Chapter 364: Return to the Academy
Demon Ridge was located in the Eastern Domain, a relatively desolate region where many areas stretched for hundreds of miles without human habitation, wild beasts roamed freely, and barbarian beasts appeared frequently, giving it a primitive and untamed feel.
At this moment, deep within a forest of purple maple pines, a woman in a blood-red long robe sat cross-legged on the leaf-covered ground.
It was the Blood Spirit King.
After spending half a day, she finally suppressed the chaotic power of the Half-Saint light within her body, restored her strength, and stood up from the ground.
"Zhang Ruochen actually mastered the Soul Summoning Art and even refined the sacred blood of Golden Cloud Half-Saint. He must be killed, or the consequences will be endless."
The Blood Spirit King possessed a portion of Golden Cloud Half-Saint's memories, so she knew that the secret technique Zhang Ruochen had used earlier was the Soul Summoning Art.
The Blood Spirit King's strength was immeasurably greater than Zhang Ruochen's, yet precisely because Zhang Ruochen's body contained the sacred blood of Golden Cloud Half-Saint, he could completely restrain her.
If Zhang Ruochen did not die, even if she eventually reached the Half-Saint realm, she would still be suppressed by him.
A blood spirit flew over from afar, knelt on one knee before the Blood Spirit King, and spoke in a hoarse voice: "Reporting to the Great King, Zhang Ruochen has gone to Demon Martial City."
The Blood Spirit King frowned and muttered to herself: "Demon Martial City, a place where hidden dragons and crouching tigers dwell, with experts as numerous as clouds. More than half of the strong warriors from the thirty-six commanderies of Demon Ridge are concentrated there. With my current strength, I cannot brazenly storm Demon Martial City."
After pondering for a moment, the Blood Spirit King ultimately decided to go to Demon Martial City. Even if there were certain risks, she had to eliminate Zhang Ruochen, this hidden danger.
Of course, she would not forcefully storm Demon Martial City but would infiltrate it discreetly, slowly seeking an opportunity to kill Zhang Ruochen.
...
...
Zhang Ruochen returned to Demon Martial City and immediately went to the Silver Robe Elder Pavilion to pay respects to Lei Jing.
Seeing Zhang Ruochen return to the academy safe and sound, Lei Jing was in a good mood. However, he soon furrowed his brow slightly and said: "Zhang Ruochen, your blood energy has been severely depleted, and you've sustained heavy injuries. Was it really that old bastard Hua Qingye who injured you?"
After returning from Tongming River, Lei Jing had immediately rushed to the royal city of Yunwu Commandery, but he was too late. By then, the battle between Zhang Ruochen and Hua Qingye had already ended, and the entire royal palace had been reduced to ruins.
After some investigation and questioning the surviving palace maids and eunuchs, Lei Jing confirmed that the one-armed old man who had fought Zhang Ruochen was Hua Qingye, the chief master of the Poison Spider Merchant Guild.
Lei Jing mobilized all the human resources of the Martial Market Bank in the royal city and searched for three full days without finding Zhang Ruochen or Hua Qingye.
Today, Lei Jing returned to the Martial Market Academy, preparing to issue orders to mobilize all the manpower of the Martial Market Academy and the Martial Market Bank across the thirty-six commanderies of Demon Ridge to search for Zhang Ruochen.
Unexpectedly, Zhang Ruochen had returned to the Martial Market Academy on his own.
Due to excessive blood loss, Zhang Ruochen's complexion was indeed somewhat pale. He gently shook his head and said: "Hua Qingye is already dead."
"Dead?"
Lei Jing's eyes widened, revealing a hint of surprise. "You killed him?"
Zhang Ruochen smiled and said: "Master, do you think I have the ability to kill a Fish-Dragon Realm expert?"
"That's true. Although Hua Qingye was only at the first transformation of the Fish-Dragon Realm, ranking among the lowest in that realm, with your current cultivation, you probably couldn't even harm a single strand of his hair," Lei Jing said.
Lei Jing said this not to belittle Zhang Ruochen but as a statement of fact.
Even martial artists on the Heavenly Ranking rarely could contend with Fish-Dragon Realm martial artists. Moreover, Zhang Ruochen was still at the mid-stage Heavenly Extreme Realm, far behind those on the Heavenly Ranking.
Lei Jing asked: "In Demon Ridge, there are only about a dozen martial artists who have reached the Fish-Dragon Realm, each a dominant force in their own right. Who killed Hua Qingye?"
"The Blood Spirit King," Zhang Ruochen said.
"Is there such an expert in the martial arts world of Demon Ridge?" Lei Jing asked.
Zhang Ruochen shook his head and said: "Master, do you remember the blood-sucking demon that escaped from the Red Void Secret Mansion?"
"Of course I remember. Back then, the Martial Market Academy sent ten top experts to surround and kill her, but she killed three of them in return and broke through the encirclement to escape."
"In the past year, almost all thirty-six commanderies of Demon Ridge have experienced blood-sucking tragedies. Sometimes, an entire village was drained of blood and died; sometimes, an entire city's population vanished; sometimes, a whole sect turned into dried corpses. All clues point to her."
"Not only our Martial Market Academy, but also the Cloud Terrace Sect Mansion, the Taiqing Palace, the Divine School, and even the Demon Sect have been investigating her. Yet her movements are elusive, and almost no experts from the major powers have seen her true form. Those who have seen her have all lost contact, presumably falling victim to her."
"Based on intelligence gathered by the Martial Market Academy, it is estimated that this blood-sucking demon has caused at least 1.6 million deaths, including many martial artists. Absorbing so much human blood, what terrifying power must she have now? Who knows how far she has grown?"
"Could it be..."
