Chapter 828: Ice Phoenix Awakens
Zhang Ruochen had been prepared long ago, so he grabbed Mu Lingxi's hand and executed a spatial displacement, escaping from the edge of the space rift and appearing behind Shuntian Half-Saint.
Shuntian Half-Saint did not realize that it was his own power that had shattered the space; he only thought it was a spatial attack technique unleashed by Zhang Ruochen.
"Youngster, do you think spatial attacks can do anything to me?"
Shuntian Half-Saint let out a loud roar as bolts of lightning shot out from his chest, propelling him forward. Using the recoil force, he immediately halted his momentum, kicked off the air, and tried to retreat.
Zhang Ruochen had been scheming against him and naturally would not miss this opportunity to eliminate a formidable enemy. Once he killed him, the remaining Half-Saints of the Undying Blood Clan would no longer be a threat.
The stronger the power Shuntian Half-Saint unleashed, the more severely the surrounding space shattered. In the end, only one gap remained.
Shuntian Half-Saint was also extremely anxious, immediately pushing his movement technique to the limit and charging toward that gap.
"Still trying to escape?"
Zhang Ruochen swung his arm, tearing open a massive rift in space that appeared before Shuntian Half-Saint.
No matter how high Shuntian Half-Saint's cultivation was, he could not react in time. With a splat, his body was severed in two at the waist by the space rift.
The Undying Blood Clan possessed incredibly strong vitality; even if cut in half, they could still revive.
Shuntian Half-Saint's two halves simultaneously flew toward each other as he let out a furious roar: "Youngster, you dare to ambush me?"
"Boom!"
An immensely powerful force erupted from within Shuntian Half-Saint's body, sending Zhang Ruochen, Mu Lingxi, Shi Ren, Hanxue, and even the five Half-Saints of the Undying Blood Clan flying backward.
Mu Lingxi reacted extremely quickly, swiftly flicking her wrist and sending a crystal ball to a position above Shuntian Half-Saint's head.
White threads immediately shot out from the crystal ball, forming a large net that captured Shuntian Half-Saint's two halves.
"Close."
As Mu Lingxi flew backward, she quickly closed her five slender fingers.
The large net completely enveloped Shuntian Half-Saint and rapidly contracted inward.
If Shuntian Half-Saint had been at full strength, he might have been able to resist the threads on the net with his powerful cultivation. But now, his body was severed in two, and all his meridians were broken, making it impossible to circulate his Saint Qi.
"I... refuse... to accept..."
Shuntian Half-Saint gritted his teeth and let out a low growl.
The threads on the net were extremely sharp. As the net shrank smaller and smaller, it completely cut Shuntian Half-Saint's body into bloody fragments. The original net also contracted back into a crystal ball.
Mu Lingxi withdrew her arm, and the crystal ball flew back, hovering above her palm.
Inside the ball was a mass of white light—Shuntian Half-Saint's Half-Saint radiance.
"Heavenly Silkworm Ice Crystal Ball."
Zhang Ruochen recognized the sacred artifact in Mu Lingxi's hand and revealed a faint smile. "You actually obtained this treasure. Quite a stroke of luck."
Mu Lingxi raised an eyebrow and rolled her eyes, saying with some pride, "Are you the only one allowed to have treasures? This Holy Maiden's methods are just the tip of the iceberg."
Regardless, this great enemy had finally fallen, allowing everyone to breathe a sigh of relief.
Everything had happened so fast that even after Shuntian Half-Saint died, the several Half-Saints of the Undying Blood Clan still hadn't reacted.
Even though Shuntian Half-Saint was about to die of old age and his blood energy had severely declined, he was still a Fifth-Rank Half-Saint. How could he have died at the hands of two Fish-Dragon Realm cultivators?
Feng Han remained calm, staring at the cliff edge. The shattered space was slowly recovering, and he could finally see some clues.
He glanced at the other Half-Saints of the Undying Blood Clan and said, "There's something wrong with the spatial structure here. Let's go—we can't fight here."
"Trying to escape? It won't be that easy."
