Chapter 959: Blood Saint
Zhang Ruochen’s pupils contracted as he channeled all his Saint Qi into his arms, unleashing a series of twenty-seven palm strikes that collided with Yun Luan Blood General’s claws.
*Boom. Boom.*
At first, Yun Luan Blood General could barely withstand Zhang Ruochen’s palm strikes, but after the tenth strike, all his claws shattered completely.
The subsequent seventeen palm strikes Zhang Ruochen delivered all landed on Yun Luan Blood General’s body.
By the time Zhang Ruochen withdrew his palms, Yun Luan Blood General’s skin had burst open, spilling copious amounts of blood.
His body, like a boneless lump of flesh, collapsed limply to the ground.
If anyone were to examine Yun Luan Blood General’s injuries, they would discover that every bone and meridian within his body had been shattered by Zhang Ruochen.
Despite having severely wounded two Undying Blood Clan powerhouses in succession, Zhang Ruochen showed no sign of complacency. He grabbed the Seven Saints Serpent Spear again, spun around, and charged toward the Second Prince.
The Second Prince’s swordsmanship was exceptionally refined. The four-foot-long sword in his hand spun rapidly, forming a sweeping curtain of sword light that covered the sky (mantian).
Clearly, he had also realized that the Blood God Sect youth before him possessed an extraordinarily powerful physical body. Thus, instead of engaging in a direct clash, he sought to overcome his opponent with exquisite sword techniques.
“Sword One.”
Zhang Ruochen murmured inwardly.
Although he wielded the Seven Saints Serpent Spear, he executed a sword technique infused with the essence of Sword One, thrusting it forward.
With a single spear strike, he shattered the sky-covering (mantian) sword energy, forcing the Second Prince to retreat.
The Second Prince glanced at a torn hole in his left sleeve, both shocked and enraged. “You’re using a sword technique.”
“That’s right, it is indeed a sword technique.”
Having said this, Zhang Ruochen sensed something and turned his gaze toward a spot behind and to the right of the Second Prince. There, he could clearly see a figure with enormous blood-red wings materializing.
The person stood calmly in the distance, yet exuded a heart-stopping wave of power. Rings of blood-colored ripples spread through the air, enveloping the entire space.
Clearly, this must be the Undying Blood Clan’s Imperial Uncle.
“The true strong one has finally appeared.”
Zhang Ruochen’s expression grew extremely solemn. He stored the Seven Saints Serpent Spear into his Space Ring and summoned the Abyssal Ancient Sword, gripping it firmly.
The opponent was undoubtedly a Saint, and with the Undying Blood Clan’s formidable physical body, even Zhang Ruochen with his Five Elements Chaos Body was no match for him.
Only by employing the powers of time and space could he have a chance to win.
Seeing Zhang Ruochen draw the Abyssal Ancient Sword, the Sacred Book Talented Woman, who was sitting on the ground, had her bright, star-like eyes gleam with dazzling radiance, like two glistening black pearls.
At that moment, no words could describe her emotions.
It was indeed Zhang Ruochen. He had risked death to come down to the bottom of the Endless Abyss, just to save her.
She knew that Zhang Ruochen was neither the Confucian Path’s leader nor the Imperial Court’s War Saint. He was merely a young Half-Saint.
What the Confucian leader and War Saint had failed to do, he had accomplished.
“Why is he doing this?”
The Sacred Book Talented Woman pondered this question, feeling breathless and her heart in turmoil.
A hint of shyness even appeared on her flawless face, causing her to momentarily forget that they were in an extremely dangerous situation, where death could come at any moment.
At this moment, the Second Prince’s gaze was fixed intently on the Space Ring on Zhang Ruochen’s finger and the black ancient sword.
“How did Zhang Ruochen’s sword end up in your hands?”
The Second Prince re-evaluated the Blood God Sect youth before him, utterly baffled as to how Mei Lanzhu and Zhang Ruochen’s war blade could appear on the same person.
Xian Lan Wang stepped forward with slow, deliberate steps, his blood-red, sinister eyes fixed on Zhang Ruochen, as if he had seen through him completely.
He said, “Because he is Zhang Ruochen.”
“He is Zhang Ruochen?” The Second Prince was stunned again.
Xian Lan Wang said, “Aside from the Time and Space Heir Zhang Ruochen’s Five Elements Chaos Body, who else could, at the Third-Step Half-Saint level, successively injure two Eighth-Step Half-Saint Undying Blood Clan members?”
Xian Lan Wang stood with his hands behind his back, steady as a mountain. The armor on his body resembled blood-red crystal. He was like an unshakable peak standing before them, enough to make any human below the Saint realm feel despair.
Even though the First Gradient’s Heaven and Earth Rules suppressed his cultivation, his power remained formidable, far beyond what a Half-Saint could match.
A Saint, no matter where, was always a dominator.
In the eyes of a Saint, all beings below the Saint realm were merely ants that could be flicked away with a finger.
Xian Lan Wang stared at Zhang Ruochen and said, “Zhang Ruochen, I have always considered you a remarkable talent. If you take the Sacred Book Talented Woman’s head and present the Blood Clan Secret Scroll, returning to the Qingtian Tribe, you will surely be enfeoffed as a king.”
Zhang Ruochen glanced at the Sacred Book Talented Woman, smiled, and said, “Even if I were willing to submit, I’m afraid the Second Prince would not agree.”
