The Blood Bee Asura King unleashed his full power, charging forward like an unstoppable force. With his war sword, he cleaved through the seven holy artefacts launched by the three elders, some crashing to the ground, others snapping in two.
That war sword seemed to possess the might to shatter all matter in the world.
“Bang, bang.”
The three elders couldn’t hold off the Blood Bee Asura King for even a single breath before they were sent flying. Dai Zi was struck by a sword qi that pierced his body, leaving a gaping, transparent wound in his chest—a severe injury.
“Your opponent is me.”
A booming shout rang out above the Blood Bee Asura King’s head.
Murong Yefeng caught up, raising his palm and forming a demonic stele-shaped seal, striking at the Blood Bee Asura King.
“So fast.”
The Blood Bee Asura King was inwardly shocked. Below the Great Saint level, he had never encountered such a formidable foe. This man’s strength and reaction speed reached the pinnacle of what was possible beneath a Great Saint.
“Killing Sword Path, Unity of Heaven and Man.”
The Blood Bee Asura King gripped his sword with both hands. The Great Saint battle soul behind him swelled, transforming into a massive shadow.
He slashed out, clashing with the demonic stele seal.
“Boom.”
The Blood Bee Asura King’s arms nearly dislocated. He stumbled back a hundred zhang before stopping, a stark contrast to his earlier domineering sweep—now reduced to an utterly dishevelled state.
This wasn’t just a retreat; it was a crushing defeat. His opponent’s combat power far exceeded his own.
The Butcher climbed to his feet, gaping in disbelief. “Too strong! The Blood Bee Asura King seems powerless to fight back. Where did Zhang Ruochen find such a mighty expert?”
“Everyone, attack together! We can’t let the Blood Bee Asura King escape—we mustn’t release the tiger back to the mountains.”
The cultivators present summoned their holy artefacts, surrounding the Blood Bee Asura King tightly, giving him no chance to flee.
Ji Fanxin’s spiritual power had recovered somewhat. She raised her slender jade hands slowly.
Instantly, within a radius of hundreds of li, tender green shoots sprouted from the soil, blossoming into a sea of vibrant flowers—purple, red, and dazzlingly beautiful.
Amid the flower sea, a powerful spiritual force surged, ready to suppress the Blood Bee Asura King at any moment.
If he tried to escape, that spiritual force could form an attack to stop him.
If he attempted to detonate his holy source to take everyone down with him, Ji Fanxin’s spiritual power could swiftly quash the thought.
It was precisely because of Ji Fanxin’s presence that the Blood Bee Asura King felt the threat of death for the first time. Even on the frontlines of the Merit War, surrounded by countless Saint realm cultivators, he had never experienced such despair.
Zhang Ruochen said, “Yezi, do you need me to lend you the Qingtian Pagoda?”
Murong Yefeng had returned the Nine Phoenix Cauldron to the black market and carried no Supreme Holy Artefact.
Murong Yefeng chuckled, “Your Highness underestimates me. To deal with a mere Dao Domain realm Asura King, do I need a Supreme Holy Artefact? Believe it or not, I can cut him down within five palms?”
“Alright. If you can kill the Blood Bee Asura King within five palms, his head is yours—we won’t contest it. On top of that, I’ll give you a generous gift,” Zhang Ruochen said.
The Blood Bee Asura King’s head could be exchanged for a substantial amount of merit points, which in turn could purchase merit treasures.
Though Murong Yefeng’s cultivation had reached the peak below the Great Saint level, the incomplete heavenly rules of the Kunlun Realm in the past made it difficult to forge a powerful physique.
Thus, Murong Yefeng needed to claim numerous merit treasures to enhance his physical body, pushing his combat strength even further.
Among those present, it wasn’t just Murong Yefeng who could defeat the Blood Bee Asura King—Ji Fanxin could too.
Knowing Murong Yefeng needed merit points, Zhang Ruochen handed him the chance to kill the Blood Bee Asura King. If Ji Fanxin wanted to act, she’d have to wait until after the fifth palm.
Murong Yefeng didn’t hesitate. He pushed his holy qi to its limit, rivers of energy seeming to flow within him. Torrents of holy qi poured out, forming a leaden cloud.
Hundreds of thousands of Palm Path rules wove together in the cloud, shaping a Five-Finger Mountain that pressed down on the Blood Bee Asura King.
The Five-Finger Mountain, a thousand zhang tall, was indistinguishable from a true ancient divine peak. Its aura left even Nine-Step Saint Kings among the onlookers breathless.
“Five-Finger Qiankun Hand,” Zhang Ruochen murmured.
This was a signature technique of the Murong Clan.
From what Zhang Ruochen knew, eight hundred years ago, even the Murong Clan’s patriarch hadn’t mastered it. His teacher, Shangguan Que, had once critiqued this holy art, believing that at its peak, it could rival the Saint Ming Royal Clan’s ultimate technique, the “Great Star Radiance Hand.”
Unfortunately, eight hundred years ago, Zhang Ruochen’s cultivation was too low to access profound techniques like the “Great Star Radiance Hand.”
The royal clan’s countless martial tomes had long vanished—perhaps seized by the Chiqing Central Empire, preemptively moved by the Dragon-Protecting Pavilion, or even stored in the Ming Hall.
