Chapter 3517: Throughout History, Only I Am First-Rank
Zhang Ruochen perceived the current situation and realized it was extremely unfavorable for him and Nutian Shenzun, far from their original plan.
The Kui Liang Huang had not even shown himself.
Just as Nutian Shenzun and Lei Fa Tianzun were surging with momentum, nearly reaching their peaks, and the battle of immortality was about to erupt...
"Hold on!"
Zhang Ruochen took a Divine Spirit Step forward, clasped his hands behind his back, and faced the gods opposite him directly.
Regardless of whether these individuals were former Heavenly Venerables, ancient demons, or rulers of an era, Zhang Ruochen's expression was cold and proud, his eyes filled with boundless confidence. He declared loudly, "Tianzun, your earlier words were far too dismissive of me, were they not? You say Nutian Shenzun came alone, so where does that leave me?"
Even Lei Fa Tianzun, with his state of mind, could not help but feel a trace of confusion.
Behind him, the ancient powerhouses standing on the Divine Throne Planets were even more perplexed.
They had naturally seen those who sought death and those who loved to show off, but Zhang Ruochen, renowned as the "Young Ancestor," was undoubtedly a shrewd individual. Why would he deliberately seek death?
In a clash of this level, who among them would not want to retreat to a safe distance?
Who would dare to actively approach? And even provoke them?
Zhang Ruochen was actually acting out of necessity.
Because Nutian Shenzun had not brought Nie Zang Zunzhe or Yan Shu Chanshi, but had instead brought him, a junior who had just entered the Infinite Realm, to face the enemy. This was inherently abnormal.
Would this not arouse suspicion?
That was the first reason.
Second, he, Zhang Ruochen, had cultivated a First-Rank Divine Path, was known as the "Young Ancestor," and possessed numerous supreme treasures, yet these people seemed to have no interest in him at all. How could their plan be implemented?
If Lei Fa Tianzun was not severely wounded first, how could Nutian Shenzun restrain this Tianzun-level figure who had once dominated an era?
Zhang Ruochen took out the Seven-Star Divine Sword, pointed it at the gods opposite, including Lei Fa Tianzun, and laughed with high spirits, "I know what you are thinking, but I, Zhang Ruochen, bear the name of the Young Ancestor, yet I am treated with such disregard. How can I not be indignant? Who dares to fight me?"
The entire starry sky fell silent.
It was very awkward!
Zhang Ruochen laughed loudly, "Haha, the ancients are ultimately inferior to the moderns, abandoned by the times, lacking even the courage to fight! There are no heroes in this world, so I will slaughter the realm."
Zhang Ruochen was certain that with Nutian Shenzun present, Lei Fa Tianzun would not make a move. Therefore, his gaze remained fixed on the distant Divine Throne Planets.
Sure enough, after a moment of silence, Fei Ma Wang flew up from the Divine Throne Planet, her divine voice drifting over from a hundred billion miles away, "I will destroy you, this arrogant Young Ancestor."
In the ancient times, Fei Ma Wang ranked thirty-eighth among the Seventy-Two Pillar Demon Gods, and her cultivation must have reached the Zhutian level.
She had awakened earlier than the other demon gods, and her cultivation had already recovered to the middle stage of Great Unbound Infinite. Below the Zhutian level, she had few rivals.
As soon as she flew out of the Divine Throne Planet, the demonic aura of the heavens was released, merging with her divine patterns and rules to stir up black waves hundreds of miles high, surging toward Zhang Ruochen and Nutian Shenzun.
Nutian Shenzun frowned for the first time. At this moment, his and Lei Fa Tianzun's auras were locked onto each other. If he made a move to save Zhang Ruochen, he would have to endure Lei Fa Tianzun's most rapid strike, which would seal his defeat.
And now, the Kui Liang Huang had yet to appear. Even if Zhang Ruochen activated the skull of Zhan Shen Ming Zun, separated by a million miles, it would be impossible to severely wound Lei Fa Tianzun. What would be the point of using this strike to kill a Fei Ma Wang who had not yet recovered to her peak?
Zhang Ruochen's move was too reckless!
How could this method possibly lure out the Kui Liang Huang?
Zhang Ruochen had long anticipated that Fei Ma Wang would be the one to strike.
With strength like Chang He's having been defeated by him, who else among the rest would dare to fight?
Zhang Ruochen's pupils transformed into two seas of stars, the radiance of truth flickering as he located Fei Ma Wang's true form within the demonic clouds.
Just as she flew past Lei Fa Tianzun, with the distance between them reduced to only a few hundred thousand miles, Zhang Ruochen endured the overwhelming suppression of divine power, resisted the pressure, and instead of retreating, he advanced. He activated the sword intent of the "One" character sword path, transforming into a stream of sword light, breaking through the demonic clouds, and flying straight toward her.
"Seeking death!"
Fei Ma Wang raised her hand and struck out a Heaven-Overturning Hand Seal.
The force shattered space, disrupted time, and threw hundreds of thousands of miles into turmoil.
