Chapter 2911: The Power of a Great God
The "Heavenly Demon Stone Inscription" represented the inheritance of one of the three demonic sources, the "Heavenly Demon."
In terms of the profundity and upper limit of the technique, it was certainly not inferior to the "Thirty-Three Heavens," which ranked second on the Supreme Divine Technique List. Of course, that was the "Thirty-Three Heavens" before it was perfected.
One hundred thousand years ago, when the Black Heart Demon Lord cultivated in the Kunlun Realm, he had studied the "Heavenly Demon Stone Inscription." But later, when the Kunlun Realm was sealed by the divine power of Xumi Saint Monk, he could only observe the copied scrolls of the "Heavenly Demon Stone Inscription."
Although, after stepping into the Divine Realm, the role of techniques would become weaker and weaker.
That was only relative to before becoming a god.
At critical junctures of realm breakthroughs, or when one felt lost in their own cultivation, studying the techniques of ancient sages could save a great deal of cultivation time and avoid detours.
Moreover, the thirty-six "Heavenly Demon Stone Inscriptions" also concealed thirty-six Heavenly Venerable ultimate techniques of the Heavenly Demon.
Even if one could not comprehend the essence of the Heavenly Venerable ultimate techniques, being able to cultivate a few derived divine abilities from them would elevate the Black Heart Demon Lord's combat power far beyond his current level.
Because only the divine abilities on the "Heavenly Demon Stone Inscription" were the most suitable for him.
The Black Heart Demon Lord's talent was actually extremely high, and his mental fortitude was also very strong. Even the Heavenly Court's first War God, Bian Zhuang, could not break his state of mind. Otherwise, he would not have become one of the few gods of his era who could survive the Eon Calamity.
In short, the "Heavenly Demon Stone Inscription" was more important to him than even the Buddha Relic and the Profound Meaning.
Seeing that Zhang Ruochen remained unmoved for a long time, the Black Heart Demon Lord sneered, "Don't tell me you think that with your mere few thousand years of cultivation, you can contend with a Great God? Killing you two is not a difficult task for me. Make your decision quickly. Don't test my patience."
Mo Ling laughed softly.
Any other Heaven-Repairing Realm god facing a Great God would only have the option to immediately burn their lifespan and use forbidden arts to flee.
Bai Qinger thought the same.
But she knew that this was the site of the Heavenly Venerable Divine Temple. There was no way to escape. If they fled deeper into the site and triggered the means left by the Heavenly Venerable, they would only die faster.
The Black Heart Demon Lord had waited until they arrived here to make his move precisely because he knew this. He didn't want to give them any chance to escape, and he also didn't want to alert the other gods in the Divine Maiden Tower of the World.
Bai Qinger said, "Demon Lord overestimates himself. Do you really think Master didn't leave me with one or two life-saving tricks?"
"The Starry Sea Angler has quite the reputation."
The Black Heart Demon Lord showed no fear on his face; instead, he smiled. "Unfortunately, he is not on Xinghuantian right now."
"Clatter!"
Demonic light flickered, and a six-sided warhammer appeared in the Black Heart Demon Lord's hand.
The hammer's head was larger than a millstone, instantly causing the Black Heart Demon Lord's battle might to soar to the heavens.
Zhang Ruochen and Bai Qinger both felt a surge of pressure. They had no doubt that if they were struck by this warhammer, even a True God with a powerful life force would have their soul scattered and die instantly, even with just one blow.
The Black Heart Demon Lord said, "I simply don't believe that the Starry Sea Angler would leave any life-saving measures for a disciple who has already become a god. Once you become a god, you should stand on your own. What's the difference between leaving life-saving measures and a child still nursing? Little girl, trying to play mind games with me? You're too green!"
Bai Qinger's expression remained unchanged, and she said with a smile, "Is that so? Is the Demon Lord so certain?"
A flicker of hesitation passed through the Black Heart Demon Lord's eyes.
Zhang Ruochen said, "If you want the 'Heavenly Demon Stone Inscription,' come and take it yourself. You're a mighty Great God; don't you have hands?"
The hesitation in the Black Heart Demon Lord's eyes vanished, and his expression darkened. A soul-seizing power emanated from his pupils.
