Chapter 911: On the Eve of the Great Battle
Anyone could see that Shi Ren’s father had definitely reached the Saint realm. If he could regain his sanity and purge the toxins from his body, he would surely become the backbone of the Shi family.
At that point, Wang Beilie’s position as clan leader would be in jeopardy.
A sharp, cold gleam flashed in Wang Beilie’s eyes. If not for Ling Feiyu standing nearby, he would have already taken extreme measures to suppress Zhang Ruochen.
A figure flew over from afar, landing with a thunderous crash that caused the ground to sink beneath his feet.
This man wore a suit of black armor embedded with seventy-two jade talismans, enveloping his entire body in a layer of cyan flame.
That was the Cyan Flame Talisman Armor, which only the Cyan Flame Ghost Army guarding the Nether Prison were qualified to wear.
This soldier was Feng Ying, one of the four wardens of the Nether Prison. In both cultivation and status, he was no less than Wang Beilie.
“Clan Leader, shouldn’t you give this Saint an explanation?”
Wang Beilie frowned. “What exactly happened?”
The four wardens always remained within the Nether Prison, and most of the time, they were in a state of slumber, rarely coming to the surface.
If a warden appeared on the surface, it meant something major had occurred.
Feng Ying said, “Not long ago, two people holding the clan leader’s token entered the Nether Prison and released all the heavy criminals imprisoned on the first, second, and third floors, causing a massive upheaval.”
“Fortunately, this Saint awakened from slumber in time and recaptured most of the prisoners. Otherwise, the consequences would have been unimaginable.”
Wang Beilie’s eyes darted, and he immediately understood. He said sharply, “It must be that rebellious son who stole the clan leader’s token from the Sword Tomb Palace… No, with his courage, he wouldn’t dare commit such a reckless act. Someone must have instigated him.”
At that moment, a name suddenly surfaced in Wang Beilie’s mind.
His seventeenth brother, Wang Jinsuo.
It was Wang Jinsuo who had brought the “Death Blood Pill,” refined from Nether King Blood Clan poison and Death Evil Qi, to him back then.
At the time, Wang Beilie didn’t know about the Nether King Blood Poison. He only knew that using the Death Blood Pill could make Shi Kunkian fall into demonic possession, thereby preventing him from threatening his position as clan leader.
Now that Wang Beilie knew the Death Blood Pill Wang Jinsuo had given him was refined from Nether King Blood Poison, he could conclude that Wang Jinsuo must be a spy for the Undying Blood Clan.
“How dare you use me, old man. Despicable.”
Wang Beilie roared inwardly.
…
At this moment, Wang Jinsuo and Xiang Zhengfeng had already escaped from the Prison Suppressing Ancient Clan. They crossed the layered forests and arrived at the bank of an ink-black icy river, where they temporarily stopped.
“We finally made it out. I thought I was going to die in the Nether Prison.”
Xiang Zhengfeng let out a long breath, then cupped his hands and bowed to Wang Jinsuo. “Thank you, Ninth Imperial Uncle, for saving me.”
“No need for formalities, Second Prince. I was merely following the Blood Emperor’s orders to rescue you from danger. It’s a pity that I’ve been lurking in the Prison Suppressing Ancient Clan for nearly a hundred years. I’m afraid I can no longer use this identity.”
Wang Jinsuo’s pupils turned completely blood-red, and the nails on his ten fingers elongated, turning into ten half-foot-long silver claws.
Wang Jinsuo looked at his own claws and grinned. “Still, during my years lurking here, I’ve discovered many secrets of the Nether King Sword Tomb. Even if my identity is exposed, it’s not a big deal.”
Xiang Zhengfeng clenched his teeth. His once handsome face gradually twisted into a ferocious expression, and he let out a cold, hoarse voice. “It’s a pity that Zhang Ruochen showed up out of nowhere. If not for him, why would my identity have been exposed? I wonder if that monster killed him?”
“Zhang Ruochen is just a minor character. The truly formidable one is Ling Feiyu. But it doesn’t matter anymore. Within ten days at most, the Prison Suppressing Ancient Clan and the Undying Blood Clan will engage in a decisive battle. By then, both Zhang Ruochen and Ling Feiyu will die.” Wang Jinsuo laughed cruelly.
Just then, Wang Jie, who was being carried in Xiang Zhengfeng’s hand, let out a low groan and gradually woke up.
With a “bang,” Xiang Zhengfeng threw Wang Jie to the ground.
Wang Jinsuo glanced at Wang Jie. “This man has lost his usefulness. There’s no need to keep him alive. Still, with his cultivation at the Fifth-Step Half-Saint level, his blood must be quite delicious. Heh.”
“Seventeenth Uncle… Brother Xiang… So you two are the Undying Blood Clan spies… How can this be? Could it be that Zhang Ruochen isn’t… from the Undying Blood Clan…”
Seeing Wang Jinsuo and Xiang Zhengfeng reveal their true Undying Blood Clan forms, Wang Jie trembled all over, his lips quivering as he spoke.
Xiang Zhengfeng crouched down, patted Wang Jie’s face, and smiled sinisterly. “You and your father are both fools who think yourselves clever. The Prison Suppressing Ancient Clan falling into your hands is a great blessing for our Undying Blood Clan.”
“Chi!”
