Chapter 2679: Enemies in the Starry Sky
Leaving the Heavenly River, there was only the boundless, starry sky.
Looking out, billions of stars twinkled like gems on black cloth, yet it felt utterly empty, dark, and cold.
Zhang Ruochen ultimately failed to catch Yin Yuanchen; he had escaped.
It had to be said that as the number one assassin below the Divine Realm, Yin Yuanchen's escape skills were still top-notch, even with his severe injuries. Even a False God would likely find it very difficult to kill him.
In this night's battle, Zhang Ruochen's primary goal was to kill Shang Zihong.
But Shang Zihong had never appeared, which gave Zhang Ruochen an extremely ominous feeling.
One must know that Zhang Ruochen not only possessed the Heart of Truth but had also cultivated the Wuji Sacred Intent. The premonition that arose in his heart was no mere delusion or guess; it was definitely an omen of great calamity.
To seek advantage and avoid harm, Zhang Ruochen decisively chose to leave the Heavenly Court.
Since he had agreed with Yan Wushen to meet at the Wuding Divine Sea, upon entering the starry sky, Zhang Ruochen flew at top speed, heading towards the wormhole that led to the Wuding Divine Sea.
The universe was vast and boundless; this was a long and lonely journey.
He didn't know how long he had flown, getting farther and farther from the Heavenly Court, but the unease in Zhang Ruochen's heart did not disappear; instead, it grew stronger.
He looked up and saw that, at some unknown time, a massive star had appeared above him. Even though it was still thousands of miles away, he could see a small figure standing on that star.
It was a collapsed Divine Throne Planet, only the size of an ordinary planet.
On the planet, mountains and rivers were densely packed, and red sand stretched for thousands of miles.
"Why are you leaving the Heavenly Court in such a hurry? Where are you going?"
Shang Zihong stood on top of a reddish-brown mountain ridge on the planet. Behind him, a colossal soul shadow surged up, thousands of miles tall, like a giant of the starry sky, looking down at Zhang Ruochen.
Zhang Ruochen knew his identity must have been seen through, and said, "Did you follow me all the way from the Heavenly Court, or were you waiting here all along?"
"Does it still matter?" Shang Zihong said.
Zhang Ruochen said, "Of course it matters."
Shang Zihong guessed Zhang Ruochen's thoughts and said, "I won't tell you the answer. You can judge for yourself."
The answer was indeed important.
If Shang Zihong had been waiting here all along, it meant he had seen through Zhang Ruochen's identity long ago, knowing that Michael and Yin Yuanchen couldn't hold him back. He had also guessed that Zhang Ruochen would return to the Hell Realm via the Wuding Divine Sea, so he waited on the only path to the Wuding Divine Sea.
If Shang Zihong had followed Zhang Ruochen all the way from the Heavenly Court to this place, the situation would be even worse.
Because, with Zhang Ruochen's current cultivation, let alone cultivators below the Divine Realm, even most False Gods would find it impossible to follow him silently.
What did that mean?
It meant that not only Shang Zihong had come, but also a god.
Zhang Ruochen said, "Do you really think you can kill me with just your own strength? Isn't it time for the cultivator in the shadows to stop hiding?"
"What makes you think I can't kill you? You were struck by Yin Yuanchen's Witch God Sword, so you must be seriously injured, right? The divine soul of the Judgment Divine Envoy exploded; you must have been affected by that as well."
Shang Zihong continued, "However, to show how seriously I take you, I have invited a few top-tier experts to assist."
From three other directions, a star each flew out.
On each star stood a twelve-winged angel, wearing white, red, and black armor. The aura erupting from their bodies ignited the three stars.
They were the three Angel Kings of the Paradise Realm.
Before the Demigod Plan was initiated, they were the strongest below the Divine Realm in the Paradise Realm. Having undergone the Demigod Plan, the three Angel Kings' cultivation had advanced further, stepping into a level close to that of an Eon-level Representative.
From four directions, four stars surged with Divine Qi, forming the planets' atmospheres.
At the same time, divine rivers appeared on the surfaces of the stars, interweaving into ancient patterns. The patterns on the four stars connected into one, forming a massive formation.
All four stars were Divine Throne Planets. Although they had collapsed, the Divine Qi inside them had not yet been exhausted, providing a continuous stream of energy for the formation.
Zhang Ruochen tried to mobilize space power, but found that space had become like a stagnant pool, losing its activity.
The Black Angel King hovered above one of the stars, his thick Sacred Qi enveloping the massive star, which was tens of thousands of miles in diameter, turning it into a black celestial body. He said, "Don't waste your energy, Zhang Ruochen. Zihong saw through your identity long ago, so we came prepared. You can't escape; space has been sealed by the formation."
"Zhang Ruochen? Have you mistaken me for someone else?" Zhang Ruochen said.
Shang Zihong said, "Before, I really wasn't a hundred percent sure it was you. But when you came here, intending to go to the Wuding Divine Sea, all doubts in my mind vanished."
"Zhang Ruochen fell a thousand years ago. You people of the Paradise Realm are just looking for an excuse to kill me."
This was the starry sky belonging to the Heavenly Court. Zhang Ruochen absolutely could not admit his identity, lest he leave behind a handle.
Shang Zihong laughed and said, "Do you know why I waited until here to act, and not in the Heavenly Court?"
"I am a bit curious," Zhang Ruochen said.
