Atop the barren dwarf mountain, dozens of powerhouses from the Thousand Star Civilisation gathered, led by none other than Thousand Star Heavenly Maiden.
Before her lay five bodies, men and women, outwardly unharmed but devoid of life, their eyes wide open, filled with unwillingness and terror.
These five were top powerhouses of the Thousand Star Civilisation, with cultivations above Nine-Step Saint King, their strength formidable. Yet, they had been easily slain without even a chance to resist, simply because they had encountered the Son of Darkness.
Not long ago, after escaping from the depths, Thousand Star Heavenly Maiden had immediately sent word for the Thousand Star Civilisation’s powerhouses to track down the Son of Darkness.
These five had stumbled upon his whereabouts but, before they could relay the news, were discovered and mercilessly killed by the Son of Darkness.
Afterwards, the Son of Darkness had sent their bodies back, presenting them before Thousand Star Heavenly Maiden, clearly intending to humiliate the Thousand Star Civilisation, showing no regard for their threats.
Thousand Star Heavenly Maiden’s eyes blazed with anger, her fists clenched tightly, a terrifying killing intent faintly emanating from her.
“He’s gone too far. Does the Son of Darkness think our Thousand Star Civilisation is without capable people?” an elder roared, his hair bristling with fury.
Another elder said gravely, “Whoever dares kill our Thousand Star Civilisation’s powerhouses must pay a heavy price. The First, Third, and Sixth Young Emperors have already set out together to hunt the Son of Darkness. He won’t escape.”
The Thousand Star Civilisation’s foundation was profound, having nurtured the “Thousand Stars, Thousand Young Emperors,” each exceptional. Those ranked in the top ten were especially powerful, renowned across the myriad realms, with the potential to become top-tier Great Saints or even gods.
The First Young Emperor, in particular, was a peerless prodigy, the greatest the Thousand Star Civilisation had produced in nearly ten thousand years.
Though not a master of an Eternal Path, the First Young Emperor wielded a power comparable to it—the Star God Power, an ancient legacy of the Thousand Star Civilisation, rarely mastered through the ages.
“Look at the sky over there,” an elder suddenly exclaimed.
At this, Thousand Star Heavenly Maiden and the Thousand Star Civilisation’s powerhouses all looked up, gazing at the distant sky where three rows of blood-written words clearly appeared.
“Son of Darkness, I await you atop the corpse mountain of the Nether Clan for a battle to the death, Zhang Ruochen.”
Thousand Star Heavenly Maiden’s gaze sharpened. She hadn’t expected Zhang Ruochen, so soon after their parting, to cause such a commotion.
Clearly, Zhang Ruochen had chosen a path entirely different from hers. Instead of searching for the Son of Darkness, he aimed to force him to reveal himself.
Seeing this challenge written in the blood of countless Nether Clan powerhouses, every Nether Clan cultivator would likely burn with rage, eager to grind Zhang Ruochen to dust. None could remain unmoved, including the Son of Darkness and the Seven Absolute Killers of the Nether Hall.
In other words, the corpse mountain would soon become a gathering place for storms, drawing powerhouses from all sides.
With a wave of her hand, Thousand Star Heavenly Maiden collected the five bodies, gazing into the distance. “We’re going to find Zhang Ruochen. If the Son of Darkness dares to show himself, we must ensure he doesn’t escape.”
Without hesitation, the Thousand Star Civilisation’s powerhouses followed her, setting off immediately.
Like Thousand Star Heavenly Maiden and her group, powerhouses from various factions also sprang into action, rushing towards the resentment-soaked corpse mountain, unwilling to miss this grand spectacle.
The Golden Sun Twin Kings, on their way, couldn’t help but pause, their gazes turning to the distant horizon.
Great Sun King said gravely, “Zhang Ruochen is truly mad, acting without restraint, slaughtering so many Nether Clan powerhouses to provoke the Son of Darkness. He has no chance of survival. We must hurry, or we’ll lose the chance to kill him ourselves.”
In his eyes, Zhang Ruochen was already a dead man. The key was who would kill him. If the Son of Darkness acted first, they’d lose their chance to wash away their shame.
Little Sun King nodded. “We can’t delay any longer. Zhang Ruochen’s actions will surely enrage all Nether Clan powerhouses. Even if the Son of Darkness doesn’t act, the Seven Absolute Killers of the Nether Hall will take his life, and the Bone Clan might intervene as well.”
Immediately, the Golden Sun Twin Kings changed direction, pushing their speed to the limit, racing against time to claim Zhang Ruochen’s life before the Nether Clan or Bone Clan could.
As time passed, more and more people arrived near the corpse mountain.
