Chapter 691: Thirty-Six Guardian Beast Generals
Que Jiu fled quickly, but Zhang Ruochen pursued even faster, swinging his sword toward her back.
"Sssss!"
The Golden Snake Sacred Sword clashed with Que Jiu's left wing, sending sparks flying and producing a harsh metallic grinding sound.
Que Jiu's defenses were strong, but how could they withstand a sacred sword?
In the end, the Golden Snake Sacred Sword pierced through the feathers, severing a foot-long section of her left wing and spilling crimson blood.
With her wing severed, Que Jiu felt a sharp pain shoot through her back. She let out a muffled groan and fled rapidly into the distance.
Zhang Ruochen pushed his movement technique to its limit, quickly closing in, and said in a deep voice, "Who exactly are you people?"
The Golden Snake Sacred Sword, like a golden viper, pursued Que Jiu relentlessly, striking toward her back.
Que Jiu clenched her teeth, tense to the extreme, charging forward with all her might. If her speed slowed by even a fraction, she would surely be killed.
"Let me test you."
Wu Ba's eight legs took the form of black skeletal limbs, each seven meters long, propping up his body as he rushed forward to intercept Zhang Ruochen.
His eight arms were razor-sharp, like eight pointed spears. The tips of those spears glowed with green light, clearly highly toxic.
The eight arms spun like a windmill, launching a furious assault. Some thrust straight at Zhang Ruochen's chest; others chopped down toward his head; still others swept horizontally at his legs...
Each of Wu Ba's arms carried power comparable to a full-force strike from a Fish-Dragon Ninth Change cultivator.
Zhang Ruochen felt as though he were simultaneously battling eight Fish-Dragon Ninth Change experts, which naturally put him at a disadvantage. He stepped back step by step, deflecting the pressure.
Though suppressed and forced onto the defensive, Zhang Ruochen's retreating footwork remained steady and unflustered.
All eight of Wu Ba's arms were inscribed with runes, forming a layer of black light. Even when the Golden Snake Sacred Sword slashed against them, it only caused the black light to tremble slightly, unable to sever them.
Wu Ba laughed loudly, "Someone who can fight this long with Eighth Master is no nobody. Who the hell are you?"
Zhang Ruochen continued to parry and retreat, saying, "How about we guess each other's identities? Maybe I've already figured out where you're from."
"Go on, let's hear it," Wu Ba said.
"Word has it that the Moon Worship Demon Sect is divided into nine palaces, one of which is the Ten Thousand Beasts Palace. In this generation, the Ten Thousand Beasts Palace has trained thirty-six Guardian Beast Generals, all descendants of divine beasts. Azure Wind Sparrow ranks ninth, and Thousand-Legged Lightning Centipede ranks eighth. Am I right?" Zhang Ruochen said.
Wu Ba's voice boomed, "Since you know Eighth Master's reputation, why don't you surrender immediately?"
"With just you, I doubt you can do anything to me."
Zhang Ruochen spun around quickly, activating the power of the Meteor Invisibility Cloak, and shot into the distance at twice Wu Ba's speed.
"You think you can just leave after cutting off a piece of my wing?"
Suddenly, a massive bird-shaped shadow fell over the ground, covering Zhang Ruochen's body.
It was Que Jiu, transformed into her Azure Wind Sparrow true form. She flew above Zhang Ruochen, blocking his escape once more.
At the same time, black poisonous mist surged behind Zhang Ruochen, corroding the ground. Any tree or grass that touched the mist withered instantly.
"Knowing we're from the Moon Worship Demon Sect, do you think you can leave alive?"
Within the poisonous mist, a massive black centipede appeared.
It crawled rapidly, its body covered in a thousand sharp steel legs that scraped across the ground. Even boulders turned as soft as tofu, instantly sliced apart.
The Azure Wind Sparrow and the Thousand-Legged Centipede were both descendants of divine beasts, enormous in size and deep in cultivation—kings of the wilderness.
