(My apologies for the earlier error in the data. To clarify, cultivators require approximately 6-7 million rules to break through to the Lesser Heaven of the Nine-Step Saint King realm, about 10 million rules for the Great Heaven, and roughly 15 million rules for the Dao Domain. The previous mistake has been corrected. Thus, Shang Ziqi’s total rule count should now be around 17 million.)
…
Zhang Ruochen stabilized himself, the crimson flames on the Fire God Armor still burning fiercely, undimmed by the earlier devastating impact.
“The complete Fire God Armor is truly extraordinary. Its defensive power far surpasses the Streamer Merit Armor, and more importantly, it significantly enhances my offensive strength,” Zhang Ruochen clenched his fists, his heart surging with excitement.
With the Fire God Armor’s power, his Dragon-Elephant Prajna Palm had reached a new level of might, allowing him to barely withstand Shang Ziqi’s full-force sword strike—an outcome better than he had anticipated.
“Zhang Ruochen, do you think a mere Fire God Armor can change anything? You’re delusional.”
Shang Ziqi let out a cold shout while striking again.
Chilling qi surged wildly from his body, condensing into a massive, ferocious beast.
Simultaneously, the Ten Thousand Refinements Tower flew out, rapidly enlarging like a divine mountain, unleashing waves of terrifying Supreme Power.
A sharp glint flashed in Zhang Ruochen’s eyes as he shook his body, fully activating all 144 acupoints, releasing a torrent of holy qi.
Though his cultivation lagged behind Shang Ziqi’s, in terms of the quantity and quality of holy qi, he was not necessarily inferior.
The Fire God Armor erupted with even more terrifying crimson flames, radiating an aura of incinerating the heavens.
Zhang Ruochen let out a roar, channeling all the flame power into his left leg, unleashing three rapid stomps in midair with astonishing speed.
“Boom.”
Three overwhelming waves of fire surged forth, sweeping outward.
Using the Flame God’s Leg to perform the Nine Heavens Divine Step, augmented by the Fire God Armor’s power, the resulting might was beyond imagination.
“Bang.”
Though the ferocious beast was formidable, it quickly shattered and disintegrated under the triple-layered fire waves.
The Supreme Power from the Ten Thousand Refinements Tower broke through the fire waves, but the tower itself was sent flying back by the impact.
Such a clash would have damaged or even destroyed other high-tier Ten Thousand Pattern Sacred Artifacts.
This time, Zhang Ruochen only staggered back five steps, appearing unscathed.
Perhaps due to the clash of extreme heat and cold, thick clouds gathered above Peacock Manor, dark and oppressive, blotting out the starlight and moonlight, as if the sky were about to collapse.
“Rumble.”
Low thunder rolled, followed by a torrential downpour.
“What’s with that armor? How did Zhang Ruochen become so powerful after putting it on?”
“It seems to be the legendary Fire God Armor, a powerful divine relic.”
“Relying on a divine relic, Zhang Ruochen can actually hold his own against Shang Ziqi, who’s broken through to the Dao Domain Realm. Just how strong is he?”
“It’s said the Fire God Armor is highly unique, unusable by most. How is Zhang Ruochen able to wield it?”
“No matter what, Zhang Ruochen has regained his footing. Who knows what twists might come next?”
“The two of them are terrifying. One at the peak of the Great Heaven of Rules, the other just breaking through to the Dao Domain Realm, yet their clash feels like two Great Saints fighting. If this were in the cosmic void, stars would have fallen by now.”
…
The observing cultivators were dumbfounded, utterly shocked by Zhang Ruochen’s performance.
Many had believed Zhang Ruochen was doomed, destined to be crushed by Shang Ziqi.
Now, no one dared to be so certain. Until the final moment, no one could predict what variables might arise.
Shang Ziqi’s expression turned grim, this outcome completely unexpected.
His gaze shifted to Zhang Ruochen’s left leg, filled with frustration. He hadn’t anticipated that his master’s divine leg would become such a significant obstacle in defeating Zhang Ruochen.
The Flame God’s Leg or the Fire God Armor alone wasn’t fearsome, but together, they were formidable.
With the Flame God’s Leg, Zhang Ruochen, now equipped with the Fire God Armor, was like a tiger with wings.
“Kill.”
Shang Ziqi’s killing intent surged as he charged at Zhang Ruochen, wielding the Crimson Child Sword.
He wanted to test just how strong the Fire God Armor’s defense was and whether it could withstand his Crimson Child Sword.
In his hands, the Crimson Child Sword had always been unstoppable, and this time would be no different.
Shang Ziqi fully activated the sword, its blade gleaming with countless golden patterns, releasing waves of sinister divine power.
Using the Dao of Flowing Light, Shang Ziqi transformed into a streak of light, moving at extreme speed.
“Clang.”
The Crimson Child Sword struck the Fire God Armor repeatedly, attempting to breach its defense.
Without the Streamer Merit Armor, Zhang Ruochen’s speed was inferior to Shang Ziqi’s, forcing him into passive defense.
