# Chapter 2561: Battle Against Nan Sheng
"Pfft!"
"Pfft!"
...
The Abyssal Ancient Sword, after severing the body of the Crocodile Head Death Clan Great Saint, flew toward three other Death Clan Great Saints.
The first Death Clan Great Saint was pierced through the brow.
The second had his head separated from his body.
The third had his chest shattered.
All three Death Clan Great Saints had taken precautions in advance and activated their ultimate defensive power.
But it was useless.
The first Death Clan Great Saint had manifested his Dao Domain, yet the Abyssal Ancient Sword sliced through it with a single strike. The second Death Clan Great Saint tried to block with his war weapon, but the Abyssal Ancient Sword cut it cleanly in two.
With the Abyssal Ancient Sword's current sharpness, how could ordinary Monarch Sacred Artifacts withstand it?
Three mutilated corpses sank to the seabed, turning the waters even more crimson.
Great Saints possess formidable life force; even if their physical bodies are shattered, they have a chance to reform. However, including the Crocodile Head Death Clan Great Saint, all four Great Saints struck by the Abyssal Ancient Sword had their life force instantly dissipate, dying completely.
The reason for such terror was that Zhang Ruochen had cultivated the Heavenly Sword Soul.
The sword did not merely sever their physical bodies—it also severed their Sacred Souls.
With their souls destroyed, how could they reconstitute their bodies?
The Abyssal Ancient Sword circled through the water, refining and absorbing the Sacred Artifacts from the four Death Clan Great Saints, before flying back into Zhang Ruochen's hand. Additionally, Zhang Ruochen collected the Sacred Sources of the four Death Clan Great Saints.
The entire process ended in an instant.
In the distance, those Great Saints who had been planning to leave sensed this powerful Sword Dao force and halted, turning their gazes toward the scene.
"Zhang Ruochen has finally appeared!"
"One sword strike kills a Great Saint, leaving no chance of survival. Such Sword Dao is practically comparable to the Death Clan's Death Sword Dao and the Shura Clan's Slaughter Sword Dao."
"Now Zhang Ruochen has truly forged a great enmity with the Death God Temple. He can't deny it even if he wants to."
"Nan Sheng is nearby. Zhang Ruochen will probably flee soon."
...
Grand Minister of Works and Second Minister of Works were already utterly exhausted, covered in wounds, yet their faces were filled with anxious urgency as they urged, "Uncle Master, we need to flee quickly. There's an even more formidable one behind us. True Kill, True Greed, and True Delusion are holding him off, but they probably can't delay him for long."
"Since True Kill, True Greed, and True Delusion have taken refuge in Buddhism and called me Grand Uncle Master, how could I abandon them and leave?"
Zhang Ruochen's gaze was sharp as he stared at Nan Sheng.
Nan Sheng still stood atop the ten-plus-zhang-tall stone statue's shoulder. From his cyan feathered fan, a cyan talisman flew out, transforming into a several-dozen-zhang-long hall that pressed down upon True Kill, True Delusion, and True Greed.
Sensing Zhang Ruochen's gaze, he curled his lips slightly, floated up, and landed merely ten zhang away from Zhang Ruochen.
Nan Sheng showed no anger at Zhang Ruochen killing four Death God Temple Great Saints. Instead, a hint of delight appeared on his face as he waved his fan and chuckled, "I didn't expect you to show up so quickly. Excellent, excellent."
Zhang Ruochen, clad in white robes with an heroic bearing, said, "I also didn't expect you to reach Jiannan Realm so quickly and even break into the Origin Divine Temple."
"Your methods are more brilliant than I anticipated. If we hadn't followed Ji Fanxin to find Jiannan Realm, we'd probably still think you were in the Yecha Clan Ancestral Realm," Nan Sheng said, the two long strands of white hair at his temples drifting in the water.
Seeing that Zhang Ruochen hadn't fled upon meeting him, Nan Sheng was quite surprised. Being cautious by nature, he used his Spiritual Power to secretly probe the surroundings, confirming no other powerful figures were hiding, before feeling at ease.
