# Chapter 861: Three-Way Struggle
Zhao Shengyu, as the Northern Wolf King, naturally possessed formidable cultivation, ranking among the top five in the entire Qingli Commandery.
The moment his gaze fell upon Zhang Ruochen, it formed a powerful oppressive force, directly locking Zhang Ruochen's figure in place, rendering him unable to move.
The surrounding scenery completely vanished.
In its place, walls of wind rose on all four sides, enclosing Zhang Ruochen at the center. At the same time, Zhao Shengyu's figure grew increasingly massive, like an invincible war god standing above Zhang Ruochen.
"This king has already discovered you. Where do you think you can flee?"
Zhao Shengyu's voice was like a thunderclap, shaking even the heaven and earth spiritual energy, scattering it in all directions.
Zhang Ruochen's gaze fixed on the Octagonal Sacred Eye in Zhao Shengyu's hand, a puzzled expression appearing on his face.
Just what kind of powerful treasure had the Ministry of War refined? Not only could Wan Ji find him, but even Zhao Shengyu could lock onto him from among hundreds of Liangyi Sect disciples.
In the future, he would have to be more cautious.
Of course, even at this moment, there was not a trace of fear on Zhang Ruochen's face.
Yuanlong Half-Saint also looked toward Zhang Ruochen. When he discovered that this outer sect disciple could remain calm and composed under the gaze of a Half-Saint, his heart skipped a beat.
Could Zhang Ruochen really be hiding among the Liangyi Sect disciples? After all, the other outer sect disciples and inner sect disciples had all fallen to their knees in droves. Even several powerful Saint-Transmitted Disciples were struggling considerably.
It was precisely because of this that the outer sect disciple standing among the crowd stood out like a crane among chickens, giving off an extremely extraordinary impression.
It wasn't just Yuanlong Half-Saint and Zhao Shengyu. In the Taiyin Ancient City, many cultivators' eyes were also fixed on Zhang Ruochen.
Under the watchful eyes of the crowd, Zhang Ruochen merely smiled faintly.
Immediately, the sound of a sword's cry rang out.
The Abyssal Ancient Sword flew out, hovering above his palm. He raised his hand and slashed downward with force.
With a thunderous roar.
The four walls of wind formed by Zhao Shengyu's gaze shattered instantly, transforming into a vast surge of energy that dissipated into nothingness.
The next moment, Zhang Ruochen soared into the air, hovering in midair, standing on equal footing with Yuanlong Half-Saint. His gaze was exceptionally sharp as he stared at Zhao Shengyu and said, "Northern Wolf King, you must also be a member of the Wan family's faction, correct?"
Zhao Shengyu breathed a slight sigh of relief and laughed, "Zhang Ruochen, why don't you continue pretending to be a Liangyi Sect disciple? You should know that as long as you keep up the disguise, Yuanlong Half-Saint will certainly continue to protect you."
Zhao Shengyu's backing in the Ministry of War was indeed the Wan family.
Moreover, Zhao Shengyu had once served as a general in Wan Zhaoyi's military camp, practically one of Wan Zhaoyi's direct subordinates. When Wan Zhaoyi sent him a message to capture Zhang Ruochen, Zhao Shengyu naturally accepted without hesitation.
At the same time, this was also an opportunity to earn merit. If he completed the task successfully, he would not only gain face before the Empress but also receive Wan Zhaoyi's attention.
If Wan Zhaoyi were to reward him with a Sacred Pill, his cultivation would surely advance further, opening up greater prospects for the future.
Without any further explanation needed, everyone understood that the young man before them was undoubtedly the Heir of Time and Space, Zhang Ruochen.
The Liangyi Sect disciples were the most shaken. None of them had expected that a legendary figure of the younger generation had been right beside them all along.
As for Yuanlong Half-Saint, he was so furious that smoke seemed to pour from his seven orifices, his heart filled with frustration.
He could already imagine that if today's events spread, he would surely be mocked again by those old fellows in the Liangyi Sect. However, Yuanlong Half-Saint simply couldn't figure out how Zhang Ruochen had managed to infiltrate the ranks of the Liangyi Sect disciples.
Zhang Ruochen smiled and said, "I never disguised myself as a Liangyi Sect disciple. I merely used the Liangyi Sect's wormhole to reach the Central Domain, nothing more."
Zhao Shengyu's lips curled into a smirk. "So you're saying you have a cooperative relationship with the Liangyi Sect?"
"Nonsense! How could the Liangyi Sect possibly cooperate with that brat?"
Yuanlong Half-Saint roared, so agitated he was about to jump up and down.
If Zhang Ruochen insisted that he had a cooperative relationship with the Liangyi Sect, the imperial court might not do much to the Liangyi Sect, but the first person to suffer would undoubtedly be Yuanlong Half-Saint. It was for this reason that Yuanlong Half-Saint was so frantic.
Just then, Yuanlong Half-Saint heard Zhang Ruochen's voice transmission: "Help me escape this place. If I'm captured by the Ministry of War, I'll definitely implicate you."
"You dare threaten me?"
