(The previous two chapters had a plot inconsistency, which has been fixed. It’s unavoidable—writing the Kunlun Realm arc means flipping back through earlier parts, and some less critical characters slip my mind. I hope readers can forgive this. Moving forward, will be more meticulous, double-checking before writing.)
…
In King Mountain, six shadowy figures darted like beams of light, weaving swiftly through the rugged peaks.
Leading them was Yuan Che.
To be precise, Yuan Che wasn’t human but a Diamond Snow Sea Ape, cultivated for over two millennia, reaching Ninth-Step Saint King realm. His white hair stretched nearly two metres, his broad shoulders and hulking frame imposing, his head and eyes twice a human’s size, exuding pressure even without saintly might.
All were You God Palace elites, tracking Zhang Ruochen’s aura to this spot.
An old woman with fifty-eighth-tier spiritual power, a golden snake coiled around her wrist, trailed Yuan Che, peering at the mountains below with a glint in her eyes, “Lord Yuan Che, this mountain’s unusual, it might be an awakening sacred land—I’ve sensed numerous saintly herbs.”
Known as “Tian Lanzi,” she was a beast-taming Saint Master, highly esteemed in You God Palace.
The deeper they flew into King Mountain, the denser the sacred qi grew.
Saintly herbs on the ground glowed with treasure light, tantalizing, sparking greed in the You God Palace Saint Kings.
Yuan Che cautioned, “Don’t let the herbs cloud your minds, capturing Zhang Ruochen is our priority, deal with him, and all this is ours.”
“Exactly, seize Zhang Ruochen, offer him to Lord You God…”
A Seventh-Step Saint King in cyan saint armour was cut off mid-sentence by a white flash, his voice silenced.
It was a white arrow.
“Pfft.”
His cyan armour tore like paper under the arrow’s force.
Pierced through the chest, he screamed, saint blood gushing, his body plummeting downward. “Everyone, watch out—Zhang Ruochen’s near!”
Yuan Che roared, his palm grasping the void, a white saint qi river surging, reeling in the gravely wounded Seventh-Step Saint King.
Moments later, the five You God Palace elites landed.
Yuan Che, seasoned by countless trials, acted with caution, instantly planting four array flags in different directions.
The flags swelled in the wind, morphing into four hundred-zhang-high bronze pillars, woven with lightning patterns, forming four divine beast shapes.
Checking the rescued Saint King, Yuan Che found his vitality extinguished, a cold corpse remaining.
Even he, well-versed in battle, jolted in shock.
“Beware that white arrow, don’t let it hit you.”
Tossing the corpse aside, he rose dozens of zhang into the air, shouting, “Zhang Ruochen, you’re the Moon God’s envoy, your status rivals a Greater Saint—how can you stoop to ambushing?”
Laughter echoed through the mountains, “You God Palace attacked mortals to force me out, is that the method You God taught you?”
Yuan Che’s gaze darkened, taunting, “What skill is skulking? Are you too scared of me to show yourself?”
With the enemy exposed and himself hidden, Zhang Ruochen held the advantage, naturally staying concealed.
A golden leopard-headed Eighth-Step Saint King, clad in dazzling gold soft armour, hefting a flaming war halberd, snarled, “Zhang Ruochen, face me, and I’ll cleave you with one hand!”
“Swish.”
The White Sun Arrow shot from the ridges, aiming for the humanoid leopard.
“Boom.”
It struck between two array flags, a web of lightning flaring in the void, blocking it.
The leopard guffawed, “Lord Yuan Che’s thunder array flags, refined for a millennium—with your cultivation, you’d need a year to breach them.”
“Then stay inside for a year!” Zhang Ruochen’s voice rang out.
Yuan Che and the leopard’s faces chilled—his patience surprised them, still no sign of him.
Yuan Che eyed Tian Lanzi, “Well?”
She shook her head, “Zhang Ruochen’s spiritual power matches mine, I can’t pinpoint him.”
A sharp glint crossed Yuan Che’s eyes, he raised his voice, “Fine, if he wants to cower, we’ll head to Yunwu Royal City, refine every human cultivator there into blood pills.”
Tian Lanzi, the leopard, and the others sneered.
