Chapter 3095: Entering the City
The Hundred Clans Royal City was no different from a divine city, vast in territory with a stable spatial structure. Not only were Great Saint palaces everywhere, but even divine temples could be seen at a glance.
The expansive Divine Sparrow Street was a main thoroughfare over two thousand miles long, paved with thick jade stones.
When heavy sacred chariots rolled over it, streaks of light from inscription patterns would emerge on the jade.
Three Great Saints of the Yecha Clan, their wings severed and shackles placed on their feet, pulled a towering carriage over ten zhang high like barbarian beasts as they traveled down Divine Sparrow Street.
The woman inside the carriage, wearing a black butterfly-patterned veil, was an unparalleled genius of the new generation from the Darkness Temple, a quasi-Eon-level representative known as the Dark Divine Maiden.
"Crack!"
The sacred servant driving the carriage occasionally lashed a whip, striking the three Yecha Clan Great Saints, tearing their flesh open.
Cultivators in the city gathered to watch.
In the past, it would have been unimaginable for a Saint-realm cultivator to dare enslave Yecha Clan Great Saints like this in the Hundred Clans Royal City.
Yu Ling Shen stood inside a sacred tree on the street, watching this scene with eyes as cold as ice.
The interior space of this sacred tree housed a pleasure establishment similar to the Divine Maiden Tower, bustling with cultivators, a mix of people, and filled with all kinds of noise.
"Senior, it's best to endure for now. Don't act rashly," said the Yecha Clan Chief.
Yu Ling Shen said, "The Darkness Temple is trampling the Yecha Clan's prestige, using this to dismantle the awe smaller clans hold for the Yecha Clan. Zhang Ruochen is right—the Yecha Clan must strike back, and strike hard."
The Yecha Clan Chief said, "Though Zhang Ruochen is young, he has immense boldness and extraordinary cunning. With just one move—luring the tiger away from the mountain—he drew many of the city's Great God-level experts to the Ten Realms. At first, I worried he might act recklessly, but it seems I was overthinking."
Yu Ling Shen stared intently at the three Yecha Clan Great Saints pulling the carriage, saying, "Zhang Ruochen currently lacks the capital for a head-on collision with the enemy. What he needs to do is make the enemy pay a heavy price. In the future, any force that considers opposing him will have to think twice."
"I've only met Miss Han a few times, yet it seems you already understand me so well." Zhang Ruochen's voice came from behind Yu Ling Shen.
Yu Ling Shen turned gracefully, looking at the cloth bags Zhang Ruochen carried in his hand.
The bags were round and bulging, as if filled with watermelons, but the smell of blood was strong.
Seeing Zhang Ruochen address Yu Ling Shen as "Miss Han" repeatedly, the Yecha Clan Chief felt a strange thought arise. Who would believe there wasn't some teasing intent in this?
But after learning from Ai Lian Jun about the emergence of the Sword Realm, the Yecha Clan Chief was very willing to facilitate this matter.
For the Yecha Clan, this was a rare opportunity in tens of millions of years.
Yu Ling Shen had clearly also learned of the Sword Realm's emergence, and her attitude toward Zhang Ruochen had changed significantly. Not only was she not annoyed by the address "Miss Han," but she deliberately acted like a young girl, saying playfully, "Though we've only met a few times, I've already thoroughly understood Young Master Ruochen's methods. A man as decisive and ruthless as you is rare in this world. How could I not be moved?"
Zhang Ruochen found Yu Ling Shen's act a bit hard to bear—not because it felt forced, but because it was too alluring, no different from a seductive enchantress capable of toppling kingdoms.
Then he remembered she had been cultivating for four hundred thousand years and was a Tai Xu realm Great God…
Just thinking about it was thrilling.
Zhang Ruochen's expression turned serious, saying, "Before coming, I encountered a friend, which delayed me a bit. Now we can make our move."
Seeing Zhang Ruochen's flustered demeanor, Yu Ling Shen chuckled inwardly. So-called Sword God of Romance, after all, he was still quite green.
Forty thousand years ago, she wouldn't have minded throwing herself into his arms, using her body to tempt him for the Yecha Clan's benefit. But now, with her status and position, how could she do that?
Doing so would only make others look down on her.
Yu Ling Shen stopped teasing Zhang Ruochen, not asking which friend he had encountered, and said, "The Boundless Divine Temple is still suspended above the Seven Peaks Continuous Mountain Range."
"You and the Chief managed to infiltrate the Hundred Clans Royal City. Do you really think it's because of your great divine abilities that you evaded Boundless's perception?" Zhang Ruochen said.
The Hundred Clans Royal City was vast, with tens of thousands of cultivators entering and leaving every moment.
In such circumstances, Yu Ling Shen, carrying a secret treasure of the Yecha Clan, naturally had confidence in evading the perception of an Infinite-realm deity and quietly entering the city.
Zhang Ruochen said, "Boundless, as the master of the Darkness Temple, has unfathomable cultivation and is a truly great power who controls the cosmic winds and clouds. Without a top-tier expert to restrain him, I wouldn't dare enter the city myself."
Yu Ling Shen didn't show the defiance in her heart, saying, "The Dragon Lord made a move?"
Zhang Ruochen said, "The battles of the Infinite realm are beyond our control. But you must understand that we are not fighting alone today. Those forces that don't want the Darkness Temple to take the Hundred Clans Royal City will help us. And if I'm not mistaken, the Heavenly Court will surely act on the Starry Sky Battlefield."
"In other words, the one fighting alone might well be Boundless."
