Chapter 3709: The Eternal Spear
Any one of the three—Fengxian Sect Leader, Xun Yangzi, and Yu Dongxuan—was a figure who could shake an entire starfield with a single stomp of their foot.
Now, all three had arrived at the Soul Realm, a testament to how seriously they regarded Zhang Ruochen.
The gods of the Soul Realm who had fled earlier, now suppressed by the river of rule light upon the nine Yin Moons, were numb, despair spreading through their hearts.
This was a true clash of titans.
They weren't even worthy of being cannon fodder.
Those gods who had chosen to return to the Soul-Suppressing Palace to preside over the divine formation and stand with Fengxian Sect Leader, however, secretly felt relieved.
Indeed, seasoned experts like Fengxian Sect Leader were the ones with true foresight.
Zhang Ruochen was far too young.
Yu Dongxuan, with his hands clasped behind his back, his face pale and beardless, spoke to Zhang Ruochen across the vast expanse: "You came to the Soul Realm for her, didn't you? Her life and death are now in my hands. What can you do about it?"
Zhang Ruochen looked at the Pure Yang Divine Sword in his hand and communicated with its sword spirit.
Xun Yangzi looked down from above, shaking his head with a laugh: "Do you think that with a single sword, you can break the deadlock today?"
"Even if the sword spirit of the Pure Yang Divine Sword is formidable, it has lived for far too long. Once it fully awakens, it will inevitably trigger an Eon Calamity. Not only will it be reduced to ashes, but you will also die under the calamitous thunder."
Though he said this, in truth, when Zhang Ruochen had cut Fengxian Sect Leader in two with a single sword strike earlier, Xun Yangzi had been deeply wary.
Thus, before his words had even faded, a doppelganger of Xun Yangzi descended from the Yin Moon to suppress Feng Yan.
By taking a hostage, he could both distract Zhang Ruochen and make him hesitate to act.
"Xun Yangzi, you truly are a petty villain, not even bothering to save face."
The Sword Ancestor's skeletal remains, draped in a divine robe, flew out from Zhang Ruochen's Divine Realm World.
Crossing hundreds of thousands of miles, the Sword Ancestor's skeleton pointed a finger and struck out, splitting space and shattering Xun Yangzi's doppelganger.
"Sword bone... Good! Excellent!"
Xun Yangzi had long since refined the nine Yin Moons in the starry sky and, using them, had seized control of the entire Soul Realm's heaven and earth power.
Now, he activated the power of the various esotericas he controlled. The nine Yin Moons blazed with light, twisting the surrounding space and forming nine starry vortexes.
"Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh..."
Nine different divine powers erupted from the nine Yin Moons, all striking toward Zhang Ruochen on the ground.
Wherever the divine power passed, space shattered like paper.
Outside the Soul-Suppressing Palace, Fengxian Sect Leader raised his hands above his head, and the wind and clouds shifted violently.
"Freeze time and space, seal the universe."
The thirteen skulls traced thirteen bright trajectories through the void, appearing at different positions around Zhang Ruochen, constantly suppressing his room to maneuver, forcing him to face Xun Yangzi's attacks head-on.
Xun Yangzi had prepared in advance, leveraging the terrain. In such a situation, even Fengxian Sect Leader and Yu Dongxuan, who were at the same cultivation level, would not dare to challenge him directly.
No matter how powerful Zhang Ruochen's combat strength was, he had likely only recently broken through to the Great Unbound Infinite realm, leaving a vast gap in cultivation with Xun Yangzi.
"Sword Twenty!"
Zhang Ruochen fully mobilized the divine qi within him, wielding the Pure Yang Divine Sword, and drew upon the billions of war swords around him, charging straight into the sky.
The myriad swords clashed head-on with the nine beams of light.
"Boom! Boom!"
War swords exploded continuously, turning into fragments.
The fragments then melted into droplets.
The Pure Yang Divine Sword in Zhang Ruochen's hand trembled, as if it might fly out of his grasp.
An invisible force was suppressing it, pulling at it, controlling it.
It was the Esoterica of the Way of Metal!
Among Xun Yangzi's Nine Radiance Divine Power, the Metal Way divine power was the strongest. He controlled a vast amount of Metal Way Esoterica, far beyond that of a mere main god.
"Most war swords in the world are forged from metal, so they are subject to the suppression of Metal Way Esoterica. The man in the sky controls about twenty percent of the Metal Way Esoterica," the sword spirit's voice came from within the sword body. "If I use my full power, I can break free from the suppression of Metal Way Esoterica, but as he said, the Eon Calamity would fall upon us in an instant."
