# Chapter 756: Cruel Methods
If the crowd could not defeat the Undying Blood Clan's Third Prince and Galuo Gu, allowing them to take the Realm Son seats, then the various sects and noble clans would lose face, and that would only be the beginning.
The key point was that the status of a Realm Son was extraordinary. Allowing the Undying Blood Clan and the Death Zen Sect to each occupy one spot and obtain the vast resources that only a Realm Son could possess—wasn't that like raising a tiger to bring disaster?
The resources required to cultivate a single Realm Son were beyond what ordinary people could imagine.
Under the instigation of certain individuals with ulterior motives, the vast majority of young cultivators were filled with righteous indignation, their blood boiling. They were eager to teach the Undying Blood Clan's Third Prince and Galuo Gu a lesson.
This included Ouyang Huan, Gai Tianjiao, Xue Wuye, and other top geniuses who had already taken their seats among the Realm Sons. They shared this sentiment. They were extremely confident in their own strength, believing that dealing with two evil individuals would be a simple matter.
Only Zhang Ruochen frowned deeply, not optimistic. He looked toward the few Heavenly Proud Ones and outstanding talents who had been stirring up the crowd's emotions earlier, memorizing every one of them.
Although these people belonged to different factions, they were very likely members of the Undying Blood Clan who had merely altered their appearances.
Others might not know the true power of the Undying Blood Clan, but Zhang Ruochen understood it all too well.
Back then, the Ming Emperor, the Qing Emperor, and the Blood Queen had fought a battle. The Ming Emperor and the Qing Emperor had joined forces against the Blood Queen, yet they still suffered a crushing defeat.
As for why the Ming Emperor later managed to defeat the Blood Queen and cast her into the Endless Abyss, Zhang Ruochen was unclear about the details.
Regardless, the Undying Blood Clan was far more formidable than most people imagined. Otherwise, the Ming Emperor would not have united the cultivators of the entire Kunlun Realm to fight against them back then.
Even the saints present had likely only learned about the Undying Blood Clan from books and records. They had never truly experienced the battle eight hundred years ago, so they did not fully understand the Undying Blood Clan's real strength.
Although Zhang Ruochen deeply hated Chi Yao and wanted to take revenge against her—sometimes even entertaining thoughts of restoring the kingdom—deep down, he did not wish for chaos to engulf the world and bring suffering to the common people.
The current prosperous era was extremely rare in Kunlun Realm's long history.
If war were to break out, countless families would be destroyed, people would be displaced, and it would take who knows how many years to restore the realm to its current state.
At least for now, Zhang Ruochen hated the Undying Blood Clan and the Death Zen Sect even more. He would never allow them to bring disaster to Kunlun Realm again.
Zhang Ruochen remained exceptionally calm. His gaze fixed on Huang Yanchen, and he said, "Princess, let's first take a seat and observe how the situation develops."
Huang Yanchen's eyes were misty as she stared at Zhang Ruochen's face. After a long moment, she asked, "Which seat do you want me to take?"
Zhang Ruochen did not meet Huang Yanchen's gaze. Instead, he looked directly at the top of the Book Mountain and pointed upward. "Sit in the first King's Seat."
Zhang Ruochen had no intention of letting Huang Yanchen take a Realm Son seat.
That would only push her back into the spotlight, bringing her nothing but harm.
The position of the first King's Seat carried no substantive benefits—it was merely an honor. Moreover, the competition for it would be relatively less intense.
Besides, given the current situation, everyone was more hostile toward the Undying Blood Clan's Third Prince and Galuo Gu. They all wanted to stop them from climbing the Book Mountain. No one should step forward to block Zhang Ruochen and Huang Yanchen.
The battle between Xiao Hei and Bu Qianfan had also come to a halt. Neither the man nor the beast had been able to determine a victor, so they immediately separated.
Xiao Hei used his movement technique to return to the seat of the Twelfth King's Seat and sat down. He began circulating his cultivation technique to recover the Saint Qi he had expended earlier.
