Zhu Xia patted the sack in his hand, sneering coldly, “Useless, this bag is forged from a Cyan Qilin Greater Saint’s hide, inscribed with remnants of an ancient ninth-grade array, attack it, and those attacks will rebound onto you, stop resisting and obediently become my blood slave.”
Zhu Xia had great confidence in the Eight Trigrams array robe.
It was a cherished oddity of his, having subdued countless formidable foes with it.
“Rustle.”
Suddenly, the sack swelled, growing larger and larger, soon reaching the size of a house.
Then it expanded to the size of a mountain…
Zhu Xia’s slit-like eyes widened in shock, he hurriedly infused mental power into it, activating the robe’s array inscriptions.
“How did that cripple grow so massive? Could his true form not be human, but some ancient colossal beast?”
Though startled, Zhu Xia’s faith in the robe remained unshaken.
When alive, the Cyan Qilin Greater Saint stood three thousand zhang tall, capable of drinking a river dry with one gulp, crushing a towering mountain with a single step.
Gradually, the sack swelled tenfold more, taking a gourd-like shape.
The surrounding mountains looked like mere hillocks in comparison.
Hundreds of li away, Daizi and Tufu stared in disbelief, they’d seen the cripple get trapped in the sack and had intended to rush to his aid.
Now, they halted, exchanging stunned looks.
“What a massive… gourd…” Daizi marvelled.
As the sack stretched ever larger, it finally tore the robe apart, a deafening blast rang out, powerful currents surging in all directions.
A gourd hovered in midair.
Lightning danced across its surface.
The surrounding area, influenced by a strange force, filled with mist and layered clouds, gentle rain began to fall.
What burst the robe was the Mercury Gourd.
The Mercury Gourd grew on the Mercury Vine, which coiled around Kunlun Realm’s ancient water spirit root, the “Plantain Divine Tree,” each gourd’s true form was as vast as a star.
It was a naturally born supreme treasure—fully unleashed, its diameter could span thousands of li, rolling across the earth to crush billions of lives.
For now, Zhang Ruochen lacked the strength to fully wield it.
As Zhu Xia stood momentarily dazed, Zhang Ruochen appeared behind him, a sword piercing his saint heart, the sword aura shattering the saint soul within.
For array masters or mental cultivators, their greatest weakness was their frail bodies.
“Urgh… I… refuse to accept this…”
Struck by the sword, Zhu Xia toppled backward, plummeting to the ground.
“Thud.”
His corpse hit the earth, turning to blood mud.
Zhang Ruochen landed beside the mangled body, collecting a wisp of saint soul and storing it.
Zhu Xia was a notable figure among the Undying Blood Clan.
Killing him would yield considerable merit points.
With merit points, one could exchange for merit treasures at the Merit Station—some boosted cultivation and mental power, others enhanced physique or wisdom, their uses boundless.
“Retract.”
Zhang Ruochen grasped at the air, recalling the Mercury Gourd, praising, “What a fine treasure, once my mental power reaches fifty-ninth tier and my mastery of space and time deepens, I’ll refine you into a spacetime artifact.”
Zhu Xia’s mount, the “Three-Golden Bat,” circled above, glaring down at Zhang Ruochen, its three pairs of eyes radiating ferocity, it let out a bizarre cry, golden ripples spreading, shattering clouds across ten thousand li.
“Oh no…”
Caught off guard, Zhang Ruochen was struck by the soundwave, his head splitting with pain, vision darkening, body swaying.
Who’d have thought a mere mount possessed such terrifying strength?
The Three-Golden Bat, a Ninth-Step Saint King, its cry directly assaulted saint souls—a fearsome creature.
Even Zhang Ruochen struggled, let alone Qi Sheng and Ying Huo, who’d fled a thousand li away, now writhing on the ground, clutching their heads in agony.
Daizi and Tufu, far enough and strong enough, were less affected.
“No wonder Zhu Xia’s danger rating on the *Hell’s Stone Clan Evil List* was five—his pet was this formidable,” Tufu chuckled, drawing the cleaver from his back, spinning his arm like a windmill.
“Swish.”
The cleaver flew hundreds of li, slashing down, severing one of the bat’s heads with a “pfft.”
In pain, the bat grew frenzied, diving at Zhang Ruochen.
Its golden wings bore sharp claws, glinting coldly like blades, tearing at him, the claws igniting the air as they slashed.
