Chapter 2698: Divine Demon Lion’s Roar
Two green talisman rivers, containing tens of thousands of talismans, surged toward Zhang Ruochen from above his head.
On the talismans, eerie yin patterns emerged, releasing a gray, hazy deathly evil qi.
The deathly evil qi twisted rapidly, forming a claw over ten miles long, covered in scales, with a chilling aura seeping from the gaps between them.
A Talisman Heavenly Master, when fully prepared, could unleash extraordinary combat power. Moreover, Nan Sheng was also a Eon-level representative and the heir of the Tiannan Life-Death Ruins.
Zhang Ruochen hovered above the sea, striking out with palm prints that erupted with deafening tiger roars and dragon howls.
Dragon and tiger shadows interweaved, clashing with the giant claw.
"Boom!"
The dragon shadows, tiger shadows, and giant claw all shattered, generating a tidal wave of force that sent Zhang Ruochen staggering backward, with deathly evil qi coiling around him.
Fortunately, he wore the Flame God Armor, preventing the deathly evil qi from invading his body.
"Clang! Clang! Clang..."
Seizing this flawless opportunity, Shang Zihong activated ten thousand swords, which shot toward Zhang Ruochen from all directions like flowing light and flying lightning.
Zhang Ruochen was not afraid of his ten thousand swords—what were a hundred thousand swords?
Mere sword qi, sword shadows, and sword waves could not break through his Flame God Armor’s defense.
However, Zhang Ruochen was wary of the true body of the Red Child Sword. The power unleashed by a Supreme Sacred Artifact was no joke. If struck, even if the Flame God Armor could withstand it, the force transmitted through the armor would still severely injure him.
In that split second, Zhang Ruochen’s gaze was fixed both on the thousands of talismans in the sky, which had re-formed into four ferocious claws, and on identifying the true body of the Red Child Sword with his Truth Eye.
As the Red Child Sword flew toward him, Zhang Ruochen’s eyes flashed like lightning. He activated the Wuji Sacred Intent, intending to seize control of the sword from Shang Zihong.
If he could take it away, it would be like cutting off one of Shang Zihong’s arms.
But could a Eon-level representative, who was exceptionally brilliant, fail to anticipate such a move? Knowing Zhang Ruochen’s mastery of bizarre techniques, how could Shang Zihong not have prepared?
Shang Zihong was the pinnacle of brilliance.
To prevent the Red Child Sword from being taken by Zhang Ruochen, Shang Zihong had fused one of his own souls into the sword body.
The Red Child Sword could be controlled by Shang Zihong’s true body, and if contact with the true body was lost, the soul within the sword body could continue to wield the battle sword against the enemy.
Clearly, facing Zhang Ruochen, this formidable foe, Shang Zihong had tensed his nerves to the utmost, leaving no opening.
By the time Zhang Ruochen realized he could not seize the Red Child Sword, the sword tip was less than three meters away.
The myriad sword shadows and sword qi of the Red Child Sword had already collided with his Dao Domain, producing a "bang bang" crashing sound, piercing through the outer layer of the domain’s defense.
Even more dangerous, the four giant claws formed from the power of the green talismans above were pressing down.
Each claw was not easy to block.
Zhang Ruochen could neither ignore Yin Yuanchen and Shang Zihong to first kill Nan Sheng in the distance, nor ignore Nan Sheng while only guarding against Yin Yuanchen and dealing with Shang Zihong.
In that split second, Zhang Ruochen’s Supreme Sacred Artifact, the Golden Moon Wheel, flew out from his body, expanding to the size of a palace. It spun rapidly and crashed into the four giant claws pressing down from above.
At the same time, the Red Child Sword thrusting toward him was delayed for an instant due to the influence of time and space.
In that instant, Zhang Ruochen swung the Abyssal Ancient Sword, striking the blade of the Red Child Sword with a thunderous sound like a divine mountain collision.
"Boom!"
A large burst of sparks flew.
