Chapter 2708: Void Sword Art and Mortal Sword Art
Xue Jue War God wore a mocking smile, casting his gaze toward Ghost Lord and Green Deer God King. "They're calling you two, great gods. Lan Ying and Yuan are not weak in talent, ranking high on the Divine Reserve Scroll. They will likely become powerful figures in the divine realm in the future. It would be a pity if they died like this."
Ghost Lord was furious, and if not for Xue Jue War God being present, he would have already descended divine punishment to strike down Zhang Ruochen. "He wouldn't dare!" Ghost Lord said.
Xue Jue War God grew even angrier. "Why wouldn't he dare? When they tried to kill my grandson earlier, every move was lethal. My grandson chose not to provoke internal conflict within the Hell Realm and gave them a way out. Ghost Lord, I've already given you a step down. Be sensible and don't bring trouble upon yourself."
Ghost Lord was so enraged that he let out a series of harsh, ghostly cries, yet he was utterly helpless.
If the battle continued, Lan Ying and Yuan would surely die, and the Supreme Sacred Artifacts in their hands would ultimately fall into Zhang Ruochen's possession. Moreover, it was precisely because Lan Ying and Yuan had attacked Zhang Ruochen first that they now found themselves in such a humiliating predicament. They had neither justification nor the strength to resist.
Seeing his old rival Ghost Lord so infuriated, Xue Jue War God felt immensely pleased and sneered, "Make your decision quickly! In my view, a god is far more important than a Supreme Sacred Artifact. My grandson Zhang Ruochen has already slain two divine reserves from the Heavenly Court, and he wouldn't mind killing two more."
Emperor Luo Yan spoke up, mediating, "We are all dominant powers in the Hell Realm. There's no need to let things get too tense. Harmony is precious. What's so hard to part with about a mere Supreme Sacred Artifact?"
Was this just about a Supreme Sacred Artifact?
That brat Zhang Ruochen had already trampled on the dignity of gods. If they compromised today, wouldn't Ghost Lord and Green Deer God King become the laughingstock of all gods? From now on, the cultivators of the Earthly Evil Rules and Green Deer Divine Hall would have to bow their heads whenever they encountered members of the Blood Absolute Family.
Green Deer God King, being deeply calculating, remained calm throughout. "Xue Jue, you have an extraordinary grandson, but being too aggressive is ultimately not a good thing."
Green Deer God King naturally would not actually appear before Zhang Ruochen. Instead, he sent a divine thought to Lan Ying: "Give him the Supreme Sacred Artifact. He won't live long."
Lan Ying's eyes flickered with hesitation for a moment, then he clapped his palm, sending a Supreme Sacred Artifact-level war sword flying toward Zhang Ruochen.
"Whoosh!"
Blood-red killing intent and Supreme power surged from the sword's body, its edge sharp and icy cold. An ordinary Supreme Realm Great Saint would surely be killed by this strike.
Zhang Ruochen extended his hand, and a spiral-shaped spatial force appeared in his palm, dissolving the Supreme power on the war sword, suppressing its artifact spirit, and grasping it firmly.
"Life-Slaying Sword!" Zhang Ruochen held the sword's hilt with one hand and flicked the blade with a finger of the other, producing a deafening clang.
"It's a decent war sword, comparable to Shang Zihong's Red Son Sword. But I'd rather have your Asura Sword!" Zhang Ruochen toyed with the Life-Slaying Sword in his hand, as if showing off his spoils.
Lan Ying gritted his teeth in anger and let out a cold laugh. "The Asura Sword is not a Supreme Sacred Artifact."
Zhang Ruochen feigned surprise. "Oh, is that so?"
Lan Ying snorted, used the Asura Sword to cut through the spatial vortex, flew across the sea, and returned to the Green Deer Divine Hall cultivators' camp, leaving behind a drifting voice: "I will repay today's humiliation tenfold in the future."
Zhang Ruochen did not stop him. "If you provoke me again, I'll take you as my sword slave."
