A striking figure with flowing blood-red hair appeared atop the God-Slaying Cross Shield, exuding an aura akin to a true god descending upon the world, his elegance unparalleled.
Gazing at Xia Wenzin, Zhang Ruochen’s expression shifted subtly.
The last time, it was this man who had intervened, preventing him from killing the Martial Realm Emperor’s Son.
Now, he had stepped in again, thwarting his attempt to deal with the Nine-Eyed Heavenly King—an utterly irritating pattern.
Though Zhang Ruochen had wounded Xia Wenzin with a sword strike previously, he didn’t underestimate him. That success had come from a surprise attack, merely breaking the skin without piercing through his body.
Had Xia Wenzin been wearing the Hundred Saints Blood Armour, Zhang Ruochen might not have even scratched him.
It was clear to Zhang Ruochen that Xia Wenzin was on a different level from the likes of the Martial Realm Emperor’s Son or even the Nine-Eyed Heavenly King—a formidable adversary.
“Heal your wounds and stabilise your cultivation. Let me deal with him,” Xia Wenzin said with calm indifference.
Though seething with rage, the Nine-Eyed Heavenly King obeyed, promptly swallowing a blood pill.
With Xia Wenzin standing in the way, Zhang Ruochen could no longer target the Heavenly King, missing a golden opportunity to cripple him.
“You haven’t even breached the sword tomb, yet you’ve already lost troops and generals. You lot are truly useless,” a scornful voice suddenly rang out.
From the rear of the Undying Blood Clan army, a thick black mist surged forward, swiftly reaching the front lines.
The sight of this mist instilled a profound sense of oppression in all who saw it, as if their very minds were being drawn into it.
Zhang Ruochen’s eyes sharpened as he murmured, “Nether Clan.”
From the moment he’d been afflicted by a curse, he’d known a Nether Clan powerhouse was aiding the Undying Blood Clan, though their identity remained unclear.
“Let me give you a hand, then,” the Nether Immortal spoke again, his tone tinged with impatience.
“Whoosh.”
The black mist churned violently, revealing countless ghostly warriors—dark, menacing, and overwhelming, their killing intent blotting out the sky.
The ghost army charged forth with thunderous momentum, striking fear into all who faced them.
“These ghosts are born from curses—don’t let them get close,” Zhang Ruochen warned as he sprang into action.
A torrent of Pure Extinguishing Divine Fire erupted from him, forming a fiery qilin that charged at the ghost army.
Simultaneously, he opened the *Secret Tome of Time and Space*, creating a multidimensional space to trap scores of ghosts, then used spatial techniques to obliterate them.
But the ghost army was vast and spread in all directions; he alone couldn’t hold them back.
He longed to deploy the Blue Sky Pagoda, but with Xia Wenzin watching like a hawk and the God-Slaying Cross Shield no mere decoration, he held back.
“Uncle Master, we’ll assist you!”
Da Sikong and Er Sikong leapt into the air, their bodies radiating boundless Buddhist light.
The Buddhist path excelled at subduing demons and evil, wielding many techniques to counter sinister forces—perfect for this moment.
Ji Fanxin joined in, releasing a cloud of nearly invisible pollen to impede the ghost army.
From the ancient prison-guarding clan, countless talismans were unleashed, summoning thunder, fire, and supreme yang forces—the bane of all things阴邪.
“Boom.”
As everyone scrambled to counter the curse, intricate array patterns suddenly emerged across the shattered land, forming a series of high-tier arrays.
Clearly, this was the Nether Immortal’s work again. Beyond his mastery of curses, he was also an Array Saint Master.
Without his aid, how could the Undying Blood Clan have breached the clan’s defences so easily?
“Wonderful, wonderful! This poor Taoist will take you on!” Zhenmiao Little Taoist exclaimed with excitement.
An Array Saint Master himself, he was now in his element.
He immediately unleashed his array techniques, clashing with the Nether Immortal.
“Let me show you this poor Taoist’s prowess!”
With a shout, Zhenmiao hurled seven divine seat planets inscribed with array patterns.
In an instant, they formed a ninth-grade array, enveloping the black mist.
From the mist emerged an ancient array disc, its surface teeming with intricate patterns, colliding fiercely with the ninth-grade array.
“Boom.”
The impact unleashed a terrifying shockwave, sweeping in all directions.
The already ravaged black plains crumbled further, soil and stone disintegrating into a massive crater, as if struck by a meteor.
“Ahh!”
Zhenmiao Little Taoist suddenly screamed, blood seeping from his nose and mouth.
“A mental attack.”
Ji Fanxin’s eyes narrowed as she appeared beside him.
She instantly released her own mental power, forming a protective shield around Zhenmiao.
Then, she launched a fierce counterattack, condensing her mental energy into a sharp sword that struck with blinding speed.
She’d sensed the opponent’s mental strength was extraordinarily potent—no wonder Zhenmiao had suffered.
Between Array Saint Masters, the disparity in mental power greatly influenced combat prowess.
“Evil Spirit.”
Zhang Ruochen called out gravely.
The Evil Spirit, fused with a Great Saint’s corpse, emerged, exuding intense malice as dark energy poured from its back.
