In the eerie, terrifying sea of corpses, deathly aura and ghostly flames drifted, accompanied by ceaseless roars.
Zhang Ruochen’s body felt as if it had plunged into an icy abyss, his bones nearly frozen.
His eyes, woven with the Rules of Truth, scanned the varied forms of the Saint corpses, trying to pierce through their bodies, even through time and space, to find the source of the danger.
But the killing intent had vanished in a flash.
Gone without a trace.
Luo Cha’s enchanting figure, exuding a captivating fragrance, approached Zhang Ruochen cautiously, “What’s wrong?”
“It’s gone! Hurry, collect the Saint corpses, we must leave immediately.”
Zhang Ruochen’s expression remained gravely unyielding.
He was certain that the sense of danger wasn’t an illusion. A peerless powerhouse, capable of shocking the world, had been hiding in the corpse sea, intent on ambushing and killing him.
But they hadn’t anticipated his Heart of Truth, which granted him extraordinary perception.
Sensing Zhang Ruochen’s awareness, they had fled instantly.
Luo Cha was both shocked and puzzled.
She had never seen Zhang Ruochen so tense. Could there really have been a formidable powerhouse hiding nearby?
Yet, with her sixty-fifth-tier spiritual power and her unleashed spatial domain, she hadn’t detected any fluctuations.
What kind of being could move so silently?
Luo Cha had always believed that with her spiritual prowess and hidden trump card, she could fear no one in the Hunting Heaven Battlefield.
Now, she realized there were always greater heights and stronger people. Without reaching the Great Perfection of the Hundred Shackles Realm, she was still far from invincible.
“Swish—”
Wasting no time, Luo Cha activated the Yin God Lotus, which unfurled, radiating divine light.
The entire corpse sea was absorbed into the black lotus.
A flush of alluring red spread across Luo Cha’s snow-white face, clearly having exerted her full strength to achieve this.
The space returned to darkness, emptiness, and silence.
“Let’s go!”
Zhang Ruochen and Luo Cha vanished into the dark space, swiftly departing.
“Swish.”
A Stygian River surged forward, its waters flickering between light and dark.
Banruo’s breathtakingly beautiful figure stood in the river, like a flawless spiritual flower, exuding an ethereal, radiant charm. Her presence instantly brightened the boundless dark world.
Her gaze fell on the direction Zhang Ruochen and Luo Cha had fled, her slender brows slightly furrowed.
With the Death Legion stolen, the Upper Three Clans’ plan to conquer Dark Star Number Seven without bloodshed was ruined once more.
Traces of deathly aura still lingered in the air.
Suddenly, Banruo sensed something, her serene face turning cold, “Who’s there?”
A tall, thin black shadow silently appeared at the river’s head.
Strangely, his form absorbed the light from the Stygian River, making it impossible for Banruo to discern his figure or face.
Yet, she identified him instantly, her voice shaken, “Que!”
“Your Highness Banruo is sharper than I expected. I merely revealed a slight flaw, and you found me. Given time, reaching the Great Perfection of the Hundred Shackles Realm, you’ll surely dazzle the world,” Que’s voice was vast and elusive.
Banruo asked, “You came for me on purpose?”
“Actually, I came for Emperor Chi and Zhang Ruochen. Emperor Chi is my greatest challenge in this Hunting Heaven Battlefield. Zhang Ruochen is a target I must kill at all costs,” Que said.
Banruo’s mind stirred, “Then why didn’t you act just now?”
“I intended to, but Zhang Ruochen is more formidable than I expected. The moment I harbored a trace of killing intent, he sensed it and gave me no chance for an ambush,” Que replied.
Banruo’s shock deepened. As the top-ranked powerhouse on the Great Perfection List of the Hundred Shackles Realm, Que’s cultivation was unfathomably profound, yet he still humbled himself to ambush an opponent.
Who could he not kill with such tactics?
Banruo said, “With your cultivation, why bother with an ambush? Even in a direct confrontation, Zhang Ruochen is no match for you.”
“Zhang Ruochen isn’t as simple as you think. I could defeat him in a frontal battle, but killing him is difficult. Once he knows I’m at Dark Star Number Seven, killing him will become even harder,” Que said.
