Chapter 2505: Battle Against a Divine Spirit
Mo Duanyun’s divine might surged across the sky like a blazing star radiating brilliance.
Even if a star merely flickered once, it possessed world-ending power, capable of reducing all things to ashes.
Zhang Ruochen activated the Flame God Armor to withstand the divine power impact erupting from Mo Duanyun’s body, enduring immense pressure, yet he deliberately maintained a composed demeanor, not retreating half a step.
Mo Duanyun’s expression shifted with doubt and uncertainty, his tone softening slightly as he said, “Zhang Ruochen, you are the grandson of Xue Jue War God, likely to become the heir of the Blood Absolute Family in the future, and you have earned the favor of Fulushou Shenzun. Your prospects are boundless. Why must you entangle yourself with the remnants of Kunlun Realm? Listen to this god’s advice: leave this place immediately and sever ties with them. This god will act as if he saw nothing.”
Zhang Ruochen understood human greed well and knew the grudge between himself and the Death God Temple. There was no way the other party would let him leave.
Clearly, Mo Duanyun was wary of Zangjin Baihu and was deliberately testing him.
If he truly left immediately, it would precisely prove his guilt and that Zangjin Baihu could not exert much power. At that point, Mo Duanyun would surely strike like thunder to obliterate him.
After all, everyone knew Zhang Ruochen possessed countless treasures.
Killing Zhang Ruochen would yield even greater rewards than slaying a true god.
Even if, hypothetically, Mo Duanyun genuinely intended to let Zhang Ruochen go out of fear of Zangjin Baihu, he would certainly report today’s events to the Destiny Temple, making it impossible for Zhang Ruochen to remain in Hell Realm.
Having weighed all these factors, a smile spread across Zhang Ruochen’s face. “I was born in Kunlun Realm. Is it not natural to encounter two elders and exchange pleasantries? I am open and aboveboard. Even if you spread this matter, what can you do to me? To be honest, a mere false god like you is not worth my concern.”
“Boom!”
Mo Duanyun’s eyes darkened as he released his divine thought.
The divine clouds surrounding his body erupted with a sky-shaking explosion, and divine power surged outward in a mighty torrent.
How audacious!
A mere Hundred Shackles Realm Great Saint dared to speak to a god like this?
Disrespect toward a god was a capital offense.
In Zhang Ruochen’s vision, divine power imbued with deathly aura surged like tidal waves from a divine sea. Before this wave, he was like a floating duckweed on the water’s surface, about to be shattered into pieces in an instant.
“Bloom.”
Haitang Popo appeared silently beside Zhang Ruochen.
From within her body, a seven-colored crabapple blossom burst forth, its radiance brilliant and crimson, blocking the surging divine power.
However, cracks like bloodstains appeared on Haitang Popo’s aged face, her body as fragile as glass, on the verge of shattering.
Mo Duanyun had not truly attacked; it was merely a probing strike.
After the divine power surged past, the bloodstains on Haitang Popo’s face gradually healed, restoring her to normal. Throughout, she remained as calm as a rock or a withered pine.
“Roar!”
A tiger’s roar echoed.
Golden light radiated from Zhang Ruochen, and countless burial gold rule divine patterns surged forth.
Within the rule patterns, a tiger’s silhouette flickered faintly, releasing an astonishing divine might. Even a single exhale could transform into a golden river of divine qi.
Mo Duanyun’s eyelids twitched slightly, his expression turning extremely grave. “Lord Zangjin Baihu, Zhang Ruochen is suspected of betraying Hell Realm. Do you intend to side with him and harm Hell Realm’s interests?”
“I am not a cultivator of Hell Realm. What do Hell Realm’s interests have to do with me? But Zhang Ruochen is my guide. Do not think of touching him,” Zangjin Baihu said forcefully, his voice echoing through the void space.
Mo Duanyun’s expression shifted unpredictably as he pondered the stakes.
Any false god faced immense pressure when confronting a true god.
A wrong decision could lead to death.