The Red Child Sword was sent flying.
Outsiders could not perceive the crisis Zhang Ruochen faced; they only saw him seemingly effortlessly break the combined attack of Nan Sheng and Shang Zihong, marveling at him as if he were a celestial being.
"Whoosh!"
The Red Child Sword spun around and flew back.
The giant claws above shattered but re-formed.
As long as the talismans remained intact, the attacks would not cease.
Standing before the Floating Heavenly Pagoda, Yin Yuanchen threw the Wu God Sword, letting it hover to one side.
Yin Yuanchen lay prostrate, forming a strange cross-shaped Buddha seal with his hands, crossing his arms. Golden ripples emerged within his body. He took a deep breath, and from the Floating Heavenly Pagoda, dense Sanskrit characters flew out, entering his nostrils.
The golden light on his body grew even more dazzling.
Above his head, a thousand-mile golden cloud appeared, spiraling, with faint Buddha sounds, creating a grand and astonishing aura.
"Hum!"
A roar erupted from Yin Yuanchen’s mouth.
The powerful sound waves caused the space to tremble violently, evaporating large swaths of seawater. Countless golden Sanskrit characters merged with the sound waves, surging outward. The sound waves took on a tangible form, manifesting a golden figure thousands of meters tall, resembling a god, a demon, and a lion.
Although it was sound waves, their propagation speed was tens of thousands of times faster than sound.
"The Fifth Patriarch’s Divine Demon Lion’s Roar."
Among the Western Buddha Realm’s camp, many golden-body Bodhisattvas were shocked, never expecting that the legendary Buddhist divine ability would be performed by Yin Yuanchen.
The Buddha once made a lion’s roar, subduing all demons and ten directions of ghosts and gods, as recorded in the Western Buddha Realm’s scriptures.
Unfortunately, the cultivation method of the Divine Demon Lion’s Roar, along with the Fifth Patriarch, had long disappeared in ancient times.
The Compassionate Sea Immortal seemed to understand something, muttering to herself, "The cultivation method of the Divine Demon Lion’s Roar should be preserved in the Tongtian Divine Temple. For Yin Yuanchen to successfully cultivate this technique, his mental fortitude must be as firm as that of gods and Buddhas. His physical body and internal organs are incredibly powerful, rare in ancient and modern times. This is the true strength of a Eon-level genius!"
The golden figure formed from sound waves, resembling a god, demon, and lion, had not yet reached Zhang Ruochen, but his internal organs were already violently shaking. His eardrums burst, and cracks appeared on his skin.
He could not use Space Teleportation to retreat, as the Floating Heavenly Pagoda had sealed the space.
Zhang Ruochen stood fearless, his battle intent soaring, and roared, "You’re finally showing some form!"
"Fight!"
Contrary to all cultivators’ expectations, Zhang Ruochen did not retreat but instead strode forward, spreading his arms and unleashing the "Divine Demon Prison Suppression."
A massive divine demon shadow rose before him, as tall as the golden figure surging toward him that resembled a god, demon, and lion.
"Is Zhang Ruochen crazy, daring to clash head-on with the Divine Demon Lion’s Roar?"
"The Divine Demon Lion’s Roar is clearly Yin Yuanchen’s trump card. Once this technique is unleashed, who below the divine realm dares to confront it? Only retreat, avoiding its edge, is the correct approach."
...
Not only these Saint realm cultivators, but even many gods thought Zhang Ruochen was simply seeking death.
The divine demon shadow before Zhang Ruochen initially emitted a relatively weak aura. But suddenly, the power of heaven and earth was continuously drawn in, pouring into it.
The divine demon shadow grew increasingly solid, its aura majestic and vast, as if a true god or demon stood there.
"Boom!"
The two massive divine demon figures collided, unleashing a force like mountains and seas, sweeping across ten thousand miles of sea, forcing even Shang Zihong and Nan Sheng to stagger back repeatedly.
