Chapter 3707: Sword Cuts Down an Infinite, Power Overwhelms the Soul Realm
The Soul Realm was several times larger than an ordinary great world. It was neither a planet nor a continent, but rather a cosmic rock over a hundred million miles long, shrouded in yin mist.
There were no stars here, no daylight.
Only nine yin moons, each the size of a star, hung suspended above the great world.
"Shua!"
Zhang Ruochen descended silently onto one of those yin moons, without alerting the cultivators stationed there.
He stood like a heavenly god above the nine heavens, gazing down from on high.
His divine eyes were dazzling, his field of vision extremely vast.
The black soil plains of the Soul Realm, the rivers of corpses, all lay before him like a map. Every major cultivator was exposed, unable to hide.
The entire Soul Realm could conceal no secrets from his Truth Divine Eyes.
No, wait!
"Eh!"
Zhang Ruochen discovered a region deep within the Soul Realm where his perception was blurred.
Even the foundational divine arrays left behind by the Soul-Controlling Clan's ancestors could be seen through clearly by Zhang Ruochen, revealing their formations and outlines. Yet there was a place he could not see through. How could this not surprise him?
"Could that be the World Spirit of the Soul Realm? Who exactly left their methods deep within the planet's core, such that even my Heart of Truth cannot discern it? What is their purpose?"
Just as Zhang Ruochen was pondering this, a bright, scorching beam of sword light tore through the cold, yin atmosphere of the Soul Realm, shooting up into the clouds and dispersing into the cosmic void.
"Hua!"
Feng Yan, wielding the Pure Yang Divine Sword, fled at extreme speed.
He was severely wounded, half his body shattered into a mist of blood. His three heads and six arms had been reduced to one head and three arms, with broken white bones visible on his face.
In truth, it was the Pure Yang Divine Sword dragging him along, continuously breaking through the interwoven divine runes in the sky, escaping the Soul Realm with unparalleled speed.
The Palace Master of the Order Palace spread his white wings, pursuing from behind, his expression extremely grim.
He had miscalculated!
He had thought that dealing with a Heaven-Repairing Realm deity would be as easy as crushing an ant with a finger.
Who could have guessed that the sword spirit of the Pure Yang Divine Sword was truly still alive?
Within the sword's inner world, it contained the Heavenly Venerable divine energy left behind by Pure Yang Heavenly Venerable.
Many cultivators from various great worlds had sent their souls to the Soul Realm, or were training there. For Feng Yan to escape like this was undoubtedly a leak of heavenly secrets.
If the news reached the Feng Clan of the Pangu Realm, the trouble would be immense!
The Palace Master of the Order Palace's eyes turned cold and ruthless. He resolved that after dealing with Feng Yan, he would purge the Soul Realm thoroughly, leaving no one who knew the truth alive.
...
Lian Xi had not expected the danger to come so quickly, nor had she imagined that the Palace Master of the Order Palace would be so insane as to openly attack the Feng Clan's Patriarch.
It seemed that even with her status as a disciple's disciple of a Heavenly Venerable, she would not escape death.
Lian Xi did not choose to seek help from Feng Jin. Instead, she immediately fled towards the Santu River.
Facing a figure like the Palace Master of the Order Palace, she could not save Feng Yan. The only thing she could do was escape and tell the truth to the Feng Clan and Zhang Ruochen.
Only they could stand up to the Radiant Divine Temple.
...
The Sect Leader of the Immortal-Worshipping Cult stood outside the Soul-Controlling Palace, his expression cold and gloomy.
The Palace Master of the Order Palace had disappointed him greatly. To let such a slip-up occur when dealing with a Heaven-Repairing Realm deity.
However, the Pure Yang Divine Sword was far more powerful than he had anticipated. He was beginning to regret letting the Palace Master of the Order Palace have it.
Beside him, Feng Jin presented the Soul-Controlling Ghost Seal with both hands, his entire body trembling.
If even the Feng Clan's Patriarch, with his boundless potential, could be hunted and killed, what was he, Feng Jin, worth?
Although he was a Great God, in the presence of an ancient existence like the Immortal-Worshipping Cult Sect Leader, he was utterly insignificant. Even if the Sect Leader killed him, there were a hundred ways to cover it up.
Only by obediently following orders and showing sufficient loyalty could he save himself and the Soul-Controlling Clan.
