Chapter 2694: Eon-Level Clash
Shang Zihong's cultivation was stronger than Nan Sheng's.
Nan Sheng's strength lay in his spiritual power and rune path. In terms of pure cultivation, the number of sacred dao rules he had cultivated was just over thirty trillion, which gave him little advantage even when compared to quasi-eon-level representatives.
Shang Zihong was different. His spiritual power, physical body, cultivation, and sacred art divine abilities had all reached their peak, with no weaknesses. Moreover, since he refused to confront Zhang Ruochen head-on and focused solely on retreating, Zhang Ruochen found himself completely unable to deal with him in a short time.
Clearly, killing a cultivator who chose to flee and avoid battle was many times more difficult than killing one willing to fight to the death.
It was like a wolf trying to catch a rabbit that was fleeing, compared to one that wanted to fight back—the difficulty was obviously not the same.
Shang Zihong retreated at an extremely fast speed, getting closer and closer to the Arrow Dao Sacred Army.
Zhang Ruochen sighed inwardly and was about to withdraw when he suddenly sensed a powerful crisis rapidly approaching.
Cultivators from all realms of the Heavenly Court seemed to have seen something, and they all let out exclamations.
Zhang Ruochen looked back and saw the sea behind him churning upward, connecting to the sky, forming a shadow on the sea surface that swallowed him up.
"Clatter!"
Within the churning seawater, a mountain-sized Ancient Witch God appeared.
It was condensed from seawater, filled with sacred dao rules and ancient extinction death force inside. Embedded in its chest and abdomen was an ancient, weathered stele with purple-black inscriptions.
The Ancient Witch God roared, extending a hundred-zhang-long ferocious claw, pressing it down toward Zhang Ruochen.
Zhang Ruochen sank together with the sea surface. The space around that claw emitted crackling explosions. A corrosive and mysterious ancient aura rushed toward him, as if dragging Zhang Ruochen into the ancient era.
"Whoosh!"
Zhang Ruochen transformed into a pillar of sword light, piercing through the Ancient Witch God's claw, flying to a height of a thousand zhang above the sea, and slashing horizontally with his sword.
These were two sword strikes!
One vertical, one horizontal.
The vertical strike broke through the Ancient Witch God's claw, and the horizontal strike slashed toward its neck.
After severely wounding Nan Sheng, this was the second time Zhang Ruochen had used this sword technique. At first, everyone thought it was just a high-level sacred art, possibly even at the divine ability level.
However, among those present were many exceptionally intelligent individuals with sharp eyesight who noticed some clues.
Standing on the sea surface, Que thought of something, a gleam of light flashing in his eyes. He said in disbelief, "Could he have succeeded?"
Other cultivators might have forgotten that Zhang Ruochen possessed an Emperor-grade Sacred Intent Pill.
But Que would never forget.
Because that Emperor-grade Sacred Intent Pill should have belonged to him, yet Zhang Ruochen had taken it.
What was the Emperor-grade Sacred Intent Pill used for?
For a genius of Zhang Ruochen's level, there was only one use: to impact a third-rank sacred intent in a single sacred path.
"Whoosh!"
Zhang Ruochen's horizontal slash was magnificent, like a light of heaven and earth, illuminating a hundred thousand miles. It severed the Ancient Witch God's head and broke through the churning water wall.
Ripples appeared in the space.
Yin Yuanchen rushed out from the ripples. Just as Zhang Ruochen finished his slash and was at his weakest moment, he gripped his sword hilt with both hands and swung the Witch God Sword.
Zhang Ruochen's previous slash had illuminated a hundred thousand miles, but Yin Yuanchen's sword darkened a hundred thousand miles. The dark death force it unleashed was even more ferocious than that of Nan Sheng, a Death Clan cultivator.
One bright, one dark, like day and night alternating.
"Whoosh!"
Zhang Ruochen waved his hand and struck out with the Mountain-Hiding Demon Mirror. The mirror surface expanded to the size of a thousand-mile continent, raising layers of demon mountains. Supreme power turned into gaseous rivers flowing among the peaks.
"Boom! Boom!"
The mountains collapsed, and the supreme power scattered.
The Witch God Sword and the Mountain-Hiding Demon Mirror clashed heavily, like two great worlds colliding, producing earth-shattering sounds.
Zhang Ruochen used the Mountain-Hiding Demon Mirror as a shield and struck its back with his palm.
Still, he couldn't block it. Yin Yuanchen's slash was unstoppable.
"Plop!"
Zhang Ruochen and the Mountain-Hiding Demon Mirror both plunged into the sea, like a meteor from beyond the heavens striking the water, raising hundred-meter-high waves.
Yin Yuanchen's intervention not only made the cultivators from all realms of the Heavenly Court shout and cheer in excitement, but even those in the Hell Realm who disliked Zhang Ruochen for being too arrogant showed cold smiles.
"This is what Zhang Ruochen deserves—a good lesson. Too arrogant, wanting to be the master of ten realms, as if he thinks he's invincible under heaven."
"Only when an eon-level genius reaches the Supreme Realm and cultivates forty trillion sacred dao rules does it mean invincibility. Clearly, Yin Yuanchen has reached that level, but Zhang Ruochen hasn't."
Shang Zihong stood alone on the sea surface, glancing at the excited cultivators from various realms. He realized that his repeated restraint had made these cultivators secretly look down on him.
In contrast, Yin Yuanchen's bold strike had won their respect and recognition.
Without a doubt, if Yin Yuanchen could kill Zhang Ruochen and defeat Que, he would not only replace Shang Zihong as the leader of the Heavenly Realm Faction but would also become the leader of the entire Heavenly Court mortal world.
