Chapter 545: Counterattack
The bone ashes of the Green Robe Star Envoy fell grain by grain, landing on the sea surface with a rustling sound.
In just an instant, a top-tier evil path expert vanished from this world, reduced to ashes.
This scene made all the Ruins Realm warriors present tremble with fear. They lowered their heads, feeling a chill run through their bodies, not even daring to breathe too loudly, afraid of becoming the next target of Black Scaled Flood Dragon King's killing blow.
"The Green Robe Star Envoy had a sacred edict scroll on him, a protective treasure, yet it still couldn't withstand a single strike from Black Scaled Flood Dragon King. His strength is truly terrifying."
Orange Moon Star Envoy raised her head, looking at Black Scaled Flood Dragon King above, her cold and proud face turning somewhat pale.
Zhang Ruochen's spiritual power was strong, his eyes like torches, seeing even more clearly than Orange Moon Star Envoy.
Just now, when Black Scaled Flood Dragon King struck, a circle of sacred light indeed surged from Green Robe Star Envoy's body, flickering once to block the first wave of the attack.
But in an instant, Black Scaled Flood Dragon King unleashed over a dozen more strikes, piercing through that circle of sacred light and killing Green Robe Star Envoy.
Black Scaled Flood Dragon King's attack speed was extremely fast; despite unleashing over a dozen strikes, everyone couldn't see the shadow of his hand, only a light wave that shattered Green Robe Star Envoy into powder.
Green Robe Star Envoy must have used the power of that sacred edict scroll before, so the remaining sacred power within it was not much.
Otherwise, even if Green Robe Star Envoy wasn't a match for Black Scaled Flood Dragon King, escaping with the scroll's power wouldn't have been difficult.
Zhang Ruochen also had a sacred edict scroll on him.
When Xuanji Sword Saint accepted Zhang Ruochen as his disciple, he infused a surge of sacred power into the scroll.
Until now, Zhang Ruochen had never used the scroll's power even once.
Xuanji Sword Saint was the second head of the Sacred Academy. His strength was at the top level across the entire Eastern Domain. Being titled "One of the Three Sword Saints of the Eastern Domain" showed how esteemed his status was.
The power of the sacred edict he issued was naturally extremely formidable.
Thus, with the sacred edict in hand, Zhang Ruochen was not afraid of Black Scaled Flood Dragon King at all.
As long as Zhang Ruochen wanted to leave, even a Half-Saint couldn't stop him.
Previously, Zhang Ruochen hadn't used the sacred edict because every use diminished its sacred power. Unless it was a critical moment, he wouldn't use it.
Although he had the sacred edict, Zhang Ruochen didn't plan to leave immediately. Instead, he was thinking about how to kill the Flood Dragon Clan and break through to the supreme extreme realm of the Heavenly Extreme Realm. If there was an opportunity, it would be best to obtain the Black Tortoise inheritance as well.
Black Scaled Flood Dragon King mobilized his beast soul, unleashing an invisible soul force that surged outward in all directions, landing on every Ruins Realm warrior.
He used soul force to shatter the will and spirit of the Ruins Realm warriors, turning them into slaves under his control.
An old man who had reached the level of a sixth-grade Ruins Realm warrior stepped forward and snorted coldly, "This old man would rather die than work for a beast."
"An ungrateful old thing."
"Pfft!"
Black Scaled Flood Dragon King sneered, and across the void, he slapped out, striking the old man's head.
With a crack, the palm force crushed the old man's body, turning it into a mass of broken bones and flesh.
"Anyone else?" Black Scaled Flood Dragon King said in a deep voice.
Black Scaled Flood Dragon King's powerful soul force finally shattered the will of the Ruins Realm warriors. No one dared to resist anymore, and they all dove into the sea, entering the Blood Spring Trench.
The five Flood Dragon Clan commanders flew above the sea surface, all transformed into human-headed, flood dragon-bodied monsters, laughing loudly.
Among them, a commander with a woman's head sneered, "The humans from beyond think they're superior, but they're all cowardly creatures. With just a burst of soul force from the king, they're scared like turtles, obediently clearing the way for us."
Hearing this, Huang Yanchen couldn't bear it anymore. Her eyes darkened, and she stepped forward, wanting to rush up and fight that Flood Dragon Clan commander to the death.
But Zhang Ruochen quickly reached out, firmly grabbing her shoulder, and pulled her back.
"Zhang Ruochen, let me go!" Huang Yanchen said coldly.
Zhang Ruochen shook his head at her and said, "Why go to your death?"
"I'd rather die than be manipulated by native savage beasts," Huang Yanchen said, her sapphire-blue eyes fixed on Zhang Ruochen. "Zhang Ruochen, we are Ruins Realm warriors. Are we afraid of death?"
"Senior Sister, you're too impulsive."
Zhang Ruochen shook his head and transmitted his voice, "We were going to look for the Black Tortoise inheritance anyway. Why not endure for now and go to the Blood Spring Trench first? What if we actually get the Black Tortoise inheritance?"
Huang Yanchen said, "Endure? I can't endure! Even if we get the Black Tortoise inheritance, we can't defeat Black Scaled Flood Dragon King. In the end, won't it just benefit him?"
"That's not necessarily true."
Zhang Ruochen shook his head, as if he already had a strategy in mind, and didn't give Huang Yanchen a chance to argue. He said firmly, "Senior Sister, this time you have to listen to me. Don't go to your death. Follow me first to the Blood Spring Trench."
Zhang Ruochen's gaze was resolute. He grabbed Huang Yanchen's arm and pulled her, sinking into the water, following the other Ruins Realm warriors as they rushed toward the seabed.
