The man wielding the silver mace was towering and robust, nearly two and a half metres tall, with dark skin, standing like an iron tower on the ground, blocking Zhang Ruochen’s path.
A surging silver blood energy emanated from him, filled with a wild aura, faintly forming the shape of a ferocious tiger behind him. Its blood-red eyes harboured a terrifying killing intent, as if ready to break free from the void at any moment.
For anyone else standing before this towering man, they would likely have collapsed in fear.
A cold glint flashed in Zhang Ruochen’s eyes. “When they attacked me, you didn’t intervene. Now you want me to let them go. Do you think I’m easily bullied?”
As he spoke, Zhang Ruochen’s body trembled, and intense five-coloured saint light burst from within, creating a hazy world behind him, filled with swirling chaotic energy.
This was the phenomenon born from the perfection of his Five Elements Chaos Body, naturally imbued with profound and mysterious uses.
As soon as this world manifested, the space within hundreds of miles was completely sealed, greatly restricting the movements of anyone within.
The Golden Sun Twin Kings, having fled a hundred miles, felt as if they were stuck in a quagmire, their movements slowing drastically.
Sensing the spatial lockdown, a flash of anger appeared in the towering man’s eyes. He said gravely, “Zhang Ruochen, are you trying to fight me?”
In his view, since he had stepped in, Zhang Ruochen should have stopped and let the Golden Sun Twin Kings go, for everyone’s benefit.
But he hadn’t expected Zhang Ruochen to be so defiant, not even giving him face. It was outrageous.
“If you want to fight, I’ll oblige,” Zhang Ruochen responded forcefully.
Trying to intimidate him was a mistake. Zhang Ruochen had never feared anyone.
Ripples spread through the space, and Zhang Ruochen’s figure vanished, reappearing near the Golden Sun Twin Kings.
The spatial lockdown was his doing, so he was unaffected, moving even more freely.
“Let’s fight him!”
The Golden Sun Twin Kings steeled themselves, jointly unleashing the Golden Crow Ancient Cauldron.
Zhang Ruochen’s gaze was cold. He extended a hand, and tens of thousands of spatial rules emerged like chains, wrapping around the cauldron, holding it in mid-air.
Then, the Hidden Mountain Demonic Mirror flew out, its surface glowing darkly, releasing a powerful suction like a black hole, enveloping the Golden Sun Twin Kings.
“Stop!”
Seeing this, the towering man let out a loud shout.
At the same time, he flicked his wrist, sending the silver mace out again.
The silver mace radiated dazzling saint light, with numerous supreme inscriptions appearing, exuding an overwhelmingly ferocious aura, as if a peerless beast was awakening.
As the ferocious aura grew stronger, the silver mace transformed into a silver-white tiger, its might overwhelming, roaring as it lunged at Zhang Ruochen.
Zhang Ruochen turned abruptly, pressing forward with a hand, unleashing a powerful spatial force from within.
“Boom.”
The space within hundreds of zhang shattered instantly, collapsing into a void of darkness, as if it could swallow everything.
The silver-white tiger radiated terrifying divine power but was held back by the annihilating force of the collapsing space, unable to reach Zhang Ruochen.
In that brief delay, the Golden Sun Twin Kings were both sucked into the Hidden Mountain Demonic Mirror, firmly suppressed, no longer able to cause any trouble.
Without the Twin Kings’ control, the Golden Crow Ancient Cauldron fell silent. No matter how powerful it once was, it was now damaged, its spirit in slumber. Even expending vast energy could only briefly awaken it, after which it would sink into deeper dormancy.
Zhang Ruochen didn’t spare the cauldron a glance, waving his hand to suppress it within the mirror’s internal world, preventing any issues.
After this, Zhang Ruochen turned his calm, unwavering gaze back to the towering man.
Seeing the Golden Sun Twin Kings suppressed, the towering man’s face grew grim. Since his debut, no one had ever dared to defy him so blatantly.
Uncontrollably, a fiercer aura emanated from him, the tiger phenomenon behind him growing more solid, its terrifying presence faintly distorting the surrounding space.
“Nether Tiger, enough.”
At that moment, a loud shout rang out.