“Boom.”
Taking the Five-Finger Qiankun Hand head-on, the Blood Bee Asura King was smashed into the ground. His skin split open, and vast amounts of holy blood sprayed from his body.
Terrified, the Blood Bee Asura King no longer dared provoke Murong Yefeng, attempting to flee underground.
“Where do you think you’re going?”
Murong Yefeng unleashed his Dao Domain, enveloping an area dozens of li wide, encompassing Zhang Ruochen and the others.
In that moment, Zhang Ruochen felt the space solidify, making even moving a finger difficult. Mobilising the power of time became exceedingly challenging as well.
When he’d fought Laiwang Ren and Qu Xingzhe earlier, he hadn’t felt this.
It must have been because Laiwang Ren and Qu Xingzhe had only recently reached the Dao Domain realm, their domains still weak.
Murong Yefeng’s Dao Domain, in both strength and scope, far surpassed theirs.
The Dao Domain locked onto the Blood Bee Asura King underground, forcibly dragging him back out.
“Bang.”
Murong Yefeng’s palm struck the Blood Bee Asura King’s chest, clashing with his war sword and sending him flying once more.
Within the Dao Domain, Murong Yefeng’s speed was astonishing. Before the Blood Bee Asura King could land, a third palm hit his back.
The Blood Bee Asura King had a Dao Domain too, but it paled in comparison to Murong Yefeng’s, leaving him utterly suppressed. Even with his Great Saint battle soul, he had no power to fight back.
“Bang.”
Moments later, the Blood Bee Asura King’s armour shattered, his body exploded, and a shower of blood rained from the sky.
Murong Yefeng landed, holding a broken corpse, grinning at Zhang Ruochen. “How’s that? Exactly five palms.”
“Clap, clap.”
Zhang Ruochen clapped his hands, delighted. “Impressive. It seems I still need to train harder to match you.”
“With Your Highness’s talent, surpassing me is only a matter of time. I, on the other hand, have cultivated eight hundred years more and am barely ahead—quite embarrassing, really,” Murong Yefeng said.
He continued, “I won’t be polite—I’m taking the Blood Bee Asura King’s corpse and his war sword! If anyone objects, take it up with my Crown Prince.”
Naturally, no one objected—they hadn’t contributed much effort.
“Your Highness, what about that generous gift you mentioned?”
Murong Yefeng’s eyes gleamed with anticipation.
Zhang Ruochen replied, “The battle isn’t over yet. Once we’ve dealt with the enemies on the Battle Soul Star, I’ll definitely give it to you.”
The Blood Emperor Bees remained trapped in the *Red Sun Divine River Scroll*, including four bee kings—hundreds in total.
Ji Fanxin, intrigued by the bees, approached Fairy Tianchu. “I have a holy flower whose fragrance can control the Blood Emperor Bees. It seems Your Highness can only trap them, not subdue them. Why not let me have them?”
The Butcher, Dai Zi, and Li Miaohan brightened, thinking it a fine idea.
Fairy Tianchu replied coolly, “The Hundred Flower Fairy’s skills are extraordinary and admirable. However, subduing the Blood Emperor Bees is a minor task—it won’t stump Luo Ji. It’ll just take some time.”
Anyone could tell Fairy Tianchu was subtly challenging Ji Fanxin, as if vying for pride.
Murong Yefeng transmitted to Zhang Ruochen, “These two renowned fairies of the Heavenly Realm might have an old grudge. If they start fighting, that’ll be entertaining!”
“Can’t you hope for something positive?”
Zhang Ruochen’s eyes grew pensive. Could Jiang Yunchong and Ji Fanxin be right—did he hold some weight in Fairy Tianchu’s heart?
For some reason, the image of Fairy Tianchu’s back flashed in his mind.
That stunning silhouette had stood before him, fending off the Blood Bee Asura King in his stead.
Fairy Tianchu opened the vertical eye on her forehead, a nebula of vibrant colours swirling within its pupil.
This eye could perceive the spiritual will of all things in the world and unleash formidable spiritual power. Using it, Fairy Tianchu erased the bees’ original spiritual will, imprinting them with a new one.
However, that vertical eye could only be used once a day.
Forcing a second use caused scarlet blood to drip from it. Her exquisitely beautiful face turned as pale as porcelain, devoid of any colour.
After subduing the bees, Fairy Tianchu’s full chest heaved violently. Her vision darkened, and she nearly collapsed.
Zhang Ruochen moved to support her, but Li Miaohan reached her first.
Zhang Ruochen gazed at Fairy Tianchu for a moment, restraining himself from stepping forward. “Brother Butcher, Brother Dai Zi, stay here and look after Her Highness. Yezi, Fairy, let’s go deal with that ghost clan powerhouse.”
Zhang Ruochen, Murong Yefeng, and Ji Fanxin re-entered the blood mist. Arriving at the shores of the divine blood lake, they found only scattered fragments of corpse kings’ flesh.
Even the Great Saint Corpse King was encased in an iceberg.
Mother Qushan stood amidst the flesh fragments, exuding a chilling aura. She addressed Zhang Ruochen and the others, “You’re late. Chang has escaped. If these dead things hadn’t held me back, I’d have shattered his ghost king body and scattered his soul to the winds.”
