Chapter 940: Probing
In his current state, Zhang Ruochen could not use many of his techniques. He could only rely on the Seven Orifices Blood Nether Palm and the power of the Blood God Gu, and he had to keep his battle strength within a certain range.
As a result, compared to the three grand-disciples of the other Dharma Kings, Zhang Ruochen was indeed slightly inferior, making victory no easy task.
Fortunately, this time, the Netherworld Heavenly Palace would recruit a total of three Banner Lords. Aside from Yan Kongming, Bai Yu, and Ning Guihai, there were no other formidable opponents.
As long as he could defeat one of them, he would naturally secure the position of Banner Lord.
Zhang Ruochen asked, "Two Uncle-Masters, does Grandmaster have a deeper purpose in sending me to compete for the Banner Lord position of the Netherworld Heavenly Palace?"
"You're quite clever."
Lan Ye shot Zhang Ruochen a glance, his face still extremely cold, and said, "Since you've already taken the Blood God Gu, there's no harm in telling you."
"The Netherworld Heavenly Palace has been stationed at the Endless Abyss for three hundred years, guarding a great secret. Master sent you to compete for the Banner Lord position, hoping you would uncover that secret. If you fail, Master will certainly be very disappointed."
Hearing the truth, Zhang Ruochen was slightly taken aback.
Originally, he had been quite troubled, unsure how to reach the Endless Abyss without anyone noticing. Yet now, an excellent opportunity was presented right before him.
What secret did the Endless Abyss hide, that required the Netherworld Heavenly Palace to be stationed there?
It seemed even the followers of the Blood God Sect could not approach it.
It was highly likely that the other three Dharma Kings had also sent their grand-disciples to compete for the Banner Lord position in order to investigate the secret of the Endless Abyss.
If, before this, Zhang Ruochen had little interest in competing for the Banner Lord position, now, even if not for Haiming Dharma King, he had to give his all to pass tomorrow's assessment and enter the Netherworld Heavenly Palace.
After informing Zhang Ruochen of all the precautions, Ji Shui and Lan Ye left the Dharma King's hall. Zhang Ruochen did not linger there either and immediately returned to Wangchu Island.
Entering the cultivation tower, Zhang Ruochen mobilized his spiritual power to observe the Blood God Gu coiled in his Qi Sea.
At this moment, the Blood God Gu was curled up, appearing very calm, likely asleep.
"Is the Blood God Gu really that powerful?"
Slowly, Zhang Ruochen began to circulate his Saint Qi, converting it into flames to form a massive fireball. He moved it closer to the Blood God Gu, intending to refine it.
Suddenly, the Blood God Gu awakened, emitting a violent aura. It opened its mouth and devoured all the surrounding flames.
The scorching fire not only failed to refine the Blood God Gu but instead became its nourishment, making it even more vigorous.
"Shua!"
The Blood God Gu lunged forward, charging at the wall of Zhang Ruochen's Qi Sea, attacking with its sharp claws.
Zhang Ruochen was secretly alarmed. He once again circulated his Saint Qi, causing all the divine marks on the Qi Sea wall to emerge, radiating bright divine light to block the Blood God Gu's assault.
The Blood God Gu's claws and teeth were extremely sharp. In just a quarter of an hour, it pierced through seven divine marks in succession.
However, after it broke through the marks, they quickly reformed and continued to block it.
The attack and defense continued for two full hours. Finally, seemingly exhausted from expending too much power, the Blood God Gu fell asleep again.
Zhang Ruochen let out a long breath and muttered to himself, "Such formidable power. If its cultivation reaches the seventh-order Half-Saint level, even the divine marks might not be able to hold it back."
Although the Blood God Gu was asleep, it constantly absorbed the Saint Qi within Zhang Ruochen's body, continuously cultivating and growing stronger.
At its current cultivation speed, it would likely reach the seventh-order Half-Saint level before long.
No matter what, he had to refine the Blood God Gu before it reached that level. Otherwise, Zhang Ruochen might truly fall under Haiming Dharma King's control.
"Just what level has Haiming Dharma King's cultivation reached?"
So far, Zhang Ruochen had only seen Haiming Dharma King's Saint Soul avatar, with no idea where his true body was.
Haiming Dharma King sending Zhang Ruochen to the Netherworld Heavenly Palace was certainly a top-secret matter. Whether Zhang Ruochen succeeded or failed in his mission, he would ultimately be silenced.
After all, Haiming Dharma King could not keep using divine blood to extend his life.
Now, Zhang Ruochen had to prepare an escape strategy in advance. To escape, he first needed to understand just how powerful Haiming Dharma King truly was.
"Hua!"
A flash of light appeared at Zhang Ruochen's brow, and the Cosmic Divine Wood Map flew out, hovering in midair.
"Blood Moon Ghost King," Zhang Ruochen called out.
A blood-red ghostly aura rose from the surface of the scroll, condensing in the cultivation tower into an extremely graceful figure.
Compared to when she was in the Underworld, Blood Moon Ghost King's cultivation had improved significantly, now exuding a deathly aura.
The ever-changing ghostly aura coalesced into human form, transforming into a stunning beauty. She stared at Zhang Ruochen and said, "Zhang Ruochen, why have you summoned me?"
