Chapter 914: Perilous Situation
Wang Jie, as a proud son of the Town Prison Ancient Clan, was naturally a top-tier expert. He possessed an innate White Bone Sacred Body, allowing him to fight across cultivation levels.
Due to the particularity of his physique, he could refine metals, absorbing them into his body to strengthen his bones. The two White Bone Sacred Swords were forged by his physical body absorbing and refining over a dozen metals, including black gold, mithril, and dark iron.
"Whoosh!"
A vast sword intent erupted from Zhang Ruochen, surging toward Wang Jie.
The two bone swords trembled slightly, becoming somewhat uncontrollable in Wang Jie's hands, as if they wanted to fly toward Zhang Ruochen.
"How can this be? Could Zhang Ruochen be on the verge of becoming a Sword Saint? No, absolutely impossible."
Only the sword intent unleashed by a Sword Saint could control an opponent's sacred sword and claim it as their own weapon.
Becoming a Sword Saint was merely a matter of time.
"You are no match for me. Why bother coming to your death?" Zhang Ruochen said calmly.
"Zhang Ruochen, I know you are strong, but in the end, you are only a First-Stage Half-Saint, while I have already reached the Fifth-Stage Half-Saint. The gap between us is not that great."
Wang Jie condensed sacred qi, regaining control of the two bone swords, and executed Sword Two.
Two opposing forces—one of ice, one of fire—manifested, splitting the entire manor as if into two halves.
Wang Jie's strength was on par with Feng Qin. A month ago, he could have been a worthy opponent for Zhang Ruochen, but now, he fell far short.
Zhang Ruochen shook his head slightly, then executed the Luanfeng Divine Mark Speed, closing the distance to Wang Jie in an instant.
A flash of sword light, and the tip of the Abyssal Ancient Sword was already at Wang Jie's chest.
What seemed like a simple thrust was actually a move from the Nine Lives Sword Technique—Azure Sea Blue Sky—not only carrying immense power but also brimming with infinite variables.
"Chi."
Wang Jie's Sword Two could not block this strike.
"This is... the Nine Lives Sword Technique..."
Wang Jie's eyes widened in disbelief. He couldn't accept that Zhang Ruochen had cultivated the Nine Lives Sword Technique to such a level.
Abandoning defense, Wang Jie instead launched the two bone swords, executing the Flying Sword Art.
The two bone swords flew to the left and right, bypassing the Abyssal Ancient Sword to strike Zhang Ruochen from both sides.
At the same time, Wang Jie produced two talismans, gripping them in his palms and pressing them forward.
The two talismans exploded, creating ripples of energy like water patterns, forming nine layers of light barriers in front of him.
"Bang, bang."
One layer burst, two layers burst, three layers burst...
The Abyssal Ancient Sword pierced through seven layers before stopping, locked in a stalemate with the remaining two.
Meanwhile, the two bone swords Wang Jie had launched radiated powerful sword qi, flying toward Zhang Ruochen.
If Zhang Ruochen did not dodge now, the two bone swords would surely pierce his body.
Wang Jie revealed a smug smile. As long as Zhang Ruochen dodged, he would lose the upper hand, and Wang Jie could press the attack.
From then on, Wang Jie would seize control and suppress Zhang Ruochen.
The Second Prince of the Undying Blood Clan watched the two combatants and nodded in satisfaction, muttering to himself, "Wang Jie does have some real skill. His mastery of the sword path is truly outstanding."
However, what neither the Second Prince nor Wang Jie expected was that Zhang Ruochen did not dodge. Instead, he stepped forward, striking the hilt of the Abyssal Ancient Sword with his palm and shouting, "Break!"
"Bang, bang."
The Abyssal Ancient Sword pierced through the last two light barriers, plunging into Wang Jie's chest and flying out through his back, leaving a gaping hole the size of a plate.
At the same time, the two bone swords descended, striking Zhang Ruochen's left and right shoulders, piercing through his body.
But Zhang Ruochen's body gradually faded until it completely disappeared.
It was merely an afterimage. Zhang Ruochen's true form had already used Spatial Displacement an instant earlier, rushing toward the manor's main gate.
"Zhang... Zhang Ruochen... I... I won't... accept this..."
Wang Jie stared at the hole in his chest, trembling, staggering backward, then collapsing face-first to the ground, losing all signs of life.
"Shua!"
The Devouring Elephant Rabbit turned into a red blur, dashing forward at lightning speed. It extended a sharp claw, pierced Wang Jie's Qi Sea, dug out his Half-Saint Light, and swallowed it in one gulp.
"What a beast! How dare you steal the Half-Saint Light right before my eyes?"
The Second Prince of the Undying Blood Clan's face darkened. He executed a speed technique, appearing before Wang Jie's corpse in an instant and striking at the Devouring Elephant Rabbit's head.
