Affected by the battle’s aftermath, the sea churned, whipping up towering waves. A terrifying icy force surged, forming countless ice crystals in the air.
With a thought, Zhang Ruochen unleashed his formidable spiritual power, wielding the Ancient Abyssal Blade to block Ye Ming Youtian’s spear.
At the same time, Zhang Ruochen formed a fist seal, channeling all his fist path rules, augmented by various water-attribute rules, to execute the Luoshui Fist Technique.
With a thunderous roar, vast seawater surged skyward, transforming into a celestial river that swirled around Zhang Ruochen, flowing with a lifelike agility.
In the Yin-Yang Sea, using the Luoshui Fist Technique, amplified by the sea’s immense water-attribute power, doubled its might.
The celestial river trembled, instantly dispersing the toxic mist released by Xue Se Lian Yi, preventing it from approaching or infiltrating Zhang Ruochen’s body.
Simultaneously, the four blade domains unleashed by Si Bu Xiu were also held at bay by the celestial river.
As the saying goes, “A blade may cut water, but the water flows on.” Si Bu Xiu’s blade technique was indeed fearsome and unpredictable, but it struggled to sever the celestial river’s flow.
Seeing Zhang Ruochen locked in fierce combat with three of the Nether Hall’s Seven Absolute Killing Gods, Little Black couldn’t help but steer the black warship backward, distancing itself from the battle’s epicenter.
“Strong—too strong!”
The Devouring Heaven Demonic Dragon’s heart trembled, his body shaking uncontrollably.
With Ancestral Dragon Mountain’s vast resources, his cultivation had progressed rapidly, reaching the Eight-Step Saint King Realm. Combined with his Ancestral Dragon Scale, his strength rivaled that of a Nine-Step Saint King.
With such power, he had believed himself among the elite.
But now, he keenly felt the vast gulf between himself and true top-tier powerhouses—they weren’t even on the same level.
“If I had such strength, Ancestral Dragon Mountain wouldn’t have…” The Devouring Heaven Demonic Dragon clenched his fists, his heart burning with a thirst for power.
Little Black glanced at the hidden woman in purple and transmitted, “You’re just going to keep watching? This is the first time I’ve seen such a cowardly Three-Eyed Ancient Clan member.”
“What’s wrong with you awakened ones? Just standing by while the Hell Realm invades the Yin-Yang Sea? If so, you might as well stay asleep.”
Little Black was genuinely disdainful and angry at the awakened ones’ inaction.
Elsewhere, the awakened ones’ hiding might be out of necessity, but this was the Yin-Yang Sea, a forbidden zone of the Kunlun Realm. Who could detect their presence here?
Hearing Little Black’s challenge, the woman in purple responded in a low voice, “It’s not that I don’t want to act—it’s that I can’t.”
“Why not?” Little Black asked, puzzled.
After a brief silence, she said, “The spatial rift near the Yin-Yang Sea was opened by gods of the Hell Realm—not just one, but several. They’re sustaining it with divine power, and their divine senses have infiltrated the Kunlun Realm.”
“Though they can’t act directly, nothing in the Yin-Yang Sea escapes their notice. If we awakened ones act, we can’t hide from them.”
“Once exposed, the consequences are unpredictable, potentially catastrophic for the Kunlun Realm.”
Little Black was stunned, not expecting such a reason.
Blood Spirit Immortal’s earlier actions had already drawn attention from the Heavenly and Hell Realms, prompting patrol envoys to investigate.
If the awakened ones in the Yin-Yang Sea were discovered, both realms would likely take further action, worsening the Kunlun Realm’s situation and unveiling numerous crises.
This Hell Realm operation might even be a test.
At this thought, Little Black’s heart shivered—truly chilling to consider.
“In fact, since the Kunlun Realm became a merit battlefield, the Hell Realm has continuously sent powerhouses into the Yin-Yang Sea. The Dragon Princess has been holding them off at the forefront, while we awakened ones assist in secret.”
“But this time, the Hell Realm’s assault is overwhelming. The Yin-Yang Sea’s forbidden array can’t stop them, and we can’t act. The Dragon Princess had no choice but to seek help from the Kunlun Realm’s top powerhouses.”
The woman in purple transmitted again.
Witnessing the tense situation in the Yin-Yang Sea, she was anxious but helpless.
As an awakened one, she was bound by too many constraints, unable to act freely.