Zhang Ruochen made the first move, pointing his right index finger at Feng Han's position.
With a whoosh, the Abyssal Ancient Sword flew out, emitting a powerful sword aura. It turned into a streak of light and struck toward Feng Han's back.
At the same time, Mu Lingxi once again unleashed the Heavenly Silkworm Ice Crystal Ball, forming a large net that enveloped a First-Rank Half-Saint of the Undying Blood Clan.
Shi Ren waved his sleeve, sending out ten talismans in succession. They arranged themselves in the air, forming ten walls of flame that blocked the Undying Blood Clan's retreat.
The Divine Demon Rat pounced on a Second-Rank Half-Saint of the Undying Blood Clan. Due to its incredible speed, the opponent hadn't reacted before his left arm was bitten off.
Xiao Hei released thirty-six Half-Saint Corpse Soldiers from the space ring, arranging them into a corpse soldier formation that trapped two more Half-Saints of the Undying Blood Clan.
This was a Half-Saint-level group battle, constantly shattering the surrounding space and tearing out dozens of rifts, creating an earth-shattering spectacle.
The battle between Zhang Ruochen and Feng Han was the most intense. Both were going all out, holding nothing back.
Feng Han grew two pairs of silver wings on his back, entering his strongest state. Wielding a hundred-pattern sacred artifact-level war sword, he unleashed dozens of powerful sword techniques in succession.
As a disciple of Xuanji Sword Saint, Feng Han naturally possessed extremely high sword dao talent and was close to mastering Sword Three to perfection.
"Chi!"
A blood-red sword aura slashed across Zhang Ruochen's chest, colliding with the Meteor Invisibility Cloak and sending up sparks of crimson fire.
"Zhang Ruochen, if you want to compete with this prince in swordsmanship, you need a few more years of practice." Feng Han's hair stood on end as he gripped his sword with both hands and slashed down at Zhang Ruochen's head.
The power contained in the sacred sword formed over a dozen powerful sword auras, splitting the space into more than ten rifts as they swept down toward Zhang Ruochen.
Zhang Ruochen remained calm, standing firmly in place as he released his Space Domain.
"Space Freeze."
Facing a strong opponent like Feng Han, Zhang Ruochen had to go all out, holding back no trump cards.
The power of Space Freeze spread rapidly, similar to Time Freeze, causing the sword auras Feng Han had unleashed to slow down slightly.
That was the moment...
Zhang Ruochen executed his movement technique, weaving through the gaps between the sword auras. Channeling his full Saint Qi, he thrust his sword toward Feng Han's brow.
In Feng Han's pupils, the tip of the Abyssal Ancient Sword grew larger and larger.
"Hundred Beasts True Cauldron." Feng Han used his powerful cultivation to shatter the frozen space.
A blood-red light spot appeared at his brow. A small black cauldron flew out from his brow and hovered before him.
The Hundred Beasts True Cauldron was only the size of a fist but was exquisitely crafted, exuding an ancient charm.
Nearly a hundred barbarian beast souls flew out from the cauldron, enveloping his body and also blocking Zhang Ruochen's killing strike.
"Haha! Zhang Ruochen, I admit your spatial attacks are quite strange and mysterious, but your cultivation is still lacking."
Feng Han laughed loudly as he infused Saint Qi into the Hundred Beasts True Cauldron. Raising a palm, he pressed forward. The beast shadows became more solid, as if they had come to life, emitting roars.
Zhang Ruochen's gaze was resolute as he snorted coldly: "Divine Dragon Transformation."
Zhang Ruochen activated the power of the Dragon Pearl, and dragon scales grew on his skin. Then, a blinding golden light surged from within his body, forming a light sphere ten zhang in diameter.
"Roar!"
His body transformed into a golden dragon, flying out from the light sphere. He extended two massive, sharp dragon claws and continuously struck at Feng Han.
"Bang! Bang!"
Each strike caused the Hundred Beasts True Cauldron to tremble, forcing Feng Han to retreat step by step until he reached the edge of the cliff.