Xiang Zhengfeng’s mouth opened, revealing four sharp fangs, and a crimson blood aura surged from his throat.
“Don’t kill me… I… I still have value. I can work for the Undying Blood Clan. I know many secrets of the Nether King Sword Tomb… I… I can definitely help you.”
Wang Jie groveled at Xiang Zhengfeng’s feet like a mangy dog, licking the surface of his shoes.
The fear in Wang Jie’s heart drove him to do anything to survive.
“Is that so?”
Xiang Zhengfeng closed his mouth, returning to his gentle and handsome appearance. He patted Wang Jie’s head and laughed. “You are, after all, the son of the Prison Suppressing Ancient Clan’s leader. It seems you do have some value. Since you’re so obedient, from now on, follow this prince and be a dog by my side.”
Xiang Zhengfeng looked up at Wang Jinsuo. “Imperial Uncle, taking a Fifth-Step Half-Saint human as a servant doesn’t seem like a bad idea.”
“As long as the Second Prince is happy, taking ten is no problem. Let’s go. We should leave.”
Soon, Wang Jinsuo and Xiang Zhengfeng spread their silver wings, took Wang Jie, and flew away, disappearing into the night.
…
The turmoil in the Nether Prison had subsided. Even though the Nether King Sword Tomb had been somewhat affected, everything returned to normal by the next day.
The Shi family’s ancestral home was vast, spanning ten thousand mu. It included a small artificial lake, with a spirit-gathering formation arranged around it, making the spiritual energy in the house exceptionally rich.
By the lake, on a bed of profound ice, Shi Ren’s father, Shi Kunkian, gradually awakened.
Earlier, Zhang Ruochen had used the power of the Sky-Connecting Divine Tree to purify the Death Evil Qi within Shi Kunkian’s body, restoring his sanity.
However, Zhang Ruochen was helpless against the Nether King Blood Poison in Shi Kunkian’s body.
Thus, even though Shi Kunkian had regained his sanity, he had to mobilize all his Saint Qi to suppress the Nether King Blood Poison, rendering him unable to fight, no different from an ordinary person.
“I’ve done what I can. The Nether King Blood Poison in Senior Shi’s body will have to be dealt with by you all,” Zhang Ruochen said.
Shi Ren gave him a grateful look. “Thank you.”
Then, Shi Ren immediately walked into the pavilion and helped Shi Kunkian up. Father and son seemed to be talking.
Zhang Ruochen had already walked some distance away and stretched. No matter what, helping others was always a pleasant thing.
After a while, Shi Ren came over and cupped his hands to Zhang Ruochen again. “Thank you once more, Brother Zhang.”
Zhang Ruochen waved his hand and smiled. “Please, don’t be so polite. How is Senior Shi? Is he feeling better?”
Shi Ren said, “My father’s cultivation is profound enough to withstand the toxicity of the Nether King Blood Poison. However, the Nether King Blood Poison is too stubborn. Only a Great Saint can refine it. After we repel the Undying Blood Clan, I plan to take my father to the Langhuan Palace on Wushen Mountain. Lord Wuzun was an old friend of my grandfather’s and should be willing to treat him.”
Zhang Ruochen asked, “When will the Prison Suppressing Ancient Clan go to war with the Undying Blood Clan?”
“The preliminary preparations are complete. We should strike within the next two days. Besides the Ministry of War, the Four Confucian Sects, the Earth God Temple, and the Martial Market Bank will also assist.”
As they walked, Shi Ren continued explaining.
“According to the Ministry of War’s intelligence, the Undying Blood Clan is mainly entrenched in the eight cities and twelve ridges of Zhongyuan Commandery. Our Shi family is primarily responsible for wiping out the Undying Blood Clan in Golden Sparrow City.”
“Golden Sparrow City was once an ancient city with a population of over four hundred thousand. But it suffered a devastating attack from the Undying Blood Clan. The cultivators in the city either became blood slaves or turned into dried corpses.”
“Now, over seventy thousand Undying Blood Clan strongmen are entrenched in the city. To wipe them all out, many clansmen will have to sacrifice themselves.” Shi Ren sighed.
Zhang Ruochen thought carefully and asked, “Since all parties are going to wipe out the Undying Blood Clan in the eight cities and twelve ridges, what if the Undying Blood Clan has hidden forces that take this opportunity to attack the Nether King Sword Tomb? Wouldn’t that be very dangerous?”
Shi Ren smiled. “Brother Zhang, you don’t need to worry about that. The Nether King Sword Tomb, as a place to imprison the Nether King, naturally has many powerful measures. It won’t be so easy for the Undying Blood Clan to break in.”
“Besides, by then, the clan leader and Flying Feather Sword Saint will both be stationed in the Prison Suppressing Ancient Clan, ensuring everything is safe.”
Although Zhang Ruochen didn’t fully trust the clan leader of the Prison Suppressing Ancient Clan, he had great faith in Ling Feiyu.
With her stationed at the Nether King Sword Tomb, it was like having a stabilizing pillar. Unless the Blood Emperor himself came, anyone else would be walking to their death.
Zhang Ruochen pursed his lips and made a decision. “Since Flying Feather Sword Saint is guarding the sword tomb, I’d like to join Brother Shi in besieging the Undying Blood Clan in Golden Sparrow City.” (To be continued.)