Chapter 812: Encountering the Evil Monks Again
Immediately, Jialuo Lan's figure appeared on the surface of the blood lake.
Jialuo Lan was also a half-saint ancestor of the Dead Zen Sect, belonging to the same generation as Jialuo Gu and Jialuo Yuan, who had died at Zhang Ruochen's hands. This man appeared to be around fifty years old, somewhat stout, with a golden kasaya hanging open to reveal a round belly, giving him a somewhat Buddha-like appearance.
Beside Jialuo Lan, another figure emerged, also a monk. This man was named Jialuo Kong, appearing slightly younger, short and thin, with dark skin that gave him a sinister and evil feeling.
Both evil monks of the Dead Zen Sect possessed unfathomable cultivation levels. Even Zhang Ruochen could not see through their realms. Since Zhang Ruochen could sense them intruding into his Space Domain, with their cultivation, they could naturally also sense the fluctuations of spatial power. Therefore, it was not difficult for them to guess Zhang Ruochen's identity.
Jialuo Kong's narrow eyes glanced at the Blood Moon Ghost King, revealing a lecherous gleam. He chuckled, "I never thought the Heir of Time and Space, such an outstanding young talent, would have such hobbies. Enjoying a beautiful ghost king on this deserted island is indeed quite thrilling. Haha!"
Zhang Ruochen's gaze turned cold. "Bald donkey, don't talk nonsense. Don't assume everyone is the same as the evil monks of the Dead Zen Sect."
"So this humble monk is talking nonsense? In that case, Benefactor Zhang, could you do me a favor and hand over the Blood Moon Ghost King for me to enjoy? If I can drain her ghostly energy, I will surely break through to a higher realm."
Jialuo Kong licked his lips, a sinister smile on his face, making no effort to hide the evil thoughts in his heart.
The technique Jialuo Kong cultivated was extremely sinister, called the *Yin-Yang Bliss Buddha Art*. Only by constantly copulating with the dead, absorbing the yin energy and corpse energy from their bodies and refining it into his own flesh and blood, could his cultivation continuously improve. To a normal person, this was a disgusting act, but Jialuo Kong reveled in it. Often, when unable to find a suitable female corpse, he would kill a living woman to satisfy his cultivation needs.
The Blood Moon Ghost King's cultivation was extremely high, and her ghost body contained a rich concentration of yin-sha energy. If he drained her dry, Jialuo Kong's cultivation would surely advance by leaps and bounds. Moreover, the Blood Moon Ghost King was exceptionally beautiful. Other female corpses were just cold, dead things, but she was a living existence, which made her even more desirable to Jialuo Kong.
The Blood Moon Ghost King did not understand Jialuo Kong's words, but she understood that he wanted to drain her power. She had always been the one devouring other ghosts and living beings; how could someone dare to devour her?
The Blood Moon Ghost King's gaze fixed on Zhang Ruochen, wanting to know what decision this human youth would make. Would he really hand her over to become food for an evil monk?
In her eyes, Zhang Ruochen's cultivation was too weak, far inferior to the two evil monks. He would surely choose to compromise. If so, she would have to use her last bit of strength to perish together with these three humans. If she was going to die, they would all die together.
Zhang Ruochen flicked a speck of dust from his robe and smiled. "A favor? I don't even know your names. Why should I do you a favor? Besides, I was interrogating the Blood Moon Ghost King when you two sneaked up on me. If I hadn't had my Space Domain and detected you in advance, I would probably be dead by now. And now you talk to me about favors? Do you take me for a three-year-old child, so easily fooled?"
The Blood Moon Ghost King showed a look of surprise, clearly not expecting that, facing two enemies stronger than himself, he could still remain neither servile nor arrogant. It seemed not all human cultivators were cowards.
But what did he mean by "interrogating"? A human youth dared to claim he was interrogating her? This was a great insult to the Blood Cloud Ghost King's pride. Her hatred for Zhang Ruochen deepened.
Jialuo Kong's face showed anger, and he was about to attack, intending to deal with Zhang Ruochen first and then seize the Blood Moon Ghost King.
But Jialuo Lan, standing nearby, stopped him.
Jialuo Lan still wore a smile, showing no sign of anger. "Benefactor Zhang, although I do not know why you did not die under the sword of the Nine Nether Sword Saint, I do know that you are a fugitive of the imperial court and a criminal personally ordered by the Empress to be apprehended. You are in the underworld now, so the experts of the imperial court may not be able to deal with you. But you are destined to be a person who cannot see the light. Once you return to the Kunlun Realm, there will surely be a constant stream of powerful experts trying to capture you, kill you, and take your head to the Empress for a reward."
"The Dead Zen Sect does not fear the imperial court; in fact, it deeply hates it. If I were you, I would cooperate with the Dead Zen Sect, not make an enemy of it. You are a top-tier genius. If you join the Dead Zen Sect, you will surely be valued. Even if the imperial court wants to deal with you, the Dead Zen Sect will shield you. If possible, we can even overthrow the imperial court. Then you won't have to hide anymore and can do whatever you want openly."