Under the combined assault of two Beast Generals, even with the Meteor Invisibility Cloak's incredible speed, Zhang Ruochen found himself in constant danger.
Que Jiu spat out a sacred artifact wrapped in flames, shaped like a crescent moon. It spun rapidly and slashed across Zhang Ruochen's abdomen.
The Meteor Invisibility Cloak's defenses were strong, absorbing most of the attack's power. Even so, Zhang Ruochen felt a sharp pain in his abdomen and suffered some internal injuries.
"You're asking for death."
A cold glint flashed in Zhang Ruochen's eyes. He immediately mobilized the power of his sword intent, gripping the sword hilt with both hands. The Golden Snake Sacred Sword emitted a blinding sword light.
In an instant, centered on Zhang Ruochen's body, hundreds of air swords appeared in the air, all with their hilts pointing down and tips pointing up.
"Sword One!"
Zhang Ruochen thrust his sword upward, striking at the Azure Wind Sparrow above.
With a "whoosh," the Golden Snake Sacred Sword merged with the hundreds of air swords into a pillar of light, rising from the ground and shooting straight into the sky.
Sensing the powerful sword energy fluctuation, Que Jiu recalled her crescent-shaped sacred artifact and focused entirely on defense.
Zhang Ruochen had cultivated Sword One to the tenth level of Great Perfection, reaching its peak power. How could a mere sacred artifact block it?
"Pfft!"
The pillar of sword light pierced through the Azure Wind Sparrow's body, leaving a massive bloody hole, and shot into the sky above the clouds.
The Azure Wind Sparrow, severely wounded, crashed into a dense forest, letting out a mournful cry.
In the Daoist temple on the mountaintop, the green-robed man's eyes showed a hint of surprise. A faint smile curled at the corner of his mouth. "A sword master. Now this is getting interesting."
The next moment, he stood at the cliff's edge outside the temple, his gaze fixed on the direction Zhang Ruochen had fled. He struck out with one palm, condensing a massive demonic hand in the sky.
Zhang Ruochen was riding the Golden Snake Sacred Sword, flying swiftly into the distance, when he suddenly felt a suffocating pressure from above.
He looked up and saw a black demonic hand dozens of meters long, its fingers as thick as pillars, reaching down from the clouds, radiating an icy coldness.
Under the suppression of that demonic hand, Zhang Ruochen felt his entire body go numb with cold. The true qi inside him seemed to freeze, unable to circulate.
"Azure Heaven Demon Hand."
Zhang Ruochen's heart sank to the bottom. Unless he used the power of space and time, with his current cultivation, he couldn't possibly block this attack.
Could he be the Demon Son of the Demon Sect?
Aside from the Demon Son, Zhang Ruochen couldn't think of anyone else with such formidable strength.
He absolutely couldn't expose the power of space and time. Zhang Ruochen clenched his teeth and began to circulate the sacred qi in his body at full force, channeling it into the Golden Snake Sacred Sword.
A powerful sword intent radiated from him once more.
"Your swordsmanship is good, but your cultivation is too low."
A hundred miles away, the green-robed man shook his head lightly, not believing Zhang Ruochen could break through his Azure Heaven Demon Hand. Unless he could unleash Sword Two.
Just as Zhang Ruochen was about to be captured by the Azure Heaven Demon Hand, he suddenly thrust his sword downward toward the ground.
"Shua!"
In an instant, the Golden Snake Sacred Sword broke through the Azure Heaven Demon Hand's restraint, and Zhang Ruochen dove toward the ground.
The green-robed man narrowed his eyes, a flicker of surprise in his pupils.
How could he do that?
With Zhang Ruochen's cultivation, even using Sword One, he couldn't break through the Azure Heaven Demon Hand. But by using Sword One, he could shatter the restraining force and escape, which wasn't difficult. From start to finish, Zhang Ruochen had never intended to clash head-on with the Azure Heaven Demon Hand.