Shang Zihong's gaze turned cold. "Because I know that no matter how much power the Paradise Realm mobilizes in the Heavenly Court, we won't be able to kill you. At the critical moment, Tai Shang would definitely appear to save you."
"To kill you, I had to wait until you left the Heavenly Court."
"That's exactly why I let that idiot Michael lead the siege on the Green Pear Garden. He definitely wasn't your match, and you would surely be able to escape."
"Your desire to kill me is that strong?" Zhang Ruochen said.
Shang Zihong suddenly threw his head back and laughed, then gritted his teeth and said, "Kill you? I want far more than just to kill you. I wish I could strip your tendons, flay your skin, dissolve your bones, and refine your soul. I originally thought you were already dead, and I have always regretted it deeply. The heavens have eyes! The heavens have eyes! They have finally given me the chance to kill you with my own hands."
"Attack!"
The three Angel Kings each held an ancient sword and flew towards Zhang Ruochen.
Vast amounts of Sacred Dao Rules surged from their bodies, each exceeding twenty-five trillion, manifesting three different Dao Domains.
Within the Black Angel King's Dao Domain stood a black sacred tower, fully thirty-three thousand three hundred and thirty-three stories tall, reaching a hundred thousand zhang. Countless black lightning bolts shuttled around the tower.
The White Angel King's Dao Domain was a vast sea of white mist, instantly covering tens of thousands of miles of starry sky, enveloping Zhang Ruochen within. Within the misty sea, strange illusions appeared: a goddess gazing at the moon, seven dragons crossing a river, the Heavenly River and starry sea... and so on.
The Red Angel King's Dao Domain was a miniature star, radiating a temperature as high as four hundred thousand degrees. Its light was blindingly intense, and no one dared look directly at him.
The three Dao Domains simultaneously pressed down on Zhang Ruochen, the rules within them condensing into hundreds of Sacred Arts.
Zhang Ruochen held his war sword, his figure constantly shifting and dodging, breaking the incoming Sacred Arts.
Suddenly, the black sacred tower, thirty-three thousand three hundred and thirty-three stories high, pressed down. Its weight was immeasurable. At the base of the tower, countless Sacred Dao Rules flowed, forming black rivers.
Zhang Ruochen felt as if he were in a vortex, involuntarily drawn into the tower from its base.
"Sealed!"
The Black Angel King showed joy, immediately circulating his Sacred Qi, his hands forming an embracing gesture, pulling the black sacred tower back towards him.
"Careful!" the Red Angel King exclaimed.
They saw the black giant tower violently shake, and cracks appeared on its surface.
"Whoosh!"
A dazzling beam of sword light, like a ray of light, shot out from both the top and bottom of the tower.
Tens of thousands of sword Qis flew out from the light pillar, tearing the hundred-thousand-zhang tower into pieces.
Zhang Ruochen rushed out from the fragments of the black tower, swinging his sword down at the Black Angel King, dragging an arc of sword light.
The distance was too close; the Black Angel King had no time to retreat.
Moreover, with his Dao Domain broken, the Black Angel King was somewhat injured and in a brief state of weakness. He could only activate a protective talisman.
From the protective talisman, a large number of talisman patterns surged out, connecting with the world's rules to form a light barrier.
"Boom!"
Zhang Ruochen's sword struck the light barrier heavily, tearing a rift in it.
"Impossible! This protective talisman was refined by a Rune Path Heavenly Master. I paid a sky-high price to buy it. How could it be broken so easily?" The Black Angel King was shocked, but he also saw the reason.
Zhang Ruochen's sword strike contained space power, a combination of Sword Dao and the Way of Space.
Although the talisman's defense was strong, it was ultimately within space. Once space was torn, the defense formed by the talisman was naturally torn apart as well.
Just as the sword light was about to strike the Black Angel King, the Red Angel King flew in from behind, hurling the miniature star at Zhang Ruochen, colliding with him.
Zhang Ruochen was sent flying backward, standing upright, but his entire body was bleeding.
It wasn't the Red Angel King who had injured him, but the recurrence of old wounds.
Especially the wound from his right shoulder to his left ribs, where Yin Yuanchen had slashed him open. Now, a ring of bloodstains appeared, as if Zhang Ruochen's body was about to be severed in two again.
Yin Yuanchen's Witch God Sword was extremely sinister, containing ancient witchcraft power. If any other Great Saint had been struck by that sword, they would have died without a doubt. Zhang Ruochen survived only because he had refined the White Cang Blood Soil and possessed the Chaos Yin-Yang Five Elements Physical Body.
But he hadn't had time to refine the witchcraft power that had invaded his body.
Fighting against top-tier experts like the three Angel Kings required going all out, which naturally led to the collapse of his physical body and the worsening of his injuries.
The Black Angel King had recovered, re-condensing the thirty-three thousand three hundred and thirty-three-story black tower. He said, with lingering fear, "Such formidable space mastery! Even with the formation sealing space, he could still unleash such a terrifying sword strike."
Shang Zihong, who had not yet made a move, smiled leisurely and said, "Who else but a Space Controller could do that? Now do you believe my guess? If he isn't Zhang Ruochen, could he be Yan Wushen of the Hell Realm?"
"I think he is not only a Space Controller but also holds Space Essence," the Red Angel King said, his eyes like fireballs, staring straight at Zhang Ruochen.
The White Angel King said, "He is indeed heavily injured. We must send him on his way today, or he will surely become a great threat to the Paradise Realm in the future."
"The future? He is already a great threat to the Paradise Realm," Shang Zihong said.