Chapter 901: Seeking Death
Immediately after, Zhang Ruochen’s finger pointed forward, using a sword intent to control the Abyssal Ancient Sword as it flew out.
“Puchi.”
The Abyssal Ancient Sword pierced through Tong Dong’s brow, bringing out a large splash of blood, and flew out from the back of his head.
With a bang, Tong Dong’s corpse fell to the ground.
He had only just stepped onto the arena platform before becoming a dead man.
Everyone present was stunned, their jaws nearly dropping to the floor.
Originally, everyone thought Tong Dong would surely kill Zhang Ruochen, but who could have imagined that Zhang Ruochen still had the power to counter-kill a Half-Saint?
“That was… a Spiritual Power attack. So Zhang Ruochen is also a formidable Spiritual Power Half-Saint. No wonder he dared to use the Thousand Ripple Annihilation Force—he still had a trump card.”
“Zhang Ruochen is really hard to deal with.”
Those Half-Saints from the Ministry of War all exchanged glances, and no one dared to act rashly anymore.
After all, no one knew exactly how strong Zhang Ruochen’s Spiritual Power was.
Wan Zhaoyi’s gaze shifted to Shengshu Cainü, saying, “Lady Cainü is a Spiritual Power Saint. You should be able to discern Zhang Ruochen’s Spiritual Power level, right?”
Shengshu Cainü’s expression remained unchanged, and she did not give a definitive answer to Wan Zhaoyi. “To deal with a first-rank Half-Saint, the Ministry of War has not only lost its reputation but also three fierce generals in a row. Is this how Prince Wan plans to handle Zhang Ruochen?”
Wan Zhaoyi could sense Shengshu Cainü’s dissatisfaction and couldn’t help but frown.
To be honest, he didn’t think there was anything wrong with his methods. The only mistake was that he had underestimated Zhang Ruochen’s strength.
Of course, Shengshu Cainü’s attitude still put some pressure on him. After all, Shengshu Cainü was the Empress’s most trusted confidante, and she also had extraordinary influence throughout the Confucian Path.
If Shengshu Cainü were to report him to the Empress, it would indeed be quite troublesome.
Behind Wan Zhaoyi, Jian Kongzi immediately spoke up, “Your Highness, let me make a move. I will surely take Zhang Ruochen’s head.”
Wan Zhaoyi glanced at Jian Kongzi, then took a Vajra Bead from his sleeve and handed it to him.
“If you fail again, I will take the lives of your entire clan,” Wan Zhaoyi said.
Jian Kongzi took the walnut-sized Vajra Bead, but it felt extraordinarily heavy, as if he were holding a mountain. Even a Half-Saint’s arm could barely support it.
“The 347th-ranked Thousand-Mark Sacred Artifact, the Vajra Bead,” Jian Kongzi thought with a start.
The Heavenly King had even entrusted him with the Vajra Bead, meaning that this battle had to be flawless—failure was absolutely not an option.
Shengshu Cainü’s brows furrowed slightly, growing worried for Zhang Ruochen.
After all, she could clearly see that Zhang Ruochen’s Spiritual Power was only at the 46th level, far from enough to withstand Jian Kongzi, a seventh-rank Half-Saint.
Shengshu Cainü’s heart grew even more conflicted, but she was helpless. She could only try to suppress the fluctuations in her Sacred Heart, lest Wan Zhaoyi notice.
Zhang Ruochen saw Jian Kongzi step onto the arena platform but showed no panic; he remained quite calm.
Because he still had one more trump card—the Sarira.
At this point, the only way to resolve the deadly situation was to unlock the third seal of the Sarira.
Unlocking the third seal would allow Zhang Ruochen to gain Saint-level combat power for a short time, more than enough to deal with Jian Kongzi.
The only downside was that it would be somewhat wasteful. If he encountered another desperate situation in the future, he would have no external power to rely on and would have to solve it with his own strength.
