Chapter 616: Quicksand Canyon
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The Ice Demon suppressed his injuries, gritting his teeth in fury. "Holy Maiden of the Demon Sect, Zhang Shengming, remember this—today's grudge, I, this old man, will repay you double in the future."
Although Zhang Ruochen wore the Meteor Invisibility Cloak and never revealed his true form, the Ice Demon had identified him through the techniques Zhang Ruochen used, concluding he was undoubtedly the Great Protector of Red Willow Manor, Zhang Shengming.
"Whoosh!"
The Ice Demon transformed into a stream of white cold energy, plunging into the ground and vanishing from the surface.
Not only was the Ice Demon powerful, but his escape skills were also unparalleled; otherwise, he wouldn't have evaded a Half-Saint's pursuit back then.
"Trying to escape? Not so easy."
Zhang Ruochen had already released his Space Domain. Just as the Ice Demon executed the "Cold Energy Earth-Diving" technique, he immediately used space power to perform Space Freeze, immobilizing the Ice Demon.
At the same time, Mu Lingxi swung her arm, launching the Sacred Sword.
The Sacred Sword erupted with intense white radiance, driving forth a surging sacred might, striking the ground and penetrating downward.
With a thunderous roar, the Ice Demon, who had already burrowed into the earth, was blasted out by the Sacred Sword's sword energy, crashing dizzily to the ground.
One less crystal pendant hung from his neck, leaving only the last one.
Just as the Ice Demon was about to stand up, he saw Mu Lingxi standing right before him.
With a flick of her wrist, she swung the Sacred Sword, slashing toward the Ice Demon's neck.
The immense power of the Sacred Sword sent the Ice Demon spinning through the air, crashing more than twenty zhang away, snapping a bowl-thick tree before he fell heavily to the ground.
"Crack!"
The last crystal also shattered, turning into white powder.
The Ice Demon had never cultivated martial arts, leaving his body extremely fragile. As he hit the ground, his mouth filled with blood, and even his withered staff fell aside.
"Impossible... no... impossible. Even a Half-Saint trying to kill me couldn't succeed. How could you two... juniors break my Cold Energy Earth-Diving technique?"
The Ice Demon was gravely wounded, lying on the ground, barely alive, unable to muster the strength to cast spells.
Zhang Ruochen fully revealed his form, descending from midair. "Do you want to know the reason?"
"Who exactly are you? How can you freeze space?" the Ice Demon rasped.
Zhang Ruochen said, "How about a trade? Tell me where Di Yi is, and I'll tell you the reason, so you can die with your eyes open."
"Dream on if you think you'll get the Young Master's whereabouts from me. Hmph, I advise you to rush to Quicksand Canyon immediately. If you're too late, you might only be able to collect Red Desire Star Envoy's corpse."
With this remark distracting Zhang Ruochen, the Ice Demon suddenly stood up, conjuring an ice spike aimed at Zhang Ruochen's heart.
"Die!"
Zhang Ruochen's eyes turned cold. He formed a sword seal with two fingers, golden light emanating from his fingertips, and struck forward, bypassing the ice spike to land on the Ice Demon's brow.
"Pfft!"
"You... you are the Heir of Time and Spa...ce..."
In his final moment before death, the Ice Demon saw Zhang Ruochen execute a brilliant movement technique and exquisite sword art, finally realizing the truth, his eyes filled with shock as if he had uncovered some earth-shattering secret.
"Thud!"
The Ice Demon fell backward, crashing heavily to the ground. Blood gushed from the hole in his brow, his body twitched once, and then he was completely still.
Earlier, Mu Lingxi had killed dozens of evil cultivators. Their weapons were all top-tier True Martial Treasures, so naturally, they couldn't be wasted.
"Whoosh!"
The Abyssal Ancient Sword flew out from the Space Ring, charging into the surrounding dense forest to seek out the scattered True Martial Treasures.
As it refined more and more True Martial Treasures and Sacred Artifacts, the Abyssal Ancient Sword's sword spirit was gradually awakening, now able to autonomously find and refine True Martial Treasures.
Zhang Ruochen picked up the withered staff from the ground. It was extremely cold to the touch, like holding an ice rod.
After careful inspection, Zhang Ruochen was pleasantly surprised to find that the withered staff was made from the main root of a ten-thousand-year-old Snow Sea Agarwood Tree.
The Snow Sea Agarwood Tree grew in the far northern lands, absorbing cold energy, its wood extremely hard, like cold iron.
The roots, buried in ice and snow year-round, became exceptionally tough under the nurturing of cold energy, making them perfect for crafting ice-type magical artifacts.
The withered staff in Zhang Ruochen's hand had grown in the cold for ten thousand years, absorbing immense cold energy, allowing it to be refined into a top-tier spiritual power artifact.
In terms of value alone, the withered staff was twice as precious as the Thunder Pearl.
"It's indeed a treasure, but it's not suitable for me." Zhang Ruochen put away the withered staff, planning to sell it later for a large amount of spirit crystals.
Moments later, the Abyssal Ancient Sword, radiating a black light like a black hole, flew back. Faintly, streaks of fire serpents could be seen swirling across its blade.
Clearly, it had just refined many True Martial Treasures, significantly elevating its grade, making it sharper and more powerful.
Zhang Ruochen grasped the hilt of the Abyssal Ancient Sword, feeling its increased weight.
