Chapter 424: A Hard-Fought Battle
Nie Wenlong's heart was filled with terror, yet he gritted his teeth, mobilized his true qi, and once again struck out with the Hundred Poison Divine Palm, both palms hitting upward to block Zhang Ruochen's palm seal.
"Boom."
Zhang Ruochen's palm came down, shattered the Hundred Poison Divine Palm, and landed on Nie Wenlong's body.
"Pfft..."
A mouthful of blood sprayed from Nie Wenlong's lips.
His body plummeted toward the ground at an extremely fast speed.
With a thud, Nie Wenlong crashed heavily onto the ground a hundred meters below the cliff, smashing a human-shaped pit. Mud and rocks buried his body, and it was unknown whether he was alive or dead.
"Whoosh!"
Zhang Ruochen landed gracefully on the ground and walked toward the large pit.
Without the protection of the Protective Heavenly Gang, even a Heavenly Extreme Realm Great Perfection martial artist would die from a fall of a hundred meters.
However, Nie Wenlong had experienced countless life-and-death battles on the Ruins Realm battlefield. Many times, he could even kill enemies stronger than himself in unfavorable environments. Therefore, his reaction speed far surpassed that of other martial artists at the same realm.
Just as he was about to hit the ground, he infused his true qi into a protective treasure, which helped him withstand the impact of the fall.
Nie Wenlong still lay motionless in the pit, waiting for an opportunity.
He planned to deliver a fatal blow to Zhang Ruochen when he got close, turning the tables and killing him.
But he didn't know that Zhang Ruochen's powerful spiritual power had already seen through his deception.
A slight curve appeared at the corner of Zhang Ruochen's mouth. He looked completely unguarded as he walked beside the pit.
"Swish!"
Nie Wenlong, who seemed dead, suddenly burst out from the ground. In his hand, he held a black poison needle, thrusting it toward Zhang Ruochen's brow.
"Die!" Nie Wenlong roared fiercely.
The black poison needle was condensed from over a hundred types of potent toxins. It was a fundamental treasure that Nie Wenlong had refined while cultivating the Hundred Poison Divine Palm.
If the poison needle broke the skin, the toxin would enter the bloodstream. Even a cultivator at the first transformation of the Fish-Dragon Realm would find it hard to escape death.
Only cultivators at the second transformation of the Fish-Dragon Realm, "Refining Skin into Gold," could block the poison needle's attack with their skin.
Nie Wenlong's attack seemed fast, but Zhang Ruochen was already prepared and moved even faster.
Zhang Ruochen struck out with a palm, hitting Nie Wenlong's chest. His ribs caved in, forming a five-finger-shaped hollow.
The lungs and heart in his chest cavity turned into bloody mud under the force of the palm strike, and blood continuously seeped through his clothes.
"How... how... is this... possible..."
Nie Wenlong's body trembled, his eyes wide open. He never expected to die at the hands of a junior like Zhang Ruochen.
Zhang Ruochen walked over leisurely and said, "Your Wood Spirit Sacred Body hasn't been cultivated to perfection. If it were truly perfected, my palm strike just now wouldn't have been able to break through it."
Zhang Ruochen crouched down, took the black poison needle from Nie Wenlong's hand, examined it carefully, and nodded. "A needle condensed from poisonous blood essence. It should be enough to deal with a cultivator at the first transformation of the Fish-Dragon Realm. It's quite a treasure."
He put the black poison needle away. Even if he didn't need it, he could sell it for a good price.
"Not good."
Suddenly, Zhang Ruochen's pupils contracted. He immediately turned around and activated the defensive power of the Dragon Pearl, forming a golden protective barrier.
"Whoosh!"
A mass of purple magical power condensed into a spear, flying from the distant horizon and striking the golden barrier fiercely.
The golden barrier rippled like waves. Under the spear's attack, it was sent flying and slammed into the cliff wall.
"Boom!"
A large section of the cliff collapsed, burying Zhang Ruochen underneath.
Skeletal Dharma King controlled the wood-attributed spiritual qi, stepping on a patch of cyan auspicious clouds as he flew to the top of an iron-leaf pine tree, gazing toward the cliff. He still kept a great distance and didn't approach.
"Could one strike have killed him?"
Skeletal Dharma King had witnessed Zhang Ruochen kill Nie Wenlong. He had wanted to intervene but was too late. He could only blame Nie Wenlong for losing too quickly.
It was precisely because he had seen Zhang Ruochen's formidable strength that Skeletal Dharma King became slightly cautious. He shed his contempt and didn't approach Zhang Ruochen, planning to attack from a distance.
"Boom!"
The rubble exploded into dust.
Zhang Ruochen walked out from the dust, completely unharmed, though he looked a bit disheveled.
His gaze fell on the distant Skeletal Dharma King. "As expected of a cultivator at the second transformation of the Fish-Dragon Realm. You're far stronger than the other three Dharma Kings of the Evil Wood Palace."
"Hmph! Zhang Ruochen, you destroyed the Evil Wood Palace's thousand-year foundation and killed our disciples. I'll make sure you die without a trace." Skeletal Dharma King said viciously.
"There's nothing more to say. Let's settle this with our skills."
Zhang Ruochen took out the Violet Thunder Sword, shifted his feet left and right, raised his arm, and pointed the sword horizontally, assuming a starting stance.
Skeletal Dharma King shook his head and sneered, "Zhang Ruochen, your sword can't reach me."
"That's not necessarily true."
Zhang Ruochen activated the Wind-Riding Flying Dragon Shadow movement technique and charged forward rapidly.
"Tree King."