It seemed Zhang Ruochen had no backup plan—he was simply overconfident.
Fine.
Today, he would make him understand the bitter cost of arrogance.
Nan Sheng laughed, "This isn't the Hundred Clans Royal City. Relying solely on the advantage of physical strength won't let you contend with me. So, are you sure you won't flee?"
"If I wanted to leave, could you stop me?" Zhang Ruochen countered.
Nan Sheng's eyes narrowed slightly. His form transformed into a bolt of lightning, arriving before Zhang Ruochen in an instant. His right sleeve billowed as he formed a fierce and domineering hand seal.
Zhang Ruochen didn't use spatial power to evade. His sword, striking after yet arriving first, swung out to meet the attack.
"Boom!"
At Nan Sheng's palm, highly condensed Death Qi formed a circular seal plate that clashed against the Abyssal Ancient Sword.
Sword Qi and Death Qi erupted outward from the two of them in all directions.
Nan Sheng was at the peak of the Ten Thousand Deaths One Life Realm, cultivating a divine technique comparable to those on the "Taiyi Divine Technique Ranking." The Death Qi within his body naturally surpassed Zhang Ruochen's Saint Qi and Blood Fiend Qi in grade, unleashing even greater power.
This was the gap in cultivation level.
Zhang Ruochen's form was forced backward, each step crushing a large patch of rubble beneath his feet.
"So-called demigod physique—is this all the strength it has?" Nan Sheng sneered coldly.
Grand Minister of Works, hiding in a corner, laughed even colder: "My Uncle Master is only at the Hundred Shackles Realm, while you're at the peak of the Ten Thousand Deaths One Life Realm. How can you say such things with a straight face? Be careful—if you end up losing to Uncle Master, you'll lose all face."
Nan Sheng thought to himself, That bald monk does have a point. As a direct descendant of Tiannan, if I can't secure a quick victory despite being two realms above him, it would indeed be shameful.
He let out a deep snort. Thirty-six Sacred Beast Diagrams appeared on his body.
Each Sacred Beast Diagram was refined from a Great Saint-level Sacred Beast.
The power erupting from his palm seal surged dramatically. With a heaven-shaking, earth-shattering beast roar, a wave of force that twisted space itself sent Zhang Ruochen flying backward.
Zhang Ruochen flew several dozen zhang before landing lightly on the ground.
This renowned Nan Sheng truly lived up to his fearsome reputation and hadn't disgraced Tiannan's prestige. Once he broke through to the Supreme Realm, he would undoubtedly become a top-tier existence in the mundane universe.
Yet Nan Sheng was far more shocked than Zhang Ruochen's calm exterior suggested.
After all, he possessed the power of thirty-six Great Saint Sacred Beasts, combined with his own extreme physique, making him unafraid of Zhang Ruochen's demigod physique in terms of raw physical strength.
Since his physique wasn't at a disadvantage and he was two realms higher, why could Zhang Ruochen still effortlessly neutralize his power?
"Again."
"Ooo—"
"Roar!"
...
A series of beast cries echoed from within Nan Sheng's body. Massive beast shadows manifested within him as he changed from palm to claw, striking from a distance. The claw was as enormous as a cloud canopy, its power like ten thousand mountain peaks.
Zhang Ruochen still didn't use spatial power to evade. Instead, he activated his twelve pairs of golden wings, transforming the Chaos Saint Qi within his body into Blood Fiend Qi, drawing forth the Ancestral Runes on his wings.
"Fight!"
He swung his sword.
Countless King-grade Inscriptions emerged on the Abyssal Ancient Sword, radiating pitch-black light.
"Bang! Bang!"
Sword edge and claw imprint clashed repeatedly. In an instant, they exchanged over a hundred blows.
This was the most pure power-based attack. The divine light radiating from Zhang Ruochen's demigod physique grew increasingly bright. His control over the demigod physique's power became more fluid, allowing him to tap into latent strength.
Unable to secure victory after prolonged combat, Nan Sheng grew increasingly impatient. He let out a fierce snort.
