Chapter 3289: Catching It Bare-Handed
Chi Yao stood atop Zangjin Baihu's head, her figure faintly visible, surrounded by divine light. Before long, she had arrived at the wilderness outside the ghost city.
There was an unspoken understanding between Zhang Ruochen and Chi Yao. The moment he stepped outside the Cold Stone Ancestral Realm, he sensed her presence. It was precisely for this reason that, despite knowing the Cold Stone Ancestral Realm was abnormal, he still ordered Chi Xuan Ghost Lord to attack it.
Zhang Ruochen had to deal with the Hell Realm, and the Cold Stone Ancestral Realm was an obstacle he could not bypass. There was no need for communication through message talismans; Chi Yao could make the judgment on her own. She had taken control of this great world before Zhang Ruochen, and even before Zhuque Huowu, effectively waiting at ease for the exhausted enemy.
Zhang Ruochen looked up at the dispersing dark clouds in the sky and smiled at Zhuque Huowu. "The tide has turned. Open the city gates. You've lost."
Zhuque Huowu's gaze grew increasingly sharp, her battle intent high. "Admit defeat? The realm-protecting divine formation is destroyed, but I still have the city-protecting grand formation and the spear in my hand. Who dares to step forward?"
"Roar!"
From within the ghost city, beastly roars rang out.
All the ghost clan deities were howling in fury.
Zhang Ruochen said, "If we truly go to war, how many ghost clan cultivators in the Cold Stone Ancestral Realm will survive? Your realm-protecting grand formation is not as unbreakable as you imagine. And the spear in your hand is not as powerful as you think."
He pointed a finger to the sky and took a step forward.
The Yin Yang Eighteen Formations manifested, transforming into eighteen divine formation worlds fused into one, crashing heavily into the ghost city.
"Boom!"
The formation light curtains around the ghost city rose layer by layer.
The city walls shook, and buildings within the city collapsed in succession, turning into rubble and debris.
A second thunderous roar followed as the God-Defying Stele flew out from the formation and struck above the city gate. The mysterious power unleashed by the God-Defying Stele caused the formation inscription runes to gradually dissipate and the light curtain to dim.
"The city-protecting grand formation cannot stop Zhang Ruochen. Gather all ghost clan cultivators into the divine realm world and prepare to retreat." Knowing the power of the God-Defying Stele, Zhuque Huowu immediately gave the order.
"Bang!"
The Sundial struck the light curtain of the city-protecting grand formation, shattering several layers in succession and causing it to cave inward.
Formation inscription runes continued to snap.
Cang Jue and Chi Xuan Ghost Lord attacked in succession. Finally, the city-protecting grand formation could not withstand the relentless assaults and cracked open.
Cang Jue was the first to charge in, his hands forming divine abilities as he slashed straight toward Zhuque Huowu.
"Soul-Destroying Slash!"
Zhuque Huowu, heroic and spirited, raised her spear and soared into the air to meet the attack.
The spear thrust out, its flames dazzling to the extreme, breaking through Cang Jue's divine ability. The spear tip advanced unstoppably, piercing through Cang Jue's protective divine light and divine realm world one after another.
Cang Jue was greatly alarmed and voluntarily dispersed his ghostly body, transforming into a hundred thousand shadow sparrows.
"So strong! No wonder she's second only to Hun Qi among the experts of Fengdu Ghost City, even surpassing Shen Wu by a notch. Just one thrust nearly wounded Cang Jue." Chi Xuan Ghost Lord was shocked and immediately retreated, not daring to clash with Zhuque Huowu.
Zhuque Huowu did not press the advantage. She stored the iron cage and all the deities of Fengdu Ghost City into her divine realm world, spread the wings on her back, and shot straight into the sky, decisively fleeing.
Her speed was astonishingly fast. Even Xiu Chen Heavenly God, who unleashed the River of Time, could not detain her.
Zhang Ruochen did not give chase. He merely glanced at Chi Yao.
Chi Yao nodded slightly.
In the sky, rain began to fall.
