# Chapter 527: Fury, Hatred
"Whoosh!"
As Zhang Ruochen pointed his finger outward, the space shattered like glass, tearing open crack after crack, then collapsing with a loud crash.
Looking through the space fissures, one could only see a chaotic, void, and disordered space.
The space within dozens of feet completely shattered. Driven by a devouring force, the surrounding area began to spin, forming a massive vortex.
In truth, Xu Hai had been on guard against Zhang Ruochen using spatial power all along. However, he had not anticipated that Zhang Ruochen could cause the space of an entire region to completely collapse.
"I absolutely cannot be pulled into the collapsing space. Once I fall in, even a Half-Saint would have no chance of escape."
Xu Hai broke out in cold sweat, terrified. He channeled his true qi with all his might, using the power of his Saint Skin Soft Armor to unleash unprecedented speed, barely managing to rush out of the vortex.
Before he could celebrate, he saw Zhang Ruochen controlling a massive ice sword ten zhang long, slashing it toward him.
"Boom!"
The ice sword struck Xu Hai's body, once again sending him flying into the collapsing space.
"No... don't..."
Xu Hai stretched his arm forward, trying to escape once more.
Unfortunately, this time, he was not so lucky. He was soon swallowed by the collapsing space.
Space returned to calm. All sounds vanished completely.
Zhang Ruochen stood on the sea surface, gazing at the spot where space had just collapsed. He shook his head and sighed with some regret: "What a pity about that Saint Skin Soft Armor."
Treasures like the Saint Skin Soft Armor could only be possessed by Saint-level clans. They were priceless and rare to come by.
Although he had failed to obtain the Saint Skin Soft Armor, he had eliminated a major enemy like Xu Hai. This way, Zhang Ruochen could focus all his efforts on accumulating military merit points and searching for the Xuanwu inheritance site.
Of course, before that, he still had to heal his injuries first.
After the battle with Xu Hai, Zhang Ruochen had suffered severe internal injuries that would not heal overnight.
Zhang Ruochen sank to the bottom of the water, took out the Cosmic Divine Wood Map, opened the space gate, and entered the scroll's inner world.
With the aid of healing pills, it took seven full days before Zhang Ruochen's injuries were completely healed.
Xiao Hei walked over with a catlike gait and said, "Zhang Ruochen, do you want to cultivate in the Cosmic Divine Wood Map for a while before going out?"
Zhang Ruochen thought for a moment, then immediately shook his head. "Secluded cultivation could indeed improve my strength somewhat, and I might even master one or two ghost-level martial techniques. But purely focusing on cultivation will never allow me to reach the Supreme Extreme Realm of the Heavenly Extreme Realm. Besides, constant battle and slaughter are also a form of cultivation, aren't they?"
"Ah, right! There's one person I almost forgot about!"
Zhang Ruochen stood up, took out the Wish-Fulfilling Treasure Bottle, and released Xu Chen, who had been trapped inside.
"Whoosh!"
A speck of light flew out of the bottle, landed on the ground, and immediately transformed into an old figure.
That figure was naturally Xu Chen.
Xu Chen regained his freedom and immediately swung his Tiger-Hunting Blade, slashing at Zhang Ruochen.
"Kneel before this emperor!" Xiao Hei roared.
Xu Chen was struck as if by a heavy blow. His body convulsed, and with a thud, he fell to his knees, unable to move at all.
"This... what is going on..."
Xu Chen gritted his teeth, veins bulging on his face. No matter how hard he struggled, he could not stand up.
Xiao Hei raised his head, walked over, and let out a sinister laugh: "A mere cultivator at the fourth transformation of the Fish-Dragon Realm, daring to resist on this emperor's turf?"
In the scroll world, Xiao Hei's power was not sealed, so he could easily suppress Xu Chen.
Xiao Hei patted Xu Chen's shoulder with his paw, his long whiskers brushing against Xu Chen's ear as he chuckled: "The scroll world has fully stabilized. It's time to build some palaces, caves, and maybe even a city. We're short on labor, so we'll conscript you first. Old man, you have no objections, right? Well, since you have none, we'll start work tomorrow."
