# Chapter 897: All Have Blood Feuds
"Is there a place for you to speak here?"
Feng Qin cast a glance at Li Min, and from his pupils flew two beams of cold light.
Zhang Ruochen executed a Space Displacement, shifting sideways, appearing before Li Min, pressing his palm forward to shatter the two incoming beams of cold light.
Then, Zhang Ruochen withdrew his palm, revealing a look of disgust, and said, "If you have something to say, come at me. Why strike so viciously at a weak little girl?"
If Zhang Ruochen had not acted, Feng Qin's gaze alone would have pierced through Li Min's body and killed her.
"Fine, since that's the case, this king will deal with you first."
Feng Qin clenched his fists, stomped forward, causing the ground in the bamboo forest to sink downward. At the same time, dense wind blades appeared all around, producing a "shua shua" sound.
"Stop."
A deep, cold voice rang out.
Shi Ren, along with a group of elders from the Prison Suppressing Ancient Clan, hurried up from the foot of the mountain, appearing between Feng Qin and Zhang Ruochen, blocking the two.
Facing the elders of the Prison Suppressing Ancient Clan, Feng Qin furrowed his brow, snorted coldly, and had no choice but to withdraw his power.
However, the battle intent within him did not diminish.
Feng Qin had seen Shi Ren before and naturally knew his identity. He said, "Young Patriarch, this king wants to apprehend a major criminal of the imperial court. Does your Prison Suppressing Ancient Clan intend to interfere in this matter?"
Shi Ren's gaze locked onto Feng Qin, and he said, "The imperial court has its rules, and the Prison Suppressing Ancient Clan has its own. Zhang Ruochen is a honored guest of the Prison Suppressing Ancient Clan. As long as he remains within the Nether King Sword Grave, I will never allow the imperial court to take him away."
Feng Qin had some understanding of the internal situation of the Prison Suppressing Ancient Clan, so he did not take Shi Ren's words to heart. He snorted coldly, "Zhang Ruochen is someone the Empress herself has ordered to be apprehended. Young Patriarch, do you know what this means? Do not bring disaster upon the Prison Suppressing Ancient Clan. Otherwise, your position as Young Patriarch might not be secure."
"Is that so? I truly don't believe it."
Shi Ren showed no trace of fear, standing firm.
Just then, over a dozen figures emerged from the white mist and clouds, ascending to the summit of Bamboo Joint Mountain.
At the forefront were three people: Wan Zhaoyi, Shengshu Cainü, and Wang Jie.
Behind the three followed some Half-Saint-level experts from the Ministry of War and the Prison Suppressing Ancient Clan. These were all powerful figures who commanded respect in their regions, with formidable auras, thick blood energy, and vigorous spirits, coalescing into a powerful deterrent force.
With the arrival of these saints, the atmosphere on Bamboo Joint Mountain became utterly grim.
An ordinary Fish-Dragon Realm cultivator, seeing such a formation, would likely have already knelt to the ground.
Wang Jie naturally knew that Zhang Ruochen lived on Bamboo Joint Mountain, which was precisely why he had arranged for the Ministry of War's experts to stay there temporarily.
As he expected, the Ministry of War had indeed encountered Zhang Ruochen.
Wang Jie curled his lips into a smug smile, then took a few quick steps forward and said, "Young Patriarch, it would be best for our Prison Suppressing Ancient Clan not to interfere in this matter. After all, Zhang Ruochen is a major criminal of the imperial court and has colluded with the Undying Blood Clan. Keeping him in the Prison Suppressing Ancient Clan will only bring disaster."
Shi Ren's gaze shifted to Wan Zhaoyi and Shengshu Cainü, then moved to Wang Jie, and he said coldly, "Who says Zhang Ruochen colluded with the Undying Blood Clan? Do you have evidence?"
