Chapter 731: Saintly Might
Relying on the vast spiritual power within the chess piece, Zhang Ruochen controlled the electric fire vortex and finally shattered all the incoming ice swords.
The force of the electric fire vortex directly swept Snake Two up into the air, pulling her into the center of the vortex. Ninety-nine bolts of lightning, as thick as a bowl, all struck toward her.
"Boom, rumble!"
Even though Snake Two possessed protective treasures and a powerful physique, she was still pierced by the lightning, letting out continuous screams as her body turned charred black.
The power of the electric fire vortex was simply unimaginable. If not for the formation barrier surrounding the battle platform, it was likely that everyone in the Divine Platform City would have died, leaving nothing but ruins.
Moments later, the power of the lightning forced Snake Two back into her original form, transforming into a massive Sacred Heart White Snake. Suspended within the vortex, she endured relentless attacks.
"Boy, stop immediately!"
Rat's face twisted with fury. Leaping into the air, he landed on the battle platform and extended a sharp claw, striking toward Zhang Ruochen like lightning.
Zhang Ruochen controlled the Meteor Invisibility Cloak, swiftly shifting to the right to evade Rat's attack.
"She's pretty much lost her combat ability now."
Zhang Ruochen glanced at Snake Two within the electric fire vortex, then withdrew his spiritual power.
Instantly, the electric fire vortex shattered, dissolving into thin strands of electric patterns that dissipated into the air.
With a "bang," the Sacred Heart White Snake, whose body spanned over three hundred meters, crashed down from above, shaking the ground with the impact.
Black smoke continuously rose from the Sacred Heart White Snake's body. Many of its scales had fallen off, and its flesh was charred black from the lightning strikes.
Ouyang Heng stepped forward, ascending the battle platform to stand beside the Sacred Heart White Snake. He took out a high-grade healing pill and fed it into her mouth.
Then, extending a palm, he continuously channeled his sacred qi into the Sacred Heart White Snake's body.
Before long, the Sacred Heart White Snake's body transformed back into human form. She collapsed into Ouyang Heng's arms, her face deathly pale, appearing on the verge of death.
From another direction, Rat and Zhang Ruochen faced off against each other.
Rat exuded a chilling demonic aura, speaking coldly, "Lin Yue, first you killed Sparrow Nine, then you stole Dragon Three's Divine Dragon Bone, and now you've severely wounded Snake Two. You've already angered me. If I don't cripple you, how can I continue to be the leader of the Thirty-Six Guardian Beast Generals?"
Zhang Ruochen remained calm, saying, "I didn't kill Dragon Three or Snake Two, which is already showing great respect to your demon sect. If you want to fight, I'm willing to oblige."
Rat was brimming with rage and was about to make a move, but Ouyang Heng stepped forward first, positioning himself opposite Zhang Ruochen. He studied him carefully and said, "Actually, I admire your courage. Few dare to oppose the Moon-Worshipping Cult."
Ouyang Heng had originally intended to test the strength of the Eastern Domain's cultivation world, but he hadn't expected to lose two of his generals to Lin Yue.
Even with his calm demeanor, he couldn't help but feel quite irritated.
Everyone could see that the demon sect's demon son was preparing to act personally.
Earlier, the spiritual power attack Lin Yue had displayed was immensely powerful, enough to make even a First-Step Half-Saint quite wary. Yet, under such circumstances, Ouyang Heng still dared to strike. Just how confident was he in his own strength?
Ouyang Heng continued, "To be honest, your strength isn't necessarily greater than Snake Two's. If you hadn't borrowed someone else's spiritual power, you might have lost this battle."
Zhang Ruochen glanced at the chess piece in his hand and said calmly, "Do you think I only have this one chess piece and no other trump cards?"
The spiritual power within the chess piece was nearly depleted, reduced to less than a tenth, rendering it useless.
Even so, facing Ouyang Heng, an absolute powerhouse, Zhang Ruochen showed no trace of fear.
Ouyang Heng smiled faintly. "Is that so? Then I'll personally step in and see what other trump cards you have."
Below the battle platform, Ao Xinyan said coldly, "Lin Yue has already fought two battles in a row, consuming a great deal of his sacred qi. Challenging him now is a huge advantage, isn't it?"
Immediately, the talented elites of the Eastern Domain and the disciples of the Liangyi Sect began to curse as well.
"Ouyang Heng, as the demon son of the demon sect, I never expected you to be so shameless."
"The demon sect can only rely on a war of attrition to compete with the outstanding talents of our Eastern Domain."
"Go back to the Central Domain and stop disgracing yourselves at the Liangyi Sect."
...
Ouyang Heng frowned, took out a fist-sized glazed jade box, and tossed it to Zhang Ruochen. "Since your sacred qi is heavily depleted, I won't take advantage of you."
"This is a Sacred Sky Seven Cloud Pill, refined by our sect over ten years by smelting sacred stones into liquid and adding seven types of millennium-aged spiritual herbs."
"Once you take it, within a quarter of an hour, you'll recover to your peak state, reaching a state of 'sacred qi fullness, perfect harmony and unity.'"
Zhang Ruochen didn't stand on ceremony. He caught the glazed jade box and opened it.