Yuanlong Half-Saint's eyes bulged wide, his fists clenched tightly. He wanted nothing more than to charge forward and deal with Zhang Ruochen himself.
But he held back.
Because if Zhang Ruochen truly insisted they were in a cooperative relationship, even with a hundred mouths, he wouldn't be able to explain himself.
Furthermore, Yuanlong Half-Saint had already severely wounded the Four Vajras earlier, openly opposing the Ministry of War. If Zhang Ruochen wasn't captured and the Ministry of War had no concrete evidence, they couldn't do much to him.
However, once Zhang Ruochen was captured, Yuanlong Half-Saint's guilt would be confirmed.
Yuanlong Half-Saint's temper was indeed explosive, but he wasn't stupid. He knew very well what course of action would benefit him.
He restrained himself again and again, ultimately having no choice but to compromise.
Thus, Yuanlong Half-Saint's emotions gradually calmed, yet he spoke in an extremely forceful tone: "Taiyin Ancient City is the territory of the Liangyi Sect. If any Half-Saint-level figure dares to engage in combat within the city, don't blame me for being rude."
"Yuanlong Half-Saint, what do you mean by this?" Zhao Shengyu demanded.
Yuanlong Half-Saint glared at him and said, "If the Ministry of War wants to arrest someone, go do it outside the city. If you and Zhang Ruochen exchange even a few moves within the city, tens of thousands of cultivators could die as innocent victims. The Liangyi Sect will never allow such a tragedy to occur in Taiyin Ancient City."
Zhao Shengyu snorted coldly. "This lord doesn't need several moves. One strike will be enough to take him down."
With that, Zhao Shengyu began gathering Saint Qi. His powerful Half-Saint domain rapidly expanded, enveloping Zhang Ruochen. In his view, since Zhang Ruochen hadn't cultivated a Sacred Soul, no matter how strong he was, how powerful could he be?
"War God Art."
Zhao Shengyu spread his arms wide, and a seventeen-zhang-tall War God phantom materialized behind him.
This was one of the Ministry of War's seventy-two ultimate techniques, extremely formidable, considered the most powerful attack method below the level of Sacred Arts.
The massive War God phantom moved in sync with Zhao Shengyu's body, its fists clasped together as it struck downward with tremendous force, aimed at Zhang Ruochen.
Zhao Shengyu's cultivation had reached the peak of the Fifth-Rank Half-Saint realm. With this ultimate technique, the power he unleashed was far beyond what Zhang Ruochen could withstand.
Zhang Ruochen immediately infused Saint Qi into his feet.
The divine imprint on the soles of his feet emerged, transforming into two flames that wrapped around his legs. He activated the Luanfeng Divine Imprint Speed, retreating in an instant to evade Zhao Shengyu's attack.
"Boom."
The massive fist shadow struck the ground, shattering the formation at the center of the plaza. The entire earth caved in, covered in dense cracks.
A series of crashing sounds followed as the buildings surrounding the plaza collapsed into ruins.
Even though Yuanlong Half-Saint had used Saint Qi to protect the Liangyi Sect disciples, many cultivators were still severely injured. More than a dozen young martial artists were too slow to retreat and died beneath Zhao Shengyu's fist.
"Such speed." Zhao Shengyu was secretly startled.
His earlier strike could have severely wounded even a Third-Rank Half-Saint. Yet Zhang Ruochen's speed was astonishingly fast, exceeding his expectations, allowing him to escape.
Zhao Shengyu wanted to launch a second attack, but Yuanlong Half-Saint acted first, releasing his Sacred Soul domain to confront him.
"Northern Wolf King, do you truly intend to destroy Taiyin Ancient City?" Yuanlong Half-Saint said in a deep voice.
If it were any other city, Zhao Shengyu wouldn't hesitate to destroy it to capture Zhang Ruochen.
But Taiyin Ancient City was different. As the Liangyi Sect's connection point to the Central Domain, its importance was no less than that of Qingli Commandery's capital.
Although Zhao Shengyu was a prince of the Ministry of War, he didn't dare offend the Liangyi Sect too severely.
"Where is Zhang Ruochen?"
Just now, while Zhao Shengyu was locked in a standoff with Yuanlong Half-Saint, he had been slightly distracted. When he looked for Zhang Ruochen again, he found that Zhang Ruochen had vanished without a trace.
Zhao Shengyu quickly retrieved the Octagonal Sacred Eye, holding it above both hands to probe for Zhang Ruochen's whereabouts. He discovered that Zhang Ruochen had already fled Taiyin Ancient City and was speeding toward the Wolf Plains.
"His escape speed is quite impressive."
Zhao Shengyu shot a cold glare at Yuanlong Half-Saint. If not for this old man's interference, how could Zhang Ruochen have escaped so easily?
"Yuanlong Half-Saint, you deliberately let Zhang Ruochen go. The Ministry of War will settle this debt with you slowly."
With that, Zhao Shengyu mounted his golden giant wolf, charged out of Taiyin Ancient City, and entered the Wolf Plains to pursue Zhang Ruochen.
(One chapter posted first. Two more chapters tonight.) (To be continued.)