# Chapter 3033: The Assassin Appears Again
Although Frost City Demon had only casually pointed a finger, even a breath exhaled by a Great God at the Supreme White Peak level could not be underestimated.
"Boom!"
The moment Green Lotus Sword clashed with the finger-sword, Zhang Ruochen felt a force like a divine mountain crashing into him. The Truth Rules around his body were completely scattered, and his form shot backward like a cannonball for a thousand miles, barely stabilizing at the edge of the calamity clouds.
However, Frost City Demon's finger strike was highly sophisticated, containing a powerful sword soul that could directly sever Zhang Ruochen's divine soul.
A tearing pain came from his divine soul. If not for the protection of the Buddha Emperor Relic, Zhang Ruochen suspected his divine soul would have shattered. Although a shattered divine soul would not kill him—a Great God could recondense it with a single thought—the trauma would not be so easily healed.
On the other side, Frost City Demon struck Xuanyuan Qing flying with a single sword, cutting her until she was drenched in blood, nearly torn into pieces.
At this moment, Frost City Demon was truly a ferocious demon. Even though you, Xuanyuan Qing, were the daughter of the Heavenly Venerable, beautiful as an immortal, he would still go all out to suppress her.
Frost City Demon sensed something and cast his gaze toward Zhang Ruochen standing at the edge of the calamity clouds. Seeing that this Daoist was merely pale-faced and not seriously injured, doubt clouded his mind.
This Qing Pingzi was truly strange.
He had only just entered the Taiyi Realm, yet his strength was monstrously powerful.
After a moment's hesitation, Frost City Demon chose between killing Feng Yan and capturing Xuanyuan Qing—he chose to capture Xuanyuan Qing first.
Even if that five-colored clay figure successfully passed the divine tribulation, it might not be able to awaken the sword spirit of the Pure Yang Divine Sword. Moreover, some rumors about the Pure Yang Divine Sword's sword spirit might not even be true.
But Xuanyuan Lian had already arrived, and capturing Xuanyuan Qing was urgent.
Otherwise, if Lady Wu Yue fell to Feng Yunba's deathbed counterattack, what would the Darkness Temple have to oppose Xuanyuan Lian?
"Swish! Swish..."
Striking three consecutive sword blows, Frost City Demon shattered Xuanyuan Qing's divine body, showing absolutely no mercy.
Xuanyuan Qing, poisoned by Yellow Spring Flower Toxin, had no power to resist against a powerhouse like Frost City Demon going all out.
Several times, Zhang Ruochen wanted to intervene and rescue her, but he held back. He simply didn't believe that as the Heavenly Venerable's daughter, Xuanyuan Qing didn't have several secret treasures on her. This was clearly her bitter meat strategy, trying to force Zhang Ruochen to use his trump cards and actively reveal his identity.
After all, if she exposed Zhang Ruochen's identity, she would offend him and suffer backlash.
But if Zhang Ruochen exposed himself, she couldn't be blamed.
"Fellow Daoist Qing Pingzi, help me..."
Xuanyuan Qing actively pleaded for help, her voice both beautiful and weak, filled with despair. It was like a stunning young girl being dragged into a brothel by a burly man, tearfully begging for help from a sword-carrying chivalrous warrior on the street.
Any man with even a shred of blood and spirit would probably rush forward without hesitation to save the beauty.
Zhang Ruochen raised the Green Lotus Sword, drawing upon the Truth Rules of heaven and earth. Thousands of sword qi gathered around him, but he showed no intention of advancing. Instead, he said, "This is Frost City Demon's feint to the east and attack to the west strategy. Feng Yan has reached the critical moment of his tribulation. I must protect him with my life. Fellow Daoist Qing, hold on a little longer! Frost City Demon, if you have the guts, come at me..."
Before he finished speaking, Frost City Demon really did come—chasing the river of blood mist and the Azure Heaven Lotus that was Xuanyuan Qing.
This woman was indeed determined to force his hand.
The river of blood mist flew behind Zhang Ruochen, condensing into Xuanyuan Qing's graceful immortal body, with the Azure Heaven Lotus retracted into her pale white brow. The veil on her face was long gone, and her aura was far weaker than before.
But Zhang Ruochen had no mood to see what she looked like. Even if she were a spiritual divine fetus or a transcendent fairy, how could she compare to the murderous Frost City Demon charging at him?
