Chapter 877: The Peerless Empress
Zhang Ruochen descended rapidly, like a meteorite crashing into the earth, colliding violently with the ground, causing dust and mud to roll outward continuously.
The previous series of battles had already left Zhang Ruochen severely injured, especially the hand seal struck by the Empress's projection, which had nearly shattered his Qi Sea.
"Shua!"
Just as everyone was still stunned and hadn't reacted yet.
Zhang Ruochen suppressed the pain in his body, forcibly held back his injuries, and executed a Spatial Displacement. His figure flickered as he rushed to Yin Diao Wang's side and swung his sword to behead him.
Having reached the Half-Saint realm, Zhang Ruochen could control space more easily and freely. In an extremely short time, he could gather enough spatial power to perform Spatial Displacement.
Compared to before, it was at least halved in time.
Precisely because of this, when Zhang Ruochen appeared beside Yin Diao Wang, the latter only sensed a fluctuation in spatial power beside him but had no time to defend himself before feeling a chill at his neck.
"Pu chi."
The sword light flashed, and Yin Diao Wang's head flew up, a full zhang-high spurt of blood shooting from his neck.
The vast blood energy within the Half-Saint's body condensed into a blood cloud, suspended in the surrounding space.
"Despicable Zhang Ruochen, he still dares to strike!"
The death of Yin Diao Wang naturally startled Feng Qin, Zhuang Xuan Kong, and Jian Kong Zi. Fearing they might be attacked by Zhang Ruochen, they immediately adopted countermeasures.
"Hua—"
Feng Qin harnessed the Wind Dao rules, quickly leaping backward to land on the back of the giant black scorpion. He fully released his Saint Soul Domain, enveloping his body.
Feng Qin's title as Giant Scorpion King was closely related to the giant black scorpion he had tamed.
That giant black scorpion was a sixth-rank mid-level Barbarian Beast, and its combat power was not inferior to Feng Qin at his peak.
With Feng Qin and the giant black scorpion joining forces, they could fight for over a dozen rounds even against a seventh-step Half-Saint.
Zhuang Xuan Sheng, on the other hand, immediately shifted sideways, landing three zhang to the left of Jian Kong Zi, forming a pincer position with him.
If Zhang Ruochen tried to ambush him, he would surely die under Jian Kong Zi's sword.
Having broken through to the Half-Saint realm, the Purifying Divine Flame on Zhang Ruochen's body was rapidly dissipating. The immense power he had possessed was also receding like a tide, making it even harder to suppress his injuries.
"Today, let it end here. I hope there won't be a next time."
Zhang Ruochen executed Spatial Displacement, landing on Xiao Hei's back. Then, he took out the Sacred Edict and continuously infused his Saint Qi into it.
"Chi chi!"
The sacred power within the Sacred Edict surged out, forming a massive light sphere that enveloped him and Xiao Hei. Then, it erupted with Saint-level speed, shooting toward the sky.
In truth, Zhang Ruochen had taken a huge risk by enduring his injuries to kill Yin Diao Wang. This assassination had intimidated Jian Kong Zi, Feng Qin, and Zhuang Xuan Kong, forcing them to retreat and defend.
Because of this, when Zhang Ruochen used the Sacred Edict, they had no time to stop him and could only watch helplessly as he escaped.
"Xiu!"
Jian Kong Zi launched his flying sword, turning it into a streak of light that shot toward the direction Zhang Ruochen had fled.
Unfortunately, the speed unleashed by the Sacred Edict was too fast. Even though Jian Kong Zi had thrown his flying sword, he couldn't injure them.
"Damn it. Once Zhang Ruochen recovers from his injuries, I'm afraid even if all ten top experts gather, they won't be able to do anything to him," Jian Kong Zi said with great worry.
After tonight's battle, even someone of Jian Kong Zi's cultivation and status felt a chill of fear.
Feng Qin looked at the corpses of Yin Diao Wang and Jin Dao Wang, shaking his head. "The ten top experts are now only eight."
Jian Kong Zi gritted his teeth, feeling deeply humiliated.
Zhang Ruochen had managed to kill four Ministry of War Kings right in front of him. Each of them was a major figure who could shake an entire region.
"Feng Qin, Zhuang Xuan Kong, report this situation to His Majesty immediately. I will pursue Zhang Ruochen. No matter what, I must eliminate him before his injuries heal."
With that, Jian Kong Zi took out a scroll of Sacred Edict, activated the sacred power within it, and shot into the night sky.
Only then did the cultivators hiding in the shadows calm their shock and let out a long breath.
"Zhang Ruochen has already broken through to the Half-Saint realm. If he can escape Jian Kong Zi's pursuit and recover from his injuries, he will surely become a headache for the imperial court."
"Exactly. His speed is too fast, and he can control both power and space. He's even harder to deal with than the figures on the Half-Saint Ranking."
Of course, some sneered dismissively. "Zhang Ruochen is far too arrogant. Not only did he destroy the Empress's projection, but he even claimed he would charge into the Imperial Palace to behead the Empress's true body. Just wait. If he can survive for a month, I, Wang Ru, will write my surname backward."
The battle that night had far-reaching consequences. Countless Message Light Talismans flew in all directions, spreading the news to major powers in the Central Domain.
Moreover, the news was spreading rapidly. It could be imagined that by morning, Zhang Ruochen would once again shake the world.
Whether it was the Five Elements Chaos Body, the Fish-Dragon Tenth Transformation, or his sword strike that destroyed the Empress's projection, all of it would surely make the cultivators of the Central Domain realize just what kind of person the Heir of Time and Space truly was.
...
...
The most prosperous and flourishing place in the Kunlun Realm was undoubtedly the Central Imperial City, which eight hundred years ago had also been the capital of the Qingchi Central Empire.
