Chapter 2627: Domain Challenge
A terrestrial official from the Heavenly Palace struck out with a divine-pattern colored glaze lamp, opening up a domain battlefield beside the golden river.
For any domain challenge, a terrestrial official must be present to bear witness.
On the opposite bank of the golden river, Canghai Yishu strode forward with his blade in hand, entering the domain battlefield first. With a faint smile, he said, "Has Ling Feiyu made up her mind? Either marry Xu Xu as a concubine to appease the Blade God Realm's wrath, or today the Kunlun Realm will have to roll out of the Wuji Heaven Domain and return to your Huali Heaven Domain. It's safer to hide under Tai Shang's protection, after all."
From within the thick sacred mist came laughter from the saints of the Blade God Realm.
One cultivator teased, "The Kunlun Realm has long since declined, reduced to a weak realm. If they had any self-awareness, they wouldn't be wallowing in past glory."
"A weak world can still survive. But if it's weak, arrogant, and unable to gauge its own measure, that's when true destruction comes."
"A weak realm has its own way of survival—it can attach itself to a strong realm! If the Kunlun Realm would annually tribute sacred stones, divine stones, sacred medicines, beauties, and slaves to the Blade God Realm, and cede a region within their world as a concession zone, where Blade God Realm cultivators could enjoy privileged status... In short, if they agree to the twelve terms we've proposed, from now on, the Blade God Realm will protect them in the Heavenly Court, and we'll be fellow Daoists! Why must we fight to the death?"
An old, seasoned powerhouse from the Blade God Realm, who had lived over ten thousand years, laughed, "Why waste so many words on these juniors from the Kunlun Realm, who are only one or two thousand years old? If they don't agree, we'll beat them into agreeing."
Jinyu Great Saint was ablaze with fury. "If you want war, then war! Does the Kunlun Realm fear you?"
"Since you're courting death, we'll grant your wish."
Canghai Yishu's smile faded, his expression sharpening. Blade in hand, he pointed at the assembled saint-level cultivators of the Kunlun Realm. "I, Canghai Yishu of the Blade God Realm, formally issue a domain challenge to the lord of the Golden Tree Saint Domain. Who is the lord of the Golden Tree Saint Domain? Step forward and fight."
"I'll fight you."
Huo Shanhai transformed into a streak of sword-light, shooting forth and charging into the domain battlefield.
In an instant, both Canghai Yishu and Huo Shanhai erupted with over ten trillion sacred dao rules, unleashing a demi-god-level clash.
Within the domain battlefield, chaos reigned, and only a handful of highly cultivated cultivators could make out the figures of the two demi-gods.
Shang Zihong sat together with Michael, the great archangel king with twelve white feathered wings.
Michael frowned slightly. "The Kunlun Realm is truly unfathomable. In just a thousand years of development, their mortal strength has increased more than tenfold. And now, they've even produced a demi-god-level powerhouse."
Shang Zihong remained very calm, smiling. "They're just seeds left over from the medieval era! Xumi Saint Monk, known as the Future Buddha, likely foresaw the great calamity befalling the Kunlun Realm long ago and made some arrangements."
"But these arrangements are limited. Preserving seeds for a hundred thousand years is no easy feat."
Freezing living beings and putting them into slumber, while evading the induction of heaven and earth's rules to avoid attracting an Eon Calamity after 129,600 years, is naturally not a simple task. It comes at a tremendous cost.
The higher the cultivation, the greater the cost.
The longer the slumber, the greater the cost as well.
Shang Zihong said, "I suspect there are no more than ten such Great Saint-level sleepers."
Michael said, "The Kunlun Realm's inheritance is too strong. If these sleepers are allowed to grow, within at most ten thousand years, they could re-enter the ranks of the top fifty strong realms in the universe."
Among the top fifty strong realms in the universe, many are supermassive worlds with inheritances spanning tens of thousands of eons, possessing profound foundations.
The reason Michael dared to give such a high evaluation was because of Dragon Lord and Tai Shang. As long as these two were alive, no one dared to underestimate the Kunlun Realm.