Fortunately, the Immortal-Worshipping Cult Sect Leader needed someone to help him control the Soul Realm and refine Soul Pills to enhance his divine soul's strength.
The Immortal-Worshipping Cult Sect Leader took the Soul-Controlling Ghost Seal and said coldly, "Why is your daughter fleeing? What does she intend to do?"
"Sect Leader, rest assured! She cannot escape. This god will go and capture her immediately, personally severing this memory from her." Feng Jin immediately promised.
The Immortal-Worshipping Cult Sect Leader's aura was intimidating. "With your cultivation, even if you sever her memory, you wouldn't need a Heavenly Venerable to act. Zhang Ruochen could use the Way of Fate to restore her memories."
Feng Jin's face changed color. He struggled internally, then bowed and said, "She is now a disciple of Lord Lian and a deity of the Judgment Hall. If she falls... I fear... I fear it will be difficult to explain."
"What? Can't bear to part with her?"
The Immortal-Worshipping Cult Sect Leader's immortal-like face twisted into a ferocious smile. "Precisely because she is a deity of the Radiant Divine Temple, dying together with Feng Yan in the Soul Realm will make no one suspect the Palace Master of the Order Palace or myself. After all, the attacker will be a deity from the Hell Realm!"
"Capture her first. She still has some use for now."
He added lightly, "If she escapes, you need not return."
Feng Jin, his face pale, tore through space and pursued Lian Xi.
A hundred thousand years ago, to save his own life and the Soul-Controlling Clan, his spine had been broken!
Once a person gets used to kneeling, they can never stand up again.
...
The divine power of the Palace Master of the Order Palace surged within Feng Yan's body, continuously destroying his divine body and eroding his divine soul.
If not for the divine energy left by Pure Yang Heavenly Venerable within the sword protecting him, he would have already fallen.
The Palace Master of the Order Palace was a Qiankun Infinite cultivator. Even across a stretch of starry sky, he could suppress a Heaven-Repairing Realm deity. However, the restraining techniques he used were all pierced through by the Pure Yang Divine Sword, unable to intercept Feng Yan.
After spending considerable time, he finally used his speed to block Feng Yan's path.
The Palace Master of the Order Palace's white wings were dazzling, his posture heroic. Holding a crystalline long spear, he shouted a Soul-Seizing Divine Sound: "Pure Yang Divine Sword, submit to me!"
The sound waves continuously invaded the divine sword.
But they could not force the sword spirit out.
The Palace Master of the Order Palace traced an arc with his finger. Countless Radiant rules, like chains, surged from all directions towards Feng Yan and the Pure Yang Divine Sword.
The surrounding heaven and earth were all under his control.
"Zheng!"
The sound of a sword's cry echoed through the Soul Realm.
Stimulated by the Soul-Seizing Divine Sound, the sword spirit of the Pure Yang Divine Sword awakened further.
Heavenly Venerable divine energy continuously emanated from the sword's edge, dyeing the sky in five-colored light.
The sword spirit had lived from the era of Pure Yang Heavenly Venerable until now, remaining in a dormant state to avoid the Eon Calamity.
Previously, when Feng Yan used the Pure Yang Divine Sword to slay powerful enemies, the sword spirit had only slightly awakened, unleashing only a fraction of its power. Moreover, as the sword-bearer, given Feng Yan's cultivation at the time, he could only withstand that much power.
Feng Yan had inherited Feng Yunba's Esoterica and Pure Yang essence. He himself was formed from the five-colored mud of Pure Yang Heavenly Venerable, like a newborn Heavenly Venerable.
Thus, he could continuously absorb the Heavenly Venerable divine energy within the Pure Yang Divine Sword, his cultivation speed astonishing. He had now reached the Great Perfection of the Upper-Level God realm and could activate the divine sword to unleash even greater destructive power.
"Chop!"
Feng Yan raised the sword with both hands.
The Pure Yang Divine Sword in his hands was like a torch, slashing straight forward.
The Palace Master of the Order Palace's eyes narrowed. He realized he had underestimated this junior of the Feng Clan again. He quickly mobilized his divine energy and thrust his spear forward.
In an instant, he transformed into a blazing great sun, white and dazzling, illuminating the sky.
"Boom!"
The Palace Master of the Order Palace was sent flying backward dozens of miles through the void by this sword strike. A burning, painful bloody gash appeared on his handsome face.