Golden Blazing God Flame appeared on his claws, instantly boiling the surrounding seawater. Simultaneously, the claws of all thirty-six Great Saint Sacred Beasts extended simultaneously, pressing down on Zhang Ruochen.
Zhang Ruochen raised the Abyssal Ancient Sword above his head. The purple divine stone embedded in the sword was activated, releasing vast divine power. At the same time, the purple divine stone absorbed the surrounding Heavenly and Earthly Rules.
"Swoosh—"
He slashed downward with a single stroke, severing all thirty-six Great Saint Sacred Beasts' claws.
The purple divine stone was forged from a planet beside a black hole. When activated, its weight was unleashed, making the Abyssal Ancient Sword as heavy as an entire planet.
The sword edge clashed against Nan Sheng's golden, blazing claws.
"Boom!"
Clusters of golden divine flame scattered in all directions.
Zhang Ruochen and Nan Sheng separated, creating a long distance between them.
A blood-red line appeared on Nan Sheng's arms, from which Great Saint blood dripped.
The Great Saints lurking in the distance were all startled. Had Zhang Ruochen actually wounded Nan Sheng first?
Granted, Zhang Ruochen had the advantage of his war weapon, but this was Nan Sheng—the direct descendant of Tiannan! How could a mere Hundred Shackles Realm Great Saint wound him? Even if the opponent was an Eon-level genius, he shouldn't be this absurdly powerful.
Death light flickered on Nan Sheng's arms, and the wound vanished instantly. His gaze fell upon the Abyssal Ancient Sword. "A sword forged from Creation Life Iron is indeed extraordinary. That purple divine stone embedded in the sword seems to be an even greater treasure."
Zhang Ruochen said, "So-called direct descendant of Tiannan—nothing more than this."
"Don't get too cocky. I was just playing with you earlier!"
A surge of anger rose within Nan Sheng. He spread his arms, and from between his brows flew countless Sacred Dao Rules, filling the entire seabed space—a total of seven trillion. His Dao Domain manifested, enveloping Zhang Ruochen.
Those Sacred Dao Rules, like chains, bound Zhang Ruochen, leaving him no room to move.
"Zhang Ruochen, I told you—this isn't the Hundred Clans Royal City. You can't show off with just raw physical strength. Before me, you're as weak as an ant. I don't even need to lift a finger; my Dao Domain alone can suppress you," Nan Sheng said.
Zhang Ruochen's sword-wielding arm was pressed down by hundreds of billions of Sacred Dao Rules. He tried to lift the Abyssal Ancient Sword, but even with all his strength, his arm couldn't budge.
"Indeed, the gap in cultivation level is still too great. Without using the power of Esoterica, I have almost no ability to fight back against an opponent of this level."
Zhang Ruochen sighed in acknowledgment. Then, subtle spatial fluctuations appeared around him, and his body vanished from the spot.
"Spatial Displacement! How is that possible?"
Nan Sheng's eyes narrowed. He couldn't believe that under absolute Dao Domain suppression, the other party could still perform Spatial Displacement. Had he misjudged the capabilities of a Space Controller?
No—Zhang Ruochen must have mastered some kind of spatial treasure, possibly even Space Esoterica.
That was fine. Killing him would yield even greater rewards.
Suddenly, Nan Sheng sensed something. Zhang Ruochen had appeared behind him.
Without even turning around, Nan Sheng used his Sacred Soul to control the Sacred Dao Rules within his Dao Domain, turning them into a tidal wave of rules that crashed toward Zhang Ruochen.
Zhang Ruochen performed Spatial Displacement again, appearing above Nan Sheng's head, and silently intoned, "Radiant Moon Like a Song."
Dense Time Imprint light points appeared within Nan Sheng's Dao Domain. Where the Time Imprint light points were most concentrated, they coalesced into a bright moon, suspended above Zhang Ruochen's head.
Nan Sheng tried to mobilize his Sacred Dao Rules but found the flow of time had slowed, and the Sacred Dao Rules surged toward Zhang Ruochen at a sluggish pace. He silently cried out in alarm.
Zhang Ruochen was not only a Space Controller—he was a Time Controller as well.