Two sword beams, with completely opposing auras, collided with a resounding crash.
The space trembled violently, ripples spreading outward, forming terrifying phenomena.
At this moment, Zhang Ruochen seemed possessed by the mysterious sword god who created the *Wordless Sword Manual*, while Shang Ziqi was as if possessed by the evil god who forged the Crimson Child Sword. Their clash resembled a battle between the mysterious sword god and the evil god.
“Rumble.”
With Zhang Ruochen and Shang Ziqi at the centre, the ground within a radius of hundreds of miles sank rapidly, and mountains collapsed outright, unable to withstand the terrifying force unleashed by their battle.
Feeling the overwhelming power of Zhang Ruochen and Shang Ziqi, others couldn’t help but distance themselves from the two.
Although their cultivation realms weren’t the highest here—after all, they hadn’t yet condensed a Dao Domain—their combat strength was far too terrifying. Ordinary Near-Dao Realm powerhouses couldn’t compare, and no one wanted to be caught in the shockwaves of their battle.
“Swish.”
Several massive spatial rifts appeared, like the gaping maws of ancient beasts.
Seeing these spatial rifts, those around retreated even further.
If struck by a spatial rift, even an Immortal Great Saint would be torn apart.
“Are these two really only at the peak of the Great Heaven of Rules? Why does it feel like two Immortal Great Saints are fighting?”
“As expected of the successor of space and time, his spatial techniques are too terrifying. A casual move can tear space apart. Even an Immortal Great Saint, if careless, could fall to it.”
“No matter how powerful his spatial techniques are, they’re useless against Shang Ziqi. The three-coloured treasure armour Shang Ziqi wears completely immunizes him to spatial techniques.”
“Though Shang Ziqi isn’t a master of an Eternal Dao, he wields means to counter Eternal Daos. Zhang Ruochen, as the master of space and time, has no advantage against Shang Ziqi. One Shang Ziqi’s strength is already on par with Zhang Ruochen’s. With three Shang Ziqis combined, Zhang Ruochen’s chances of victory are slim.”
“Shang Ziqi is the offspring of a deity from Paradise Realm, possessing the Supreme Perfect Physique. He joined the Merit Temple, becoming the direct disciple of the Flame God, and mastered *Three Corpses Refining the Dao* from the *Taiyi Divine Techniques List*, a technique rarely achieved. He’s an unparalleled genius, undefeated in same-realm battles.”
“If Zhang Ruochen’s strength is limited to this, this battle will likely end soon.”
…
Many cultivators were focused on the battle between Zhang Ruochen and Shang Ziqi, with the vast majority believing Shang Ziqi held a clear advantage. Suppressing Zhang Ruochen was only a matter of time.
Recently, Zhang Ruochen had been invincible, defeating even the strongest opponents.
But this time, most no longer favoured him, as he faced Shang Ziqi, who was deemed even more exceptional.
“The situation looks bad. Could Zhang Ruochen really lose to Shang Ziqi?”
Watching the battle from afar, Thousand-Star Maiden couldn’t help but frown.
Though reluctant to admit it, the current situation was indeed unfavourable for Zhang Ruochen.
Facing the fierce onslaught of the three Shang Ziqis, Zhang Ruochen struggled to take the initiative, appearing very passive.
In such a perilous battle, a single mistake could be fatal.
Initially, Zhang Ruochen might manage to hold his own, but as time passed and he grew exhausted, Shang Ziqi could seize the opportunity to strike.
In another direction, Raksha Princess Luo Ji was also fixated on the clash between Zhang Ruochen and Shang Ziqi.
“Zhang Ruochen, as the one destined for this princess, you’d better not disappoint. You absolutely cannot lose to Shang Ziqi.”
Though Luo Ji had always wanted to suppress Zhang Ruochen and take him to the Hell Realm, she didn’t want him to lose to Shang Ziqi.
More precisely, she didn’t want him to lose to anyone. Her destined one had to be flawless, invincible in battle.
On a cliff not far from Peacock Manor, the mysterious Yanluo Clan man who had taken Shang Ziqi’s top-tier Streamer Merit Armour was still seated by a fire, with Chi Kunlun beside him.
Through some unknown method, he ensured no one could detect their presence.
“The successor of space and time, Zhang Ruochen, versus the Merit Temple’s leader, Shang Ziqi. These two are actually fighting. How interesting,” the mysterious man said with a light chuckle.
He extended a hand, and Yanluo Hell Qi surged. His palm rapidly transformed into a world, each palm line turning into mountains and rivers, appearing incredibly real.
“Let’s see just how strong these two are,” the mysterious man murmured.
As he spoke, he used some unknown technique to capture two strands of aura, manifesting illusory figures of Zhang Ruochen and Shang Ziqi in his palm-world. The figures were lifelike, as if their true selves had been pulled into his palm-world.
In an instant, the illusory Zhang Ruochen and Shang Ziqi began to fight fiercely, just as they were outside Peacock Manor.
Shang Ziqi’s illusion split into three, each with equal aura, surrounding and attacking Zhang Ruochen’s illusion.
The mysterious man watched calmly, like a bystander.
After a while, he condensed a strand of his own aura, injecting it into the palm-world to form his own illusory figure, engaging in a chaotic battle with the illusions of Zhang Ruochen and Shang Ziqi.
The battle in the palm-world was intense, nearly shattering the entire world.
Chi Kunlun snapped back to reality, his gaze falling on the mysterious man’s palm-world, watching the flickering figures with a puzzled expression.