The Second Prince chuckled and said, “Zhang Ruochen, you underestimate my magnanimity. Although we have had some conflicts in the past, if you are willing to pledge allegiance to me, all past grievances can be completely wiped clean.”
Then, the Second Prince added, “The Sacred Book Talented Woman is one of the Empress’s most favored Mystic Maidens. If you kill her, your name will surely shake the world.”
Zhang Ruochen’s expression remained unchanged. “Unfortunately, I have a life-and-death bond with Miss Nalan. There’s no way I could kill her.”
The Sacred Book Talented Woman had recovered some strength and slowly stood up. Her slender figure was like a perfect crescent moon.
“Zhang Ruochen, the man opposite us is a younger brother of the Qingtian Blood Emperor, known as Xian Lan Wang. He has long achieved Sainthood. If my injuries were healed, I could slay him.”
The Sacred Book Talented Woman was reminding Zhang Ruochen not to fight Xian Lan Wang head-on for now. They could retreat first, and if she were given some time to recover from her injuries, they could turn the tables.
Zhang Ruochen also had no intention of fighting Xian Lan Wang head-on. At his current level, engaging a Saint in battle offered no chance of victory.
Xian Lan Wang saw that Zhang Ruochen would not submit to the Undying Blood Clan, so his blood-red eyes turned more ferocious. He said coldly, “Leave Zhang Ruochen to me. Second Prince, go capture the Sacred Book Talented Woman.”
However, before Xian Lan Wang and the Second Prince could act, two black pills flew out of Zhang Ruochen’s hand and exploded before them, turning into two clouds of Death Evil Qi.
These two black pills were newly refined by Zhang Ruochen, containing dozens of times more Death Evil Qi than before.
*Whoosh.*
Xian Lan Wang immediately grabbed the Second Prince and retreated rapidly, stopping only after they were a hundred zhang away.
However, the severely injured Yun Yi Blood General and Yun Luan Blood General were not so fortunate.
The Death Evil Qi invaded their bodies instantly, turning all their wounds black and causing severe corrosion.
Under the First Gradient’s suppression, their cultivation could not resist the Death Evil Qi.
“Blood King… My Lord… Save me…”
From within the black Death Evil Qi came Yun Yi Blood General’s pitiful cries for help.
The Second Prince sucked in a breath of cold air and looked at Xian Lan Wang. “Imperial Uncle, those two are powerful warriors…”
Before the Second Prince could finish, Xian Lan Wang shook his head decisively. “The environment here is completely different from the surface. Even with my cultivation, once I’m contaminated by Death Evil Qi, it’s very hard to dispel. Our mission is the Blood Clan Secret Scroll. Let’s go after Zhang Ruochen and the Sacred Book Talented Woman. We can’t let them escape.”
Just now, after releasing the Death Evil Qi, Zhang Ruochen immediately grabbed the Sacred Book Talented Woman and used his fastest movement technique to flee into the distance.
As he ran forward, Zhang Ruochen glanced at the Sacred Book Talented Woman leaning against his chest and asked, “How long will it take for your Spiritual Power to fully recover?”
The Sacred Book Talented Woman’s soft lotus-like arms wrapped around Zhang Ruochen, her demeanor serene. “About three days.”
“Three days?”
Zhang Ruochen looked back over his shoulder. “At Xian Lan Wang’s speed, he’ll catch up to us in at most half an hour.”
If Zhang Ruochen were alone, even if he fought Xian Lan Wang, he was confident he could escape unscathed.
But with the Sacred Book Talented Woman in tow, he would have to divide his attention to protect her, and in the end, both of them might not survive.
Behind them, a river formed of blood mist surged forward rapidly, drawing closer and closer to Zhang Ruochen and the Sacred Book Talented Woman.
Xian Lan Wang and the Second Prince stood at the forefront of the blood river.
The Sacred Book Talented Woman’s brows furrowed slightly. “My Spiritual Power is completely exhausted, and a large amount of blood Qi has been lost from my body. I’m on the verge of depletion. How could it be easy to recover to my peak state?”
Zhang Ruochen knew the Sacred Book Talented Woman was in a difficult position, so he stopped placing his hopes on her. Hundreds of thoughts raced through his mind as he desperately sought a countermeasure.
Suddenly, Zhang Ruochen’s eyes lit up. “I have a risky plan we can try.”
With that, Zhang Ruochen twisted his feet and charged off in another direction at top speed.
To deal with Xian Lan Wang, a direct confrontation was out of the question. He would have to use one force against another.
Whose force?
In the First Gradient, he could only borrow the power of blood beasts.
So, Zhang Ruochen immediately thought of the sleeping Cloud Gold Beast he had encountered earlier.
“Imperial Uncle, Zhang Ruochen has fled in another direction,” the Second Prince said.
“No matter where he runs here, he’ll find no way to heaven and no door to hell.” Xian Lan Wang’s gaze was sharp. He also changed direction and pursued at an even faster speed.
*Rustle, rustle.*
Sand and stones rolled on the ground.
Streams of blood Qi had already surged above Zhang Ruochen and the Sacred Book Talented Woman’s heads. Xian Lan Wang, chasing behind them, was less than a hundred zhang away.
Ninety zhang, eighty zhang…
The distance grew shorter, and the bloodthirsty scent in the air became thicker.
(To be continued.)