After all, the Asura Sword was Lan Ying's true body. Forcibly seizing it would force Lan Ying to develop a death-defying resolve. Taking the Life-Slaying Sword was already a heavy price for him.
"Clink, clatter."
Yuan shot out twelve Soul-Devouring Bells, which Zhang Ruochen collected. Then, the spatial vortex trapping her dissipated, releasing her.
After flying to a distance, Yuan turned back and said, "I will definitely break through to godhood before you. When that happens, you'd better be careful."
"You're threatening me too? Fine, the position of ghost slave is yours!" Zhang Ruochen squinted his eyes and said.
Yuan transformed into a black eagle and shot away into the sky.
Zhang Ruochen did not take Yuan's threat to heart. After all, he would soon focus all his efforts on breaking through to the divine realm. With the Sundial, achieving godhood was just around the corner.
Once he reached the divine realm, with the Profound Meaning he controlled, Zhang Ruochen was confident he would not fall behind them. The gap between them would only grow wider.
Seeing Zhang Ruochen effortlessly claim three Supreme Sacred Artifacts, Xue Butcher's eyes went wide with envy. He sighed inwardly, "I am now a top-tier expert in the Saint realm, so why am I still struggling to snatch a single Supreme Sacred Artifact? How unfair is heaven? Why do I never encounter weaklings wielding Supreme Sacred Artifacts?"
Not just Xue Butcher, even some gods from the Heavenly Court and Hell Realm felt unbalanced. Zhang Ruochen now held at least seven Supreme Sacred Artifacts. Not to mention new gods, even some divine realm giants could not boast of possessing so many.
Many gods were already plotting in their minds.
Among the Yama Clan, an elder Supreme Realm Great Saint transmitted a message to Yan Wushen: "Wushen, do you have the confidence to defeat Zhang Ruochen? If you defeat him, you might have a chance to become the master of the Ten Realms."
"Wait a little longer. Isn't someone already making a move?" Yan Wushen replied.
On the sea surface.
Que, dressed in black, walked slowly forward, holding the Shadow Pill. His body alternated between solid and ethereal, and his released aura had already locked onto Zhang Ruochen.
Zhang Ruochen regarded Que seriously as an opponent. "You've finally decided to make a move?"
Que said, "I didn't join forces with Lan Ying, Nan Sheng, and Yuan to kill you because I was waiting for you to break through."
"The Void Path is the most bizarre, elusive, and difficult to understand. If you had acted earlier, you might have had a chance to kill me. But now, you should realize you are no longer my match. Is there still a need to fight?" Zhang Ruochen said.
Que replied, "I want to compare swordsmanship with you, to verify a conjecture in my mind. At the same time, I want to see which is stronger at the same cultivation level: Time Sword Art or Void Sword Art."
"Fine, I'll grant your wish!"
Zhang Ruochen put away all his Supreme Sacred Artifacts, keeping only the Abyssal Ancient Sword in his hand.
Between Que and Zhang Ruochen, a hundred miles apart, countless sword qi suddenly condensed on the sea surface. The sword qi turned into two torrents of sword rain, clashing fiercely with a series of "bang bang" sounds.
Neither of them mobilized any power; these sword qi were merely manifestations of their sword intent, more like a collision of wills.
The top experts present all held their breath, staring intently at the battlefield.
These two represented the pinnacle of swordsmanship below the divine realm. Moreover, their sword techniques were unique—one practiced Void Sword Art, the other Time Sword Art. They were the two most difficult sword techniques to comprehend in the world.
"A Void Controller is rare even once in an eon, and to reach the level of an eon-level genius, such a figure might appear only once in a hundred eons."
"Isn't a Space-Time Controller even rarer? Don't forget, back then, Que's master, Void God Venerable, was defeated by Xumi Saint Monk's Time Sword Art, which led him to create the Void Sword Art."
"Now that Zhang Ruochen has stepped into the Supreme Realm, he is unmatched in the world. Que challenging him is only asking for humiliation."
