Chapter 997: Breaking the Third Seal
By killing Saint General Yan Xu and the seven elders of Pearl Light Pavilion, Zhang Ruochen had already proven his strength, enough to contend with a Ninth-Step Half-Saint. However, no one believed he could defeat Ouyang Huan. Even among Ninth-Step Half-Saints, there were divisions into early, middle, late, and peak stages; Saint General Yan Xu had only just broken through to the early Ninth-Step Half-Saint stage. Moreover, Ouyang Huan, when he was a Sixth-Step Half-Saint, already possessed the power to kill a Ninth-Step Half-Saint. Now, with his cultivation reaching the Ninth-Step Half-Saint, even a peak Ninth-Step Half-Saint might be crushed by a single finger from Ouyang Huan.
In the distance, Saint General Guigu thought Zhang Ruochen was foolish and sneered, "What arrogance! A mere low-rank Half-Saint dares to claim he'll cripple a Realm Son's legs. Is there anything more ridiculous than this?"
Zhang Ruochen deliberately suppressed his aura; only someone of Ling Feiyu's caliber could possibly see through his true cultivation level. Thus, Saint General Guigu merely guessed that Zhang Ruochen was still a low-rank Half-Saint. After all, just a few months ago, Zhang Ruochen had broken through to the Half-Saint realm. Even with the greatest fortune, he couldn't have crossed the threshold into the mid-rank Half-Saint stage.
"Zhang Ruochen must be bluffing, trying to intimidate the cultivators of the Demon Sect and then seize the chance to escape," Kong Hongbi thought, believing he had seen through Zhang Ruochen. Then, his eyes fixed on Shi Meiren again, finding her increasingly extraordinary, not an ordinary woman. When necessary, Kong Hongbi planned to make a move and seize Shi Meiren.
The cultivators of the Demon Sect—some standing at the edge of the street, some on rooftops, and others hidden in the shadows without revealing themselves—all let out muffled laughter, as if mocking Zhang Ruochen for overestimating himself.
"Bang." Zhang Ruochen snorted coldly, took a step forward, and stomped on the ground. The earth sank beneath him, cracking like a spiderweb with a "crackling" sound. At the same time, golden Buddhist characters, scriptures, and Sanskrit flew out from Zhang Ruochen's chest, forming a sea of text. The air filled with ethereal Buddhist chants, as if thousands of monks were reciting sutras.
At that moment, Zhang Ruochen unsealed the third layer of the Sarira. Instantly, a vast and mighty Buddhist Qi surged out and entered his body. By unsealing the third layer of the Sarira, for one hour, Zhang Ruochen could possess combat power comparable to a Saint-level being.
"Whoosh." The golden Buddhist characters in the sky converged toward Zhang Ruochen, condensing into a golden Buddha over a hundred zhang tall. The Buddha's phantom shone with golden light, sacred and solemn, sending ripples of Buddhist Qi like water waves in all directions, starkly contrasting with the bloody ghostly Qi from the direction of Pearl Light Pavilion.
"How is this possible? Zhang Ruochen's aura is growing stronger, nearing that of a Saint-level being. And it's still increasing." "Could there be a Saint Buddha living inside Zhang Ruochen?" "No wonder Zhang Ruochen dares to oppose the entire Demon Sect—he has a trump card." The cultivators of the Demon Sect immediately used their movement techniques to flee into the distance.
Only Ouyang Huan charged forward alone, taking out a white long spear and, with both hands exerting force, hurled it. Ouyang Huan could tell that Zhang Ruochen possessed a Buddhist treasure that could forcibly elevate his cultivation to the Saint realm. At that moment, Zhang Ruochen was not yet at his peak, making it the best time for Ouyang Huan to strike. Once Zhang Ruochen reached his full strength, no one present might be able to suppress him.
The tip of the spear released a blaze of fire, condensing into a crimson fire cloud, trailing a tail several meters long. On the ground, the stone slabs all melted into liquid magma. "Bang." The white spear pierced through layers of Buddhist light, striking at Zhang Ruochen's heart with a devastating force. However, when the white spear collided with Zhang Ruochen's body, it made a sound like metal striking metal, as if a giant hammer were hitting a bronze bell.
Zhang Ruochen was pushed back, retreating dozens of zhang before steadying himself. On the ground, a half-meter-deep, dozens-of-zhang-long groove extended to where Zhang Ruochen stood. Zhang Ruochen was not injured; only a white scratch mark remained on his chest. His entire body had turned golden, as if forged from gold, with thousands of Buddhist characters floating on the surface of his skin.
"Indestructible Golden Body?" Ouyang Huan was inwardly alarmed. That attack just now, even if it struck a Lower Realm Saint, could have pierced through their Saintly Body. Yet Zhang Ruochen was unharmed—how could this not be shocking?
Ouyang Huan, stepping on a black demonic lotus, moved with extreme speed, grabbing the white spear and attacking Zhang Ruochen again. "Sizzle." The flames from the white spear formed a ferocious fiery claw, following the spear's trajectory, striking at Zhang Ruochen's eyes.
Zhang Ruochen extended a palm, reaching forward, and directly grabbed the white spear. With his other hand, he struck out fiercely, snapping the white spear in two. His golden palm, undiminished in momentum, like a five-fingered mountain, slammed into Ouyang Huan's chest, sending him vomiting blood and collapsing to the ground.
"Boom." The ground sank, forming a shattered crater. In the pit, Ouyang Huan's chest was caved in, most of his ribs broken, and his internal organs severely damaged. This showed how terrifying the force of Zhang Ruochen's strike was.
