Chapter 824: Unknown Creature
Last time he fought Feng Han, Zhang Ruochen had exhausted all his strength and used every trump card, yet in the end, he was utterly defeated.
However, Feng Han did not dare to underestimate Zhang Ruochen.
Not to mention that Zhang Ruochen's cultivation had made tremendous progress recently, even the unpredictable power of space and time alone was enough to catch him off guard.
Feng Han still maintained a calm and unhurried expression, sighing, "Junior brother, your senior brother can very well understand your feelings. It's just a pity that hatred has blinded your mind and made you too foolish. Haven't you seen that I have gathered fourteen Half-Saints by my side? How could you possibly contend against me alone?"
"How do you know I came alone?" Zhang Ruochen said calmly.
Feng Han was secretly startled. Could it be that Senior Brother Qingxiao Saint was nearby?
Zhang Ruochen added, "In fact, even if I don't make a move, you are still doomed to die."
Feng Han became even more convinced that Zhang Ruochen was bluffing, and sneered coldly, "Is that so?"
The two seemed to be merely conversing, but they were both trying to undermine the other's confidence, first plunging the opponent into despair so that they could be dealt with more easily.
Zhang Ruochen said, "Whether human or barbarian beast, once they cross the Corpse River, they can never return."
Feng Han laughed loudly, "A Saint from my clan is on the other side of the Corpse River, ready to escort us back at any time."
"It seems you don't understand the Corpse River and the Underworld well enough. Do you know why, throughout history, so many powerful beings crossed the Corpse River and never returned to the Kunlun Realm?" Zhang Ruochen said.
Seeing Zhang Ruochen's gaze, Feng Han's eyelids twitched, and he felt an ominous premonition.
Not only Feng Han, but also the cultivators from various factions hiding in the shadows felt extremely uneasy upon hearing Zhang Ruochen's words.
"Why?" Feng Han said coldly.
Zhang Ruochen shook his head and sighed, "The Corpse River is not a river, but a spatial barrier. Living beings can only enter, but cannot leave. The Underworld is not a Middle Ages ruin, but a completely independent space, long since no longer part of the Kunlun Realm."
"The moment you stepped into the Underworld, it meant that all of you will die here. The only reason you haven't died yet is that the Saint Qi within your bodies hasn't been exhausted."
The veins on Feng Han's face bulged, "Nonsense. If the Corpse River is truly a one-way spatial barrier, then how can the undead of the Underworld cross the Corpse River and enter the Kunlun Realm?"
"Undead have no physical bodies, so they can naturally pass through the spatial barrier," Zhang Ruochen said.
Although he was very reluctant to believe Zhang Ruochen's words, Feng Han still believed them to some extent. Because the Underworld was truly too vast, it couldn't possibly still be within the Fallen God Mountain Range; it must be an independent world.
In the darkness, the other cultivators were also greatly shaken.
If they couldn't return to the Kunlun Realm, once the Sacred Stones and Spirit Crystals on them were exhausted, wouldn't they have to wait for death in the Underworld?
"Even if everything you say is true, and we can't return to the Kunlun Realm, you can't go back either. You'll die here too," Feng Han said. Clearly, he had been significantly affected, and even his aura began to waver.
Zhang Ruochen shook his head, "No, I'm different from you. Don't forget, I am the Heir of Time and Space. Could I not cross a mere spatial barrier?"
"In that case, I'll kill you first."
Feng Han's eyes turned bloodshot. His ten fingers gradually elongated, growing ten sharp silver claws. Crimson blood energy continuously surged from his pores, as if turning into a liquid sea of blood.
On the ground, stones and dust slowly rose, spinning around his body.
Loud explosive sounds rang out in the air.
Then, a giant handprint over ten meters long condensed and struck toward Zhang Ruochen.
Zhang Ruochen naturally did not dare to underestimate Feng Han. Provoking him was only to gain an advantage. His pupils manifested two divine marks.
Under the observation of his Divine Mark Eyes, the Sacred Dao rules within the handprint were all revealed. Soon, Zhang Ruochen found the weakest point of the handprint's power.
"Flying Dragon in the Sky."
The sound of dragon and elephant rang out from within Zhang Ruochen's body. He also struck out a palm, and blazing flames burst forth from his hand, piercing through the handprint.
Feng Han's and Zhang Ruochen's palms collided solidly, producing a deafening sound.
Then, the two quickly separated.
Zhang Ruochen stepped back five times in succession, then kicked off the ground, flying backward and landing steadily on the back of the Swallowing Elephant Rabbit.
Feng Han, however, retreated only three steps before neutralizing Zhang Ruochen's palm force. Looking at his aching palm, he found it incredibly hard to believe, "Your cultivation hasn't even reached the Half-Saint realm, so how can you be this powerful?"
This exchange was a huge blow to Feng Han.
He had always considered himself a top-tier genius, not even taking Saint Bodies seriously. But now, with his peak Second-Step Half-Saint cultivation, he was only slightly better than Zhang Ruochen, who was at the Fish-Dragon realm.
