“He escaped rather quickly. I wonder how Junior Brother Zhang is faring.”
Zhenyu murmured, casting his gaze toward Life-Death Cliff.
He needed to remain stationed outside, preventing Precept Domain-level warriors from entering the cliff’s base—a promise he’d made to Zhang Ruochen, which he intended to keep.
Earning a favour from Zhang Ruochen was something he was quite happy to do.
At the bottom of Life-Death Cliff, the battle raged fiercely. Warriors from various factions coveted the divine corpse and stones but were blocked by the array formed by five hundred Rakshasa dukes, unable to get close.
After intense fighting, not only did these warriors fail to breach the dukes’ array, but they suffered heavy losses, with even a Sky-Connecting Realm warrior gravely wounded.
Among the ten Hell Clans, the Rakshasa Clan’s battle arrays were the most renowned, a headache for anyone who faced them.
On large battlefields, arrays formed by thousands of Rakshasa cultivators were even more terrifying.
Inside the giant snake’s mouth, Gun Demon and thirty-five Rakshasa princes had set up the Heavenly Annihilation Array, trapping Zhang Ruochen and his four companions.
“Found it.”
A glint flashed in Ji Fanxin’s eyes.
She immediately transmitted the discovered weakness to Zhang Ruochen via mental power.
The corner of Zhang Ruochen’s mouth curved upward as he hurled the Hidden Mountain Demonic Mirror.
A massive black lightning bolt struck, hitting the mirror’s surface.
The mirror displayed its strange ability, reflecting the lightning back with even greater power.
*Boom.*
The reflected lightning struck the array’s weak point, tearing a gap in the Heavenly Annihilation Array.
Seizing the chance, nine dragon souls pulled the Golden-Step Dragon Carriage, rushing through the breach.
Gun Demon remained unfazed. The array shifted instantly, and the thirty-six Rakshasa princes merged into a single entity—a hundred-zhang-tall giant, nearly filling the snake’s mouth.
To be precise, the princes didn’t physically merge, but their powers fully combined, forming the giant with malevolent energy. All thirty-six princes were inside, protected by the giant.
On either side of the giant’s head were strange vortexes, crackling with lightning, as if thunder dragons coiled within.
*Boom.*
A black lightning bolt shot from one vortex, striking at the Golden-Step Dragon Carriage.
The Eight-Dragon Umbrella spun, blocking the lightning in front of the carriage.
The umbrella was far better suited for defence than the carriage.
“Die.”
Gun Demon’s voice rang out as the giant thrust its Kingly Weapon spear toward the umbrella.
Zhang Ruochen didn’t meet it head-on with the umbrella, instead using the Hidden Mountain Demonic Mirror to block the spear.
Though the umbrella’s rank was close to a Kingly Weapon, its inscriptions hadn’t yet transformed into kingly ones, and it hadn’t undergone a tribulation. Clashing directly with a Kingly Weapon risked damage.
Such a top-tier Thousand-Pattern Holy Weapon, if damaged, would be troublesome to repair.
While blocking the spear with the mirror, Zhang Ruochen unleashed the Azure Sky Pagoda, waves of supreme force surging as it slammed toward the giant.
*Boom.*
A black lightning bolt shot from the other vortex on the giant’s head, striking the pagoda and halting its spin.
*Swish.*
Zhang Ruochen appeared behind the giant’s head, thrusting the Abyss Ancient Sword with incredible speed. A sharp sword aura formed at the tip, capable of slicing through anything.
*Hiss.*
The sword pierced the giant’s head but only sank two inches before stopping.
The giant’s arm shot backward, trying to grab Zhang Ruochen.
Reacting swiftly, Zhang Ruochen withdrew the sword and used spatial shift to return to the front of the Golden-Step Dragon Carriage.
“No wonder it’s an array of thirty-six Rakshasa princes. It’s tough to crack, nearly flawless.”
Zhang Ruochen couldn’t help but sigh.
In his view, the array’s power might rival an Immortal Great Saint. Few below Great Saint could break it by force.
“Let’s get out.”
Zhang Ruochen drove the carriage out of the snake’s mouth.
The array of thirty-six princes was formidable, but what about the five hundred dukes outside?
Besides, staying inside the snake’s mouth was restrictive. Outside, they’d have more room to manoeuvre and could retreat easily if something unexpected arose.
*Rumble.*
The nine dragon souls pulled the carriage, charging out.
*Bang.*
Two Rakshasa dukes were hit head-on, exploding into clouds of blood mist.
This disrupted the array formed by the five hundred dukes, allowing other warriors to rush in.
In an instant, dozens of dukes were attacked and killed.
Fortunately, the remaining dukes reacted quickly. Three hundred sixty formed the All-Heaven Adaptive Array, while eighty-one set up the Nine-Nine Unity Array.
