Chapter 3058: Cooperation?
This sword light was nearly imperceptible, faint and elusive, hovering between substance and void.
Facing this terrifying assassin whose reputation had spread across both the Heavenly Court and Hell, Zhang Ruochen felt every hair on his body stand on end. His mental focus instantly peaked as he retreated rapidly within the Nine Yin Escape Formations, constantly shifting positions.
Strangely enough, Qianheng Yishu’s sword strike, though straightforward and direct, followed him like a shadow, always locked onto Zhang Ruochen.
The Space Divine Formation could not block it!
“Nine Yang Escape Formations!”
Forced into a corner, Zhang Ruochen activated the nine Space Divine Formations once more.
The Nine Yin Escape Formations and the Nine Yang Escape Formations were collectively known as the “Yin Yang Eighteen Formations.”
Legend had it that when the eighteen Space Divine Formations merged into one, with Yin and Yang complementing each other, they could be wielded by a Formation Divine Master to clash head-on with titled kings and venerable experts.
Of course, although Zhang Ruochen had reforged the Nine Yin Escape Formations over the past millennium, greatly increasing their power, and had also refined the Nine Yang Escape Formations to barely form the Yin Yang Eighteen Formations, his spiritual power still fell far short of a Divine Master’s. Moreover, the eighteen divine formations he had created were only in their rudimentary form, incomparable to the legendary “Yin Yang Eighteen Formations.”
“Boom!”
Countless formation inscriptions, along with Space Star Gates, Space Divine Towers, Space Temples, and more, all flew out, finally neutralizing Qianheng Yishu’s terrifying sword strike.
Yet, even with the Nine Yin and Nine Yang Escape Formations, they could not trap him.
Retreating outside the formations, Qianheng Yishu let out a soft “Oh,” clearly extremely surprised by Zhang Ruochen’s formation mastery.
As long as Qianheng Yishu remained still, Zhang Ruochen found it difficult to lock onto his position.
But after he struck with his sword, he was fully exposed to Zhang Ruochen’s perception.
“Rage Sword!”
Zhang Ruochen had been building up his fury, his eyes turning bloodshot as he roared.
“Whoosh——”
The Rage Sword shot up from above his head, forming a dazzling beam of light that slashed straight into the darkness.
The higher his cultivation, the more thoroughly Zhang Ruochen could wield the seven Soul Swords of the Sword Ancestor.
Though his inner rage was far from its peak, the power of this sword strike was still extraordinary, tearing through space and extending a thousand miles away.
A thousand miles out, the Rage Sword clashed with the retreating Qianheng Yishu.
For the first time, Qianheng Yishu’s true form appeared before Zhang Ruochen. He was tall and imposing, clad in black iron armor, draped in a dark red cloak with silver edges, and wielding a six-foot-long slender sword.
The sword body was narrow, and as he swung it, a divine beast resembling both a python and a dragon flowed along the blade.
He wore a half-black mask on his face, his resolute and determined eyes standing out strikingly in the darkness. His lips were as sharp as a blade’s edge, exuding a mysterious yet masculine charm.
“Boom!”
The Divine Sword Soul erupted from within him, merging with the six-foot sword in his hand to clash against the Rage Sword.
His cloak fluttering, Qianheng Yishu was pushed back over three hundred miles, but he bore no injuries. His aura was formidable, standing upright in the void like a divine mountain.
Just as Zhang Ruochen was about to summon a second Soul Sword, Qianheng Yishu proactively sheathed his sword and said, “Not bad. With the Yin Yang Eighteen Formations and the Sword Ancestor’s Soul Swords, it was worth coming to find you. We can plan something significant.”
The Rage Sword returned to Zhang Ruochen’s body.
Standing on the Nine Yin Escape Formations with the Nine Yang Escape Formations above his head, Zhang Ruochen did not let his guard down. “There’s nothing to plan with an assassin.”
Qianheng Yishu seemed utterly unafraid of Zhang Ruochen’s eighteen Space Divine Formations and Sword Ancestor Soul Swords, walking forward step by step. “Are you not interested in killing a Great God of the Darkness Temple?”
“Shuangcheng Modu was crippled by the Pure Yang Divine Sword, and you still haven’t killed him?” Zhang Ruochen asked.
Qianheng Yishu replied, “Shuangcheng Modu is no ordinary figure. With his peak Taibai cultivation, once he breaks through to Tai Xu, he will surely enter the War God Hall of the Darkness Temple. Though not as dazzling as Xue Jue War God or Huang Tian, he has the potential to be titled a king or venerable. How could you underestimate him so much as to think he could be easily killed?”
He continued, “That sword strike just now was purely to test your strength. Otherwise, even with your Yin Yang Eighteen Formations, you might have become a ghost under my blade.”
“You think I couldn’t even block one of your sword strikes?” Zhang Ruochen said.
Qianheng Yishu said, “At least, with the methods you’ve shown so far, your chances of surviving a full-powered assassination strike from me are less than twenty percent.”
“Shuangcheng Modu’s cultivation far surpasses yours, doesn’t it? If I have less than a twenty percent chance of blocking your sword, then facing his Dark Divine Sword would mean certain death, wouldn’t it?” Zhang Ruochen said.
Qianheng Yishu said, “As you said, Shuangcheng Modu has been crippled by the Pure Yang Divine Sword and hunted by me for years. He probably has less than thirty percent of his peak power now. If not for his Dark Divine Sword, I would have slain him long ago.”
