Chapter 2686: Has Zhang Ruochen Returned?
"You have disobeyed military orders, disregarding the lives of countless Blood Emperor Divine Demon Camp Great Saint soldiers. As the camp master, I must severely punish you."
Qilinzi's body radiated blood light, and from the blood cloud beneath his feet, numerous tendrils extended, surging toward the demigod-level warship where Xia Yu, Zhang Ruochen, and Chi Kongle stood.
Beside Qilinzi, the two other deputy camp masters, Huo Xi and Xun Qingyun, both revealed faint smiles.
If they could bring down Xia Yu today, only nine deputy camp masters would remain in the Blood Emperor Divine Demon Camp, and their own power would naturally increase.
Xia Yu, as the strongest figure in the Blood Emperor Divine Demon Camp second only to Qilinzi, had always overshadowed the other deputy camp masters. Without a doubt, once Qilinzi broke through to the divine realm, she would succeed him as camp master.
As long as she remained, no other deputy camp master had any chance of becoming camp master.
The strike of a quasi-Eon-level powerhouse was naturally extraordinary.
Thirty-six blood-energy tendrils each condensed into massive humanoid hand seals, forming thirty-six high-rank sacred arts in midair, manifesting as thirty-six types of seal techniques.
This was Qilinzi's cultivated divine ability, the Blood Brahma Heaven Thirty-Six Seal Technique.
Striking with a divine ability from the very start showed just how seriously Qilinzi regarded Xia Yu as an opponent.
Xia Yu's expression turned solemn. She summoned the Seven-Star Ghost Lotus, channeled its supreme power, and launched it to meet the thirty-six seal techniques descending from the sky.
Zhang Ruochen pressed his palm against her back, sending a surge of powerful and pure blood fiend qi flowing into her.
"Boom!"
The Seven-Star Ghost Lotus erupted with a deafening ghostly cry, its supreme power surging, shattering all thirty-six seal techniques and blood-energy tendrils.
Space trembled violently.
Qilinzi's entire body shook violently, as if struck by a heavy punch, flying backward hundreds of meters. Blood qi churned within him, and a look of astonishment appeared in his eyes.
He knew Xia Yu's cultivation level all too well.
How could she possibly break the Blood Brahma Heaven Thirty-Six Seal Technique and repel him at the same time?
"Camp Master!"
"Xia Yu, how dare you openly oppose the camp master!"
Huo Xi and Qing Xunyun each summoned a monarch-level sacred artifact—one a black stone disk, the other a silver-glittering sword. Within both artifacts, supreme inscription runes had already been woven.
"Stop!"
Qilinzi halted them, flying back over. His blood-red eyes fixed on Zhang Ruochen standing beside Xia Yu, but to his shock, he couldn't make out the man's features.
His face and figure were both very blurry.
It must be known that after the blood demon achieved godhood, Qilinzi was considered the strongest below the divine realm among the Undying Blood Clan. As for Xue Tu, he was now a disciple of the Death God Venerable, holding an exalted status and already counted among the cultivators of the Destiny Temple.
With Qilinzi's cultivation and his sixty-ninth-level spiritual power, encountering such a strange phenomenon was unprecedented.
Qilinzi spoke cautiously, "Has your spiritual power reached the peak of the sixty-ninth level?"
"A little higher than that," Zhang Ruochen said.
Including Huo Xi and Qing Xunyun, all the Blood Emperor Divine Demon Camp Great Saint soldiers present drew in sharp breaths, their gazes snapping to Zhang Ruochen.
Higher than the peak of the sixty-ninth level?
Qilinzi said, "May I ask how to address you?"
"There's no need for you to know who I am."
Zhang Ruochen's aura was like a dragon among clouds, his every move carrying a commanding presence. He said calmly, "Abandoning one's post is indeed Yu Huang's fault, and she should be punished accordingly. But today, can you grant me a favor and let it slide for now?"
"Who do you think you are, to demand that the camp master give you face?" Qing Xunyun sneered.
Huo Xi, with her delicate beauty, was a top-tier goddess figure among the Undying Blood Clan, often compared to Xia Yu. She smiled and said, "You overestimate yourself. A spiritual power of sixty-nine and a half levels might be impressive elsewhere, but before the Blood Emperor Divine Demon Camp, it carries little weight."
Although Qing Xunyun and Huo Xi's cultivation levels were far inferior to Xia Yu's, they were deputy camp masters of the Blood Emperor Divine Demon Camp, commanding the most powerful army in the mortal world of the Undying Blood Clan.
They had even led troops to kill false gods, let alone a Great Saint with sixty-nine and a half levels of spiritual power.
More and more Blood Emperor Divine Demon Camp Great Saint soldiers gathered behind Huo Xi and Qing Xunyun.
These Great Saint soldiers all had impressive backgrounds and formidable combat power. Some were divine sons, some were disciples of gods, and others possessed supreme bloodlines, selected from across the entire Undying Blood Clan.
Their armor and weapons were of a unified standard. Once activated, they could release identical inscription runes, interweaving to form battle formations.
They only awaited a single word from Qilinzi, and Huo Xi and Qing Xunyun would lead the army to suppress Xia Yu.
Qilinzi stared at Zhang Ruochen for a long time, then said, "Fine! Today, I will give you this face. But how Xia Yu is dealt with is a matter for the Blood Emperor Divine Demon Camp alone, and no one else may interfere."
Huo Xi and Qing Xunyun were both stunned.
The always domineering camp master, who would clash head-on even with false gods, was compromising with a spiritual-power Great Saint today?
Huo Xi transmitted a message to Qilinzi, "Today is the best chance to eliminate Xia Yu. If she dares to disobey military orders again and refuse to submit, we can use this as a reason to kill her, avenging Dao Yu Huang and giving the god of the Qitian Tribe an explanation."