The Crimson Child Sword’s attacks were sharp and domineering, capable of damaging an Immortal Saint’s body.
Despite the Fire God Armor’s defense, Zhang Ruochen was continuously pushed back, clearly at a disadvantage.
Evidently, while the Fire God Armor boosted his strength, it couldn’t fully bridge the gap between him and Shang Ziqi.
With a thought, Zhang Ruochen drew the Abyss Ancient Sword, infusing it with his holy qi and the Fire God Armor’s flame power.
Wielding the Abyss Ancient Sword, Zhang Ruochen unleashed the True One Thunderfire Sword Art.
“Boom.”
Bolts of lightning descended from the sky, guided by the Abyss Ancient Sword, striking at Shang Ziqi.
The lightning merged with the crimson flames from the Fire God Armor, embodying supreme yang and rigidity, fully unleashing the True One Thunderfire Sword Art’s power.
For a moment, Zhang Ruochen managed to fend off Shang Ziqi’s fierce onslaught.
The purple divine stone embedded in the Abyss Ancient Sword’s hilt glowed faintly, cloaking the blade in a subtle purple sheen.
“Clang.”
The Abyss Ancient Sword clashed with the Crimson Child Sword, a terrifying force transmitting through the latter to Shang Ziqi.
Remarkably, Shang Ziqi was forced back three steps, his arms trembling slightly with numbness.
“Zhang Ruochen forced Shang Ziqi back with one strike. Am I seeing things?”
An onlooker gasped in shock upon seeing Shang Ziqi retreat.
Zhang Ruochen’s ability to reverse his disadvantage and stabilize his position with the Fire God Armor was already astonishing.
Now, to gain a slight edge by forcing Shang Ziqi back in combat was even more unbelievable.
Shang Ziqi’s senses were razor-sharp, instantly locking onto the purple divine stone in the Abyss Ancient Sword’s hilt.
“To meld such a treasure with the sword, no wonder it unleashed such power. But it’s merely brute force, no real threat,” Shang Ziqi murmured calmly.
Immediately, he struck again, leveraging his speed advantage to maximize the Crimson Child Sword’s power, occasionally using the Ten Thousand Refinements Tower to catch Zhang Ruochen off guard.
Two figures emerged from Shang Ziqi’s body, attacking Zhang Ruochen from different directions.
With his cultivation now fully stabilized, Shang Ziqi could once again unleash *Three Corpses Refining the Dao*.
Facing two additional opponents, Zhang Ruochen’s situation became precarious.
“Bang.”
The Five-Colored Merit Stele crashed down, a beam of five-colored divine light striking Zhang Ruochen.
Even with the Fire God Armor’s defense, Zhang Ruochen sustained significant injuries, spitting out a large mouthful of blood.
“Bang.”
Soon after, the Ten Thousand Refinements Tower struck. Though Zhang Ruochen tried to block, he was hit by a wave of Supreme Power.
Zhang Ruochen’s eyes turned terrifyingly fierce as he unleashed the twelfth palm of the Dragon-Elephant Prajna Palm with full force.
Remarkably, he successfully mobilized his truth rules, amplifying the attack power threefold.
The Shang Ziqi wielding the Crimson Child Sword, too close to evade, took the full brunt of the palm.
Shang Ziqi was sent flying, divine patterns surfacing on his body, but he still suffered considerable injuries, blood gushing from his mouth.
However, at the same time, the Shang Ziqi wielding the Ten Thousand Refinements Tower seized the chance to unleash Yinming Mysterious Light, landing a solid hit on Zhang Ruochen.
Zhang Ruochen was also sent flying, the crimson flames on the Fire God Armor dimming significantly, covered in chilling white frost.
Being injured by Zhang Ruochen fueled Shang Ziqi’s rage. “Zhang Ruochen, no matter how you struggle, you can’t escape death tonight. Not just you, but everyone connected to you will die.”
Even after breaking through to the Dao Domain Realm, his inability to swiftly kill Zhang Ruochen eroded Shang Ziqi’s patience—an outcome he deemed unacceptable.
“Swoosh.”
The three Shang Ziqis merged instantly, 17 million holy dao rules surging around the unified Shang Ziqi, forming a powerful Dao Domain.
The next moment, an extreme yin force and an extreme yang force erupted simultaneously from his body, clashing to create a terrifying phenomenon, slightly distorting the surrounding space.
“Zhang Ruochen, this is the end.”
Shang Ziqi declared, brimming with killing intent.
The extreme yin force condensed into a ferocious three-headed beast, while the extreme yang force rapidly expanded into a towering flame giant, exuding domineering and unparalleled majesty, like a flame emperor.
Standing side by side, both radiated terrifying auras.
In an instant, the heaven and earth rules and forces within thousands of miles converged frantically.
“Roar.”
The ferocious beast and flame giant roared in unison, their sonic waves solidifying, spreading like a cataclysmic tsunami in all directions.
The power was so overwhelming, its reach vast.
Even the distant onlookers were affected, with weaker cultivators flung away, some sustaining serious injuries.
The combatants on the battlefield were also impacted, retreating as far as possible to create distance.
