Chapter 2710: A Living Legend
Azure Deer God King’s gaze was deep and profound. “Everyone should have already noticed that the Sacred Intent and Dao Domain Zhang Ruochen has condensed are extraordinary. Coupled with his identity as a master of time and space, once he steps into the Divine Realm, killing gods will likely be as easy as turning his hand.”
Blood Absolute War God snorted coldly. “Is it any difficult task for you, Azure Deer God King, to kill a god?”
“It’s different.”
Azure Deer God King waved his hand. “I can kill gods because I have cultivated for hundreds of thousands of years, supported by powerful cultivation. But when Zhang Ruochen enters the Divine Realm, he will be able to easily kill gods who have not survived an Eon Calamity, just as he easily killed Shang Zihong and Chu Jian.”
“Logically speaking, without resorting to sneak attacks or assassination methods, even Que and Yan Wushen could not easily kill those two. Because they are not weak; to kill them, one would have to pay a heavy price, possibly even mutual destruction.”
“Zhang Ruochen is different. He can simultaneously mobilize the power of time and space, suppressing cultivators of similar cultivation levels, leaving them no time to self-detonate their Sacred Source. Even if they want to flee, they cannot escape.”
“In other words, as long as one’s cultivation is inferior to Zhang Ruochen’s, encountering him means certain death. There is no escape!”
“Imagine this: if Zhang Ruochen reaches our level, wouldn’t he be able to kill us whenever he wants? We wouldn’t even have a chance to flee, nor any means to counter him.”
Azure Deer God King’s words were somewhat alarmist. The gods present were all shrewd and understood his intent, yet they still took it to heart.
The achievements Zhang Ruochen had displayed today were too horrifying, shocking even the gods.
A representative figure of the Eon level, before him, did not even have the power to preserve his own life. Didn’t this mean that one person could suppress the entire mortal world?
Even dispatching a Sacred Army might not be enough to threaten him.
Azure Deer God King continued, “Zhang Ruochen has only just broken through to the Supreme Realm. His cultivation and combat power are not much higher than Que and Yin Yuanchen’s, so why can he overpower the eight Saint Realm experts of the Heavenly Court? Why can he stand against three Eon-level geniuses?”
“What does this show?”
“It shows that the Sacred Intent and Dao Domain he has cultivated have the characteristic of growing stronger against stronger opponents.”
“At the same time, a master of time and space is not afraid of being surrounded. If he wants to flee, no one can stop him. If he wants to stay, he can single-handedly hold back an entire group of cultivators of the same level.”
“Even Xumi Saint Monk back in the day was not this formidable. Don’t you feel fear in your hearts?”
Azure Deer God King observed the expressions of the gods, his eyes shifting, and sighed, “Do you think I am exaggerating? The pride of being gods makes you refuse to take a mere Saint Realm cultivator seriously. But you should wake up and understand that Zhang Ruochen is no longer just a Saint Realm cultivator. He is only one step away from becoming a god.”
Suddenly, Azure Deer God King turned his gaze to Ghost Lord and said, “Ghost Lord, do you believe that within a thousand years, Zhang Ruochen will have the power to kill all the gods beneath you in Earthly Fiend Ghost City?”
Ghost Lord said darkly, “Earthly Fiend Ghost City does have gods who have survived Eon Calamities.”
“Zhang Ruochen possesses the Sundial. Is a thousand years really just a thousand years? To take a step back, if Zhang Ruochen only kills all the gods in Earthly Fiend Ghost City who have not survived Eon Calamities, can your Earthly Fiend Ghost City still rank third among the Nine Great Ghost Cities?” Azure Deer God King chuckled.
Ghost Lord’s eyes narrowed sharply, and he was indeed shaken by Azure Deer God King’s words, a chill running through his heart.
Blood Absolute War God’s tiger-like eyes stared fixedly at Azure Deer God King. How could he not see that this was a strategy to sow discord and strike at the heart?
Xue Hou said, “God King, you are being too alarmist. Setting aside when Zhang Ruochen will step into the Divine Realm, even if he does, he will not indiscriminately kill gods.”
