Chapter 3094: A Bloody Slaughter
Although Fang Lingzi was extremely self-centered, he was not foolish. Before his words had even faded, scorching Netherfire blazed up within the temple, surging simultaneously toward Zhang Ruochen, Xue Ningxiao, and Xue Chen.
If Zhang Ruochen made a move to save Xue Ningxiao and Xue Chen, Fang Lingzi could seize the initiative, activating the two divine formations and the Darkness Temple Lord's divine patterns to suppress and kill him within the hall. With this battle, he would shake the cosmos.
The Netherfire bloomed like flowers; even a Great Saint could not withstand it—touching it meant death.
As expected, Zhang Ruochen took the bait, diverting divine qi to shield Xue Ningxiao and Xue Chen.
"Haha! Zhang Ruochen, in a clash between top-tier powerhouses, you still waste energy saving two ants. It's fated that you will die miserably here today!"
Fang Lingzi laughed heartily, channeling divine qi to activate the two divine formations within the temple. They pressed down from the ground and the ceiling above, one from below and one from above, to suppress Zhang Ruochen.
The divine formation rising from the ground extended the space to a thousand miles in length and width, dense formation inscriptions writhing like dragons and serpents.
The divine formation descending from the sky was as black as clouds, concealing infinite killing intent.
"Among the beings born in this eon, you are indeed a top-tier powerhouse. But how could you possibly comprehend my level of cultivation?"
Zhang Ruochen's gaze was cold as he struck out with a palm.
The phantom of a dragon-elephant nearly solidified, surging with overwhelming force to shatter both divine formations. It sent Fang Lingzi, who had thrust out a spear-shaped divine weapon, flying backward into a chaotic space.
This chaotic space was created by Zhang Ruochen's will.
Just as Fang Lingzi, shocked and terrified, was about to activate a corner of the Darkness Temple Lord's divine patterns, a sword light descended from the heavens, piercing through his divine realm world and driving into his chest.
"Boom!"
Fang Lingzi was pinned to the temple floor by the light sword, smashing a deep crater into the ground.
The light sword dissipated, turning into specks of light.
Zhang Ruochen walked into the crater, looking down at Fang Lingzi, whose mouth was streaming with blood. Using the field of the Wuji Divine Dao, he suppressed him firmly to the ground, unable to rise. "You guessed right. I'm here to borrow your head."
"Pfft!"
He severed Fang Lingzi's head, excavated his divine source, and refined the spiritual will and divine soul thoughts within his divine body. Then, he tossed the remaining divine body below the neck into the *Sixth Patriarch's Zen Meditation Diagram*.
Grabbing Fang Lingzi's bizarre spear, a supreme sacred artifact, he strode out of the temple.
Outside, the army of the Darkness Temple was flying in like an overwhelming black cloud, approaching from afar.
Within the black cloud, battle cries shook the heavens, war banners densely packed, and war drums thundered like rolling thunder.
The light of formations blazed like hundreds or thousands of miniature suns.
Zhang Ruochen let out a deep snort. The spear in his hand was infused with divine qi, and he hurled it with a flick of his wrist.
The spear erupted with unparalleled supreme prestige, its light as bright as a star, radiating immense heat. Countless spear phantoms manifested, flying into the Darkness Temple's army.
"Boom!"
"Swish! Swish! Swish..."
The saint-level soldiers of the Darkness Temple fell like rain, their blood staining the entire sky red.
"Those still alive, go tell Wubian that opposing me, Zhang Ruochen, comes at a price."
Zhang Ruochen wrapped Xue Ningxiao and Xue Chen in divine qi, holding Fang Lingzi's head, and transformed into a brilliant divine light, shooting straight beyond the heavens.
Xue Ningxiao and Xue Chen were shaken to their cores, their eyes filled with reverence.
Zhang Ruochen had now become a monumental figure whose every move could stir heaven and earth. Compared to when he first arrived at the Blood Absolute Family, the change was earth-shattering.
"Today, I will unleash a bloody slaughter. You are not suited to accompany me. Find a place to hide first, and return to the Blood Absolute Family after this storm passes."
Zhang Ruochen tossed Xue Ningxiao and Xue Chen into the starry sky, stepped with the Divine Spirit Step, and headed straight for Qingling Great World.