Little Black fell silent. For the Key to the World Gate, it would be strange if the Hell Realm *didn’t* go all out.
“Take another blade—One Leaf Knows Autumn, All Things Wither.”
Si Bu Xiu charged forward, his blade intent world, filled with desolation, enveloping Zhang Ruochen.
From the start, Si Bu Xiu had been at the forefront, wielding terrifying close-combat prowess. A casual slash could likely kill an ordinary Nine-Step Saint King.
Zhang Ruochen’s eyes gleamed. The Ancient Abyssal Blade traced an arcane path, unleashing the power of time and space. A faint river of time appeared in the void, flowing slowly, boundless and eternal.
Within a hundred-zhang radius, space rippled faintly, forming an intricate sword intent domain that enveloped Si Bu Xiu, Ye Ming Youtian, and Xue Se Lian Yi.
A crystalline strange flower materialized—the embodiment of Zhang Ruochen’s spacetime sword intent.
“One Thought, Flower Blooms.”
Zhang Ruochen murmured, his voice calm, devoid of emotion.
As his mind stirred, the flower slowly bloomed, breathtakingly beautiful. Invisible temporal forces surged, threatening to annihilate everything within.
With a crash, Si Bu Xiu’s blade intent world collapsed, dissipating into nothingness.
Simultaneously, Xue Se Lian Yi’s toxic mist rapidly dispersed, continually broken down.
Sensing the terrifying sword intent, the trio reacted swiftly, summoning purer dark energy to form a dark domain, warping the surrounding space.
Zhang Ruochen’s spacetime sword intent erupted unrestrained, tearing through parts of their dark domain despite its resistance.
Seizing the moment of their defense, Zhang Ruochen summoned his sword soul, wielding the Ancient Abyssal Blade, and instantly closed in on Xue Se Lian Yi.
Among the three, her strength was relatively the weakest, making her the easiest target.
The sword soul slashed, capturing countless temporal marks. The river of time’s phantom materialized clearly, enveloping Xue Se Lian Yi.
With 210,000 temporal rules, Zhang Ruochen’s mastery of time swordsmanship had advanced significantly, effortlessly conjuring a virtual time domain.
Within this domain, a full moon appeared, cycling through phases—waxing, waning, full, and new.
“Moonlight Song.”
In an instant, within a dozens-zhang radius around Xue Se Lian Yi, spacetime seemed to freeze.
With a boom, the dark domain couldn’t withstand the time sword technique’s assault, and Xue Se Lian Yi’s body shattered.
“Hm?”
Zhang Ruochen didn’t show joy; instead, his brows furrowed slightly.
His gaze shifted to another direction, where Xue Se Lian Yi’s figure reappeared, unscathed.
“Time swordsmanship lives up to its reputation,” she said coldly.
The situation had been perilous. Without the combined array’s mystique, even if she could withstand Zhang Ruochen’s time sword technique, it would have cost her dearly.
Even so, she was affected, losing decades of lifespan.
Glancing at Xue Se Lian Yi, Zhang Ruochen thought, “What a strange combined array, allowing her to shift positions instantly. No wonder, despite facing countless formidable foes, the Seven Absolute Killing Gods always survive.”
Even such a prime opportunity failed to deal a heavy blow. With them now on guard, breaking through individually would be even harder.
“With our combined strength, we can’t handle Zhang Ruochen. This spacetime heir’s growth is too fast—he must be eliminated soon,” Si Bu Xiu transmitted secretly.
Ye Ming Youtian mused, “Zhang Ruochen is a major threat. If left unchecked, he’ll disrupt our plans. I’ve sent a secret message to Big Brother and the others. They’ll arrive soon. We just need to keep him pinned.”
“You cut decades from my lifespan. I’ll devour all your life essence,” Xue Se Lian Yi said, a terrifying glint in her eyes.
The three alone couldn’t defeat Zhang Ruochen, but once the other four Killing Gods arrived, no matter how skilled he was, he’d have no escape.
After a brief discussion, the trio shifted their formation, each taking a position to surround Zhang Ruochen.
“Hm?”
Zhang Ruochen’s expression hardened, and he moved to dart away.
With a whoosh, Xue Se Lian Yi’s scorpion tail extended, splitting into nine, sealing all of Zhang Ruochen’s escape routes.
