Chapter 815: Ghost King Formation
The water in the blood lake was bone-chillingly cold, emitting a fishy smell identical to blood.
The deeper one dove, the darker the water became, eventually turning completely dark red. The water temperature also dropped to an extreme. An ordinary Fish-Dragon Realm cultivator would likely freeze to death if they sank to the bottom.
Zhang Ruochen had been calculating the diving depth. When they reached over a thousand meters deep, Blood Moon Ghost King finally stopped. Then, she rushed toward a black stone wall at the bottom of the lake and struck it with her palm.
"Hua!"
On the stone wall, streaks of scarlet light emerged, outlining strange patterns that connected to form a massive formation diagram forty zhang in diameter.
At the center of the formation, a two-meter-wide crack split open to the left and right, creating a deep passage. From a distance, it looked like the eye of a demon.
Blood Moon Ghost King paused briefly, glanced back at Zhang Ruochen and Xiao Hei, then turned into a blur and charged into the passage.
"Something's not right. That's a Ghost King Formation. If we barge in, we might fall into her trap," Xiao Hei said.
"Other than following her in, we have no choice."
Without any hesitation, Zhang Ruochen immediately rushed into the deep passage, closely pursuing Blood Moon Ghost King.
Xiao Hei naturally knew this was their only chance to survive. Even knowing that entering the Ghost King Formation would bring unpredictable danger, they had to follow.
"Boom rumble!"
The power of the Ten Thousand Treasures Kasaya transmitted from the lake surface all the way to the bottom over a thousand meters deep, forming layers of golden energy waves that surged downward, unleashing earth-shattering force.
In an instant, all the undead in the lake were obliterated, their souls scattering.
The small island in the lake also completely sank, breaking into massive boulders that fell to the bottom.
Zhang Ruochen and Xiao Hei had already entered the passage, thus escaping that calamity. However, they were now trapped in the Ghost King Formation, stepping into another desperate situation.
As soon as they entered the passage, everything around them changed dramatically, as if they had barged into a dark, empty world.
In the darkness, seventy-two enormous tombstones stood like seventy-two mountains, arranged in three circles, trapping Zhang Ruochen and Xiao Hei inside the formation.
Using his powerful spiritual power, Zhang Ruochen identified a weak point in the Ghost King Formation. He swung the Abyssal Ancient Sword and slashed at it.
"Bang!"
A mass of ghost mist condensed, blocking the Abyssal Ancient Sword.
Ripples appeared in the ghost mist, contracting inward, generating a powerful counterforce that sent Zhang Ruochen flying back.
Having anticipated this, Zhang Ruochen retreated over ten meters before neutralizing the force.
Zhang Ruochen sheathed the Abyssal Ancient Sword and stood at the center of the formation. "The Ghost King Formation is indeed formidable. Even its weakest point is beyond my ability to break."
From above the formation, Blood Moon Ghost King's voice rang out, "Having such self-awareness shows you're somewhat intelligent. Even if your cultivation were ten times stronger, you couldn't break the Ghost King Formation."
Zhang Ruochen looked around, seeing only boundless darkness, unable to locate Blood Moon Ghost King's figure.
After a moment, Blood Moon Ghost King's voice sounded again, "Human boy, you didn't expect to fall into my hands, did you? Earlier, you dared to defile me. Now, I will make you pay a painful price."
Xiao Hei glanced at Zhang Ruochen, his eyes rolling slyly. He whispered, "Zhang Ruochen, you defiled her? I never pegged you for that kind of person. Hehe!"
"What nonsense are you talking about?"
Zhang Ruochen glared at Xiao Hei, then looked up into the darkness. "Blood Moon Ghost King, I may not be able to break the Ghost King Formation, but Heart Technique Buddha Master can certainly shatter it. You're severely injured now. Even controlling the Ghost King Formation, you can't stop him."
"Whether I can stop him or not is none of your concern," Blood Moon Ghost King said.
Zhang Ruochen said, "Why be so stubborn? We could join forces to control the Ghost King Formation together. After repelling the enemy, we can settle our grievances then."
"You're clever, boy, but I won't fall for your trick. Once I use the Ghost King Formation to repel... him..."
Before Blood Moon Ghost King could finish, the Ghost King Formation shook violently.
At the edge of the formation, a deafening roar sounded, followed by the noise of a large section collapsing.
Clearly, Heart Technique Buddha Master had also reached the lake bottom and was attacking the Ghost King Formation.
"Damn it."
Blood Moon Ghost King had no energy to deal with Zhang Ruochen anymore. She focused entirely on controlling the Ghost King Formation, battling Heart Technique Buddha Master outside.
Xiao Hei said, "Heart Technique Buddha Master has the Ten Thousand Treasures Kasaya. That beautiful ghost king is seriously injured. She won't hold out long. Once the Ghost King Formation is breached, none of us will escape."
Zhang Ruochen shook his head slightly and sighed, "It's a pity Blood Moon Ghost King won't cooperate with us. Otherwise, we might have had a chance to fight Heart Technique Buddha Master."
If absolutely necessary, Zhang Ruochen could open the third seal of the Sarira, releasing its third layer of power. His strength was already comparable to a Half-Saint, enough to break the seal.
Of course, unless it was absolutely unavoidable, Zhang Ruochen didn't want to use that power.
Once used, he would lose a life-saving trump card.
"Boom!"