Skeletal Dharma King mobilized his magical power, infused it into the white bone staff in his hand, and swung his arm. Wisps of cyan wood-attributed spiritual qi gathered, forming a ball of light. It condensed into vines, branches, and wooden pillars, finally transforming into a nine-zhang-tall giant tree man that attacked Zhang Ruochen.
The Tree King's strength was comparable to a cultivator at the second transformation of the Fish-Dragon Realm. With one punch, it sent Zhang Ruochen flying back.
Even using his martial soul to mobilize the world's spiritual qi, Zhang Ruochen's strength was still slightly inferior to a cultivator at the second transformation of the Fish-Dragon Realm.
"Thousand-Zhang Prairie Fire."
Zhang Ruochen released the true qi within his body, triggering a celestial phenomenon. The spiritual qi within a thousand zhang radius transformed into flames, forming a vast sea of fire.
Zhang Ruochen clasped his hands together, mobilized the flames, and condensed them into a fiery python that coiled around the giant tree man.
The tree man seemed unfazed by the flames. It strode forward and punched at Zhang Ruochen's head again.
Skeletal Dharma King laughed loudly, "The Tree King is condensed from the fundamental power of wood. Ordinary flames can't harm it."
"Unless you can obtain the source of sacred flames from the Sacred Flame Hall to burn it, even if you have the cultivation of the third transformation of the Fish-Dragon Realm, you won't be able to destroy it."
"Zhang Ruochen, you can't even touch my sleeve. How can you fight me?"
Zhang Ruochen said nothing. He kicked off the ground, leaped into the air, landed above the tree man's head, and poured true qi continuously into the Violet Thunder Sword, slashing downward.
"Swish, swish."
Dozens of vines shot out from the tree man's body, entangling Zhang Ruochen's arm.
Before Zhang Ruochen's sword could strike, he felt a tremendous force pulling him and was flung away.
With a thud, Zhang Ruochen landed more than ten zhang away. Under the force of the impact, he slid another ten zhang before completely dissipating the momentum.
Before Zhang Ruochen could catch his breath, the tree man raised its hands and attacked again.
Zhang Ruochen struck the ground with his left hand, flipping up and dodging the tree man's attack.
"Boom!"
The tree man's fists hit the ground, leaving two huge pits and shattering the rocks.
This wasn't a tree man; it was a giant iron man.
"Skeletal Dharma King, do you really think a tree man can stop me from attacking you?" Zhang Ruochen said while dodging the tree man's attacks.
Zhang Ruochen took a white jade hairpin from his sleeve and infused it with true qi. The hairpin immediately transformed into a white sacred sword.
"Soul-Breaking Wind-Listening."
Zhang Ruochen channeled all his true qi and slashed diagonally with the sword. The blade passed in front of the tree man, cutting it in two. The upper half flew off.
The tree man immediately turned into wisps of smoke and disappeared.
"What? What level of battle weapon is that in his hand? Even the staff left by our founder doesn't have such power."
Skeletal Dharma King stared at this scene in disbelief.
"Flying Sword!"
Zhang Ruochen no longer gave Skeletal Dharma King a chance to attack. Holding the sacred sword in one hand, he threw the Violet Thunder Sword with the other, using the flying sword technique to stab at the distant Skeletal Dharma King.
"Swish!"
The Violet Thunder Sword emitted a dazzling electric light, flying at supersonic speed toward Skeletal Dharma King.
Skeletal Dharma King swung his white bone staff, sending out a burst of magical power that knocked the Violet Thunder Sword away.
But the Violet Thunder Sword immediately flew back and attacked again, either stabbing, slashing, chopping, or thrusting, keeping Skeletal Dharma King flustered.
Just as Skeletal Dharma King steadied himself, Zhang Ruochen, holding the sacred sword, had already charged in front of him. He dragged a long sword aura and slashed.
Skeletal Dharma King knew the power of the sacred sword and didn't dare to take it head-on. He immediately dodged.
He avoided the sacred sword but couldn't avoid the Violet Thunder Sword.
"Bang!"
The Violet Thunder Sword pierced his mage robe and struck his back, producing a metallic clang.
Skeletal Dharma King had not only cultivated the Wood Spirit Sacred Body but also reached the second transformation of the Fish-Dragon Realm, "Refining Skin into Gold." Even the Violet Thunder Sword, a tenth-rank True Martial Treasure, couldn't break through his defense.
Skeletal Dharma King snorted coldly, swung his white bone staff, and swept it horizontally toward Zhang Ruochen's right shoulder.
At the same time, Zhang Ruochen swung the sacred sword to meet the attack.
"Boom!"
Zhang Ruochen was sent flying back again. Blood trickled from the arm holding the sacred sword.
The dragon scales on his arm were completely cracked, revealing crimson flesh.
Skeletal Dharma King snorted coldly, "Even if your martial soul is powerful enough to mobilize the world's spiritual qi for your use, giving you the strength to fight a Fish-Dragon Realm cultivator, your body is still just a mortal body. When facing a true expert, it simply can't withstand the impact of such powerful force."
Skeletal Dharma King had exchanged martial arts insights with Nie Wenlong, so he knew that the Fish-Dragon Realm was the same realm as the Dharma King.
At the same time, he also knew that martial artists from the Kunlun Realm could cultivate their souls into martial souls.
Although Zhang Ruochen's martial soul was stronger than Skeletal Dharma King's, Skeletal Dharma King didn't compete with Zhang Ruochen in terms of martial souls. Instead, he kept his martial soul inside his body, protected by his magical power.
Therefore, it was impossible for Zhang Ruochen to kill Skeletal Dharma King through his martial soul.
(Little Fish's WeChat public account: 5)