Chapter 898: The Mink Demon King
The combat arena suspended in midair was forged from black gold iron, a full zhang thick, capable of withstanding a full-force strike from a Saint without being damaged. It had been left behind from the medieval era and had yet to decay even now.
At the edges of the arena, rings held seventy-two black iron chains, the other ends connected to the central altar.
"Whoosh."
Zhang Ruochen, displaying great openness, signed the life-and-death contract, leaped up, and was the first to step onto the combat arena.
Standing at the center of the arena, his Meteor Invisibility Cloak emitted a white radiance. His sharp sword-like eyes swept over the Half-Saints of the Ministry of War, and he said, "Once you sign the life-and-death contract, life and death are no longer in your hands. On this arena, I will show no mercy. You’d best think carefully before stepping up."
Zhang Ruochen was telling the truth. In this battle, he absolutely could not hold back. Once he struck, he would surely kill.
There was no choice. The number of Half-Saints from the Ministry of War was too great. If he didn’t kill, Zhang Ruochen would inevitably face a war of attrition.
In the end, if he lost due to depleted Saint Qi, he would surely die.
This battle was truly a matter of kill or be killed.
"I’ll deal with you."
Wind Bird had originally intended to make a move, but beside him, another Half-Saint from the Ministry of War rushed out first, stepping onto a chain with a clatter and flying toward the arena.
Wind Bird stared at the short, thin man who had reached the arena, somewhat indignant. "Wang Pu is too eager to snatch military merit."
Since it was a one-on-one life-and-death duel, and someone had already stepped forward, Wind Bird had to retreat for now.
Wang Pu was also a lower-rank Domain King of the imperial court, with the title "Mink Demon King." He stood only about one and a half meters tall but had four legs and four arms. Except for his face, his arms and legs were entirely covered in deep blue scales.
One could tell at a glance that he came from the Twin-Born Mink Half-Human Clan—one person with two faces, one male and one female, with four hands and four feet.
"Zhang Ruochen, I, Wang Pu, represent the Ministry of War in taking your life." Wang Pu roared.
Zhang Ruochen had some impression of this man.
Earlier, he had claimed to be a sworn brother of Myriad Elephant King and wanted to fight Zhang Ruochen to the death to avenge him.
Now, he claimed to represent the Ministry of War in taking Zhang Ruochen’s life. Just thinking about it, Zhang Ruochen found it utterly ridiculous.
Wang Pu’s four arms each held a crescent-shaped blood blade.
As Saint Qi was infused into them, the four blood blades emitted a chilling cold, transforming into four blood moons.
In an instant, the entire sky turned pitch black, and a freezing wind blew. Only the four blood moons hung above the arena, radiating a crimson light.
Below the arena, everyone felt a bone-piercing chill.
"Wang Pu must have already cultivated the *Earth Demon Sutra* to the twelfth layer, breaking through to the Sixth-Step Half-Saint realm. No wonder he dares to fight Zhang Ruochen to the death." Wind Bird narrowed his eyes, clenching his fists tighter.
"Back then, Zhang Ruochen used the Sky-Soaring Sword to unleash the Thousand Ripple Annihilation Force and killed four Ministry of War Kings."
"Do you think Zhang Ruochen will dare to use the Thousand Ripple Annihilation Force today?"
"Even if he can kill one challenger with a single move, he’ll definitely exhaust the Saint Qi in his body. When the second challenger steps onto the arena, they could crush him with just a finger."
"Without the Thousand Ripple Annihilation Force, Zhang Ruochen is just a slightly stronger First-Step Half-Saint. With Wang Pu’s cultivation, he should be able to kill him within three moves."
The Half-Saints of the Ministry of War all chattered among themselves, while only Wan Zhaoyi and Shengshu Cainü, seated above the altar, remained silent.
For Wan Zhaoyi, the Empress had only ordered him to capture Zhang Ruochen within three months. She hadn’t specified whether he should be dead or alive.
Clearly, killing Zhang Ruochen would be more advantageous for him.
Then, he would only need to cut off Zhang Ruochen’s head and send it to the Central Imperial City, and there would be no further complications.
Shengshu Cainü’s eyes, however, held a trace of worry.
After all, Zhang Ruochen had only just broken through to the First-Step Half-Saint realm. If they were in an open field, with the sacred decree she had given him, he might have a chance to survive against a Sixth-Step Half-Saint.
But now, they were fighting on the arena, with such a limited space, and a formation covering it. Even if he wanted to flee, he couldn’t.
In a direct confrontation, a First-Step Half-Saint could never be a match for a Sixth-Step Half-Saint.
It was worth noting that Shengshu Cainü had once brought the Nine Realm Sons back to the Central Imperial City and conducted a test.
The test results showed that even the Nine Realm Sons, with their many trump cards and methods, could at most contend with a Fourth-Step Half-Saint at the First-Step Half-Saint realm. And some of the Realm Sons had ended up losing.
Zhang Ruochen’s talent was at most only slightly superior to the Nine Realm Sons.
Even if the legends were true and Zhang Ruochen had reached the Tenth Change of the Fish-Dragon Realm, he could probably only fight against early-stage Fifth-Step Half-Saint figures.
