Chapter 3281: Divine Crow, Vermilion Bird Fire Dance
Xiong Guan Star, Eastern Extreme Plateau.
The deities of the Hell Realm could no longer remain steady, manifesting their true forms one after another, each with a solemn expression.
"How is this possible? King Se and the Ghost Clan deities were actually suppressed!"
"Zhang Ruochen is surrounded by a host of powerful figures, especially that ghost-type strange beast, whose cultivation has reached the Soul-Stopping Realm. It is definitely a being that could make it into the 'Treatise on Great Gods.'"
"We were careless; otherwise, we wouldn't have suffered such a miserable defeat."
……
The Blazing Sun Heavenly Lord, Kong Can, Zhenyun Great God, and other Tai Xu Great Gods who had not gone, upon seeing Ghost Lord, Fu Chuan, and Yang Shuo all wounded, were greatly shaken in their hearts.
Such a defeat was too demoralizing!
Zhenyun Great God asked, "What about Chi Xuan Ghost Lord? Why didn't he return with you all?"
"Hmph! That old ghost surrendered to Zhang Ruochen immediately after being captured, a spineless coward. If he hadn't launched a sneak attack, I wouldn't have been injured!" Fu Chuan's tone carried a strong chill.
Ghost Lord said, "Kong Can, you need to be mentally prepared. Xu Zhen was captured by Xiu Chen!"
Kong Can calmed down and said indifferently, "Rest assured, from your descriptions of this battle, Zhang Ruochen did not use divine artifacts, focusing mainly on capture. Clearly, he wants to take prisoners, gain leverage, and negotiate with us."
"Xu Zhen is a renowned arrow-path powerhouse, backed by two God Venerables. If Zhang Ruochen dares to touch him, the Death Clan and Tiannan will surely turn the Hundred Clans Royal City and Xinghuantian into a sea of blood and dust."
Many deities nodded, agreeing with Kong Can's analysis.
Elder Yang sensed something, his deep, dark eyes looking toward the heavens: "Xu Zhen's Star Soul Divine Throne has gone out!"
Kong Can's face changed drastically as he peered into the deep void.
Boundless killing intent erupted from Kong Can's body, and a roar that shook the star river rang out: "No quarter given, the Death God Temple will exhaust all its resources to slay Zhang Ruochen. Send word to the Half-Venerable and the Red Robe Priest—today, the Hundred Clans Royal City must be dyed red with blood, to avenge Xu Zhen and restore the Death Clan's dignity."
The Blazing Sun Heavenly Lord secretly rejoiced, but his expression remained cold and stern. He said, "Even daring to kill a Tai Xu Great God of the Death God Temple, Zhang Ruochen is openly declaring war on the Hell Realm. First Xu Zhen, next King Se, and then perhaps one of us."
"Earlier, we indeed underestimated the enemy. Now, we must regroup, deploy our strongest forces, crush the Black Sea Realm, and slay Zhang Ruochen."
"The Blazing Sun Clan, though a newly risen minor clan, must contribute its share in the face of such a formidable foe. Everyone should unite in shared hatred!"
The deities of the various major powers all knew that the Blazing Sun Heavenly Lord was sparing no effort to assert his presence, seeking to stand alongside the Ten Great Clans. This time, the Hell Realm had indeed suffered a great loss, so no one spoke up to mock him.
The Blazing Sun Heavenly Lord knew the time had come. If he could capture Zhang Ruochen this time, he would not only obtain a large number of treasures but also establish an image of the Blazing Sun Clan's formidable strength before the major powers.
The Blazing Sun Heavenly Lord said, "My clan has an ancient god who received the true teachings of the Four Suns Heavenly Lord and has been living in seclusion in the Ancestor Realm. At this moment, that ancient god is on Xiong Guan Star. If he makes a move, even a Soul-Stopping Realm ghost-type strange beast can be suppressed with a flip of the hand."
Compared to that ancient god, the deities present were all visibly shaken upon hearing the words "Ancestor Realm."
