Chapter 2709: The Clash of Four Eon-Level Prodigies
"Roar!"
A green divine dragon phantom, with a "swastika" mark floating on its brow, flew from Yan Wushen's palm and collided with the black cloud formed by the Soul-Eating Gu insects.
The Buddhist light radiating from the swastika mark caused the Soul-Eating Gu insects to ignite upon contact, turning into fireballs that fell one after another.
The next moment, the green divine dragon phantom crashed into the sea realm world, its momentum majestic, piercing and tearing the entire world apart.
"To be this strong."
Yin Yuanchen was fearless. He formed a cross Buddha seal with his hands, opened his mouth to inhale the power of heaven and earth, swallowed it into his chest and abdomen, his entire body radiating Buddhist light for ten thousand zhang, with a thousand li of golden clouds above his head, and unleashed the Divine Demon Lion's Roar.
The lion's roar shook heaven and earth.
This was the sound of the Buddha, an irresistible supreme divine ability!
"The Six-Character Great Bright Mantra!"
"Om! Ma! Ni! Pad! Me! Hum!"
A strange thing happened. Yan Wushen released thirty trillion sacred dao rules, and a thousand li of golden clouds also appeared above his head.
A golden giant lion's phantom enveloped his body, and from his mouth came a continuous recitation of six Buddhist sounds.
The six sounds merged into one, like a heavenly lion's long roar.
Yan Wushen's cultivation had reached its current height, so naturally, he had cultivated the Six-Character Great Bright Mantra to a higher level, no longer the mere Thousand Questions-level high-rank sacred art of the past.
"Boom!"
The sound waves formed by the two roars collided.
Space trembled, and seawater evaporated.
Waves of powerful force surged into the distance, shattering the eardrums of countless Great Saints.
When the force subsided, Yan Wushen discovered that Yin Yuanchen had used concealment techniques and vanished. He mobilized the rules of origin, gathering them in his pupils, and activated his Origin Divine Eye, immediately detecting some faint traces.
"Such a superb concealment technique, no wonder he could assassinate a false god."
Yan Wushen flew toward the void space where Zhang Ruochen and Que were fighting, the origin light on his body growing brighter and brighter, like a shining star.
...
In the void space created by Que, the two had already clashed dozens of times.
Que could not break through Zhang Ruochen's defense, yet Zhang Ruochen found it difficult to injure him within the void.
Whether it was the Time Sword Art or the Space-Time Sword Art, they ultimately struggled to break the void.
Zhang Ruochen was well aware that the best opportunity to defeat Que was to use the power of space and time, striking in the instant before Que could unleash his void power.
If he missed that instant, defeating Que would require a stalemate, waiting to see who would lose composure and reveal a flaw first.
"Unfortunately, the time freeze of the Absolute Void Time Domain cannot yet be used at will. Moreover, its duration is too short, instantly devoured by Que's void power. Otherwise..."
Just as this thought crossed Zhang Ruochen's mind, a strong sense of crisis suddenly arose, making all the hairs on his body stand on end.
"This familiar feeling... it's Yin Yuanchen!"
Zhang Ruochen released the Boundless Universe Truth Realm Form. Countless embryonic stars turned into myriad balls of light, transforming the void space into a half-void, half-real state.
Instantly, the positions of Yin Yuanchen and Que's auras were both sensed by Zhang Ruochen.
Zhang Ruochen stabbed his sword backward.
The sword dao rules within his body merged with the power of the Truth Realm Form, and the sword light surged.
"Whoosh!"
Where the sword light shone, the void turned real.
All concealment was exposed.
The Abyssal Ancient Sword clashed with the Wu God Sword thrust from behind.
Que felt that the power unleashed by Zhang Ruochen's sword was like a mountain collapsing and the sea overturning, his body uncontrollably flying backward.
A look of astonishment appeared in his eyes, and he couldn't help asking, "What sword art is this?"
"Truth Sword Art!"
Zhang Ruochen's body moved like flowing light, thrusting his sword forward.
A space-time flower bloomed in the void, forcing Que out of the void.
This move was, once again, the Space-Time Sword Art!
"Why don't you both attack together? It will be a good whetstone for my sword dao."
Regardless of whether Que and Yin Yuanchen agreed, Zhang Ruochen was already practicing his sword techniques. One after another, rivers of time flew out, sweeping toward both of them simultaneously, pulling them into the battle circle of the Time Sword Art.
"Since you seek death, I'll grant your wish."
Yin Yuanchen released forty trillion sacred dao rules, condensing them into a towering divine tree. His body merged with the tree, branches like arms, the Wu God Sword hidden among countless leaves.
"Shua, shua!"
Countless flying leaves collided with the stars in the Truth Realm Form, causing the realm form to continuously collapse.
Zhang Ruochen mobilized the five elements rules, merging them with the sword dao rules and sword dao sacred intent, thus evolving a new sword dao.
The Five Elements Sword Art!
