Chapter 957: Are You Zhang Ruochen?
Without time to use any deceleration measures, the legs of Wuliang Banner King collided with the hard ground.
With a loud "boom," the rock on the ground shattered, leaving a dense network of cracks.
Even with Wuliang Banner King's powerful physical body, enduring such a violent impact left his legs numb and his entire body feeling as if it had fallen apart.
Wuliang Banner King looked up. Above him, Gu Linfeng, with a pair of golden dragon wings, was also rapidly descending.
"Now is my only chance. While Gu Linfeng hasn't yet landed, I'll strike him with a fatal blow."
Enduring the pain, Wuliang Banner King kicked off the ground, leaping dozens of zhang into the air. He poured all the sacred qi within his body into the Seven Saints Serpent Spear.
The Seven Saints Serpent Spear enlarged tenfold, transforming into a golden pillar that struck toward the rapidly falling Zhang Ruochen.
The powerful force and energy ripples spread outward like water waves, layer upon layer.
"Trying to counterattack now? Isn't it a bit too late?"
A five-colored light surged from Zhang Ruochen's body, forming a chaotic cloud of qi.
At the center of the chaotic cloud, Zhang Ruochen shot forward rapidly, gripping the Abyssal Ancient Sword with both hands. He unleashed the full power of every muscle in his body and slashed downward.
The immense force sent the Seven Saints Serpent Spear flying away.
The sharp sword light sliced down from Wuliang Banner King's left shoulder, emerged from his right rib, and continued to the ground, leaving a long sword trail.
Zhang Ruochen landed steadily on the ground. With a flick of his arm, a drop of crimson blood flew off the sword.
In the distance, the Seven Saints Serpent Spear crashed to the ground with a clang, piercing through the earth and leaving a massive stone crater.
In midair, Wuliang Banner King's body split neatly into two halves, falling to the ground beside the Seven Saints Serpent Spear.
"You... who exactly are you?"
Wuliang Banner King's eyes were hollow, his lips barely moving.
"Zhang Ruochen."
Zhang Ruochen stared at his half-body and said calmly.
"So... it's... you..."
Wuliang Banner King's face grew paler and more twisted. He mobilized the last trace of his sacred qi, intending to self-destruct his qi sea.
The Abyssal Ancient Sword trembled, shooting out as a streak of black light, piercing into Wuliang Banner King's brow and qi sea, pinning him dead to the ground.
Zhang Ruochen raised his finger, recalling the Abyssal Ancient Sword.
Then, he walked over to Wuliang Banner King and searched his body. Aside from finding some healing pills and blood pellets, there was nothing valuable.
...
...
The world of the first gradient was extremely dark, quiet, and cold. Stretching out a hand, you couldn't even see your fingers.
According to Wuliang Banner King, the first gradient was home to many powerful blood beasts. Moreover, several strong figures from the Undying Blood Clan had also come to the first gradient. Clearly, this place was fraught with danger and not safe at all.
Therefore, Zhang Ruochen didn't take out a spirit crystal for light. Instead, he used his heavenly eye to observe the surroundings.
"Spiritual power is heavily suppressed. Even with the heavenly eye, I can only see within five hundred meters."
With the explosive physical power of a Half-Saint-level figure, they could cover five hundred meters in an instant and land an attack on Zhang Ruochen. In such an environment, it was best to be cautious.
Zhang Ruochen pulled out the Seven Saints Serpent Spear and held it in his hand. At the same time, he used the Meteor Invisibility Cloak to tightly wrap his body, completely concealing his aura.
Nearby, Zhang Ruochen searched for a quarter of an hour. Not only did he find the Heavenly Demon Seal that had fallen earlier, but he also found a white chess piece.
The chess piece was stained with blood.
"This is..."
Zhang Ruochen picked up the white chess piece and carefully sensed it. He found a trace of Shengshu Cainü's aura on the bloodstain.
"Shengshu Cainü really did fall to the first gradient. Could she have... died in the belly of a blood beast?" Zhang Ruochen frowned, his fingers tightening around the Seven Saints Serpent Spear.
However, he soon noticed that the bloodstain on the chess piece was peculiar, shaped like an arrow.
"Could it be that Shengshu Cainü isn't dead and deliberately left this chess piece to indicate the direction she went?"
Zhang Ruochen stood up and looked in the direction the chess piece pointed.
A major reason he had come to the first gradient was for Shengshu Cainü. Since there was a clue, even if the possibility was slim, he had to follow it and try.
"If the chess piece was indeed left by Shengshu Cainü, then following the direction it points, I should find more chess pieces."
Zhang Ruochen lifted the Seven Saints Serpent Spear and strode forward in the direction indicated by the chess piece, each step covering over ten zhang.
After traveling about ten li, Zhang Ruochen found another chess piece.
The piece was pressed under a hundred-jin black ice stone, pointing in another direction.
Finding the second chess piece, Zhang Ruochen couldn't help but laugh. "I knew Shengshu Cainü wouldn't die so easily. She has many protective treasures on her, enough to keep her alive."
However, near the second chess piece, there were claw marks from blood beasts and a large amount of bloodstains, clearly the result of a fierce battle.
Not only was there blood from the blood beasts, but also blood from Shengshu Cainü.
The corpse of the blood beast had already turned into a pile of white bones, over ten meters long, each bone as thick as Zhang Ruochen's thigh.
It was obvious that another blood beast had passed by and eaten the flesh of the dead one.
