Chapter 810: The Eighth Palm of Dragon-Elephant Prajna Palm
Zhang Ruochen had long been prepared. Just as the beautiful female Ghost King lunged at him, he mobilized the Yang energy within his body and struck out with a palm: "Dragon-Elephant Divine Furnace."
As long as it was an undead spirit, even one that had reached the Ghost King realm, it would certainly fear Yang energy.
For this very reason, Zhang Ruochen executed the seventh palm of the Dragon-Elephant Prajna Palm, clashing head-on with the beautiful female Ghost King.
"Boom!"
A ripple of energy spread rapidly outward, centered on the man and the ghost.
Zhang Ruochen was sent flying backward, finally stabilizing his form only after landing thirty zhang away.
Although his arms ached as if they were about to shatter, most of his body was covered in ice, and even cracks had appeared on the surface of his skin, he was not discouraged. Instead, he grew excited.
To clash head-on with a Ghost King and only suffer minor injuries—what a glorious achievement!
If this were the Kunlun Realm, a Ninth-Rank Half-Saint who could withstand a full-force strike from a Saint without dying would be an immensely honorable feat, enough to earn a place on the "Half-Saint Ranking" through this battle alone.
What's more, Zhang Ruochen was only at the Ninth Change of the Fish-Dragon Realm.
This did not mean his power was already formidable enough to rival those on the Half-Saint Ranking. It only showed that the beautiful female Ghost King was truly so weakened that she could no longer kill Zhang Ruochen.
The ghostly Qi on the beautiful female Ghost King emitted a "hissing" sound, with sparks of fire bursting forth.
The Yang energy released by the Dragon-Elephant Prajna Palm could burn away the ghostly Qi on the beautiful female Ghost King, making her weaker and weaker.
The beautiful female Ghost King dispersed the Yang energy. Seeing that Zhang Ruochen had not fallen and was still alive, she revealed an expression of disbelief and said, "What a formidable human brat. You haven't even cultivated a Sacred Soul, yet you are already this powerful."
"You're wrong. It's not that I am powerful, but that you are too weak."
In that previous exchange, although Zhang Ruochen was at a complete disadvantage, it instead ignited the battle intent within him, unleashing an unstoppable momentum.
So what if she was a Ghost King?
Strike while she's weak, and take her life.
The Dragon-Elephant Divine Furnace was merely the seventh palm of the Dragon-Elephant Prajna Palm, a Ghost-level lower-rank martial technique.
Zhang Ruochen understood well that the reason he had been able to block the beautiful female Ghost King in that strike was mainly because his thirty-six meridians had reached the level of Quasi-Saint Meridians, elevating the power of this palm to match a Ghost-level upper-rank martial technique.
If he could successfully cultivate the eighth palm of the Dragon-Elephant Prajna Palm, it would reach the Ghost-level mid-rank level, and the Yang energy within Zhang Ruochen's body could increase tenfold. By then, how powerful would this palm technique become?
Sword techniques had minimal effect on her, as had been proven earlier.
Only powerful Yang energy could suppress her.
"In that case, I'll take this opportunity to cultivate the eighth palm of the Dragon-Elephant Prajna Palm, the Thousand-Hand Dragon-Elephant. If I can master it to Great Perfection, it should pose a significant threat to her."
Before this, in the Scroll World, Zhang Ruochen had indeed spent some time studying and cultivating the eighth palm.
However, at that time, he was preparing for the Sword Discussion Assembly, so he devoted most of his time to cultivating the Sword Dao. Even when cultivating the eighth palm, he only used the power of the palm technique to temper his physique, without investing too much effort.
Even so, Zhang Ruochen had already cultivated the eighth palm to the Minor Achievement level, not far from Great Perfection.
"It's not that I am powerful, but that you are too weak."
When the beautiful female Ghost King heard these words, she naturally felt a surge of anger. An insignificant ant who hadn't even cultivated a Sacred Soul dared to look down on her like this.
"Human brat, you have angered me."
The beautiful female Ghost King formed strange hand seals with her hands, and immediately, the Yin Sha Qi between heaven and earth converged toward her endlessly.
In front of her, a massive humanoid skeleton over thirty meters tall condensed into form. The skeleton's mouth emitted a "crackling" grinding sound as it swung its fist down at Zhang Ruochen.
The skeleton's fist was even larger than Zhang Ruochen's entire body.
Although the beautiful female Ghost King was still far stronger than Zhang Ruochen, he showed no fear. Instead, he kicked off the ground and actively charged to meet her.
"Thousand-Hand Dragon-Elephant."
Zhang Ruochen flew into the air, spreading his arms wide.
As his thick Sacred Qi surged endlessly from within his body, it condensed into countless massive flaming palm prints that shot forward, clashing with the white bone skeleton.
"Bang!"
Zhang Ruochen was sent flying back, crashing to the ground.
His feet dug a massive crater into the earth, and his bones felt as if they were about to fall apart, aching as if they would shatter.
Zhang Ruochen took out a bottle of Black Tortoise Sacred Blood and poured the entire bottle into his mouth.
Since he was going to be reckless, he might as well go all out.
In the past, Zhang Ruochen had refined Black Tortoise Sacred Blood drop by drop, and each drop took several months to refine.
Now, with his cultivation level, physique, and meridian width far surpassing before, and with such a solid foundation, why not take a gamble?
Each drop of Black Tortoise Sacred Blood, upon entering his abdomen, spread through his body like a ball of flame.
After swallowing the entire bottle of Black Tortoise Sacred Blood, Zhang Ruochen's body instantly became like a blazing furnace. Tendrils of flame surged out from his pores, completely enveloping his form.
