Chapter 355: Beneath the Palace City
The royal city of Yunwu Commandery had three layers of walls: the main city wall, the inner city wall, and the palace wall.
In terms of defensive strength, the main city wall was naturally the strongest. After centuries of reinforcement, not only were the walls tall and the bricks thick, but formation masters from the Inscription Rune Guild had also been invited to arrange over a hundred guardian formations and a city-protecting grand formation.
Aside from the main city wall, the palace wall guarding the royal palace, though not particularly tall or massive, housed even more guardian and attack formations than the main city wall.
In particular, the palace-protecting grand formation, the "Dragon Turtle Sacred Armor Formation," was a fourth-rank formation with seventy percent defensive power and thirty percent offensive power.
Once the formation was activated, it would cover the entire palace. Even if a Fish-Dragon Realm martial artist attacked, it would be extremely difficult to breach.
Atop the palace wall, within six formation towers, sat six formation masters from the Black Market. Working together, they finally activated the inscription runes of the palace-protecting grand formation.
"Swoosh!"
From each of the six formation towers, a white light pillar shot up, rising a hundred zhang high, piercing through the clouds and scattering the clouds in the sky.
Then, on all four palace walls and eight palace gates, formation patterns emerged, forming a light barrier like a spiderweb that enveloped the royal palace.
Looking down from above the palace, the grand formation resembled a giant turtle lying prostrate on the ground. Around the turtle's neck coiled a great cyan dragon, its head resting on the turtle's back.
Seeing the palace-protecting grand formation activated, Zhang Tiangui finally calmed down.
With the palace-protecting grand formation guarding the palace, no matter how powerful Zhang Ruochen was, he would have no choice but to retreat obediently.
If he dared to attack the palace-protecting grand formation, that would be even better. Zhang Tiangui could take the opportunity to use the formation to suppress and kill him.
"Zhang Ruochen, let's see what you can do to me now," Zhang Tiangui said with a cold laugh, revealing two rows of snow-white teeth.
The palace-protecting grand formation had always been firmly in the hands of the Commandery Prince. If Zhang Tiangui hadn't led the experts from the Four Directions Commandery into the palace and eliminated the palace's formation masters beforehand, how could the palace have fallen so quickly?
Even a commandery—even a lower-grade commandery—had a royal city with formidable defensive capabilities.
The Four Directions Commandery Prince fled to the north gate of the palace, stared at Zhang Tiangui standing atop the gate, and roared from a distance: "Zhang Tiangui, open the formation and let me in!"
Zhang Tiangui's eyes were cold and sharp, a hint of disdain on his face. "Elder Huo was once the third-ranked expert of the Four Directions Commandery. How could he not even handle a mere Zhang Ruochen? If the Young Master finds out, I'm afraid he'll be very disappointed in you."
The Four Directions Commandery Prince's name was Huo Tianshu. He held a high position in the Black Market of Demon Ridge and had been appointed as an Elder.
Hearing Zhang Tiangui's words, Huo Tianshu's heart sank.
Huo Tianshu had always looked down on Zhang Tiangui. He felt that with his cultivation far surpassing Zhang Tiangui's, why should he have to take orders from a junior?
Because of this, although they appeared harmonious on the surface, conflicts had been brewing in private.
Huo Tianshu hadn't expected that at such a critical moment, Zhang Tiangui would retaliate against him, leaving him stranded outside the palace-protecting grand formation.
Zhang Ruochen had also pursued him to the base of the palace gate, arriving behind Huo Tianshu. Blood dripped from his sword, drop by drop. "Four Directions Commandery Prince, where do you think you can still flee?"
Huo Tianshu turned his head to look at Zhang Ruochen. Though he was merely a young martial artist under twenty, at this moment, he felt like a god of death approaching him.
"Zhang Tiangui, you're deliberately trying to harm me!"
Huo Tianshu gritted his teeth and glared coldly at Zhang Tiangui atop the city gate. "If the Young Master finds out about this, he will never let you off."
Zhang Tiangui sneered mockingly, thinking to himself, Di Yi is a figure of great stature. You, Huo Tianshu, might be somewhat notable in Demon Ridge, but outside of Demon Ridge, what are you?
Zhang Tiangui firmly believed that even if Di Yi found out about this, he wouldn't do anything to him. Because his value far exceeded that of the Four Directions Commandery Prince.
Zhang Tiangui said loudly, "Elder Huo, you are a renowned martial arts expert. How could a mere Zhang Ruochen be your match? Why not display your divine might and slay Zhang Ruochen? Then I will surely go to the Young Master and claim credit for you."
Huo Tianshu was so furious that smoke seemed to rise from his head. He ignored Zhang Tiangui and turned his gaze to Zhang Ruochen.
Although Zhang Tiangui was a despicable and treacherous villain, his words held some truth. Huo Tianshu thought to himself that if he could kill Zhang Ruochen, it would be a great achievement.
He was a martial artist at the Heavenly Extreme Stage Great Extreme Position, while Zhang Ruochen had only just entered the Heavenly Extreme Stage. If he was willing to fight desperately, he might still have a chance to kill Zhang Ruochen.
As his conviction gradually strengthened, the aura emanating from Huo Tianshu grew more intense. The bronze halberd on his back trembled violently, shattering the cloth wrappings, and flew into his hand.
"Overlord Halberd!"
Huo Tianshu gripped the halberd with both hands, spread his legs apart, and swung the weapon fiercely, stirring the world's spiritual energy. He seemed to merge with the halberd, forming a starting stance.
"Boom!"
The tail of the Overlord Halberd struck the ground, producing a cracking sound and creating fissures in the earth.