After the Qingchi Central Empire destroyed the Shengming Central Empire, it launched campaigns east and west, successively attacking the Demon Sect, the Black Market, the Buddhist Path, the Taiji Path... and eventually sweeping across the six directions, unifying the world.
Until five hundred years ago, when Emperor Qing abdicated and Empress Chi Yao ascended the throne, the former capital of the Qingchi Central Empire became the capital of the entire Kunlun Realm, known as the "Central Imperial City."
Over the past five hundred years, the scale of the Central Imperial City had expanded again and again, and its city walls had been built layer upon layer.
Only the Ziwei Palace at the city's center still stood tall in the clouds, one layer stacked upon another. The highest layer floated within the sea of clouds—splendid and magnificent, with golden pillars entwined with dragons, row upon row, stretching five hundred li. It was like a celestial palace in the Nine Heavens, which ordinary cultivators could only gaze up at from the ground, unable to approach.
"Ziwei" represents the master of the stars, the master of the Sacred Path, and the master of governance.
At the top of the sea of clouds was a deep blue Heavenly Pool, thirty li wide and nineteen zhang deep. All the fish in the pool were aquatic Sacred Beasts, and all the flowers and plants planted by the pool were rare ten-thousand-year Sacred Medicines.
The water in the Heavenly Pool was the Primordial Cold Spring that the Empress had fetched from the bottom of the Underworld Sea.
It was said that all the water in the Kunlun Realm flowed from the bottom of the Underworld Sea before spreading to the oceans, inland areas, rivers, and lakes. Therefore, the water flowing from the spring at the bottom of the Underworld Sea was also called the Primordial Cold Spring.
A single drop of Primordial Cold Spring could be broken down into tens of millions of drops of natural water. Only Sacred Beasts could survive in the Primordial Cold Spring.
At the center of the Heavenly Pool was an oasis, and at the center of the oasis stood the majestic and resplendent Yuanchu Sacred Hall, the residence of Empress Chi Yao.
It was a full moon night. A massive, exceptionally bright moon hung as if right above the Yuanchu Sacred Hall, casting a misty glow over the surface of the Heavenly Pool. Some ancient relics surfaced, flew into the clouds, swallowed the moonlight, and cultivated ancient and extraordinary techniques.
Empress Chi Yao sat by the pool, beneath a ten-thousand-year-old ancient tree. Beneath her feet were patches of blood-red leaves, forming a stark contrast with the white sacred stone slabs.
Under the moonlight, she wore a silk and gold robe, surrounded by divine light, like a Lingbo Immortal sitting above the Nine Heavens, or a peerless Divine King ruling over the world.
Eight hundred years had left no trace on her face, as if time itself could not affect her. Her skin was as white as congealed fat, her eyes bright, her red lips crystalline. Even a single finger was jade-clear and ice-pure, a masterpiece of nature.
Behind the Empress, the four Mysterious Maidens were also slender as crescent moons, their temperaments and beauty enough to topple kingdoms. Yet, compared to the Empress, they seemed slightly inferior.
Just then, the Empress, who had been as calm as still water, suddenly sensed something. Her breathtakingly beautiful eyes glanced toward a direction billions of miles away.
Even a slight glance caused a massive impact. The entire Central Imperial City, spanning ten thousand li, had all cultivators above the Half-Saint realm feel a terrifying Imperial Might pressing down from above their heads.
Countless people trembled in fear, not knowing what had happened.
A moment later, the Empress withdrew her gaze.
Her voice, like a divine sound from beyond the heavens, said calmly, "Danqing, how much longer until the nine Realm Sons emerge from seclusion?"
"Danqing" referred to one of the four Mysterious Maidens behind the Empress—Shengshu Cainü, Nalan Danqing.
Shengshu Cainü wore a moon-white Confucian robe, her hair tied in a bun. Her demeanor was elegant, her eyes bright, and her teeth white, like a pearl under the moon or a green lotus in the pool.
She approached the Empress, bowed slightly, and said softly, "The nine Realm Sons have been cultivating in the Wheel of Heaven Seal for five months. They should emerge in another month. With their talents, except for Huang Yanchen, they should all be able to reach the ninth-step Half-Saint realm."
Time inside the Wheel of Heaven Seal passed thirty times faster than outside.
The nine Realm Sons had been cultivating in the Wheel of Heaven Seal for half a year, equivalent to fifteen years of training. With the vast resources provided by the imperial court, reaching the ninth-step Half-Saint cultivation was not difficult.
Of course, sending the nine Realm Sons into the Wheel of Heaven Seal and having them cultivate for such a long time had cost the imperial court a tremendous price.
The Empress nodded. "Huang Yanchen's talent is indeed slightly inferior to the other eight. However, becoming one of the nine Realm Sons shows that her fortune is stronger than theirs. Her future achievements may surpass theirs, and that is not impossible."
Just as the Empress's words fell, a melodious flute sound came from the distant sky, drifting across the sea of clouds and lingering around Ziwei Palace.
As the flute sound rose, the entire sea of clouds churned, and the Sacred Beasts in the Heavenly Pool trembled, sensing an extremely dangerous aura.
The Empress's eyes looked toward the horizon. Her crystalline lips parted gently as she murmured, "The Lanyou Melody... She has finally come."
On the sea of clouds, a woman with white hair walked slowly while playing a bamboo flute. Her eyes were black and deep; her white hair swayed in the wind.
The flute sound was extremely beautiful, more wonderful than heavenly music, yet it carried a killing aura, as if thousands of troops were marching alongside her.
(I originally planned to write two chapters, but this chapter was too difficult to write, so I wrote very slowly. That's all for today!
This should be the Empress's first appearance. Shouldn't everyone cast some votes to show support? Hehe.) (To be continued.)