"Whoosh—"
Zhang Ruochen released his protective Heavenly Gang, forming a one-zhang-diameter air shield, pushing the seawater aside as he slowly descended.
Huang Yanchen struggled symbolically twice but couldn't shake off Zhang Ruochen's hand, so she stopped resisting and obediently followed him down into the water.
Ao Xinyan and Orange Moon Star Envoy also released their protective Heavenly Gang and followed.
The Blood Spring Trench was bottomless.
The seawater was bone-chillingly cold, and as they dove deeper, the water pressure grew stronger, deforming the protective Heavenly Gang of the Ruins Realm warriors.
When they reached a depth of one thousand meters, some Ruins Realm warriors at the early and middle stages of the Heavenly Extreme Realm couldn't withstand the water pressure and wanted to return to the surface.
But the five Flood Dragon Clan commanders followed behind them. Whenever someone tried to escape back to the surface, they would immediately rush forward and devour them.
A Flood Dragon Clan commander with an iron ring on his head sneered, "Keep diving. Anyone who retreats dies. Haha!"
Just now, over twenty Ruins Realm warriors with lower martial cultivation had been eaten by him.
Zhang Ruochen's face showed a cold expression. A surge of anger brewed within him, and he gritted his teeth, trying to restrain himself.
Although there was no right or wrong in the war between the two worlds—only life or death—when he saw his comrades from the Kunlun Realm being devoured alive by the Flood Dragon Clan without being able to fight back, it was truly suffocating and infuriating.
"Wait a little longer," Zhang Ruochen told himself.
Among the five Flood Dragon Clan commanders, two had reached the sixth transformation of the Fish-Dragon Realm, and three had reached the seventh transformation.
In addition, a large group of Red Cloud Flood Dragons followed behind them, like a Flood Dragon Clan army, forcing hundreds of Ruins Realm warriors to grit their teeth and continue diving toward the bottom of the trench.
When they reached a depth of five thousand meters, even the Ruins Realm warriors at the Small Extreme Position of the Heavenly Extreme Realm couldn't withstand the seawater's pressure.
Their chests and abdomens caved in, their eyeballs bulged out, and then, with a bang, their bodies exploded into pools of blood.
But the Flood Dragon Clan army didn't care about the Ruins Realm warriors' lives at all. Instead, they used whips to lash the warriors ahead, forcing them to keep moving.
When they reached a depth of ten thousand meters, all the Heavenly Extreme Realm Ruins Realm warriors except Zhang Ruochen had died—either killed by the immense water pressure or eaten by the Flood Dragon Clan commanders.
Zhang Ruochen had released his Space Domain, which helped him withstand the water pressure, allowing him to survive.
Watching the Ruins Realm warriors die one by one, Zhang Ruochen's face turned ashen. His hands clenched into fists, and a fierce killing intent shone in his eyes.
He had been enduring.
Because he knew now was not the time to strike.
No matter how unwilling he was, he had to endure.
At a depth of fifteen thousand meters, even the Fish-Dragon Realm cultivators found it extremely difficult to resist. Their power was suppressed to an extremely low point. Forget fighting—even moving an arm was quite strenuous.
All around was pitch black, with no light to be seen.
Just then, Zhang Ruochen suddenly stopped.
Huang Yanchen glanced at Zhang Ruochen and said, "Zhang Ruochen, why did you stop..."
Only then did Huang Yanchen notice that Zhang Ruochen's eyes were slightly bulging, filled with bloodshot veins, and the veins on his face were all protruding.
She didn't know the anger burning in Zhang Ruochen's heart. Thinking he had stopped because he couldn't withstand the water pressure, she immediately rushed over to help him resist the seawater's force.
Zhang Ruochen gently shook his head at Huang Yanchen, calmed down, and said, "Senior Sister, go ahead to the bottom of the trench first. Don't worry about me."
"Why have you stopped? Keep diving!"
The Flood Dragon Clan commander with the iron ring on his head roared, swinging a ten-zhang-long flood dragon tendon whip toward Zhang Ruochen and Huang Yanchen.
"Whoosh!"
The whip cut through the seawater, forming an arc-shaped air current.
Due to the immense water pressure, that Flood Dragon Clan commander's power was greatly suppressed. He originally had the cultivation of the sixth transformation of the Fish-Dragon Realm, but now he couldn't even unleash the power of a Heavenly Extreme Realm martial artist.
"At fifteen thousand meters deep, even a Half-Saint would only be able to exert Fish-Dragon Realm strength. It's time to make the Flood Dragon Clan pay a price."
Zhang Ruochen had been enduring all along, waiting for this moment.
He turned around, quickly reached out a hand, and firmly grabbed the flood dragon tendon whip that the commander had swung at him. With a sharp tug, he snatched the whip away.
"Had enough? Isn't it my turn now?"
Zhang Ruochen grabbed the whip, swung his arm, and lashed it heavily at that Flood Dragon Clan commander's face.
"Smack!"
The flood dragon tendon whip left a long bloody mark on the commander's face, splitting the skin open and even breaking his nose bridge in two.
Huang Yanchen, standing beside Zhang Ruochen, was slightly startled. She couldn't understand why Zhang Ruochen, who had been enduring all along, suddenly attacked the Flood Dragon Clan commander.
Ao Xinyan and Orange Moon Star Envoy also stopped, shocked by what they saw.
The Red Cloud Flood Dragons were numerous and powerful, especially the five commanders, all of whom had cultivation above the sixth transformation of the Fish-Dragon Realm. By opposing them, wasn't Zhang Ruochen walking straight to his death?