“Who knows what the future holds? After all, the omen of the Fate River flowing backward and flooding the temple has already occurred.” Azure Deer God King glanced meaningfully at the Arbiter Venerable, then said sternly, “Zhang Ruochen’s father is Qi Tian. Qi Tian is imprisoned in the Destiny Temple, and Zhang Ruochen is his only offspring.”
The atmosphere in the Divine Realm World was extremely eerie.
Everyone knew that Azure Deer God King was stirring up trouble, seeking to use others as blades to prevent Zhang Ruochen from stepping into the Divine Realm.
“Boom!”
Blood Absolute War God slammed the Blood Dragon War Halberd heavily onto the ground, sending waves of energy surging out like a mountain collapsing and the sea overturning. “No matter what you think, before Zhang Ruochen steps into the Divine Realm, whoever dares to touch him, I, Blood Absolute War God, swear here and now that I will slay them and annihilate their clan.”
Blood Absolute War God knew that his tough stance could not intimidate all the gods, and a strong sense of crisis surged within him. Zhang Ruochen’s excellence had exceeded his expectations, even making the giant figures of the Divine Realm feel threatened.
What unsettled him even more was the attitude of the Arbiter Venerable.
Just now, Azure Deer God King had mentioned Qi Tian and the omen at the Destiny Temple, yet the Arbiter Venerable had made no statement at all. This was a very dangerous signal.
In the past, the Arbiter Venerable would not have believed that a mere Saint Realm cultivator could trigger the omen of “the Fate River flowing backward and flooding the temple.” But now, that might not be the case.
First, Zhang Ruochen indeed possessed unparalleled talent.
Second, Zhang Ruochen had an irreconcilable conflict with the Destiny Temple.
The Arbiter Division had always operated on the principle of “better to kill by mistake than to let go.”
Azure Deer God King wore a faint smile, gently stroking his beard.
The Ghost Clan’s expression was uncertain.
Sixth Master of Tiannan Shengsi Ruins wore a contemplative look, his thoughts unknown.
Luo Yan Great Emperor let out a laugh, breaking the oppressive atmosphere. “Zhang Ruochen is now a cultivator of the Hell Realm. The ones who should worry about him stepping into the Divine Realm are the Heavenly Court. Why are you all so tense?”
“Besides, even if he steps into the Divine Realm, he is just a new god. Do you really think he can change the landscape of the Divine Realm? Not to mention anything else, among the successive Divine Sons and Divine Daughters of the Destiny Temple over the past hundred thousand years, there are many who can suppress Zhang Ruochen. The leaders of each era from the Ten Clan Divine Temples—are any of them pushovers?”
“Azure Deer God King, given your status, instead of spending your energy scheming against a Saint Realm cultivator, you would do better to think about the war in the starry sky where the Ancient Civilization Faction is located. That is the kind of vision we should have.”
Azure Deer God King said, “What the Great Emperor says is very true.”
…
On the sea surface.
The sky above Zhang Ruochen emitted multicolored divine glow, and beneath his feet were chaotic light mists. His body seemed to be burning, radiating a blinding brilliance.
The power of heaven and earth converged toward him endlessly.
The fluctuation of his power reached its peak.
“Yin-Yang, Five Elements, Heaven and Earth, Time and Space—only my peerless sword remains.”
The Sword Dao rules within Zhang Ruochen’s body all surged out, each rule taking the shape of a sword. Though they had not yet transformed into Rule Divine Marks, they were close.
The energies of Yin and Yang, the power of the Five Elements, Time Imprints, Space Rules, and Truth Rules all merged completely with Zhang Ruochen’s Sword Dao. The Abyssal Ancient Sword in his hand seemed to become as heavy as a star.
Que, Yin Yuanchen, and Yan Wushen’s bodies were squeezed by space and eroded by time, and they were locked onto by Zhang Ruochen’s Sword Dao will.
They were all in different times and spaces, and Zhang Ruochen seemed not to be one person but thousands upon thousands of incarnations.
