Chapter 1286: Damn Luck
"Boom!"
The light seal formed by the power of the Eight Trigrams Cloud-Sealing Disk finally shattered completely, turning into wisps of true qi light mist.
Countless ice swords converged together, and the mere sword aura they emitted was like ten thousand rays of light, devouring Red Desire Star Envoy's delicate body.
Standing within the sword light, Red Desire Star Envoy's face changed slightly. Her blood and true qi were pushed to their limits, and an ancient, sacred power began to awaken within her.
Her arm turned as white as jade, and specks of light scattered from her skin, forming a powerful sacred force.
Raising her right arm, she struck a palm forward.
"Rumble!"
White sacred light surged from her palm, like a storm that could destroy everything in the world.
All the ice swords shattered, turning into fragments of ice.
Although Red Desire Star Envoy had not cultivated a sacred body, sacred blood still awakened within her. Her right arm was fully sanctified, allowing her to unleash a trace of sacred power.
Just as the ice swords shattered, Zhang Ruochen had already rushed before Red Desire Star Envoy and struck a palm.
"Wild Elephant Stomps the Ground."
Red Desire Star Envoy retreated two steps, freezing the river water beneath her feet to steady herself. She once again executed her sacred hand, unleashing sacred power to meet the attack.
The two palm forces collided, splitting the water surface apart, sending two layers of waves surging in opposite directions.
A muffled groan escaped Red Desire Star Envoy's lips. Her face turned pale as she was pushed back by Zhang Ruochen's palm force, struggling to defend herself.
Zhang Ruochen's palm force not only did not weaken but grew stronger.
"Boom!"
Suddenly, Zhang Ruochen stopped in his tracks, releasing a hidden force from his palm that sent Red Desire Star Envoy flying backward.
"Ah!"
Red Desire Star Envoy's internal organs suffered severe damage, and she spat out a mouthful of blood.
"If I'm not mistaken, Red Desire Star Envoy just used the power of her sacred hand, so how could she still be injured by Zhang Ruochen?" On the Duanmu family's warship, an old man with graying hair narrowed his eyes, a contemplative look on his face.
That old man was named Hua Shenyi. Publicly, he was a guest elder of the Duanmu family, but in reality, he was an elder of the Moon Worship Demon Sect.
Since Red Desire Star Envoy possessed a sacred hand, even if she wasn't a sacred body, she could be called a half-sacred body.
Zhang Ruochen was not a sacred body, yet his palm force was even more formidable than hers, shocking even this demon sect elder.
Qin Ya stood beside Hua Shenyi, gazing into the distance at Zhang Ruochen. A hint of confusion flickered in her eyes. "Could Zhang Ruochen also be some kind of sacred body?"
"Impossible."
"Only descendants of saints possess diluted sacred blood and have a chance to cultivate a sacred body. The ancestors of the Zhang family of Yunwu Commandery didn't even have a single half-saint, so how could a later descendant give birth to a sacred body?"
Hua Shenyi frowned deeply. "Regardless, Zhang Ruochen is indeed an extraordinary talent. Though he hasn't fully grown yet, it's foreseeable that he will achieve great things in the future. If we can't recruit him into the sect, we must eliminate him."
Qin Ya said, "Don't act rashly. Leave this to the Holy Maiden."
Hua Shenyi nodded.
On the water's surface, the battle continued, but it had become a one-sided slaughter.
As time passed, Zhang Ruochen fully adapted to the power of the Heavenly Extreme Realm, growing stronger with each exchange, forcing Red Desire Star Envoy into constant retreat.
Although Red Desire Star Envoy was weaker than Zhang Ruochen, her movement technique was extremely subtle. For a time, Zhang Ruochen couldn't completely subdue her.
"This ends now."
"Elephant Force Ninefold."
Zhang Ruochen struck nine palms in succession, each palm imprint condensing into a massive phantom of a divine elephant. The nine divine elephants linked together, striking out along with Zhang Ruochen's palm.
Nine times the power surged forth in an instant.
Facing the incoming palm force, Red Desire Star Envoy felt a stabbing pain all over her body. She could imagine that if that palm struck her, she would be torn apart.
