Chapter 574: Shocking Turn of Events
All the cultivators of the Chen Clan changed expression drastically, never expecting that Bu Qianfan would actually dare to launch an attack on the Eastern Domain Saint Royal Mansion.
"You dare to attack the Saint Royal Mansion? Bu Qianfan, do you have a death wish?"
A family general of the Chen Clan, who had reached the Great Perfection of the Heavenly Extreme Realm, lifted a war blade weighing a thousand jin and slashed it toward one of the barbaric elephants.
The man sitting on the barbaric elephant suddenly struck out with his palm, hitting the spirit crystal box behind the elephant.
With a crash, the spirit crystals in the box were sent flying outward under the impact of the palm force.
Only then did everyone see that only the top layer of the box was filled with spirit crystals. Beneath the spirit crystals, the entire cart was loaded with Divine Fire Thunder Pearls.
However, the box containing the spirit crystals had been specially treated and inscribed with runic formations, so no one could detect the Divine Fire Thunder Pearls hidden at the bottom in advance.
"Boom!"
The Divine Fire Thunder Pearls exploded violently, forming a massive cloud of fire. Crackling sounds erupted from the fire cloud as dense bolts of lightning shot out in all directions.
In an instant, the barbaric elephant and the death warriors on its back were torn apart and reduced to ashes.
But the casualties among the Chen Clan members were even more severe.
The energy released by an entire cart of Divine Fire Thunder Pearls blasted away all the Chen Clan disciples within a radius of several dozen zhang.
Among them, more than half were killed on the spot, their bodies mangled and bloody.
Only a few with powerful cultivation survived, though they were also seriously injured.
And this was just the destructive power of a single cart of Divine Fire Thunder Pearls.
"Boom, boom, boom!"
One thousand two hundred carts of Divine Fire Thunder Pearls, pulled by barbaric elephants, charged madly toward the gates of the Saint Royal Mansion.
Among them, over a hundred carts had already been detonated, turning the area outside the Saint Royal Mansion into a sea of fire. No one knew how many Chen Clan disciples had died.
"Kill!"
The five thousand guards Bu Qianfan had brought to escort the betrothal gifts were actually all death warriors trained by the Black Market. Even among the marriage proposal teams of the four great Saintly clans, countless evil-path martial artists from the Black Market rushed out.
Now, they all charged forward, beginning to reap the lives of the Chen Clan members.
Everyone was stunned, unable to react in time. What was happening?
"What are you standing there for? The evil-path martial artists of the Black Market have already attacked our doorstep!" the white-robed elder Chen Xican roared sternly.
"We can't let those barbaric elephants charge into the mansion, or the Saint Royal Mansion will be destroyed. Quickly, activate the city-protecting grand formation," said the green-robed elder Chen Tiankun.
Another vein master, Chen Ji, fixed his gaze on Bu Qianfan not far away and bellowed, "No matter who you really are, since you dare to attack the Chen Clan, that is a capital offense."
Chen Ji was very old, but he was still a Half-Saint. No matter how aged, his speed remained astonishing.
His body flickered slightly.
The next moment, he appeared before Bu Qianfan and struck out with a palm.
The power of a Half-Saint's strike was terrifying. Not just Bu Qianfan, but even ten Bu Qianfans would be crushed to death.
But Bu Qianfan crossed his arms over his chest, revealing a disdainful smile, standing still without moving at all.
"Gaga! Old man Chen Ji, I, this old man, have come to take your life." Behind Bu Qianfan, a deep, hoarse voice sounded.
Immediately after, a ball of green ghost fire rushed out from behind Bu Qianfan.
Vaguely, one could see within the ghost fire an old man in a black robe, his hair disheveled, revealing a face like a white-boned skull.
The black-robed old man exuded a chilling ghostly aura, like a black hole, absorbing all the spiritual energy of heaven and earth.
Seeing the black shadow in the ghost fire, Chen Ji's aged face showed a look of terror as he exclaimed, "Ghost Saint!"
Chen Ji withdrew his palm and immediately retreated backward, trying to escape.
"Want to escape? Can you? Die for me."
The black figure standing in the ghost fire held a Blood Soul Ghost Banner and swung it forward, sweeping Chen Ji into a gust of yin wind.
"Bang!"
The ghost banner shook again, and Chen Ji's body exploded into a cloud of blood mist.
The ghost banner absorbed the blood mist, becoming even more icy and cold, its yin ghost aura darkening the sky for a thousand li.
The black ghostly figure stood in midair, holding the Blood Soul Ghost Banner, like a Yama King emerging from hell.
This man was the infamous Ghost Saint, and also the master of Orange Moon Star Envoy.
In another direction, hundreds of barbaric elephants pulled Divine Fire Thunder Pearls, surging like a tide into the Saint Royal Mansion, charging in all directions.
"Boom!"
"Boom!"
...
Explosions rang out one after another within the Saint Royal Mansion. The ground trembled incessantly, accompanied by the sounds of collapse and screams.
Under this wave of attacks, countless buildings in the Saint Royal Mansion were destroyed, and many clan members died beneath the Divine Fire Thunder Pearls.
Just then, the black yin clouds above everyone's heads suddenly ignited, turning into a mass of crimson fire clouds.
"Whoosh!"
A meteor burning with flames flew from beyond the sky, piercing through the clouds, and struck toward the Eastern Domain Saint Royal Mansion below.
In an instant, it was like doomsday had arrived. Everyone was oppressed by the aura of the flaming meteor, struggling to breathe.
Some martial artists with lower cultivation directly collapsed to the ground.