"Fight!"
Zhang Ruochen's eyes turned into two crimson fire pearls. With a roar, he once again struck out with the "Thousand-Hand Dragon-Elephant" palm print, attacking the massive white bone skeleton.
The power of the Dragon-Elephant Prajna Palm was inherently supremely Yang and firm, and with the aid of the Black Tortoise Sacred Blood, Zhang Ruochen seemed to possess inexhaustible strength.
The beautiful female Ghost King, on the other hand, was different. Eroded by the Yang energy, the ghostly Qi on her body was continuously diminishing.
Zhang Ruochen grew wilder with each battle, unleashing the abundant power within him in an endless torrent, furiously attacking the white bone skeleton and the beautiful female Ghost King.
No one knew how many palm strikes he had unleashed, but finally, with a thunderous crash, the white bone skeleton collapsed to the ground, dissolving into wisps of ghostly mist that dissipated into the air.
Seeing Zhang Ruochen's ferocious and relentless assault, the beautiful female Ghost King felt as if he were a completely different person from before.
At first, he had given her the impression of being gentle and refined, with a scholarly demeanor. But now, a domineering aura erupted from him, causing even her to feel a hint of fear.
A dignified Ghost King, actually feeling fear toward a Fish-Dragon Realm human?
"Thousand-Hand Dragon-Elephant."
Zhang Ruochen stepped on a cloud of fire beneath his feet, soaring into the air, and struck out with both palms simultaneously toward the beautiful female Ghost King. Though it appeared to be just two palms, countless palm prints manifested.
The beautiful female Ghost King let out a cold snort. A snow-white, slender jade hand gathered powerful ghostly Qi and struck forward.
"Boom!"
Once again, the man and the ghost clashed head-on.
This time, both Zhang Ruochen and the beautiful female Ghost King were sent flying backward.
The beautiful female Ghost King landed above the Blood Lake, taking six steps on the water's surface, sending ripples spreading in all directions, before completely neutralizing the power of Zhang Ruochen's palm strike.
"How is this possible?"
The beautiful female Ghost King raised her hands and saw that her two flawless jade hands were emitting tiny crimson fire sparks.
A burning pain came from her palms. A power from the Yang world was burning her ghostly body. Never before had she encountered such a force—it was truly the bane of undead spirits.
Even the Buddhist Qi unleashed by that monk earlier had not suppressed her so strongly.
"He was right. It's not that his power has grown stronger, but that mine has grown weaker. What a detestable fellow. Why did I have to encounter him while I was severely wounded?"
The beautiful female Ghost King possessed extremely high intelligence, unlike other undead spirits that were muddled and confused.
Thus, she now deeply regretted not having avoided this young human from the start, knowing he would be such a troublesome opponent.
Zhang Ruochen's gaze was fierce and sharp, carrying an aura of "I will not return until the enemy is defeated." He stepped on the water's surface, lunging forward with his upper body, and attacked the beautiful female Ghost King once more.
"Thousand-Hand Dragon-Elephant."
"Thousand-Hand Dragon-Elephant."
...
Zhang Ruochen repeatedly unleashed the eighth palm, comprehending its mysteries while also using battle to quickly harmonize the palm technique's power with his body.
At first, the beautiful female Ghost King still held the upper hand, but after hundreds of exchanges, she finally began to falter. She immediately executed a movement technique, lightly tapping the water's surface with her toes, and drifted away into the distance.
Her movement speed was naturally extremely fast, like a bolt of white lightning, as she rushed to the small island at the center of the Blood Lake.
"Where do you think you're going?"
Zhang Ruochen let out a roar, spreading his arms like an eagle, and descended from mid-air, once again striking out with the Dragon-Elephant Prajna Palm aimed at the beautiful female Ghost King's back.
Hearing this, the beautiful female Ghost King found it grating. A dignified Ghost King, needing to flee from him?
"Detestable human."
She turned around and glared coldly at Zhang Ruochen. "Since you insist on seeking death, I will grant your wish."
The beautiful female Ghost King stood straight at the edge of the small island, her graceful figure exceptionally beautiful, like a finely crafted work of art. Especially at her chest, it was incredibly full, forming a striking silhouette.
Her two slender jade hands pressed together, placed at her chest.
"Whoosh—"
On her pale white forehead, a crescent-shaped blood-red mark appeared. Around the mark were some strange patterns, like a talisman.
"The patterns on her forehead are somewhat similar to those on the Sun-Moon Crystal Coffin. Could she be connected to the Sun-Moon Crystal Coffin?"
Zhang Ruochen was slightly surprised by the strange change in the beautiful female Ghost King.
Suddenly, the blood-red moon above the Blood Lake emitted a bright moonlight, condensing into a pillar of light that connected with the crescent mark on the beautiful female Ghost King's forehead.
The beautiful female Ghost King pointed a finger, striking toward Zhang Ruochen's palm.
With the aid of the blood moon's light, the power she unleashed was twice as strong as before.
With double the power, she could severely wound Zhang Ruochen in an instant, turning the tide of battle.
"Human brat, opposing me is nothing but overestimating yourself." The beautiful female Ghost King's face remained cold, but a faint, surprising smile appeared on her icy visage.
A female ghost, yet she could smile so beautifully.
"Is that so?"
Suddenly, Zhang Ruochen's body erupted with Yang energy ten times stronger than before. His physical form became like a red-hot human-shaped iron ingot, radiating a scorching light as intense as the blazing sun.
The eighth palm of the Dragon-Elephant Prajna Palm, the Thousand-Hand Dragon-Elephant, had finally reached the Great Perfection level.