"Unfortunately, my Five Elements Metal Way is not perfected. Otherwise, no matter how much Metal Way Esoterica he controlled, it wouldn't affect us."
Zhang Ruochen sighed inwardly, withdrew his sword stance, shifted from offense to defense, and landed back on the ground.
Seeing that the Pure Yang Divine Sword had been suppressed and that Sword Twenty could not contend with the nine Yin Moons, Fengxian Sect Leader's wariness and worry dissipated. He manipulated the thirteen skulls to continuously strike at Zhang Ruochen.
"Boom!"
"Boom, boom!"
...
Zhang Ruochen swung his sword repeatedly, dispersing the beams of light aimed at him and repelling the flying skulls.
Fighting alone against two peak Great Unbound Infinite powerhouses, he kept retreating, but the protective power formed by the Taiji Four Symbols Diagram Seal and the Earth Cauldron remained unbroken, barely holding.
Feng Yan was deeply worried and said angrily, "You are the leader of a sect, the venerable of a realm, yet you join forces to attack a junior. Aren't you afraid that word will spread and make you a laughingstock among the gods of the world?"
With three peak Great Unbound Infinite powerhouses laying a trap together, even a Heavenly Venerable who hadn't reached the Indestructible Infinite level would have to retreat, unable to face them head-on. Using a hit-and-run strategy might allow for a draw or even victory.
How could Zhang Ruochen, no matter how strong, compare to a Heavenly Venerable?
Under the combined assault of Fengxian Sect Leader and Xun Yangzi, he was already in dire straits.
Feng Yan looked at the sword bone and said, "Big Brother, don't worry about me. Recall the sword bone and fight with all your might. Cut a bloody path out."
Inside the sword bone, the sword soul flickered, and Zhang Ruochen's voice came out: "What is there to worry about? With the help of the Pure Yang Divine Sword, even Xun Yangzi and Fengxian Sect Leader together can't harm me in a short time. Among peak Great Unbound Infinite cultivators, they are too weak. That means they won't escape today."
Feng Yan looked surprised, finding it hard to understand where Zhang Ruochen's confidence came from.
Xun Yangzi and Fengxian Sect Leader both had their signature skills, holding means that even Heavenly Venerables feared. They hadn't used them yet! Didn't Big Brother know this?
"Snap!"
The space dozens of feet in front of Feng Yan shattered like a mirror, revealing a chaotic hole.
On the other side of the hole stood Yu Dongxuan by the Corpse River.
Yu Dongxuan's eyes were cold. He extended his right arm through the spatial hole, reaching for Feng Yan.
The ground beneath Feng Yan's feet began to sanctify, turning white and radiating divine light.
The surrounding space contracted inward, pressing down on him as if his internal organs might shatter.
Countless sword patterns appeared around the sword bone, and bright light swords shattered one after another against the divine hand reaching out.
"The Sword Ancestor is dead. A mere skeleton dares to block me?"
Yu Dongxuan's divine hand kept closing in on Feng Yan and the sword bone.
At that moment, the sword bone slowly raised its arm, meeting Yu Dongxuan's divine hand.
Yu Dongxuan paid it no mind, letting countless rule divine patterns flow on his palm, intending to grind away Zhang Ruochen's sword soul within the sword bone and claim it.
But the moment the two divine hands touched, Yu Dongxuan immediately sensed something was wrong. He tried to withdraw, but it was too late.
"It's you! Why did you make such a choice?" Yu Dongxuan exclaimed, both shocked and furious.
On the palm of the sword bone, crimson flames surged.
The flames, like fire serpents, coiled around Yu Dongxuan's arm, pulling him toward this side of the spatial hole.
The flames grew fiercer, condensing in front of the sword bone into a slender, graceful fire spirit.
It was the First Queen, A Fuya.
A Fuya possessed the primordial soul of an Ancestor and exquisite divine abilities. The "Fire God's Pull" she executed made it impossible for Yu Dongxuan to escape.
The divine flame seemed to have grown into Yu Dongxuan's body.
On the other side of the spatial hole, Yu Dongxuan endured the burning pain and tearing sensation in his arm. Ultimately, he chose not to sever the arm but to charge directly through the spatial hole.
His left hand radiated dazzling divine light, and his index finger traced a mark.