Si Bu Xiu acted, summoning his four blade intent worlds simultaneously, like four real worlds, suppressing all directions.
Ye Ming Youtian took charge of the array, channeling vast dark energy from the Nether Lotus linking their powers, surging outward.
Within the dark energy, thick rules materialized like chains, intertwining.
In an instant, a dark prison was formed, trapping Zhang Ruochen inside.
“Forcing us to use the Dark Prison—you should be proud, Zhang Ruochen!” Si Bu Xiu sneered.
With their combined strength, the Dark Prison would hold Zhang Ruochen without issue.
Now, they only needed to wait for the other four Killing Gods to arrive.
…
Fifty thousand miles away, on the Thousand Star Civilization’s colossal warship, the Thousand Star Heavenly Maiden and her companions continued to monitor the intense battle.
“Trapped in the Dark Prison—it seems Zhang Ruochen’s doomed this time. A spacetime heir who hasn’t fully matured, what a pity,” the Radiant Emperor said, shaking his head.
Beside him stood an 81-meter-tall golden giant—the emperor of the Giant Spirit Civilization, Da Zun.
During the God-Sealing Platform, Zhang Ruochen had crossed paths with him.
Seeing Zhang Ruochen trapped in the Dark Prison, Da Zun sighed, “A shame. We came to the Yin-Yang Sea with an important mission to vie for the Key to the World Gate against the Hell Realm. We can’t expose ourselves lightly, or I’d help Zhang Ruochen now.”
“We mustn’t act rashly. Our insider in the Hell Realm worked hard to uncover their plans. There can be no mistakes,” someone said gravely.
The Thousand Star Heavenly Maiden’s gaze locked on the Dark Prison, a smile playing on her lips. “You underestimate Zhang Ruochen! As the master of time and space, how could a mere Dark Prison compare to space? Just watch.”
“As Saint Monk Xumi’s heir, Zhang Ruochen shouldn’t fall so easily,” Fairy Linglong added.
The Radiant Emperor showed a trace of surprise. He hadn’t expected both the Thousand Star Heavenly Maiden and Fairy Linglong to have such faith in Zhang Ruochen. When Zhang Ruochen fell to the Seven Absolute Killing Gods, perhaps they’d see that even a spacetime heir could be reduced to dust.
…
Zhang Ruochen’s mind stirred, instantly grasping the trio’s intentions.
He knew that if all Seven Absolute Killing Gods converged, it would be highly disadvantageous. Even just three were already this formidable.
How powerful would all seven be together?
He had to escape first.
“The Dark Prison formed by their combined strength is indeed sturdy. Ordinary attacks likely can’t break it. I’ll have to use my newly mastered spatial technique.”
Zhang Ruochen murmured, instantly mobilizing all 280,000 spatial rules within him.
The rules converged in his left hand, tightly interwoven in a unique pattern.
A powerful spatial force was released, continuously compressed, gradually forming a sharp edge.
This edge was unstable, as if it could collapse at any moment.
Zhang Ruochen carefully controlled it, his spirit and energy focused to the extreme.
“Spatial Rift Slash.”
With a low shout, Zhang Ruochen’s left hand slashed like a blade.
A silver-white, peerless edge cut forth, unstoppable, like light piercing the darkness.
With a tearing sound, space split open, revealing the boundless void. The Dark Prison was torn open as well.
Though similar to a spatial rift, this move was far more terrifying, capable of truly slicing space into the void with unparalleled penetrating power.
Even with Zhang Ruochen’s current spatial mastery, executing this move was extremely taxing.
Without hesitation, he darted through the breach.
Before Si Bu Xiu and the others could react, Zhang Ruochen stored the black warship and used spatial teleportation, vanishing instantly.
It all happened in a flash, leaving the trio no time to intercept.
“What a Zhang Ruochen, breaking the Dark Prison in an instant. We underestimated him!” Si Bu Xiu’s face darkened.
He was the first to escape the Dark Prison so effortlessly.
Ye Ming Youtian frowned. “Zhang Ruochen has cultivated the Path of Space to an extremely high level. If he wants to leave, we can’t catch him. It’s a pity—his presence will surely bring variables to the Yin-Yang Sea.”
“He killed so many of our powerhouses and took several dragons with strong bloodlines. Damn him. If he dares show up again, I’ll make him pay dearly,” Xue Se Lian Yi said, her eyes brimming with murderous intent.
