Chapter 3091: Even at Great Cost, We Must Fight

Chapter 3091: Even at Great Cost, We Must Fight

A Rakshasa clan holy maiden, dressed in colorful silk robes, carried a bronze tray bearing Rain Night Jade Spirit Tea as she walked into the temple. Hearing these words, her arm trembled slightly, and the bronze tray nearly slipped from her grasp.

Ailianjun said, "Ruochen Realm Lord, please do not jest! Given the current situation in Hundred Clans Royal City, even if the Rakshasa clan mobilized their entire strength to attack, they might not necessarily gain the upper hand."

Zhang Ruochen took the teacup from the Rakshasa holy maiden and asked, "What is the situation in Hundred Clans Royal City now?"

Ailianjun replied, "The Darkness Temple army has stationed there. Divine beings from the Destiny Temple, Fengdu Ghost City, Green Deer Divine Temple, Earth Fiend Ghost City, Tiannan Life-Death Ruins, Nether Hall, and many other major powers have all arrived."

"In the city, the industries of the Rakshasa clan, Blood Absolute family, Demon Wolf clan, and Goddess Twelve Pavilions have suffered devastating blows. They are using the cases of Realm Lord and Wuyue to eliminate dissidents, reap massive profits, and ultimately seize control of the entire Hundred Clans Royal City."

"If Ruochen Realm Lord does not show himself, it might be fine. But once you do, you will surely face attacks from all sides."

Though Zhang Ruochen did not know the specifics of what had happened, he could imagine the bloodshed and misery. His fingers clenched tightly into fists.

Ailianjun continued, "The situation for Xue Jue War God is also extremely dire. He is being denounced by several candidates for clan leader of the Undying Blood Clan, and there are even internal rebellions among the strong of the Blood Heaven Tribe. Even when his own son died in Hundred Clans Royal City, he could not break away from the Blood Heaven Tribe to go there."

Yuling Shen said, "Zhang Ruochen, please understand the external situation clearly before making a decision! If you truly intend to charge straight into Hundred Clans Royal City, acting so recklessly, I will absolutely not cooperate with you any longer."

The fierce killing intent in Zhang Ruochen's eyes suddenly dissipated. He said calmly, "This Realm Lord wants to know just how arrogant these people have become."

Then, Ailianjun began to recount in detail—from the destruction of thirteen Divine Maiden Towers and the heavy casualties of the Goddess Twelve Pavilions, to the killing of Xue Qingsheng, the complete annihilation of Seven-Hand Old Man, the severe injuries of Xiayu and Xue Hou, and Bore's disappearance after an attack...

Behind each and every tragic incident, the target was Zhang Ruochen.

Since Zhang Ruochen did not appear, those people naturally turned their spearhead toward cultivators connected to him.

The Blood Absolute family was pushed to the center of the storm for three reasons. First, because Xue Jue War God had openly helped Zhang Ruochen, engaging in a distant confrontation with the Darkness Temple.

Second, because Xue Jue War God had many enemies in the Hell Realm. Previously, his status as a candidate for clan leader, combined with his formidable combat power, kept few forces daring to act against him.

Now, with the Darkness Temple leading the charge and the banners of Fengdu Dadi and Xutian raised high, everyone could see that Xue Jie War God's days were numbered. Naturally, his enemies swarmed in.

Third, because of the struggle for the clan leader position.

The interests within the Undying Blood Clan were intricate and complex, with the ten tribes ruling separately. Who wouldn't want their own tribe's divine being to become clan leader?

Who among the powerful wouldn't desire to be the clan leader of one of the ten great clans of the Hell Realm? What a tremendous temptation of power!

Finally, even the ten realms won in the Ten Realms War were taken away. Zhang Ruochen's anger was already beyond suppression.

Yuling Shen had been watching Zhang Ruochen the entire time. She noticed that although his eyes grew sharper, he remained as steady as a divine mountain, his mental state truly extraordinary—not at all like a reckless and impulsive person.

Yuling Shen's red lips glistened as she said, "Ruochen Realm Lord, do you still think we should charge straight into Hundred Clans Royal City?"

Zhang Ruochen sneered, "Fight! Of course we must fight. Even at great cost, we must fight."

Yuling Shen showed a look of disappointment and said irritably, "Even if Dragon Lord steps in to hold back the Darkness Temple Lord, with your cultivation level, entering Hundred Clans Royal City would mean that any one of those divine beings could crush you to dust with a single finger."

Zhang Ruochen said, "Who said it's just me? Aren't you coming too?"

Yuling Shen snorted, her chest heaving with anger, and said, "Do you think I would do something as stupid as smashing an egg against a rock?"

"Going to Hundred Clans Royal City alone would indeed be smashing an egg against a rock. But going with me changes the situation entirely. Because that would mean you are a cultivator of Xinghuantian. After all, Hundred Clans Royal City is still within the range of Senior Jiutian's spiritual power attack."

Then, Zhang Ruochen added, "Brother Ailian also mentioned that there are many forces in Hundred Clans Royal City, with divine beings from various major powers gathered. Actually, this is not a bad thing; it's a good thing. Because with so many forces, none of them will dare to make the first move against me. They all hope another force will be the bird that sticks its head out."

Yuling Shen's face twisted into a strange smile. "Zhang Ruochen, Zhang Ruochen, you've finally shown your true colors. You want to use this opportunity to win over the Rakshasa clan? To firmly bind the Rakshasa clan to Xinghuantian's war chariot?"

Zhang Ruochen waved his hand and said, "Not win over. I don't need the Rakshasa clan's submission. It's just a deep strategic cooperation. Miss Han should be very clear that Xinghuantian can stand unafraid of the Darkness Temple entirely because of Senior Jiutian and that one from Xingtianya. In terms of the number of divine beings and worldly power, the Rakshasa clan far surpasses us. How could we possibly swallow the Rakshasa clan?"