Such a result was absolutely unacceptable to him.
Zhang Ruochen said calmly, "I suggest you save some Saint Qi. Every bit you use will be one bit less."
Feng Han could no longer maintain his composure. He gritted his teeth and prepared to strike at Zhang Ruochen again.
Just then, a cold wind blew from afar.
Endless hordes of ghost soldiers and ghost generals rushed in from the ground and the sky, emitting wailing and howling sounds.
From the ghost soldier ranks, a giant horned beast clad in black armor charged out, pulling a chariot made of white bones, racing toward the direction of the Ghost God Valley.
"Anyone who dares to enter the Ghost God Valley will be killed without mercy."
A loud roar came from within the chariot, shaking the ghostly energy between heaven and earth into constant turmoil.
At that moment, Blood Moon Ghost King's voice reached Zhang Ruochen's ears, "Inside the bone chariot is Seal Seal Ghost King, under the command of Divine Beginning Ghost King, responsible for guarding the Ghost God Valley. Leave this place immediately."
Zhang Ruochen couldn't tell where Blood Moon Ghost King's voice came from; he couldn't see her figure, only heard her voice ringing in his ears.
Feng Han and the Half-Saints of the Undying Blood Clan had already retreated, charging into the Ghost God Valley.
"Chase them," Zhang Ruochen ordered.
The Swallowing Elephant Rabbit let out a roaring sound, spread its legs, mobilized speed rules, and turned into a red streak of light, chasing forward.
Immediately after, groups of ghost soldiers and ghost generals also rushed into the Ghost God Valley, continuing to pursue Zhang Ruochen and the Half-Saints of the Undying Blood Clan.
Of course, some ghost soldiers stayed behind, guarding the entrance to the Ghost God Valley.
Stepping into the Ghost God Valley, Zhang Ruochen immediately felt an invisible gravitational force pressing down on him. Even the Swallowing Elephant Rabbit's running speed slowed down a bit.
The ghost soldiers chasing behind, however, maintained their original speed, seemingly unaffected.
Under such circumstances, Zhang Ruochen had to temporarily abandon his pursuit of Feng Han and ordered the Swallowing Elephant Rabbit to charge into a stone forest on the left.
The stone forest was filled with huge stone pillars, like bamboo shoots sprouting from the ground, thick at the bottom and sharp at the top.
As expected, the ghost soldiers did not chase into the stone forest but charged to the right, continuing to hunt down the Undying Blood Clan members. Soon, sounds of intense battle came from that direction.
"Shua!"
A Half-Saint of the Undying Blood Clan flew into the sky, appearing above the stone forest, fleeing in panic.
At that moment, a blood-red battle axe over a hundred meters long slashed out from a patch of black ghost clouds, directly cutting the Half-Saint in two, spattering a large amount of blood.
Zhang Ruochen and the Swallowing Elephant Rabbit hid in a patch of ghost mist within the stone forest. Seeing that powerful battle axe, they were also quite alarmed.
The Swallowing Elephant Rabbit shrank to the size of a palm and burrowed into Zhang Ruochen's bosom, trembling, "Too terr... rifying. Master Chen, maybe... maybe we should hide in the Cosmic Divine Wood Map?"
"Hiding for a moment won't hide us forever."
Zhang Ruochen let out a long breath and called out, "Blood Moon Ghost King."
He called three times but got no response from Blood Moon Ghost King. Zhang Ruochen couldn't help but smile wryly, thinking to himself, "Blood Moon Ghost King once said that the Ghost God Valley is extremely dangerous, and even a Ghost King might fall here. She probably never came in at all."
She certainly wouldn't do anything too dangerous.
Although Zhang Ruochen had mentally prepared himself to search for the divine corpse alone, not having Blood Moon Ghost King as a major ally undoubtedly increased the difficulty.
Above his head, the blood-red battle axe disappeared back into the ghost clouds.
The two halves of the Undying Blood Clan Half-Saint's corpse fell into the stone forest, not far from Zhang Ruochen. So, Zhang Ruochen went over to search for the Half-Saint's remains, as Half-Saints usually carried many good things.
After a moment, Zhang Ruochen finally found half of the Half-Saint's corpse, but what he saw sent chills down his spine.
The half-corpse was nothing but bones. The flesh and blood had been eaten clean by some creature. Even the bones were gnawed and incomplete, showing tiny bite marks.
A Half-Saint's bones were harder than black iron; ordinary barbarian beasts couldn't possibly bite through them.
"Could it be that some kind of creature lives in the Ghost God Valley?"
A chill rose from Zhang Ruochen's feet. He became alert and immediately looked down at the ground. He saw blood-red earth beneath him, from which countless blood worms, like centipedes, emerged. They had scales and wrapped around his feet, revealing sharp teeth.
What shocked Zhang Ruochen even more was that those blood worms emitted a faint deathly evil aura.
This evil aura was exactly the same as the power on the Calamity Sea Pillar that had killed the Green Fire Mystic Turtle.