Chapter 3540: Showdown with Yellow Spring
Outside the Yin Cloud Ghost Formation, formation inscription patterns scattered about, making it difficult for ordinary gods to approach.
Arriving outside the formation, still dozens of miles away, Yuan Sheng held a jade-green long spear over a zhang in length.
This spear was called the Blue Sea Mixed Yuan Spear.
The spear shaft trembled, like the rising tide of a blue sea, waves surging for a thousand li.
At that moment, Zhang Ruochen finally perceived the change in Yuan Sheng's aura. It was as if she had merged with heaven and earth, becoming as vast and unfathomable as the world itself. Compared to this, her earlier dealings with him and Yan Wushen were mere child's play.
"Ssshh!"
Like a mountain peak stabilizing the sea, she swung her arm, the spear tip carving a black light that tore through the sky, hurtling straight toward the formation made of divine bones, ghost banners, and giant stones.
"Boom!"
The earth's mud layers were continuously flung up by the spear wind, the devastating divine force clashing violently with the formation.
A world-shaking power erupted in all directions.
Giant stones shattered one after another, creating a series of explosions.
The concealment formation inscriptions on the stones were worn away, revealing the true scene inside the formation. At the center of the pitch-black, dense yin clouds, a cylindrical coffin hovered ten zhang above the ground.
The coffin was wrapped in chains, which dragged rapidly, producing a harsh "clattering" sound.
Zhou Qi Ghost Emperor had long since transformed into a mist-like soul state, tightly bound by chains and being pulled into the coffin. The soul mist sometimes took the form of Zhou Qi Ghost Emperor's head, sometimes his arms, sometimes his torso...
But no matter how he struggled, the soul mist was slowly drawn into the coffin.
The soul mist outside the coffin grew thinner and thinner.
Screams rang out continuously, extremely shrill.
With most of the formation's concealment lost, Yuan Sheng finally clearly sensed the terror of the being inside the coffin. Its cultivation had definitely reached the Indestructible level. Even more terrifying was the presence of Ancestor Divine Qi and rules flowing around the coffin.
Though sparse, it was the power of an Ancestor.
"Go, leave this place immediately."
Yuan Sheng flew back swiftly, holding the spear with one hand and grabbing Zhang Ruochen's left wrist with the other, fleeing into the distance.
"Did you know who was in the formation all along? Did you deliberately provoke me into attacking?" she asked coldly, her murderous intent surging. She wanted to throw Zhang Ruochen into the formation but ultimately refrained.
"Swoosh!"
Behind them, three chains flew out from the Life and Death Dual Coffin in the formation, carrying yin energy as thick as three rivers, chasing after them.
"Hmph! You go first. Don't think about escaping. The Abyss of Darkness is my territory."
Yuan Sheng warned, then spat out spatial divine power from her palm, pushing Zhang Ruochen, sending him vanishing into space and reappearing ten thousand li away.
The three chains had already reached above Yuan Sheng's head. She stopped abruptly, raising her spear above her head. Instantly, the rules and energy of heaven and earth surged in endlessly, converging on her.
Yuan Sheng stood tall and heroic, swinging her spear as she fought and retreated.
The spear and chains clashed, producing thunderous sounds, each spark as large as a cloud.
Even the divine force dispersing ten thousand li away possessed immense power, shaking mountains to collapse and the earth to tremble.
Zhang Ruochen stared at Yuan Sheng and the three chains battling toward him, recalling her earlier words, and felt a hint of guilt. Yuan Sheng could have killed him just now.
"Hurry up and run! What are you standing there for?"
Yan Wushen's voice came from hundreds of thousands of li away.
Zhang Ruochen cast aside distractions, a sense stirring within him. "No, there's someone else."
"Someone else? Who?" Yan Wushen asked.
"A top-tier expert is hiding in the shadows."
Zhang Ruochen infused his voice with spiritual power. "Be careful, there's a strong one hidden in the shadows."
Upon hearing this, Yuan Sheng's expression changed drastically.
