Chapter 2857: Peach Blossom Reappears
The Divine Maiden Tower of the world was filled with countless locks and dense divine patterns, so even the explosive power of a top-tier Great Saint could not cause much damage to the surrounding buildings. However, every sword strike from Chi Kunlun still sent sword qi surging in all directions, scaring the cultivators below the high platform into scattering and retreating far away, afraid of being killed by the residual power of a Great Saint. This was power capable of piercing through stars, and no one dared to get close.
"It's Chi Kunlun! Is he crazy, daring to hunt down a Supreme Realm Great Saint at the Divine Maiden Tower?"
"Chi Kunlun has an extraordinary background. In the Kunlun Realm, he received meticulous guidance from Tai Shang. In the Hell Realm, he has Yan Wushen as his master. There are few places in the Heavenly Court and Hell he cannot go. Look, even now, which of the gods from the Goddess Twelve Pavilions has stepped in?"
"His father, Zhang Ruochen, if he had been slightly less talented back then and not such a freak, could have thrived in the Heavenly Court and Hell as well."
"I feel like Luan Ying Shenzi and Xue Hou Shenzi deliberately provoked him. Just wait—the secular top powerhouses of the Demon God Realm will surely make a move soon."
The fierce battle here quickly drew widespread attention. Over a dozen pavilion masters from the Goddess Twelve Pavilions, like the Brahma Heavenly Goddess, flew over and immediately activated the protective formations within this palace complex. They dared not approach or rashly trigger the formations to kill Chi Kunlun. After all, Chi Kunlun had a formidable background; killing him would bring endless trouble to the Goddess Twelve Pavilions. They could only first report to the gods.
Xue Hou Shenzi was slashed twelve times in a row by Chi Kunlun, blood streaming from his body, roaring incessantly. If not for other Demon Clan Great Saints harassing from the side, preventing Chi Kunlun from going all out, he would have likely followed in Luan Ying Shenzi's footsteps.
"Roar!"
Xue Hou Shenzi let out a long howl, transforming into his true form as a Blood Hou, his body the size of a house, his fur radiating a bright blood light. Thick blood qi spread within the protective formations of the palace complex.
"Xue Hou, die!"
Chi Kunlun, while controlling the Abyssal Ancient Sword to fend off the encircling dozen-plus Demon Clan Great Saints, simultaneously formed hand seals. Sacred qi surged from his body, spreading in all directions, evolving into a sinister and terrifying hellish scene. Bones paved the ground, blood corpses piled into mountains, and ghostly banners fluttered. The howling winds and cries of vengeful spirits turned the splendid Divine Maiden Tower into a gloomy Yellow Spring underworld.
"Boom!"
Chi Kunlun pressed down with one palm, smashing the transformed Xue Hou Shenzi into a bloody pulp, with chunks of flesh flying in all directions. Another Demon Clan Supreme Realm Great Saint was killed!
"So strong! That's Yan Wushen's ultimate technique, the Yama Hell!"
"How could it be the Yama Hell? Did Yan Wushen teach him the Yama Heavenly Dao as well?"
"To cultivate the Yama Hell, one must master the Yama Heavenly Dao, the Way of Space, and the Way of Origin to a very high level. Chi Kunlun has been obscure in recent years, but his combat technique level has reached such a height. Luan Ying Shenzi and Xue Hou Shenzi misjudged their opponent; they probably died with their eyes open."
During the Red Dust Assembly, Chi Kunlun had slaughtered the secular powerhouses of the Blade God Realm, but it was later confirmed that the actual attacker was Yan Wushen. Under the brilliance of Zhang Ruochen and Yan Wushen, Chi Kunlun's cultivation and combat power had always been underestimated. That was why Luan Ying Shenzi and Xue Hou Shenzi were simply courting death without realizing it.
Seeing Chi Kunlun first slay Luan Ying, then Xue Hou, the remaining Demon Clan Great Saints trembled in fear, retreating backward, no longer daring to attack. Yet they still spat harsh words: "Chi Kunlun, you truly have your body in the Heavenly Court but your heart in Hell. What crime did Luan Ying Shenzi and Xue Hou Shenzi commit, that you cruelly killed them?"
"Bullying others with your power! Isn't it just because you have Tai Shang backing you?"
"Xue Hou Shenzi and Luan Ying Shenzi had the potential to become gods. This is an irreconcilable enmity. Luan Ying Zhenjun and Xue Hou Zhenjun will not let this go easily."
The green-clad girl couldn't bear it any longer and said, "You Demon Clan Great Saints, how can you twist right and wrong like this? It was clearly Xue Hou Shenzi and Luan Ying Shenzi who provoked first. How did it become him bullying others with power?"
"Is this a place for you to speak?"
A Demon Clan Great Saint with a centipede tail spat venom from his mouth. The venom turned into an arrow, flying straight toward the green-clad girl. Chi Kunlun sidestepped, blocking in front of her, swinging his sword to deflect the venom. His eyes were icy cold as he glared at the centipede-tailed Demon Clan Great Saint.
The dozen-plus Demon Clan Great Saints all released their Dao domains, overlapping them, supported by Monarch Sacred Artifacts, forming the strongest defense.
The centipede-tailed Demon Clan Great Saint sneered, "How chivalrous! But you can protect her for a moment, not forever. Once you leave the Divine Maiden Tower, I'll buy her, take her as a slave, and torture her to death."
The green-clad girl stood behind Chi Kunlun, frightened, but still whispered nervously, "Don't worry about me. Leave quickly! Once the top powerhouses of the Demon God Realm arrive, you won't be able to escape. They're targeting you."