The dark ruins turned blood-red.
"Boundless Buddhist Dharma!"
Zhang Ruochen was unaffected by the soul-seizing demonic eye. A burst of Buddhist light erupted from his body, neutralizing the Black Heart Demon Lord's sinister trick.
Bai Qinger recovered, the blood-red world before her eyes receding and turning golden. But her face had become much paler.
If not for the Buddha Relic, if not for Zhang Ruochen's powerful spiritual will, once their divine souls were seized—even if only for an instant—both she and Zhang Ruochen would have met their end.
It wasn't that Bai Qinger's spiritual will was weak.
Without the Buddha Relic, Zhang Ruochen wouldn't have fared much better than her.
The main reason was the gap between the initial stage of a Mid-Level God and a Great God—a gap as vast as that between earth and heaven.
That was an extremely perilous moment. Both Zhang Ruochen and Bai Qinger were deeply shaken, raising their mental state to its peak, not daring to relax in the slightest.
In their field of vision, everything else disappeared. Now, there was only the Black Heart Demon Lord and Mo Ling.
Zhang Ruochen said, "Give it up! You can't kill us."
"Can't kill you?" The Black Heart Demon Lord laughed.
Zhang Ruochen said, "If you can't kill the two of us in an instant, once the divine battle erupts, it will inevitably trigger all the divine patterns and formations in the entire Heavenly Venerable Divine Temple site. Then, we'll all die here."
"Fighting here can indeed hide it from others and prevent us from escaping. But for you, it will also tie your hands."
"Why did you have Mo Ling make a move earlier? Because you were afraid of triggering the various means left by Xinghuan Heavenly Venerable."
"We are your prey, posing no threat to you. We can't even touch a corner of your robe. But the Heavenly Venerable's means can easily kill you."
The Black Heart Demon Lord's expression was uncertain.
Bai Qinger said, "After Mo Ling made her move, you discovered that Zhang Ruochen had the Buddha Relic protecting him, and you realized you had underestimated your opponent. So, you showed your true form, putting on the posture of a Great God, trying to intimidate us with the might of a Great God. Unfortunately, you misjudged your opponent again."
"All top-tier figures, indeed. Eon-level geniuses are truly extraordinary."
Suddenly, the Black Heart Demon Lord threw his head back and laughed.
Bai Qinger was puzzled. "What are you laughing at?"
"I'm laughing at myself. Laughing at how selfish I am, thinking only of myself, but not of you two." The Black Heart Demon Lord said.
Zhang Ruochen and Bai Qinger both looked confused.
The Black Heart Demon Lord said, "I only thought that once a divine battle erupted, triggering the means left by the Heavenly Venerable, it would likely bring about my own destruction. But I forgot that not only am I afraid of death, but you two Eon-level geniuses with bright futures also don't want to die. As long as you fear death, when the battle erupts, you will naturally be restrained as well."
Before he finished speaking, a demonic hand the size of a palace descended above the heads of Zhang Ruochen and Bai Qinger.
"Black Heaven Demonic Hand." Bai Qinger exclaimed.
This was a Supreme Divine-level divine ability!
One of the Black Heart Demon Lord's signature techniques, extremely overbearing, far beyond what a Heaven-Repairing-level divine ability could compare to.
The two had not sensed when the Black Heart Demon Lord had cast the divine ability, nor had they perceived any fluctuation in divine Qi. The two demonic hands seemed to have condensed out of thin air, bizarre and strange to the extreme.
It was a crushing of realms.
Zhang Ruochen only felt the space beneath him sinking, as if invisible walls were closing in from all sides, pressing down on him, crushing his body as if it were about to be squeezed into a grain of sand.
These were all spatial illusions formed after being locked onto by a Great God's divine ability.
Zhang Ruochen knew very well that with his current cultivation, he could not withstand the Black Heaven Demonic Hand that the Black Heart Demon Lord had unleashed with full force. He immediately closed his eyes, gritted his teeth, and crashed through the invisible walls, throwing himself onto Bai Qinger.
The two flew dozens of zhang away and fell into a pile of rubble.
"Boom!"
"Boom!"