A silver light flashed, and Ao Xinyan appeared atop the corpse mountain.
“Leader, why did you suddenly challenge the Son of Darkness? What happened?” Ao Xinyan asked.
“There’s a grudge between me and the Son of Darkness that must be settled. Your arrival is timely; there’s something I need you and the Awakened to help with,” Zhang Ruochen said calmly.
“Is it to deal with the Son of Darkness?” Ao Xinyan asked.
Zhang Ruochen shook his head. “No, my battle with the Son of Darkness requires no one’s interference. I need you to capture someone who holds clues to the key to the World Gate.”
As he spoke, Zhang Ruochen used his mental power to transmit the appearance and basic information of the short, thin old man to Ao Xinyan.
Ao Xinyan’s eyes first flashed with surprise, then joy. With this clue, they had a better chance of finding the key to the World Gate.
But soon, deep concern appeared in her eyes. “The Son of Darkness is a danger level above ten, his strength unfathomable. Leader, are you really going to fight him alone?”
“The challenge has been issued. I won’t back down,” Zhang Ruochen said firmly.
Ao Xinyan lowered her head, silent for a moment, then looked up. “Don’t forget, you promised me something, and you haven’t fulfilled it yet.”
“Don’t worry, I won’t lose this battle,” Zhang Ruochen said.
Sensing the unstoppable momentum in Zhang Ruochen, Ao Xinyan felt slightly reassured and temporarily left the corpse mountain.
The short, thin old man was extremely slippery. Capturing him would require the Awakened, Old Ancestor Dead Zen, and the Destiny Corpse Emperor to act together.
To that end, they needed to make preparations to ensure success.
“Zhang Ruochen, die!”
With a thunderous shout, a golden light appeared like a meteor, crashing towards Zhang Ruochen.
Zhang Ruochen opened his eyes, glancing faintly at the golden light. Without moving, he extended a hand and pressed forward lightly.
“Boom.”
A vast expanse of space collapsed, the violent spatial force intercepting the golden light.
The golden light revealed its true form—a golden ancient cauldron engraved with vivid three-legged Golden Crows.
The cauldron spun back, landing in the hands of a heroic man in golden armour—Little Sun King.
Little Sun King’s arrival immediately drew attention. The grudge between the Blazing Sun Civilisation and Zhang Ruochen was no secret.
But could Little Sun King alone defeat Zhang Ruochen?
Zhang Ruochen cast his gaze at Little Sun King, saying indifferently, “I didn’t come for you, yet you’ve delivered yourself to me.”
Seeing Little Sun King, Fairy Linglong and Ao Xukong, watching from afar, frowned. With Zhang Ruochen’s battle against the Son of Darkness imminent, he needed to conserve his saint energy and stamina to be in peak condition.
As part of the Celestial Realm, no matter how great the grudge, it should be set aside for now. After all, the Infernal Realm was the true enemy.
Was Little Sun King deliberately trying to wear Zhang Ruochen down?
“I’m here because you can only die by my hand,” Little Sun King said coldly, not hiding his killing intent.
As he spoke, he unleashed the Golden Crow Ancient Cauldron again, radiating powerful supreme force, aiming to crush Zhang Ruochen to dust.
Zhang Ruochen didn’t underestimate him, immediately deploying the Hidden Mountain Demonic Mirror to meet the cauldron.
At the same time, Zhang Ruochen mobilised Palm Path rules, striking out with a palm from afar.
Accompanied by the deafening roars of a dragon and an elephant, a dragon and an elephant flew from his palms, carrying vast saint power, crashing towards Little Sun King.
With his current cultivation, the Dragon-Elephant Prajna Palm’s power had greatly increased, truly showcasing the might of a high-tier saint technique.
Little Sun King’s eyes were icy. He swiftly formed seals, channeling his immense saint energy to condense a hundreds-of-zhang-wide golden giant hand, striking fiercely.
“Bang.”
The dragon and elephant shattered, and the golden giant hand also fragmented.
At that moment, another golden giant hand appeared behind Zhang Ruochen, seizing the perfect moment to strike.
The golden giant hand carried terrifyingly ferocious power, so domineering that even a star in its path would be smashed to pieces.
“Boom.”
The golden giant hand struck Zhang Ruochen, his body exploding, but no blood or flesh splattered.
It was merely an afterimage, not his true body.
“Pity, such a calculated strike, yet it failed to kill Zhang Ruochen. On True Dragon Island, he can still use spatial teleportation,” Little Sun King sighed inwardly.
On True Dragon Island, space was heavily suppressed, making even flight difficult, let alone spatial teleportation.
This only showed that Zhang Ruochen’s mastery of the Path of Space had reached an astonishing level, unaffected by True Dragon Island’s unique environment.
