Chapter 2764: Ambush
Entering the Abyss of Darkness, the temperature grew increasingly frigid.
Darkness reigned, with hardly any light visible.
Fortunately, everyone present had reached the Supreme Realm, granting them extraordinary eyesight and formidable spiritual power, so they were not overly affected.
Within the abyss, fragments of space had coalesced into dark space continents, some hundreds of miles long, others hundreds of thousands of miles long, arranged in a stepped formation that extended endlessly downward.
The number of these dark space continents was like scattered paper scraps, countless and beyond measure.
Along the way, they encountered many strange beasts. Because they had refined the Dark Source Liquid and cultivated the rules of darkness, their auras resembled those of the strange beasts, masking their Heavenly Earth power, allowing them to easily evade detection.
The Dark Source Liquid was extracted from the marrow of Great Saint-level strange beasts.
After passing through nine dark space continents in succession, they finally encountered a formidable strange beast, and their auras were exposed.
That strange beast had a body over a thousand meters long, lying prostrate on the ground, having slept for a long time, covered in dirt. Because its aura was almost completely merged with the Abyss of Darkness, it was difficult to sense, and at first, all the cultivators thought it was merely a mountain.
It was precisely because of this that they startled it.
Blood Butcher, who was leading the way, acted decisively. The moment he sensed it, he struck, condensing a kilometer-long light blade that cleaved the strange beast in two.
It was a Great Saint-level strange beast, but it could not withstand a single blow from Blood Butcher.
Blood Butcher extracted the Dark Source Liquid from the beast's marrow, refining it into a palm-sized clump, which he swallowed directly. Using the divine fire within his body, he quickly refined and absorbed it.
Originally, the number of Sacred Dao rules within his body had reached its limit.
But after refining this clump of Dark Source Liquid, the Sacred Dao rules within him rapidly increased by over a million.
This filled Blood Butcher with ecstatic surprise, dispelling his earlier hesitation and doubt. He said, "Senior Brother, this is quite interesting. The suppression of Heaven and Earth on me seems to have weakened here in the Abyss of Darkness. I can significantly increase the number of Sacred Dao rules again."
Zhang Ruochen had already noticed this and said, "I told you long ago, there are great opportunities here."
Having just killed a strange beast with a single slash, Blood Butcher's fear of the Abyss of Darkness had diminished considerably. He laughed, "If I were to undergo the Divine Tribulation here in the Abyss of Darkness, maybe the tribulation's power would also weaken."
Yan Ting snorted, "If you undergo the Divine Tribulation in the Abyss of Darkness, you will definitely attract serpent-like strange beasts. Then, you won't even know how you died."
Blood Butcher retorted, "I was just speaking casually. Did you take it seriously?"
Serpent-like strange beasts were extremely terrifying existences in the Abyss of Darkness. Once a Saint-level cultivator encountered one, they had to flee immediately.
Zhang Ruochen released the Devouring Spirit Insects to devour the remains of the strange beast on the ground. Just as he was about to continue onward, he suddenly sensed something and looked upward.
"What's wrong, Ruochen?" Yan Wushen asked.
Zhang Ruochen's expression was grave. "A few old friends have followed us. Earlier, Wushen, you said that if we traveled with gods, it would be a journey of nine deaths and one life?"
"Exactly."
Yan Wushen looked up, but all he saw was darkness; he could see nothing.
In terms of perception alone, even a true god with a powerful divine soul might not surpass Zhang Ruochen.
The older Supreme Realm Great Saints of the Yama Clan were all shaken.
"A god has caught up to us?"
"What do we do? Which faction's god is it?"
"Once a god passes the Divine Tribulation, their Heavenly Earth power becomes formidable, easily attracting serpent-like strange beasts."
...
A god, even a false god, was an unattainable height for a Supreme Realm Great Saint. Their combat power was on a completely different level, so naturally, their hearts could not remain calm.
Zhang Ruochen said, "They have come for me. I will lure them away. You all go ahead."
"But the enemy is a god, and more than one. Sword God Ruochen, do not take such a risk alone. How about we form a formation to resist them?" an elder suggested.
This suggestion was clearly unfeasible.
Fighting a god in the Abyss of Darkness would attract countless strange beasts, and everyone would die.
Even someone as strong as Blood Butcher present did not dare to confront a false god head-on. If other cultivators rushed in, they would probably have to self-detonate their Sacred Source just to pose a threat to a false god.
Only Zhang Ruochen, this mortal-world legend, had the courage to face several false gods directly.
No other cultivator could match this level.
Yan Wushen, Blood Butcher, and Yan Ting led the older Supreme Realm Great Saints of the Yama Clan away from this dark space continent, flying deeper into the abyss.
Zhang Ruochen stayed behind alone, using his spatial abilities to vanish into the space, concealing himself.
Moments later.
Four faint auras descended from above.
They were all wrapped in strands of dark light, their auras similar to those of strange beasts, and very weak. When the dark light dissipated, the four figures revealed themselves.
They were the four false gods of the Nether Hall: Kong Zhi, Lan Gu, Ai Longxing, and Bei Yu.
"They just left not long ago," Bei Yu said.
Bei Yu appeared as a young woman, quite attractive. She was both a divine general under Wen Tong the Great God and his woman.
Ai Longxing held a Dark Source Pearl, chuckling, "The Abyss of Darkness isn't as dangerous as imagined. With the Dark Source Pearl, it's completely unobstructed."
Lan Gu said, "That may be true, but Zhang Ruochen's combat power is extraordinary. Such a figure has never appeared in the Saint realm."
All four false gods had suffered losses at Zhang Ruochen's hands, so how could they underestimate their opponent?