Banruo replied, “So you passed on this chance for a better one later?”
“Exactly.”
Que added, “For that next chance, I’ll need Your Highness Banruo’s help to create it.”
“Why should I help you?” Banruo asked.
“Zhang Ruochen’s cultivation is growing at an unprecedented rate. His strength is now among the top tier, and few in the Hunting Heaven Battlefield are qualified to kill him. I am the most qualified.”
Que’s tone was calm yet carried an air of supreme authority, “Your Highness aims for the Destiny Goddess position. Your greatest threat isn’t Pink Skull but Empress Feng. To secure it, Zhang Ruochen must die.”
“With Zhang Ruochen dead, the Undying Blood Race will fall, and Empress Feng will be cast into an abyss she can’t escape.”
“We cannot let Zhang Ruochen continue to grow, or when he reaches his peak, no one will be able to stop him.”
To earn such high regard from the top-ranked Great Perfection powerhouse showed how much of a threat Que felt from Zhang Ruochen, eager to eliminate him.
Banruo’s emotions churned, but her expression remained calm, “Indeed, Zhang Ruochen is our common enemy, responsible for the Upper Three Clans’ heavy losses. Tell me, how do I help you create this opportunity?”
“Swish!”
The tall, thin shadow absorbed all surrounding darkness, forming a man in black armor.
His appearance was ordinary, his face sallow.
Few would connect him with the invincible Que.
Whether this was his true face was unknown.
Que stepped into the Stygian River, standing beside Banruo’s peerless figure, speaking in a low voice, “From now on, I’m one of your Great Sage guardians. When the battle erupts, I’ll find the perfect moment to strike Zhang Ruochen and Emperor Chi with a fatal blow.”
Banruo studied the man closely, “Your concealment is flawless, Que. I can’t detect any fault. But it may not fool a powerhouse like Zhang Ruochen.”
“As long as Your Highness’s Gate of True Self can block Zhang Ruochen’s Path of Truth, he won’t see through me,” Que said.
Banruo’s expression remained steady, but inwardly, she sighed at Que’s danger. Despite his overwhelming advantage, he still resorted to any means necessary.
If he set his mind to kill someone, they were as good as dead.
“With your support, Que, the Destiny Goddess position is within my grasp.”
Banruo smiled, her beauty saintly and mysterious, with a captivating allure.
Yet Que’s willpower was unshakable. Standing so close, he remained unaffected by her beauty or aura, as if no external force could sway him.
Only such resolve could condense a Second-Grade Saint Intent, even if incomplete.
“Crackle!”
A bolt of lightning tore through the darkness, approaching from afar.
It stopped before Banruo, forming Wu Jiang’s strikingly handsome figure.
Dark light radiated from him, his body surging with wild, heavy power, like tides crashing outward, exuding a terrifying aura capable of slaying gods and demons.
This was the result of a major cultivation breakthrough, unable to fully control his newfound strength.
Banruo and Que’s gazes turned to him.
Wu Jiang’s Saint Dao rules had surged past ten billion, and the near-fatal injuries from his battle with Zhang Ruochen had healed.
Taking a deep breath, his eyes gleamed with fervent malice, “It’s Zhang Ruochen’s aura. He was here.”
“Indeed, he was. He destroyed the Death Altar and stole the Heavenly Slave Saint corpses,” Banruo said.
Wu Jiang declared, “Since I’m here, he’ll pay a heavy price for all he’s done. The shame of our last encounter, I’ll repay with interest.”
Que glanced at Wu Jiang with indifferent eyes.
Wu Jiang sensed it, immediately staring back.
Banruo knew Wu Jiang’s spiritual power, at the sixty-sixth tier, was nearly unmatched in the Hunting Heaven Battlefield, and feared he might uncover Que’s true identity.
“Who are you?” Wu Jiang’s tone carried hostility.
He had never seen Banruo alone with another man, let alone so close.
What gave this man the right to enter Banruo’s Stygian River?
The river was her defensive force, inaccessible to anyone she didn’t absolutely trust.
Que remained silent.
Banruo said, “He’s a hidden expert I invited. He’ll play a crucial role in attacking Dark Star Number Seven.”
