Chapter 525: Saint Skin Soft Armor
Xu Chen’s blade technique was extremely domineering. Even from a distance, a cold blade wind blew over, tearing Zhang Ruochen’s robe apart.
Zhang Ruochen remained very calm. While controlling the Ruyi Treasure Bottle, he also mobilized the power of space.
Just as Xu Chen’s blade was about to strike Zhang Ruochen’s head—a blow that, if it hit, would surely kill Zhang Ruochen—
“Whoosh!”
At that moment, Zhang Ruochen executed a Space Displacement, vanishing from his original position and appearing behind Xu Chen.
Xu Chen’s blade struck empty water, churning the entire sea surface and sending two waves over ten zhang high crashing upward. However, as an experienced elder expert, Xu Chen quickly sensed something was wrong. He hurriedly withdrew his blade and slashed backward.
But before his blade could strike, a tremendous pulling force came from above his head, forming a vortex that enveloped his body.
He felt as if he had fallen into a black hole. No matter how he struggled, he couldn’t break free from that powerful pulling force. His body, beyond his control, flew upward.
From a distance, one could see a small, exquisite bottle floating above Xu Chen’s head. At the bottle’s mouth, a whirlpool had condensed.
Xu Chen’s body grew smaller and smaller until it was only the size of a finger, then rushed into the bottle.
Zhang Ruochen immediately retrieved the Ruyi Treasure Bottle, holding it in his hand, and muttered to himself, “It can even take in a Fish-Dragon Fourth Change expert. The Ruyi Treasure Bottle’s power isn’t bad after all!”
“Boom!”
The Ruyi Treasure Bottle shook violently, sending out a wave of force that made Zhang Ruochen’s five fingers ache. If he hadn’t increased his control, the bottle would have flown away just now.
“Where is this place? Let me out! Zhang Ruochen, aren’t you number one on the Heavenly Ranking? If you have the skill, fight me face to face!”
Xu Chen’s voice came from inside the Ruyi Treasure Bottle.
With another boom, the bottle shook violently again.
Zhang Ruochen used true qi to suppress the bottle and muttered, “The Ruyi Treasure Bottle’s attack is still too weak. If I could add a powerful flame formation inside the bottle, I could directly refine Xu Chen instead of just trapping him.”
The Ruyi Treasure Bottle still had many imperfections. If it encountered a cultivator with too high a cultivation level, the bottle might be knocked away before it could exert its power.
For now, Zhang Ruochen could only put away the Ruyi Treasure Bottle. After dealing with Xu Hai, he would find a way to slowly handle Xu Chen.
“Rustle, rustle!”
Xu Hai drove his warship and caught up.
Although Xu Hai had been standing at a distance, he had clearly seen the entire battle. He witnessed Xu Konglin die under Zhang Ruochen’s sword and saw Zhang Ruochen use the Ruyi Treasure Bottle to trap Xu Chen.
“Two useless wastes, so easily dealt with by Zhang Ruochen. It seems they’ve grown too accustomed to a life of pleasure within the clan and are unfit for important tasks.”
Xu Hai was quite furious.
In his view, with Xu Konglin’s peak Fish-Dragon Third Change cultivation, even if he wasn’t Zhang Ruochen’s match, he could have avoided injury if he had been more careful. But Xu Konglin was too arrogant. Before he could escape, he was entangled by the Dragon-Locking Chain and died under Zhang Ruochen’s sword.
Xu Konglin had brought about his own death, so he couldn’t blame anyone else.
But Xu Chen, with his profound realm and strength many times greater than Zhang Ruochen’s, had been trapped in a bottle and instantly suppressed. Xu Hai simply couldn’t accept it.
Xu Chen’s cultivation had reached Fish-Dragon Fourth Change, and he was a battle-hardened elder expert. How could he have capsized in a ditch and fallen into the hands of a junior like Zhang Ruochen?
What kind of treasure was that bottle?
Losing three Fish-Dragon realm experts in a row made Xu Hai deeply regretful.
After all, even for a large clan like the Xu Holy Clan, the number of Fish-Dragon realm experts was limited. Only by spending massive resources could one be cultivated.
Every Fish-Dragon realm cultivator was a huge asset.
If the Xu Holy Clan were compared to an empire, then each Fish-Dragon realm cultivator would be a city. Losing one was more painful than losing a city.
Now, Xu Hai had no retreat. If he couldn’t capture Zhang Ruochen today, he would face severe punishment upon returning to the Xu Holy Clan. His position as the clan’s heir might even be at risk.
Xu Hai put away his contempt, his expression grim, and said, “Zhang Ruochen, I admit I underestimated you earlier and made a serious mistake. But from now on, I won’t give you any more chances.”
Zhang Ruochen smiled and said, “If I were you, I would flee immediately.”
Xu Hai laughed in anger, “Zhang Ruochen, you’re far too confident. When I was at the Heavenly Extreme Realm, I also reached ninety-first place on the Heavenly Ranking. Even if there’s a gap between me and the number one spot, it’s not that big.”
“Moreover, I’ve now reached Fish-Dragon Second Change, and my strength is many times greater than before. Even if you have a few powerful sacred artifacts on you, they can’t make up for the difference in cultivation.”
