Chapter 555: Half-Saint Power
“Whoosh—”
As the second seal of the Sarira was unlocked, golden Buddhist light radiated from Zhang Ruochen’s body.
Buddhist patterns, Sanskrit characters, and scriptures flew out from the Sarira, rising and swirling upward. With a resonant hum, they coalesced into the phantom image of a hundred-zhang-tall golden Buddha.
Standing motionless on the sea surface, Zhang Ruochen slowly raised his right arm.
The golden Buddha shadow extended a massive hand, moving in perfect sync with Zhang Ruochen, grasping the tail of the Black Skeleton Flood Dragon King and blocking its attack.
“Boom!”
He seized the flood dragon’s tail, suppressing it firmly. With a flick of his arm, he unleashed a tremendous force, dragging the flood dragon’s body and hurling it into the clouds, as if flinging it beyond the heavens.
Zhang Ruochen’s entire being brimmed with power. Flinging away the Black Skeleton Flood Dragon King was nothing; if he wished, he could seemingly lift an entire mountain with his bare hands.
When the Golden Dragon had first entrusted the Sarira to Zhang Ruochen, it had set four layers of seals. Unlocking the first three granted temporary access to immense power three times.
Unlocking the first seal granted power comparable to a Fish-Dragon realm cultivator for a short time.
Unlocking the second seal granted power rivaling a Half-Saint for a short time.
Unlocking the third seal granted power akin to a Saint for a short time.
At the Heavenly Extreme realm, Zhang Ruochen could only unlock the first seal. Now, having broken through to the Fish-Dragon realm, he could finally unlock the Sarira’s second seal, gaining Half-Saint-level power for one hour.
The Half-Saint realm was the ultimate goal pursued by billions of martial artists across the Kunlun Realm—a dream state. Yet, only a rare few ever reached it.
At just over twenty years old, Zhang Ruochen could now wield Half-Saint-level power for an hour.
This was a rare opportunity. Perhaps it would allow Zhang Ruochen to gain a brand-new understanding of the Saint Path.
Imagine a Fish-Dragon realm cultivator as an ant.
Imagine a Half-Saint as a human.
For an ant to cultivate into a human would naturally be as difficult as reaching the heavens.
But if that ant were given a single hour to be human, it would gain a brand-new perspective on human worldview and power.
When it reverted to an ant, it would know exactly how to strive and work, avoiding many detours compared to other ants, and heading straight toward the Half-Saint path.
At this moment, Zhang Ruochen was that ant.
In the coming hour, he would not only seize the Black Tortoise Saint Source but also deeply experience the power of a Half-Saint.
The Black Skeleton Flood Dragon King had never imagined Zhang Ruochen’s power could suddenly become so terrifying.
Its body writhed and thrashed in midair. Just as it steadied itself to counterattack, it found no trace of Zhang Ruochen on the sea surface.
Where had that human brat gone?
“No need to search. I’m above your head.”
Zhang Ruochen stood above the flood dragon king, raising the Abyssal Ancient Sword over his head.
“Whoosh!”
The sword slashed downward, its inscriptions activating, expanding into a dozen-zhang-long giant blade that cleaved into the flood dragon king’s body.
“Pfft!”
The flood dragon king’s body split in two, severed into halves.
Blood gushed from the dragon torso like a waterfall.
The two halves plunged vertically into the sea, splashing massive waves. One half crashed onto a small island, sinking it entirely.
Zhang Ruochen withdrew his arm, flicking a spray of blood from the blade.
Then, flying hundreds of meters above the sea, he pushed his speed to the limit, chasing after the Golden Radiance King.
…
…
The Golden Radiance King had not fully subdued the iron pillar. He intended to return to Yellow Imperial Island to continue refining it, so he had left Zhang Ruochen to the Black Skeleton Flood Dragon King.
But he had not flown far before sensing that his connection with the flood dragon king had suddenly vanished.
“How can this be?”
The Golden Radiance King halted, turning to look behind him.
The Black Skeleton Flood Dragon King had been controlled by his beast-taming inscriptions, becoming his war beast.
Only two scenarios could sever the bond between master and beast.
First, the flood dragon king had voluntarily refined away the beast-taming inscriptions, breaking free.
Second, the flood dragon king had been killed.
The Golden Radiance King preferred to believe the former. After all, the flood dragon king was a sixth-rank savage beast, its combat power rivaling a Half-Saint. In the Black Tortoise Ruins Realm, who could kill it so quickly?
Just as he was about to return and investigate, a vast, ethereal Buddhist chanting sound came from the distant horizon, like ten thousand Buddhas reciting sutras. Waves of sound wove through clouds and seawater, swirling around the Golden Radiance King.
The black evil aura emanating from the Golden Radiance King hissed upon contact with the sound waves, dissipating instantly.
“Could a Buddhist holy monk have come to the Black Tortoise Ruins Realm?”
The Golden Radiance King grew alert, pressing his palm against the iron pillar, ready for battle.
