Chapter 999: Evil Path Saints
Blood continuously surged from Ouyang Huan’s mouth, chest, and legs, soaking into the soil. His entire body trembled slightly, his palms pressed against the ground, crushing stones into powder. But having lost both legs and being severely wounded, he simply could not get up.
The nine Realm Sons were all rare prodigies unseen in the world. Not only were they disciples of the Empress, but they were also future emperors that the First Central Empire had cultivated with all its might, pouring in the entire cultivation resources of the Kunlun Realm to enhance their physiques and strengthen their cultivation.
It could be said that the sacred medicines they used to temper their bodies were not even worthy of being enjoyed by Saints.
Precisely because of this, in less than a year, most of the nine Realm Sons had broken through from the First Order Half-Saint to the Ninth Order Half-Saint, becoming the strongest below the Saint realm.
With their own talents, combined with the precious sacred medicines left behind from the Middle Ages, they should have become the strongest in the history of the human race in recent times.
However, who could have imagined that the nine Realm Sons, just as they had set out, would have one of them fall?
Moreover, Ouyang Huan had been defeated by a young man whose cultivation was below his own, and his legs had been crippled.
This was the so-called invincible Realm Son?
Irony.
Absolute irony—a mockery of the imperial court, a mockery of the Empress.
The most precious resources of the entire Kunlun Realm had been exhausted to cultivate these Realm Sons, yet they turned out to be so fragile.
The demon sect cultivators were all trembling in fear, none daring to approach.
Zhang Ruochen extended a palm, reaching toward the sky, and used a layer of Buddhist light to seal the Realm Son Seal, suppressing it and gripping it in his hand.
The fist-sized jade seal was forged from a very special sacred jade, containing abundant sacred qi. Held in the hand, it emitted a faint warmth.
Inside the Realm Son Seal, there were eight green light threads.
Zhang Ruochen separated a strand of spiritual power and probed it into the Realm Son Seal, only to find that its interior was like a chaotic world, boundless and limitless.
The eight green light threads were eight surging heavenly rivers, carrying the power of an emperor, which instantly shattered Zhang Ruochen’s strand of spiritual power.
“Sure enough, it’s the aura of Chi Yao’s power, billions of times stronger than eight hundred years ago, having reached an inconceivable realm.”
Zhang Ruochen’s expression was very solemn. He did not probe the Realm Son Seal with his spiritual power again but instead borrowed the power of the Sarira to seal it, planning to study it carefully later.
Apart from being a symbol of the “Realm Son” identity, the Realm Son Seal itself was also an extraordinary treasure.
Zhang Ruochen naturally would not return the Realm Son Seal to Ouyang Huan. He put it away and stored it in his Space Ring.
He did not kill Ouyang Huan because the Kunlun Realm was in a time of turmoil. With the Undying Blood Clan, the undead from the Underworld, and threats from the Barbarian Wilderness and the Endless Abyss, the entire human race faced unprecedented challenges.
Ouyang Huan was indeed a talent rare in a hundred years. As long as he grew up, he would surely become a hero among men, possibly surpassing the Demon Sect’s Sect Leader.
Spare his life. In the future, when the Kunlun Realm faced calamity, he might serve as another pillar, holding up a corner of the world.
The main point was that this person was not too detestable.
From his perspective, there was nothing wrong with everything he did. If Zhang Ruochen were in his position, he might have done the same.
Zhang Ruochen dug out a purple-black crystal from the bloody corpse of the Pearl Light Pavilion Master and held it in his hand.
Sacred Source.
The Sacred Source was the crystallization of a Saint’s lifelong cultivation, containing not only a vast amount of sacred qi essence but also part of the Saint’s memories and sacred path knowledge.
Putting away the Sacred Source, Zhang Ruochen took Shi Meiren and left the Black Market.
After all, this was the headquarters of the Taizhou Black Market, and there were definitely more than one evil path Saint stationed there. Earlier, they had not acted because they did not want to interfere in the demon sect’s affairs.
But now it was different. Zhang Ruochen had killed a demon sect Saint and severely wounded the demon sect’s Divine Son, making him a mortal enemy of the demon sect.
Those evil path Saints no longer had any scruples.
Some of them might even act to seize the treasures on Zhang Ruochen.
Not to mention other things, just the Sacred Source and the Realm Son Seal were enough to tempt a Saint. Moreover, Zhang Ruochen must have other treasures on him.
It was precisely because he sensed several unstable, powerful auras emanating from the Black Market that Zhang Ruochen immediately fled with Shi Meiren.
The power of the Sarira could only last for one hour.
After one hour, Zhang Ruochen would not only lose his Saint-level combat power but also enter a period of weakness for several days.
Therefore, he had to break out of the encirclement within one hour and escape to a safe place.
In fact, the battle just now had already stunned all the evil path cultivators in the Black Market.
“Zhang Ruochen actually killed a Saint and cut off Ouyang Huan’s legs, taking the Realm Son Seal. Am I hallucinating?”
“At this point, Zhang Ruochen has completely set himself against the demon sect. Does he want to be an enemy of the entire world?”
With the Empress personally issuing an arrest warrant, the Undying Blood Clan’s strongmen searching for him everywhere, and now offending the Bright Hall and the demon sect.
If such a person could continue to live, it would be nothing short of a miracle.
Not long after Zhang Ruochen left, Qi Feiyu and a white-haired old woman arrived. Seeing the corpses strewn across the ground, both were stunned on the spot.
It was hard to believe that a mere Zhang Ruochen could possess such terrifying destructive power, causing the Moon Worship Demon Sect to suffer heavy losses.