One sword thrust!
The five powers of metal, wood, water, fire, and earth merged with the sword qi, causing the countless flying leaves to burn, and freezing the Wu God Sword within an iceberg.
Zhang Ruochen was completely immersed in the wondrous changes of the sword dao.
Perhaps it was due to breaking through to the Supreme Realm, but Zhang Ruochen's understanding of the sword dao, and his application of sword dao essence and sword dao sacred intent, had reached a higher level.
Any dao, when merged with sword dao rules, became a new sword technique, capable of displaying different mysteries.
The Time Sword Art, Five Elements Sword Art, Truth Sword Art, Space-Time Sword Art, Yin-Yang Taiji Sword Art... all kinds of sword techniques came to him effortlessly.
Using the Five Elements Sword Art to repel Yin Yuanchen, Zhang Ruochen then used the Truth Sword Art to exchange a move with Que's Void Sword Art. It seemed as if he could easily handle the attacks of both at once.
"He has grown stronger! His sword techniques are ever-changing; even the Void Sword Art finds it difficult to pose a major threat to him."
Que's speculation was already seventy or eighty percent certain. Unless Zhang Ruochen had cultivated a third-rank sword dao sacred intent, how could he wield his sword techniques with such mastery without entering the divine realm of sword dao?
With a thought from Que, the sword dao rules of heaven and earth all converged above his head, condensing into the Heavenly Sword Soul.
"Thousand Turns One Sword Void!"
On the other side, Yin Yuanchen also condensed his Heavenly Sword Soul. Hundreds of millions of sword dao rule divine marks, like rivers, flew around the towering divine tree, converging toward the Wu God Sword.
"Wu God Reaching Heaven Sword!"
Zhang Ruochen, Que, and Yin Yuanchen struck with sword speed like lightning and light. Sword qi crisscrossed, rules clashed, tearing apart the void space and shattering the Boundless Universe Truth Realm Form.
The towering divine tree condensed by Yin Yuanchen was also torn to pieces by the power of void and space.
From afar, that vast sea area was completely covered by sword intent.
In the air, sword qi overflowed.
In the sea, every drop of water took the shape of a sword, possessing powerful penetrating force.
"The sword dao domain formed by these three in battle would make even false gods tremble in fear, wouldn't it?"
"Any cultivator below the divine realm who dares to enter within a hundred li of them would surely die. Even Eon-level representatives like Zhen Yuan and the Fate Goddess would be no exception." Yao Guang, the number one expert of the Truth Divine Temple, activated his Truth Eye to observe the battle and spoke thus.
On the sea surface, a long laugh sounded.
"How interesting! How could a battle this interesting lack me?"
Yan Wushen activated his Nine Zhang Six Golden Body, transforming into a giant of Buddhist light. He raised his hand and slashed open a space rift to clear a path, forcibly breaking into the battlefield dense with sword qi.
In an instant, the four Eon-level prodigies of the present age were locked in a chaotic melee.
"Origin Dao Tower!"
Yan Wushen used the power of origin within the sword dao battlefield to condense a ten-thousand-zhang tower of light.
But in an instant, the tower exploded, shattered by three streams of sword qi.
"Ten Thousand Calamities Void Slash!"
Que's body vanished, and a black rift hundreds of li long appeared in the sky, descending as if to swallow everyone into the rift.
But before the rift could fall, it was sealed by the space power unleashed by Zhang Ruochen and Yan Wushen, neutralizing the Ten Thousand Calamities Void Slash.
The clash of the four Eon-level prodigies overturned the sea and reversed day and night.
It was a true overturning of the sea, appearing in the sky because Zhang Ruochen had inverted space.
It was also a true reversal of day and night. The origin light radiating from Yan Wushen's body was daylight, while the ancient extinction death force on Yin Yuanchen was night. The two forces alternated repeatedly, like the cycle of day and night.
As they fought, they were no longer limited to the sword dao.
Yin Yuanchen summoned the Reaching Heaven Stupa, Yan Wushen unleashed the "Death Heavenly Scripture," and Zhang Ruochen stood on the Sundial.
Only Que still wielded only the Shadow Dan Sword, but he also unleashed his trump card. An ancient divine character appeared in the palm of his left hand.
With the power of this divine character, every palm strike caused everything within hundreds of zhang to vanish into nothingness.
No cultivator dared to touch his palm force.
"It's a divine character condensed from Void Essence!" a deity exclaimed in shock.
Unable to remain calm, the essence of the nine eternal daos was inherently rare and precious, almost all held by beings at the level of universe overlords.
The only exception was Truth Essence.
Truth Essence appearing on saint-level cultivators was a decision made by the Truth Hall Master, hoping to find the most suitable cultivator for the path of truth through this method.
And it had indeed been effective. Over the past hundred thousand years, it had produced fourteen Truth Envoys.
Each of these fourteen had immense potential, and after stepping into the divine realm, they all condensed the Boundless Universe Truth Realm Form.