Chi Kunlun's gaze swept around, noticing more and more powerhouses gathering. "Let's go together. We'll leave here first."
Using space power, he enveloped the green-clad girl and the Confucian-robed elder, charging out of the Divine Maiden Tower. Unexpectedly, as he prepared to cleave open the formation with his sword, he found it had already split open a gap. Chi Kunlun didn't know who was secretly helping him and had no time to think. He rushed out of the Divine Maiden Tower and headed toward the city gate.
Sitting on the moon boat, Zhang Ruochen's spiritual power was keen. He sensed multiple powerful half-gods using talismans to conceal themselves, chasing after Chi Kunlun. Among them, one had an extremely faint aura, with concealment skills so exquisite that even a god might not detect them. Zhang Ruochen, still uneasy, followed.
Chi Kunlun rushed out of the First Divine Maiden City, then left the Divine Maiden Garment City, breaking free from the city's dao locks and divine pattern suppression. His speed instantly increased, turning into a beam of light, charging into the night. The half-gods chasing him revealed themselves one after another.
"Excellent! If Chi Kunlun had stayed in the First Divine Maiden City, with Zhang Ruochen's old friends meddling, our attack would have been blocked. Since he left the city, we have no more concerns."
"Yes, attacking within the city had too many concerns."
"Remember, take him alive."
Six half-gods, from two different factions, were about to burst into extreme speed and pursue from six directions when they found a graceful, slender figure appearing ahead. This figure seemed to materialize out of thin air, beyond their perception. The six half-gods grew alert. One of them coldly asked, "Who are you? The Demon God Realm is handling business—please step aside..."
The blood of the six half-gods seeped from their pores, turning into peach blossom petals. Before they could even scream, they had turned into six dried corpses, falling among the vivid peach blossoms. Their life force withered away.
Peach Blossom stepped out from the shadows, appearing around twenty years old, with three pink peach blossom patterns on her forehead. Compared to a thousand years ago, she had gained a mature charm, losing some of her maiden-like spirit. She was about to dispose of the six corpses when she suddenly looked up sharply, her eyes sharp as swords, fixing on a shadowy figure dozens of zhang away.
"Who?"
Peach Blossom had once been the top-ranked secular assassin of the Heavenly Killing Organization, with keen instincts and extraordinary vigilance. But the shadowy figure opposite made her heart tremble, appearing like a ghost, silently emerging.
Zhang Ruochen's aged figure slowly walked out, looking at the ground covered in peach blossoms, and sighed, "The Heavenly Killing Organization's unique assassination technique, Peach Blossom Calamity! You are Peach Blossom?"
Peach Blossom used her spiritual power to probe but could sense no energy fluctuations from the opponent, realizing she had encountered a god. Her heart sank to the bottom.
Zhang Ruochen stepped forward. Peach Blossom retreated step by step.
"Since you've already retired, why come out again? Who knows how many gods have arrived in Xinghuantian now. If you're discovered and the news spreads, the Heavenly Killing Organization won't let a traitor like you off."
Zhang Ruochen waved his hand, and the peach blossoms and six half-god corpses on the ground instantly turned to dust. With a gust of wind, the dust scattered away. The faint aura Zhang Ruochen had sensed earlier was Peach Blossom.
"Who exactly are you?" Peach Blossom asked.
Zhang Ruochen said, "Why are you helping Chi Kunlun?"
"That's none of your business," Peach Blossom replied.
Zhang Ruochen paused for a moment, then said, "A Le has also come to Xinghuantian, hasn't he? Take me to see him."
"I don't know who you're talking about."
Peach Blossom's eyes were cold and sharp, but deep in her pupils, there was a hint of tension and panic that Zhang Ruochen caught. He looked at her slightly protruding lower abdomen, and immense joy filled his aged, cloudy eyes. "Are you pregnant?"
A bitter expression appeared on Peach Blossom's face. She knew the old man opposite was very strong and that he knew about her and A Le's seclusion a thousand years ago. He was most likely a god from the assassin world or one related to the Heavenly Killing Organization. If not for her pregnancy, she would have immediately self-destructed her sacred source to avoid having her soul searched, which could lead them to A Le's hiding place. Now pregnant, she had become afraid of death. The top secular assassin was essentially useless.
She felt his words "Are you pregnant?" were a threat.
Zhang Ruochen, afraid she might do something foolish, finally dared not hide it any longer. "I am A Le's friend. Don't misunderstand."
"He only has one friend," Peach Blossom said.
"That's right, I am that one."
Zhang Ruochen used his finger to write characters in the void, exactly the cultivation technique A Le practiced, the "Nine Turns Life and Death Art."
"I passed this technique to him back then. He should have told you," Zhang Ruochen said as he wrote.
Peach Blossom was already convinced. Because if the opponent's cultivation far surpassed hers, and he had already grasped her weakness, why would he explain so much if he weren't Zhang Ruochen? But seeing Zhang Ruochen's white-haired, frail appearance, she simply couldn't connect him with the glorious titles of "Sword God of Romance," "Lord of Ten Realms," or "Eon-level Genius."
"You... how did you become like this? Do you know that after learning you disappeared in this star domain, A Le and I, who had been in seclusion for a thousand years, both came. He said this might be the time you need him most." Peach Blossom's voice carried some resentment, as she was pregnant and didn't want to take risks. She felt that her and her child's combined weight in A Le's heart didn't match Zhang Ruochen's. But A Le was irreplaceable in her heart, and she couldn't bear to let him come alone to the Xinghuantian star domain.