The situation didn't seem so optimistic.
"The bloodstains should be from about a month ago. Shengshu Cainü must have been severely injured."
Zhang Ruochen continued the pursuit, pushing his movement technique to its limit. He only wanted to find Shengshu Cainü as quickly as possible, not a corpse or bones.
Next, every ten li, Zhang Ruochen would find another chess piece.
The path Shengshu Cainü had taken wasn't a straight line; it seemed she had been fleeing all the way.
While tracking Shengshu Cainü, Zhang Ruochen encountered a blood beast.
That blood beast was a Cloud Gold Beast, over a hundred meters tall, lying on the ground like a small mountain.
However, its originally golden scales had turned blood-red. Every breath it took created a gale, stirring up sand and rocks on the ground.
Because Zhang Ruochen was wearing the Meteor Invisibility Cloak, he didn't disturb it. If he had awakened it, even with his strong physical body, he might not have been able to escape.
Zhang Ruochen found twenty-one chess pieces in a row and finally began to close in on Shengshu Cainü.
The bloodstains on the twenty-first chess piece were still relatively fresh, likely left just yesterday.
On the ground, there were even very clear footprints, each step stained with blood, a sight that was shocking.
How strong must Shengshu Cainü's willpower be to have held on for so long without collapsing?
Continuing forward, Zhang Ruochen soon saw the corpse of a Red Tiger Beast. Behind the corpse, there was a faint sound of breathing, indicating that Shengshu Cainü was still alive.
Hearing footsteps from behind, Shengshu Cainü felt both joy and worry.
Was the person coming to save her or to kill her?
The next moment, the person appeared before her. It was a young man holding a Seven Saints Serpent Spear.
Wasn't the Seven Saints Serpent Spear the sacred artifact of Mei Lanzhu, the Divine Son of the Blood God Sect? How had it fallen into this person's hands?
Could he be from the Blood God Sect?
At this moment, Shengshu Cainü was too severely injured, curled up on the ground, trembling slightly in the cold, like a wounded little sparrow abandoned in a snowy wasteland.
If the other party wanted to kill her, she wouldn't even have a chance to resist.
But the young man didn't kill her. Instead, he took off his outer coat and draped it over her, wrapping her delicate, injured body.
Then, he took out a healing pill and placed it between her lips.
The young man looked at her with warm eyes and said, "You're badly hurt. Don't speak. Let me help you heal."
A very familiar gaze.
But at that moment, Shengshu Cainü was groggy and couldn't recall where she had seen those eyes before.
Then, a warm, large hand grasped her cold little hand, channeling a stream of sacred qi into her palm.
Shengshu Cainü's injuries gradually began to recover.
Her pitch-black eyes slowly grew brighter. She stared intently at the young man beside her and finally remembered where she had seen his gaze.
Her heart beat a little faster.
She couldn't believe that the scene she had been fantasizing about in her mind was actually happening before her eyes.
Was it him?
Shengshu Cainü's lips parted slightly, and she let out a self-deprecating laugh. "Am I... dreaming? Or... have I already died?"
Zhang Ruochen looked into her eyes and said, "If I had found you a little later, you might really be dead."
Shengshu Cainü closed her eyes, the corners of her mouth turning up slightly, as if savoring the wonderful feeling of the moment. She didn't dare open her eyes, afraid that once she did, everything would disappear.
"Are you Zhang Ruochen?"
After a long while, she finally asked, wanting to confirm if her guess was correct.
She was, of course, very happy that someone had come to save her. But if the one saving her was Zhang Ruochen, then the meaning was entirely different.
Thus, at that moment, Shengshu Cainü was extremely nervous, biting her lower lip tightly, her eyes fixed on the unfamiliar man beside her, filled with anticipation.
Zhang Ruochen didn't answer her. He stopped channeling sacred qi into her hand, stood up, and looked in one direction.
Then, he gripped the Seven Saints Serpent Spear tightly and said, "Come out! What's the point of staying hidden in the shadows?"
From the darkness came the laughter of the Second Prince of the Undying Blood Clan: "We weren't hiding; we just arrived a step later than you."
"Hiss—"
A fist-sized fire-attribute spirit crystal flew out, illuminating the surrounding darkness and creating a dim area.
Four figures of the Undying Blood Clan approached Zhang Ruochen and Shengshu Cainü from four different directions.
"The Undying Blood Clan..."
Shengshu Cainü assumed a defensive posture, trying to stand up, but she was too weak, and her lower body was completely immobile.
"Rest and recover from your injuries first. Leave this to me." Zhang Ruochen gave her a firm look.
That gaze was full of confidence.
Shengshu Cainü nodded gently, like a little girl. For some reason, even though she knew the situation was extremely dangerous, she couldn't help but enjoy this feeling, as if she had eaten honey—sweet and warm in her heart.
The Second Prince of the Undying Blood Clan fixed his eyes on Zhang Ruochen and said, "Someone from the Blood God Sect?"
"That's right," Zhang Ruochen replied calmly.
The Second Prince of the Undying Blood Clan said, "Someone from the Blood God Sect also wants to obtain the Blood Clan Secret Scroll? Unfortunately, your cultivation is too weak. Even if you found Shengshu Cainü first, you'd only be adding another corpse."
(Today seems to be Monday. I'm asking for monthly votes and recommendation votes! Considering that Xiaoyu hasn't slept yet at three in the morning, shouldn't you show some support? Hehe.) (To be continued.)