Chapter 386: Buddha Emperor's Heir
Luo Shuihan took a step forward, using her legs to gain momentum, and landed on the Pilgrimage Saint Staircase.
"Splash!"
A patch of cyan true qi radiance burst from within her body, surging outward in all directions.
The powerful force separated the two sides who were locked in combat.
"Everyone, stop." Luo Shuihan said.
Luo Shuihan's formidable strength intimidated all the talented disciples of the Xu Holy Clan, causing them to cease their attacks.
Xu Yuanzhi recognized Luo Shuihan, knowing she was the sacred body of the Luo Holy Clan, and didn't dare to offend her easily. He said, "Miss Luo, please don't interfere in this matter. The Xu Holy Clan must teach these ignorant country bumpkins a lesson."
"Who are you calling a country bumpkin?"
Chang Qiqi's face flushed red, his fists clenched tightly as he prepared to charge at Xu Yuanzhi.
Xu Yuanzhi sneered coldly, "Martial artists from a remote and barbaric place like Demon Ridge are inherently short-sighted and self-righteous, like frogs at the bottom of a well. If that's not a country bumpkin, what is?"
Hearing this, Luo Shuihan frowned slightly.
Originally, Chang Qiqi had struck first, which was indeed wrong, and Luo Shuihan wanted to help resolve this conflict.
After all, with Chang Qiqi's cultivation and background, offending a saintly clan would surely end badly.
Hearing Xu Yuanzhi's words, Luo Shuihan realized the fundamental conflict wasn't about who struck first, but the irreconcilable rift between saintly clans and common clans.
Luo Shuihan said, "I also came from the Martial Market Academy of Demon Ridge. In your eyes, am I also a frog at the bottom of a well?"
"Miss Luo is also a student from Demon Ridge?" Xu Yuanzhi was slightly surprised.
Although he had heard that the Luo Holy Clan had produced a sacred body, he didn't know that this sacred body had previously trained at the Demon Ridge Martial Market Academy.
Luo Shuihan said, "Today is the Holy Academy examination day. Why must we escalate this conflict? Can't we turn hostility into friendship?"
Including Xu Yuanzhi and Xu Su, the talented disciples of the Xu Holy Clan hesitated. After all, their opponent was a sacred body; even if they all combined forces, they probably wouldn't be her match.
Resolving the conflict now would indeed be the best outcome.
But someone was unwilling.
Xu Qing, the number one expert of the younger generation of the Xu Holy Clan, also walked down from above and stood on the thirtieth step of the staircase, saying coldly, "No wonder the Demon Ridge disciples are so arrogant—they have a sacred body backing them. Miss Luo, you heard what they said earlier. It was an insult to our Xu Holy Clan. If we don't cripple them today, where will our Xu Holy Clan's dignity be?"
Luo Shuihan said, "Why must it be so ruthless? Isn't there another way to resolve this?"
Xu Qing clasped his hands behind his back and smiled, "Of course. Our Xu Holy Clan is a ten-thousand-year saintly clan; we won't resort to extermination. As long as Zhang Ruochen comes forward and kneels to apologize to all our disciples, I will let the three of them go and will not pursue this matter further."
Xu Qing had been smitten with Huang Yanchen at first sight, so naturally, he had secretly investigated her background, knowing she had trained at the Demon Ridge Martial Market Academy.
He also knew that Huang Yanchen's fiancé was named Zhang Ruochen, also a student of the Demon Ridge Martial Market Academy.
The reason he proposed this condition was, of course, to make Zhang Ruochen lose face in front of all the disciples of the Eastern Domain. In the future, how could he have the face to marry Huang Yanchen?
Xu Qing's gaze swept over Si Xingkong and Chang Qiqi, trying to discern which one was Zhang Ruochen.
Finally, Xu Qing's gaze settled on Si Xingkong. Whether in temperament or cultivation, Si Xingkong was superior to Chang Qiqi and more outstanding.
Perhaps he was Zhang Ruochen.
Huang Yanchen snorted coldly, "Why should Zhang Ruochen kneel and apologize? Don't you know Zhang Ruochen is my fiancé? If he kneels to apologize to you, can you bear it?"
Xu Qing's expression remained unchanged. "If he kneels, I can bear it."
Just as the two sides were arguing, Zhang Ruochen had already climbed the Pilgrimage Saint Staircase step by step, arriving beside Huang Yanchen. He stopped and glanced at Xu Qing. "What if I don't kneel to apologize?"
"You are Zhang Ruochen? You're a bit different from what I imagined."
Xu Qing turned his gaze and fixed it on Zhang Ruochen, not hiding his hostility at all.
Zhang Ruochen said, "I'm also curious—how do you know my name?"
Xu Qing said, "I heard you obtained the Dragon Relic and became the Buddha Emperor's heir. I wonder if it's true or false."
The Xu Holy Clan was a ten-thousand-year saintly clan. In the Eastern Domain, any slight disturbance anywhere would be known immediately.
As the number one figure of the younger generation of the Xu Holy Clan, Xu Qing had naturally heard a little about Zhang Ruochen's affairs.
"True, how so? False, how so?" Zhang Ruochen said calmly.
"Haha! Since you won't say, I'll have to find out myself. Let's see how strong this Buddha Emperor's heir really is!"
Xu Qing's bones emitted a crackling sound, and his entire body turned silvery, as if he had transformed into a metal iron man. In the blink of an eye, he had rushed before Zhang Ruochen and threw a punch.
Xu Qing cultivated the ghost-rank upper-class technique, Lesser Vajra Martial Code, and had awakened a metal-element Divine Martial Mark. When he fully activated his true qi, his body turned into silver iron, his strength surged, and he could tear apart a mammoth with his bare hands.
"Whoosh!"
