# Chapter 792: Engaging Feng Han
"Whoosh!"
Zhang Ruochen let out a long breath, dispersing the sword intent from his body. The leaves that had been flying rapidly immediately lost their formidable power, fluttering down from the sky and scattering all over the ground.
"Swish!"
Zhang Ruochen waved his sleeve, stirring up a gust of wind that sent the thick layer of leaves flying away, revealing the Taixi Half-Saint beneath.
Taixi Half-Saint lay on the ground, his body covered in countless bloody wounds, completely mangled and unrecognizable. In some places, even the bones beneath the flesh and blood were visible.
"Now, do you believe that leaves can also kill?" Zhang Ruochen said.
Taixi Half-Saint trembled all over, his voice hoarse as he spoke: "I... don't... ac...cept..."
"Whether you accept it or not, you have to accept it."
Zhang Ruochen's eyes were icy cold. A dragon-elephant roar sounded from his right arm as he brought his palm down with tremendous force, smashing Taixi Half-Saint's head into a pulp of blood and flesh.
When he raised his palm again, a ball of blood-red Half-Saint Light was held in his palm, emitting a dazzling radiance that illuminated the night sky with an eerie scarlet hue.
"The third ball of Half-Saint Light."
Zhang Ruochen stored the Half-Saint Light into the Ruyi Treasure Vase.
The three Half-Saints had many powerful war weapons and precious treasures on them. However, Zhang Ruochen didn't have the time to inventory them at the moment, so he collected the three Half-Saints' corpses together and put them into his Space Ring.
Only then did Zhang Ruochen take the ancient jade disc that Taixi Half-Saint had used, held it in his palm, examined it briefly, and then infused it with Saint Qi.
"Sizzle sizzle!"
Immediately, strands of crimson formation inscriptions surged from the center of the ancient jade disc, spreading outward into the air.
"The Heaven-Sealing Earth-Locking Formation is indeed a very powerful formation. If I hadn't cultivated my Sword Dao to the realm of Unity of Man and Sword, and first severely wounded Taixi Half-Saint from the outside, causing the ancient jade disc to lose control, I would never have been able to break through the formation. I might very well have been trapped and died here."
The ancient jade disc was a formidable formation sacred artifact. Zhang Ruochen put it away and tucked it into his bosom.
Next, his gaze turned toward the direction Feng Han had fled.
"Trying to escape? It won't be that easy."
Zhang Ruochen placed Xuanji Sword Saint's remains into the Cosmic Divine Wood Map. Then he took out the sacred decree that Xuanji Sword Saint had once given him, held it in his hand, and infused it with Saint Qi.
A vast surge of sacred power flowed out from the sacred decree, completely enveloping Zhang Ruochen's body.
"Whoosh!"
Zhang Ruochen transformed into a streak of white light, bursting forth with the speed of a Saint, charging into the sky to pursue Feng Han.
In moments, Zhang Ruochen had flown over a thousand li and caught up with Feng Han and Xinyu Half-Saint.
The Fallen God Mountain Range was vast and majestic, with mountains and forests shrouded in miasma that blocked out the sky, giving an endless, boundless feeling. As far as the eye could see, there was no sign of human habitation.
This place was a stretch of open primeval forest. Feng Han stopped in his tracks, opened his blood-red pupils, and turned to stare at the horizon, quite surprised. "He caught up so quickly? Could it be that Taixi Half-Saint couldn't stop him either?"
Xinyu Half-Saint also glanced back over her shoulder. She pulled a three-foot-long blood sword from the bone of her left arm, spread her wings, and flew up to a height of thirty zhang above the ground. "Sixth Prince, you go first. I'll hold him off."
The three-foot blood sword emitted a dense blood mist that rapidly spread outward, enveloping the entire primeval forest.
The savage beasts in the forest all sensed the dangerous aura and lay prostrate on the ground, trembling in fear. Some of the more powerful beasts immediately fled into the distance.
"Swish!"
At the edge of the sky, a streak of white light, like a meteor flying from beyond the heavens, slammed into Xinyu Half-Saint.
Within Xinyu Half-Saint's pupils, the white light grew brighter and brighter until it completely covered her irises. She had only just raised her blood sword when her body was sent flying, crashing heavily to the ground.
With a thunderous boom.
A massive crater was formed on the ground. The surrounding earth split open with more than a dozen huge fissures, as if struck by a falling meteor.
At the bottom of the large pit, Zhang Ruochen held the Abyssal Ancient Sword, piercing through Xinyu Half-Saint's chest and pinning her to the ground.
The powerful force contained in the sword directly shattered Xinyu Half-Saint's Sacred Soul, turning it into specks of light that dissipated into the air.
With a single sword strike, a Half-Saint was utterly destroyed, body and soul.
"Shua!"
Zhang Ruochen's expression was ice-cold. He didn't even glance at the corpse on the ground. He pulled out the blood-drenched sword and walked out of the pit. Standing on higher ground, he looked down at Feng Han not far away. "Now, it's just you."
Feng Han stared at Zhang Ruochen across from him, his expression unchanged. "Taixi Half-Saint also died by your hand?"
"Do you think he could still be alive?" Zhang Ruochen said.
Feng Han said, "Killing five Undying Blood Clan Half-Saints in a single night—just this alone is an unforgivable capital offense. Even if a human Saint committed such a crime, it would still be a death sentence."