"What a Zhang Ruochen, not knowing how to cherish a beauty. Is he trying to kill me?"
A cold glint flashed in Red Desire Star Envoy's eyes. A red light appeared on her brow, like a bright vermilion beauty mark.
She prepared to use the sacred artifact within her qi sea.
Only by using a sacred artifact could she save her life.
Generally, only half-saint families and top-tier sects possessed sacred artifacts. Each sacred artifact was a devastating war weapon, unleashing power beyond the imagination of ordinary martial artists.
At the same time, only sacred artifacts could be stored within the qi sea.
At her current cultivation level, she would need to burn a large amount of blood to unleash the power of a sacred artifact.
Using a sacred artifact once would severely deplete her vitality, leaving her weak for a long time to recover.
Just as Red Desire Star Envoy was about to activate the sacred artifact in her qi sea, a mass of orange light rushed up from her left side. Within that light was a veiled woman.
She landed in front of Red Desire Star Envoy and said, "Put away the sacred artifact. I'll handle Zhang Ruochen."
It was one of the Seven Evil Star Envoys, Orange Moon Star Envoy.
Orange Moon Star Envoy hovered in midair, her long hair cascading like a waterfall into the water. Her body was wrapped in a layer of light mist, revealing only a hazy silhouette, giving her a mysterious, ethereal beauty.
Also one of the Seven Evil Star Envoys, Orange Moon Star Envoy had a higher martial cultivation, having reached the late stage of the Heavenly Extreme Realm.
Her palm struck forward.
"Whoosh!"
Zhang Ruochen's ninefold-power palm strike felt as if it had hit an iron mountain. Not only did it fail to shake her, but it also left his arm numb and aching.
Orange Moon Star Envoy's body swayed slightly before stabilizing. She twisted her five fingers into a fist and struck toward Zhang Ruochen's palm.
Her fist was like a shooting star, unleashing an immense force of countless tens of thousands of jin in an instant.
"Not good."
Zhang Ruochen immediately executed his movement technique, kicking off the water's surface and retreating swiftly like the wind.
Although a martial artist's speed grew slowly upon reaching the Heavenly Extreme Realm, Zhang Ruochen had already reached the speed of sound in the Earth Extreme Realm. Breaking through to the Heavenly Extreme Realm gave him a significant advantage in speed.
If only speed were compared, Zhang Ruochen was even faster than Orange Moon Star Envoy.
Orange Moon Star Envoy's fist wind struck in front of Zhang Ruochen but was blocked by the protective heavenly firmament formed by Azure Void True Qi.
Zhang Ruochen steadied himself, staring at Orange Moon Star Envoy and Red Desire Star Envoy across from him. "Could it be that Orange Moon Star Envoy also wishes to fight me?"
"If I strike, do you have a chance to win?" Orange Moon Star Envoy's voice was ethereal, giving off an unfathomable aura.
Zhang Ruochen said, "If I don't try, how would I know?"
"Then I'll grant your wish. Even if you die by my hand, you'll have earned enough fame to be known across the Eastern Domain."
Flames gathered at the tips of Orange Moon Star Envoy's five fingers, forming a fireball in her palm. Tiny bolts of lightning darted through the fireball, crackling with a "sizzling" sound.
The fireball, seemingly only the size of a fist, contained scorching energy. The temperature it emitted caused the water within a hundred zhang to boil, sending up bubbles.
"The Seven Evil Star Envoys of the Black Market First Class Hall are planning to gang up on an inner palace student of our Martial Market Academy. If word gets out, it might tarnish the reputation of the Seven Evil Star Envoys."
In the distance, Lei Jing and Chen Ying soared into the air. In the blink of an eye, they landed on Zhang Ruochen's left and right, shielding him in the center.
Lei Jing and Chen Ying were both Fish-Dragon Realm experts, renowned in the Demon Ridge and standing at the very peak.
Almost instantly, the Seven Evil Star Envoys rushed out simultaneously, on high alert, fully activating their true qi. They also feared that Lei Jing and Chen Ying might suddenly strike and kill Di Yi.