Using the Ten Thousand Treasures Kasaya, Heart Technique Buddha Master's attack power was terrifying. In just a quarter of an hour, he shattered a corner of the Ghost King Formation.
Blood Moon Ghost King could no longer remain calm. She emerged from the darkness, stopping about ten zhang from Zhang Ruochen. "Human boy, I can temporarily cooperate with you to jointly control the Ghost King Formation."
Zhang Ruochen glanced at Blood Moon Ghost King. Such a stunning beauty standing before him was indeed a pleasing sight.
Unfortunately, Zhang Ruochen's Heavenly Eye could see that hundreds of formation inscriptions separated him and Blood Moon Ghost King.
Though only ten zhang apart, it was an insurmountable chasm.
If Zhang Ruochen dared to harm Blood Moon Ghost King, she could move a finger to activate the formation's power and kill him. The Ghost King Formation's power was not to be underestimated.
"Too late."
Zhang Ruochen shook his head calmly. "The Ghost King Formation has already been breached at one corner. It's no longer complete. Even if we control the formation together, we can't stop Heart Technique Buddha Master. At best, we can only delay his breakthrough."
Blood Moon Ghost King's eyes turned cold. She stepped forward. "In that case, why should I keep you alive? I'll kill you now, seize your soul, and recover my injuries. Once healed, I'll fight him to the death."
With that, Blood Moon Ghost King raised her hands, mobilizing the formation's power, preparing to attack Zhang Ruochen.
Zhang Ruochen remained exceptionally calm. "He has the Ten Thousand Treasures Kasaya. Even if you fully recover, you'll only lose to him again. And you'll never escape his grasp. Cooperate with me, and we might both have a chance to survive."
Blood Moon Ghost King was well aware that, even with her injuries healed, she was no match for Heart Technique Buddha Master.
That was why, upon hearing Zhang Ruochen's words, she didn't act immediately. "A chance to survive?"
Zhang Ruochen took out a mass of Half-Saint Light, wrapped it in Saint Qi, and tossed it to Blood Moon Ghost King.
Blood Moon Ghost King caught the Half-Saint Light, holding it in her palm. She could clearly feel a powerful Saint Soul energy emanating from the white radiance.
"If I refine this, my injuries can recover by at least seventy percent." Blood Moon Ghost King glanced at Zhang Ruochen. "You do have some sincerity."
Zhang Ruochen said, "Honestly, in terms of pure cultivation, you and Heart Technique Buddha Master are evenly matched. But he has the Ten Thousand Treasures Kasaya, which is why you lost."
"Naturally," Blood Moon Ghost King said, holding the Half-Saint Light with both hands, mobilizing her ghostly Qi to begin refining the Saint Soul within.
"What if I could lend you a battle artifact even more powerful than the Ten Thousand Treasures Kasaya?" Zhang Ruochen said casually.
Blood Moon Ghost King's eyes narrowed. "Are you serious?"
The Ten Thousand Treasures Kasaya was the most powerful Sacred Artifact Blood Moon Ghost King had ever seen—indestructible and unstoppable. The six ghost artifacts she had painstakingly refined were all shattered by it.
It was hard to believe there was a battle artifact more powerful than the Ten Thousand Treasures Kasaya.
Zhang Ruochen smiled. "What about Qiangu Nüdi's Void Sword?"
"The Void Sword is indeed with you."
Hearing the words "Void Sword," Blood Moon Ghost King's expression brightened, and she even revealed a smile. "With the Void Sword, I can naturally kill that human outside."
In truth, Blood Moon Ghost King had half a sentence left unsaid: "After dealing with him, I'll slowly deal with you."
In Blood Moon Ghost King's view, once her injuries healed, dealing with Zhang Ruochen would be as easy as crushing an ant. So, before repelling Heart Technique Buddha Master, she wasn't in a hurry to settle with Zhang Ruochen.
Xiao Hei glanced at Zhang Ruochen and transmitted his voice, "You're not really going to lend her the Void Sword, are you? What if she turns on you after repelling Heart Technique Buddha Master? Zhang Ruochen, you have to be wary of her."
"After repelling Heart Technique Buddha Master, the next person she'll target is definitely me."
Zhang Ruochen stared at Blood Moon Ghost King, who was refining the Half-Saint Light, his eyes deep. "But if she wants to deal with me, don't I also want to deal with her? It all depends on whether this gamble succeeds."
Xiao Hei shivered slightly, thinking that perhaps Zhang Ruochen lending her the Void Sword was also part of a plan to deal with her.
Then, Zhang Ruochen leaned close to Xiao Hei's ear and whispered a few words in an even softer voice.
Hearing Zhang Ruochen's words, Xiao Hei chuckled. "We need to plan carefully, or she won't take the bait."
"Mm," Zhang Ruochen said.
If the Void Sword's artifact spirit hadn't awakened, Zhang Ruochen would never have lent it to Blood Moon Ghost King under any circumstances.
But now, Han Xue had fully mastered the Void Sword and could recall it at any time, so Zhang Ruochen wasn't afraid of Blood Moon Ghost King taking it.
Both Blood Moon Ghost King and Heart Technique Buddha Master were experts Zhang Ruochen couldn't contend with. Before them, he had no power to resist.
Only by using one force against another could he hope to survive in the cracks and even gain some benefits.
Of course, this process also involved enormous risks. One wrong move, and he would be the first to die.