"I... I was actually wounded by an Upper-Level God..."
The Palace Master of the Order Palace was furious to the extreme, feeling a great humiliation.
Of course, he would not believe he was injured by Feng Yan himself. He would only attribute it to the overwhelming power of the Pure Yang Divine Sword. He dared not imagine how powerful the sword spirit would be if it fully awakened.
Could it be another Divine Sword Heavenly Venerable?
"I cannot let the sword spirit of the Pure Yang Divine Sword fully awaken. I must seal it," the Palace Master of the Order Palace thought to himself.
After exerting all his strength to deliver this strike, Feng Yan's body was even more broken, covered in cracks, as if a light touch would shatter him into pieces. He could no longer mobilize his divine energy. He could only watch helplessly as the Palace Master of the Order Palace approached.
There was no fear in his eyes, only a look of determination.
Since he could not escape, he would make the Palace Master of the Order Palace pay, even at the cost of his life. He would use all his divine power to shatter the heavenly barrier shrouding the Soul Realm, allowing the Heavenly Venerables of the Heavenly Court to sense what was happening here.
The Palace Master of the Order Palace stabilized the space, walking step by step to Feng Yan's side. Just as he was about to seize the Pure Yang Divine Sword, suddenly...
He felt a bone-chilling sense of danger, his body as if plunged into an ice cellar.
He saw Feng Yan looking behind him, a relaxed smile appearing in his previously determined eyes.
The Palace Master of the Order Palace immediately turned around.
Beneath the deep blue yin moon, Zhang Ruochen's body seemed weightless, without any aura, floating ten zhang away. "Os, as the Palace Master of the Order Palace, you completely disregard the order of the Radiant Divine Temple and the Heavenly Palace. Do you know your crime?"
This was a tone of judgment, a posture of looking down.
"Zhang Ruochen!"
A flicker of panic appeared in the Palace Master of the Order Palace's eyes. Then, he struck with lightning speed.
Not at Zhang Ruochen, but to seize Feng Yan.
He knew he was no match for Zhang Ruochen.
But if he could capture Feng Yan, he could make Zhang Ruochen hesitate.
He was very close to Feng Yan, within arm's reach.
However, he was also within eighteen zhang of Zhang Ruochen!
The distance that was within arm's reach became as distant as the ends of the earth.
Time became extremely slow. Space seemed stretched a thousand, ten thousand times. The hand the Palace Master of the Order Palace extended towards Feng Yan was incredibly slow, countless divine runes flowing on his arm to resist Zhang Ruochen's Space Rules and Time Rules.
"Feng Yan is the Patriarch of the Feng Clan and my sworn brother. To move against him is a capital offense!"
Zhang Ruochen walked forward step by step, his five fingers forming a fist.
On his arm, the divine power erupting from the Qilin Fist Gloves shook thousands of miles of space, causing it to tremble.
"Boom!"
In the Palace Master of the Order Palace's despairing eyes, Zhang Ruochen threw a punch, sending him plummeting straight down from mid-air towards the ground.
While still in the air, the Palace Master of the Order Palace's divine body shattered into pieces, flesh exploding, wings broken and tattered.
Bolts of lightning were born in the void, striking these pieces of flesh and remnant souls.
Not a single drop of divine blood, not a wisp of divine soul, could escape.
Remnant souls were annihilated.
Flesh turned into grains of black ash.
"Boom!"
Zhang Ruochen landed on the ground. The earth beneath his feet turned into a purple lightning plain, firmly suppressing the main remnant body of the fleeing Palace Master of the Order Palace beneath the lightning, continuously refining it with fire.
The Palace Master of the Order Palace burned his divine soul and lifespan, using all kinds of forbidden arts to boost his combat power, but he could not break free from the lightning shackles on his body.
"Sect Leader, why haven't you acted yet?"
The Palace Master of the Order Palace did not attempt to self-destruct his divine source. He placed his hope of survival on the Immortal-Worshipping Cult Sect Leader.
"Today, no one can save you!"
Zhang Ruochen reached out his arm, his five fingers forming a claw. A spatial black hole appeared in his palm.
The next moment, he directly reached through space and took the Palace Master of the Order Palace's divine source.
The divine source floated within the spatial black hole.