But she had no time to investigate. Not only were the three chains pressing in, but the Life and Death Dual Coffin itself flew out of the formation.
As the coffin moved, hundreds of thousands of li of territory were shrouded in yin clouds and ghostly qi, sealing the sky and locking the earth. The aura of death seemed to pierce through past and present, causing the River of Time to flicker faintly in the void.
Yuan Sheng sensed an unprecedented terror, as if an Ancestor had crossed the River of Time to crush everything in the universe.
This psychological shock and soul pressure were unbearable for most in the world.
Zhang Ruochen immediately reminded her, "He is not a true Ancestor. He has long fallen, merely a corpse with a trace of remnant soul. You are a clan emperor—what is there to fear? Fight!"
"Shut up!"
With Zhang Ruochen's reminder, Yuan Sheng broke free from the soul pressure. Instantly, her blood surged, and her battle intent soared to the heavens.
The Blue Sea Mixed Yuan Spear in her hand flashed with divine light, then waves spread for hundreds of thousands of li. A blue divine sea manifested beneath her feet, layers of waves crashing against the yin qi and ghost clouds.
"Whoever you are, this is the Abyss of Darkness, not a place for cultivators from the upper realms. Soon, Primordial Being experts will arrive. No matter how high your cultivation, you cannot escape."
Yuan Sheng took the initiative, thrusting her spear through the chains and yin clouds, attacking the main body of the Life and Death Dual Coffin.
"Is she this aggressive? Going to solo the Yellow Spring Great Emperor?"
Yuan Sheng's bravery exceeded Zhang Ruochen's expectations.
He had only reminded her to prevent her from becoming soul food for the Yellow Spring Great Emperor, thereby enhancing his cultivation. But she, upon hearing it was just a divine corpse, charged straight in.
An Ancestor's divine corpse with remnant soul—was it that easy to deal with?
But soon, Zhang Ruochen realized he had underestimated Yuan Sheng.
She truly lived up to her identity as a Primordial Being. Her physical body was abnormally strong, and coupled with the Ancestor Divine Garment enhancing her speed, she was able to trade blows with the Life and Death Dual Coffin.
One person and one coffin clashed fiercely in the sky.
When she thrust her spear, waves rose ten thousand zhang. When she punched, lightning stretched a thousand li.
Zhang Ruochen could see that in the Abyss of Darkness, she had a clear advantage, able to continuously draw on the rules and energy of heaven and earth. Her combat power was already not inferior to those Heavenly Venerables from the Heavenly Court and Hell who had not reached Indestructible Infinite.
At the peak of Great Unbound Infinite, she belonged to the invincible tier, a half-step Indestructible.
As for the Yellow Spring Great Emperor, while fighting her, he also had to suppress Zhou Qi Ghost Emperor, who was at the peak of Great Unbound Infinite, limiting his combat power. This created the temporary stalemate.
Zhang Ruochen retreated rapidly while unleashing the power of the Heart of Truth and the Wuji Divine Dao to sense the hidden figure.
Among the three veteran Ghost Emperors guarding Gai Mie in Fengdu Ghost City, one must be a traitor. Zhang Ruochen suspected that traitor was hiding in the shadows.
"What are you doing? Still not fleeing? Have you fallen for her? If you, the Romantic Sword God, want to court death, Yan will leave first. I won't accompany you," Yan Wushen transmitted again.
Zhang Ruochen said, "You go first. I know what I'm doing."
"Swoosh—"
The two skulls at the head and tail of the Life and Death Dual Coffin suddenly detached, their eye sockets filled with Ancestor divine light, attacking Yuan Sheng from two different directions.
After repelling the skulls several times, Yuan Sheng retreated step by step, now in grave danger.
She noticed Zhang Ruochen was still watching and coldly shouted, "Why haven't you scrammed yet? Looking for death?"
"He's made his move!"
Zhang Ruochen's Ancestor Boots emitted a nine-colored radiance as he charged forward.