As one of the four great ancient civilizations, the Blazing Sun Civilization naturally possessed extraordinary foundations, having produced an Ancestor in the extremely distant past.
However, producing an Ancestor did not mean that an Ancestor Realm had been left behind, nor did it guarantee that such an Ancestor Realm could be passed down to the present age.
After all, throughout the river of history, various great worlds, clans, and civilizations had encountered devastating catastrophes, and every so often, large-scale extinction events similar to the Calamity of Quantities would occur.
For the Blazing Sun Heavenly Lord to personally say this was naturally extremely shocking.
Many deities who had previously looked down on the Blazing Sun Clan now set aside their contempt.
If it truly was an Ancestor Realm, rather than a Divine Realm World left behind by a Half-Ancestor or an Indestructible Infinite, it would be a very terrifying thing.
"Senior Divine Crow, are you willing to make a move for the Hell Realm?" the Blazing Sun Heavenly Lord called out.
Above Xiong Guan Star, a golden flame vortex appeared, divine might surging, and the faint outline of a pair of wings could be seen spreading open.
An aged voice emerged from the golden flame vortex: "A mere brat dares to oppose the Hell Realm? I shall go and slay him at once."
"Such a powerful oppressive force! The Blazing Sun Clan's foundation is indeed extraordinary," Ghost Lord thought to himself.
Other deities weaker than Ghost Lord were even more shocked. This being named "Divine Crow" likely had a cultivation level approaching the Infinite Realm, definitely at the Heart-Stopping Realm.
Yang Shuo said, "I will accompany Senior Divine Crow. At the critical moment, I can block Zhang Ruochen and the others from escaping."
"Wait!"
Yu Mang Lord stepped forward, the blood light radiating from his body dyeing heaven and earth red. He said, "I've long heard that Zhang Ruochen's escape methods are extraordinary. I'll go along as well!"
Kong Can glanced at Elder Yang, who nodded.
Kong Can said, "Zhang Ruochen has occupied the Black Sea Realm and killed my Death Clan's Tai Xu Great God, making him a mortal enemy of our clan. Although the Half-Venerable and the Red Robe High Priest have not yet arrived, our clan does possess a God King Battle Formation."
Kong Can and Elder Yang led all the Death Clan deities on Xiong Guan Star, rising together into the clouds and soaring into the sky, joining Divine Crow and Yu Mang Lord as they flew into the deep void.
Such a formation was truly astonishing.
This time, aside from the Death Clan deities deploying the God King Battle Formation, no deity below the Tai Xu Realm dared to follow.
One of the five great experts of Fengdu Ghost City, Vermilion Bird Fire Dance, along with several Ghost Clan Great Gods, appeared in the void outside Xiong Guan Star. They had been dispatched by Hun Qi specifically from the Starry Sky Defense Line to assist King Se in dealing with Zhang Ruochen.
Vermilion Bird Fire Dance's strength ranked above Chi Chaluo, Xue Changjin, and Yaoguang Divine Consort, second only to Hun Qi.
In her previous life, she was a vermilion bird. Now, she had cultivated a ghost body with both human and vermilion bird forms. At this moment, she was in human form, with flaming hair and flaming wings, her beauty not inferior to Yaoguang Divine Consort.
She said, "We're still too late. A Tai Xu Realm pinnacle expert, captured alive—Fengdu Ghost City's face is completely lost. Oh well, Fengdu Ghost City's face was already lost long ago by Xue Changjin, Chi Chaluo, Zhao Wu, and the others. One more King Se doesn't make a difference."
Behind Vermilion Bird Fire Dance were beast-form Ghost Clan Great Gods, each with a powerful aura.
One Ghost Clan Great God, shaped like a pig, said, "According to Lord Hun Qi's information, Zhang Ruochen has grown to the point where he can exchange blows with Tiannan's Fourth. How could King Se be his match?"
Another Ghost Clan Great God, resembling a kangaroo, said, "Zhang Ruochen only has many trump cards. In the battle at Xinghuantian, including his clashes with Mu Tuo War God and Ghost Lord, he relied on external forces. His own strength may not surpass a Tai Xu initial stage Great God. This is a fatal flaw! No matter how tall a tower, if its foundation is unstable, a gentle push will bring it down!"