Shang Zihong said, "Let them grow for ten thousand years? If the Heavenly Realm were to let them grow for ten thousand years, I'd only say those decision-makers are too foolish. A thousand years ago, the Heavenly Realm shouldn't have compromised. They should have used thunderous means to wipe out those seeds of the Kunlun Realm one by one."
"A thousand years ago, the Heavenly Realm had leverage held by the Kunlun Realm. If not for Hao Tian mediating, perhaps more than one god would have fallen. The Huali Heaven Domain was the condition Tai Shang secured for the Kunlun Realm at that time." Michael sighed.
Shang Zihong showed a worried expression. "This Tai Shang of the Kunlun Realm has great wisdom. Once his injuries are fully healed, he likely won't continue to show weakness as he does now. I truly hope the gods of the Heavenly Realm aren't lulled into complacency and can now deploy their sharpest measures to eliminate this great threat."
If the Kunlun Realm hadn't completely occupied the Huali Heaven Domain, how could the Heavenly Realm faction have been unable to deal with them this past millennium?
The games at the divine level involve too many gain and loss relationships, and the threat of the Hell Realm must also be considered.
Tai Shang's retreat-as-advance move a thousand years ago didn't reveal many drawbacks to the Heavenly Realm at the time. But a thousand years later, the Heavenly Realm has already felt the threat and is beginning to react.
Now, they believe it's not too late to act.
Shang Zihong was silent for a moment, then said, "Have Canghai Yishu withdraw. Let Mo Yi take over and finish this quickly. Mo Yi, if you get the chance, shatter that Kunlun Realm sleeper's sacred source and destroy his path to godhood."
Anyone who can become a demi-god has a chance of becoming a god.
Even if that chance is only one in ten, Shang Zihong would never allow it to happen.
"A mere demi-god who has only cultivated thirteen trillion sacred dao rules—killing him is no difficult task."
Mo Yi wore a wide black robe, covered in star patterns, and carried a heavy blade as large as a door panel, with a purple-black dragon cast into its spine.
After Canghai Yishu withdrew, Mo Yi entered the domain battlefield. "Mo Yi of the Blade God Realm challenges the lord of the Golden Tree Saint Domain."
"Senior Huo just fought a battle, his sacred qi greatly depleted, and you immediately challenge again. Are you Great Saints of the Blade God Realm so shameless?" a cultivator from the Kunlun Realm shouted.
Mo Yi said, "He can simply pass the position of Golden Tree Saint Domain lord to another Great Saint from your Kunlun Realm. Let another Great Saint take on my challenge."
A Confucian saint-level cultivator recognized Mo Yi. "It's him! He severely wounded Wen Di."
Hearing this, the expressions of the Kunlun Realm cultivators all changed drastically.
If he could wound Wen Di, one could imagine how profound his cultivation was.
Among those present, aside from Huo Shanhai, if any other Great Saint were to step forward, they likely wouldn't even have the chance to self-destruct their sacred source.
Huo Shanhai felt the terrifying aura emanating from Mo Yi. Just the other's gaze felt like thousands of blades flying toward him. Merely standing there, Mo Yi caused blade shadows to automatically condense within the domain battlefield, shuttling through space.
"I'll take your challenge."
Huo Shanhai's eyes blazed like a Vajra's wrath, his beard and hair flying wildly as he released his dao domain.
"Shash."
Four monarch sacred artifact-level war swords all left their sheaths, flying out. Above his head, they manifested the phantom images of four divine beasts—Azure Dragon, White Tiger, Vermilion Bird, and Black Tortoise—arranged in a four-symbol formation, overlapping with the dao domain.
Mo Yi snorted lightly, lifted his heavy blade, and slashed horizontally with ferocious force.
Countless blade dao rules instantly merged into the strike.
The blade light was brighter and more dazzling than the sun. With a "bang," it cleaved through the Azure Dragon of the four symbols, causing the war sword within to ring and fly off at an angle.
