Chapter 995: Saint Realm Clash
It was far too sudden. Even with the Cultivation of the Pearl Light Pavilion Master, he could not evade this attack descending from the Ten Directions Heavenly Thunder Formation.
The power of the lightning was extremely formidable, piercing through the Pearl Light Pavilion Master's Saint Soul Domain. His skin turned charred black, with strands of electric patterns writhing across it, emitting a sizzling sound.
The Pearl Light Pavilion Master was furious beyond measure. Clenching his fists, he stared toward the direction of the Formation Tower and barked, "What the hell is going on?"
No response came from the Formation Tower.
Instead, three consecutive bolts of lightning descended from the sky, striking him one after another.
Even though the Pearl Light Pavilion Master's physical body was incredibly robust, he could barely withstand it. Black smoke billowed from his entire body, and in some places, cracks split open, oozing beads of blood.
The Pearl Light Pavilion Master was utterly exasperated, convinced that the old fellows controlling the formation were deliberately messing with him. After all, the attack power of the Ten Directions Heavenly Thunder Formation could not possibly miss every time and land only on him alone.
Ouyang Huan's forehead beaded with dark lines. Sensing something amiss, he immediately dispatched a high-ranking Half-Saint to investigate the Formation Tower.
That high-ranking Half-Saint had barely rushed out.
"Boom."
A pillar of lightning as thick as a water barrel crashed down from the sky, reducing him to a black skeleton, his flesh and blood burned away entirely.
Witnessing this, the Demon Sect cultivators of the Pearl Light Pavilion were all terrified, their legs trembling uncontrollably.
"Could Zhang Ruochen have arranged people in advance to take control of the Ten Directions Heavenly Thunder Formation?"
With this thought, the Demon Sect cultivators immediately scattered, not daring to cluster together.
They knew better than anyone how terrifying the power of the Ten Directions Heavenly Thunder Formation was. Not only could it kill cultivators below the Half-Saint level, but even Saint Realm beings might be suppressed and slain.
With the enemy in control of the Ten Directions Heavenly Thunder Formation, it was a disaster.
"Swoosh——"
From the center of the formation wheel, bolts of lightning surged out, striking the Pearl Light Pavilion one after another.
In moments, dozens of experts were attacked, their divine forms annihilated, turning into wisps of green smoke.
The formation's power was horrifying. Every bolt of lightning that fell caused devastating destruction. The auction ground was flattened, halls turned to ashes, and massive craters dozens of meters in diameter appeared on the ground.
In many places, the ground melted, forming pools of red-hot magma.
"Who? Who is it? Come out!"
"Zhang Ruochen, you despicable coward! Sending formation masters to sabotage the Pearl Light Pavilion's formation in secret—if you have any guts, fight us openly!"
The once magnificent Pearl Light Pavilion suffered severe damage, with incalculable losses. The Pearl Light Pavilion Master and the Demon Sect's experts gnashed their teeth in fury, roaring incessantly.
Xiao Hei stuck out his round rump, pressing his paws on the ground as he manipulated the Ten Directions Heavenly Thunder Formation, continuing the assault, aiming to annihilate all the Demon Sect experts.
At this moment, Xiao Hei was quite pleased, letting out a "giggle, giggle" laugh.
Just then, a woman's voice sounded behind Xiao Hei: "So it's a fat cat causing trouble. That's unexpected for this Palace Master."
Xiao Hei was slightly startled, his black fur bristling. He turned his chubby face, his eyes darting around as he searched for the source of the voice.
"Who? Who dares speak to this Emperor from behind?"
"Shua." A figure flickered.
A palace-robed woman wearing a veil appeared before Xiao Hei.
Her figure was quite voluptuous, her skin like congealed fat, and her lively starry eyes looked down at Xiao Hei with a scrutinizing gaze.
"What a formidable human woman." Sensing danger, Xiao Hei stopped manipulating the Ten Directions Heavenly Thunder Formation and immediately shrank his body, trying to burrow into the ground to escape.
Xiao Hei's strength was not weak, and his escape skills were even better than Zhang Ruochen's.
But the palace-robed woman shot him a glance, and two Saintly Dao Rules materialized out of thin air, like unbreakable chains, binding Xiao Hei.
At this moment, Xiao Hei's head had already burrowed into the ground, but his body remained above, his four paws kicking frantically, yet he could not escape.
The palace-robed woman moved gracefully, slowly crouching down, extending a slender, delicate hand to grab the soft flesh on Xiao Hei's neck, lifting him up.
With Xiao Hei out of control, the formation wheel of the Ten Directions Heavenly Thunder Formation above the sky shattered with a loud crash.
The suffocating sense of crisis finally vanished, and all the Demon Sect experts breathed a long sigh of relief.
"Zhang Ruochen's helper has been captured by the Vice Palace Master. Everyone, attack together and end this battle quickly."
The Pearl Light Pavilion Master initiated the attack, channeling all his Demonic Qi to unleash a Sacred Art.
"True Demon of Hell." A vast, rolling demonic cloud appeared above the Black Market.
The Demonic Qi spun continuously, forming a massive vortex.
At the center of the vortex, a black pillar of Demonic Qi shot toward the ground, coalescing behind the Pearl Light Pavilion Master into a towering black demonic shadow over ten zhang tall.
Standing opposite the Pearl Light Pavilion Master, Zhang Ruochen could clearly feel a world-shaking power gathering, as vast as the entire universe, making it impossible to gauge its terror.