“Almost every powerhouse in the Hunting Heaven Battlefield is on the Great Perfection List. What hidden expert could there be?”
Wu Jiang stared at Que, his eyes filled with disdain and provocation, adding, “Since I’m here, Dark Star Number Seven will fall in moments. Why rely on an outsider?”
Banruo considered revealing Que’s identity.
Que shook his head, transmitting to her, “If I can fool Wu Jiang, I can fool Zhang Ruochen and Emperor Chi.”
Banruo asked, “Is Great Sage Ten Thousand Hands confident in taking Dark Star Number Seven?”
“I’ve claimed half the destiny of the Nether Clan’s native star. Not only have my injuries healed, but my cultivation has advanced. I’m here to devour Emperor Chi, break through to the Thousand Questions Realm, and seize the other half of the destiny,” Wu Jiang said.
In the Hunting Heaven Battlefield, breaking through to the Thousand Questions Realm was possible.
Great Perfection Hundred Shackles Realm Great Sages suppressed their breakthroughs for three reasons:
First, they wanted to fuse stronger Saint Intents, accumulating more Saint Dao rules to reach their peak state.
Only then would breaking through yield greater benefits.
Second, not every Great Perfection Great Sage could reach the Thousand Questions Realm. The threshold was enough to stop many.
Third, and most critically, breaking through required seclusion, often taking two to three years at minimum, or even a century for some.
The Hunting Heaven War lasted only a hundred days, far too short for such a breakthrough.
Wu Jiang knew he couldn’t fuse a Second-Grade Saint Intent and didn’t want to waste time. He planned to break through now, sweep the battlefield, and maximize his gains.
He had long accumulated at the Great Perfection of the Hundred Shackles Realm, just a step from the Thousand Questions Realm.
By devouring Emperor Chi with the Path of Darkness, he could break through instantly, saving years of seclusion.
“Half the destiny?”
Que finally scrutinized Wu Jiang closely.
Wu Jiang’s expression darkened, “Is there a place for you to speak here?”
“Swish!”
Wu Jiang’s right hand formed a claw, flashing like black lightning toward Que.
The claw unleashed countless claw shadows, sealing all of Que’s escape routes. The dark force it emitted drained everything in the surrounding space.
Yet, Wu Jiang’s claw struck empty air.
Que’s figure stood at the other end of the Stygian River, saying, “Your cultivation has indeed advanced, but devouring a Ten Thousand Deaths Realm Great Sage is still impossible. Careful not to overreach.”
Wu Jiang stared at Que in disbelief.
Emerging from the Nether Clan’s native star, Wu Jiang was brimming with confidence. Even without breaking through, he believed himself invincible in the battlefield, at least against the likes of Luo Sheng Tian or Yan Huang Tu.
Yet now, an unknown figure had dodged his claw.
Though he hadn’t used his full strength, only testing Que’s depth.
“Again.”
Unwilling to accept it, Wu Jiang gathered his power, preparing to strike again.
“Stop!”
Banruo stepped between them, urging, “Zhang Ruochen and Luo Cha appeared here together, meaning the Undying Blood Race and Rakshasa Clan have allied. Their armies are likely already at Dark Star Number Seven, vying for points. Our priority is to eliminate the Heavenly Slaves.”
Wu Jiang’s gaze remained fixed on Que, but he restrained his power, saying, “I only used half my speed earlier. With my full strength, you wouldn’t last a single move.”
“Let’s go to the dark star.”
Wu Jiang flew off alone, soon joining the Nether Clan’s Great Sages, standing just tens of thousands of feet above Dark Star Number Seven.
His aura was overwhelming, Nether energy surging from him.
His arrival rallied the Upper Three Clans’ cultivators, boosting their morale.
“Great Sage Ten Thousand Hands is here!”
“His aura is terrifying; his cultivation must have reached an incredible level.”
“Finally, someone who can counter Emperor Chi.”
…
Wu Jiang drew out the Supreme Saint Weapon, the Ten Thousand Curses Heavenly Pearl, holding it in his palm and roaring, “All Nether Clan Great Sages, heed my command. Join me in activating the pearl, unleash the Blood-Devouring Curse, and slay every living thing on the dark star.”