Seeing Xu Chen completely subdued by Xiao Hei, Zhang Ruochen shook his head with a smile and walked toward the stump of the Sky-Connecting Divine Tree.
Huang Yanchen sat cross-legged beneath the new sprout of the Sky-Connecting Divine Tree, thick Xuanwu qi enveloping her. A powerful aura faintly emanated from her body.
Huang Yanchen had been cultivating in the scroll world for a month and a half. With the aid of Xuanwu qi, her cultivation had advanced by leaps and bounds. She had already reached the late stage of the Heavenly Extreme Realm Great Perfection, only one step away from the Fish-Dragon Realm.
Huang Yanchen did not immediately take the Fish-Dragon Pill to break through to the Fish-Dragon Realm. Instead, she followed Zhang Ruochen out of the scroll world, planning to train in the Xuanwu Ruins Realm for a while to stabilize her current realm.
The two of them walked out of the space gate together, returned to the water surface, and headed toward the central waters of the Western Xuan Sea.
"Such a strong bloody aura."
Before long, Zhang Ruochen's nose twitched slightly as he caught a whiff of blood.
Following the scent, they saw a small ship floating on the water in the distance.
Zhang Ruochen leaped through the air, landed on the ship, and saw the horrific scene aboard. A surge of intense fury rose in his heart.
Zhang Ruochen recognized all the Ruins Realm warriors on this ship. Though he was not close to them, he respected them deeply and regarded them as friends he had instantly bonded with.
But now...
All nine Ruins Realm warriors on the ship had been brutally killed, not a single survivor.
Especially the squad leader, Nie Nanfei, who had died a particularly gruesome death. His ten fingers had been severed, his eyeballs gouged out, his abdomen sliced open with a sharp blade, and even his heart had been ripped out and thrown aside.
Nie Nanfei was an elder, a veteran soldier Zhang Ruochen deeply respected. He never imagined the man would meet such an end.
Seeing their deaths, one could guess that they had suffered cruel torture before dying.
Huang Yanchen boarded the ship a step later than Zhang Ruochen. Seeing the scene before her, she frowned and said, "Could the natives of the Xuanwu Ruins Realm have killed them?"
Zhang Ruochen clenched his fists tightly and shook his head, his voice cold: "No, it was the evil path martial artists of the Black Market. Their aura still lingers on the ship. They must have sensed my presence on the ship and used brutal methods to interrogate these Ruins Realm warriors."
"Boom!"
Zhang Ruochen punched the ship's mast, leaving a dent.
An icy killing intent emanated from him as he said in a low and deep voice: "Green Robe Star Envoy, I swear, I will make you pay for this debt."
Huang Yanchen had never seen Zhang Ruochen so furious. She bit her lip gently and said in a low voice of persuasion: "Zhang Ruochen, I know you're angry and blaming yourself, but I must remind you not to let rage cloud your judgment. Green Robe Star Envoy, Yin Wuchang, and Iron Lady are all seasoned experts with high status in the evil path. With our current strength, fighting them would be like throwing an egg against a rock."
Zhang Ruochen slowly unclenched his fingers, let out a long breath, and gradually calmed down. "I understand. I won't be foolish enough to confront them head-on until I break through to the Fish-Dragon Realm."
"Fish-Dragon Realm!"
Zhang Ruochen's eyes gazed into the distance. He clenched his teeth, filled with boundless longing.
Only by breaking through to the Fish-Dragon Realm could one truly transcend martial arts and break the limits of mortals.
Who wouldn't want to reach such a realm?
In his previous life, Zhang Ruochen had never reached the Fish-Dragon Realm, so he did not know the mysteries of that realm. Precisely because he had never reached it, he looked forward to it even more.
Of course, before that, he still had to assault the Supreme Extreme Realm first.
The Supreme Extreme Realm of the Heavenly Extreme Realm might be difficult for others, but for him, it was not necessarily a challenge.
Steering the ship, Zhang Ruochen and Huang Yanchen arrived at a relatively remote island.
On the island, they dug graves and buried the nine Ruins Realm warriors.
Huang Yanchen asked curiously, "Why not take them back to the Huangyu Island base? That way, the Ministry of War would give their families compensation. Wouldn't that be better?"
