Chapter 587: Spiritual Power Master
Duanmu Ya clasped her hands together, hastily channeling her true qi to her palms, and struck downward with a seven-meter-long giant handprint.
"Break!"
The black-clothed man Cao Ying quickly twisted his wrist, thrusting his four-foot-long sword forward, unleashing thirty-six sword shadows that shattered Duanmu Ya's handprint before thrusting toward her again.
Duanmu Ya extended two fingers, forming a sword seal, and clashed with Cao Ying's sword, producing a series of "bang bang" sounds.
With the two at the center, a surge of energy erupted, forming over a thousand sharp sword qi that filled the entire courtyard.
"Boom!"
Buildings collapsed one after another, leaving bowl-sized sword holes in the walls, and even the ground was riddled with pits and craters.
Hearing the sounds of battle, martial artists from the Demon Sect rushed over from all directions, but how could their strength match that of Fish-Dragon Realm experts?
The moment they charged into the courtyard, they were pierced through by the flying sword qi and died on the spot.
Zhang Ruochen silently watched all this, gently shaking his head.
Fish-Dragon Realm experts in combat—Earth Extreme and Heaven Extreme Realm martial artists daring to approach were simply asking for death. Even if he wanted to save them, he couldn't save that many.
With the Demon Sect and the Black Market at odds, Zhang Ruochen had no intention of getting involved. After all, having arrived in the Eastern Domain's Evil Land, he had to be cautious, avoiding trouble whenever possible to prevent exposing his identity.
His goal was only one: to kill Di Yi.
Duanmu Ya landed somewhat hastily, the five fingers of her right hand dripping with blood.
Clearly, from that exchange, she had gained the upper hand.
Cao Ying also landed, holding a long sword as he walked over, snorting coldly: "The Demon Sect's branch leader is nothing special after all."
"If I weren't poisoned, the two of you wouldn't be my match."
Duanmu Ya's aura was somewhat weakened, her arm trembling uncontrollably.
Fang Jie approached from behind, sneering: "Duanmu Ya, you won't escape today."
"Whoosh!"
Suddenly, a faint sound of something cutting through the air arose.
A green, hair-thin needle flew out from the direction of the Alchemy Tower, striking toward Fang Jie's back.
Fang Jie's ears twitched, and he spun around rapidly, swinging his short spear to strike, hitting the green needle.
With a "bang," the green needle suddenly exploded, forming a ring of powerful energy that sent Fang Jie stumbling back three steps.
"Armor-Breaking Needle!"
Fang Jie's hawk-like eyes flashed with anger as he looked around, snarling: "Who's there? Get out here."
The Armor-Breaking Needle, an eighth-rank True Martial Treasure, could break through a cultivator's protective qi. Once it pierced a cultivator's body, it would immediately explode, releasing immense energy.
Even a Fish-Dragon Sixth Change expert, if struck, would face grave danger.
At the edge of the courtyard, rapid wind sounds arose, as if someone was swiftly executing a movement technique, shifting positions—now appearing in the east, now in the west—completely elusive.
A somewhat ethereal female voice rang out in the air: "Fang Jie, Cao Ying, you two have quite the nerve, daring to target someone from the Moon-Worshipping Cult. Are you not afraid that your Blood Cloud Sect will be wiped out for this?"
The woman hidden in the shadows infused her true qi into her voice, forming sharp soundwave power.
Cao Ying's gaze was icy cold, saying: "Since the Saintess has already arrived, why not show yourself?"
Clearly, Cao Ying and Fang Jie had come prepared, fully aware that both Duanmu Ya and the Demon Sect's Saintess were in Liyuan City.
Zhang Ruochen's heart stirred slightly as he looked up toward the Alchemy Tower. He could be certain that the voice just now was indeed Duanmu Xingling's.
Had she left the Saint Academy and returned to the Demon Sect?
Back then, when Wan Zhaoyi went to the Saint Prince Mansion to arrest Zhang Ruochen, the charge was colluding with the Demon Sect and killing Realm Border warriors.
Since the Ministry of War could uncover that, they had likely also discovered Duanmu Xingling's true identity through the events in the Wood Spirit Ruins Realm.
With her identity exposed, Duanmu Xingling naturally had no choice but to return to the Demon Sect.
Zhang Ruochen channeled true qi to the meridians in his eyes, carefully observing his surroundings, and soon spotted Duanmu Xingling's figure.
Her movement technique was fast, but her cultivation was too low—how could it escape Zhang Ruochen's eyes?
"Lingxi, run quickly," Duanmu Ya said.
"Can't escape."
Fang Jie's eyes turned cold, quickly locking onto Mu Lingxi's position, and he shot forward.
With a crash, he smashed through the wall with his body, extending a large hand to grab Mu Lingxi's left shoulder.
Duanmu Ya tried to rescue her, but was repelled by Cao Ying. Instead, Cao Ying stabbed her in the abdomen with his sword, leaving a shallow but not deep wound.
With Mu Lingxi's Heaven Extreme Realm Great Perfection cultivation, how could she be a match for Fang Jie?
In just one move, Mu Lingxi was captured by Fang Jie.
"The Moon-Worshipping Demon Sect's Saintess is nothing special after all."
Fang Jie's five fingers tightly clamped down on Mu Lingxi's left shoulder, the poison on his fingers corroding her battle robe, emitting black toxic smoke.