"Don't you even have a single Divine King Talisman or Divine Venerable Talisman?" Zhang Ruochen truly didn't believe it. His heart was displeased, and his gaze was icy cold.
He still kept his eyes on Frost City Demon.
Xuanyuan Qing's voice was weak, "I really don't have any secret treasures on me that can block Frost City Demon. If I'm lying to you, may heaven and earth destroy me. Hurry and take out the God-Defying Stele. Together, we can protect Feng Yan through his divine tribulation. Or, use the Sword Ancestor's Soul Severing Sword."
She had even said "may heaven and earth destroy me."
Zhang Ruochen was truly disgusted inside. So this was the Heavenly Venerable's daughter—aside from having a father who was number one under heaven, she really had nothing to compare with him.
But having Zhang Ruochen expose his identity like this was impossible.
"Fight! Even if I have to self-destruct my divine source, I will protect Feng Yan through his divine tribulation."
Zhang Ruochen shouted loudly. At the same time, he sent a voice transmission to Wolf Ancestor's Son Amur and Jade Spirit God, hoping they could secretly help. But then he saw Frost City Demon, who had been charging with full momentum, suddenly stop.
Frost City Demon's spiritual power and divine soul rapidly contracted, even releasing a corner of his divine realm world, like a venomous snake encountering a hawk, his gaze filled with vigilance.
What was going on?
Could the slogan "self-destruct divine source" have actually intimidated this Great God who wielded the Dark Divine Sword?
But Zhang Ruochen quickly abandoned this naive thought, sensing something was wrong. He muttered to himself, "Such a familiar feeling."
From the darkness came a laugh: "As expected of Frost City Demon. I haven't even struck yet, just generated a killing intent, and you sensed it."
The voice came from all directions, impossible to pinpoint.
Frost City Demon's giant divine body had long since shrunk to normal human size, but he still stood tall and imposing, his gaze cold and deep. "You dare come to kill me?"
"Someone offered a price I couldn't refuse. Whether it's to challenge myself or for the money, I have to take this job. Of course, the key is that the Dark Divine Sword is too tempting for an assassin, and places like the Dark Great Triangle Star Domain, where no Heavenly Venerable can interfere, are too rare. Tell me, how could I not come?" The voice was elusive.
Frost City Demon said, "The one who made the offer was Xuanyuan Lian?"
"Assassins generally don't like to reveal their employer's information."
Frost City Demon snorted coldly, "In the Dark Great Triangle Star Domain, who else besides Xuanyuan Lian could afford to pay the price to kill me? No wonder he dared to confidently go after Shi Di. But Qian Heng Yishu, you shouldn't have gotten involved, and you definitely shouldn't have come to kill me."
The elusive voice said, "You think that in the Dark Great Triangle Star Domain, your Darkness Temple's gods have absolute advantage, able to sense all fluctuations of Dark Rules, making it impossible for any assassin to ambush or assassinate?"
"Didn't your ambush fail?"
Frost City Demon's gaze shifted, as if he had already locked onto Qian Heng Yishu.
"No! From the very beginning, I never underestimated you, Frost City Demon. The master of the Darkness Temple isn't stupid—how could they entrust the Dark Divine Sword to a waste? Assassination? That doesn't exist. I want to openly kill you."
A shadow so fast that even Zhang Ruochen's Truth Eye could barely distinguish it rushed out from the void, flashing past Frost City Demon.
Frost City Demon's sword strike was also so fast it left no trace.
"Boom!"
With one clash, divine qi surged, and space shook.
Then came the second, third...
In the blink of an eye, Frost City Demon and Qian Heng Yishu had already clashed hundreds of times.
In the void, light and shadow shifted, figures flickered continuously.
Divine power spread outward in rings.
"Boom!"
Frost City Demon activated the power of the divine sword, directly blasting the shadow away.
But that shadow used some secret technique to block the divine sword's might and closed in on Frost City Demon again.
Zhang Ruochen used his sword domain to block the shockwaves of their battle, marveling at their terrifying speed, but he felt no fear. Even though these two were figures who shook the Heavenly Court and Hell, making all gods under heaven tremble at their names.
Zhang Ruochen had only been cultivating for how many years, yet he was already qualified to watch from close range, even exchange a few blows.
