Chapter 3348: Establishing Authority
The War God Temple was forged by an existence at the Great Unbound Infinite realm, using rare divine materials. Within the hall, a universe was concealed, and within its space, a world was contained. Yet, such an indestructible divine temple was split in two by a single sword strike. The world inside the temple collapsed, mountains toppled, and rivers dried up. Many of the temple's collections, such as scriptures, elixirs, and artifacts, were shattered by the divine sword's force. If that Great Unbound Infinite were still alive, how could he believe that the temple he spent a million years forging would be destroyed by a Great God?
For the top thousand strongest realms of the Heavenly Court, this would be a catastrophe comparable to destroying a realm and exterminating a clan. For the Death Clan, it was also a heavy blow. After all, such War God Temples, which could be passed down to the present day, were few, and almost all were held by the God Kings and God Venerables of the Death Clan. Destroying one was more painful than destroying a major world.
Half-Venerable was one of the candidates for the future clan leader of the Death Clan, which was why he had obtained one.
Zhang Ruochen suppressed Half-Venerable's Divine Source into the Lesser Yin Divine Sea and, without ceremony, took away the two halves of the broken War God Temple, erasing Half-Venerable's divine soul thoughts within. The damaged War God Temple still held great value.
The remaining blood mist of Half-Venerable scattered, fleeing in all directions, gradually dissipating into the cosmic space. Zhang Ruochen was too lazy to continue killing him. If time were abundant, or if there were an irreconcilable blood feud, he might have pursued to the end. But now... it was too much of a waste of time. Even if this blood mist escaped, it would not amount to anything; it could not survive the next Eon Calamity. If he truly had heaven-defying skills and cultivated a second life, by the time he regained his current cultivation, Zhang Ruochen would have soared to heights he could never reach and would no longer regard him as a threat.
...
Muto War God piloted the War God Temple, fleeing toward Xiongguan Star. He had already sensed Zhang Ruochen's aura and recognized the true identity of "Ming Sword God." If it were any other newly promoted God King or God Venerable at the Qiankun Infinite realm, Muto War God would have dared to clash, not flee like this. But the truth was, Zhang Ruochen, wielding the Pure Yang Divine Sword and having cultivated the Wuji Divine Dao, was too terrifying, possessing the power to slay gods.
"Where do you think you're going?"
The voice arrived first. Then, the Pure Yang Divine Sword tore through the void, striking the War God Temple. With a thunderous roar, streaks of multicolored light flashed around the temple's periphery, releasing all-heaven divine qi from within. Zhang Ruochen dragged the divine sword, his sharply defined face flickering between light and shadow in the firelight. From the sword's edge surged scorching divine flames, burning away the thin layer of all-heaven divine qi, making it increasingly faint.
Muto War God knew that once the War God Temple's defenses were broken, he would likely follow in Half-Venerable's footsteps. He said, "Zhang Ruochen, are you leading the gods of Xinghuantian to declare war on the Hell Realm?"
"Muto, while fighting this god, you still have the mind to worry about other deities. Today, you are destined to die under the Pure Yang Divine Sword!"
Zhang Ruochen naturally would not admit it. Using the divine sword's flames to protect himself, he charged straight at the War God Temple.
Muto War God knew that Zhang Ruochen carried the God-Defying Stele, and the War God Temple's defensive formations might not hold. The War God Temple shrank, becoming the size of a fist, and crashed into the Void World.
"You can't escape!"
Zhang Ruochen activated the power of space, forming a cage to trap the War God Temple.
"Break!"
Muto War God shouted. The War God Temple released all-heaven divine light, and beams of light pierced through the space cage like paper.
With a "swish," Zhang Ruochen, holding the Pure Yang Divine Sword, ignored the all-heaven divine light and struck down with his sword, colliding heavily with the War God Temple again.
Muto War God was indeed formidable. Knowing he could not escape, he chose not to flee. He burned his divine soul, unleashing immense soul power. The all-heaven divine qi within the War God Temple converged toward his bone body. His black bones, as if heated red, turned into a blazing gold.
"Darkness Heavenly Source!"
Muto War God raised his arm, and the entire star domain trembled, manifesting streaks of dark shadows. The dozens of Hell Realm gods who had been rushing to assist immediately retreated far away, sensing the world-destroying aura, and released their Supreme Sacred Artifacts for defense.
"Mo Yi Divine Sword Art!"
Zhang Ruochen called out the ultimate technique that Ming Sword God had cultivated, but he executed a sword move infused with the essence of Sword Seventeen. In the starry sky, sword dao rules surged wildly, and divine flames blazed on the sword's edge.