Zhang Ruochen appeared atop a boulder, his gaze turning to the direction of the golden giant hand. A heroic figure in golden armour came into view.
Seeing the figure clearly, Zhang Ruochen’s pupils constricted. “Great Sun King.”
He was certain he hadn’t mistaken him. This was the Great Sun King, who had self-detonated his saint source, yet now stood alive before him.
“How is this possible? Great Sun King is still alive?”
Surprise flashed in Thousand Star Heavenly Maiden’s eyes.
She had witnessed Great Sun King’s saint source explode. In that situation, nothing should have remained. How could he be completely unscathed?
The Thousand Star Civilisation’s powerhouses were equally baffled, unable to make sense of it.
Great Sun King approached from the horizon, like a radiant sun slowly rising, sneering, “What? Surprised to see me?”
The earlier killing strike had been launched by Great Sun King from afar.
Zhang Ruochen’s gaze shifted between Great Sun King and Little Sun King, noticing something. “A man who should be dead stands before me again. That is surprising. If I’m not mistaken, you’ve cultivated some special secret technique, allowing you to live and die together. No wonder Little Sun King fled alone before.”
On Great Sun King, Zhang Ruochen sensed Little Sun King’s aura, as if they were inseparable.
Great Sun King said, “Enough talk. Today, we settle old and new grudges.”
Almost simultaneously, dazzling golden light burst from both Great Sun King and Little Sun King, transforming into two golden suns soaring into the sky.
The twin suns radiated immense golden saint power, scorching hot, as if capable of melting everything.
Fueled by the golden saint power, the Golden Crow Ancient Cauldron unleashed a vast, abyss-like aura, as if an ancient Golden Crow had awakened from slumber.
In an instant, the cauldron grew enormous, its mouth facing down, descending towards Zhang Ruochen.
Under the cauldron’s suppression, the space within a hundred miles froze, as if isolated from the world. Before the cauldron fully descended, surging solar golden flames poured down, melting everything.
A trace of solemnity flashed in Zhang Ruochen’s eyes. He continuously channeled saint energy into the Hidden Mountain Demonic Mirror, unleashing waves of supreme power to resist the descending cauldron.
“Zhang Ruochen, you can’t hold out,” Great Sun King roared.
The brothers, at the cost of their vital energy, unleashed the cauldron’s full might, aiming to kill Zhang Ruochen swiftly to avoid any surprises.
No matter how many tricks Zhang Ruochen had, he couldn’t withstand absolute power.
Before MIA: Before it was damaged, the Golden Crow Ancient Cauldron had even slain gods. They didn’t believe Zhang Ruochen could turn the tables.
Without a word, Zhang Ruochen mobilized spatial rules, channeling vast spatial power into the Hidden Mountain Demonic Mirror.
“Buzz.”
The mirror trembled violently, surging with intense demonic energy.
The Hidden Mountain Demonic Mirror, a spatial treasure, unleashed its greatest power when fueled by spatial energy.
A vast world emerged from the mirror, crashing directly into the cauldron.
“Boom.”
The cauldron shuddered, sent flying, and the Golden Sun Twin Kings suffered a powerful impact.
As the golden light faded, the Twin Kings reverted to human form, coughing up blood, their auras weakened.
“How can he be so strong?”
The Golden Sun Twin Kings stared at Zhang Ruochen, their hearts filled with shock.
They were certain that in their previous encounters, Zhang Ruochen hadn’t been this powerful. His strength had grown astronomically.
They couldn’t fathom how Zhang Ruochen’s power had increased so rapidly. The Five Elements Imperial Flower couldn’t possibly have such an effect.
“Zhang Ruochen must have had a great encounter on True Dragon Island. His strength has reached the top tier below Great Saint level.”
The Twin Kings had once seen one of the Four Heavenly Kings, and Zhang Ruochen’s current strength was no less than that.
No wonder he dared to challenge the Son of Darkness.
Without hesitation, the Golden Sun Twin Kings chose to flee. They were no longer Zhang Ruochen’s match, and continuing the fight would mean certain death.
“Can you escape?” Zhang Ruochen’s eyes gleamed coldly as he urged the Hidden Mountain Demonic Mirror to suppress the Twin Kings.
At that moment, a silver mace appeared, blocking the mirror.
“Boom.”
The collision between the silver mace and the mirror caused the ground to sink, forming a massive crater, as if struck by a meteor.
Then, a towering figure appeared on the battlefield, grabbing the silver mace and stopping Zhang Ruochen from pursuing the Twin Kings.
“Let them go. No need to wipe them out,” the burly man said in a deep voice.
His tone was calm but carried an undeniable authority.