Ao Xukong stepped out from the shadows, his expression serious, with surging dragon energy rising to the sky, transforming into a golden divine dragon soaring through the heavens.
Seeing Ao Xukong, the towering man frowned slightly, a trace of wariness in his eyes.
Timely, Zhang Ruochen withdrew his power, releasing the spatial lockdown within hundreds of miles, allowing Ao Xukong to approach.
The towering man’s voice was low. “Ao Xukong, are you stopping me?”
Ao Xukong nodded slightly to Zhang Ruochen, then turned to the towering man. “Nether Tiger, though your Beidou Civilisation is an ancient faction, we’re of the same camp as the Celestial Realm. We should unite against external foes, not waste energy here.”
“The Golden Sun Twin Kings knew Zhang Ruochen was about to face the Son of Darkness, yet they chose this moment to attack, draining his energy. They were aiding the enemy and brought their suppression upon themselves.”
Hearing this, the towering man’s heart sank. With Ao Xukong speaking so plainly, if he acted against Zhang Ruochen now, it would cause a bad impression.
Moreover, he could see that if he made a move, Ao Xukong would not stand idly by.
With the Golden Sun Twin Kings already suppressed, there was no need to clash with Ao Xukong.
Giving Zhang Ruochen a deep look, the towering man said coldly, “Don’t go too far, or you’ll regret it.”
With that, he retrieved the silver mace and turned to leave.
“Nether Tiger True Lord is known for holding grudges. You’ve defied him this time, so be cautious in the future,” Ao Xukong warned seriously.
Zhang Ruochen nodded. “Thanks for the heads-up, Brother Ao. I don’t seek trouble, but I’m not afraid of it either.”
“I believe that. Be careful when facing the Son of Darkness. The Golden Sun Twin Kings are nothing compared to him,” Ao Xukong said.
Though he could see Zhang Ruochen’s strength had likely reached the top tier below Great Saint level, facing the Son of Darkness in a life-and-death duel required utmost caution.
Even among the top tier below Great Saint, there were significant gaps in strength. The Golden Sun Twin Kings, together, barely reached this level but were among the weakest, which is why they fell to Zhang Ruochen.
Ao Xukong didn’t linger, exchanging a few words before retreating to a distance, not disturbing Zhang Ruochen’s preparation.
Zhang Ruochen returned to the top of the corpse mountain.
Elsewhere, the towering man rejoined the Beidou Civilisation’s camp, his face dark, almost dripping with gloom.
Who was he? The top powerhouse below Great Saint in the Beidou Civilisation, titled Nether Tiger True Lord, wielding the lethal White Tiger Mace. Who dared defy his will?
In the Beidou Civilisation, the True Lord title was immensely prestigious, granted only to the ten strongest below Great Saint. Though not Great Saints, their status rivalled or even surpassed that of Immortal Great Saints.
Those with the True Lord title had immense potential, capable of becoming top-tier Great Saints or even gods in the future.
“Thinking a bit of strength lets you act recklessly? You’ll see how you fare against the Son of Darkness,” Nether Tiger True Lord’s eyes gleamed with a chilling light.
In his view, even if Zhang Ruochen could suppress the Golden Sun Twin Kings, he had no chance against the Son of Darkness. He looked forward to seeing Zhang Ruochen’s defeat.
Seeing Zhang Ruochen effortlessly suppress the Twin Kings, the gathered powerhouses were shocked. No one expected his strength to have reached such heights in so short a time.
Though the Son of Darkness was unfathomable, Zhang Ruochen now seemed equally inscrutable, making their battle highly anticipated.
On the desolate mountain, the Thousand Star Civilisation’s powerhouses gathered, their faces showing astonishment, especially the six elders protecting Thousand Star Heavenly Maiden, whose hearts were far from calm.
Not long ago, they had seen Zhang Ruochen and three others battle over a thousand Blazing Sun Civilisation powerhouses. Back then, he was strong but nowhere near his current level.
Thousand Star Heavenly Maiden smiled faintly, watching Zhang Ruochen from afar, murmuring, “Zhang Ruochen stayed calm, not killing the Golden Sun Twin Kings. Otherwise, it would’ve been more troublesome than killing the Blazing Sun Emperor.”