"This is truly bizarre." Without any hesitation, Kong Hongbi and Saint General Guigu turned and fled, escaping at top speed. Zhang Ruochen's current combat power was too frightening; with a single blow, he had knocked Ouyang Huan down. Who could fight him?
In the Black Market, cultivators from various major forces were also stunned into silence. The master of Pearl Light Pavilion stepped out from the shadows and said coldly, "Zhang Ruochen, if you dare harm the Divine Son, no one in the entire Kunlun Realm can save you." Earlier, the master of Pearl Light Pavilion had been severely injured by Blood Moon Ghost King. After taking a Kemu Pill, his injuries had recovered by fifty percent. He exuded the aura of a Saint, like an incarnation of heaven and earth, looking down on all living beings. To ordinary cultivators, a Saint represented omnipotence, no different from "heaven" or "earth."
Zhang Ruochen remained silent, merely shaking his head lightly, not taking the master of Pearl Light Pavilion's threat to heart. He feared neither the Empress nor the imperial court, so why would he fear the Moon-Worshipping Demon Sect?
The master of Pearl Light Pavilion continued, "You've used a secret technique to temporarily gain combat power comparable to a Saint. But you are not a true Saint; you cannot comprehend the mysteries of the Saint realm, and your strength is limited. Facing a real Saint, you will only die."
"Are you referring to yourself?" Zhang Ruochen asked.
The master of Pearl Light Pavilion chuckled, "Although I am injured, subduing you is not difficult."
"Then why all the useless talk?" Zhang Ruochen swung his sword, and a black sword energy, connecting earth and sky, flew toward the master of Pearl Light Pavilion. Only when Zhang Ruochen struck did the master realize he had underestimated him. This boy's combat power was far greater than he had imagined.
The master dared not take this blow head-on; he used his movement technique to sidestep. "Rumble." In the center of the street, a crack split open. The crack widened and spread into the distance, extending a hundred li. If one looked down from the sky, they would see that Zhang Ruochen's sword strike had split the entire Black Market in two, with a bottomless chasm in the middle.
The master of Pearl Light Pavilion stood in midair, taking out a pagoda-shaped sacred artifact. This pagoda, called the Thousand Lock Pagoda, was quite close to a Thousand-Mark Sacred Artifact in power, inscribed with eight hundred and ninety-three inscriptions. The palm-sized pagoda slowly rose, spinning and expanding until it was dozens of zhang tall, exuding a towering aura like a flying black mountain. As it spun, it emitted a "whooshing" sound of wind and thunder.
Below, aside from Zhang Ruochen and Shi Meiren, all other cultivators had fled. A battle at the Saint level had devastating destructive power; even ordinary cultivators standing a hundred li away could be killed by the shockwaves.
"Kill." The master of Pearl Light Pavilion controlled the Thousand Lock Pagoda, pressing it down toward Zhang Ruochen and Shi Meiren. This was a Saint's strike, enough to shatter the earth and destroy a city. Even the city-protecting grand formation of an ordinary city could not withstand it.
Zhang Ruochen held his sword with both hands, slowly raising his arms. Buddhist characters flew out and merged with the Abyssal Ancient Sword. The sword spirit awakened, and all the inscriptions within the sword emerged. A surging force of energy burst forth, growing stronger.
"Whoosh." The sword energy flew out, splitting the Thousand Lock Pagoda in two.
"Thousand Ripple Annihilation Force—you wield a Thousand-Mark Sacred Artifact?" The master of Pearl Light Pavilion was greatly alarmed, immediately crushing a protective talisman on his body, forming a light shield ten zhang in diameter. The Abyssal Ancient Sword, with unstoppable momentum, pierced through the shield and slashed toward the master's head.
Just then, a jade seal flew in from the side, colliding with the Abyssal Ancient Sword, deflecting the blade and saving the master's life. Zhang Ruochen glanced sideways and saw Ouyang Huan standing in the center of the street, forming a hand seal to control the jade seal, attacking Zhang Ruochen again.
The jade seal was the "Realm Son Seal." When the nine Realm Sons emerged from seclusion, Empress Chi Yao personally bestowed them upon them, representing their status as Realm Sons and containing a portion of the Empress's sacred power. With the Realm Son Seal, the nine Realm Sons could suppress Saints.
Ouyang Huan was severely injured, constantly spitting blood. Yet, with strong willpower, he controlled the Realm Son Seal, unleashing a supreme imperial aura, radiating golden light. The Realm Son Seal grew to the size of a small city, pressing down to annihilate Zhang Ruochen and Shi Meiren.
"Boom." The Realm Son Seal struck the ground, shaking the entire earth. The defensive formations of several nearby evil cult forces trembled, nearly shattering. They barely held, or many low-realm cultivators would have been reduced to dust.
"Have Zhang Ruochen and Shi Meiren been crushed to death by the Realm Son Seal?" That strike carried a trace of the Empress's imperial power, with the might to kill a Saint. Many suspected Zhang Ruochen and Shi Meiren had been ground into powder.
The Demon Sect cultivators cautiously returned, only to find Zhang Ruochen still standing beneath the Realm Son Seal. Zhang Ruochen's body emitted golden light, and he extended an arm to support the city-sized Realm Son Seal, not falling. However, blood trickled from the corner of his mouth, indicating he had suffered considerable injury; holding up the Realm Son Seal was no easy task.