Zhang Ruochen sidestepped, dodging Xu Qing's punch.
"Thousand-Hand Vajra."
Xu Qing's martial arts attainment had reached the level of perfection. Just as Zhang Ruochen sidestepped, his body spun sharply, and he threw another punch aimed at Zhang Ruochen's chest.
In an instant, Xu Qing seemed to transform into a thousand-armed, thousand-handed war god. Although it appeared he only threw one punch, it felt like fist shadows were everywhere.
"Elephant Force Ninefold."
Zhang Ruochen unleashed nine palm strikes in succession, unleashing nine times the palm force, and clashed head-on with Xu Qing.
With a bang, the two separated and retreated.
Zhang Ruochen felt pain in his arm, and drops of blood oozed from his palm, turning it blood-red. His entire arm was almost dislocated.
"As expected of a saintly clan heir. Even if Xu Qing isn't a sacred body, he's probably not much weaker than one."
Zhang Ruochen immediately circulated the cyan void true qi within his body. In almost an instant, the pain in his arm disappeared, and even the blood beads on his palm were refined into blood mist and reabsorbed into his body.
The opponent's cultivation had reached the peak of the Heavenly Extreme Realm Small Extreme Position, a full two realms higher than Zhang Ruochen. It wouldn't be easy for Zhang Ruochen to win.
While Zhang Ruochen was surprised, Xu Qing was even more astonished. His full-power punch had actually been caught by that kid, and he was even shaken by the opponent's palm force, making his arm numb.
You see, the technique he cultivated was inherently powerful and had astonishing defensive capabilities, giving him a significant advantage in fist and foot combat.
According to the intelligence he had obtained, Zhang Ruochen's strongest aspect wasn't palm techniques but his extremely high attainment in swordsmanship. It was said he had already reached Sword Heart Illumination, though he didn't know if it was true or false.
On the Pilgrimage Saint Staircase, weapons couldn't be carried, so Zhang Ruochen couldn't use his sword techniques.
With such an advantage, naturally, he should easily suppress him to claim victory.
Although that punch hadn't succeeded, it had allowed Xu Qing to probe Zhang Ruochen's limits.
"The technique you just used is the Ten Thousand Buddha Path's Dragon-Elephant Prajna Palm. You really did obtain the Dragon Relic and become the Buddha Emperor's heir. No wonder you're already this powerful at such a young age." Xu Qing said.
"Using the Dragon-Elephant Prajna Palm proves I'm the Buddha Emperor's heir? If I use a Taiji Path martial technique, would that mean I've inherited the Dao Emperor's legacy?"
Zhang Ruochen was well aware that Xu Qing's words were intended to tell everyone present that Zhang Ruochen had obtained the Dragon Relic and possessed a peerless treasure, thereby stirring up hatred against Zhang Ruochen.
Think about it—who wouldn't want a treasure like the Dragon Relic?
Not just these young disciples, even half-saints would be tempted.
Xu Qing attacked again, unleashing a "Vajra Subduing Demon" technique. His entire body burst into flames, as if turning into a blazing fire cloud as he swooped down, throwing both fists simultaneously.
This time, Zhang Ruochen didn't dodge. Like lightning, he struck out with the little finger of his left hand.
"Shaoze Pulse Sword Wave."
In an instant, the surrounding heaven and earth spiritual qi seemed to be drained, all converging at Zhang Ruochen's fingertip, transforming into a powerful, sharp, and domineering sword wave.
The sword wave shot out like a meteor streaking through the sky, emitting a piercing sound as it struck Xu Qing.
Xu Qing brought his hands together, blocking in front of his chest.
"Bang!"
Under the impact of the sword wave, sparks flew from Xu Qing's body, and he was sent flying back, landing ten zhang away.
"Ten Pulse Sword Wave?"
"You actually cultivated the Taiji Path's martial technique."
Xu Qing was extremely surprised. Techniques like the Ten Pulse Sword Wave weren't something just any disciple of the Taiji Path could casually cultivate.
Although the Ten Pulse Sword Wave was only a spirit-rank upper-class technique, when cultivated to the Ten Pulse Great Perfection, it became a ghost-rank lower-class technique.
From the power Zhang Ruochen had just displayed, it was clear he had already reached the Ten Pulse Great Perfection level.
"Xu Qing has finally met his match. I didn't expect Demon Ridge to be so formidable, producing such an outstanding talent."
In everyone's eyes, Luo Shuihan, who had cultivated a sacred body, was actually stronger.
However, Luo Shuihan was the proud daughter of the Luo Holy Clan. Even if she had trained in Demon Ridge since childhood, wouldn't the Luo Holy Clan still provide her with cultivation resources?
So, no one was surprised by Luo Shuihan's strength.
Someone like Zhang Ruochen, without a saintly clan background, achieving what he had now, was truly astonishing.
"Could he really have obtained the Dragon Relic?"
A heir of a saintly clan said, "I heard an elder in my clan mention that news of the Dragon Relic appearing in Demon Ridge had indeed spread some time ago, and it was said to have been obtained by a young man named Zhang Ruochen. However, Demon Ridge is too remote and information is scarce, so I don't know if it's a deliberate rumor or if it's true."
"If it's true, that's incredible. The Buddha Emperor back then was one of the most powerful figures in the entire Kunlun Realm. Obtaining his relic would be like reaching the heavens in one step."
"I heard Zhang Ruochen is less than twenty years old. If not for the relic, I wouldn't believe he could have cultivated to his current realm on his own."
Hearing the crowd's discussions, Xue Yingrou was stunned. Only now did she realize that Zhang Ruochen actually had the identity of "Buddha Emperor's Heir." How astonishing!
With such an identity, as long as he wasn't killed in the cradle, even becoming a saint in the future wouldn't be difficult.
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