"Whoosh!"
A flash of fire broke through the water and flew into the air.
Its blazing light rivaled the stars suspended in the nine heavens above.
Zhang Ruochen, wearing the Flame God Armor, executed Sword Eleven. The "one" character third-rank sword intent instantly merged with the sword technique, slashing horizontally toward Yin Yuanchen.
He didn't slash out sword qi; he flew forward with his person and sword together.
The sword was held horizontally, cutting through space.
"Come on!" Yin Yuanchen shouted loudly.
Yin Yuanchen did not underestimate Zhang Ruochen. He knew that Zhang Ruochen's Truth cultivation was extraordinary, allowing him to instantly unleash thirty times the attack power. Therefore, he used an ancient divine ability technique. The Witch God Sword in his hand was covered in dense blood patterns.
"Witch God Heaven-Piercing Sword."
This was a sword technique he had created himself, merging ancient witch divine abilities with the Heaven-Piercing Sacred Intent.
The sword blade drooped, then lifted upward.
"Boom!"
The two swords clashed, and space within a dozen zhang shattered into pieces. The ripples formed by the spatial shockwaves spread for a thousand miles.
At the point where the sword edges met, every ray of light emitted was sharper than sword qi.
The light in the eyes of the two sword-wielders was even sharper than the sword light.
Zhang Ruochen's thirty-times attack power was actually blocked.
"Your speed is too slow. Even if you unleash thirty times the attack power, I have enough time to use ancient divine abilities to counter it. If you don't channel Truth into your sacred arts, your speed can be fast, but your power can't threaten me. In this battle, you are destined to lose!" Yin Yuanchen said this, trying to break Zhang Ruochen's spirit first.
"Boom!"
The two exploded backward, then charged forward again, clashing swords once more.
Channeling Truth into sacred arts could indeed unleash thirty times the attack power. But Truth was just one method—the most supreme method, but not the only one.
For example, cultivating sacred arts was also a method to allow cultivators to unleash greater power.
The stronger the sacred art, the stronger the attack power.
When a Saint realm cultivator used a divine ability, the attack power multiplied many times over.
Zhang Ruochen's Truth battle method could only be said to be far superior to other cultivators' methods, even the best below the God realm. But other cultivators were not completely without countermeasures.
In an instant, Zhang Ruochen and Yin Yuanchen had already exchanged over a hundred rounds.
For the cultivators present, this level of combat was no less than the peak duel between Yin Yuanchen and Que. Zhang Ruochen's strength far exceeded everyone's expectations.
"So Zhang Ruochen has already reached the Supreme Realm, and his cultivation is no weaker than Yin Yuanchen's."
"Who said Zhang Ruochen was still at the Ten Thousand Deaths One Life realm? If Zhang Ruochen were at the Ten Thousand Deaths One Life realm, I would drink all the water of the Wuding Divine Sea on the spot."
Many cultivators from all realms of the Heavenly Court turned their gazes to Shang Zihong, some angry, some disdainful.
Angry because Shang Zihong harbored malicious intentions with unknown purposes, deceiving everyone.
Disdainful because his actions, combined with his cowardice, made him unworthy to be the leader of the Heavenly Realm Faction, let alone represent the Merit God Temple.
"How did he suddenly become so strong? Could it be that the battle by the Heavenly River was him deliberately acting to trick me? Has he really reached the Supreme Realm?"
Shang Zihong noticed the shift in everyone's attitude, and his mind was no longer as calm as before. He stared at Zhang Ruochen, who was locked in fierce combat with Yin Yuanchen, secretly looking for an opportunity to strike.
Earlier, Zhang Ruochen had declared himself the master of ten realms and challenged all cultivators participating in the Ten Realms Battle. So even if everyone joined forces against him, it was perfectly reasonable.
No matter what Zhang Ruochen's provocations aimed to achieve, as long as he was killed, everything would end.
Not only Shang Zihong, but even Nan Sheng was moving, looking for a chance to deliver a killing blow.
Yin Yuanchen naturally saw Shang Zihong and Nan Sheng's intentions. He sneered inwardly and let out a long roar: "If this is all you've got, then this time next year will be your death anniversary."
Yin Yuanchen's brow emitted forty trillion sacred dao rules, covering ten thousand miles to form a Dao Domain.
Within the Dao Domain, a towering divine tree grew, its leaves shaped like nascent worlds, its fruits like nascent planets. An ancient aura from the primordial era merged with a domineering power in Yin Yuanchen's bloodline.
Zhang Ruochen felt the pressure increase sharply, realizing that Yin Yuanchen was finally going to use his true strength.
After all, Yin Yuanchen was no ordinary cultivator but an eon-level genius. Even someone as brilliant as Yan Wushen, if he didn't break into the Supreme Realm, would be completely suppressed.
"A Dao Domain? I have one too! Yin Yuanchen, you are truly strong, a rare opponent. You are the first to force me to use my Great Perfection Dao Domain."
Zhang Ruochen stood beneath the towering divine tree, and chaotic qi surged from under his feet, spreading outward.
"Whoosh! Whoosh!"
Countless sacred dao rules flew out from Zhang Ruochen's body, surging in all directions.
All the cultivators present turned their gazes toward Zhang Ruochen, wanting to see how many sacred dao rules he had cultivated. Did he have the strength to contend with Yin Yuanchen?
Even some gods stared intently.
Zhang Ruochen was an incalculable person who hid himself deeply. Without personally investigating, even they did not know what level this Saint realm youngster had reached.