"Help me probe someone's cultivation," Zhang Ruochen said.
Without needing further explanation, Blood Moon Ghost King's eyes turned blood-red, like two translucent rubies.
Immediately, ninety-nine strands of invisible ghostly aura flowed from her pupils, surging out of Wangchu Island. They flew over the surface of the Immortal Nether Sea, circling a large area before locking onto the central Kongcheng Island.
The ninety-nine strands of ghostly aura condensed into a human form, becoming a ghostly avatar of Blood Moon Ghost King. She stood on the water, releasing a chilling cold that froze the water beneath her feet into ice.
"Oh!"
On Kongcheng Island, Haiming Dharma King's Saint Soul avatar sensed something. He immediately flew up from the Plum Garden, hovering in midair, and gazed in Blood Moon Ghost King's direction. "To be able to silently enter the heart of the Immortal Nether Sea, your cultivation is quite impressive."
Blood Moon Ghost King said nothing. Her slender jade hands slowly rose and pushed forward, producing a rustling sound.
With Kongcheng Island at the center, an area spanning hundreds of miles was completely shrouded in ink-black ghostly aura.
From the ghostly aura, countless bone-white phantom figures flew out, like an army of the undead, emitting piercing howls as they surged toward Haiming Dharma King.
"So you're a Ghost King from the Underworld."
Haiming Dharma King snorted coldly, raised a palm, and slapped forward. A massive blood-red handprint shattered all the undead army.
Even Blood Moon Ghost King's ghostly avatar was sent flying dozens of miles back before she could neutralize Haiming Dharma King's palm force.
Without any hesitation, Blood Moon Ghost King immediately dissolved her avatar, turning it back into ghostly aura that dissipated over the Immortal Nether Sea.
Meanwhile, in the cultivation tower, Blood Moon Ghost King's delicate body trembled slightly.
After a long while, she fully recovered, her expression extremely grave. "This person's cultivation is at least two realms above mine, likely reaching the Heaven-Connecting Realm. You'd best not provoke him, or you'll only end up dead. Even if you try to flee, there's no chance of escape."
Although Blood Moon Ghost King and Haiming Dharma King had only clashed with their avatars, at their level, their perception of power was incredibly precise, allowing them to deduce each other's true strength.
Even Blood Moon Ghost King gave such a high evaluation of Haiming Dharma King, meaning the old demon was indeed a terrifying figure.
Blood Moon Ghost King returned to the Cosmic Divine Wood Map, and Zhang Ruochen sank back into thought.
Haiming Dharma King's strength far exceeded Zhang Ruochen's expectations. Even if he went to the Endless Abyss and uncovered the secret there, it would be difficult to escape unscathed.
"For now, I'll just take it one step at a time." Zhang Ruochen appeared quite calm. Before stepping into the Blood God Sect, he had already prepared for the worst.
That night, all the formations of the Immortal Nether Sea were activated, and every follower was dispatched to search for traces of Blood Moon Ghost King.
By the next morning, nothing had been found.
Zhang Ruochen pretended to know nothing. He changed into a blood-red robe, tied up his hair, and looked quite dashing and elegant, with wide sleeves fluttering as he walked out of the cultivation tower.
"Shua!"
"Shua!"
A black and a red light shuttle descended from the sky, condensing into two figures, one in black and one in a blood robe. They were Haiming Dharma King's tenth disciple, Ji Shui, and thirteenth disciple, Lan Ye.
"Greetings, two Uncle-Masters," Zhang Ruochen said.
Lan Ye said, "Today is the day the Netherworld Heavenly Palace recruits Banner Lords. Master has sent us to take you there."
Immediately, the three of them used their movement techniques, transforming into three beams of light as they flew out of Wangchu Island.
The assessment site for the Netherworld Heavenly Palace was located at Poluo Mountain.
The sun had just risen above the horizon, but nearly several dozen Half-Saints in blood robes had already gathered at the foot of Poluo Mountain.
Those who could cultivate to the Half-Saint level were naturally outstanding individuals. Each could establish a vast Half-Saint clan or a fourth-rate sect, becoming a regional overlord.
It wasn't just the four Dharma Kings sending their juniors to compete for the Banner Lord position. Some extremely powerful figures within the Blood God Sect also dispatched their disciples to participate in the Netherworld Heavenly Palace assessment.
Man Ye, clad in heavy black armor, stood on a high vantage point, arms crossed over his chest, and sneered, "This must be the largest number of Half-Saints participating in the Banner Lord assessment in history, right?"
Man Ye was one of the six Banner Kings of the Netherworld Heavenly Palace, hailing from the Barbarian Clan. He stood five meters tall, with arms as thick as pillars, looking like a wild man, and his cultivation was unfathomable.
Today, he and another Banner King, Zhao Wuliang, would be responsible for overseeing the Banner Lord recruitment assessment.
Zhao Wuliang swept his gaze over the participating Half-Saints and said, "Indeed, it's the largest number ever. Moreover, there are several quite formidable individuals with extremely high talent, who have the potential to impact the Saint realm in the future." (To be continued.)