"Crush him."
The green-robed man increased his power, sending the Azure Heaven Demon Hand chasing after Zhang Ruochen, slamming down toward the ground.
"Boom!"
The Azure Heaven Demon Hand struck, leaving a massive palm print thirty zhang long on the ground. Powerful demonic qi surged outward, leveling everything within ten li.
Wu Ba and the severely injured Que Jiu immediately rushed to the edge of the palm-print crater, searching for any trace of Zhang Ruochen.
"After taking a strike from the Divine Son, that guy must have been reduced to ashes," Wu Ba sneered.
Que Jiu, clutching her bloody chest with a pale face, shot two beams of light from her pupils, scanning for Zhang Ruochen's corpse.
She had suffered a heavy loss at Zhang Ruochen's hands earlier, so she knew he was no ordinary opponent. Without finding his body, she couldn't let her guard down.
In truth, Zhang Ruochen was crouched right in the center of the palm-print crater. But he had activated the Meteor Invisibility Cloak's stealth power, completely concealing his aura, so Wu Ba and Que Jiu couldn't detect him.
"So it really is the Demon Son of the Moon Worship Demon Sect."
Zhang Ruochen was severely injured. He knelt on one knee, pressing his hands against the ground. Cracks of blood spread across his skin, making his body look like porcelain. The slightest external force touching him would shatter him into pieces.
Fortunately, the Meteor Invisibility Cloak had blocked most of the force, and the Dragon Pearl within his body had protected him, allowing him to withstand the Azure Heaven Demon Hand.
Otherwise, he would have already followed Xu Changsheng's fate.
The green-robed man floated in the air as if weightless, standing ten zhang above the ground.
Wu Ba immediately bowed, "Greetings, Divine Son. That man should have been obliterated by your palm strike, not even a bone left."
"Is that so?"
The green-robed man looked down, staring at the center of the palm-print crater, and said with a faint smile, "How is it that I see him right in front of you?"
Wu Ba and Que Jiu were both startled. They followed the green-robed man's gaze but saw no one.
"Impressive. As expected of the Moon Worship Demon Sect's Demon Son. You must have cultivated the Azure Heaven Demon Eye, right?" Zhang Ruochen let out a dry laugh.
Since he had been discovered, there was no point in hiding.
At the center of the palm-print crater, Zhang Ruochen's figure materialized.
Wu Ba and Que Jiu were both shocked. He had been standing right in front of them, yet they hadn't sensed him at all.
Such a bizarre technique was truly terrifying.
The green-robed man looked at Zhang Ruochen in the crater with an appreciative gaze and smiled, "If you weren't so badly injured, I might not have been able to detect you. Your swordsmanship and spiritual power are both outstanding. How about it? Would you like to join the Sun Moon Demon Sect and accomplish great things?"
Zhang Ruochen sat cross-legged on the ground, a faint smile on his face. "First you beat me half to death, then you try to recruit me. This 'slap then candy' tactic—do you think it's enough to win me over? You underestimate me."
The green-robed man stood in midair, calm and composed. "Your life is in my hands. With just a light press of my finger, I could crush you."
"I don't believe that," Zhang Ruochen said, shaking his head.
The green-robed man sighed. "When you clearly have a path to survival, why choose death?"
"Killing me isn't that easy. I doubt someone would allow it."
Zhang Ruochen's gaze shifted toward the eastern forest.
The green-robed man followed his gaze and saw a burly man in a Daoist robe emerging from the woods.
The man's eyes were sharp and spirited, his stride powerful like a dragon's. His entire body radiated a blazing heat, like a sun rising from the horizon.
"Ouyang Huan, if you want to kill someone on Liangyi Sect's territory, don't you think you need my permission first?"
Gai Tianjiao stood with his hands behind his back, his entire body ablaze. The flames he emitted drove away the darkness for a hundred li, even evaporating the rain from the ground and sky.