"Haha!"
Loud laughter rang out.
Pairs of beast eyes turned toward the iron cage on the back of the camel-shaped Ghost Clan Great God.
Inside the iron cage sat a man.
The man had an owl's head, his robe open, revealing the distinct contours of the muscles on his chest and abdomen.
He continued laughing: "After suffering such a great loss, even a fool like the Blazing Sun Heavenly Lord wouldn't dare underestimate Zhang Ruochen. Yet you still belittle the enemy. No wonder Fengdu Ghost City was nearly breached by the Quantity Organization and the Heavenly Court. The root cause is your arrogance."
Vermilion Bird Fire Dance walked beneath the iron cage, her beautiful eyes looking up, and said, "Even if Zhang Ruochen is strong, a single God King Battle Formation would suppress him."
The owl-headed man said, "No matter how strong a God King Battle Formation is, if Zhang Ruochen turns around and leaves, who can find him? This starry sky is so vast, the Hell Realm's armies are spread across countless worlds and planets, all of them his targets. In this confrontation, the Hell Realm is bound to lose."
"Who is the truly wise one? The Destiny Temple. Haven't you noticed that the Destiny Temple has held back?"
"You think it's because of Zhang Ruochen's relationship with Void Heaven and Fortune and Luck God Venerable that the Destiny Temple hasn't gone after him? Wrong, completely wrong."
"Then, in your esteemed opinion, why is that?" the kangaroo-shaped Ghost Clan Great God asked.
The owl-headed man said, "It's because the Destiny Temple knows very well that they can't deal with Zhang Ruochen. In this vast universe, who can outfight a master of time and space? I'll put it bluntly: without a divine artifact like the Celestial Pivot Needle to lock onto his position, even a God King can't outfight Zhang Ruochen."
"Besides, you've all said that Zhang Ruochen is no longer what he used to be. Even with a divine artifact like the Celestial Pivot Needle, without a person of exceptional spiritual power to wield it, locking onto him is absolutely impossible."
"Hehe, if you oppose him, Fengdu Ghost City will be in big trouble! Just wait and see!"
The surrounding beast-form Ghost Clan Great Gods let out various laughs—pig sounds, camel sounds, kangaroo sounds.
"Divine Crow is a top-tier expert. His divine soul can cover an entire star domain and perceive the finest details. Finding Zhang Ruochen won't be difficult. With Yu Mang Lord added, dealing with Zhang Ruochen and his group is more than enough."
"The God King Battle Formation is enough to seal off Zhang Ruochen's escape route."
"Even a God King can't outfight him... Haha, can Zhang Ruochen get through this?"
Hun Qi had a very high opinion of Zhang Ruochen, so Vermilion Bird Fire Dance naturally wouldn't take him lightly. However, she was equally confident in Divine Crow, Yu Mang Lord, and the God King Battle Formation. With such a lineup, how many below the Infinite Realm could withstand it?
"Let's go. Follow them and first rescue King Se and the others," she ordered.
……
Divine Crow, Yu Mang Lord, Kong Can, and Elder Yang all concealed their auras. Only after arriving above the Black Sea Realm did they suddenly release their Divine Realm Worlds, sealing off the four directions.
At the same time, over a hundred Death Clan deities, like stars scattered across the sky, positioned themselves around the Black Sea Realm, forming a God King Battle Formation.
With the formation complete, the outcome was as good as decided.
Kong Can called out, "Zhang Ruochen, come out and face your death!"
Divine Crow and Yu Mang Lord couldn't wait. Without any further words, they unleashed divine abilities, broke through the realm-protecting divine formation, and descended onto the continent where the seven temples were located.
Zhang Ruochen stood at the center of the seven temples, holding the Black Water Divine Staff, channeling the formation.
Yu Mang Lord's body was like blood jade, his divine light blazing. He raised his hand and struck a divine seal, which floated into the air. From the seal, dozens of divine chains flew out and landed on Zhang Ruochen.