Zhang Ruochen directly activated the Ancestor Divine Qi and Ancestor Rules within his Xuan Tai. Under the control of his sword intent, he condensed them into a nine-colored beam of light with unparalleled penetrating power.
This was a power he had only mastered after breaking through to the peak of Qiankun Infinite in the Past Divine Palace.
It allowed the Ancestor Divine Qi and Ancestor Rules to initially merge with his sword intent, becoming more concentrated and unleashing even more terrifying might.
"Boom!"
With a single clash, the demonic clouds were completely parted, and the Ancestor Divine Qi surged in all directions.
Zhang Ruochen and Fei Ma Wang both flew backward, with large swaths of space behind them collapsing into nothingness.
Countless spatial cracks extended for hundreds of millions of miles.
"So strong!"
Zhang Ruochen was wearing the Fire God Armor, the Heavenly Venerable Treasure Gauze, the remnants of Qiang Sha Ke's armor, and even the scroll painting of Lady Shiji wrapped inside... Despite all these defenses, his internal organs were still shattered. A mouthful of blood surged to his throat, but he forced it back down.
Zhang Ruochen quickly stabilized his form, showing no signs of injury, and said with a sharp aura, "So this is the power of the ancient demon gods? They cannot even withstand a single strike from my sword."
On the opposite side of the starry sky.
Fei Ma Wang steadied herself, but a cut on her neck, made by the nine-colored sword light condensed from Ancestor Divine Qi, bled as the blood flowed down her snow-white skin.
It was only a shallow wound, which healed instantly.
But to the onlookers, it was undoubtedly a loss for her!
The shock in their hearts had reached an indescribable level.
Even if Zhang Ruochen had used Ancestor Divine Qi and Ancestor Rules, this was still a part of his strength.
If his cultivation were not strong enough, could he have mobilized Ancestor Divine Qi and Ancestor Rules? Could he have used them with such precision? Could he have wounded Fei Ma Wang, who was at the middle stage of Great Unbound Infinite?
"This child broke through to the Infinite Realm only a thousand years ago, right?"
"When I calculate his future, I feel infinite fear."
...
Zhang Ruochen's long hair flew wildly, his eyes blazing like torches. He pointed his sword in all directions and declared, "Throughout history, only I am First-Rank. Who among those below the Zhutian level dares to fight me? Lei Fa, do you still dare to ignore me? Do not wait too long. Give me another thousand years, and I will trample the Wuding Divine Sea and refine your divine body into a Tianzun Great Pill."
Lei Fa Tianzun, who had shown no emotion until now, suddenly narrowed his eyes, and a cold light shot forth.
"Whoosh!"
His anger transformed into a tangible force, condensing into a blade-shaped lightning bolt that tore through the heavens and slashed down toward Zhang Ruochen.
At that moment, Zhang Ruochen felt as if the entire starry sky had frozen. His body could not move, locked down by countless rules.
He could only take the blow head-on; there was no escape.
But with his current cultivation, taking a Tianzun-level strike head-on...
Suddenly, the pressure on Zhang Ruochen eased. He realized that Nutian Shenzun had used his divine power to transport him a hundred million miles away.
"Boom!"
The blade-shaped lightning bolt struck Nutian Shenzun, its form unable to hold, dissolving into strands of electric current that surged into the space below.
Nutian Shenzun's body erupted with dazzling golden light, rapidly expanding to a height of ninety-nine zhang. A series of vast, ethereal Buddhist sounds emanated from his five viscera and six bowels, as if he contained eleven Buddhist kingdoms within his body.
Nutian Shenzun strode toward Lei Fa Tianzun, the aura he released shaking even the Divine Throne Planets a hundred billion miles away, causing them to shift, and shaking the space of a trillion miles.
"Roar!"
He formed the Demon-Subduing Seal with his hands and struck down with a palm.
A scene that horrified all the cultivators present unfolded in the universe.
Two golden Buddha hand seals manifested simultaneously, one above and one below, each ninety million miles long. It was as if there was a mirror in the middle, reflecting two identical hands.
At the center of the two Buddha hand seals was not a mirror, but Lei Fa Tianzun.
Lei Fa Tianzun said, "Golden body of ninety-nine, belly containing eleven kingdoms. Heaven and earth reflect each other, five fingers grasp the universe. You have mastered the four ultimate techniques of the Sixth Patriarch! Good, very good. It seems I have underestimated you, Kong Fan Nu, before."
Being able to master the four ultimate techniques of the Sixth Patriarch undoubtedly meant that Nutian Shenzun's cultivation had reached at least seventy percent of the Sixth Patriarch's peak level.
Although the Sixth Patriarch was the ancestor of Buddhism, a joyful and laughing Maitreya who did not like to fight, his peak combat power was certainly not much weaker than Ni Shen Tianzun.
"Tai'e Divine Thunder!"
Lei Fa Tianzun's expression had long turned extremely grave. The azure Heavenly Thunder Pearl and the crimson Fire Thunder Pearl appeared above his head, like two thunderous planets, spinning around each other and releasing thunderbolts that swept across the entire void.