Jian Kongzi stared at Zhang Ruochen across from him and shook his head slightly. For a top-tier sword cultivator like him, killing a severely injured first-rank Half-Saint was hardly a source of pride.
However, killing Zhang Ruochen would certainly earn him a large amount of military merit and rewards, which he looked forward to.
Just as Jian Kongzi was about to make his move, a white sword light flew in from the horizon.
“Whoosh—”
The sword energy, like a piercing ray of light, cut through the void and tore apart the defensive formation around the arena platform.
A figure flashed, and a tall woman in a purple long dress had already appeared at the center of the arena platform, separating Zhang Ruochen and Jian Kongzi.
The woman in purple emitted an extremely strong holy light, making it difficult for most people to see her true form.
Even the Half-Saints of the Ministry of War present could only make out a graceful silhouette, a moving outline, crystalline snow-white skin, and a light purple veil on her face.
Wan Zhaoyi and Shengshu Cainü were also startled. After all, the defensive formations around the arena platform were connected to the central altar. Even with their cultivation levels, it would be hard to break through.
Yet the woman in purple had torn through the defensive formation with a single sword strike. Such formidable cultivation was truly astonishing.
Shengshu Cainü was well-versed in the world’s top experts and quickly identified the woman in purple.
What intrigued her even more was why such a transcendent, legendary figure, detached from the mundane world, would step in to save Zhang Ruochen.
The woman in purple was naturally the Palace Master of the Demon Sect’s Sacred Maiden Palace, Ling Feiyu.
Ling Feiyu’s starry eyes carried a sharp, cold aura. “The Ministry of War is getting quite bold, daring to break into the Prison Suppression Ancient Clan to kill people. Do you really think the Imperial Decree of your Tai Shang Qing Emperor is just a piece of waste paper?”
Every word Ling Feiyu spoke struck like a heavy punch to Jian Kongzi’s chest, forcing him to retreat step by step.
Jian Kongzi backed all the way to the edge of the arena platform, unable to hold on any longer. He knelt on one knee and spat out a mouthful of blood.
Wan Zhaoyi naturally guessed the woman in purple’s identity. He stood up and said loudly, “Senior Ling, I have always kept the Qing Emperor’s Imperial Decree in my heart. How would I dare to violate it? This is not a conflict between the Ministry of War and Zhang Ruochen, but a personal vendetta between them. After mutual agreement, they decided to settle it with a life-or-death battle on the arena platform.”
Ling Feiyu’s gaze shifted to Wan Zhaoyi, her expression displeased. “Is this a place for you to speak in the Prison Suppression Ancient Clan?”
Wan Zhaoyi and Ling Feiyu each belonged to the peak experts of their respective eras, intimidating a generation. One had been a king for the past hundred years, undefeated in battle. The other had swept across the world three hundred years ago, unmatched.
Of course, Wan Zhaoyi had not cultivated for just a hundred years. He had entered the Wheel of Time Seal four times, totaling over a hundred years of cultivation within it.
There was indeed a considerable gap between them, but Wan Zhaoyi was a proud man and would not bow to Ling Feiyu.
Wan Zhaoyi clasped his hands behind his back, and the Azure Dragon Divine Armor on his body emitted a dazzling azure light that shot into the sky, condensing into a massive azure dragon coiled around him.
He said, “Senior Ling, you are mistaken. Now that the Prison Suppression Ancient Clan has joined forces with the Imperial Court to fight against the Undying Blood Clan, I naturally have a place here in this ancient clan.”
Ling Feiyu’s eyes met Wan Zhaoyi’s. “Since you know the Undying Blood Clan is entrenched in Yuan Mansion, with a great enemy before us, we should unite all possible forces to face the foe together. Yet the Ministry of War is still settling personal grudges, weakening our own strong warriors. For a junior like you who disregards the bigger picture, I wonder if the Empress made a mistake in granting you the title of Heavenly King.”
Hearing Ling Feiyu’s words, Wan Zhaoyi’s eyelids twitched, and his gaze flickered, but he couldn’t refute.