The force that least wanted the Darkness Temple and the Hell Realm's main war faction to take the Hundred Clans Royal City was undoubtedly the Heavenly Court.
The Yecha Clan Chief admired Zhang Ruochen even more. So his rampage through the Three Life Realm, Qing Ling Great World, and Fire Cloud Realm also had the purpose of coordinating with the Heavenly Court.
This was telling the Heavenly Court that he, Zhang Ruochen, was about to go on a killing spree, and they needed to help him.
Leaving the sacred tree, Zhang Ruochen, Yu Ling Shen, and the Yecha Clan Chief headed toward the Crown Cloud Array Tower.
…
Pu Chuanqi had always been proud and arrogant.
With his Tai Xu realm peak cultivation, he naturally had the right to be proud and arrogant.
But his defeat at the hands of the Blood Absolute War God was a crushing blow to his confidence. Even more infuriating, his divine artifact, the Purple Sea Shura Lamp, had been taken.
Losing the divine artifact, his combat power was far from what it used to be. How could he seek revenge against the Blood Absolute War God?
A message from the Darkness Temple, however, gave him hope.
Bai Qinger possessed the divine artifact Earth Demon Sparrow and held a large amount of Source Essence. If he could take it, why worry about defeating the Blood Absolute War God?
As for Bai Qinger's master, the Starry Sea Angler, Pu Chuanqi might have feared him before, but the current trend was clearly for the Hell Realm to use this as an excuse to take down these troublesome neutral forces, thereby consolidating all power, launching a full-scale war, and sweeping the Heavenly Court.
First was the Hundred Clans Royal City, then inevitably Star Huan Tian and Star Heaven Cliff.
How much longer could the Starry Sea Angler live?
For Bai Qinger to return to Star Huan Tian, she had to go through wormholes and space teleportation arrays. Thus, near a wormhole, she was discovered by the Darkness Temple's deities.
By the time Pu Chuanqi arrived, Bai Qinger had already fallen into the array trap set by the Darkness Temple's deities around the wormhole. However, with her powerful cultivation and the Earth Demon Sparrow, she tore cracks in the divine array set by the Darkness Temple.
"This woman not only inherited Bai Huanghou's peerless beauty but also Desolate Heaven's formidable talent. Her cultivation has reached such a level," Pu Chuanqi thought to himself.
A loud sparrow cry rang through the starry sky!
"Boom!"
The Earth Demon Sparrow spread its pair of massive stone wings, its demonic might surging, shattering the divine array and sending all three deities outside the array flying, each severely injured.
Bai Qinger stood atop the Earth Demon Sparrow, Source Divine Light illuminating her slender, graceful figure, making her appear even more sacred. She pointed a finger, forming a beam of light, and with a "bang," blasted a spiritual power deity into soul mist.
She didn't linger, controlling the Earth Demon Sparrow to fly into the starry sky.
At that moment, a dark swarm of insects flew out from the space.
The insects were as large as oxen, their bodies covered in flames, forming a thousand-mile sea of insects that enveloped the Earth Demon Sparrow, blocking her path.
Pu Chuanqi didn't reveal himself, hiding in the shadows, not wanting too many to know it was him.
As a top-tier expert below the Infinite realm, he still had some face to maintain.
…
The Crown Cloud Array Tower was located at the very center of the Hundred Clans Royal City, forged from Yu Gold Divine Iron. It had thirty-six levels, standing three thousand six hundred zhang tall, like a golden cloud peak in the city.
Around the tower were thirty-six smaller array towers, together forming the array hub of the Hundred Clans Royal City.
Wu Yue had said she wasn't the number one below the Infinite realm among the Hundred Clans, not out of modesty. Because the number one was the master of the Crown Cloud Array Tower, a figure of unfathomable spiritual power.
This tower master had a mysterious identity, always cultivating inside the tower, never involving himself in the Hundred Clans' mundane affairs. Even Wu Yue had never seen his true form. He only acted when the Hundred Clans Royal City faced a powerful enemy.
One hundred thousand years ago, this tower master had used the arrays of the Hundred Clans Royal City to repel multiple deities who had attained king or venerable status.
Of course, no matter how strong this tower master was, he was still below the Infinite realm. Since the Darkness Temple intended to rule the Hundred Clans Royal City, they would surely first take control of the Crown Cloud Array Tower.
That tower master had either been captured by Boundless or had already submitted to the Darkness Temple.
There was no third possibility!
"Boom!"
Six divine swords, like six bright stars, released terrifying power, crashing into the Crown Cloud Array Tower.
With Zhang Ruochen's current cultivation, fully activating a divine artifact, though not unleashing its complete power, could still split heaven and earth and shake time and space.
The thirty-six levels of the Crown Cloud Array Tower instantly erupted with blazing divine light.
From the thirty-six smaller array towers around it, billions of array inscription patterns flew out, forming a nine-colored light barrier that blocked the six divine swords.
The shockwaves from the collision between the array and the divine swords lit up all the divine patterns and array inscriptions within a hundred miles of the city.
Such a massive commotion alarmed all the major forces in the city.
Yu Shi, dressed in a black robe, walked out of the Crown Cloud Array Tower, holding a staff, her voice clear and pleasant, "Zhang Ruochen, you really don't know how to spell death, daring to come to the Hundred Clans Royal City."
Zhang Ruochen appeared, walking down the long street, his long hair flowing, exuding a natural ease, "The Crown Cloud Array Tower is such an important place, and Boundless old man left you to guard it? Where is your master? I want to see her."
Yu Shi's spiritual power had reached the seventy-eighth level, her combat power comparable to a Tai Bai realm Great God, far from weak.