Chapter 3276: Occupying the Black Sea Realm
The one who claimed to behead the Emperor was a Taixu realm Bone Clan god.
His name was Fuchuan, his body as massive as a mountain range, resembling both a dragon and a flood dragon. Deathly divine mist radiated outward, his divine form manifesting a vast expanse in the void.
This was a Taixu Great God who had already arrived, but had not revealed himself until now.
The Emperor, after all, was a Bone Clan god. Only a strong one of the same Bone Clan origin could slay him.
"Greetings, Senior Fuchuan!"
The Emperor showed no fear. With a wave of his bone hand, several divine plaques flew out, suspending in midair.
Seeing these plaques, the Death Clan Taixu Great God Kongcan stepped out from a mass of light in his true form. Twisted white frozen spikes spread beneath his feet toward the Emperor.
"The divine plaques of Chang Mei, Chi Hun, and Yuan Tian—why are they in your hands?"
The Emperor put away all the plaques and said, "Since their divine plaques are in my hands, it means the Black Sea Realm has already fallen under the Young Lord's control. Isn't this obvious? Can't Great God Kongcan see it?"
Kongcan's expression shifted. "Impossible! The Black Sea Realm has a realm-protecting divine formation set up by a God Venerable, with Great Gods guarding it. How could it have been taken by you without anyone noticing?"
The Black Sea Realm was the Death Clan's greatest stronghold in the star domain where the Hundred Clans Royal City was located. It housed a Space Teleportation Array, a sacred camp, and a divine temple. Besides the native cultivators of the Black Sea Realm, a large number of Death Clan cultivators were stationed there.
The Black Sea Realm, along with the resources of the surrounding star domain, were the Death Clan's core interests. Defense was naturally the top priority.
Kongcan and the Death Clan gods had only just left the Black Sea Realm. How could Zhang Ruochen have occupied it already?
The Emperor spoke with reverence, "What does it matter if it's a realm-protecting divine formation set up by a God Venerable? Our Young Lord is a spiritual power master exceeding the eightieth rank and a formation divine master. The God Venerable Great God Kongcan mentioned may not even surpass our Young Lord in formation mastery."
A Death Clan spiritual power expert, holding a crystal bone, appeared before Kongcan and said, "The Black Sea Realm's heaven and earth rules are now in chaos, clearly someone has concealed the celestial mechanism. It's very likely that Zhang Ruochen has indeed taken it!"
"Zhang Ruochen is now this formidable? Even you can't see through his celestial mechanism? Your spiritual power is close to the eighty-fourth rank, isn't it?" Kongcan said solemnly.
The spiritual power expert said, "This precisely shows that Zhang Ruochen is currently in the Black Sea Realm. Only if he is there can he contend with me in celestial mechanism manipulation."
None of the gods present could remain calm.
They would not be shocked if Zhang Ruochen broke into the Black Sea Realm or even seized it. But that all this happened silently, and the celestial mechanism was concealed afterward—
If they attacked the Hundred Clans Royal City, and Zhang Ruochen struck their rear bases, the losses would be enormous.
One after another, message divine talismans flew out.
Some gods, still uneasy, personally rushed back.
The grand assembly at the fortress, which had been high in morale, immediately fell into chaos and panic.
The most furious was the Blazing Sun Heavenly Lord. To attack the Hundred Clans Royal City and hold today's fortress assembly, the Blazing Sun Clan had spent a fortune in divine stones and countless treasures, exhausting their entire clan's resources.
If they failed to take the Hundred Clans Royal City, the Blazing Sun Clan would lose everything.
The Blazing Sun Heavenly Lord roared in anger, "Arrogant! Too arrogant! What right does that brat have to dictate terms to the Hell Realm army? If we are scared off by him like this, won't the entire Heavenly Court laugh at us? We must fight! We must fight!"
Kongcan said, "Before launching the divine tide war, we must first retake the Black Sea Realm and eliminate Zhang Ruochen as a threat."
"Fine! The Blazing Sun Clan is willing to help the Death Clan retake the Black Sea Realm. Yang Shuo!" the Blazing Sun Heavenly Lord called out.
Behind the Blazing Sun Heavenly Lord, a mass of firelight emerged in the void, growing brighter and hotter, shaped like an eye.
Within the eye was a human figure.
The figure's true appearance was unclear, but its aura was formidable—an ancient god of the Taixu realm.
"Zhang Ruochen's cultivation speed is extraordinary. A hundred years ago, he could already contend with early Taixu Great Gods. Now, he may have broken through again!" the Ghost Lord warned.
Chi Xuan Guijun of the Darkness Temple said, "Even if he breaks through to mid-Taixu in a hundred years, so what? I will personally go and capture him."