Fortunately, Mu Lingxi wore a battle robe; otherwise, the poison on Fang Jie's hand would have corroded her skin into pus and blood.
"If my cultivation weren't sealed, how could you possibly be my match?" Mu Lingxi said coldly.
"Shua!"
From Mu Lingxi's left eye, a white ancient sword suddenly flew out, stabbing toward Fang Jie's heart.
The white ancient sword was originally thinner than a needle, but when it pierced Fang Jie's chest, it instantly grew to five feet long, transforming into a Sacred Sword.
On the surface of the sword, streaks of blood-red ancient inscriptions rose and fell, making the white sword's power increasingly formidable.
Fang Jie, an old demon who had been through countless battles, was caught off guard by Mu Lingxi's sneak attack, but he reacted in the shortest time.
"Hua!"
He released Mu Lingxi's left shoulder, exerting force from his legs, and leaped backward.
Fang Jie looked at the bloodstain on his chest, then at the white ancient sword in Mu Lingxi's hand, his eyes turning fiercely cold as he laughed: "Excellent! What a fine Sacred Sword! Saintess, your Sacred Sword is mine from now on!"
Fang Jie silently gathered power, stepping toward Mu Lingxi one step at a time.
Mu Lingxi, like facing a great enemy, kept retreating, fine beads of sweat forming on her pale forehead.
Even though she was the Demon Sect's Saintess with many trump cards, the gap in cultivation between her and Fang Jie was too vast. If she faced him head-on, she had no chance of winning.
Moreover, when Fang Jie had grabbed her left shoulder earlier, he had used a hidden force, dislocating her left arm entirely, leaving her unable to muster any strength.
In truth, Mu Lingxi could have used the Sacred Edict to escape immediately.
But she couldn't abandon Duanmu Ya and leave alone, so, knowing she was no match for Fang Jie, she could only fight hard, trying to find an opportunity to regroup with Duanmu Ya.
Zhang Ruochen was genuinely worried that Duanmu Xingling would suffer a major loss at Fang Jie's hands, so he couldn't help but say: "Two grown men bullying two weak women—that doesn't seem quite right, does it?"
Fang Jie stopped in his tracks, glancing toward Zhang Ruochen, and said coldly: "Kid, I am Fang Jie, the eighth-ranked assassin of the Blood Cloud Sect. If you know what's good for you, you'll sit there quietly drinking tea and not meddle in this matter."
Zhang Ruochen sat by the table, twirling a jade teacup in his fingers, and laughed: "Blood Cloud Sect! Quite a reputation. But unfortunately, this young master has already discussed business with the landlady. If the landlady gets captured by you, who am I supposed to do business with?"
Zhang Ruochen deliberately altered his voice slightly, making it sound more frivolous, giving the impression of a carefree young wealthy patron.
Mu Lingxi glanced at the young man sitting by the pond, but because a pillar blocked her view, she couldn't make out his figure clearly.
Fang Jie snorted coldly: "Once I capture the Demon Sect's Saintess, I'll deal with you."
Fang Jie's ten fingers quickly curled, forming two black claws, and he executed a Ghost-level lower-grade martial technique, the White Bone Ghost Claw.
The White Bone Ghost Claw evolved from the Black Market First Class Hall's top-tier claw technique, "Hell Ghost King Claw." Though far less powerful than the Hell Ghost King Claw, it was still a very sinister and profound claw technique.
"Crack!"
Fang Jie's ten fingers grew longer, rapidly reaching toward Mu Lingxi.
Before the claws even struck Mu Lingxi, dozens of massive white bone claw prints formed in the air.
In an instant, within a hundred-zhang radius, the space was filled with claw shadows, creating a scene of flying sand and rolling stones. At the same time, wisps of toxic qi condensed into a poisonous cloud, completely enveloping him and Mu Lingxi.
With Mu Lingxi's cultivation, even wielding a Sacred Sword, she couldn't block Fang Jie's White Bone Ghost Claw and could only keep retreating.
Just as the White Bone Ghost Claw was about to strike Mu Lingxi,
Zhang Ruochen sighed, extended a finger, and pointed at the sky.
The world's spiritual energy rapidly converged, condensing into lightning.
"Crack!"
A bolt of lightning, as thick as a wine cup, struck down from midair, hitting Fang Jie's head.
Instantly, all the claw prints and toxic qi dissipated.
Fang Jie's entire body turned black and charred, his hair standing on end, especially at the top of his head, where his scalp split open, blood gushing out continuously.
That strike naturally also startled Duanmu Ya and Cao Ying, who were locked in combat.
They both stopped fighting, stepping back, and stared at Zhang Ruochen.
"A Spiritual Power Master?"
Cao Ying's face turned serious as he became alert.
Given Fang Jie's cultivation, he couldn't even dodge the opponent's spiritual power attack, indicating that this person's spiritual power was undoubtedly very strong.
A Spiritual Power Master, if wielding a spiritual power artifact and casting powerful spells, could be an extremely fearsome existence, capable of single-handedly contending with a group of martial artists of the same realm.
At the same realm, martial artists were no match for a Spiritual Power Master.
Duanmu Ya was quite surprised, staring at the mysterious man in the metal mask, never expecting him to be a noble Spiritual Power Master.