunhuan Iron Blood King, realizing that all the Great Saint experts who had appeared in the Machine Seal Sacred Mansion were here.
“Besides wanting to capture me, Bai Qinger indeed has another major plan. What could be more important than an extremely high-grade Origin Divine Crystal? Is she really after the Celestial Pivot Needle?” Zhang Ruochen was greatly shocked.
Duan Lingfeng’s slightly chubby, bearded face showed a sinister smile. “The city-protecting formation of Divine Maiden City won’t hold much longer. It will break soon.”
Gu Yanzhi said with some concern, “With the divine talisman appearing, will Lord Ice King intervene?”
Duan Lingfeng shook his head. “Lord Ice King is an immensely great deity. How could he meddle in conflicts below the divine level? Even if the entire Divine Maiden City is destroyed and countless Saint-level cultivators die, in his eyes, it’s just a minor scuffle.”
Shang Yue said, “What a pity. The Goddess Twelve Pavilions have spent many years building Divine Maiden City on Ice King Star to its current scale. Destroying it in one fell swoop—the loss is immense!”