Just then, another Half-Saint of the Undying Blood Clan died, falling into a pool of blood.
Hearing the screams not far away, Feng Han felt even more pressure. He looked back at the bottom of the cliff, his expression cold. "Zhang Ruochen's helpers are formidable. Yicheng Half-Saint, Hongyi Half-Saint, and the others can't hold them off. Once they free up to surround me, I won't even be able to escape. Better to take a gamble."
With that thought, Feng Han no longer hesitated. He withdrew the Hundred Beasts True Cauldron, leaped up, and jumped down the cliff.
"Zhang Ruochen, if I survive this time, the next time we meet, this prince will not only cripple you but also take your woman, making you taste the bitterness of pain."
Feng Han's voice came up from below the cliff.
"Whoosh!"
The golden dragon turned into a beam of golden light, landing at the edge of the cliff and condensing into Zhang Ruochen's figure.
Zhang Ruochen glanced down the cliff. "This time, I absolutely cannot let you escape again."
Without any hesitation, Zhang Ruochen also leaped down the cliff, pursuing Feng Han. He was determined to kill this fourth senior brother who had betrayed his master. If he didn't kill him, the anger in his heart would never subside.
"Zhang Ruochen."
Mu Lingxi looked toward the cliff, just in time to see Zhang Ruochen's figure leaping down. Worry filled her starry eyes. She immediately withdrew the Heavenly Silkworm Ice Crystal Ball, turned into a graceful figure, and without any hesitation, chased after him down the cliff.
No one knew how dangerous it was below the cliff.
Leaping down might mean death.
But Zhang Ruochen jumped without hesitation for revenge, and Mu Lingxi jumped without hesitation for the love in her heart. This showed the difference between them—one lived for hatred, the other for love. Those were the things that weighed most heavily in their hearts.
The moment he jumped down the cliff, a tremendous gravitational force pressed down from above, landing on Zhang Ruochen and causing him to lose control of his body, accelerating his fall.
If he fell like this, no matter how strong his body was, he would be smashed into a bloody pulp.
Zhang Ruochen took a deep breath and simultaneously drew the Golden Snake Sacred Sword, the Abyssal Ancient Sword, and the Sky-Soaring Sword. Using the art of sword control, he arranged them in a stepped formation, embedding them into the cliff wall in descending order.
This way, Zhang Ruochen could step on the sword hilts and continue descending the cliff.
Just then, Zhang Ruochen saw a slender white figure falling from above—it was Mu Lingxi.
"Why is she so foolish, chasing after me too..."
Zhang Ruochen sighed softly, his emotions complex.
Mu Lingxi naturally saw Zhang Ruochen on the cliff wall, and joy appeared in her eyes. She reached out her hand toward the hilt of the Abyssal Ancient Sword.
With a clatter, a silver-white chain shot out, wrapping around the hilt of the Abyssal Ancient Sword.
"Go to hell!"
At that moment, Feng Han flew out from a recessed area, swinging his sacred sword to slash at the center of the chain.
"Watch out!"
Zhang Ruochen's expression changed. Ignoring everything else, he kicked off the cliff wall, launching himself outward. From above, he kicked Feng Han in the chest while striking two palm prints onto Feng Han's head.
With a crack, a blood-red fissure appeared on Feng Han's skull.
The next moment, both Zhang Ruochen and Feng Han accelerated, falling toward the bottom of the cliff. Soon, their figures were swallowed by the black ghostly mist.
"Zhang... Ruochen..."
Mu Lingxi hung on the cliff wall, gripping the chain with one hand, and let out a heart-wrenching cry. Despair spread rapidly.
Tears welled up in her eyes, streaming down continuously.
Then, a clear, sharp sound came from her mouth.
Deep within her bloodline, an ancient divine power awakened. The residual divine power in the Ghost God Valley poured endlessly into her brow's Qi Sea.
Her body transformed into an ice phoenix hundreds of meters long, as if an ancient phoenix had come back to life. Spreading a pair of enormous icy wings, she flew down toward the bottom of the cliff.
(Updated early today. Please vote for recommendation tickets.)