"Boom!"
A pillar of ghostly qi shot up from the ground beneath Yuan Sheng.
Within the pillar of ghostly qi was a gaunt figure, hands rapidly forming seals: "Soul-Suppressing Twelve Techniques!"
"Boom! Boom! Boom..."
He appeared too suddenly and moved at extreme speed. Yuan Sheng, fully focused on dealing with the Yellow Spring Great Emperor, had no time to react. Twelve seals struck her body.
The Ancestor Divine Garment, the Flame God Armor, and even her own divine robes were all useless. She spat out a mouthful of blood.
Zi Ren Ghost Emperor, who had launched the sneak attack, showed a stunned look in all six of his eyes. She had taken his twelve Soul-Suppressing Seal Techniques head-on and only spat out blood?
How strong was her physical body?
"Courting death!"
Yuan Sheng thrust her Blue Sea Mixed Yuan Spear, piercing through Zi Ren Ghost Emperor's divine realm world and stabbing through his chest.
Then, she delivered a heavy punch, blasting half of his ghostly divine body apart, sending him crashing to the ground. With a boom, the ground was cratered for a thousand li in diameter.
Zhang Ruochen had been ready, rushing over immediately. He summoned the Earth Cauldron, activated the Origin Divine Light, and smashed it down hard on Zi Ren Ghost Emperor, who was left with only half a ghostly divine body.
"Presumptuous! Do you think you... ah..."
Zi Ren Ghost Emperor had no time to mobilize divine qi. Lying in the pit, he threw a punch.
With his Great Unbound Infinite mid-stage cultivation, even without divine qi, a single punch from his ghostly body was not something a Qiankun Infinite realm cultivator could withstand.
"Boom!"
Zi Ren Ghost Emperor failed to blast Zhang Ruochen away. Instead, his half-divine body was smashed dozens of zhang deeper into the ground.
"Boom!"
"Boom!"
Zhang Ruochen struck again and again with the cauldron, going all out. Each strike's power reached the level of an early Great Unbound Infinite.
Zi Ren Ghost Emperor tried to gather divine qi and mobilize rules, but at the spot where Yuan Sheng's spear had pierced his chest, countless dark heaven and earth rules were running wild, and Yuan Sheng's divine power was destroying his ghostly body.
Knowing that with his current cultivation, he could not shatter a veteran Ghost Emperor's ghostly body, Zhang Ruochen struck dozens of times with the Earth Cauldron. When Zi Ren Ghost Emperor was nearly dazed, he immediately sucked him into the cauldron.
"Go!"
Without any further hesitation, Zhang Ruochen shot out of the ground and fled into the distance.
The Earth Cauldron in his hand continuously emitted roars and the booming of fists striking its body, shaking Zhang Ruochen's arm bones to the point of breaking.
At the same time, the half of the soul mist that had been blasted apart from Zi Ren Ghost Emperor quickly condensed into a ghostly body and chased after Zhang Ruochen.
"Zhang Ruochen, you brat, how dare you oppose me?" Zi Ren Ghost Emperor roared in fury.
It must be noted that the half ghostly body taken by Zhang Ruochen was his true form, containing his divine sea and divine source.
"Stop chasing, or you'll anger me, and I'll take this half of your ghostly body too!"
As Zhang Ruochen finished speaking, the Earth Cauldron in his hand shook violently. Origin Divine Light scattered, and the cauldron seemed about to be pierced through.
Zhang Ruochen had no choice but to activate the Taiji Four Symbols Diagram, using the divine mountain to temporarily suppress the Earth Cauldron. Then, he turned to face the pursuing Zi Ren Ghost Emperor. "Come on, let's fight!"
As soon as he spoke, the Bright Mirror Platform, Time Source Bead, Eight Trigram Compass, Red Dye Tower, and Mani Pearl all flew out.
With only half a divine body left and having lost his divine source and divine sea, Zi Ren Ghost Emperor's combat power had fallen below Great Unbound Infinite. Without a divine weapon in hand, seeing the junior summon five divine weapons at once, his expression changed, and he stopped.