The few remaining dukes hid within the All-Heaven Adaptive Array.
With so many warriors charging in, any duke alone would be an immediate target.
The Rakshasa Clan stabilized and counterattacked, swiftly killing nearly a hundred warriors.
“Zhang Ruochen, meet your end.”
Gun Demon roared, controlling the array as the giant emerged from the snake’s mouth.
A surge of malevolent energy formed a war spear, hurled with a thousand times the speed of sound at Zhang Ruochen.
Its speed was so great that Zhang Ruochen couldn’t dodge, only raising the Abyss Ancient Sword to block.
*Clang.*
The spear struck the sword, transmitting a terrifying force through it to Zhang Ruochen’s arms.
The spear’s power could destroy even a high-tier Thousand-Pattern Holy Weapon.
The Abyss Ancient Sword’s unique material spared it from damage.
*Boom.*
Zhang Ruochen’s arms trembled as Great Saint-level Dragon and Elephant Souls manifested, resisting the spear’s force.
Retreating a dozen steps, he stabilized, fully dissipating the spear’s energy.
“He blocked it!” Gun Demon was astonished.
He’d thought the strike would at least cripple Zhang Ruochen, if not kill him, but Zhang Ruochen stood unscathed.
Zhang Ruochen casually stretched his arms, joining the others.
That strike was indeed terrifying. Without his Beneath Great Saint body and Great Saint-level Dragon and Elephant Souls in his arms, it would’ve been dangerous.
*Crack.*
The ground split, and massive vines sprouted, coiling and whipping at the giant formed by the thirty-six princes.
Outside the snake’s mouth, Ji Fanxin’s mental spells were unleashed freely, their power amplified.
Thousands of vines grew, engulfing the giant. Even when severed, they regrew instantly, seemingly endless.
Moreover, buds sprouted on the vines, blooming and releasing a strange fragrance.
This fragrance was unusual, highly toxic—lethal even to Saint Kings if inhaled.
The giant was perfectly formed but not flawless. The pervasive fragrance could cause trouble.
“I’ll hold the array. You retrieve the divine corpse,” Ji Fanxin said.
Zhang Ruochen nodded and sprang into action.
They came for the divine stones and corpse, not to fight the Rakshasa Clan to the death.
Once they had both, they could retreat.
Standing before the snake’s head, Zhang Ruochen opened the Qiankun Realm.
The divine corpse was too massive for anything but the Qiankun Realm to contain.
The realm unleashed a powerful suction, enveloping the snake’s head, trying to pull the corpse from the rock.
“Hm?”
Zhang Ruochen’s expression shifted.
Despite fully activating the Qiankun Realm, it had no effect—the corpse didn’t budge, as if fused with the earth.
“Zhang Ruochen, you’re wasting your effort. To retrieve the divine corpse, you need me.”
The Evil Spirit’s voice suddenly echoed from the Qiankun Realm.
Zhang Ruochen asked, “What do you mean?”
“I’ve devoured the divine will evil entity and know how to control the divine corpse. To me, this corpse is the perfect vessel,” the Evil Spirit said with a raspy laugh.
Zhang Ruochen smiled, “Then what are you waiting for?”
The Evil Spirit abandoned its current Great Saint corpse, flying out of the Qiankun Realm and into the divine corpse.
With a better vessel available, it had no attachment to the Great Saint corpse.
With the Evil Spirit handling the divine corpse, Zhang Ruochen turned his attention to the Nine-Nine Unity Array formed by eighty-one dukes, striking it with the Azure Sky Pagoda.
The Heavenly Annihilation Array was tough, so he’d target a weaker foe.
*Boom.*
The array collapsed under the pagoda’s strike.
All eighty-one dukes were injured, many coughing up blood.
“No one’s escaping.”
Xiang Chunan’s fighting spirit surged as he hurled the Metal Demon Crown.
Stepping forward, he charged, demonic energy surging, and punched a second-rank duke.
Feng Yan and Pei Yutian didn’t stand idle, joining Xiang Chunan in the fray. Without the array’s support, the dukes posed no threat.
Though the dukes reacted quickly, only a third escaped into the All-Heaven Adaptive Array. The rest were killed by the trio.
When the All-Heaven Adaptive Array tried to attack, Zhang Ruochen stood in front, blocking all strikes with the Eight-Dragon Umbrella.
“All Heavens Dragon and Elephant.”
Zhang Ruochen flexed his arms, unleashing the twelfth palm of the Dragon-Elephant Prajna Palm.
A torrent of yang energy surged from him, condensing hundreds of thousands of palm rules, with truth rules also activated.
*Boom.*
A dragon and elephant soared, massive and radiant, as if illuminating the heavens, visible even above Life-Death Cliff.