“Although your martial cultivation is ruined, the power of the Sword Ancestor Soul Sword you just unleashed is no weaker than a full strike from a Taibai realm Great God. The Yin Yang Eighteen Formations are also extraordinary—even I am not fully confident in breaking them.”
“With these two points, you qualify to cooperate with me. Besides… you don’t even need to act.”
“If I don’t act, what cooperation is there?” Zhang Ruochen asked with a playful smile.
Qianheng Yishu’s gaze was solemn. He had already reached the edge of the eighteen Space Divine Formations, locking eyes with Zhang Ruochen. “Help me find him. I know you crossed the Tenth Layer of the Truth Sea and obtained a Truth Supreme Treasure even more precious than the Truth Esoterica. That’s why my Myriad Transformations Invisible couldn’t escape your perception. Finding Shuangcheng Modu should not be difficult for you.”
Zhang Ruochen tried to peer into Qianheng Yishu’s mind, but the man’s eyes blazed with light, shattering his perception.
Qianheng Yishu said, “You don’t need to doubt my intentions. Though you possess many treasures—Divine Swords, the Sundial, the God-Defying Stele—I do desire them all. But with Tai Shang still alive, even if I obtained them, I wouldn’t dare use them. They would only bring hidden mortal peril. Besides Tai Shang, I also fear that one on Xinghuantian.”
Zhang Ruochen suddenly asked, “Which Heavenly Lord is behind you?”
A flicker of surprise crossed Qianheng Yishu’s cold eyes, clearly unexpected by the question.
Qianheng Yishu had betrayed the Tian Sha Organization and not only survived but founded the Di Sha Organization. In just a few tens of thousands of years, he had reached a point where he could rival the Tian Sha Organization.
Given Xuan Yi’s methods, without a powerful figure backing him, Qianheng Yishu would have died long ago. How could he have grown so strong?
An ordinary Infinite realm god could never have suppressed Xuan Yi to such an extent.
The figure behind Qianheng Yishu, if not a Heavenly Lord, was certainly close to the level of the Twenty Heavens.
Qianheng Yishu said, “Zhang Ruochen, you fear being assassinated by me. As an assassin who has always worked alone, I fear even more being ambushed by you at a critical moment. So, let me be straightforward.”
“The main reason I seek an alliance with you is that you need me, and I need you. Because we share a common great enemy. Until that enemy dies, I see no reason for us to be adversaries.”
“Are you that afraid of Xuan Yi?” Zhang Ruochen asked.
Qianheng Yishu said, “Once Xuan Yi breaks through to the Infinite realm, the one behind me will no longer be able to suppress him. At that point, the first person he will kill is undoubtedly me.”
Zhang Ruochen looked thoughtful. “I see. The one behind you is the Second War God of the Heavenly Palace, Zhao Gongming.”
On the Heavenly Court side, there were few who could train a sword-wielding Great God like Qianheng Yishu.
The Feng Clan and the Radiant Divine Temple were impossible, leaving only Zhao Gongming.
Even if Xuan Yi broke through to the Infinite realm, he would still be far from Zhao Gongming’s match, but he would no longer need to hold back.
Qianheng Yishu neither confirmed nor denied it. “The second and third people Xuan Yi will kill are definitely you and Chi Yao.”
“My martial cultivation is already ruined. Why would he kill me?” Zhang Ruochen asked.
Qianheng Yishu said, “Is your spiritual power growing so fast not a threat? Does he not covet the God-Defying Stele, the Divine Swords, and the Sundial on you? Other cultivators may not dare to act, but once Xuan Yi reaches the Infinite realm, he absolutely will. At that point, he will soar to the heavens, no longer needing to endure or restrain himself. He will paint the sky red with blood. Trust me, no one understands him better than I do.”
This reason from Qianheng Yishu finally made Zhang Ruochen somewhat more convinced.
Zhang Ruochen said, “Xuan Yi is already the number one below the Infinite realm. Even if we join forces, what are we in his eyes?”
Qianheng Yishu said, “To put it bluntly, I want to borrow the Sundial to cultivate, striving to break through to the Infinite realm before him. Someone told me this is one of the few paths to survival for me.”
Zhang Ruochen stared at him for a long time. “So, you didn’t come to cooperate with me—you came to beg me?”
At these words, a cold gleam flashed in Qianheng Yishu’s eyes, but he soon sighed. “I really can’t treat you like a junior.”
“If you’re unwilling, you can kill me now and take the Sundial,” Zhang Ruochen said.
Qianheng Yishu said coldly, “Even if I took the Sundial, what then? Would I hide forever in the Dark Great Triangle Star Domain to cultivate? One cannot reach the Infinite realm there. Besides, do you, Zhang Ruochen, have no self-preservation trump cards?”
“Whether I have trump cards or not, I won’t tell you. But I can tell you this: if you ever draw your sword against me again, it will be your death,” Zhang Ruochen said.
Qianheng Yishu naturally believed Zhang Ruochen must have some formidable means, or how else would he dare provoke Xiu Chen Heavenly God?
Qianheng Yishu said, “So, you agree to cooperate with me?”
“Since you’ve come begging, and I happen to need a helper, let’s try cooperating first. Do you think you can escape from Xiu Chen?” Zhang Ruochen asked.
Qianheng Yishu’s brow furrowed slightly. “It seems you still intend to storm the Eternal Divine Temple. Don’t you know the principle that if you don’t seek death, you won’t die?”
“Don’t you know that I have a grudge not only with Xuan Yi but also with Xiu Chen? If it truly refines a Divine Source, the threat to me will be no less than Xuan Yi’s,” Zhang Ruochen said.