Gazing at the sea of ghostly warriors, it let out a hoarse, gleeful laugh, “All such fine treats—every one of them is this lord’s nourishment!”
Without needing Zhang Ruochen’s command, it lunged forward, devouring the curse-born ghosts without restraint.
With the Evil Spirit’s intervention, the Nether Immortal’s curse was finally fully contained, unable to target the ancient prison-guarding clan cultivators.
Ji Fanxin, Zhenmiao Little Taoist, and the Evil Spirit together were enough to keep the Nether Immortal in check, freeing Zhang Ruochen to face Xia Wenzin.
From start to finish, his focus had remained on Xia Wenzin, wary of a sudden strike.
“It seems you’re ready to face me. I’m eager to see how strong you’ve become after your breakthrough,” Xia Wenzin said with a faint smile.
Even amidst the battlefield, he remained utterly composed, as if Zhang Ruochen posed no threat.
“Summer Divine Son is finally making his move—what a thrill!”
“With Summer Divine Son stepping in, the ancient prison-guarding clan will be swept away in no time.”
“What heir of time and space? Before Summer Divine Son, he’s just a clay chicken or tile dog.”
“Summer Divine Son is invincible, sweeping through Kunlun Realm!”
Seeing Xia Wenzin about to act, many Undying Blood Clan warriors grew excited.
To them, Xia Wenzin was unbeatable—anyone he targeted never survived.
They believed this time would be no exception.
“What nonsense Summer Divine Son? In front of my big brother, he’s trash!” Xiang Chunan roared, unable to hold back.
No matter the odds, he wouldn’t let their momentum be crushed.
“Black-faced freak, you dare slander Summer Divine Son? Courting death?” an Undying Blood Clan Saint King stepped forward, barking.
Xiang Chunan wouldn’t back down, bellowing, “Yeah, I’m slandering him—what you gonna do about it?”
“Kill.” The Saint King charged.
Seeing him approach, Xiang Chunan grinned, hurling an iron hat with a flourish.
“Boom.”
The hat erupted with supreme power, crushing down on the Saint King.
“You…”
The Saint King’s eyes widened, words forming too late.
The iron hat smashed him into a cloud of blood mist in an instant.
“Mess with me? Now you know who’s boss,” Xiang Chunan laughed, retrieving the hat with smug satisfaction.
No need for courtesy with the Undying Blood Clan.
Why fight bare-handed when he had a supreme sacred artifact? Was he stupid?
Seeing Xiang Chunan’s smugness, many Undying Blood Clan Saint Kings seethed with rage. Were it not for the supreme artifact, they’d have swarmed him already.
Xiang Chunan laughed heartily, “Anyone else unconvinced? Come at me—I’ll teach you how to behave in minutes!”
His taunt only fuelled their fury. If looks could kill, he’d have died a thousand times over.
“Boom.”
At that moment, the ground within thousands of li shattered, a torrent of bloodthirsty energy erupting as if some monstrous entity had been unleashed.
It happened so abruptly that no one was prepared. In the instant the bloodthirsty energy exploded, many from the ancient prison-guarding clan perished, their bodies and souls obliterated.
Witnessing this, Zhang Ruochen clenched his fists, his face darkening ominously.
He’d miscalculated. Xia Wenzin hadn’t stood idly by as he’d assumed but had covertly activated the God-Slaying Cross Shield.
In Xia Wenzin’s hands, the shield’s power was leagues beyond what Qi Sheng had managed—tenfold, a hundredfold stronger.
Handing this mighty weapon to Xia Wenzin had been a grave mistake.
“Your opponent is me.”
Zhang Ruochen roared, hurling the Blue Sky Pagoda with full force.
Seeing it approach, Xia Wenzin remained unruffled, calm as if detached from the chaos.
The God-Slaying Cross Shield quaked, countless divine runes emerging to form a cross-shaped divine light that met the Blue Sky Pagoda head-on.
“Boom.”
The divine light was overwhelmingly potent, striking the pagoda and dispersing its supreme power.
Evidently, the God-Slaying Cross Shield was intrinsically superior—a weapon that had once nailed a god to its fate.
Shattering the pagoda’s assault, a blood shadow emerged from the shield, resembling the god pinned to it. Thousands of bloodlights shot forth, racing toward Zhang Ruochen.
At that moment, everyone could feel an immense divine might, so oppressive it compelled one to kneel involuntarily.
As the target, Zhang Ruochen felt it most keenly, as if a divine mountain pressed down on him.
“Yan God Leg.”
With a low growl, he raised his left leg—the leg of a god.
Reddish patterns flared across it, radiating terrifying divine power.
“Boom.”
The crimson divine force swept outward, annihilating the oncoming bloodlights.
In the end, even the blood shadow shattered, unable to withstand the overwhelming divine power of the Yan God Leg.
After years of seclusion, Zhang Ruochen had refined nearly half the divine rules within the leg, wielding it with greater finesse and might.
The God-Slaying Cross Shield, merely tapping a fraction of its divine power and enslaving a god’s remnant soul, fell short against the Yan God Leg.