The Twin Kings held a special status in the Blazing Sun Civilisation, hiding a great secret, the reason for their intense cultivation.
As long as they weren’t killed, there was room for reconciliation between Zhang Ruochen and the Blazing Sun Civilisation. Otherwise, it would be a fight to the death.
Few could withstand the wrath of an ancient civilisation.
“Why hasn’t the Son of Darkness shown up? Is he avoiding the fight?”
After waiting a long time without seeing the Son of Darkness, many grew impatient.
They had come to the Dragon God Temple ruins for opportunities, not to waste time.
“Maybe the Son of Darkness doesn’t deign to fight Zhang Ruochen, seeing a vast gap between them.”
Suddenly, a voice tinged with disdain rang out.
The voice was elusive, its source unclear.
But anyone could hear the intent to belittle Zhang Ruochen, laced with faint hostility.
“Rumble.”
At that moment, the ground trembled violently, drawing everyone’s attention.
A surge of dark power emerged from the horizon, as if to drown all light.
“Has the Son of Darkness arrived?”
Many widened their eyes, staring at the tidal wave of dark power.
As the darkness drew closer, three massive figures faintly appeared—not flesh and blood, but skeletons.
On the left was a bone dragon, its emerald bones untouched by the darkness, radiating a holy light.
On the right was a bone phoenix, cloaked in black flames, each bone pitch-black, exuding intense dark power, like the source of darkness.
In the centre was a humanoid skeleton, ten zhang tall, its dark golden bones seemingly forged from divine metal, indestructible.
“Not the Son of Darkness—it’s the Bone Clan’s Three Emperors.”
Seeing the three massive skeletons, many showed shock.
The Bone Clan’s Three Emperors were infamous in both the Infernal and Celestial Realms, having dominated multiple merit battlefields, with countless Celestial Realm powerhouses falling to them.
“Are the Three Emperors here to fight Zhang Ruochen in place of the Son of Darkness?” many speculated.
Few could face the Three Emperors without fear. Not only were they powerful, but their Great Saint bone bodies were immune to most attacks.
In battle, the Three Emperors attacked relentlessly, never focusing on defence, their innate advantage.
At five hundred miles from the corpse mountain, the Three Emperors stopped, showing no intent to advance or attack Zhang Ruochen.
Following them, ten powerful Bone Clan figures arrived—ten of the Bone Clan’s Twelve Venerables.
It wasn’t that the Twelve Venerables didn’t come in full; the other two had been killed by Little Black, their Great Saint bone bodies shattered.
Soon after, another surge of dark power appeared from the horizon.
A massive Nether Lotus floated in the darkness, each petal engraved with intricate nether patterns, surrounded by countless curse runes, exuding a chilling aura.
“The Seven Absolute Killers of the Nether Hall.”
Seeing the Nether Lotus, everyone instantly knew the newcomers’ identity.
The Seven Absolute Killers wielded the mysterious Seven Absolute Killing Formation, greatly amplifying their strength. Together, even Yan Wushen would avoid their edge, comparable to the Heavenly Palace’s Four Heavenly Kings.
Like the Bone Clan, the Seven Absolute Killers stopped five hundred miles from the corpse mountain.
Seeing the Bone Clan and Nether Clan powerhouses arrive, a glint flashed in Ao Xukong’s eyes. He murmured, “With the Bone Clan and Nether Clan here, the Son of Darkness should be next.”
The Three Emperors, Ten Venerables, and Seven Absolute Killers had arrived but stopped outside five hundred miles, clearly there to back the Son of Darkness and ensure no one interfered with his duel with Zhang Ruochen.
“Why is the sky growing darker?” a powerhouse remarked.
Somehow, the entire world began to dim, soon plunging into complete darkness.
This darkness was unnatural, as if it could swallow everything, chilling hearts and numbing scalps.
Even the Saint King realm powerhouses present felt a creeping dread, as if a strange force was trying to pull their souls from their bodies.
“Swish.”
Atop the corpse mountain, Zhang Ruochen suddenly opened his eyes, staring straight ahead.
Though the world was shrouded in darkness, his eyes clearly saw a godlike figure, fully merged with the darkness, like an emissary of the void, approaching step by step from the horizon.