Bu Qianfan arrived beside Huang Yanchen. His battle aura was still surging powerfully. "Princess Yanchen, do you need my assistance to reach the Realm Son seat?" he asked.
Huang Yanchen shook her head. "With my talent, I cannot sit in a Realm Son seat. I will be more than satisfied if I can secure a King's Seat. Besides, with Junior Brother Lin Yue protecting me, that is enough."
"General Bu, your cultivation is unparalleled. You should compete for a Realm Son seat instead, so that the Undying Blood Clan and the Death Zen Sect's experts do not succeed."
Bu Qianfan could also see the situation clearly, so he did not insist. "In that case, I will go occupy a Realm Son seat first. I hope the Undying Blood Clan and the Death Zen Sect can make it to the summit, so I can have a good fight with them."
After all, Bu Qianfan was a man of the Ministry of War and the Bu Holy Clan. His superiors had surely instructed him to compete for a Realm Son seat.
Earlier, he had helped Huang Yanchen solely to repay Zhang Ruochen for his kindness.
Since Huang Yanchen no longer needed his assistance, he naturally had to go compete for a Realm Son seat.
Bu Qianfan activated his movement technique, stepping on the stairs as he rushed straight toward the top of the Book Mountain. No one intercepted him along the way. He successfully reached a Realm Son seat and sat down.
The young experts seated in the King's Seats were all waiting for the Undying Blood Clan's Third Prince and Galuo Gu to ascend the mountain. They wanted to defeat them first before competing for the Realm Son seats.
"Let's go."
Zhang Ruochen and Huang Yanchen walked side by side, passing by several King's Seats until they reached a position near the summit. They stopped beside the first King's Seat.
The cultivator who had originally occupied the first King's Seat had just ascended to the summit and taken a Realm Son seat. Therefore, this seat was still empty.
Huang Yanchen did not immediately sit down. Instead, her deep blue eyes fixed on Zhang Ruochen. "You sit," she said. "I'll be your guard."
Zhang Ruochen smiled and shook his head. "Your strength is too weak. You can't be my guard."
Huang Yanchen bit her lower lip gently. Knowing that further argument was pointless, she stepped forward and climbed onto the scroll that formed the first King's Seat, then sat down.
Zhang Ruochen also stepped forward and stood on the scroll.
Immediately, streaks of white light emerged from the scroll, expanding outward tenfold to form a square platform.
Zhang Ruochen understood now: if someone wanted to challenge the first King's Seat, the scroll beneath the seat would instantly transform into a miniature scroll world.
Only by forcing the original occupant out of the scroll world could the challenger succeed.
Now, Huang Yanchen sat in the first King's Seat, waiting for other cultivators to challenge her.
Huang Yanchen's eyes were fixed on Zhang Ruochen. She noticed that his face was quite pale—clearly, the injuries he had sustained earlier were severe.
"Your injuries…" Huang Yanchen's expression was filled with worry.
Zhang Ruochen deliberately pretended to be fine and smiled lightly. "It's nothing. I took some healing pills earlier, so I'm already out of danger. *Cough, cough.*"
With two coughs, a sharp pain shot through his lungs. *Pfft*—a mouthful of blood spilled from Zhang Ruochen's lips.
During his battle with Mu Lingxi, a sword fragment had pierced Zhang Ruochen's lung.
Later, when he fought A Le, not only did he miss the optimal time for healing, but his injuries had also worsened.
Earlier, Zhang Ruochen had been suppressing his injuries with the power of the Dragon Pearl, so they had not manifested.
Huang Yanchen was greatly alarmed. She immediately stood up from her seat and moved to support Zhang Ruochen.
But Zhang Ruochen had already sat cross-legged on the ground, closing his eyes as he began circulating his cultivation technique to refine the medicinal power of the healing pills and tend to his wounds.
His protective Saint Aura automatically spread outward, keeping Huang Yanchen at a distance of one zhang.
Huang Yanchen dared not disturb Zhang Ruochen while he was healing. She could only stand outside the aura, staring intently at him, her heart filled with immense worry.