“What are you doing?”
The mysterious man looked up, grinning at Chi Kunlun. “I want to see how much of a gap there is between Zhang Ruochen and Shang Ziqi’s strength at the peak of the Great Heaven of Rules compared to me. I’m also deducing who will win this battle.”
“You can deduce the outcome just by creating a few illusions?” Chi Kunlun asked, his face full of doubt.
The mysterious man replied, “What? You don’t believe in my abilities? Then watch closely.”
As he spoke, he moved his palm in front of Chi Kunlun.
Chi Kunlun, brimming with curiosity, stared intently at the flickering illusions.
Under his gaze, the illusions’ battle speed grew faster and faster, almost dazzling him.
At a certain moment, the illusions all turned into wisps of aura, then dissipated into nothingness.
Immediately after, the mysterious man’s palm returned to normal, as if nothing had happened.
“What’s the result of your deduction?” Chi Kunlun asked eagerly.
Though he had watched the whole time, he hadn’t discerned the victor.
The mysterious man pondered briefly. “These two are indeed extraordinary, not far behind me in my time. Among the Heavenly Realm and Hell Realm, they’re already among the top geniuses. It’s a pity they were born too late, not in my era. Otherwise, I wouldn’t be so lonely.”
“To be honest, I couldn’t deduce a specific outcome. Both have many tricks, and anything could happen during the battle.”
“However, Shang Ziqi holds a slight advantage. *Three Corpses Refining the Dao* is an extraordinary technique, and he possesses many treasures.”
“Of course, Zhang Ruochen, the successor of space and time, shouldn’t be underestimated. No one knows how many trump cards he’s hiding. He might just have something to counter Shang Ziqi.”
Hearing this, Chi Kunlun’s expression shifted slightly. He could tell the mysterious man was leaning toward Shang Ziqi, indicating Zhang Ruochen’s situation was highly dangerous.
Chi Kunlun knew Shang Ziqi was terrifying. If he reached the Near-Dao Realm, few below the Great Saint level could withstand a single move from him.
Back at Xumi Dojo, Chi Kunlun had faced Shang Ziqi and lost miserably, only managing to withstand twenty-some sword strikes.
Though that was partly because he was too young and inferior in many aspects, he had to admit Shang Ziqi was overwhelmingly powerful.
The pressure he felt from Shang Ziqi was no less than what he felt from Zhang Ruochen.
“Are you worried about Zhang Ruochen? Speaking of which, I’ve already helped him once by taking Shang Ziqi’s top-tier Streamer Merit Armour. Otherwise, Zhang Ruochen would have even less chance,” the mysterious man said.
Chi Kunlun snapped his head up, staring at the mysterious man. “If you can kill Shang Ziqi and the executioners of the Paradise Realm faction, I’ll agree to become your disciple.”
To his surprise, the mysterious man shook his head. “Though killing them would be effortless for me, I can’t do it. There are four annoying pursuers hot on my trail. If I act, they’ll surely notice.”
“I finally get a chance to rest. I don’t want to stir up trouble, so give up on that idea.”
Hearing this, Chi Kunlun’s face fell with disappointment.
Noticing his dejection, the mysterious man smiled. “I bet you really want to see Zhang Ruochen and Shang Ziqi’s battle. I’ve lifted part of the seal here. Take your time and watch.”
At these words, Chi Kunlun immediately stood and walked to the cliff’s edge, casting his gaze toward Peacock Manor.
With his powerful vision, he quickly locked onto Zhang Ruochen’s figure.
“By the way, it seems Zhang Ruochen came to Peacock Manor for you. He must care deeply about you, his son,” the mysterious man added.
Hearing this, Chi Kunlun’s heart trembled, his fists clenching tightly.
Though he wasn’t ready to admit it, deep down, he believed the mysterious man’s words. If Zhang Ruochen wasn’t his biological father, why would he risk his life to save him time and again?
But he couldn’t understand why, if Empress Chi Yao was his mother, she would weave such a lie to deceive him.
Of course, now wasn’t the time to dwell on that. Zhang Ruochen’s safety was the priority.
Unfortunately, he was powerless, only able to watch from afar.
“Why am I so weak?”
Chi Kunlun clenched his fists, filled with self-blame.
If he hadn’t been captured by the Paradise Realm faction on the Merit Battlefield, perhaps the situation would be different now.
In front of Peacock Manor, the battle between Zhang Ruochen and Shang Ziqi continued.
“What a Zhang Ruochen. Even with my three corpses combined, I haven’t gained much of an advantage. Master was right—Zhang Ruochen is a major threat that must be eliminated soon. We can’t let him grow further. If he reaches the Great Saint realm, he’ll be nearly impossible to handle.”
After intense exchanges, Shang Ziqi grew increasingly alarmed.
Originally, he thought that with his current strength and *Three Corpses Refining the Dao*, defeating Zhang Ruochen wouldn’t be difficult.
But now, he had clearly underestimated him.
Back in the Truth Heavenly Domain, there were several chances to eliminate Zhang Ruochen, but mistakes allowed him to escape each time.
In just a few years, Zhang Ruochen had fully matured, at least in terms of cultivation, closing the gap with him significantly.
“If he can’t be used by me, then he must be utterly destroyed.”
Shang Ziqi’s eyes gleamed with ferocity, his resolve hardening.
No matter how strong Zhang Ruochen was, he wouldn’t leave this place alive tonight.