Zhang Ruochen stood to the side, glancing at Ling Feiyu, secretly admiring her. He hadn’t expected that this Sacred Maiden Supreme, not only skilled in swordsmanship to the point of transcendence, but also had such sharp words.
The Sacred Maidens of the Demon Sect were indeed not to be trifled with.
“Senior Sword Saint, Zhang Ruochen is an infiltrator of the Undying Blood Clan, someone everyone wants dead. By favoring him so much, you will not only offend the Ministry of War but also cause misunderstandings among the clansmen of the Prison Suppression Ancient Clan.”
The speaker was Wang Jie.
Wang Jie already harbored deep resentment toward Ling Feiyu. With the Ministry of War backing him, he naturally jumped out to attack Ling Feiyu with words.
But he failed to see the situation clearly, thinking the Ministry of War could suppress Ling Feiyu.
He didn’t realize that even Wan Zhaoyi was restraining his anger, not daring to provoke Ling Feiyu.
Yet he jumped out on his own, threatening Ling Feiyu with the Ministry of War and the Prison Suppression Ancient Clan. Wasn’t that just asking for death?
Sure enough, Ling Feiyu, who was not known for her good temper, heard Wang Jie’s words and her gaze turned icy cold. “Your Prison Suppression Ancient Clan failed to protect the Sword Bearer who had yet to grow, and I couldn’t be bothered to care. After Xuanji Sword Saint returns, he will settle that account with you slowly. But who do you think you are, daring to threaten me?”
“Boom.”
Ling Feiyu’s body erupted with ten thousand bolts of lightning, and with the arena platform as the center, an area of several hundred miles turned into a sea of thunder.
At this moment, she was clearly furious. Her majestic holy might surged like a tidal wave toward Wang Jie.
“Crack.”
In an instant, Wang Jie and a large group of Prison Suppression Ancient Clan clansmen, unable to withstand that overwhelming holy might, all fell to their knees.
Sweat poured from every pore on Wang Jie’s body. Only now did he truly realize how terrifying Ling Feiyu’s cultivation was.
He deeply regretted not heeding his father’s advice to avoid provoking Ling Feiyu.
“Flying Feather Sword Saint, please calm your anger.”
The clan leader of the Prison Suppression Ancient Clan, Wang Beilie, dressed in black robes, flew over from a distance and landed beside Wang Jie.
Seeing his father appear, Wang Jie immediately showed joy. “Father—”
But before Wang Jie could finish, Wang Beilie’s palm had already struck out, hitting Wang Jie’s face. Wang Jie rolled twice in the air before crashing to the ground with a bang.
Wang Beilie’s slap was merciless, shattering Wang Jie’s left cheekbone, leaving half his face a bloody mess.
Wang Jie lay on the ground, trembling. “Father, you…”
“Shut up, you unfilial son. How dare you show such disrespect to Flying Feather Sword Saint? I will kill you today.”
A holy flame appeared in Wang Beilie’s palm, and a powerful fluctuation of sacred energy spread outward.
If this palm strike landed, it would truly kill Wang Jie.
But just as Wang Beilie’s hand was about to strike, a group of clan elders from the Prison Suppression Ancient Clan rushed over and stopped him.
…
(Explanation: Yesterday, my child had a high fever. I slept only three hours the night before, got up at 5:30 in the morning, went back to my hometown, then returned to a hospital in Chengdu. I was running back and forth and had no time to write.
I didn’t get home until 10 p.m. I hastily ate dinner, but my head was throbbing with pain, and I couldn’t hold on any longer, so I rested for two hours. I got up at 2 a.m. to write, pulled an all-nighter, and finally finished!
To be honest, for an author like me who writes slowly, it’s really painful. Any little thing disrupts the updates.
I overestimated myself before. I won’t make random promises about how many chapters I’ll update anymore. I’ll try my best to keep two chapters a day. Tomorrow’s update will probably be unstable and come later.) (To be continued.)