The raindrops were icy cold, their penetrating power immense, like flying war swords.
Zhuque Huowu's pupils contracted slightly, divine flames burning within them as she saw a massive, shadowy figure appear in the clouds, its shape bizarre and clawing wildly.
A powerful wave of spiritual power emanated from the clouds.
"Splash!"
A waterfall cascaded from the sky, surging toward her.
Though called a waterfall, it was like an overturned divine sea—boundless water currents carrying immense killing intent.
"Break!"
Her red lips parted slightly as she uttered a divine sound.
The divine sound shattered the space for hundreds of miles around, revealing the dark and profound Void World.
But the Void World was not empty. Green, glowing branches slashed out from within. The branches flowed with golden thread-like patterns, and the leaves were as crystalline as jade, resembling the limbs of a sky-connecting divine tree.
Zhuque Huowu used her spear like a staff, sweeping it horizontally, sending leaves flying everywhere.
Yet the branches were incredibly tough and did not snap.
Some leaves broke through her protective divine flames, tearing a corner of her long sleeve—a testament to their sharpness.
Zhuque Huowu sensed danger and focused her gaze. She saw an aged figure standing on the branches. Before she could make out his appearance, he had already vanished.
Instinctively, Zhuque Huowu channeled all her divine power into her spear and thrust it diagonally.
The spear moved like a snake, swift as the wind.
The aged figure's palm collided with the spear tip, a secret pattern seal on his palm flashing continuously.
"Hiss!"
The two divine forces clashed, tearing apart an even larger area of space.
The aged figure was sent flying backward, plunging a hundred miles deep into the Void World before stabilizing himself.
Zhuque Huowu was not faring well either. It was as if all her divine qi had been scattered, and before she could reassemble it, the water pouring from the sky fell upon her.
She unfolded her divine realm world. Within it, Se Realm King and the beast-shaped ghost clan deities struck out together, unleashing divine power to counter the water currents.
At the same time, the aged figure flew back.
The green, glowing divine tree also emerged from the Void World.
It walked on its roots, using its branches as arms. Every time a branch descended, a vast number of rule divine patterns condensed into divine abilities, striking Zhuque Huowu.
Before long, Zhuque Huowu was forced back to the ghost city by the three experts of Shengu Chao.
The aged figure had a human form, a flesh-and-blood body, and gray-white hair. Not only his face but his entire body was covered in secret pattern marks. Especially on his forehead, there was a glowing "One" character.
The green, glowing divine tree hovered in midair, towering hundreds of thousands of zhang high, growing all the way into the cosmos. It appeared immortal and sacred, emitting life qi and peaceful radiance.
On its trunk, ancient, rugged facial features were carved, with a "Life" character on its forehead.
The shadowy figure in the clouds revealed itself, resembling a liquid ocean. It gradually condensed into human form, still semi-transparent, with a "Derive" character on its head.
Zhuque Huowu stood as steadfast as an ancient pine, her gaze sweeping the surroundings. "Have you considered the consequences of opposing Fengdu Ghost City and the Hell Realm?"
The old man with the "One" character on his forehead was named Yi Mu. His divine voice was vast and ethereal. "Our Ancestor God was an old friend of Fengdu Dadi. Shengu Chao has no intention of opposing Fengdu Ghost City. Our emergence this time is to resolve the conflict between the Hell Realm and the Hundred Clans Royal City and prevent the war from spreading further."
Zhang Ruochen spoke up. "Do you still want to continue fighting?"
"Of course!" Zhuque Huowu lifted her chin, stubborn and unwilling to surrender. "If it were one-on-one combat, who here would be my match?"
"Little girl, it seems you don't take this Heavenly God seriously, do you?" Xiu Chen Heavenly God walked forward with his hands behind his back. With every step, time and space trembled beneath his feet. "How about a bet? If you defeat me, you may leave, and no one here will stop you. But if you lose, you'll have to stay obediently."
"Her words don't count," Zhang Ruochen said.
Too disrespectful!