“Whoosh!”
Above, a patch of golden Buddhist clouds formed, coalescing into a hundred-zhang-tall Buddha shadow that looked down upon the Golden Radiance King.
Zhang Ruochen stood in the palm of that Buddha shadow, his skin gilded by the Buddhist clouds, exuding a vast, overwhelming aura.
“You?”
The Golden Radiance King looked up, sensing the power fluctuations from Zhang Ruochen, and showed a surprised expression. “Interesting, very interesting. You carry such a treasure—must be the power of the Buddha Emperor’s Sarira, right? If I could swallow the Sarira, why would I worry about failing to reach the Saint realm?”
That Zhang Ruochen was the Buddha Emperor’s heir was no secret; the Golden Radiance King knew it well.
Zhang Ruochen’s voice was ethereal, like Buddhist tones: “Golden Radiance King, your greed knows no bounds. You already have the Black Tortoise Saint Source, yet you covet the Buddha Emperor’s Sarira. Aren’t you afraid the clashing forces will cause you to explode and die?”
“Haha!”
The Golden Radiance King laughed loudly. “Both the Black Tortoise Saint Source and the Buddha Emperor’s Sarira are supreme sacred relics. Why can’t I have both? Zhang Ruochen, since you killed the Black Skeleton Flood Dragon King, you have some skill. Leave the Buddha Emperor’s Sarira, and I’ll let you go.”
“You’re dreaming,” Zhang Ruochen said.
The Golden Radiance King gripped the iron pillar, his long hair standing on end.
Threads of pitch-black death qi swirled around him, forming a vortex of evil clouds.
From afar, golden and black clouds clashed, turning the sea half gold, half black.
Time was short for Zhang Ruochen. He said no more and attacked first.
“Instant Sword Technique.”
His first strike was a direct ultimate move.
If he could subdue the Golden Radiance King with a single blow, all the better.
“Shua!”
Zhang Ruochen leaped through the void, using a spatial displacement to appear before the Golden Radiance King.
He infused a time imprint into his sword strike, thrusting with devastating force toward the Golden Radiance King’s brow.
The Golden Radiance King, a veteran of countless battles in the ruins realm, was rich in combat experience. As the tip of the Abyssal Ancient Sword closed to within an inch of his brow, he moved his arm. The thick iron pillar swept horizontally, striking the blade and deflecting it.
The Golden Radiance King retreated rapidly, touching his forehead. When he brought his fingers before his eyes, they were covered in blood.
Zhang Ruochen’s strike had breached his physical defense, leaving a two-inch-long bloody gash on his brow.
“Impressive. As a prodigy of the Holy Academy, you can control both space and time. I underestimated you.”
The Golden Radiance King took a deep breath, drawing the death evil qi from the iron pillar into his body.
His body, as if dyed, turned completely black. A metallic luster flowed over his skin, making him seem made of the same material as the pillar.
This was a sign that he was about to become the pillar’s evil slave.
Once he became an evil slave, the Golden Radiance King would lose all consciousness, becoming a mere appendage and puppet of the pillar.
“Die!”
The Golden Radiance King mobilized the sacred qi in his body, channeling it through his palms into the iron pillar.
The pillar gradually grew thicker, strange patterns emerging. One end sank into the water, the other pierced the clouds, transforming into a heaven-supporting evil pillar.
Upon closer inspection, gray-black dead spirit shadows could be seen flying out from the pillar.
The air temperature plummeted.
Suddenly, eerie winds howled, the sky darkened, and the sea within a hundred li turned into a hell on earth.
Zhang Ruochen had never seen such a terrifying evil artifact. The power it emitted seemed capable of piercing heaven and earth. Even the Abyssal Ancient Sword began to tremble incessantly, emitting a clanging sword cry.
Moreover, Zhang Ruochen could clearly sense that the Golden Radiance King had not unleashed its full power. If its strength were fully released, it would be unimaginable.
What kind of evil artifact was this?
“Whoosh!”
The pillar shook, sending a wave-like surge of energy toward Zhang Ruochen.
Zhang Ruochen quickly gathered his strength, gripping his sword with both hands and slashing forward.
“Bang!”
The sword qi Zhang Ruochen unleashed shattered in an instant against that evil qi.
The formless evil qi surged toward him.
In that moment, all sights before Zhang Ruochen vanished. The evil qi formed illusions—hundreds of thousands of dead spirit soldiers, howling as they descended from the sky, charging at him as if to devour him.
Zhang Ruochen’s Sword Heart Illumination at his brow spun rapidly.
He gripped his sword with both hands, holding it horizontally.
Countless sword shadows flew from the blade, forming a wall of swords suspended in the void, flying forward.
“Boom!”
All the sword shadows shattered in an instant.
A massive evil force struck Zhang Ruochen, piercing the Buddhist light around him, sending him flying backward, landing several li away.
(One more chapter later. Everyone rest early; read it tomorrow morning!)