Mu Lingxi rested her chin on her hand, a puzzled expression on her beautiful face. "Strange, with all the commotion we made fighting the Ice Demon, why haven't the Azure Star Envoy and the Hunter shown up?"
Zhang Ruochen stored the Abyssal Ancient Sword in his Space Ring, suddenly recalling the Ice Demon's dying words. Had Red Desire Star Envoy really come to Fallen God Mountain Range after receiving his letter?
He sensed something was wrong and asked, "Where is Quicksand Canyon?"
"Quicksand Canyon is two thousand li northeast of here, a treacherous terrain. During the Middle Ages, a Half-Saint fell there, creating a fairly dangerous primary ruin. Why would you go there for a Black Market internal conflict?" Mu Lingxi was puzzled.
Mu Lingxi had also heard the Ice Demon's dying words, hence her confusion. Could Zhang Ruochen have some unusual relationship with Red Desire Star Envoy of the Black Market First Class Hall?
Zhang Ruochen said, "I came to the Eastern Domain Evil Lands to kill Di Yi, and I have some cooperation with Red Desire Star Envoy. At least until I find Di Yi, she can't die."
To save time, Zhang Ruochen grabbed Mu Lingxi's hand and shot into the air, transforming into a streak of light heading northeast.
Thanks to the Meteor Invisibility Cloak, Zhang Ruochen's speed was extreme.
"I see! So you're the legendary Great Protector of Red Willow Manor. The Black Market in Azure Cloud Commandery is buzzing, saying you have an unusual relationship with Red Desire Star Envoy, which is why she trusts and favors you so much."
Mu Lingxi blinked her eyes repeatedly, looking quite displeased. "To kill Di Yi, you didn't... sacrifice your virtue, did you?"
Zhang Ruochen said, "No."
Mu Lingxi clearly didn't believe him. "Red Desire Star Envoy has countless experts under her command. In terms of strength, the spiritual power you've shown is definitely no match for Blood Cloud Sect Leader Xu Hong or Hundred Battle Gate Leader Zhangsun Lan."
"In terms of seniority, you can't compare with Fish-Dragon Ninth Change Shi Buchou and Tu Lan."
"So why did you become the Great Protector while they're beneath you? Tell me, why does Red Desire Star Envoy trust you so much? Why does she value you so highly? Is there really nothing special between you?"
Mu Lingxi had met Red Desire Star Envoy and knew she was a seductive beauty. Even if she trusted Zhang Ruochen, she was still quite unhappy. Why would he be Red Desire Star Envoy's Great Protector but refuse to be hers?
Was her charm inferior to Red Desire Star Envoy's?
Zhang Ruochen was somewhat surprised. "I don't even know the identities of the experts around Red Desire Star Envoy, yet you know them all clearly?"
Mu Lingxi looked smug, tilting her fair neck. "Tch, do you really think the Holy Maiden of the Moon-Worshipping Cult is just a pretty face? What you see now is just the tip of the iceberg. My strength and abilities are far beyond your imagination."
Seeing Mu Lingxi acting like Xiao Hei possessed, Zhang Ruochen chose not to argue, staying silent as he focused on pushing his true qi to maximum speed.
Since Zhang Ruochen wasn't talking, Mu Lingxi had no choice but to drop it.
...
...
After receiving Zhang Ruochen's letter, Red Desire Star Envoy immediately gathered her top experts and rushed to Fallen God Mountain Range, planning to eliminate the Azure Star Envoy and the Ice Demon, two of Di Yi's top subordinates.
Upon reaching the outskirts of Quicksand Canyon, Red Desire Star Envoy encountered the Black Market cultivators under the Azure Star Envoy, and battle erupted.
Initially, the skirmishes were minor, but as the Azure Star Envoy arrived, the fight escalated into a full-scale confrontation.
Although the Azure Star Envoy had a squad of Glass Knight Generals and a squad of Snow Warriors, Red Desire Star Envoy had recruited many experts, including top-tier Fish-Dragon Ninth Change figures, allowing her to push the Azure Star Envoy's forces back step by step.
That changed when the Hunter arrived.
The Hunter, the number one assassin of Blood Cloud Sect, was a renowned figure in the Eastern Domain assassin world. It was said that no one below the Half-Saint level could escape his Death God's Sword.
In just a quarter of an hour, six evil overlords above Fish-Dragon Seventh Change from Red Desire Star Envoy's camp were assassinated by the Hunter.
Even Tu Lan, who had reached Fish-Dragon Ninth Change, was severely wounded and lost her combat ability.
The Hunter was truly terrifying. In just a quarter of an hour, he completely reversed the battle, drastically reducing Red Desire Star Envoy's strength and putting her in a precarious position.
Even more frightening, no one had ever seen the Hunter's true form.
Forced into a corner, Red Desire Star Envoy had no choice but to lead her remaining forces into the perilous Quicksand Canyon.
"Rumble!"
Seven towering Snow Warriors, like humanoid beasts clad in armor and wielding bowl-thick spears, chased after them, intent on wiping out Red Desire Star Envoy and her group.
The Azure Star Envoy stood atop the foremost Snow Warrior, his cold eyes devoid of any emotion, staring at the fleeing Red Desire Star Envoy. "Ye Honglei, colluding with the Demon Sect and betraying the Young Master, you've sealed your fate. There's no place for you in the entire Eastern Domain. Where do you think you can run?"
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