# Chapter 945: Flirting with Eyes
Yan Kongming's arm shimmered with holy light. With a flick of his wrist, he shot out three cyan iron tokens, which transformed into three streaks of cyan light flying toward Zhang Ruochen.
The cyan iron tokens were crystal clear, with dense inscriptions emerging on their surfaces, ancient and magnificent.
"Boom!"
"Boom!"
"Boom!"
Three consecutive explosions rang out.
The three cyan iron tokens shattered, releasing strands of cyan inscriptions that intertwined to form three sixth-rank attack formations, trapping Zhang Ruochen within them.
The three sixth-rank attack formations were the Heavenly Heart Giant Ape Formation, the Profound Ice Formation, and the Divine Sky Wind-Thunder Formation. All were capable of severely wounding Half-Saints and represented Yan Kongming's final trump card.
Yan Kongming strode boldly into the formation, spreading his arms wide to release his forty-fifth-order spiritual power fully. It formed invisible tentacles as he simultaneously controlled all three formations.
"Roar!"
At the center of the Heavenly Heart Giant Ape Formation, holy energy surged violently. A thirty-zhang-tall flame giant ape rose from the formation's light membrane, its expression ferocious and furious as it let out an earth-shaking roar.
Its body, composed of the formation's energy, was extremely violent and frenzied. It swung a massive fist toward Zhang Ruochen's head.
At the same time, the Profound Ice Formation and Divine Sky Wind-Thunder Formation erupted with power. Dense ice blades flew out from within the formation, while purple lightning descended from the sky.
The power of the three formations was absolutely terrifying, causing the mountain beneath Zhang Ruochen's feet to sink continuously.
Compared to Yan Kongming's methods, Ning Guihai's approach was silent and invisible.
He activated his invisibility secret technique. With a flicker of his form, ripples appeared in the air. Then his body vanished from sight, clearly preparing to launch a sneak attack.
At the foot of Posuo Mountain, Lan Ye's expression was extremely gloomy. He held a grudge against Zhang Ruochen, saying, "He had already won and could have easily reached the summit to claim the last Banner Lord position. But no, he had to covet two sacred artifacts, forcing Yan Kongming and Ning Guihai to fight him to the death. Let's see if he can survive this crisis!"
"From his mountain-climbing process, it's clear this kid is clever, not foolish. Since he dared to seize the Yuling Blood Blade and Dragon Fang Dagger, he must have a way to deal with Yan Kongming and Ning Guihai," Ji Shui said.
The power of the three formations was indeed formidable, forcing Zhang Ruochen into a purely defensive stance.
However, Ning Guihai's invisibility technique posed no threat whatsoever to Zhang Ruochen, who possessed the Divine Mark Eye.
Every move Ning Guihai made was completely visible to Zhang Ruochen's eyes.
Just as Ning Guihai crept behind Zhang Ruochen, preparing to launch a surprise attack—
Zhang Ruochen's lips curled into a smirk. He struck first, sending a palm strike backward—another Seven Orifices Blood Nether Palm.
"Boom."
The flame-wreathed palm print struck Ning Guihai's face. Ning Guihai's head split apart like a watermelon.
Blood splattered everywhere. His death was gruesome.
Since he had already offended them, and given the nature of evil path cultivators who would never let things go, letting them return would only be like releasing a tiger back to the mountains.
To avoid future trouble, Zhang Ruochen had no choice but to kill them.
As for the consequences of killing Ning Guihai, Haiming Dharma King would help him smooth things over, so he wasn't worried about sanctions from the Blood God Sect.
Then, Zhang Ruochen gathered his strength and struck the ground with another palm.
"Boom!"
From his palm, a blood dragon dozens of zhangs long flew out, slamming violently into the three sixth-rank formations, causing them to shake fiercely.
Even the ground split open with a massive fissure, making Posuo Mountain shake violently as if it were about to collapse.
Yan Kongming looked at the crack in the ground, then at Ning Guihai's corpse. A chill ran down his spine, and retreat began to form in his mind.
Bai Yu was severely wounded, Ning Guihai was dead—could he alone still hope to win?
"That kid pretended to be weak from the start, but his cultivation is actually unfathomably deep. If I keep fighting him, I might end up like Ning Guihai."
Weighing the pros and cons, Yan Kongming pushed off the ground and flew backward, abandoning the fight with Zhang Ruochen to flee down Posuo Mountain.
In the end, Yan Kongming couldn't see through Zhang Ruochen's true depth, so he didn't dare continue the battle.
Who knew how strong that kid really was?
"Boom!"
Zhang Ruochen struck out seventeen palm prints in succession before shattering the three sixth-rank attack formations. He leaped up to a higher vantage point and looked down.
The Half-Saints climbing the mountain saw Zhang Ruochen above them and all shuddered, involuntarily stepping back.
The previous battle had left three top experts—one wounded, one dead, one fled. Such a brilliant record naturally stunned everyone present.
"Forget it, no need to compete. Let him have the Banner Lord position."
A middle-aged man with a strand of white hair at his temples shook his head, choosing to give up rather than continue climbing.
"This man is too strong, and his methods are ruthless—decisive in killing. Better not to provoke him."
"With this battle, this man will surely become famous, overshadowing Bai Yu and Ning Guihai. Below the Divine Son and Saintess, he should be the strongest."
"Who is he? Why haven't I seen him before?"