Facing Wang Pu, who had already broken through to the Sixth-Step Half-Saint, could Zhang Ruochen hold his ground?
For some reason, Shengshu Cainü’s usually tranquil sacred heart became unusually restless. She was extremely unwilling to see Zhang Ruochen die on the arena.
It wasn’t just Shengshu Cainü; Li Min and Shi Ren were also very worried about Zhang Ruochen’s safety. They furrowed their brows, held their breath, and felt a great sense of oppression.
In contrast, Zhang Ruochen, standing at the center of the arena, remained calm and composed, with his hands behind his back, staring up at the four blood moons.
No matter how fierce the wind, it couldn’t stir a single strand of his hair or a corner of his robe.
"Burning Void Overlord Blade."
Wang Pu’s entire body emitted demonic Qi as black as ink. His originally one-and-a-half-meter-tall body expanded tenfold, transforming into a fifteen-meter-tall demon god.
The four crescent-shaped blood blades ignited with blazing flames, slashing down at Zhang Ruochen from four different directions.
However, the flames on the blood blades were extremely cold, freezing the entire arena and sprouting sharp ice spikes.
"Scale-Sprouting Dragon Transformation."
Inside Zhang Ruochen’s body, crackling sounds rang out. Dazzling golden light and surging dragon Qi burst forth from within.
"Roar!"
A deafening roar echoed, and in the next moment, Zhang Ruochen’s body transformed into a golden dragon several dozen zhang long.
His two massive dragon claws struck forward simultaneously, colliding with two of the blood blades, knocking Wang Pu’s attack off course.
Wang Pu’s eyes showed shock. Hastily, he swung the other two blood blades, aiming for the golden dragon’s neck and claws.
However, the power unleashed by the golden dragon exceeded his expectations.
The enormous dragon claw, carrying a scorching fiery aura, pierced through the two blood blades and struck Wang Pu’s head.
"How can he be this strong?"
Wang Pu was terrified out of his wits. He pinched a jade talisman tied around his wrist, shattering it.
"Boom."
The shattered jade talisman formed a light shield, protecting his body.
This jade talisman was a protective charm refined by a Spiritual Power Saint. Although it was a defective product, it still possessed remarkable defensive power, capable of blocking a full-force strike from a Ninth-Step Half-Saint.
Of course, it could only be used once.
Back then, Wang Pu had spent a hundred million spirit crystals, nearly exhausting all his wealth, to buy it. He never expected that a First-Step Half-Saint would force him to use his life-saving trump card.
With a thunderous crash, the golden dragon claw struck the light shield, sending Wang Pu and the shield crashing back down onto the arena.
After blocking the strike, the light shield quickly dissipated.
"Damn brat."
Wang Pu looked at the broken jade talisman on his wrist, filled with rage. Grinding his teeth, he roared, "Earth Demon Transformation."
Wang Pu’s body swelled, growing larger and larger, until he finally transformed into a massive demon mink, with sharp claws, razor-sharp teeth, and blood-red eyes.
A moment ago, two human cultivators were fighting on the arena.
The next moment, it had become a dragon and a mink, filling the entire world with a bestial aura, making it seem especially eerie.
Zhang Ruochen’s fierce strike earlier had startled many. Those who had been gloating earlier also wiped the smiles off their faces.
A First-Step Half-Saint’s attack power could actually be this strong, forcing a Sixth-Step Half-Saint to shatter a protective talisman just to survive.
"The ninth palm of the Dragon-Elephant Prajna Palm."
Li Min’s eyes lit up, and her heart surged with excitement. A blush appeared on her fair face. She had finally seen Zhang Ruochen transform into a dragon, and it was indeed very powerful.
By using the Scale-Sprouting Dragon Transformation, Zhang Ruochen naturally wanted to end the battle quickly. The longer the fight dragged on, the more disadvantageous it would be for him.
The golden dragon let out a furious roar, circled in midair, and then dove down again, striking with full force, engaging in a fierce clash with the demon mink that Wang Pu had transformed into.
In terms of pure power, with Zhang Ruochen’s current cultivation, he was only on par with Wang Pu, without a significant advantage. Earlier, it was just that Wang Pu had been too careless, caught off guard by Zhang Ruochen.
"Bang, bang."
The dragon and the mink continuously exchanged claw strikes, creating wave after wave of energy ripples that scattered the clouds in the sky.
The demon mink, crouching at the center of the arena, opened its massive maw and spat out a stream of cold air, enveloping the four blood blades and striking them all at the transformed golden dragon Zhang Ruochen.
"Break for me."
A thunderous roar erupted from the dragon’s mouth.
The golden dragon claw reached downward, tearing the void apart and creating a space rift over a dozen zhang long.
The demon mink had long anticipated that Zhang Ruochen was skilled in spatial attacks, so the moment the space rift appeared, it immediately charged to the left.
However, Zhang Ruochen’s reaction speed was even faster. Just as the demon mink’s body began to move,
the golden dragon flying above had already transformed into a human figure wreathed in flames, landing swiftly on the ground. He struck out with a palm, and with a bang, it hit the demon mink squarely in the abdomen.