Within the Judgment Venerable’s Divine Realm World.
Blood Jue War God narrowed his eyes slightly, muttering to himself, "He actually withstood it. This kid’s Sacred Intent doesn’t seem as simple as yin-yang and five elements."
From Blood Jue War God’s height, he could naturally see that for Zhang Ruochen to defeat Yin Yuanchen was nearly impossible, and to withstand the Divine Demon Lion’s Roar head-on was no different from seeking death.
That was why even he had secretly broken a sweat for Zhang Ruochen.
But Zhang Ruochen, by using his Sacred Intent to draw in the power of heaven and earth, had closed the gap, shattering the Divine Demon Lion’s Roar. This was not something yin-yang and five elements Sacred Intent could achieve; it was about mobilizing the power of heaven and earth to its utmost.
In the Divine Realm World, there was an uproar.
The gods present could hardly understand Zhang Ruochen’s Sacred Intent.
It seemed like a perfect yin-yang and five elements, yet also seemed to have surpassed that perfection.
Gods could not see through a Great Saint... this...
A god from the Undying Divine Temple asked Blood Jue War God, "War God, what is going on? Could Zhang Ruochen’s first-rank Sacred Intent have incorporated more than seven types of Sacred Intent?"
Ghost Lord, Green Deer Divine King, and other gods listened intently, wanting to know the truth.
Although their cultivation levels were unfathomable, without personally capturing Zhang Ruochen for a detailed examination, they could not yet understand this extraordinary first-rank Sacred Intent.
Blood Jue War God humbly said, "Of course not! How could there be seven? Only six, an incomplete yin-yang and five elements Sacred Intent, second-rank, not first-rank. In this world, besides Yan Wushen, how could any cultivator cultivate a first-rank Sacred Intent?"
The gods were indignant.
Earlier, you said Zhang Ruochen had cultivated a true first-rank Sacred Intent, and now you deny it? As a great clan leader, how can you lie with your eyes wide open?
This pretense was a bit too much!
Luo Yan Great Emperor pondered for a moment, a smile appearing on his face, and said, "Everyone has walked the Great Saint path and should understand how difficult it is to merge Sacred Intents. Merging five types is already the limit. I also believe that Zhang Ruochen, like Yan Wushen, has only merged six types."
Many gods present sneered and stopped asking.
Green Deer Divine King, Ghost Lord, and some other gods, however, considered in their hearts whether to spare Zhang Ruochen’s life for now. Later, they would find an opportunity to capture him and thoroughly investigate the secret of his Sacred Intent.
Because the power of Zhang Ruochen’s Sacred Intent displayed earlier made them sense a hint of the origin of heaven and earth, even the flavor of the Heavenly Dao.
...
The gap in realm was ultimately too great. Zhang Ruochen broke the Divine Demon Lion’s Roar, but his body suffered severe injuries. Within the Flame God Armor, his flesh was drenched in blood, and his internal organs were shattered.
However, his origin was not damaged, and the wounds were healing rapidly.
According to Zhang Ruochen’s estimate, he would fully recover within ten breaths.
How could Yin Yuanchen, Shang Zihong, and Nan Sheng fail to see this? They would not give him even a single breath, let alone ten.
Shang Zihong burst into extreme speed, turning into a five-colored rainbow light, grabbing the Red Child Sword and charging directly at Zhang Ruochen for close combat.
Below the divine realm, the only ones who dared to engage Zhang Ruochen in close combat were Yan Wushen, Yin Yuanchen, Que, and Shang Zihong alone.
Because his body was the Five-Colored Merit Divine Stele.
Moreover, the path Shang Zihong entered the divine realm through was the "Path of Flowing Light."
If Nan Sheng was one of the top spiritual power masters below the divine realm, then Shang Zihong possessed one of the top speeds below the divine realm. Even Eon-level geniuses might not be faster than him.
Among all sacred techniques and divine abilities under heaven, speed alone is invincible.