...
Everyone only knew that the young man above was Haiming Dharma King's grand-disciple, but few knew his name.
Zhang Ruochen watched the crowd retreating like a receding tide and revealed a sinister smile.
He put away the Yuling Blood Blade and Dragon Fang Dagger, then walked leisurely and unhurriedly toward the summit.
"That kid actually managed to single-handedly break through the encirclement of Bai Yu, Yan Kongming, and Ning Guihai. I underestimated him earlier. His physique and his mastery of palm techniques are quite extraordinary."
The Blood God Sect Saintess's starry eyes showed a glimmer of unusual interest. She had developed some curiosity about Zhang Ruochen.
The Blood God Sect Divine Son glanced at the Saintess beside him, then fixed a sharp gaze on Zhang Ruochen. "His combat power is indeed decent, but it's only because of the Blood God Gu that he's this strong. Without it, he's just a second-step Half-Saint."
The Blood God Sect Saintess nodded slightly. "True. It's a pity—if he hadn't taken the Blood God Gu, his future achievements would have been considerable."
Although the Blood God Sect Divine Son and Saintess were both third-step Half-Saints in cultivation, given their status, obtaining a fourth-rank Saint Origin Pill wasn't too difficult. They would soon break through to fourth-step Half-Saint.
Once they reached fourth-step Half-Saint, with their physiques, they could rival sixth-step Half-Saints. Naturally, they wouldn't pay much attention to a second-step Half-Saint.
Soon, Zhang Ruochen reached the summit. He pulled up the last black war banner and smiled at the Blood God Sect Divine Son and Saintess. "Divine Son, Saintess, from now on, we'll all be Banner Lords of the Netherworld Heavenly Palace. I hope you two will look after me in the future."
The Blood God Sect Divine Son snorted coldly and turned his face away, showing no goodwill toward Zhang Ruochen.
The Blood God Sect Saintess, however, shed some of her coldness and showed a hint of warmth, smiling. "You've offended this Saintess. Don't you plan to offer something to make amends and resolve our conflict?"
Zhang Ruochen looked puzzled. "Have I offended the Saintess?"
The Blood God Sect Saintess's eyes carried a seductive power as she said softly, "You can keep playing dumb, but remember this: after entering the Netherworld Heavenly Palace, this Saintess might promote you, or she might kill you. It all depends on your choice right now."
Zhang Ruochen pretended to understand and nodded. He took out the Dragon Fang Dagger, held it in both hands, and presented it to the Blood God Sect Saintess with a smile. "If there's really some misunderstanding between us, I hope the Saintess will be magnanimous and not hold it against me."
The Dragon Fang Dagger was a tooth from a holy-rank venomous dragon, as sharp as a sacred artifact. Moreover, the venom on the dagger could threaten even Saints.
Anyone below the seventh-step Half-Saint who was pierced by the Dragon Fang Dagger would surely die. Even those above seventh-step Half-Saint, if struck by the dragon venom on the dagger, wouldn't last long without top-grade antidote pills.
For this reason, the Dragon Fang Dagger was more precious than some sacred artifacts.
"A wise man knows when to adapt—that saying fits you perfectly."
The Blood God Sect Saintess extended a delicate jade arm and grabbed the Dragon Fang Dagger.
Then, her wrist turned into a blur as she swung the dagger toward Zhang Ruochen's neck.
Zhang Ruochen was prepared, so he wasn't flustered. He struck out with a palm aimed at the Saintess's waist and abdomen.
The Blood God Sect Saintess quickly withdrew her arm, using the nine rings of holy light around her to neutralize Zhang Ruochen's palm force. Then she smiled charmingly. "Your reaction speed is quite fast. Your combat experience is probably catching up to the Divine Son's. Fine! For the sake of this Dragon Fang Dagger, this Saintess will spare you this once. What's your name?"
"Reporting to the Saintess, this humble one is Gu Linfeng," Zhang Ruochen said with a cupped fist salute.
The Blood God Sect Divine Son stood nearby, watching Zhang Ruochen and the Blood God Sect Saintess flirting with their eyes. He was extremely displeased and shot Zhang Ruochen a warning glare.
But Zhang Ruochen acted as if he didn't understand the Divine Son's gaze and continued conversing with the Blood God Sect Saintess. Finally, he learned her name—Shangguan Xianyan—and that she was born into the Shangguan Clan.
The two Banner Kings of the Netherworld Heavenly Palace, Man Ye and Zhao Wuliang, ascended to the summit of Posuo Mountain.
Zhao Wuliang wore a smile on his face. "Congratulations to the three of you for becoming the new Banner Lords of the Netherworld Heavenly Palace. Gu Linfeng will serve under this King, while the Divine Son and Saintess will follow Banner King Man Ye for training. Two days from now, you three must report to the Netherworld Heavenly Palace on time."
After speaking, Zhao Wuliang gave Zhang Ruochen a meaningful glance.
Then, Zhao Wuliang and Banner King Man Ye left first, returning to the Netherworld Heavenly Palace.
Although Zhao Wuliang's expression was kind and he always wore a smile, Zhang Ruochen felt that the look he gave him at the end was very strange, sending a chill down his spine.
"Could he be after the Yuling Blood Blade?"
Zhang Ruochen pondered silently and made a decision: upon entering the Netherworld Heavenly Palace, he must be wary of this man. (To be continued.)