A divine light seal struck toward A Fuya.
"Not choosing to abandon this arm will be the worst decision you've ever made in your life."
A Fuya, carrying the sword bone and Feng Yan, drifted back like a butterfly, dodging the divine light seal.
The moment Yu Dongxuan crossed the spatial hole and landed on the ground, the scene before him transformed drastically.
A cold wind howled, and snow covered the land.
Three hundred and sixty formation flags were planted in various positions across the snowy continent, with towering divine mountains suspended in the void. Many divine beast patterns roared within the formation flags, as if about to burst out.
A Fuya stood atop a floating divine mountain, behind her a magnificent feminine fire cloud silhouette—a manifestation of her soul aura.
Zhang Ruochen knew well that the Snowy Continent divine formation refined by Yan Wuque was indeed powerful, but his own formation mastery was only at the level of an ordinary divine master, unable to unleash its true potential.
Moreover, there was a risk of it being seized by a spiritual power titan.
But this First Queen, in her lifetime, was not only a martial Ancestor but also a spiritual power and formation master of the Tai Shang level.
With her powerful soul to command this divine formation, it was a perfect match.
Yu Dongxuan recognized the might of the Snowy Continent and knew the terror of A Fuya's remnant soul. Combined, they could contend with a lower-ranked Heavenly Venerable. He was no match.
Yu Dongxuan said, "Congratulations, First Queen, for tricking Zhang Ruochen into giving you this divine formation. Zhang Ruochen still has many treasures: the Sundial, the God-Defying Stele, the Earth Cauldron, the Pure Yang Divine Sword. Let's join forces to kill him, and all the treasures will be yours, Your Majesty!"
A Fuya sighed softly: "If the Great Palace Master had been so generous earlier, why would I have chosen to ally with Zhang Ruochen?"
Yu Dongxuan's expression remained unchanged: "There must be a misunderstanding, right? I have always admired you, Your Majesty, believing that the Radiant Divine Temple and the Paradise Realm still need you to take charge in the future. How about this: to show my sincerity, I am willing to give you all my Light Esoterica."
"Is that so? You have such filial piety?" A Fuya said.
Yu Dongxuan was a man of action. He immediately released all the Light Esoterica within him, turning it into a gentle rain of light that flew toward A Fuya.
Just as the rain of light was about to reach A Fuya, time suddenly seemed to freeze.
Yu Dongxuan, wielding a long spear, shot through the rain of light like a beam, aiming for A Fuya's brow.
"You are nothing but a possessed body, yet you dare to covet my Light Esoterica? Have you not understood who the true master of the Paradise Realm is now?"
The spear in Yu Dongxuan's hand was called the "Eternal Spear," the foremost divine artifact of the Time Divine Temple.
He had brought it to break Zhang Ruochen's Way of Time and to counter the Sundial.
As if no time had passed at all, the Eternal Spear had already shattered all of A Fuya's defensive barriers, its tip just three inches from her brow.
If this strike succeeded, it would surely severely wound A Fuya.
"Zhang Ruochen was right. You are indeed too arrogant. And you don't know, or simply refuse to admit, that you have such a flaw."
A Fuya's eyes were clear, without a ripple.
Three inches away, the Eternal Spear seemed to pierce into a layer of water, unable to reach A Fuya's brow.
"This is... Space Esoterica... Zhang Ruochen actually trusted you enough to give you all the Space Esoterica from the Space Divine Temple?" Yu Dongxuan asked, utterly baffled.
"This is where you fall short compared to Zhang Ruochen."
A Fuya swung her long sleeve, and the fragrant fabric turned into a colorful spatial wall, sending Yu Dongxuan flying.
Zhang Ruochen had used the Wuji Divine Dao to take away the Space Esoterica from the Space Divine Temple, precisely to guard against the Space Divine Temple's master, whose allegiance was uncertain. He hadn't told A Fuya this.
Yu Dongxuan flew thousands of miles before quickly stabilizing himself, using the Eternal Spear to condense a sea of time light.
A sense of foreboding rose in his heart.
How could Zhang Ruochen trust A Fuya so much?
There had to be a deeper reason.
A Fuya did not attack immediately. She said, "You have cultivated for millions of years, yet you don't realize that you were wrong from the start. Your opponent was never Zhang Ruochen, but the current Heavenly Venerable. Do you truly believe he would let Zhang Ruochen charge into battle alone? That he wouldn't arrange any helpers for him?"