Zhang Ruochen said, “Being the heir of the Xu Holy Clan, you’re naturally no ordinary person. But are you sure you can withstand my Instant Sword Technique?”
“Instant Without Trace?”
Xu Hai sneered, very confident, “Fine, let’s see if your sword technique is superior or if my strength is stronger.”
“Whoosh!”
A green light pillar shot up from Xu Hai’s head.
The pillar rose from the sea surface, reaching all the way to the bottom of the clouds.
A martial soul emerged from Xu Hai’s head, suspended within the light pillar.
The martial soul began to mobilize the world’s spiritual qi. With the naked eye, one could see streams of spiritual qi converging from all directions into Xu Hai’s brow.
Xu Hai’s martial soul was also extremely powerful, reaching the level of Fish-Dragon Seventh Change, almost on par with Zhang Ruochen’s.
“Kunpeng Spreads Its Wings.”
Xu Hai spread his arms, and thick true qi flew out from his palms, transforming into a pair of huge light wings.
The technique Xu Hai cultivated was the king-level technique, “Kunpeng Martial Code.”
With a flap of the light wings, Xu Hai flew up, arriving above Zhang Ruochen’s head, and struck down with both palms simultaneously.
Two palm forces condensed into two massive handprints. Before they fully descended, they had already pressed the seawater beneath Zhang Ruochen’s feet into a depression, forming two handprints over ten meters long on the sea surface.
Xu Hai’s strength surpassed that of Xu Chen, a Fish-Dragon Fourth Change expert.
The moment he struck, it seemed as if the entire world was under his control.
“Swish!”
Zhang Ruochen immediately executed a Space Displacement, his body leaping through space and appearing to Xu Hai’s left.
“What?”
Xu Hai was shocked, not expecting Zhang Ruochen’s speed to reach such a level.
No, that wasn’t speed—it was the power of space.
Earlier, when Zhang Ruochen fought Xu Chen, he had also used Space Displacement. But at that time, Xu Hai was far away and hadn’t sensed the spatial fluctuations.
Now, however, Xu Hai clearly perceived a subtle disturbance in the surrounding space.
That feeling was very similar to the power emitted when a void realm warship traveled through wormholes and space channels.
What shocked Xu Hai was that Zhang Ruochen could also control this power. He knew better than anyone how terrifying that was.
Zhang Ruochen didn’t give Xu Hai time to think. He aimed for a one-hit kill, intending to cut Xu Hai down with his sword in a surprise attack.
After executing Space Displacement, Zhang Ruochen immediately captured a Time Imprint, integrated it into his sword technique, and swung his sword, slashing at Xu Hai’s neck.
“Instant Without Trace.”
At this moment, Zhang Ruochen and Xu Hai were only one zhang apart. After integrating the power of time, Zhang Ruochen’s sword strike was as fast as a beam of light. In almost an instant, the Abyssal Ancient Sword struck Xu Hai’s neck.
“Bang!”
The Abyssal Ancient Sword hit Xu Hai’s neck as if striking a layer of iron armor, producing a metallic collision sound and sending out a shower of sparks.
This time, it was Zhang Ruochen’s turn to be surprised. He couldn’t understand why, with the Abyssal Ancient Sword’s sharpness, it couldn’t cut through Xu Hai’s flesh and blood.
After taking the blow from the Abyssal Ancient Sword, Xu Hai’s body only leaned back slightly.
Xu Hai reacted swiftly, flipping in the air to dissipate the sword’s force, then, at three times his previous speed, struck his palm toward Zhang Ruochen’s chest.
His speed was astonishing. Even with Zhang Ruochen’s eyesight, he couldn’t track his figure.
Zhang Ruochen didn’t even have time to execute Space Displacement. He could only immediately activate the Dragon Pearl’s protective power while quickly raising the Abyssal Ancient Sword horizontally to block.
“Bang!”
Zhang Ruochen’s body flew backward, traveling ten li before crashing into the seawater with a thud.
A moment later, Zhang Ruochen burst out of the water and landed on the surface.
“Pfft!”
Zhang Ruochen spat out a mouthful of blood, his face turning deathly pale. His internal organs had suffered severe damage, burning with pain, and his body felt as if it were about to split apart.
Despite his severe injuries, Zhang Ruochen stood straight, showing no fear. He stared at Xu Hai, who was suspended in midair, and said, “You’re wearing a Saint Skin Soft Armor?”
Xu Hai looked at Zhang Ruochen, who had been severely injured by his palm strike, and nodded, quite satisfied with the power he had just displayed.
“That’s right, I am indeed wearing a Saint Skin Soft Armor. No matter how high your sword technique is or how sharp your sword is, you can’t hurt me.”
Xu Hai circulated his true qi, and a layer of golden light emerged from the surface of his skin.
That layer of light carried a sacred power, absorbing all the spiritual qi from the sea surface and forming a white cloud that wrapped around Xu Hai’s body.
From a distance, Xu Hai looked like a young saint, standing at the center of heaven and earth, controlling the entire world.
That was the aura that only a saint should possess.
The Saint Skin Soft Armor was a protective sacred artifact refined from a saint’s skin and bones, combined with nine other precious materials.
When worn, the Saint Skin Soft Armor automatically adhered to the cultivator’s skin. Without careful observation, one wouldn’t even notice its presence.