Lei Jing's gaze fixed on Zhang Ruochen, a sharp gleam flashing in his eyes. "Do you mean that the Blood Spirit King you refer to is that blood-sucking demon?"
Zhang Ruochen nodded and said: "It is her."
"What level has her strength reached now?" Lei Jing asked.
Being able to kill Hua Qingye made her a dangerous figure. If necessary, Lei Jing would have to report the news of the Blood Spirit King to the Eastern Domain headquarters of the Martial Market Bank.
Then, the Eastern Domain headquarters would dispatch experts to Demon Ridge to suppress and kill her.
Alternatively, the Martial Market Bank could report the matter to the imperial court of the First Central Empire, which would send troops to annihilate her.
Since Empress Chi Yao ascended the throne, her policy had been "internal stability, external expansion." Any factor threatening stability within the territory of the First Central Empire would be eliminated at the first opportunity.
Just like the Four-Winged Earth Dragon that once dominated Demon Ridge—even after becoming a saint, it was still killed by the First Central Empire's army.
It was precisely because of this foundation of "internal stability, external expansion" that, over the past five hundred years, the martial arts of the Kunlun Realm had flourished, saints emerged in abundance, geniuses rose, and the human race's power grew stronger, as if a golden age was approaching.
Zhang Ruochen said: "Based on my guess, the Blood Spirit King is now roughly equivalent to a martial artist at the fourth transformation of the Fish-Dragon Realm."
"That strong."
Lei Jing's brow furrowed as he began to think.
With the Blood Spirit King's strength, in Demon Ridge, aside from Half-Saints, only three people could firmly suppress her.
Lei Jing was naturally one of those three.
However, if the Blood Spirit King chose to flee, even with Lei Jing's cultivation, he might not be able to stop her.
Would they have to alert a Half-Saint?
Currently, Demon Martial City had only one Half-Saint stationed there—Han Jue Half-Saint of the Cloud Terrace Sect Mansion.
"It seems I'll have to find time to visit the Cloud Terrace Sect Mansion and pay my respects to Senior Han Jue," Lei Jing thought to himself.
With Demon Ridge's strength, it could still suppress the Blood Spirit King, so there was no need to report it for now. Even if reported, the higher-ups would analyze the Blood Spirit King's strength and likely instruct them to handle it themselves.
If the Blood Spirit King's cultivation reached the seventh transformation of the Fish-Dragon Realm, then the Eastern Domain headquarters and the First Central Empire's imperial court would take it seriously. After all, a martial artist at the seventh transformation of the Fish-Dragon Realm had the potential to become a Half-Saint and must be eliminated.
Lei Jing stared at Zhang Ruochen and smiled: "You managed to escape from the Blood Spirit King's hands—you're really lucky. For now, stay in the Martial Market Academy and don't go out. As for the Blood Spirit King, I already have a way to deal with her. As long as she dares to show herself, I'll make sure she dies without a burial place."
Lei Jing only thought that the Blood Spirit King had come to kill Hua Qingye, and Zhang Ruochen had taken the opportunity to escape, so he didn't ask further.
Suddenly, Lei Jing's expression turned serious: "There's another matter. This time, you defeated Di Yi on Tongming River, which will undoubtedly cause a huge stir across the entire Eastern Domain. You need to be mentally prepared. The Black Market and the Demon Sect will likely send many experts to assassinate you."
"You must go to the Holy Academy as soon as possible. Only by entering the Holy Academy can they do nothing to you."
"As for the affairs of Yunwu Commandery, don't worry about them. I'll take care of everything for you. From now on, you are the Commandery Prince of Yunwu Commandery."
Zhang Ruochen frowned slightly. In truth, he wanted the Fourth Prince, Zhang Shaochu, to succeed to the position of Commandery Prince of Yunwu Commandery.
He himself had no desire to be a Commandery Prince; he only wanted to pursue higher realms in martial arts.
Lei Jing gave Zhang Ruochen a deep look and said: "I know what you're thinking. You want your elder brother, Zhang Shaochu, to be the Commandery Prince of Yunwu Commandery, right?"
"Indeed, that is what the disciple thinks."
Zhang Ruochen knew he couldn't hide this from Lei Jing. After all, Lei Jing controlled the Martial Market Bank, which was the largest intelligence network in Demon Ridge. There was little he didn't know.
How could Zhang Ruochen's thoughts escape him?
Lei Jing said: "I have my reasons for making you the Commandery Prince of Yunwu Commandery. Soon, you will go to the Eastern Domain Sacred Land to participate in the Holy Academy's assessment."
"To the Half-Saint families and saintly clans of the Eastern Domain Sacred Land, a Commandery Prince of a lower commandery might not seem significant. But it represents a noble title—you are an official appointed by the imperial court of the First Central Empire. Who would dare to openly kill you? That would mean opposing the imperial court of the First Central Empire. Who has the guts?"
Zhang Ruochen finally understood Lei Jing's intention and nodded gently: "I see."
Lei Jing smiled: "For now, you just need to hold the title of a lower noble. Let your elder brother temporarily manage Yunwu Commandery on your behalf. When your strength grows and you no longer need the protection of this title, you can pass the throne to him then."
"Moreover, I think your elder brother's talent isn't particularly outstanding, and his future achievements will be limited. It might be better to let your elder sister be the Commandery Prince of Yunwu Commandery. Her talent far surpasses Zhang Shaochu's. She is already the top expert of the Western Courtyard and should soon enter the Inner Palace Academy."
"Elder sister? You mean the Ninth Sister? She has become the top expert of the Western Courtyard?"
Zhang Ruochen's heart filled with joy. Thankfully, the Ninth Sister was cultivating in the Western Courtyard and had escaped disaster. Otherwise, Zhang Tiangui would never have let her go.