The Three-Life Realm was a war base in the Starry Sky Battlefield. Naturally, all major forces of the Hell Realm had cultivators stationed there. Shortly after Zhang Ruochen left, numerous message light talismans flew out.
Qingling Great World was also one of the Ten Realms and was Zhang Ruochen's property.
Once a vibrant great world, it had turned into a land of yin corpses and ghosts. Corpse clouds covered the sky, and yellow springs surged from the ground.
In the mountains, on the roads, and within the cities, wandering yin souls, flesh-eating evil corpses, and skeletons crawling out from the earth were everywhere. The Ghost Clan's "Earth Fiend Ghost City," the Corpse Clan's "Longevity Hall," and the Bone Clan's "Bone-Hiding Sea" had seized this great world, turning it into their yin food granary.
"Boom!"
A meteor flew in from beyond the universe, crashing heavily into the ground. It shattered the divine temple of a Corpse Clan true god from the Longevity Hall, sinking deep into the earth.
Zhang Ruochen emerged from the ground, dragging a corpse god covered in red fur, and threw it to the ground.
"Zhang Ruochen, I am Qingba Divine Lord of the Longevity Hall—"
"Pfft!"
With a single sword stroke, he severed its head.
Zhang Ruochen picked up the water-basin-sized, red-furred head. Flicking his finger, he released flames that incinerated its divine body into ashes.
"Who dares to cause trouble in Qingling Great World?" A cold, stern divine voice came from millions of miles away.
The Flying Wing Old Ghost of Earth Fiend Ghost City and the Taiding Bone God of the Bone-Hiding Sea were both veteran gods who had survived eon calamities. They flew in from two different directions.
But as if sensing Zhang Ruochen's terrifyingly overwhelming aura, these two veteran gods turned around and fled, flying into the cosmos from ten thousand miles away.
"Sharp instincts."
Zhang Ruochen took a single step, directly crossing space, and appeared above the Flying Wing Old Ghost's head.
"Zhang Ruochen, how could it be you?"
The Flying Wing Old Ghost smashed through space, fleeing into the Void World. His ghostly qi blazed as he activated an escape secret technique.
Zhang Ruochen's hand transformed into what seemed like the hand of the heavens, stretching ten thousand miles. He grabbed the Flying Wing Old Ghost's massive ghostly body from the Void World and crushed it with a "bang," shattering it into pieces.
"Zhang Ruochen, you have committed an unforgivable crime. Void Heaven will grind your bones to dust and scatter your ashes... Ah..."
The Flying Wing Old Ghost was refined by the divine flame in Zhang Ruochen's palm into wisps of green smoke, leaving only a divine source intact.
On the other side, Taiding Bone God saw Qingba Divine Lord and the Flying Wing Old Ghost fall one after another. He knew Zhang Ruochen would never let him go today. This brat was slaughtering gods of the Hell Realm at will, like a mad dog.
Flee! Flee! Flee!
He had to escape as fast as possible. If he could hold out a little longer, a great god would surely arrive to deal with Zhang Ruochen.
"Where do you think you're going?" Zhang Ruochen's voice rang out.
Before Taiding Bone God could even see Zhang Ruochen's figure, the sound of bones shattering came from his body. He was cleaved in two by a single sword strike.
This was a divine sword slash, killing Taiding Bone God outright.
The divine flame of the sword could refine Taiding Bone God's spiritual will and divine matter.
The power of the sword soul and sword spirit within the sword technique directly severed Taiding Bone God's divine soul.
In Qingling Great World, the Great Saints of the three major forces looked up at the sky, trembling in fear, terrified that Zhang Ruochen would unleash divine punishment.
But the divine might that enveloped the entire world quickly dissipated.
Zhang Ruochen had already left, not lingering there. Killing those saint-level cultivators would take too much time and was utterly not worth it. If the great gods of the three major forces arrived, he would inevitably be drawn into a protracted battle, gaining nothing.
Soon after, Zhang Ruochen arrived at Fire Cloud World, one of the Ten Realms. He beheaded a god with seventy-sixth-level spiritual power and left without a trace.
This spiritual power god was a disciple of the Three Great Masters of Tiannan Life-Death Ruins, a woman of no ordinary appearance.