The Earth Cauldron trembled incessantly within the Taiji Four Symbols Diagram, showing signs of being difficult to suppress.
Fortunately, the Nine Cauldrons lived up to their reputation as the number one divine artifacts in the world. If it were any other divine weapon, Zi Ren Ghost Emperor would have already broken free.
"Zhang Ruochen, let me help you!"
Yan Wushen descended from the sky with the Death Heavenly Book in hand, landing on another side of Zi Ren Ghost Emperor, smiling. "Together, we can definitely leave this half of his divine body behind."
"Just you two?"
Zi Ren Ghost Emperor's murderous aura was fierce, his hands forming ghost claws.
"Boom!"
The sky was torn open, revealing a massive black hole.
Yuan Sheng, covered in blood, flew down from the black hole, her chest and abdomen pierced through, flesh and blood mangled.
With a bang, she crashed to the ground tens of thousands of li away, raising dust.
The Life and Death Dual Coffin flew out of the black hole, chains like tentacles, two skulls releasing Ancestor divine light, ferocious and terrifying, containing world-destroying power.
"Boom!"
The Life and Death Dual Coffin struck the ground, causing a million-li territory to collapse, destructive force sweeping in all directions.
Yuan Sheng flew up first, dodging the attack, and fled into the distance at high speed.
Taking this opportunity, Zi Ren Ghost Emperor broke free and chased after the Life and Death Dual Coffin, sinking his voice: "Opposing the Yellow Spring Great Emperor, you are doomed to die. Take good care of that half of my divine body!"
"Go!"
Seeing that Zhang Ruochen was unmoved, staring at the direction Yuan Sheng and the Yellow Spring Great Emperor had fled, Yan Wushen laughed. "Have you really fallen for her? Don't tell me you're going to save her?"
"Actually, her heart isn't bad. She might not be an enemy," Zhang Ruochen said.
Yan Wushen said, "She searched our souls!"
"We searched first."
Zhang Ruochen added, "She could have led the Yellow Spring Great Emperor to us, using us as scapegoats to escape herself. But she didn't."
Yan Wushen's smile faded. "Her cultivation is at the absolute peak of Great Unbound Infinite. The Yellow Spring Great Emperor is just a corpse. Killing her is no easy task. Don't forget, this is the Abyss of Darkness, her territory."
"What kind of path are you cultivating? The Wuji Divine Dao embraces all, encompasses everything. It shouldn't be this indecisive. This isn't the time for a hero saving a damsel in distress or showing off."
Zhang Ruochen said, "I have a trump card that can trap the Yellow Spring Great Emperor."
"And after trapping him? Get captured by her again? She might not appreciate it," Yan Wushen said.
"Before I act, I often ask myself if I'll regret it afterward. If I leave now, I might regret it—both because of her goodwill and because I missed a chance to resolve grievances with the Primordial Beings. I might also miss the opportunity to save Zhou Qi Ghost Emperor and build a good relationship with Fengdu Ghost Emperor."
"But I know that if I chase now, whether I can help or not, whether they appreciate it or not, I won't regret it."
"You're right. When it's time to be decisive, there should be no hesitation."
Zhang Ruochen's eyes had become sharp, his resolve firm. The five divine weapons circled his body, and with the Ancestor Boots, he chased after the Life and Death Dual Coffin.
Yan Wushen stood in place, pondering for a long time, then sighed. "Maybe that's why you have many friends, while I only have you as a friend. You indeed have the mindset to turn enemies into friends, and this open-mindedness often has an irresistible charm. I hope you're right!"
"Haha!"
An old laugh sounded. "Thinking of saving people is at least better than thinking only of killing. Those who seek life thrive; those who seek death perish. This child, Ruochen, already has half of my mindset!"
A strong expert had arrived?
Yan Wushen looked toward the sound and saw a man and a woman appear on a distant, elevated slope.
(Chapter End)