Jialuo Lan's words were clearly an attempt to recruit Zhang Ruochen into the Dead Zen Sect. Of course, it was also possible that he was just trying to deceive Zhang Ruochen, waiting for the right moment to kill him without mercy.
Hearing this, Zhang Ruochen just smiled faintly. After a moment of thought, he asked, "You only sensed the power of space for the first time, yet you immediately identified me. That means the Dead Zen Sect must have collected a lot of intelligence about me beforehand, right?"
Jialuo Lan squinted his eyes. "The enemy of the Dead Zen Sect is Empress Chi Yao. Therefore, the enemies of Empress Chi Yao are our friends. In the last hundred years, you are the only criminal personally ordered captured by Empress Chi Yao. How could our sect not pay close attention? In fact, even the Ancestor himself has mentioned your name."
This time, Zhang Ruochen was somewhat surprised. "The Dead Zen Ancestor mentioned my name?"
Jialuo Lan nodded. "The Ancestor once said that in this world today, only when the Heir of Time and Space grows up can he fight against Empress Chi Yao."
It was because of this statement that Jialuo Lan had the idea of recruiting Zhang Ruochen. If he could bring a living Heir of Time and Space before the Ancestor, it would surely be a great merit.
Zhang Ruochen let out a derisive laugh. "The Dead Zen Ancestor thinks highly of me."
"Benefactor Zhang, you are a smart man. You should know how to choose."
Jialuo Lan still wore a smile, but there was a hint of threat in his tone.
Zhang Ruochen glanced at the two evil monks of the Dead Zen Sect, naturally understanding that once he rejected their invitation, they would surely try to kill him. However, Zhang Ruochen would never do anything that violated his principles. "Different paths, no common goals."
Jialuo Kong clenched his fists, his ten fingers cracking. He let out a harsh laugh. "Well said: 'Different paths, no common goals.' Since that's the case, there's no need to waste words. Senior Brother, let's capture him first and take him back to the Ancestor. With the Ancestor's divine powers, he might be able to seize his ability to control time and space."
The two monks of the Dead Zen Sect both dropped their smiles, and two powerful killing intents surged from their bodies.
"Whoosh!"
The lake water beneath their feet began to spin rapidly, forming two giant whirlpools ten zhang in diameter.
Zhang Ruochen remained calm, his gaze sweeping the surroundings. Besides the two evil monks, there were over a hundred half-saint puppets standing in the distance, forming a formation that completely enveloped the small island. Clearly, the two evil monks were worried that Zhang Ruochen might use a sacred decree or spatial power to escape, so they had set up a formation to block all his retreat routes.
Jialuo Lan took out an arm-thick vajra pestle, wrapping it in sacred qi. Slowly, the vajra pestle flew into the air, erupting with an immensely powerful sacred might. Inside the vajra pestle, a total of six hundred and seventy-five inscriptions were engraved, making it a formidable hundred-mark sacred artifact.
"Boom!"
Jialuo Lan activated the vajra pestle to its strongest state. Ancient Buddhist characters flew out, suspended in the air, their radiance illuminating the entire world in gold. Before the vajra pestle even descended, Zhang Ruochen felt an immense pressure, as if his scalp were splitting. Apart from the Meteor Invisibility Cloak, the robes on his body instantly turned to dust.
Third-stage half-saint cultivation.
Zhang Ruochen immediately judged the opponent's realm, matching his initial guess.
"Eight Directions Break!" Jialuo Lan roared.
The vajra pestle transformed into a golden streak of light, flying down from the sky with unstoppable force, striking at Zhang Ruochen on the small island.
Zhang Ruochen did not retreat. He mobilized his powerful sword intent and silently chanted, "Sword One."
The inscriptions within the Abyssal Ancient Sword quickly surfaced, unleashing its strongest power, turning into a pillar of sword qi to meet the vajra pestle.
"Boom!"
The two powerful sacred artifacts collided, generating a powerful wave of energy that spread in all directions. Immediately after, a loud explosion rang out from the small island in the lake, sending up a large cloud of smoke and dust.
Jialuo Lan stood on the lake surface, looking into the distance. The small island in the lake had split in two. Around the island, towering waves surged.
A mocking smile appeared on his ferocious face. The power of that blow was more than enough to kill a hundred Fish-Dragon Realm Ninth Change cultivators. The so-called Heir of Time and Space should have turned to ashes.
Jialuo Lan sighed with some regret. "If he had used spatial power to escape, he might have had a chance to live. But a mere Fish-Dragon Realm cultivator, overestimating his abilities, tried to clash head-on with me. What's the difference between that and an egg hitting a rock? It's a pity I couldn't bring him back to the Ancestor."
Jialuo Kong also felt regretful. Bringing the Heir of Time and Space to the Ancestor would have been a great achievement.
But in the next moment, Jialuo Lan and Jialuo Kong were so shocked their eyes nearly popped out.
"How is this possible?"
As the smoke and dust on the small island cleared, Zhang Ruochen was still standing in his original position, his body straight and upright, as if he had never moved a step.