After a long moment, Mo Duanyun broke into a smile. “Lord Zangjin Baihu has deep ties with Fengdu Dadi and Fulushou Shenzun. How could you not be considered a cultivator of Hell Realm? With your guarantee, it seems Zhang Ruochen’s meeting with Kunlun Realm cultivators was indeed just a reunion.”
A cold sneer flickered in Zangjin Baihu’s eyes. This Mo Duanyun dared not take any risks, being both cautious and shameless. So adept at navigating human affairs, it was no wonder he had been granted a divine source by the Death God Temple to become a false god.
Mo Duanyun’s gaze then shifted to Bai Qinger, his tone icy. “The Destiny Temple’s divine son, Xingluo, sent word that a mysterious woman suspected to be Ji Fanxin had kidnapped Zhang Ruochen and was slaughtering across Hell Realm. That so-called Ji Fanxin was your transformation, wasn’t it?”
Bai Qinger had recovered much of her sacred qi and looked calmly at Mo Duanyun. “What if it was me?”
“How dare you! A lowly woman from the Goddess Twelve Pavilions dares to stir up trouble in Hell Realm? Today, this god will take your life and then report to the Destiny Temple to annihilate the Goddess Twelve Pavilions’ one hundred and eighty towers. You dark forces should have been uprooted long ago,” Mo Duanyun said sternly.
Mo Duanyun’s bullying demeanor filled Zhang Ruochen with contempt.
However, upon deeper thought, Zhang Ruochen quickly understood.
Many cultivators knew about the supreme-grade origin divine crystal incident, with Zhang Ruochen and Bai Qinger each giving different accounts. Regardless of who was lying, the supreme-grade origin divine crystal was definitely with one of them.
Mo Duanyun was not foolish; he could surely deduce that the supreme-grade origin divine crystal was with Bai Qinger.
His plan was clearly to first stabilize Zhang Ruochen and the others, kill Bai Qinger, and seize the supreme-grade origin divine crystal as the top priority.
“Who are you calling lowly?”
Bai Qinger’s eyes turned icy cold. She spread her five fingers and formed a supreme origin hand seal, striking toward Mo Duanyun.
Countless origin rules coalesced into a hand seal, emitting brilliant light that pierced through the divine clouds. Clearly, she had mobilized the origin esoterica, unleashing power strong enough to shake the space where the god stood.
“Boom!”
Mo Duanyun sneered and shattered the supreme origin hand seal with a single punch.
A fist shadow as massive as a mountain crashed through Bai Qinger’s origin light, sending her flying dozens of miles away like a leaf swept by autumn wind, blood spilling from her mouth.
To withstand a god’s punch without dying was a great honor for a Supreme Realm Great Saint.
But Bai Qinger did not see it that way. Wiping the blood from her lips, her gaze was resolute. She spread her arms, and sixty-five bronze chimes flew around her body, emitting crashing waves of chime sounds.
On the bronze chimes, another formation inscription pattern, completely different from the Ten Thousand Sound Heaven-Spinning Grand Formation, emerged.
With a cry, a cyan divine bird ten thousand zhang long flew out from the formation, its body ablaze with cyan flames, circling Bai Qinger’s graceful figure.
It was a divine bird—a cyan luan.
“Another sub-divine formation, using the formation to manifest the divine bird cyan luan, unleashing false god-level attack power.” Xiao Hei said angrily.
Zhang Ruochen asked, “Why are you so angry?”
“This emperor’s formation mastery is surely above that white witch’s. Unfortunately, my spiritual power is weaker, and I wasn’t as prepared as she was. She’s stealing the spotlight!” Xiao Hei said indignantly.
At a time like this, he was still concerned about that?
Bai Qinger stepped on the cyan luan, her heroic spirit soaring, and attacked again.
Although the cyan luan was manifested by the formation, its false god-level aura and power fluctuations were real, causing Mo Duanyun to drop his smile and adopt a serious expression.
“You know nothing of the divine realm. Even if you can unleash false god-level power through formations, to me, it’s just crude brute force.”
Mo Duanyun pulled a war banner from his back. The banner grew with the wind, and gray lightning radiance appeared on its surface.
He swung the banner, and lightning surged wildly, all pouring toward the sixty-five bronze chimes.
