Chapter 723: Hesitation and Betrayal
After swallowing the Saintly Body Dharma Manifestation into his abdomen, the short, thin man was not only unharmed but actually became more spirited. He hooked his finger at Xu Yunling and laughed, "Come again."
The cultivators of the Eastern Domain all felt a deep unease. They could not have imagined that the Demon Sect would casually send out a cultivator who was so powerful.
"Senior Brother Xu is already a figure standing at the pinnacle below the Half-Saint realm, yet he is still being suppressed by this guy. This person is too abnormal!" Chang Qiqi said.
Huang Yanchen also showed a look of extreme shock. "To be able to defeat a Saintly Body at the same cultivation level, he is definitely not an unknown figure. Who exactly is he?"
Clearly, everyone was stunned by the strength the short, thin man had displayed.
Zhang Ruochen, however, remained very calm. "He should be one of the Demon Sect's Thirty-Six Palace Guardian Beast Generals, the Divine Demon Rat, also known as 'Rat.'"
"Rat, Snake Two, and Dragon Three are all extremely formidable existences, probably even stronger than a Saintly Body. Among them, Rat's strength is the most terrifying. Even compared to the Demon Son, Ouyang Huan, he is likely not much weaker."
Luo Shuihan said, "That's right, this person must be Rat. With his strength, he can probably already contend with a First-Order Half-Saint."
The Divine Demon Rat was a remnant of an ancient species, extremely rare and incredibly powerful.
It was said that the ancestors of the Divine Demon Rat could devour both gods and demons, making it one of the most fearsome ferocious beasts of the ancient era, even causing the Dragon Clan to be quite wary.
However, the reproductive ability of the Divine Demon Rat was very poor. Legend had it that they had already gone extinct by the Middle Ages. It was only decades ago that a Saint from the Demon Sect dug one out from the underground of a medieval ruin.
Rat flashed forward quickly, striking out with both palms simultaneously, hitting Xu Yunling's head from both sides.
"Boom!"
Xu Yunling's scalp split open, revealing the stark white bone beneath. Blood flowed from his seven orifices. Then, he fell backward, lying on the ground, barely alive.
Seeing this, the cultivators of the Eastern Domain felt as if they had been struck by lightning, a suffocating pressure filling the air.
A Saintly Body had been beaten to the ground without any power to resist.
Rat landed on the ground, walked over to Xu Yunling, and stepped on his face. With a crack, Xu Yunling's nasal bone snapped directly.
Rat let out a sinister laugh. "If we weren't on the territory of the Liangyi Sect, I'd really want to eat you. The taste of a Saintly Body should be quite good."
"You... ah..."
Xu Yunling stretched out both hands, trying desperately to stand up.
Rat stomped down again, pressing Xu Yunling flat against the ground. Then, he looked towards the cultivators of the Eastern Domain, flashing a provocative gaze. "The Eastern Domain's Saintly Body is nothing but a weakling. Lord Rat hasn't had his fill of fighting today. Is there anyone else who dares to come out and battle?"
Wherever Rat's eyes landed, that person would immediately lower their head and quickly retreat, not daring to meet his gaze.
Are you kidding? Someone as powerful as Xu Yunling had been utterly powerless against Rat.
Who would dare to step forward?
Among the talented prodigies of the Eastern Domain, there were indeed a few Saintly Bodies whose strength was not inferior to Xu Yunling's, figures renowned throughout the world. However, after glancing at Xu Yunling, who was pinned under Rat's foot, they immediately closed their eyes, pretending not to have heard Rat's provocation.
If they just endured it, pretended to know nothing, they might be able to avoid disaster.
If they rushed out to be the first to stand up, they would likely be beaten badly and lose all face.
Seeing everyone avoiding his gaze, Rat found it somewhat boring. "It seems the Eastern Domain cultivation world really can't produce a single worthy opponent. All you have are mediocrities and cowards."
The other three Palace Guardian Beast Generals—Snake Two, Dragon Three, and Centipede Eight—looked at the cultivators of the Eastern Domain and burst into contemptuous laughter.
"The Divine Son originally wanted to come and assess the heroes of the Eastern Domain, but it seems there are no heroes here at all. Just a bunch of bears!" Haha!
Although the four Palace Guardian Beast Generals cursed harshly, no one stepped forward. Everyone remained silent.
Ouyang Huan opened his eyes, stood up, and held the pterosaur in his arms, smiling faintly. "Let's go. Although the Eastern Domain is useless, the other domains might bring us some surprises."
Ouyang Huan was the first to walk out, followed closely by the four Palace Guardian Beast Generals, who prepared to leave.
Ao Xinyan, who was sitting beside Zhang Ruochen, suddenly stood up. Her eyes were icy cold as she stared in the direction of Ouyang Huan and the four Palace Guardian Beast Generals. "Hold it!"
These two words echoed loudly in the quiet stone chamber.
Zhang Ruochen looked up at Ao Xinyan.
He had already noticed that Ao Xinyan's emotions were off. Especially when she looked at Dragon Three, a surge of hatred and anger welled up in her eyes.
Ouyang Huan and the four Palace Guardian Beast Generals stopped in their tracks and turned around to look behind them.
Their gazes all fixed on Ao Xinyan.
Centipede Eight grinned lecherously. "What's this? The men of the Eastern Domain are all cowards, so finally a woman wants to step up? Little girl, you're quite a looker—nice face, nice figure. Tsk tsk. In that case, I, Lord Eight, will gladly accept you!"
Centipede Eight was about to charge forward, but Dragon Three reached out a hand and placed it on his shoulder.