Zhang Ruochen stood on the ground, staring at the sky, his eyes narrowing as he finally saw clearly the flaming meteor. It was not a meteor but a war hammer burning with fierce flames.
Someone had thrown the war hammer from beyond the sky.
If that war hammer struck the Eastern Domain Saint Royal Mansion, one could imagine the terrifying destruction it would cause.
"Whoosh!"
A thick pillar of light shot up from the center of the Saint Royal Mansion, piercing through the clouds, connecting heaven and earth.
The next moment, a white light shield rose from the ground, enveloping the Saint Royal Mansion.
The first layer of the city-protecting grand formation of the Eastern Domain Saint Royal Mansion was activated.
At the same time, the war hammer struck the first layer of the city-protecting grand formation, pressing the massive light shield inward.
"Bang!"
The first layer of the city-protecting grand formation only held for a single breath before being pierced by the war hammer.
With a thunderous roar, the flaming war hammer struck above the gates of the Eastern Domain Saint Royal Mansion. In an instant, the gates were shattered, and it crashed into the ground, creating a pit a hundred meters in diameter.
Black smoke billowed from the pit, surrounded by massive cracks spreading outward.
Centered on the pit, all buildings within ten li of the Eastern Domain Saint Royal Mansion collapsed into ruins.
This was only because the war hammer's power had been partially blocked by the first layer of the city-protecting grand formation; otherwise, the destruction would have been even more terrifying.
"Whoosh!"
A burly man, one zhang and three chi tall, lifted a crimson war hammer and flew up from the black pit, hovering in midair.
His entire body was wrapped in flames, like a war god descending.
"Holy Hammer!"
Someone recognized the burly man and exclaimed in shock.
"No wonder his attack power is so terrifying; he is the Holy Hammer." Zhang Ruochen showed a look of sudden realization, but also felt some concern. With the Ghost Saint and the Holy Hammer arriving together, the Black Market had clearly come prepared.
Would even more terrifying evil-path saints appear?
Just as Zhang Ruochen was pondering this question, he suddenly felt someone's gaze fixed on him.
Zhang Ruochen looked in that direction and met the Holy Hammer's eyes directly.
"Zhang Ruochen, return my disciple's life!"
The Holy Hammer transformed into a streak of light, soaring into the sky, and swung his flaming war hammer down toward Zhang Ruochen's head.
The Holy Hammer was the master of the Green Robe Star Envoy. This time, he had come specifically to avenge his disciple and kill Zhang Ruochen.
Before the Holy Hammer's attack even landed, Zhang Ruochen felt locked in by a massive pressure. The space around him seemed to solidify, and the pressure on his body grew stronger and stronger, as if it would crush all his bones.
"Want to kill my junior brother? First, get past me."
Second Senior Brother Zhu Hongtao roared, spitting out a heavy sacred sword from his mouth. He slashed it through the air, forming a waterfall of sword qi, forcing the Holy Hammer back.
At the same time, Third Senior Brother Wan Ke silently appeared beside Zhang Ruochen, grabbing his shoulder and pulling him backward.
"Boom!"
A black ghost claw struck the spot where Zhang Ruochen had just stood, leaving a claw mark pit dozens of meters long.
One could imagine that if Wan Ke hadn't acted, Zhang Ruochen would have died under that ghost claw.
The Ghost Saint stood above the claw mark pit, emitting a deep, hoarse voice: "Today, no one can save Zhang Ruochen. Whoever blocks this saint will die."
"Boom!"
Second Senior Brother Zhu Hongtao flew down and stood before Zhang Ruochen, his feet creating two large craters in the ground. He hoisted the door-plank-wide sacred sword onto his shoulder and said, "Want to kill my junior brother? The two of you alone aren't enough."
The Ghost Saint and the Holy Hammer stood in the void like the King of Hell and the God of War, positioned in two directions.
But Zhu Hongtao stood alone in front of Zhang Ruochen and Wan Ke, murderous aura surging, his imposing presence rivaling that of the Black Market's two saints.
This time, the Black Market had indeed prepared thoroughly, catching the Chen Clan off guard. In the shortest time, they inflicted heavy losses on the Chen Clan, even shattering the western gate of the Chen family.
Now, the Chen Clan had reacted, activating all eighteen layers of the city-protecting grand formation.
At the same time, the Chen Clan's various Half-Saints and Saints rushed out from the depths of the mansion, all standing on the mansion walls. Looking from afar, dozens of saintly figures could be seen, each a top-tier powerhouse, like true gods descending.
It had been many years since the Chen Clan had been actively provoked.
Although the Black Market's sudden attack caught the Chen Clan off guard, it did not harm the clan's foundation.
Of course, in this attack, the Chen Clan's gates were destroyed, many young clan members died, and even a Half-Saint fell at the doorstep.
One could say that the Black Market had severely humiliated the Chen Clan, causing them to lose all face.
"Ghost Saint, Holy Hammer, do you dare to cause trouble at the Chen Clan? Do you believe that today, you will come but never leave?" a Saint of the Chen Clan said coldly.
The Ghost Saint let out a sinister laugh: "Our Black Market came mainly for Zhang Ruochen this time. Of course, we also took the opportunity to teach your Chen Clan a lesson, so you clearly know who the true ruler of the Eastern Domain is."
(Today is Saturday again. The WeChat public account has published the "Six Great Strange Books of the Kunlun Realm" and "Time Sword Art vs. the Wordless Sword Manual—Which Is Stronger?" If you're interested, go check it out. Public account: 5, or search for "Feitian Yu" directly on WeChat. From now on, every Saturday, Little Fish will reveal some things on the public account.)