The Seven Evil Star Envoys stood in seven different positions, seemingly casual, but they had already formed a formation, linking their powers together.
Lei Jing laughed heartily. "Are we going to fight? Good. I've long wanted to see just how much weight the Seven Evil Star Envoys carry."
"I'm afraid you can't bear it." Purple Wind Star Envoy said coldly.
Among the Seven Evil Star Envoys, Purple Wind Star Envoy was the oldest and the strongest, naturally making him exceptionally domineering.
The Seven Evil Star Envoys were renowned across the world, each a dragon or phoenix among men. They naturally wouldn't take a martial artist from the Demon Ridge seriously.
Even a Fish-Dragon Realm martial artist was just a slightly stronger ant in their eyes.
Lei Jing's gaze locked onto Purple Wind Star Envoy, his aura surging. "Then today, I must weigh you."
In an instant, blood light surged from Lei Jing's body, condensing into a nine-zhang-tall phantom of an ox-headed giant god.
"Whoosh—"
The entire water area turned blood-red. A powerful, unmatched force erupted from Lei Jing's body, shooting into the sky, scattering the clouds above.
"This man is formidable, over ten times stronger than the Poison Spider Chamber of Commerce's chief. No wonder the Black Market has been suppressed by the Martial Market Bank in the Demon Ridge."
"Purple Flame Spear."
Purple Wind Star Envoy's expression turned serious as he cast aside his contempt.
The long spear on his back flew up into his hand.
Raising his arm, Purple Wind Star Envoy pointed the spear at the sky. A stream of true qi shot from the spear tip, turning into a purple beam of light.
In an instant, countless bolts of lightning gathered in the sky and converged at the spear tip.
Purple Wind Star Envoy charged forward, thrusting the spear at Lei Jing.
At the same time, Lei Jing threw a punch, carrying the power of the blood god phantom, striking down at Purple Wind Star Envoy below.
"Boom!"
With one clash, Purple Wind Star Envoy was sent flying backward by the blood god phantom's fist.
However, Purple Wind Star Envoy was not injured. Instead, the light of the Purple Flame Spear in his hand grew even more dazzling. His battle intent blazed.
Lei Jing was surprised. "Impressive. No wonder you're the leader of the Seven Evil Star Envoys. Barely fifty years old, and you already possess such formidable strength."
Purple Wind Star Envoy said, "Your strength truly surprises me."
Purple Wind Star Envoy had already used his full power, yet he was still repelled by Lei Jing's strike. If the battle continued, the outcome would be hard to predict.
"Purple Wind Star Envoy, you may not know this, but the Lei Pavilion Master before you was once a proud figure in the Holy Academy. Being repelled by him in one move is no disgrace."
Di Yi stepped forward, appearing calm and composed. He extended a hand to stop Purple Wind Star Envoy, who was about to continue attacking.
Di Yi said, "Today, this is a battle between me and Zhang Ruochen. All of you, step back."
The Seven Evil Star Envoys retreated simultaneously.
Red Desire Star Envoy had a trace of blood at the corner of her mouth. She stared at Zhang Ruochen across from her, unwilling to give up. "I still have ultimate techniques I haven't used. If we fight again, I might not lose."
Zhang Ruochen only smiled faintly, not bothering to argue.
Ultimate techniques? Who didn't have them?
Lei Jing frowned slightly, looking at Zhang Ruochen. "Do you really have to fight Di Yi?"
"I promised a friend I would avenge her, so I must fight," Zhang Ruochen said firmly, his gaze growing sharper.
"Di Yi is no ordinary man. He is the highest talent of the Black Market First Class Hall in the past century. You must not underestimate him," Lei Jing said.
If he hadn't witnessed Zhang Ruochen's battle with Red Desire Star Envoy, Lei Jing would never have agreed to Zhang Ruochen dueling Di Yi.
As for now, although Lei Jing still didn't believe Zhang Ruochen was a match for Di Yi, he trusted that the gap between them wasn't too wide. Even if Zhang Ruochen couldn't defeat Di Yi, he had the ability to protect himself.