"You poisoned our master to death—that is an even more unforgivable capital offense. Even if you cultivated to become a Saint, you would still not escape death." Zhang Ruochen said with unwavering determination.
Feng Han held the Skyward Sword, raised the blade to look at it, then shook his head with a smile. "Actually, the one who caused our master's death wasn't me—it was you."
"If it weren't for you, our master probably wouldn't have gone to duel with Jiuyou Sword Saint."
"If it weren't for your appearance, I would have been our master's most outstanding disciple. He would have long since passed the Skyward Sword to me."
"My goal was only the Skyward Sword. Once I obtained it, why would I need to kill him? To be honest, the old man was a decent person—at least I never disliked him."
The anger in Zhang Ruochen's heart had gradually cooled, replaced instead by a feeling of sorrow. He felt it was all not worth it for his master.
They say good people are rewarded, but sometimes, there are always those who take advantage of your kindness to harm you. Even after harming you, they feel no guilt whatsoever, instead shifting all the blame onto others.
His master must have felt immense grief at the moment of his death.
Feng Han turned his gaze back to Zhang Ruochen, his smile fading as he said coldly, "But I quite dislike you. Since you've chased after me, I'll send you on your way. That way, the old man won't be too lonely on the Yellow Spring Road."
"Swish!"
In an instant, Feng Han released his Sacred Soul Domain. At the same time, he raised the Skyward Sword and slashed it down at Zhang Ruochen.
Whether it was his movement speed or his sword speed, Feng Han was extremely fast, giving Zhang Ruochen no chance to dodge.
Zhang Ruochen showed no fear. He gripped the Abyssal Ancient Sword with both hands, mobilized all the power in his body, and raised the sword horizontally to block.
"Bang!"
A surging, mountain-toppling force erupted from the Skyward Sword.
In an instant, the tiger's mouth of Zhang Ruochen's hands split open. The skin on his arms couldn't withstand the immense force, cracking with bloody lines, turning into a bloody mess.
The Abyssal Ancient Sword flew out of his hands and fell dozens of zhang away, embedding itself into a stone cliff.
At the same time, Zhang Ruochen was sent flying backward. His body broke through more than a dozen thick ancient tree trunks, leaving a deep trench on the ground.
At this moment, the crown on his head shattered, and his hair fell loose. He knelt on one knee, his palm supporting him on the ground, blood continuously flowing from his mouth.
The soil beneath him was stained red.
Feng Han carried the Skyward Sword and walked step by step toward Zhang Ruochen, laughing. "Sixth Junior Brother, do you really think I retreated because I was afraid of you? Heh. Your talent is very high, but unfortunately, you are too young. Your cultivation level is still far behind mine."
Zhang Ruochen let out a dry laugh. "Do you think... I would come after you... alone..."
"What do you mean?" Feng Han's eyes darkened.
Zhang Ruochen slowly stood up, his bloodshot eyes fixed on Feng Han. "Aren't you very clever? You should understand what I mean."
"Did you inform Senior Brother?"
Feng Han gritted his teeth, killing intent flashing in his eyes.
"You betrayed your master and forgot your benefactor. It's not just Senior Brother—any of our fellow disciples could kill you." Zhang Ruochen said.
"You're asking for death."
Feng Han gripped the sword with both hands, gathered all his strength, raised the Skyward Sword above his head. A white light pillar dozens of zhang long shot up from the sword tip, and he swung the sword down.
The powerful sword energy brought immense pressure upon Zhang Ruochen.
He closed his eyes, mobilized the power of space at the fastest speed, executed Spatial Displacement, and vanished from his spot.
"Boom."
The powerful sword energy struck the spot where Zhang Ruochen had just been standing, splitting the earth apart with a two-zhang-wide fissure.
The massive sword scar, like a crack in the earth, extended dozens of li into the distance, splitting the primeval forest in two.
Although the power of this sword strike was formidable, Feng Han could clearly sense that it hadn't killed Zhang Ruochen.
Gradually, the power of the sword energy completely dissipated.
In the air, only the faint sound of wind remained. Even when Feng Han activated his Heavenly Blood Pupils, he couldn't find any trace of Zhang Ruochen.
However, Feng Han was certain that Zhang Ruochen was nearby.
It was just that Zhang Ruochen was wearing the Meteor Invisibility Cloak, and with the assistance of space power, he could remain completely invisible and formless.
Earlier, Feng Han had been worried about this very point, which was why he hadn't engaged Zhang Ruochen in battle—fearing that he would be entangled and unable to break free. In reality, in terms of combat power, Feng Han wasn't afraid of Zhang Ruochen at all.
Feng Han stood still, not daring to move recklessly, afraid of being ambushed by Zhang Ruochen. He let out a cold shout: "If you have the guts, come out and fight me face to face."
This sound wave received no response from Zhang Ruochen, only shaking down a shower of yellow leaves.
At this moment, Feng Han was completely caught in a dilemma.
If he continued to stalemate with Zhang Ruochen, the other fellow disciples might catch up, and then he might not even have a chance to escape.
If he retreated now, he would inevitably expose a weakness and be ambushed by Zhang Ruochen. Even with his cultivation level, he had no absolute certainty that he could block Zhang Ruochen's spatial attack methods.
If he couldn't block them, he would die.