"How can he be this strong? One strike, and he broke the Four Symbols Sword Formation." Ling Feiyu's eyes contracted, finding it hard to believe.
"Because that Blade God Realm Great Saint's cultivation is already very close to the peak of demi-godhood."
A voice sounded behind her.
She turned to look, her gaze landing on Zhang Ruochen.
The Divine Demon Rat followed behind Zhang Ruochen, revealing a sharp-faced, monkey-cheeked visage, and said excitedly, "Sect Leader, guess who this is?"
Ling Feiyu's expression was blank as she turned away.
The Divine Demon Rat was stunned.
Zhang Ruochen walked to Ling Feiyu's left side, standing shoulder to shoulder with her, gazing into the domain battlefield. "The gap is too great. Huo Shanhai will lose soon."
That the Blade God Realm had produced a powerhouse like Mo Yi was also beyond Zhang Ruochen's expectations.
In the Supreme Realm, cultivating ten trillion sacred dao rules qualifies one as a "demi-god."
Cultivating twenty trillion sacred dao rules qualifies one as a "demi-god peak."
It's worth noting that every god must have reached the demi-god realm at some point, but not necessarily the demi-god peak.
Because reaching the demi-god level is enough to assault the divine realm.
The demi-god peak is the level of figures like "Zhuo Yunong," the strongest in the Destiny Temple's Judgment Division; "Wuyue Minghuang," the strongest in the Fate Division; and "Tianxu Sha," the leader of the Ten Nether Executioners.
They are already at the pinnacle of the mortal sequence, serving as pillars in any world or any force.
Mo Yi's cultivation was only one step away from the demi-god peak.
"Who exactly are you? You're close to Shengshu Cainü, and you've come to find me on your own. What do you intend?" Ling Feiyu naturally saw that he was deliberately approaching her, so she was both curious and on guard.
Zhang Ruochen had intended to tell her his identity, but hearing her question him in such a tone made it hard to speak.
The Divine Demon Rat was very anxious, wanting to tell the sect leader the truth.
But his spiritual power was somewhat lacking, and he didn't dare to transmit a message, fearing it might be overheard.
In the domain battlefield, the two demi-god-level powerhouses had already clashed over a dozen times.
Huo Shanhai was completely suppressed, forced to use secret arts and burn his sacred blood just to barely withstand Mo Yi's attacks. But he fought with great difficulty, his face flushed red, and he had already taken a wound.
All the cultivators of the Kunlun Realm could see the situation was very grim.
Unfortunately, they couldn't intervene in a demi-god-level battle, so they could only watch nervously and anxiously.
"Three-Combination Blade Art: Man and Blade as One."
Mo Yi unleashed a divine ability-level blade technique. Although the technique wasn't yet fully mastered, a single slash still erupted with surging divine power.
The blade light was incredibly fast, dazzlingly bright.
"Puchi."
The heavy blade, thick as a door panel, directly severed one of Huo Shanhai's monarch sacred artifact war swords in two, the blade edge landing on Huo Shanhai's head.
Just as it seemed Huo Shanhai would be split open by this strike, his brow and qi sea shattered, a massive hand shadow suddenly appeared on Huo Shanhai's right side, grabbing his body and dragging him out of the domain battlefield.
"Boom."
Mo Yi's strike hit empty air, slashing into the ground of the domain battlefield, kicking up thick clouds of dust.
"Who is it?"
Shang Zihong and Michael both stood up almost simultaneously, their eyes searching for the one who had just acted.
To save someone from under Mo Yi's blade, and to arrive after the fact but before the strike, if the other wasn't a god, their cultivation must be terrifyingly high.
Soon, both their gazes fell on Zhang Ruochen on the opposite bank of the golden river.
Not only them, but all the Kunlun Realm cultivators, including Huo Shanhai himself, also turned their eyes to Zhang Ruochen. There was shock, awe, and disbelief.
The situation had been so critical that even Huo Shanhai himself thought he was doomed.
In reality, his defensive protective power and the skin and flesh on top of his head had already been split open, and his face was now covered in blood.