Dao Yu Huang was the figure backed by the Qitian Tribe to succeed Qilinzi in commanding the Blood Emperor Divine Demon Camp.
Xia Yu killing Dao Yu Huang had enraged many major figures in the Qitian Tribe, including Dao Yu Huang's father god. If not for Xue Hou's protection, Xia Yu would have been executed long ago.
Qilinzi ignored Huo Xi and said, "Let them pass!"
Xia Yu piloted the demigod-level warship forward.
Zhang Ruochen stood on the warship, a smile on his face, clasping his hands toward Qilinzi.
Only after they had gone far did Huo Xi speak with extreme reluctance, "Xia Yu will definitely return to the Asura Star Pillar Realm immediately, go back to the camp, and deny ever coming to the Wuding Divine Sea. Camp Master, we've missed the best chance to eliminate her."
"It can't be done."
Qilinzi revealed a meaningful expression and added, "Xue Hou has come to the Wuding Divine Sea."
"Xia Yu has committed a grave mistake. Even Xue Hou can't protect her. Xue Hou has no authority over the Blood Emperor Divine Demon Camp's affairs; only the Undying Divine Temple can govern it," Huo Xi said through gritted teeth, her voice cold.
Qing Xunyun had been deep in thought for a long time and said, "Camp Master, do you think that man is Zhang Ruochen?"
Huo Xi snapped back to reality, stunned, and said, "Impossible! The news that Zhang Ruochen is still alive is nothing but a rumor. The Destiny Temple couldn't be wrong. But... Xue Hou coming to the Wuding Divine Sea is indeed suspicious."
Qilinzi said, "A Great Saint with sixty-nine and a half levels of spiritual power couldn't have appeared out of nowhere in the Hell Realm. There are too many suspicious points here. Perhaps we need to probe a little to find the truth."
"How do we probe?" Huo Xi asked.
"Of course, we won't act personally. We just need to..."
Qilinzi didn't continue speaking aloud but transmitted his strategy to Huo Xi and Qing Xunyun.
"We'll handle it right away!"
Huo Xi and Qing Xunyun transformed into two streaks of blood light and flew away.
Eight of the Ten Realms Battles had already taken place. Today was the ninth.
The Hell Realm's combatant was Xue Tu.
The Heavenly Court's combatant was Zhen Yuan.
Nan Sheng, one of the Hell Realm's ten Eon-level representatives and the strongest of the Death Clan, had fought against the Heavenly Court's Qing Si Xue a few days ago. Although he had won, he had sustained considerable injuries.
For this reason, he stayed behind in the suspended sacred hall on Ji Wen Island to heal and didn't go to watch the battle.
Huo Xi flew down outside the sacred hall. Immediately, a group of Death Clan cultivators came forward to greet her, stealing glances at her voluptuous, proud figure, their eyes filled with undisguised lust.
"If you have desires, you should show them, not hide them in your heart," Nan Sheng always told them.
"I, the camp master, wish to see Nan Sheng," Huo Xi said.
"Let her in."
The sacred hall's doors opened, and Nan Sheng's voice came from within.
Nan Sheng wore a blue robe, appearing quite refined, with long white whiskers on both sides of his cheeks, giving him an imposing air.
Huo Xi entered and found a stunningly beautiful woman inside—Yuan Shu Zhen Huang, one of the Death Clan's formidable experts. Her crown had fallen somewhere, her long hair was loose, and her robes were slightly disheveled.
Yuan Shu Zhen Huang sat by the couch, her eyes lowered, gazing at a corner of the hall.
Huo Xi immediately realized she had come at an inopportune time, so she kept it brief, saying, "I came to inform Nan Sheng of an important matter. Zhang Ruochen may have truly returned."
Nan Sheng remained unperturbed, saying, "Camp Master Huo, do you also believe those rumors from the Heavenly Court?"
"It's not a rumor. I just saw him with my own eyes," Huo Xi said.
Nan Sheng's gaze darkened, and he said, "Is that true? Zhang Ruochen is still alive and has come to Guixu?"
Huo Xi said, "I can't confirm it's him, but there is indeed a mysterious man who came to Guixu with Xia Yu and Chi Kongle. His cultivation is unfathomable. That's all I have to say. I won't disturb Nan Sheng's pleasure any longer!"
After Huo Xi left, the sacred hall's doors closed again.
Nan Sheng returned to the couch, glanced at Yuan Shu Zhen Huang, and had lost interest. He waved his hand and said, "Leave first. I need to think alone."
As an Eon-level representative and the heir of the Tiannan Life-Death Ruins, Nan Sheng held unparalleled status in the Death Clan, with influence surpassing that of Yuan Qianmo a thousand years ago.
Even a proud daughter of heaven like Yuan Shu Zhen Huang, a peak expert, came and went at his beck and call.
Especially with the impending war between Hell and the Heavenly Court, everything in the Death Clan's mortal world was directed by Nan Sheng. To gain benefits or become Nan Sheng's closest confidant, one had to pay a price.
Yuan Shu Zhen Huang had already dressed neatly, appearing dignified, majestic, and beautiful. She said, "If Zhang Ruochen truly returns alive, he will surely be your formidable enemy."
"Even if he's alive, he's only at the Ten Thousand Deaths One Life realm. Nothing to fear."
Watching Yuan Shu Zhen Huang about to leave the sacred hall, Nan Sheng added, "If you want to offer yourself to me next time, you should dress more seductively, with some feminine charm."
...
The slow updates over the past two days have been due to several reasons: first, eating melons (gossip), second, family matters, and third, going cycling again!
Next, we still need to try to keep up with two chapters a day.
No monthly votes requested this month! If I ask, then I'm not Feitian Yu; Feitian Kun or Feitian Dog would be acceptable.