"Do not underestimate Zhang Ruochen! Previously, Soul Seven sent an envoy to inform us that Zhang Ruochen's current cultivation is extraordinary. To deal with him, we must go all out. I will go as well!" said a peak Taixu Great God from Fengdu Ghost City.
The gods present did not take this peak Taixu Great God's words seriously. Even if Zhang Ruochen was heaven-defying, a hundred years of cultivation would at most push his combat power to peak Taixu.
They believed this Ghost Clan peak Taixu Great God was rushing forward because he coveted the various treasures on Zhang Ruochen.
Thus, many more Great Gods and Bu Tian realm gods joined the ranks to punish Zhang Ruochen.
The Bone Clan Taixu Great God Fuchuan suppressed the Emperor, and together with Yang Shuo, Chi Xuan Guijun, the Ghost Lord, and a host of other gods, they set off in a mighty procession toward the Black Sea Realm.
"Rest assured! Within half a day, we will retake the Black Sea Realm and suppress Zhang Ruochen to death," a god declared harshly as he left.
With so many gods departing, the divine tide operation to attack the Hundred Clans Royal City had to be temporarily halted.
...
The fortress assembly was grand in scale, impossible to hide from the gods in the Hundred Clans Royal City.
Yu Ling Shen, Amuer, and Xuan stood atop the Guanyun Array Tower, their expressions grave. They gazed at the fortress star suspended beyond the heavens, sensing a violent storm approaching.
Below, rows upon rows of buildings stretched into the distance. Divine temples stood one after another, sacred mountains beyond count.
This divine city remained majestic and vast, but it had lost its former prosperity and clamor, replaced by desolation and ruin. Everywhere, broken walls and collapsed structures from divine battles could be seen.
A tense atmosphere enveloped the entire city. Cultivators were all clad in armor, some still stained with blood.
A hundred years of war had left this city, standing at the edge of the Hell Realm's star domain, scarred and battered. War had become the norm. Gods and saint realm cultivators had long shaken off their low spirits, their faces bearing a hardened, iron-blooded expression.
At this point in the war, where was there any retreat?
The enemy came not only from outside but also from within.
The Hundred Clans Royal City originally had one hundred and thirty-seven small clans. Through repeated rebellions and clans destroyed in war, only sixty clans remained—less than half the original number.
How brutal was this?
Each small clan had at least trillions of members, but they were wiped out one by one. Blood could form oceans, flesh could fill a planet.
Such was the terrifying destructive power of large-scale divine wars.
"Shua!"
A divine light streaked across the sky, landing below the Guanyun Array Tower, materializing into a woman in a goose-yellow long dress.
This woman was a false god. Holding a secret letter, she said, "Latest news: Our city lord has arrived in this star domain and, with extraordinary means, easily seized the Black Sea Realm. He has sternly warned the various Hell Realm forces. Now, the Hell Realm army is in chaos and cannot launch a divine tide for the time being."
The women of the Goddess Twelve Pavilions all called Zhang Ruochen "City Lord."
The City Lord of the First Divine Maiden City!
"Hua! Hua! Hua..."
One after another, divine lights appeared around the Guanyun Array Tower as the gods revealed themselves.
Yu Ling Shen took the secret letter and examined its contents. Though calm, the tension between her brows eased slightly.
News of Zhang Ruochen appearing in the Santu River region had already spread throughout the Hundred Clans Royal City. But various rumors were rampant—some said Zhang Ruochen was a calamity agent, some said he was captured by Gong Shang, some said he died at the hands of the Quantity Organization...
Now, finally, there was definite news.
The Fire Ghost Clan chief Xuan asked, "Has Great God Huang Tian come?"
"No," the woman in the goose-yellow dress replied truthfully.
The joy that had just risen among the gods present sank again.
Their thoughts were the same as those of the Hell Realm's various forces: even if Zhang Ruochen's cultivation speed was fast, he must still be below peak Taixu. Only if Great God Huang Tian came could the situation be shaken.
Amuer finished reading the secret letter and said, "Ruochen's greatest strengths are his unfathomable transformation techniques and concealment methods. Since he dares to come alone, he must have some certainty. Should we take this opportunity to launch a counterattack?"
Yu Ling Shen naturally understood Zhang Ruochen's abilities, but she did not make an immediate decision. After thinking for a long time, she said, "The Hell Realm gods are gathered, and there are many strong ones among them. For now, we must not act rashly. Let's wait a little longer!"
Amuer knew that Yu Ling Shen lacked confidence in Zhang Ruochen's strength, which was why she was being so conservative.
Of course, this lack of confidence was not because she thought Zhang Ruochen was too weak, but because the enemy was too powerful. The enemy was not a city, a sect, or a clan of the Hell Realm, but the entire Hell Realm army.
This was a star-domain-level confrontation, second only to the cosmic-level war at the Starry Sky Defense Line.
An individual, no matter how supremely skilled or wise, could only change so much.
(End of chapter)