But for those cultivators who failed to become Truth Envoys, Truth Essence only helped them cultivate the path of truth. After entering the Great Saint realm, especially after condensing sacred intent, cultivators would focus more on their primary cultivation path—breaking shackles, cultivating sacred intent, condensing dao domains, mending their state of mind, and rushing toward the divine realm.
Thus, the effect of Truth Essence on them diminished.
Often, the overlord-level deities behind them would "borrow" the Truth Essence from them for comprehension. For example, if the Shang Ancestor wanted to "borrow" Shang Zihong's Truth Essence for comprehension, how could Shang Zihong refuse to "lend" it?
Another example: Did the Blood Absolute War God want to comprehend Truth Essence?
Certainly.
But the Blood Absolute War God was too proud and knew that Zhang Ruochen had not yet developed an absolute sense of belonging to the Blood Absolute Family, so he never asked. If it were Blood Qingsheng who held Truth Essence, the Blood Absolute War God would likely have already "borrowed" it for comprehension.
If Blood Qingsheng were clever enough, he would even voluntarily offer Truth Essence to the Blood Absolute War God.
So it wasn't that the deities were too domineering; rather, this was the law of the universe.
The essence of the eternal daos should be held by the most powerful deities. Otherwise, it would invite deadly disaster. If Zhang Ruochen did not have the protection of divine-level giants like the Blood Absolute War God, the Dragon Lord, and the Yunshen Daozhu, and his heavenly fate was concealed, he would likely have been killed by deities long ago and had his essence taken.
Void Essence was extremely rare, and its appearance on Que naturally caused even deities to lose their composure.
"Boom!"
"Boom!"
...
The clash of the four Eon-level prodigies was nothing short of spectacular. All kinds of wondrous techniques and divine abilities emerged endlessly. Top-tier sacred intents and dao domains collided fiercely, and the various forces of heaven and earth crisscrossed.
They countered and balanced each other.
Cultivators who could clearly see the battle scene were all waving their hands and feet, as if they were also in the midst of it, their blood boiling.
"This battle will surely become a legend, sung by cultivators of later generations."
"An era producing four Eon-level prodigies is absolutely unprecedented. I only regret not being one of them."
...
As the crowd marveled and grew excited, the situation on the battlefield gradually changed.
The four had been in a chaotic melee, each against all, but now it subtly shifted into Que, Yin Yuanchen, and Yan Wushen joining forces to attack Zhang Ruochen.
It was not intentional on their part, but because Zhang Ruochen grew stronger as the battle progressed, forcing them to unite.
The sword techniques Zhang Ruochen unleashed became increasingly impure, incorporating more and more sacred dao rules, evolving into Space-Time Truth Sword Art, Yin-Yang Five Elements Sword Art, and Space-Time Origin Sword Art.
In addition, the dao of thunder and lightning, the dao of flowing light, the dao of wind, the dao of fate... and various other sacred daos in which he was not highly accomplished also merged with his sword techniques.
The changes in his sword techniques began to slip from Zhang Ruochen's control, pulling in the rules of heaven and earth.
An endless stream of heavenly and earthly power converged toward Zhang Ruochen.
Zhang Ruochen wanted to stop but couldn't, because once he withdrew his sword, he would surely die at the hands of Yan Wushen, Que, and Yin Yuanchen. Yet he was not panicked, because the evolution of his sword techniques now coincided with the "Myriad Dao Sword Art" he had initially conceived.
All rivers flow into the sea, encompassing all phenomena.
Melt ten thousand daos into one sword, breaking all methods in the world.
The saint-level cultivators of both the Heavenly Court and Hell were all dumbfounded, watching as Yan Wushen, Que, and Yin Yuanchen joined forces only to match Zhang Ruochen, their hearts shaken beyond measure.
But the deities could see the underlying truth.
"No mistake! The sword dao sacred intent Zhang Ruochen has condensed has reached the third rank. Truly an unprecedented freak." The senior disciple of Nutian Shenzun sighed in such admiration.
Xue Zhi Gushen said, "With a third-rank sword dao sacred intent, Zhang Ruochen has already preliminarily grasped the method of applying sword dao essence. His comprehension is truly terrifying. Even a true god would need many years to understand the true meaning of essence."
Xue Zhi Gushen praised only Zhang Ruochen, not Que.
This was because Que's ability to unleash part of the power of Void Essence relied on the divine character in his palm.
Essence was not like sacred intent, which could only be used to enhance the power of sacred arts.
Seeing the deities' high appraisal of Zhang Ruochen, Xue Hou revealed a knowing smile.
Suddenly, Qinglu Shenwang said, "If Zhang Ruochen steps into the divine realm, he might change the landscape of the divine realm."
This remark drew the attention of the deities, who curiously looked toward him.
How could a new god change the landscape of the divine realm?
Even Luo Yan Dadi and the Judgment Venerable would not dare to say such a thing.