Reaching their level, even surpassing them, would not take too long.
Earlier, Frost City Demon had been able to sense the hidden Qian Heng Yishu first only because Qian Heng Yishu's killing intent was directed at him. If it had been directed at Zhang Ruochen, Zhang Ruochen would have sensed it even sooner than Frost City Demon.
In a direct confrontation, the gap was indeed still large.
But if Zhang Ruochen was determined to escape, whether Frost City Demon or Qian Heng Yishu wanted to kill him, it would be no easy task. Moreover, Zhang Ruochen was not without countermeasures.
After a series of exchanges, Qian Heng Yishu had not injured Frost City Demon in the slightest.
But Frost City Demon grew increasingly anxious, because the calamity clouds were slowly dispersing. That five-colored clay figure seemed to have successfully passed the tribulation and was now condensing its divine source and Star Soul Divine Throne.
Everything was moving in a bad direction.
Just as Frost City Demon was distracted, a blood mark was cut into his brow.
The wound was very shallow, but it shocked Frost City Demon beyond measure. He knew that Qian Heng Yishu's cultivation had definitely not reached the Supreme White Peak level.
Zhang Ruochen found himself at leisure and sent a voice transmission to Xuanyuan Qing standing nearby: "Feng Yan has successfully passed his tribulation. I'll leave the final protection to you, Fellow Daoist Qing."
"You want to return to the Xufeng Divine Ship to save the Hell Realm gods? Then escape?" Xuanyuan Qing said.
Zhang Ruochen licked his lips slightly. Did she have to put it so bluntly?
Was she thinking that now the situation had reversed, she would kill the donkey after it had done its work?
Xuanyuan Qing continued, "If you just leave like this, everyone will only become more suspicious of Qing Pingzi's identity. Deducing that it's you will no longer be difficult. If news that Zhang Ruochen's martial arts cultivation hasn't been crippled spreads, even if you hide in Xinghuantian and don't come out, you may not be safe."
Zhang Ruochen's gaze darkened. He didn't look back at her standing behind him, but quickly returned to normal. He transmitted, "You want to keep me here so your brother Xuanyuan Lian can personally come to threaten or bribe me into returning to the Heavenly Court?"
Xuanyuan Qing let out a sigh as if wronged: "Ruo Chen, you misunderstand Qing. If I wanted to force you back to the Heavenly Court, I would only need to shout your name, Zhang Ruochen, and that would be more effective than anything."
Xuanyuan Qing was much older than Zhang Ruochen. Calling him "Ruo Chen" had the implication of an elder being close to a junior, intentionally narrowing the distance.
Zhang Ruochen's expression softened slightly. Xuanyuan Qing indeed didn't have any bad intentions. She was a woman who dared to fight, had strong willpower, lofty aspirations, and was wholeheartedly dedicated to the unity of the Heavenly Court and the welfare of all living beings.
But ultimately, her starting point was too high. As the Heavenly Venerable's daughter, from childhood, what she saw and encountered were the most beautiful aspects, unable to see the deepest filth. Naturally, she was somewhat idealistic.
Even "for the welfare of all living beings" and "for the unity of the Heavenly Court" were mostly ideas instilled from childhood.
She had never been a mortal, so how could she know the common people?
She had never experienced heart-wrenching hatred, so how could she know that hatred is hard to dissolve?
Perhaps she valued Zhang Ruochen's talent and potential, perhaps she wanted to win over Xinghuantian, or perhaps she wanted to use him to resolve the blood feud between the Kunlun Realm and the Paradise Realm.
In any case, she thought everything was too simple, believing that with the Heavenly Venerable's momentum, she could clear all obstacles for Zhang Ruochen in the Heavenly Court.
But behind Zhang Ruochen, a huge dark web had already been woven. The interests and powerhouses involved far exceeded her estimates. The number of lives on his back had reached a point where Zhang Ruochen couldn't just say he wanted to retreat, or choose which side to stand on.
The Heavenly Venerable's momentum was indeed strong, but how could Zhang Ruochen's momentum be weak?
It was just that this momentum, because Zhang Ruochen had been crippled by Ancestor Qing, was overlooked by those in power. In this light, Ancestor Qing had actually done Zhang Ruochen a great favor.
(Chapter End)