Wang Jie sighed, putting on a helpless expression, and said, "Young Patriarch, the facts are already quite clear. Why do you insist on continuing to shield Zhang Ruochen? If, in the future, Zhang Ruochen brings irreparable disaster to the Prison Suppressing Ancient Clan, who will take responsibility? The Empress ordered Zhang Ruochen's apprehension for a reason. Surely you are not going to defy the Empress's command as well?"
Shi Ren was not an irrational person; otherwise, he would not have survived until now.
He said, "Outside the Nether King Sword Grave, if the imperial court wants to apprehend Zhang Ruochen, I would have absolutely no objection. However, Zhang Ruochen is my friend and a honored guest of the Prison Suppressing Ancient Clan. If the imperial court wants to take him away, they will have to step over my body first."
Shi Ren was well aware that, with his identity as Young Patriarch, no matter how urgently the imperial court wanted to capture Zhang Ruochen, they would not dare to be too reckless.
If his attitude were not firm enough, Zhang Ruochen would certainly be taken away by the imperial court today, with unpredictable consequences.
If it came to that, it would only dishearten all the sword bearers.
In the future, if the Prison Suppressing Ancient Clan encountered danger again, would the sword bearers still return to help?
Thus, whether for public or private reasons, Shi Ren absolutely could not back down.
The dozen or so elders behind Shi Ren also stepped forward, standing behind him. These were old-timers loyal to the Shi family, some of whom had even followed the previous Patriarch, so they naturally stood with Shi Ren.
Wang Jie, however, was secretly pleased. Since Shi Ren had taken the initiative to support Zhang Ruochen, he could use this opportunity to deal with him as well.
He turned around, slightly cupped his hands toward Wan Zhaoyi, and said, "Your Highness, you have seen it yourself. The Young Patriarch simply refuses to listen to reason. With a great enemy before us, he still clings to his personal friendship with Zhang Ruochen. This will likely ruin important matters."
Wan Zhaoyi, clad in Azure Dragon Armor, with blazing eyes and a faint smile, looked toward Zhang Ruochen and Shi Ren and said, "This king, on the contrary, feels that the Young Patriarch is a man of principle."
Wang Jie was slightly taken aback, suddenly unable to discern what Wan Zhaoyi intended to do. Did he not want to capture Zhang Ruochen?
Wan Zhaoyi continued, "Back when the Azure Emperor was in power, he did issue an imperial decree for the Prison Suppressing Ancient Clan. Therefore, even members of the imperial court must follow the rules of the Prison Suppressing Ancient Clan when entering the Nether King Sword Grave."
Shi Ren clasped his hands behind his back, meeting Wan Zhaoyi's gaze, and said, "Little Saint Heavenly King truly lives up to being the number one figure in a hundred years. Your conduct is indeed more honorable than some."
Wan Zhaoyi shifted his tone and added, "The imperial court can temporarily let Zhang Ruochen go, but some personal grudges are beyond even the Young Patriarch's control, are they not?"
Shi Ren's eyes narrowed, and he asked, "What personal grudges?"
Wan Zhaoyi raised his voice, full of authority, and said, "In Qingli Commandery, four of Feng Qin's comrades all died by Zhang Ruochen's sword. This blood feud cannot be bypassed no matter what."
Feng Qin stomped heavily on the ground, shattering the earth into pieces, and roared, "Zhang Ruochen, if you are still a man, step forward immediately and fight me to the death. Today, either you die, or I perish."
There was no denying that Wan Zhaoyi's methods were far more sophisticated than Wang Jie's.
This way, even Shi Ren could not continue to block the matter. After all, Zhang Ruochen had indeed killed four kings of the Ministry of War. Perhaps one of them was Feng Qin's close friend.
Who could prove otherwise?
"Zhang Ruochen, when you breached Purple Firm Pass, you killed my younger brother. Today, no matter what, I will avenge him."
Another Half-Saint from the Ministry of War also claimed to have a personal grudge against Zhang Ruochen.