After much deliberation, Saintly Scholar Cainü finally made her decision: she would allow the Undying Blood Clan and the Death Zen Sect to participate in the Realm Son Banquet.
"Thank you, Lady Cainü. This prince will not disappoint you."
The Undying Blood Clan's Third Prince and Galuo Gu exchanged glances and smiled, then simultaneously began ascending toward the top of the Book Mountain.
Their target was only the Realm Son seats. The other seats—Outstanding Talent Seats, Heavenly Proud Seats, and King's Seats—held no meaning for them.
The moment they stepped onto the stairs of the Book Mountain, a young expert at the Fish-Dragon Ninth Transformation, seated in one of the Outstanding Talent Seats, stood up and charged forward. "Li Hongyi of the Daqian Sect comes to learn the evil arts of the Death Zen Sect!"
Li Hongyi struck out with both hands simultaneously, unleashing a Ghost-grade mid-rank palm technique—the Heaven Origin Palm. Surging Saint Qi continuously flowed into his palms, forming a massive circular imprint ten zhang in diameter.
"Amitabha."
Galuo Gu remained expressionless. He extended a golden, radiant Buddha hand and slapped it through the air, as if swatting a fly, sending Li Hongyi flying backward.
When Li Hongyi crashed down the mountain, his body was already a bloody mess. His Qi Sea was shattered, and all his meridians were severed. Although he was not dead, he had been completely crippled.
"Yan Wuji of the Yan Holy Clan comes to slay the Undying Blood Clan!"
"If you want to ascend the mountain, you must first pass through me! You bald donkey of the Death Zen Sect, prepare to die!"
One after another, thirty-seven young experts struck continuously, trying to intercept the Undying Blood Clan's Third Prince and Galuo Gu. But every single one of them was crippled. Not a single person could block even one of their moves.
The two of them were extremely ruthless. Every strike shattered the opponent's Qi Sea or burst their meridians. Although they followed the rules and did not deliberately kill anyone, their methods were even more cruel than murder.
Only now did some people finally wake up and realize that the Undying Blood Clan's Third Prince and Galuo Gu of the Death Zen Sect seemed to have come prepared. Their strength was terrifyingly great.
"Such formidable strength! The Undying Blood Clan's Third Prince only used one finger to pierce through Yan Wuji of the Yan Holy Clan's Qi Sea and send him tumbling down the mountain."
"Galuo Gu's cultivation is also terrifying. Nineteen top-tier, renowned experts have already had their meridians shattered by him. I wonder just how powerful his palm really is?"
"I estimate that even a Twelfth-Grade True Martial Treasure would shatter if Galuo Gu's palm touched it. You simply cannot come into contact with it."
Someone noticed that the cultivators who had earlier been clamoring to teach the Undying Blood Clan's Third Prince and Galuo Gu a lesson were instead sitting in their seats, not making a move at all. This was rather strange.
The cruel methods of the Undying Blood Clan's Third Prince and Galuo Gu caused the Heavenly Proud Ones and outstanding talents on the Book Mountain to tremble with fear. No one dared to continue attacking.
At the top of the Book Mountain, Xue Wuye, Ouyang Huan, and Gai Tianjiao also sensed that something was wrong. They finally realized that they had indeed underestimated the Undying Blood Clan and the Death Zen Sect.
The Undying Blood Clan's Third Prince licked the blood off his fist, a mocking expression in his eyes. He swept his gaze over the cultivators on the Book Mountain and laughed. "Earlier, you all said you wanted to teach this prince a lesson. Why, now that we've just begun, does no one dare to attack anymore? This prince's goal is to cripple every so-called genius on this Book Mountain. You can't possibly deny me this opportunity, can you?"
One of the outstanding talents at the Fish-Dragon Ninth Transformation could not bear the Third Prince's taunt. He charged forward, but before he could even touch the prince's robe, a palm imprint snapped his spine, leaving him completely paralyzed and sprawled on the ground.
"Overestimating yourself."
The Undying Blood Clan's Third Prince sneered. He stepped on the crippled outstanding talent, ignoring the man's agonized screams, and continued ascending toward the top of the Book Mountain.