No one knew what exquisite spatial technique this was. It was enough to terrify the deities of the world.
The Earth Cauldron flew out from the space behind Zhang Ruochen, collecting all the remnant body and soul of the Palace Master of the Order Palace. In no time at all, it had refined them into dozens of divine pills.
Zhang Ruochen handed these divine pills to Feng Yan, telling him to heal his injuries well.
The celestial phenomena of the Soul Realm underwent a great change. A cold wind howled.
Black clouds marched across the sky like a thousand troops and ten thousand horses, obscuring the moon and stars.
The voice of the Immortal-Worshipping Cult Sect Leader sounded from within the cloud sky: "Zhang Ruochen, as the Grand Elder of the Space Divine Temple, you have acted wantonly and killed the Great Palace Master of the Order Palace of the Radiant Divine Temple. This is a heinous crime. Do you admit it?"
The deities of the Soul Realm appeared within the black clouds, each with a thick yin aura.
Feng Yan was furious. "You are the ones twisting the truth! It was clearly Os who tried to kill me first and seize my Pure Yang Divine Sword."
"The Palace Master of the Order Palace was merely sparring with you. The deities of the Soul Realm can all testify," the Immortal-Worshipping Cult Sect Leader said.
Zhang Ruochen stopped Feng Yan from arguing further, looking up at the sky. "The Sect Leader is right. The Palace Master of the Order Palace, Os, was killed by me. He deserved to die!"
The Immortal-Worshipping Cult Sect Leader remained expressionless. "Grand Elder, for the sake of killing someone, you are not going to reason at all?"
"To reason, Feng Yan would need the Heavenly Palace. But as his elder brother, when he faces a life-and-death crisis, I need no reason. Anyone in the world who dares to touch him, I will surely kill them. Including you, Sect Leader!"
Zhang Ruochen's gaze was like a sword, his killing intent soaring to the heavens. "Lend me your sword!"
"Big Brother, take the sword!"
Feng Yan's eyes burned with intense emotion. He offered the Pure Yang Divine Sword with both hands to Zhang Ruochen.
Zhang Ruochen grasped the sword hilt. The lightning plain beneath his feet instantly transformed into a sea of fire.
The sword spirit of the Pure Yang Divine Sword was clearly enraged as well. Heavenly Venerable divine energy continuously emanated from within the sword.
All the war swords in the Soul Realm flew towards Zhang Ruochen.
All the Sword Dao rules between heaven and earth converged upon him.
"As expected of the Pure Yang Divine Sword! With this war sword, who can stop me today?"
Sword energy, divine flames, and Heavenly Venerable divine energy flew around Zhang Ruochen. That unparalleled momentum terrified the deities of the Soul Realm, making them want to flee.
"Shua!"
Zhang Ruochen tore through space, raising his sword to ascend to the heavens, charging straight at the Immortal-Worshipping Cult Sect Leader.
The Immortal-Worshipping Cult Sect Leader had not expected Zhang Ruochen's momentum to be so fierce. He attributed it to the overwhelming dominance of the Pure Yang Divine Sword's sword spirit, so he did not meet his attack head-on.
How could a Sect Leader retreat without a fight in the face of a junior?
Thirteen skull heads flew out from his body, expanding to the size of mountains.
From within the skull heads, green evil flames spewed forth, forming a destructive force.
"Boom!"
Zhang Ruochen struck three times in succession, scattering the thirteen skull heads. Then, erupting with extreme speed, he reached the Immortal-Worshipping Cult Sect Leader in an instant.
"How can he be this strong?"
The Immortal-Worshipping Cult Sect Leader realized something was wrong. He quickly unleashed several divine abilities, trying to create distance.
It was too late!
Zhang Ruochen swung the Pure Yang Divine Sword. The One-Word Sword Dao erupted, carving a horizontal "one" character in the void. It sliced through space, severed the divine abilities, and cut the Immortal-Worshipping Cult Sect Leader's divine body in two.
Divine blood cascaded down like a waterfall, spilling onto the ground.
The entire Soul Realm seemed to fall silent.
It was utterly shocking!
A Sect Leader at the peak of the Great Unbound Infinite, a figure standing at the very pinnacle of the universe, had been cleaved in two by Zhang Ruochen with overwhelming force. The deities of the Soul Realm were so terrified their souls nearly scattered.
(Chapter End)