Xiu Chen Heavenly God felt the urge to strike Zhang Ruochen directly.
Zhang Ruochen shifted his position, appearing inside the ghost city, standing opposite Zhuque Huowu less than ten zhang away. "Continuing to fight will do you no good. At best, you can only force a mutual destruction. And even that chance is very slim."
"We are not mortal enemies—at least not for now. If we fight to the death, it will only benefit the Heavenly Court."
Zhuque Huowu said, "Since you understand the bigger picture, you should do me a favor and let me go. I, Zhuque Huowu, swear I will owe you, Zhang Ruochen, a favor. What do you think?"
"No," Zhang Ruochen shook his head.
"Then you leave me no choice!"
"Hiss!"
The sub-divine-rank supreme sacred artifact spear, as fast as lightning, thrust straight at Zhang Ruochen's chest.
Zhuque Huowu knew very well that if she could subdue Zhang Ruochen in the shortest time, she could turn the tide today. And Zhang Ruochen's active approach gave her the chance to do so.
"Boom!"
Zhang Ruochen, wearing his fist gloves, grabbed the spear with his hand, sliding backward for dozens of zhang, carving a deep trench. Behind him, the Yin Yang Eighteen Formations manifested, dissipating the impact of Zhuque Huowu's thrust, and he came to a stop.
The spear tip was only an inch from Zhang Ruochen's throat.
But that inch seemed like an insurmountable chasm, with a powerful spatial force blocking the way.
"He... caught my Divine Execution Spear bare-handed..."
Holding the spear, Zhuque Huowu was shocked beyond words.
This thrust, though not at full power in pursuit of speed, still carried enough force to pierce a star or bore through a great world.
What she didn't know was that with Zhang Ruochen's current cultivation, within eighteen zhang, no matter how fast the opponent's attack, he could catch it.
Zhang Ruochen released his grip, letting the spear point at his neck, and smiled. "Thank you, Lady Huowu. If you had used full power in that thrust, I would have been severely wounded. Since you were only testing my cultivation, I take it you no longer wish to fight?"
The other deities present, hearing Zhang Ruochen's words, suddenly understood.
"So Zhuque Huowu didn't use her full power—she was just testing. I almost thought Zhang Ruochen's strength was that terrifying."
Only Zhuque Huowu herself knew the truth. Although she had held back, Zhang Ruochen's strength was definitely above hers. This man was too terrifying, even more powerful than Hun Qi had described.
How could she still fight today?
Zhuque Huowu withdrew her spear and snorted lightly. "Severely wounding you, or even killing you, what would be the point? It would only be a case of the snipe and the clam grappling, letting the fisherman profit. Enough. Today, you win."
Zhang Ruochen glanced at Xiu Chen Heavenly God.
Reluctantly, Xiu Chen Heavenly God, thinking of how he needed Zhang Ruochen's help to refine Shen Wu, set aside his grievances and personally sealed Zhuque Huowu's cultivation.
"Lady Huowu is our honored guest. She must not be treated with disrespect," Zhang Ruochen instructed.
Se Realm King became a prisoner once again.
The beast-shaped ghost clan deities were all dissatisfied, roaring incessantly with fierce aura.
"Lady Huowu, you could have severely wounded Zhang Ruochen with one thrust and captured him. Why did you choose to surrender?"
"After today's battle, where will the dignity of Fengdu Ghost City be?"
...
Zhuque Huowu transmitted her voice to them: "Zhang Ruochen has already given us enough face. If we continue fighting, we will all become Xiu Chen Heavenly God's soul food."
"Do you really think that thrust of mine was just a test? Zhang Ruochen's strength is far more terrifying than you imagine."
The ghost clan deities, including Se Realm King, all changed color.
Then they fell into deep thought.
Zhuque Huowu sighed. "Don't worry. Zhang Ruochen is a man with a sense of the bigger picture, not a bloodthirsty brute. He won't easily forge a death feud with Fengdu Ghost City. Wait a few days, and the situation will surely change."
(Chapter End)