"Pure swordsmanship, Zhang Ruochen may not surpass Que. Don't forget, Que still has the advantage in cultivation level, while Zhang Ruochen has only just broken through to the Supreme Realm."
"Zhang Ruochen was titled Sword God in the Saint realm. How could he lose to anyone in swordsmanship?"
...
Before the two had even drawn their swords, cultivators from the Heavenly Court and Hell Realm were already arguing.
Almost simultaneously, the space around Que was devoured by the void, becoming ethereal. Meanwhile, the space around Zhang Ruochen became densely covered with absolute self-time imprints, and the flow of time fluctuated between fast and slow.
The powers displayed by both were bizarre and extraordinary.
Zhang Ruochen did not underestimate his opponent at all. He knew that relying solely on the power of time and space would not suppress Que, because the void existed outside time and space. To defeat Que, he had to seize the initiative.
"Rustle!"
With this thought, Zhang Ruochen swung his sword.
Before the sword arrived, a long river of time first encircled Que, attempting to prevent him from entering the void.
"Void Treasure Mirror."
A circular mirror surface appeared on the sea beneath Que's feet, bright and clear, yet distorting space. It eroded the light points of the time imprints in the approaching river of time, turning them into nothingness.
"The World Without Me!"
Almost simultaneously, he mobilized his Sacred Will, causing his body and the surrounding space to turn into void. Even Zhang Ruochen was pulled into the void by this force.
Standing in the void, Zhang Ruochen remained calm, condensing his Absolute Void Time Domain.
"Whoosh!"
The moment Que entered the Absolute Void Time Domain, Zhang Ruochen swung his sword again. Time became chaotic, space reversed, and the two swords clashed.
The power of the Absolute Void Time Domain exceeded Que's expectations, forcing him to reveal his form the moment he approached Zhang Ruochen. Thus, failing to land a blow, Que immediately retreated back into the void.
The Absolute Void Time Domain was a method Zhang Ruochen had long devised to counter the Void Path.
Not far away, Yin Yuanchen retracted the Tongtian Floating Pagoda, reducing it to seven inches in height and holding it in his left hand. In his right hand, he held the Wu Shen Sword, and a grayish light flickered in his pupils. To fight Que, he had naturally trained in methods to counter the Void Path.
But at this moment, what he wanted to do more than defeat Que was to assassinate Zhang Ruochen.
Zhang Ruochen had killed Chu Jian and Shang Zihong and inflicted heavy losses on the Heavenly Realm Faction. If he killed Zhang Ruochen, Yin Yuanchen would immediately become the leader of the Heavenly Realm Faction and the glory of the entire Heavenly Court.
Even if it meant assassination.
He had to succeed. He could not remain in the shadows forever. He wanted light, greater power, and authority.
Facing Que's Void Sword Art, Zhang Ruochen would have to go all out, focusing completely. This was Yin Yuanchen's perfect opportunity. An assassin would never let such a chance slip by.
Yin Yuanchen's concealment technique was so effective that even false gods found it hard to detect, precisely because it incorporated the Void Path. This was his confidence in infiltrating the void to assassinate Zhang Ruochen.
But just then, spatial fluctuations appeared above Yin Yuanchen's head.
Yan Wushen stepped out from the spatial ripples. "Those two are competing in swordsmanship. Why get involved? How about we have some fun?"
"Mind your own business! Soul-Devouring Gu Insects!"
Yin Yuanchen's eyes darkened, resenting Yan Wushen for ruining his plan. He opened his palm, and a sea region appeared in his hand. From the sea region, countless Soul-Devouring Gu Insects flew out, numbering in the billions, forming a black cloud that surged toward Yan Wushen.
"Such petty tricks, and you dare show off before me?"
"Great Mighty Heavenly Dragon, Great Luo Divine Mantra!"
Yan Wushen snorted, his body surrounded by golden light. Buddhist chants and dragon roars thundered like thunderclaps. He formed various Buddhist seals with his hands and attacked the Soul-Devouring Gu Insects and the sea region below.