“Divine Demon Lion’s Roar!”
“Void God Ancient Script.”
“Six Paths Reincarnation!”
…
The three each unleashed their strongest divine abilities and techniques, striking simultaneously to counter the war swords slashing at them from various times and spaces.
“Boom!”
The entire sea exploded, and space collapsed violently.
Cultivators standing tens of thousands of miles away felt a strange sensation, as if being pulled by spatial forces toward the center of the battlefield.
Whether they were cultivators of the Heavenly Court or the Hell Realm, none believed Zhang Ruochen had the strength to fight three opponents alone. They mobilized their Saint Qi, focused it into their eyes, and stared intently at the battlefield’s center.
Whether time had slowed down or not, after the sea calmed, three figures flew backward out of Zhang Ruochen’s Eternal Return Dao Domain.
“Pfft!”
Yin Yuanchen’s defenses were all shattered, his body breaking into seven pieces, blood staining the sea. As he flew backward, the Buddha light emitted by the Heavenly Tower helped him reform his body.
Then, Yin Yuanchen transformed into a beam of light and fled without looking back.
Although Que was also struck by Zhang Ruochen’s sword technique, he had voided his body, neutralizing half the attack. He was thrown into the void, spitting a mouthful of blood, and fell limply onto the sea.
His body fully materialized, unable to maintain its void state, clearly indicating he was severely injured.
Only Yan Wushen, though pushed back, used the Six Paths Reincarnation technique to block Zhang Ruochen’s shocking sword strike without injury. He maintained his nine-zhang-six-chi golden body, illuminating thousands of miles of sea with golden light.
The Eternal Return Dao Domain dissipated. Zhang Ruochen also bore sword marks on his body, but he appeared calm and ethereal, his gaze falling on Que and Yan Wushen. “Do you wish to continue?”
The Shadow Pill Sword in Que’s hand turned into streams of rules, flowing back into his body.
He let out a long sigh. “No need. You are unmatched in this world, and I am no match for you. But I will not concede defeat. After stepping into the Divine Realm, I hope there will still be a chance to cross swords.”
Que’s figure stood tall, stepping on the waves, his back carrying a sense of loneliness and loss.
He should have been a figure of unparalleled brilliance, shining across the world, yet he had become a foil to an era, even his most proud Sword Dao crushed in a one-sided defeat. How could there not be a sense of desolation in his heart?
Yan Wushen’s eyes blazed brightly. After a long silence, his boiling battle intent gradually subsided. He withdrew his golden body, returning to normal size, and laughed. “Forget it. Today has been embarrassing enough; there’s no need to fight further. If you want to be the Lord of Ten Realms, then let it be. Don’t forget our agreement. When the time comes, I will test your Yin-Yang Five Elements Sacred Intent again.”
Yan Wushen felt a bitter taste in his heart. He sighed and crossed space to leave.
Although Zhang Ruochen was strong, it was not enough to make Yan Wushen afraid to fight. The reason Yan Wushen chose to stop was that Zhang Ruochen’s peerless sword strike, which had driven back the three of them, had dealt a blow to Yan Wushen’s invincible mindset.
Carrying such a mindset into a battle with Zhang Ruochen would surely lead to defeat.
Since that was the case, it was better to do him a favor and help Zhang Ruochen ascend to the position of Lord of Ten Realms. Compared to personal victory or defeat, the matter of the Abyss of Darkness was far more important.
Zhang Ruochen’s gaze was sharp and overbearing, sweeping over the cultivators of both the Heavenly Court and the Hell Realm. He declared loudly, “In the Ten Realms Battle, I am unmatched in the world. Now, I am the Lord of Ten Realms. Who still refuses to accept? Who still wishes to fight me?”
Wherever his gaze passed, the crowd lowered their heads, not daring to meet his eyes.
“Boom!”
After a long silence, among the cultivators of the Undying Blood Clan, earth-shattering cheers erupted like tidal waves.
The name “Zhang Ruochen” was shouted, echoing without end.
From this day forward, he was a living legend, a myth of the age.