"Ten Thousand Manifestations King was my sworn brother, and you killed him. Even if the entire Prison Suppressing Ancient Clan protects you, I will take your life today."
"Kill Zhang Ruochen, avenge our blood feud!"
...
Among the Ministry of War Half-Saints present, more than half claimed to have a grudge against Zhang Ruochen. Of course, most were simply looking for an excuse to engage in a life-or-death battle with him.
After all, whoever killed Zhang Ruochen would certainly become famous overnight, gain massive merit points, and might even receive rewards from the Empress.
Such a rare opportunity was something everyone was vying for.
In their eyes, Zhang Ruochen was a delicious pastry that everyone wanted to devour in one bite.
Shengshu Cainü, however, remained remarkably calm. Her clear, black-and-white eyes fixed on Xiao Hei, and she revealed a knowing smile.
Since this cat, who loved to boast, appeared beside Zhang Ruochen, she could now be certain that Zhang Ruochen was none other than the sword path prodigy from Liangyi Sect, Lin Yue.
At that moment, all her previous doubts were resolved.
"No wonder he refused to be a Realm Son..."
Shengshu Cainü sighed inwardly, her thoughts becoming somewhat chaotic and conflicted. The man she had once admired most had become her enemy. What should she do?
If it were any other official in the court trying to arrest Zhang Ruochen, she could use some means to help him.
But Zhang Ruochen was someone the Empress herself had ordered to be apprehended. Even she felt helpless.
Xiao Hei glanced at Shengshu Cainü, sensing something was wrong, and secretly transmitted a message to Zhang Ruochen, warning him: "Zhang Ruochen, your identity has been exposed."
Zhang Ruochen remained quite calm, not panicking. He slightly turned his head to look at Shengshu Cainü.
Their eyes met, four pupils locking onto each other.
However, there was a faint smile in Shengshu Cainü's eyes, with no intention of moving against him.
Shengshu Cainü was loyal to the Empress—that was beyond doubt. Even though Zhang Ruochen had saved her twice, he did not feel optimistic and did not let down his guard.
Seeing Zhang Ruochen step forward, Shi Ren immediately blocked him and said, "Brother Zhang, let me handle this..."
Zhang Ruochen interrupted him, shaking his head, and said, "No, this matter must be resolved by me personally."
Then, Zhang Ruochen turned his gaze to the Half-Saints of the Ministry of War and said, "Since all of you have a grudge against me, I accept your challenge to a life-or-death battle. Let us see today whether you die or I perish."
Zhang Ruochen accepted the battle out of necessity; otherwise, he would certainly implicate Shi Ren.
Wang Jie was both pleased and somewhat regretful upon hearing Zhang Ruochen accept the challenge.
He had actually hoped Zhang Ruochen would remain silent, allowing Shi Ren to confront the Half-Saints of the Ministry of War.
That way, he could use some backup tactics to overthrow Shi Ren and claim the position of Young Patriarch himself.
Still, achieving this step was already good enough.
As long as Zhang Ruochen was eliminated, it would cut off one of Shi Ren's arms. There would naturally be many more opportunities to deal with Shi Ren in the future.
...
...
Above the central altar of the Prison Suppressing Ancient Clan floated a combat platform a hundred zhang in length and width.
At this moment, below the combat platform, countless figures had gathered—many members of the Prison Suppressing Ancient Clan.
"Zhang Ruochen must be a hidden agent of the Undying Blood Clan. Our Prison Suppressing Ancient Clan is not in a position to deal with him, but he cannot escape the Ministry of War's judgment."
"Only by killing Zhang Ruochen will the Nether King Sword Grave return to peace."
"If I were Zhang Ruochen, I would obediently surrender. The Empress is merciful and might spare his life."
Upon learning that Zhang Ruochen was about to engage in a life-or-death battle with the Half-Saints of the Ministry of War, everyone rushed over, eager to see him bleed and fall. (To be continued.)