Zhang Ruochen’s voice emerged from the woods, “So bold—aren’t you afraid of patrol envoys catching you?”
Yuan Che’s heart leapt, guessing Zhang Ruochen’s resolve wavered, teetering on exposure.
He pressed on cruelly, “We’ve captured an Undying Blood Clan Saint King, we can sacrifice the whole city and pin it on him.”
“Zhang Ruochen, you’re too green! Our tricks outnumber your imagination.”
“The Kunlun Realm’s fools think cities keep them safe, unaware those bans are mere scraps to us, killing them’s as easy as slaughtering pigs and dogs.”
…
From the mountains, Zhang Ruochen’s cold laugh sounded, “I can’t control the Kunlun Realm, but Yunwu Commandery’s my turf—anyone strutting here meets death.”
Before his words faded, the sky shifted.
Dark clouds rolled in, plunging King Mountain into gloom.
A suffocating aura descended from above, a purple Eight Trigrams seal bursting through, pressing down on the four array flags.
Before it, even mountains seemed puny.
“Supreme power—a supreme saint weapon…”
Yuan Che’s face twisted, four saintly light pillars shot from him into the flags, which fluttered, emitting folding sounds.
Four mountain-sized thunder beasts charged from the flags at the seal.
“Bang, bang.”
A series of blasts shattered the beasts into lightning blades slicing the air.
“Retreat!” Yuan Che bellowed.
The You God Palace cultivators, their bravado gone, fled in panic.
The seal clashed with the flags, holding for a breath before the poles snapped.
“Boom.”
It struck the ground, flattening a hundred-li radius of mountains, sinking it over a hundred zhang.
Two Seventh-Step Saint Kings perished instantly.
Tian Lanzi and the leopard, injured, glanced back in terror—dust billowed from the woods, supreme qi surging like tides, pulverizing flora and stone, its destructive force staggering.
The leopard thrust his flaming halberd with full Five Brilliance power, barely deflecting the weapon’s residual might.
“No wonder they call Zhang Ruochen ruthless—he wields a supreme saint weapon, regret not digging into his profile, thought a Fifth-Step Saint King was easy prey.”
Spitting blood, the leopard stood, only to hear Zhang Ruochen, “Even at Fifth-Step, I’m not that easy to handle, right?”
From the dust, Zhang Ruochen emerged, leaning on the Divine Envoy Staff.
The leopard’s face fell, poised to flee, then recalled activating a supreme weapon took time.
With that window, couldn’t an Eighth-Step Saint King slay a Fifth-Step?
He burst forth, a golden streak, reaching three zhang of Zhang Ruochen in a blink, his halberd unleashing flames, forming a fiery cloud.
An Eighth-Step Saint King’s full force shook the earth for hundreds of li, a domineering blaze like wildfire.
Zhang Ruochen’s gaze sharpened, not underestimating him, roaring, “Dragon-Elephant Prajna Palm, Eleventh Form—Dragon-Elephant Ascend Heaven.”
Both palms struck, thirteen dragon and elephant souls manifesting, thousands of palm rules converging at his hands.
The Dragon-Elephant Prajna Palm, unyieldingly fierce.
Golden light blazed from him, blinding the leopard, as he invoked truth rules, unleashing sixfold attack power.
“Boom.”
The leopard’s arms throbbed with pain, flung backward.
Landing, he stumbled dozens of steps, steadying himself, only to find his fingers shattered, bleeding.
“A mere Fifth-Step Saint King—how can you be this strong?” The leopard’s mind reeled, unable to accept it.
Across three realms, the power gap was vast—how could he be repelled?
Zhang Ruochen said, “Even Ruiya Realm’s top geniuses with perfect physiques from the Truth Heavenly Domain, I can kill across realms, let alone a middling talent like you, unversed in truth’s path, unable to amplify your strikes.”
“Flee.”
Knowing he was outmatched, the leopard turned, sprinting at top speed towards King Mountain’s edge.
“Aren’t you an Eighth-Step Saint King? Weren’t you going to crush me single-handed? Why run?”
Zhang Ruochen pointed at him.
“Bang.”
The space around the leopard, a hundred zhang wide, shattered like a mirror, swallowing him, his body shredded by spatial forces.
An Eighth-Step Saint King was erased from existence, not a bone remaining.