Dragon Three's palm felt as heavy as a mountain, suppressing Centipede Eight so completely that he couldn't move.
"Third Brother, what's this?" Centipede Eight asked.
Without a word, Dragon Three stepped forward and stood opposite Ao Xinyan, a sinister smile curling on his lips. "I really didn't notice earlier that Her Highness the Princess was also here. Ao Bing pays his respects to the Princess."
Ao Bing was Dragon Three's real name.
Ao Xinyan's entire body trembled. "Ao Bing, you traitor! Hand over the Divine Dragon Bone immediately and return to the Divine Dragon Half-Human Clan to face judgment."
"Is Her Highness the Princess giving orders?"
Dragon Three spread his hands and laughed. "Unfortunately, the Divine Dragon Bone has already been refined into my left hand. I can't give it back. Besides, I am no longer a member of the Divine Dragon Half-Human Clan. I am now a Palace Guardian Beast General of the Moon-Worshipping Cult. Even if the Clan Leader himself came, he couldn't do anything to me."
That piece of Divine Dragon Bone was originally meant to be given to Ao Xinyan at her coming-of-age ceremony by the Clan Leader, for her to refine and absorb, thereby awakening her Divine Dragon bloodline.
However, the day before Ao Xinyan's coming-of-age ceremony, Ao Bing, who was guarding the Divine Dragon Bone, stole it and vanished from the Kunlun Realm.
It was only today, when Ao Xinyan saw Dragon Three, that she recognized him as the traitor from back then, Ao Bing.
Dragon Three's words made Ao Xinyan unable to contain her rage.
Immediately, she drew her Dragon Pattern Emerald Water Sword and thrust it straight at Dragon Three.
In an instant, wisps of water vapor gathered from all around, condensing into dozens of sword qi that shuttled through the stone chamber before converging into a single point, striking at Dragon Three's heart.
Dragon Three shook his head with a smile, extending two fingers to firmly clamp the Dragon Pattern Emerald Water Sword that Ao Xinyan had thrust at him. "Her Highness the Princess's cultivation speed is truly terrifying. To have already reached this level, you are indeed the greatest prodigy the Divine Dragon Half-Human Clan has seen in a hundred years. If you had refined the Divine Dragon Bone back then, your current cultivation would probably be even stronger."
Ao Xinyan's face was filled with fury. She tried to pull the Dragon Pattern Emerald Water Sword back, but no matter how hard she struggled, she couldn't overcome the strength of Dragon Three's two fingers.
So, she released the sword, channeled her Saint Qi into her snow-white palm, and struck at Dragon Three's chest.
A flash of killing intent flickered in Dragon Three's eyes.
If he let Ao Xinyan leave today, the experts of the Divine Dragon Half-Human Clan would surely come after him one after another until they killed him.
He knew better than anyone how deep the foundations of the Divine Dragon Half-Human Clan were. Even hiding within the Moon-Worshipping Cult might not be safe.
So why not kill Ao Xinyan first?
Black draconic qi surged from Dragon Three's body, flowing to his arm. He struck out with his palm, hitting Ao Xinyan.
"Boom!"
The protective treasure on Ao Xinyan's body shattered instantly. She let out a pained cry, spat out a mouthful of blood, and flew backward like a kite with a broken string.
"He actually intends to kill."
Zhang Ruochen clearly sensed the killing intent surging from Dragon Three's body.
Would he dare to kill someone even on the territory of the Liangyi Sect?
No matter what, Zhang Ruochen could no longer sit idly by. Otherwise, Ao Xinyan would likely die here.
Zhang Ruochen, who had been sitting on the chair, flickered and vanished from his spot. The next moment, he was standing in the center of the stone chamber, reaching out to catch Ao Xinyan's falling body.
Zhang Ruochen supported Ao Xinyan with one hand under her knee and the other on her back. He found that she was severely injured—pale, barely breathing, with blood flowing from her mouth, nose, eyes, and ears.
"Whoosh!"
Zhang Ruochen mobilized the Saint Qi within his body, channeling it to his palms, and slowly infused it into Ao Xinyan's body to help heal her injuries.
Her slender, graceful form was completely enveloped in a holy light.
After a moment, Ao Xinyan coughed and slowly regained consciousness. Opening her eyes, she realized she was lying in the arms of a strange man.
This man was Lin Yue of the Liangyi Sect.
"Don't move. You're badly hurt," Zhang Ruochen said.
Ao Xinyan initially resisted, wanting to break free from Zhang Ruochen's embrace.
But she quickly discovered something astonishing: the Saint Qi that Lin Yue was channeling into her body was perfectly compatible with her own Saint Qi.
You see, she was a member of the Divine Dragon Half-Human Clan. The Saint Qi she cultivated contained both human qi and draconic qi.
Could it be that Lin Yue's Saint Qi also contained human qi and draconic qi?
Even so, it was impossible for their Saint Qi to be perfectly compatible.
Throughout the entire Kunlun Realm, only the deceased Zhang Ruochen could perfectly match the draconic qi within her body. Because Zhang Ruochen had once used the Dragon Pearl to save her, their qi had already merged once, forming an internal cycle.
The scene at that time was almost identical to this one.
For a moment, Ao Xinyan's red lips parted slightly, her beautiful eyes wide as she stared at Lin Yue, completely stunned.
Dragon Three squinted his eyes, glaring at Zhang Ruochen, and said sharply, "Kid, if you know what's good for you, you'd better mind your own business. Hand over the Princess obediently, or you'll bring disaster upon yourself."
Zhang Ruochen turned his head, glancing at Dragon Three. "And what if I don't?"