The two demonic hands landed on the ground, forming two deep pits, causing the earth to tremble violently.
The Heavenly Venerable divine patterns around them emerged one by one, chaotic and powerful forces shuttling through the ruins.
A look of astonishment appeared in the Black Heart Demon Lord's large eyes.
This was too unbelievable!
Zhang Ruochen had actually broken through his lock and escaped.
Could it be that this kid, who had cultivated for less than two thousand years, had a spiritual will stronger than his, a Great God who had cultivated for over a hundred thousand years?
The astonishment lasted only a moment. The Black Heart Demon Lord waved his hand, and Mo Ling turned into a streak of phantom light, charging toward the pile of rubble.
"Bang!"
A golden staff swung out, sending Mo Ling flying into a patch of Heavenly Venerable divine patterns. A bolt of purple lightning pierced through Mo Ling's body, and she let out a miserable scream.
In an instant, Mo Ling, whose combat power was comparable to a peak Mid-Level God and whose body was as tough as a Monarch Sacred Artifact, turned to ashes.
The Black Heart Demon Lord's heart ached. His eyes turned blood-red, and he roared, "Today, I will not only kill you two, but I will also extract your flesh, blood, and divine souls to refine into divine pills."
With a whoosh, the Black Heart Demon Lord crossed space and arrived in front of Yu Longxian.
A black demonic hand slammed down, sending Yu Longxian sinking deep into the ground. The Black Gold War Heaven Pillar was snatched away by the Black Heart Demon Lord.
Demonic flames surged from the Black Heart Demon Lord's hand, instantly refining the Black Gold War Heaven Pillar. He held it in his hand and looked around. But where were Zhang Ruochen and Bai Qinger?
"Do you think you can escape from a Great God?"
"Soul-Reaping Chains!"
"Soul-Seizing Demon!"
"Soul-Tracking Seal!"
The Black Heart Demon Lord stood still. Wisps of demonic Qi emanated from his body, condensing into countless chains, like countless dragons and snakes, charging into the dark ruins.
Moments later, Zhang Ruochen and Bai Qinger, who had fled deep into the Heavenly Venerable Divine Temple ruins, were entangled by the soul-reaping demonic chains and dragged out.
The Black Heart Demon Lord had chosen to strike here because he was extremely shrewd. Only here could he ensure that Zhang Ruochen and Bai Qinger could not escape. Anywhere else, they would have already rushed into the Void Space and burned their lifespan to flee.
The Black Heart Demon Lord held the six-sided warhammer in one hand and the Black Gold War Heaven Pillar in the other. Divine patterns beneath his feet firmly suppressed Yu Longxian deep underground. His face was dark as he looked at Zhang Ruochen and Bai Qinger, bound by chains.
He said, "I have already collected a wisp of your divine Qi and spiritual power. No matter how far you flee, I can drag you back. I underestimated you earlier, but you also underestimated me, didn't you?"
Bai Qinger said, "It seems there's no other way. Zhang Ruochen, have Yu Longxian self-destruct her divine source."
The Black Heart Demon Lord looked down at Yu Longxian, suppressed deep underground, and his expression changed drastically. He quickly retreated far away.
In reality, Zhang Ruochen was using the methods from the "Nether Soldier Scroll" to control Yu Longxian, but he couldn't order her to self-destruct her divine source.
"Self-destructing the divine source is the last resort. We haven't reached that point yet." Zhang Ruochen said loudly.
Bai Qinger said, "Is there another way?"
Zhang Ruochen looked toward the thousand-zhang-high stone wall, a hint of a smile appearing in his eyes.
"Whoosh!"
A flaming bone spear pierced through the darkness, striking the demonic chains.
The demonic chains shattered into mist, and Zhang Ruochen and Bai Qinger were freed, landing back on the ground.
The flaming bone spear flew in a circle and landed in the hands of Hai Shangminggong, who stood atop the stone wall.
Mi Lianshan's loud laughter came from outside the Heavenly Venerable Divine Temple site. "Black Heart Demon Lord, last time I met you, you were still an Upper-Level God. We didn't even get to fight properly before you couldn't take it anymore and ran away faster than anyone. This time, don't run. I'm going to have a blast!"