Kong Zhi remained calm and composed, saying, "Zhang Ruochen is indeed strong, but I think I have a good grasp of his limits. Outside, dealing with him is indeed not easy. But here in the Abyss of Darkness, the number of Source rules he can mobilize as a Source Envoy is negligible. In terms of his own combat power alone, he is not much stronger than you all."
Zhang Ruochen was hiding not far away, listening to their conversation.
His greatest strength was indeed the power mobilized by one percent of the Source Esoterica. Now, this power was severely suppressed by the Abyss of Darkness, almost useless.
To contend with a false god of Kong Zhi's level was no easy task.
Of course, Zhang Ruochen had his advantages, such as now, when he was hidden in the shadows, even Kong Zhi's divine soul and spiritual power could not sense him.
"I must first severely wound Kong Zhi. If he is at full strength, even if I join forces with all the Yama Clan cultivators, I may not be able to match him."
Zhang Ruochen held the Abyssal Ancient Sword, his fourteen golden wings spread open, and the Sacred Dao rules within his body flowed rapidly.
He was poised to strike.
Kong Zhi waved his hand and said, "Let's go. Catch up. I will handle Zhang Ruochen..."
Suddenly, Kong Zhi's divine soul trembled, and a chill ran down his spine. He let out a thunderous roar: "Ba!"
It was a Buddhist true word.
In an instant, his divine body turned the color of bronze-gold.
The character "Ba" surged out from within him, growing larger and larger.
The other three false gods also sensed Zhang Ruochen's aura, but they were half a beat slower than Kong Zhi.
In that half-beat, Zhang Ruochen's sword had already shattered the Buddhist light, pierced through the "Ba" character, and the sword tip struck heavily against the back of Kong Zhi's head.
Countless rule divine patterns emerged from the bronze-gold skin.
Nevertheless, it was still difficult to withstand.
The sword tip sank in, piercing the skull.
Kong Zhi was remarkably skilled. His body plunged downward, smashing through the dark space continent beneath his feet, escaping from beneath Zhang Ruochen's sword.
Zhang Ruochen sighed inwardly at the missed opportunity. If he could have advanced another inch, he might have pierced Kong Zhi's Qi Sea, severely reducing his combat power.
Of course, a god's Qi Sea had already transformed into a Divine Sea.
A Divine Sea was very difficult to pierce, and even if it were, a god would not lose all combat power. The Divine Source could sustain the domain and even restore the Divine Sea.
Unlike Saint-level cultivators, once their Qi Sea was shattered, it was hard to repair, and they would become cripples.
One could only say that Kong Zhi was truly powerful, a top-tier false god among the lower three ranks. Even with a sneak attack, severely wounding him was no easy feat.
"It's Zhang Ruochen! He was hiding here."
"What audacity! To dare ambush us."
The other three false gods launched their attacks, which landed on Zhang Ruochen one after another.
But Zhang Ruochen had already activated his Eternal Return Dao Domain. All the power that entered the domain was shifted away by the chaotic space within, failing to harm him in the slightest.
With the Source Esoterica difficult to employ effectively, fighting three false gods simultaneously was clearly unwise.
Zhang Ruochen decisively retreated, flying deeper into the dark space continent.
"Where do you think you're going?"
"Zhang Ruochen is alone, ambushing us. This is the perfect chance to surround and kill him."
The three false gods gave chase at full speed.
Suddenly, the ground in front of Zhang Ruochen burst open, and a mass of golden light flew out from beneath the earth, hovering in midair.
Within the golden light was the ferocious face of Kong Zhi.
Although the sword strike had not pierced his Divine Sea, it had injured it, and the fluctuation of his power could not compare to his peak state.
Kong Zhi clasped his hands together and roared, "Where do you think you can go today?"
Zhang Ruochen stopped and said, "If I don't go, I don't go. What do I have to fear? Where is the true god of your Nether Hall? Why hasn't he shown himself?"
"Killing you does not require a true god to act," Bei Yu said coldly.
The three false gods blocked Zhang Ruochen's retreat, their feet covered in dense rule divine patterns, like streams of divine light intertwining, covering a vast area.
Wherever the rule divine patterns passed, strange beasts were torn apart, turning into bloody mud.
Zhang Ruochen smiled. "From what you say, it seems the Nether Hall does have a true god who has come to the Abyss of Darkness. But he did not come with you?"
"Why waste words with him? Attack together, finish this quickly. What if a large number of strange beasts swarm in?"
Lan Gu struck out with a palm, sending forth crystalline icy rain, bitingly cold—a divine ability-level technique.
The Mountain-Hiding Demon Mirror flew out from Zhang Ruochen's hand, expanding to the size of a lake. Its surface shimmered like rippling water, continuously absorbing the icy rain, preventing it from reaching Zhang Ruochen.
Even surrounded by four false gods, Zhang Ruochen remained calm and composed. "A pitiful bunch. You have been abandoned by the Nether Hall without realizing it. This path is one for Saint-level cultivators. Even a true god walking this path faces nine deaths and one life."
"You false gods, if you turn back now and return the way you came, you might still have a sliver of hope."
"If you continue to entangle with me and attract a horde of strange beasts, you will face certain death."
Lan Gu said, "Do you think saying this will shake our resolve to kill you? The Nether Hall has no reason to abandon us."
Zhang Ruochen said, "The true god of the Nether Hall must have seen that the Divine Maiden Bore and the others did not travel with us. He had misgivings and did not dare to pursue easily. So, he sent you four false gods to kill me. Once you die, your divine star souls will dim, and he will naturally know this is a dead end. In the end, you are just tools for the Nether Hall's true god to test the waters. Kill me? With you all, you cannot."