That halberd was a ninth-rank True Martial Treasure, accompanying Huo Tianshu for decades and having slain countless renowned experts.
Huo Tianshu's true qi was extremely deep. He activated the "Fire" inscription runes within the Overlord Halberd, and the weapon was immediately enveloped in flames, condensing into the phantom of a flame-armored war king.
"Flying Bird Soaring Cloud."
The martial technique Huo Tianshu used was called the Wind and Cloud Halberd Art, a spirit-rank upper-grade martial technique.
This halberd art consisted of thirty-six moves. Once mastered to great perfection, it could split mountains and rivers and pierce through the clouds. In the Four Directions Commandery, it was considered a national-level martial technique secret manual.
However, the Four Directions Commandery had only collected twenty-two moves of the Wind and Cloud Halberd Art. That martial technique manual was merely an incomplete scroll, making it difficult to truly master the halberd art to perfection.
Of course, even an incomplete halberd art, when executed by an expert of Huo Tianshu's level, was still astonishingly powerful.
With a single strike of the halberd, a sea of fire descended from above.
A wave of heat rushed toward Zhang Ruochen.
Zhang Ruochen neither dodged nor avoided. He charged forward.
From within his body, Azure Void True Qi surged out, forming a layer of protective celestial armor. He passed through the sea of fire and slashed his sword at Huo Tianshu's wrist.
Huo Tianshu hadn't expected Zhang Ruochen's swordsmanship to be so exquisite. With just an ordinary sword strike, he had broken his spirit-rank upper-grade halberd art.
Such swordsmanship could be described as turning decay into magic.
Huo Tianshu immediately changed his move, twisting his arm and thrusting the halberd again. Flames condensed into a single point, aimed at Zhang Ruochen's chest.
Zhang Ruochen shifted his footwork, appearing to Huo Tianshu's left, and struck a palm toward the top of his head.
Feeling the palm wind rushing toward him, Huo Tianshu swung the halberd horizontally to block.
"Boom!"
Zhang Ruochen's palm strike sent Huo Tianshu staggering back seven steps. Then he closed in again, forming a finger sword with his right thumb and pointing forward.
A cold, cyan sword wave shot out from his fingertip.
"Boom!"
The sword wave struck Huo Tianshu accurately, but was blocked by his protective celestial armor.
Huo Tianshu wasn't injured, but he was forced back another step.
Without giving Huo Tianshu a chance to catch his breath, Zhang Ruochen unleashed a second sword wave, finally breaking through the protective celestial armor and striking Huo Tianshu's body.
Huo Tianshu let out a muffled groan. The robe on his chest was torn apart by the sword qi. His body suffered severe damage, his chest a bloody mess, revealing the white bones of his ribs.
"Boom!"
Huo Tianshu fell to the ground, still refusing to admit defeat. He hurled the Overlord Halberd like a crossbow bolt toward Zhang Ruochen.
At the same time, he immediately released his martial soul and began to mobilize the world's spiritual energy, condensing a massive flame vortex above his head.
"Boom!"
Zhang Ruochen swung his sword, sending the Overlord Halberd flying.
He unleashed another sword wave, transforming it into a pillar of sword qi as thick as a bowl, aimed at Huo Tianshu, who was gathering power.
Huo Tianshu's martial soul pushed both hands forward, sending a massive flame vortex hurtling out.
In an instant, the sword wave Zhang Ruochen had unleashed was swallowed by the flame vortex.
As the flame vortex spun continuously, it grew larger and larger, reaching a diameter of over twenty meters. It swept up stone slabs from the ground, melting them into magma.
The magma formed a crimson river, flowing within the vortex with a crackling sound of burning.
"Haha! Zhang Ruochen, now do you see the difference between a Heavenly Extreme Stage martial artist who has cultivated a martial soul and one who hasn't? I can use my martial soul to mobilize the power of the world's spiritual energy. I am a martial arts myth, while you are just a wet-behind-the-ears brat. Fighting me, you'll die a miserable death."
Huo Tianshu laughed loudly, believing he had already seized victory.
The power of a martial soul was something martial artists who hadn't cultivated one simply couldn't withstand.
"Can you use the power of your martial soul? Do you think I can't?"
Zhang Ruochen also released his martial soul. A shadowy figure hovered above his head, also beginning to mobilize the world's spiritual energy. In fact, Zhang Ruochen's martial soul even seized the world's spiritual energy that Huo Tianshu's martial soul had already controlled.
Huo Tianshu's face changed drastically, panic setting in. "How is this possible? No, you've only just broken through to the Heavenly Extreme Stage. How could you have also cultivated a martial soul?"
Huo Tianshu had spent thirty years in the Heavenly Extreme Stage to cultivate his martial soul. How long had Zhang Ruochen been at the Heavenly Extreme Stage? How could he have already cultivated a martial soul?
Moreover, Zhang Ruochen's martial soul seemed even more powerful than his own.
Seeing Zhang Ruochen release his martial soul, Zhang Tiangui, standing atop the palace gate, was consumed by jealousy. "Zhang Ruochen has already cultivated a martial soul? How... how is this possible? Is the gap between him and me really that vast?"
Zhang Tiangui had always been praised by those around him as the number one genius. So he had always been arrogant, looking down on everyone. Even martial artists with higher cultivation seemed inferior to him in his eyes.
Until this moment, his confidence and pride were utterly shattered by Zhang Ruochen.
With his talent, in front of Zhang Ruochen, he was like a firefly compared to the brilliance of the stars. He wasn't even qualified to hold Zhang Ruochen's shoes.