This strike rivalled a Ninth-Step Saint King’s full blow.
At this critical moment, a massive black shadow lunged forward, shielding Zhang Ruochen, striking with a bone handprint, sending the bat crashing into the dirt.
It was the Yi Emperor Bone Staff in skeleton form.
The black skeleton pounced, pinning the bat, gnawing at it, devouring its saint soul.
Without its soul, the bat twitched twice before going cold.
As the pain in his mind faded, Zhang Ruochen recovered.
“That was close, thankfully the Chaos Spacetime Lotus reinforced my saint soul, or it would’ve shattered.”
He swallowed a soul-healing pill, then approached the bat, collecting a drop of its saint blood.
“This Three-Golden Bat must belong to Hell’s Asura Clan, right?” Zhang Ruochen mused, rubbing his chin.
A melodious female voice came from the clouds, “Indeed, an Asura.”
Three figures descended, appearing before him.
Zhang Ruochen recognised them—Tianchu Fairy, Tufu, and Daizi.
Seeing Tufu and Daizi behind Tianchu Fairy surprised him briefly, but he quickly understood, “So the Heavenly Maiden they mentioned was Luo Ji.”
Meeting Luo Ji again stirred complex emotions in him.
One, a noble, peerless talent, breathtakingly beautiful, the epitome of grace, the other, a fallen prince of a ruined world.
They shouldn’t have crossed paths much, yet fate tied them with a bond.
He’d thought giving her the divine spring settled their debts, allowing them to part ways, but destiny brought them together again.
Tufu yanked his cleaver from the crater, laughing, “Brother Cripple, you’re impressive, the Three-Golden Bat’s a strong breed among Asuras, yet at Sixth-Step Saint King, you withstood its saint sound attack, your saint soul must rival a Ninth-Step Saint King’s.”
Zhang Ruochen avoided looking at Tianchu Fairy, though he felt her gaze on him.
Pretending not to know her, he clasped his fists with a smile, “Thanks to Brother Tufu for the assist.”
“Heh, my strike didn’t kill it—what’s to thank? Your skeleton’s the real deal, flattening it with one slap, what’s its story—why’s it so strong?” Tufu asked curiously.
Before Zhang Ruochen could reply, Tianchu Fairy said, “Yi Emperor Bone Staff.”
Zhang Ruochen finally met her gaze, “Sharp eyes, miss, indeed it’s the Yi Emperor Bone Staff.”
“So, you’re Moon Goddess’s emissary, Zhang Ruochen?”
Tianchu Fairy watched him closely, catching every subtle move.
Her gaze seemed to pierce through him.
Uncomfortable, he wondered, *Has she recognised me? No way, even with her keen sight, she shouldn’t see through my Formless Thirty-Six Transformations.*
He didn’t answer, just smiled faintly, walking to the skeleton, recalling it into a staff.
Sensing the odd mood, Tufu laughed awkwardly, “So, Brother Cripple is the famed spacetime heir Zhang Ruochen, they say you took down Blackheart Demon Lord’s divine clone? Impressive, forgot to introduce—this is the Heavenly Maiden I mentioned, one of the nine fairies in the *Nine Immortals Beauty Chart*, Tianchu Fairy.”
The air remained awkward, both Zhang Ruochen and Tianchu Fairy silent.
Tufu, puzzled, thought, *Seeing Tianchu Fairy, any male cultivator should be thrilled, eager to chat or at least show admiration—Zhang Ruochen’s reaction is nil, is he even a man?*
Coughing twice, Tufu added, “Truth is, Daizi and I are from Tianchu Civilization.”
Zhang Ruochen said, “They say Tianchu Civilization borders Hell’s Asura Clan, warring constantly, Brother Tufu must know them well?”
“Naturally.”
Tufu elaborated, “Among Hell’s lower three clans, the Undying Blood Clan grows by absorbing blood, the Rakshasa Clan by devouring flesh, both for rapid cultivation gains, the Asura Clan, though, thrives on battle intent and war qi to advance.”
“The lower three clans must kill and destroy ceaselessly to grow stronger.”
“The Blood Clan and Rakshasas are true races, but Asuras encompass various beings—many ascend or sneak into the Asura Star Pillar Realm from other worlds.”
“Any creature fond of slaughter, destruction, and combat can become an Asura, but they must pass the Asura War Soul Sea’s baptism to officially join Hell’s ranks.”