“Holy Maiden, stay and take care of the Divine Son. This Elder will go after Zhang Ruochen. I will not return until I take his head.”
The white-haired old woman was a demon sect elder and also a Saint-level ancestor of the Qi Clan, with a cultivation even higher than the Pearl Light Pavilion Master.
The white-haired old woman raised her head and looked into the distance. Her two aged eyes shot out two white beams of light, locking onto Zhang Ruochen, who had fled a thousand miles away.
Then, she flew up, summoning a pitch-black demon cloud spanning several hundred miles, and pursued him with an overwhelming momentum.
At the same time, some Saint-level old monsters from the Black Market, who had lived for centuries, quietly left the Black Market and chased after Zhang Ruochen, intending to seize the Sacred Source and the Realm Son Seal.
Kong Hongbi’s eyes narrowed, and a smile appeared on his face. “Ouyang Huan is really unlucky to have run into a Zhang Ruochen who fears nothing. Not only did he lose his legs, but he also had his Realm Son Seal taken away.”
If it were another Saint, even if they could defeat Ouyang Huan, they would never dare to take the Realm Son Seal.
Who would dare to offend both the demon sect and the Empress at the same time?
Guigu Shengjiang said with lingering fear, “Zhang Ruochen’s combat power is terrifying. Ouyang Huan’s defeat at his hands is not a disgrace.”
“He only used a Buddhist treasure to forcibly elevate his combat power to the Saint realm. It definitely won’t last long. He’ll soon fall back to the low-level Half-Saint realm and won’t be arrogant for much longer.”
Kong Hongbi’s face showed a cold, sharp expression. “Guigu, go inform Fourth Master. Our Bright Hall must seize the Realm Son Seal no matter what.”
“Swish.”
Kong Hongbi leaped up, his body radiating seven-colored light, transforming into a huge peacock, emitting surging sacred qi like crashing waves.
With a flap of his wings, the giant peacock flew into the clouds, chasing in the direction Zhang Ruochen had gone.
Guigu Shengjiang rushed in another direction and quickly disappeared into the Black Market.
Borrowing the power of the Sarira, Zhang Ruochen’s five senses became extremely sharp, clearly sensing the massive sacred path auras chasing behind him.
Shi Meiren leaned against Zhang Ruochen’s chest and looked up. “Zhang Ruochen, the evil path Saints in the Black Market have already been moved by greed. They will definitely surround you to seize your treasures. Put me down, change back to Gu Linfeng’s appearance, and you might be able to escape with your life.”
Zhang Ruochen’s gaze was firm. “If you could regain your fighting spirit, why would we need to flee?”
“Why must you place your hope in me?”
Shi Meiren sighed softly. “Wouldn’t it be better to let me live or die on my own?”
Suddenly, Zhang Ruochen withdrew his sacred qi, stopped, and descended to the base of a solitary snow mountain, looking back in the direction he had come.
Those auras were getting closer and closer.
Shi Meiren’s eyes looked up. “Why have you stopped?”
“There’s no escape. We have to fight to the death.”
Zhang Ruochen placed Shi Meiren on the ground, took out the Meteor Invisibility Cloak, and put it on her. In an instant, Shi Meiren disappeared from the spot, merging with the entire snow mountain.
Zhang Ruochen placed his hand on her shoulder. “Wait for me to kill all the Saints and return, then I’ll take you away.”
With that, flames erupted from Zhang Ruochen’s legs. He raised the Abyssal Ancient Sword and flew toward the Black Market, encountering the white-haired demon sect elder first.
The white-haired old woman was slightly surprised, then said coldly, “Zhang Ruochen, hand over the Realm Son Seal and the Sacred Source of the Pearl Light Pavilion Master, and this Saint will grant you a painless death.”
Zhang Ruochen did not say a single word. He traced his finger, tearing space apart and forming a space rift dozens of feet long.
Inside the space rift, it was pitch black, emitting a devouring force that seemed to want to absorb all matter and energy in the world.
The white-haired old woman’s gaze narrowed slightly, and she did not dare to collide directly with the space rift.
Her figure flickered, dodging it, and flew above the space rift, standing inside a black demon cloud, looking down at Zhang Ruochen. “Boy, if this is all you’ve got, then today is your death day.”
The white-haired old woman showed a fierce expression and formed hand seals.
In an instant, the black demon qi covering several hundred miles began to churn violently, with thick bolts of lightning weaving through the demon cloud, emitting a terrifying aura of destruction.
A small wisp of lightning leaked out, striking the ground, directly splitting a lush mountain over a thousand meters high in two, sending black smoke billowing into the sky.
The evil path old monsters from the Black Market had already arrived nearby, using secret techniques to hide in the shadows, not acting immediately.
Seeing the demon cloud and lightning above their heads, even they were quite alarmed.
A ruddy-faced old man, accompanied by four seven-meter-tall giant skeletons, stood by a lake a hundred miles away, muttering to himself, “Old Qi’s cultivation is indeed much deeper than that old fellow from the Pearl Light Pavilion. She’s a formidable character.”
Because the evil qi on this person was too heavy, the entire lakeshore turned black in an instant, emitting a foul stench.
In another direction, a seductive demoness with three fox tails gazed at the sky covered in demon qi in the distance and smiled. “Old Qi cultivates both the Qi Clan’s and the demon sect’s ultimate techniques, combining the strengths of both. She’s not comparable to an ordinary Saint. Can that little brat Zhang Ruochen withstand her?”
At this moment, the white-haired old woman was locked in a magical duel with Zhang Ruochen. The several evil path old monsters found it inconvenient to intervene, so they all held back, waiting for the right moment.
(To be continued.)