Before the Pearl Light Pavilion Master, Zhang Ruochen felt as insignificant as a speck of dust.
It seemed that with just a single breath, the other party could annihilate him.
"Is this the true power of a Saint Realm being?" Zhang Ruochen held his breath, deeply realizing the immense gap between himself and Saint Realm beings.
At the same time, he yearned even more to break through to a higher realm and gain the power to contend with Saint Realm beings.
"Roar!" The black demonic shadow and the Pearl Light Pavilion Master charged out simultaneously, throwing a fist imprint that pierced through layers of ghostly Qi, aiming to kill the Blood Moon Ghost King.
"A mere Lower Realm Saint dares to make a move against this King?"
The Blood Moon Ghost King's gaze was icy and arrogant. He raised his left hand lightly, and surging Death Qi rose rapidly.
Then, with a wave of his arm, a ghostly hand dozens of zhang long shot out.
"Boom."
The towering black demonic shadow screamed in agony, shattering into a cloud of black demonic mist.
The Pearl Light Pavilion Master was sent flying backward, his physical body cracking with shocking blood lines.
If the Blood Moon Ghost King's power had been even slightly stronger, his Saintly Body would have been torn apart.
With a single casual strike, he severely wounded a Pearl Light Pavilion Master. All the Demon Sect cultivators present drew in a cold breath.
In the Black Market, the dominant figures of various major powers were closely watching the battle in the Pearl Light Pavilion.
The formidable combat prowess displayed by the Blood Moon Ghost King stunned them as well.
"Zhang Ruochen has gained the protection of such a powerful Ghost King. Where in the world can he not go?"
"No wonder he dared to confront the Demon Sect alone—he found a backer."
Kong Hongbi and the Bright Hall cultivators stood atop a tower, observing the Pearl Light Pavilion.
"How did Zhang Ruochen get involved? Where is Gu Linfeng? Where is Murong Yue?"
Kong Hongbi frowned, his thoughts in chaos, unable to fathom what was happening.
The Ghost Valley Saint General was slightly moved, saying, "Gu Linfeng and Zhang Ruochen both fighting over a woman at the same time is quite unusual. The Stone Beauty's identity is probably not simple."
Yan Xu Saint General nodded, "Gu Linfeng is a lecher; it's understandable that he would do such a thing. But Zhang Ruochen is a shrewd man. He wouldn't abandon a fiancée with the status of a Realm Son to fight over a Stone Beauty."
Kong Hongbi sneered coldly, "Just capture the Stone Beauty, and we'll uncover her secrets."
The Ghost Valley Saint General looked up at the sky filled with chilling ghostly Qi, a hint of worry in his voice, "That Ghost King's cultivation is unfathomable. If we provoke her, it might not be good for us."
"You underestimate the Moon-Worshipping Demon Sect too much."
Kong Hongbi's face showed disdain, and he added, "As far as I know, a major figure from the Moon-Worshipping Demon Sect is currently in the Pearl Light Pavilion. As long as she makes a move, she can suppress that Ghost King. Without the Ghost King's protection, can a mere Zhang Ruochen still keep the Stone Beauty?"
From the direction of the Pearl Light Pavilion, a palace-robed woman wearing a veil emerged from the darkness, helping the Pearl Light Pavilion Master counter the Blood Moon Ghost King's attack.
The Pearl Light Pavilion Master's face was pale, his Saintly Body like porcelain, covered in bloody cracks, already battered.
Suppressing his severe injuries, he immediately bowed to the palace-robed woman, "Thank you, Vice Palace Master, for saving my life."
The palace-robed woman was quite indifferent, ignoring the Pearl Light Pavilion Master. Her lively, intelligent eyes fixed on the Blood Moon Ghost King.
The Blood Moon Ghost King's expression was even colder, meeting her gaze.
"Sizzle."
Between the one person and one ghost, dense Saintly Dao Rules materialized, intertwining like a spider's web, sparking with lightning and flames.
Without the protection of the formation, the clash of these two Saint Realm beings could destroy everything within a thousand miles.
All the Demon Sect cultivators in the Pearl Light Pavilion rushed behind the palace-robed woman, seeking shelter.
The Blood Moon Ghost King's face grew serious, no longer as relaxed as before. He transmitted a message to Zhang Ruochen, "This person's cultivation is a hundred times deeper than the Pearl Light Pavilion Master's. I can block her for you. As for the other cultivators, you'll have to handle them yourself. Whether you can escape depends on your luck."
With that, the Blood Moon Ghost King clasped his hands together, and the crescent moon mark on his brow emerged, releasing a crimson blood light.
From a distance, it looked like a blood moon hanging in the sky, casting a blood-red glow over all the buildings in the Black Market.
"Boom."
A powerful wave of energy, layer upon layer, erupted from the Blood Moon Ghost King, surging in all directions.
In an instant, like a gale sweeping fallen leaves, the entire Pearl Light Pavilion was obliterated, all structures reduced to rubble.
A third of the Demon Sect cultivators died.
The remaining two-thirds survived only thanks to the palace-robed woman's protection.
"Whoosh!"
At the center of the most intense blood energy fluctuations, Zhang Ruochen, holding a scroll of Sacred Edict, flew out with the Stone Beauty, turning into a meteor-like beam of light, piercing through the rain curtain, and rushing toward the sky. (To be continued.)