...
The events at the Three-Life Realm, Qingling Great World, and Fire Cloud World spread rapidly across the universe, naturally reaching the Hundred Clans Royal City.
The Seven-Peak Connected Mountains were the sacred ground of the Demon Wolf Clan.
A black divine temple, the size of a city, hovered above the Seven-Peak Connected Mountains. The dark power it emitted enveloped the entire Hundred Clans Royal City.
Below, the Demon Wolf Clan cultivators between the seven peaks were suppressed by the temple's aura, forced back into their beast forms.
The Darkness Temple Lord sat within the temple, his form invisible. His voice was deep and vast, as if coming from an ancient era. "A spiritually powerful being with a flawless, round-like perfection has obscured the heavenly mechanisms. Zhang Ruochen's whereabouts cannot be divined."
A god of the Darkness Temple exclaimed in surprise, "How can this be? Wasn't it said that a heavenly-tier figure had ascended Star Heaven Cliff, and the Second Master had also gone to Xinghuantian? Who else has the leisure to help Zhang Ruochen?"
The Darkness Temple Lord said, "What kind of place is Star Heaven Cliff? Even the heavens may not be able to suppress it. Moreover, the gap between the Second Master and the one at Xinghuantian is still significant. Besides, why do you think only the two of them in this star region possess flawless, round-like perfection in spiritual power?"
"Does the Temple Lord refer to a heavenly-tier figure from the Heavenly Court?" a god asked.
The Darkness Temple Lord did not name names. "Whoever it is, anyone who dares to oppose the Hell Realm must die."
Muto War God, the youngest war god of the Darkness Temple, had reached the peak of the Tai Xu realm. Every bone in his body was wrapped in iron skin. He carried a heavy hammer as he stepped forward. "Even if someone is hiding his heavenly traces, that person behind the scenes wouldn't dare to show himself openly. Muto requests to go into battle. Give me three hours, and I will bring back Zhang Ruochen's head."
Muto War God was renowned across the universe for his ruthless slaughter. He was a figure that struck fear into the gods of the Heavenly Court and was the strongest under the Infinite realm in the Darkness Temple, second only to Wu Yue.
The Darkness Temple Lord said, "Why use a butcher's knife to kill a chicken? Tiannan, Earth Fiend Ghost City, Longevity Hall, and the Bone-Hiding Sea have all sent great gods from the Hundred Clans Royal City to hunt down Zhang Ruochen. Several other forces with interests in the Ten Realms have also dispatched their great gods. Muto, why bother getting involved?"
"Zhang Ruochen carries many treasures. How can we let him fall into the hands of other forces?" Muto War God said in a deep voice.
Just then, a divine light flew in from outside, coalescing into the form of a divine general.
The divine general bowed to the figure above. "Reporting to the Temple Lord, we have discovered traces of Bai Qinger."
Matters concerning ordinary upper-level gods naturally did not warrant reporting to the Temple Lord.
But Bai Qinger was special. As an eon-level genius and a disciple of the Star Sea Angler, she merited consultation with the Temple Lord.
If Zhang Ruochen had not appeared, the Darkness Temple Lord would not have wanted to move against this little girl, Bai Qinger, for now. "Muto, go. Take her alive."
Muto War God was displeased. "She's just an upper-level god. Yushi could go and capture her easily."
"Do you really think so? Haven't you always wanted to fight a battle with Huang Tian? This is a good opportunity. If you capture his daughter, you won't need to seek him out—he will come to you on his own." The Darkness Temple Lord said.
The flames of divine power blazed in Muto War God's bony eye sockets. Hefting his war hammer, he flew out of the temple with the divine general.
After a moment, the Darkness Temple Lord said, "Yushi, go inform Pu Chuanqi of the Green Deer Divine Temple."
The Darkness Temple Lord had always been vigilant and wary of geniuses like Huang Tian and Xue Jue War God. If there was an opportunity to eliminate them, he would seize it.
Because he himself was one of those who cultivated at an astonishing speed, leaving many older figures far behind.
And precisely because he knew how terrifying the potential of top-tier geniuses was, he had not hesitated to attack Zhang Ruochen, who had just become a god, back then, disregarding his own status.