With this clash, Zhang Ruochen finally broke through the War God Temple's defenses and charged inside. This War God Temple was forged by an ancient All Heavens. Although that All Heavens was also at the Great Unbound Infinite realm, the temple he created was far more sturdy (jiangu) than Half-Venerable's and was not destroyed by the Pure Yang Divine Sword.
Muto War God's arms were shattered by the sword qi. Seeing Zhang Ruochen approaching, he immediately retreated deeper into the temple.
"Realm Lord Ruochen, you have already married Wu Yue, making you half a god of the Darkness Temple. How about we stop here today? I will lead the Darkness Temple's army to withdraw from the Hundred Clans Royal City star domain!"
Fleeing into the temple, Muto War God once again activated the divine qi left by the ancient All Heavens to continue resisting. He continued, "All the resources and wealth the Darkness Temple has seized in the Hundred Clans Royal City star domain, I promise to deliver them all to Xinghuantian."
"Muto, remember this well. The one who slays you today is I, Ming Sword God. If you mention another's name again and diminish this god's prestige, I will not only kill you but also wipe out every divine soul thought you have in this world!"
Zhang Ruochen broke through the thin, veil-like all-heaven divine qi with his sword and charged into the temple.
Moments later, Zhang Ruochen emerged from the temple, holding Muto War God's Divine Source. He said, "Muto War God has had his Divine Source taken and his divine soul extracted by this god. If the Darkness Temple does not wish to die, get out of the Hundred Clans Royal City star domain immediately."
"Has Muto War God fallen just like that?"
"Ming Sword God has definitely reached the Infinite realm!"
"Do you still think he is Ming Sword God? To break the War God Temple, the Pure Yang Divine Sword alone is not enough; he must have used the God-Defying Stele. For Half-Venerable and Muto War God to be unable to escape even while fleeing, he must have heaven-defying means. First-rank Divine Path, the world's number one!"
...
After the battle at Xiongguan Star erupted, many gods of the Hell Realm had been suspecting the true identity of "Ming Sword God." Some gods had even clearly sensed Zhang Ruochen's aura. But Zhang Ruochen simply refused to admit it—what could they do?
The gods of the Darkness Temple truly began to consider retreat. Who would dare to oppose a ruthless person who could even kill Muto War God? This might be their only chance to withdraw.
Without hesitation, the gods of the Darkness Temple tore through space together and fled into the Void World. Before leaving, one god secretly transmitted a message to Zhang Ruochen: "Please, Realm Lord, do not unleash a great slaughter. Spare the saint-level armies of the temple."
It was not that he had suddenly developed a kind heart, but those saint-level armies included many of his followers and disciples.
The reason Zhang Ruochen insisted on killing Muto War God was to intimidate the Hell Realm gods present. If he did not scare them off directly, he would have to kill even more Hell Realm gods today, deepening the enmity. By killing one Muto War God but letting all the other Darkness Temple gods go, he was already extending an olive branch. With the Infinite realm absent, the Darkness Temple was leaderless and no longer a threat to Zhang Ruochen.
Seeing the Darkness Temple gods leave, the gods of other major factions began to waver.
Yanyang Heavenly Lord said, "What is there to fear? Just one Zhang Ruochen. With all of us gods gathered, why should we fear him? Follow me back to Xiongguan Star, and we will use the city-protecting grand formation and the heavenly banner to kill all enem—"
"Pfft!"
A flash of firelight passed by, severing Yanyang Heavenly Lord's head.
By the time Yanyang Heavenly Lord uttered the word "enemy," his head had already left his body. No one saw clearly who the firelight was. It was too fast. After taking Yanyang Heavenly Lord's head, it charged into the Void World.
After a long moment, the nearby gods reacted and fled like mad into Xiongguan Star.
Zhuque Huowu, who had rushed into the Void World, crushed Yanyang Heavenly Lord's head and muttered, "That old fellow is indeed cunning. His divine sea wasn't in his head."
Yanyang Heavenly Lord's headless divine body flew into Xiongguan Star, surrounded by over a dozen protective war artifacts. Many Hell Realm gods chose to return to Xiongguan Star, intending to use overwhelming force to retake control of this seventh-level war star and turn defeat into victory.
Some gods, however, bowed from afar to Zhang Ruochen, secretly transmitted messages promising certain things, and then fled away. These fleeing gods mostly came from minor forces in the Hell Realm, with limited interests in the Hundred Clans Royal City, and did not want to lose their lives over it.
Today's battle was not yet over. But with just the current achievements, Zhang Ruochen had already left an indelible mark on the hearts of the Hell Realm gods. From now on, when they set foot in the Hundred Clans Royal City star domain, their hearts would no longer be as calm and fearless as before. This was the power of establishing authority through a single battle!