“Boom, boom, boom!”
Terrifying divine power enveloped Bai Qinger, the cyan luan, and the bronze chimes.
Tens of thousands of gray lightning bolts continuously struck the formation, trying to break it and refine Bai Qinger to death.
Haitang Popo said, “This is void space. Although Bai Qinger is a formation grandmaster, she cannot draw on the power of heaven and earth to sustain the formation’s operation. She will likely lose soon. Ruochen, what are your plans?”
If Zhang Ruochen could no longer stay in Hell Realm, naturally, he could return to Kunlun Realm with her—something Haitang Popo very much hoped for.
But she cared more about Zhang Ruochen’s own thoughts and decisions.
Zhang Ruochen said, “This place is close to Ice King Star. Mo Duanyun can only act in void space without alarming the gods on Ice King Star. As a false god, Mo Duanyun cannot borrow the power of his star soul divine throne in void space, so his combat power will be greatly diminished.”
“You still want to slay a god and refuse to return to Kunlun Realm.” Haitang Popo sighed softly.
Zhang Ruochen smiled self-deprecatingly. “Kunlun Realm does not lack a Great Saint like me.”
Xiao Hei was excited. “Slay a god? Excellent! This emperor’s moment to make a name for himself has come. I’ll cut down a divine spirit and legitimize my title as the Heaven-Slaying Earth-Destroying Emperor. When do we strike?”
“Wait a little longer,” Zhang Ruochen said.
Xiao Hei chuckled. “Indeed, let the white witch and that Cloudy End fight until both are worn out, then we’ll clean up the mess.”
At some point, Xiao Hei had developed a habit of giving others nicknames.
Haitang Popo communicated telepathically with Xue Lingxian, clearly trying to persuade him to join forces and help Zhang Ruochen.
If Mo Duanyun could not mobilize the power of his star soul divine throne, they might actually have a chance to slay a god.
“Boom!”
“Boom!”
...
Mo Duanyun’s war banner struck down again and again, finally scattering the bronze chimes arranged in a circle.
The formation was thus broken.
The cyan luan phantom let out a mournful cry, dissolving into wisps of cyan smoke in the void space.
Bai Qinger used the flowing light path to retreat quickly, but even so, the corner of the war banner grazed her waist, leaving a long bloody gash.
She was nearly cut in half.
Her consumption was immense, her face deathly pale as she pressed her jade hand against the wound on her waist.
The wound healed quickly.
“Zhang Ruochen, do you really think Mo Duanyun will let you go? If he does not die today, you will have no place in Hell Realm.” Bai Qinger transmitted to Zhang Ruochen.
Zhang Ruochen remained very calm. “It doesn’t matter. I can always go to the Tianluo Divine Kingdom and become a prince consort. Even the Destiny Temple cannot force Luo Yan Dadi to hand me over, right? I can still live well. Isn’t eating soft rice sweet? Of course, if you are willing to hand over the Celestial Pivot Needle, I can persuade the two seniors from Kunlun Realm to help you strike and slay Mo Duanyun.”
“Are you taking advantage of my predicament?” Bai Qinger said angrily.
Zhang Ruochen said, “You are judging a gentleman’s heart with a petty person’s mind! In fact, they were planning to wait until Mo Duanyun killed you before seizing the Celestial Pivot Needle. Miss Bai, if you do not hand over the Celestial Pivot Needle, how can I persuade them to act early?”
“If I want to leave, Mo Duanyun cannot stop me,” Bai Qinger said.
Zhang Ruochen said, “If you want to leave, we can help Mo Duanyun stop you.”
“Can you be any more shameless?”
Bai Qinger knew Zhang Ruochen was not joking.
This guy was even more scheming than she had imagined. She had underestimated him before.
Zhang Ruochen had no choice. Bai Qinger was too strong. To seize the Celestial Pivot Needle from her, even if he, Haitang Popo, Xiao Hei, and Xue Lingxian joined forces, they might not succeed.
If she wanted to leave, even a false god could not stop her.
So, he had to force her to hand over the Celestial Pivot Needle willingly.
...
There will be another chapter in the early morning.