But the rabbit was faster. With a "whoosh," it turned into a streak of light, catching up to Zhang Ruochen and charging toward the manor gate.
"So fast."
The Second Prince glanced at his own palm, slightly surprised, then waved his hand and commanded sternly, "Stop Zhang Ruochen and that beast! Do not let them escape the manor!"
The manor's illusion twisted slightly.
Immediately, the figures of dozens of Undying Blood Clan experts materialized. Spreading their massive blood wings, they attacked Zhang Ruochen and the Devouring Elephant Rabbit from all directions.
"Space Shatter."
Zhang Ruochen pointed a finger forward.
Silently, dense spatial cracks appeared above the heads of over a dozen Undying Blood Clan members ahead.
"Boom!"
Space collapsed inward.
A area of dozens of zhang in radius shattered completely, swallowing over a dozen Undying Blood Clan experts and crushing them into over a dozen clouds of blood mist.
Among those killed was even a Sixth-Stage Half-Saint.
Zhang Ruochen landed on the Devouring Elephant Rabbit's back, simultaneously summoning the Abyssal Ancient Sword and the Sky-Soaring Sword, executing the Flying Sword Art to cut down the Undying Blood Clan pursuers, leaving them battered and disoriented.
"Divine Mark Eyes."
Zhang Ruochen channeled sacred qi into his pupils, activating the two divine marks within.
With the aid of the divine marks, Zhang Ruochen quickly located the life gate within the manor and immediately said, "Guoguo, the escape route is to the left front. Rush out at top speed!"
The Devouring Elephant Rabbit naturally understood how unfavorable the situation was for both itself and Zhang Ruochen. It pushed its speed to the limit.
At its current speed, it was likely not far behind even a Ninth-Stage Half-Saint.
"Don't worry, Master Chen. We'll be out in three breaths!" The Devouring Elephant Rabbit's hooves burst into flames, and its eyes burned like two fireballs.
In an instant, over twenty Undying Blood Clan experts had died by Zhang Ruochen's sword. In that small area, blood flowed like a river.
It must be noted that all the Undying Blood Clan members lurking in the manor were top-tier experts, at least at the Seventh Change of the Fish-Dragon Realm.
Every death was a significant loss.
A sharp howl rang out as the Second Prince of the Undying Blood Clan spat out a vast cloud of blood qi, transforming it into a violently surging torrent that rushed toward Zhang Ruochen.
In the blink of an eye, the blood qi torrent caught up with Zhang Ruochen and the Devouring Elephant Rabbit.
"Zhang Ruochen, where do you think you're going?"
The Second Prince's voice emerged from the blood qi torrent, condensing into a massive ancient beast phantom the size of a mountain.
The beast phantom was covered in scales, with fangs bared, closely resembling the legendary primordial divine beast, Suanni.
Zhang Ruochen looked up at the giant beast phantom, startled inwardly. "He actually refined Suanni's sacred soul into a battle soul."
A colossal claw, over twenty zhang in diameter, extended from the blood qi torrent, slamming down toward Zhang Ruochen's head.
The Second Prince's cultivation had reached the Sixth-Stage Half-Saint realm. With his powerful physique and Suanni's battle soul, even a Seventh-Stage or Eighth-Stage Half-Saint might not be his match.
At Zhang Ruochen's current level, a direct confrontation would be disadvantageous.
"Space Distortion."
Zhang Ruochen raised both hands, causing the space within dozens of zhang to warp violently.
The claw aimed at Zhang Ruochen's head naturally deviated, landing to his right.
"Boom!"
The immense force of the claw crushed the ground beneath, creating a crater surrounded by dense cracks.
Zhang Ruochen, riding the Devouring Elephant Rabbit, produced a black pill and hurled it at the pursuing Second Prince.
"Bang."
The black pill exploded, releasing a powerful Death Evil Qi.
The Second Prince seemed to recognize the danger of the Death Evil Qi. His expression changed drastically, and he immediately struck forward with a palm, using the recoil to retreat rapidly.
The other Undying Blood Clan members reacted too slowly, charging into the Death Evil Qi and letting out a series of screams.
In that brief moment, Zhang Ruochen and the Devouring Elephant Rabbit had already escaped through the manor gate, rushing toward Golden Sparrow City.
"Damn it!"
The Second Prince stomped the ground in fury, his rage blazing like fire. He roared, "Zhang Ruochen has escaped! We can't wait any longer. Attack the Town Prison Ancient Clan's army now! Before they become alert, we must eliminate at least thirty thousand soldiers!"
Inside the manor, the illusion gradually dissipated, revealing the densely packed figures of the Undying Blood Clan. Some stood in the courtyards, others crouched on rooftops, and a few hung upside down from trees.
At the Second Prince's command, all the Undying Blood Clan members spread their blood wings, producing a "whoosh-whoosh" sound, and transformed into a blood-red cloud, flying toward Golden Sparrow City. (To be continued.)