Zhang Ruochen covered the last handful of dirt and shook his head. "If we take them back to the Huangyu Island base, the Ministry of War officials would immediately see they weren't killed by natives. Instead, they might suspect we killed them."
"Secondly, if they don't return to the base for a long time, the Ministry of War will naturally list them as having died on the Ruins Realm battlefield. That way, their families will still receive compensation."
Huang Yanchen nodded, having to admit that Zhang Ruochen considered problems more thoroughly than she did.
Zhang Ruochen said thoughtfully, "Our current position is at least three thousand li from the Huangyu Island base. We've already entered relatively dangerous waters. Going further, we should be entering the central part of the Western Xuan Sea."
"Why do we want to go deep into the Western Xuan Sea? Didn't you say it's extremely dangerous, and even Half-Saints could fall there?" Huang Yanchen asked.
Zhang Ruochen had completely calmed down, suppressing the anger in his heart as he analyzed: "Huang Shenyi has been to the Xuanwu Ruins Realm twice, and both times he came to the Huangyu Island base. With Huang Shenyi's cultivation, he definitely couldn't go to the Xuan Continent or the Wu Continent, nor could he go to other seas. So, at most, he could only train in the Western Xuan Sea."
Huang Yanchen's eyes lit up. "You mean the Xuanwu inheritance site can only be in the Western Xuan Sea?"
"That should be the case."
Zhang Ruochen continued, "If the Xuanwu inheritance site were in waters not far from Huangyu Island, it would have been discovered long ago. So, the Xuanwu inheritance site must be deep in the Western Xuan Sea, where it's dangerous and no one dares to go. Precisely because of this, it holds boundless opportunities."
"I can figure this out, and so will other cultivators searching for the Xuanwu inheritance site. If I'm not mistaken, Green Robe Star Envoy, Yin Wuchang, Iron Lady, and other Fish-Dragon Realm cultivators have probably already gone deep into the Western Xuan Sea."
Huang Yanchen asked, "Should we set out now?"
Zhang Ruochen shook his head. "No! Even if we go now, we can't compete with those Fish-Dragon Realm experts. Besides, if the Xuanwu inheritance site were so easy to find, it would have been discovered long ago, and Huang Shenyi wouldn't have had a chance. So, there's no need to rush there now. Our priority is to elevate our own cultivation."
Huang Yanchen said, "We can train in the outer waters of the Western Xuan Sea first. Once we break through to the Fish-Dragon Realm, we can search for the Xuanwu inheritance site then."
Zhang Ruochen nodded.
Over the next four days, Zhang Ruochen and Huang Yanchen remained active in the outer waters of the Western Xuan Sea.
Zhang Ruochen hunted a total of eighty-six fourth-rank barbarian beasts, accumulating two thousand three hundred and seventy-two military merit points.
Huang Yanchen killed thirteen fourth-rank barbarian beasts, accumulating four hundred and twelve military merit points.
Of course, Huang Yanchen didn't have many opportunities to fight. Most of the time, she helped Zhang Ruochen clean up the battlefield, collecting spirit meat from the barbarian beasts, their hides, and their blood.
Fourth-rank barbarian beasts were treasures from head to toe. Bringing them back to the Chaos Myriad Realms Mountain could be exchanged for a large number of spirit crystals.
Huang Yanchen's talent was not as good as Zhang Ruochen's, but she had refined dragon blood and Xuanwu qi and consumed many heavenly treasures. With her current cultivation at the late stage of the Heavenly Extreme Realm Great Perfection, her strength was already enough to enter the top thousand of the Heavenly Ranking.
After some training, her strength could still improve further.
However, Huang Yanchen knew that Zhang Ruochen needed military merit points more urgently to assault the Supreme Extreme Realm, so she rarely fought, leaving the barbarian beasts for him.
"Hunting only fourth-rank native barbarian beasts, it's impossible to accumulate thirty million military merit points. Starting tomorrow, we'll head to the central part of the Western Xuan Sea to hunt fifth-rank barbarian beasts." Zhang Ruochen made the decision.
Huang Yanchen naturally had no objections. In truth, she also wanted to fight fifth-rank barbarian beasts. Only in danger could one truly stimulate their potential and make further progress.