A fragrant medicinal aroma surged from the box, forming a cloud of sacred qi. White specks flickered on the pill, like a sky full of stars.
It was indeed a high-grade pill, worth at least five hundred thousand spirit crystals. Even a First-Step Half-Saint, after consuming it when their sacred qi was heavily depleted, could likely recover to their peak state immediately.
For a Fish-Dragon Realm cultivator, taking it would not only restore sacred qi but also slightly enhance their cultivation.
It had to be said, Ouyang Heng was indeed generous.
However, Ouyang Heng was, after all, a member of the demon sect, and his actions might not always be so honorable. To be safe, Zhang Ruochen carefully inspected the Sacred Sky Seven Cloud Pill, confirming that Ouyang Heng hadn't tampered with it, before swallowing it.
Before Zhang Ruochen could fully digest the Sacred Sky Seven Cloud Pill, a white beam of light flew from afar, landing at the center of the battle platform. It materialized into a slender, dazzling figure.
A powerful surge of sacred qi erupted from the figure, sending Ouyang Heng and Zhang Ruochen flying off the battle platform like two leaves.
Both Ouyang Heng and Zhang Ruochen steadied themselves and stepped back, not daring to act rashly, for the figure at the center of the battle platform was none other than Shengshu Cainü.
Shengshu Cainü radiated sacred light, with currents of qi swirling around her. Strands of sacred light descended from the heavens, forming a powerful saintly might that spread in all directions, sweeping across the entire Divine Platform City.
"Greetings, Saint!"
"Greetings, Saint!"
...
Within Divine Platform City, even cultivators at the Half-Saint level knelt down, bowing in the direction of Shengshu Cainü.
This was an act of reverence, a sign of respect for a Saint.
A Saint's status was immeasurably higher than a Half-Saint's. They had already cultivated a Sacred Source, connected with the rules of heaven and earth, and secured their own sacred position.
Once someone became a Saint, within a radius of ten thousand li, the rules of heaven and earth would undergo subtle changes, naturally centering around the Saint and influencing nearby humans and living beings.
A Saint was already part of the Sacred Path.
Thus, all cultivators on the Sacred Path must hold the Saint in awe. Upon seeing a Saint, they must harbor no evil thoughts and must kneel and bow.
Generally, a Saint would not deliberately mobilize the rules of the Sacred Path to suppress the masses with saintly might.
But at this moment, Shengshu Cainü unleashed her saintly might, indicating that she was extremely angry and intended to issue a warning or judgment as a Saint.
Shengshu Cainü said coldly, "I invited the distinguished talents of the Moon-Worshipping Cult to participate in the Sword Discussion Assembly, not to provoke trouble. If this happens again, I will personally take action and expel you."
Ouyang Heng was not crushed by Shengshu Cainü's saintly might. He stood tall and composed, bowing respectfully. "Since the Saint has spoken, such incidents will naturally not occur again. However, there are some grievances between my sect and Lin Yue. I ask the Saint to allow me a fair duel with him."
Ouyang Heng had evidently reached the Supreme Extreme Realm and bore the marks of the gods. Thus, he could withstand Shengshu Cainü's saintly might.
Of course, it was also because Shengshu Cainü's saintly might targeted all cultivators in Divine Platform City, not just Ouyang Heng alone. Otherwise, even with the marks of the gods, he would not have been able to resist the suppression of the Sacred Path's rules.
A Saint's saintly might was the rule of the Sacred Path.
Shengshu Cainü said, "Your grievances can be set aside for now. Next month, I will host the Realm Son Banquet in Divine Platform City. You can settle your score then."
Ouyang Heng understood clearly that Shengshu Cainü was deliberately helping Lin Yue by postponing the decisive battle by a month.
But in just one month, no matter how hard Lin Yue cultivated, he likely wouldn't be able to match him. Would Lin Yue then borrow Shengshu Cainü's spiritual power again?
If Lin Yue did that, even if he defeated Ouyang Heng, he would be ridiculed by the world.
What skill was it to rely on a woman's power to defeat an opponent?
"Lin Yue's relationship with Shengshu Cainü is probably truly extraordinary," the Saints of various major powers thought in secret.
As for the younger generation of talented prodigies, they were all captivated by the words "Realm Son Banquet." Many were thrilled and deeply excited.
Sixty years ago, Mr. Mei hosted the Hero Banquet, inviting the world's talents to gather at the Book Sect. This led to the "Hero Ode," which made Wan Zhaoyi, Chen Wutian, and others famous across the world, becoming benchmarks of an era.
Now, Shengshu Cainü was emulating Mr. Mei by hosting the Realm Son Banquet, clearly intending to select nine Realm Sons.
Whoever became a Realm Son would become the benchmark of the next era, like Wan Zhaoyi and Chen Wutian, renowned across the world, known to all.
Among cultivators, who didn't want to achieve fame overnight?
Moreover, the status of a Realm Son was no small matter. Who wouldn't want to compete for it?
Even those who knew they couldn't become a Realm Son were eager to attend the Realm Son Banquet. Just gathering with the talented prodigies of the entire Kunlun Realm was an immensely honorable thing in itself.