These words made the Rakshasa clan leader and Yuling Shen nod inwardly.

Xinghuantian's worldly power was not even one-tenth of the Rakshasa clan's. Wanting to annex the Rakshasa clan was simply impossible.

Moreover, the cultivators of Xinghuantian were mainly humans. They would not treat the Rakshasa clan as food like the Darkness Temple did.

If Zhang Ruochen truly tried to subdue the Rakshasa clan, perhaps tens of thousands of years later, the entire Xinghuantian would be assimilated by the Rakshasa clan's vast population, becoming their thirty-ninth realm.

Zhang Ruochen continued, "Without borrowing Xinghuantian's name, how can your Rakshasa clan fight against the Darkness Temple? If you don't fight, are you really going to hand over ten realms, thirty million divine stones, and even the heads of the clan leader and realm lord, just to beg for a humiliating existence as eternal slaves?"

The atmosphere in the temple grew heavy.

Yuling Shen pondered, but still had a trace of hesitation.

The Rakshasa clan leader, however, was already burning with battle intent, his eyes full of frost.

Zhang Ruochen pressed on, "Do you know what the Rakshasa clan has lost the most so far? It is the prestige your ancestors spent millions of years building in the Hundred Clans Royal City star region, and the pride of billions of Rakshasa clan members."

"The Darkness Temple is trampling on the Rakshasa clan's prestige, trying to break your backbone so that you can never stand up again."

"Those small clans that once relied on you and regarded you as their leader are now perhaps being implicated and bullied. They may have lost faith in you, no longer fearing you, no longer respecting you."

"Without the support of these small clans, how can the Rakshasa clan remain the number one clan of Hundred Clans Royal City? How can they command a following with a single call? This is your greatest loss!"

"If you don't fight, the spirit and energy of the Rakshasa clan members will be lost. Even if you survive this crisis, you will only decline from now on. You divine beings represent the spirit and energy of the Rakshasa clan."

"If I were you, even if I had to die in battle in Hundred Clans Royal City, I would make sure all Rakshasa clan members see your courage and tragedy."

"Even if self-destructing your divine source cannot kill the enemy, you must make them know that the taste of bloodshed is not pleasant. Provoking the Rakshasa clan comes at a price."

The Rakshasa clan leader let out a explosive snort, like a thunderclap, and said, "Yuling Shen, I believe what Ruochen Realm Lord said is very reasonable. If we yield this time, the Rakshasa clan will never stand tall for generations to come."

Yuling Shen cast a light glance at Zhang Ruochen. This boy truly had a silver tongue—clearly wanting to use the Rakshasa clan to deal with the Darkness Temple, yet making the Rakshasa clan feel grateful to him.

But did she have a choice?

Although many small clans in Hundred Clans Royal City had backing from the ten great clans of Hell, there were still many that completely followed the Rakshasa clan's orders.

If these small clans saw the Rakshasa clan in a miserable and humiliating state, how could they continue to obey the Rakshasa clan in the future?

Yuling Shen's exquisitely beautiful face was covered in frost as she said, "If we truly want to fight in Hundred Clans Royal City, we must first do one thing: seize the Guanyun Formation Tower in the city. This tower is the hub of all formations in Hundred Clans Royal City, jointly controlled by the three great clans."

"But since Wubian is in the city, the Guanyun Formation Tower has likely fallen into the Darkness Temple's hands."

"Moreover, whether the Fire Ghost clan, one of the three great clans, can support us is also crucial. As long as the three great clans unite, the various small clans in Hundred Clans Royal City will surely stand with us. The combined strength of these forces is far from as fragile as you imagine."

When Hundred Clans Royal City united, it could bargain with the Destiny Temple and the ten great clans. Naturally, it was no small matter.

If Zhang Ruochen wanted to subdue Hundred Clans Royal City, the Fire Ghost clan was an indispensable link.

His cultivation was not yet strong enough to subdue Hundred Clans Royal City now, but he could use this incident to tightly bind himself to the city, laying the foundation for ruling it in the future.

Zhang Ruochen looked at Yuling Shen and asked, "All three great clans have Infinite Realm divine beings, right? The two ancestors of the Rakshasa clan, the Wolf Ancestor of the Demon Wolf clan, and the Fire Ghost King of the Fire Ghost clan. Below the Infinite Realm, Miss Han is the strongest?"

Yuling Shen said, "Zhang Ruochen, you'd better not underestimate Hundred Clans Royal City. The strongest below the Infinite Realm is someone else. Go on, what do you really want to say?"

"Take this opportunity, as a top expert below the Infinite Realm, to cleanse those disobedient small clans in Hundred Clans Royal City, making it truly the city of the three great clans. Of course, I suggest you first deal with the Rakshasa clan divine beings in the ancestral realm who want to surrender, lest they become the Darkness Temple's dogs."

Zhang Ruochen could hear the conversations of the Rakshasa clan divine beings outside the temple and saw that there were hidden dangers within the Rakshasa clan.

To deal with external threats, one must first stabilize internal affairs.

Zhang Ruochen stood up and said, "Brother Ailian, the Rakshasa clan ancestral realm should have a space teleportation array to the Fire Ghost clan ancestral realm, right? Take me there."

Yuling Shen said, "You're going to the Fire Ghost clan alone?"

"Is the Fire Ghost clan some dragon's den or tiger's lair? Would they dare to eat me?"

Zhang Ruochen showed a contemptuous expression, walked out of the temple, glanced at the unfriendly gazes of the Rakshasa clan divine beings outside, smiled, patted Ailianjun on the shoulder, and strode away.