Struck by the force of time and space, the Child of Darkness was sent flying backwards, the Abyss of Darkness and the towering illusion behind him shattering instantly.
“Pfft.”
The Child of Darkness spat out a large mouthful of blood, his body covered in cracks, teetering on the brink of collapse, blood gushing out, turning him into a figure drenched in red.
He was gravely injured. If not for his nearly immortal body, inscribed with protective divine runes, he might have already been reduced to ashes, both body and soul.
Within a radius of hundreds of miles, time and space became chaotic, countless fragments of time and space swirling in the air, a terrifying spectacle.
Under the watchful eyes of various powerhouses, the Child of Darkness immediately took out a dark golden holy pill and swallowed it.
“That’s… a royal-grade holy pill.”
Qianxing Heavenly Maiden’s pupils constricted.
Faintly, she saw a lifelike dragon pattern on the pill’s surface, almost certainly crafted by a master alchemist of the Dragon Clan, possibly even obtained from the Monster King.
The medicinal power of the royal-grade holy pill was astonishing, taking effect almost instantly. As soon as it was consumed, the cracks on the Child of Darkness’s body began to heal at a visible rate, every inch of his skin radiating an immortal glow.
“Roar.”
The Child of Darkness let out a long howl, an immensely powerful immortal aura bursting from his body.
“The Child of Darkness has indeed broken through to the Immortal Great Saint realm.”
Feeling this immortal aura, the hearts of the cultivators from the Heavenly Court sank.
The thing they least wanted to see had finally happened.
The Child of Darkness had only his heart left to immortalise, and as long as he wished, he could break through at any moment, forging a formidable immortal saint body.
True Dragon Island was isolated from the world, impervious even to divine senses, making it a perfect place to break through to the Great Saint realm without any concerns.
With the Child of Darkness’s foundation, his strength after breaking through was far beyond that of ordinary Immortal Great Saints, unmatched by anyone below the Saint King realm.
In perfect coordination, Ao Xukong, Xing Wuji, and other top-tier powerhouses moved simultaneously, unleashing powerful holy techniques and artefacts, all aimed at the Child of Darkness.
They weren’t foolish enough to wait for the Child of Darkness to sweep through them. This was his weakest moment, their only chance.
“Stop them.”
As the Heavenly Court’s powerhouses moved, the Hell Realm’s powerhouses rushed forward.
The Seven Deadly Gods of the Nether Hall, the Three Emperors, and Ten Venerables of the Bone Clan moved to intercept Ao Xukong and the others, buying time for the Child of Darkness to enhance his strength.
As long as he could convert some of his power into Great Saint power, even in his injured state, he would be unstoppable.
The Child of Darkness stared at Zhang Ruochen, his eyes filled with venom. In a battle of equals, he had lost, and lost miserably, forced to break through to save his life—a tremendous humiliation.
He had planned to become the greatest powerhouse below the Great Saint realm in the Hell Realm before breaking through in the most dominant manner. Now, all his plans were in ruins.
“You’ve even mastered the power of time and space. I underestimated you. Given enough time, you might have become a second Saint Monk Xumi, but unfortunately, you no longer have that chance. Die.”
The Child of Darkness’s eyes gleamed with ferocity as he extended a dark hand.
In that short time, he had gathered a small amount of Great Saint power, now fully channelled into the dark hand.
“Rumble.”
The already unstable space collapsed instantly.
“Zhang Ruochen, be careful.”
“Leader, run!”
Seeing the Child of Darkness strike ruthlessly, Qianxing Heavenly Maiden, Ao Xinyan, and others couldn’t help but cry out in alarm.
Even in his peak state, Zhang Ruochen, already injured from using time and space techniques, couldn’t withstand the Child of Darkness, who had broken through to the Great Saint realm.
Yet Zhang Ruochen stood frozen, motionless.
“Roar.”
A massive beast suddenly appeared on the ravaged battlefield, roaring to the heavens.
The beast resembled a demonic wolf but had a massive dragon head, wings on its sides, and four differently coloured tails, exuding a terrifying, ferocious aura. It was the Monster King subdued by Zhang Ruochen.
“Since you chose to break through, your opponent is no longer me,” Zhang Ruochen said calmly.
The Monster King had been hiding nearby, ready to charge at his command.
He had already publicly defeated the Child of Darkness at the same level with absolute strength. There was no need to foolishly confront the now-stronger Child of Darkness.
The Monster King opened its mouth, unleashing a terrifying spatial storm that struck the dark hand.
The Child of Darkness felt a sharp pain in his palm and quickly retracted the dark hand.
“Has Zhang Ruochen already subdued this monster?” he thought, shocked.
He had wondered how Zhang Ruochen and Qianxing Heavenly Maiden escaped the monster’s body. Now, some answers were clear.
But how had Zhang Ruochen subdued such a powerful creature?
There was no time to think. The Monster King glared at him with hostility.
If he had completed his power conversion and was in peak condition, he wouldn’t fear the Monster King, but now he felt a significant threat.
“This monster is too strong. It’s not wise to fight it now. Once my injuries heal and my power fully converts, I’ll deal with it,” the Child of Darkness thought, intending to retreat.
He tried to recall his black holy bell to escape.
To his surprise, the Hidden Mountain Demonic Mirror firmly suppressed the bell, rendering it immovable.
“Roar.”
The Monster King roared, its dragon cry shaking the heavens.
Powerful divine forces erupted, forming spatial storms, time marks, origin divine light, and dark tides, all bombarding the Child of Darkness.
Unable to retrieve the bell, the Child of Darkness had to fight back with full force, sparking another fierce battle.
“What’s going on? Where did this beast come from?”
Both sides’ powerhouses were confused by the Monster King’s appearance.
Only Qianxing Heavenly Maiden smiled, breathing a sigh of relief. She had almost forgotten Zhang Ruochen’s powerful trump card.
The Monster King was ferocious, wielding four divine powers with ease, overwhelming the Child of Darkness.
Though it had been severely wounded by the Reverse God Monument, it had gained better control over its divine powers, and its holy soul had grown stronger.
“Ah.”
After just over a hundred exchanges, the Child of Darkness screamed as an arm was torn off, blood spraying.
Then, one of the Monster King’s tails, like a war spear, pierced his chest, nearly ripping out his heart.
“Flee.”
Fear crept into the Child of Darkness’s heart as he desperately tried to escape.
But the surrounding space was already locked by the Monster King, severely restricting his movement.
In an instant, another gaping wound appeared on his body, his newly forged immortal saint body nearly half-destroyed.
The Child of Darkness glared at Zhang Ruochen in the distance, black flames erupting from his body, temporarily breaking free from the spatial constraints and lunging at Zhang Ruochen.
“Even if I die, I’ll take you with me,” he said, his eyes wild with madness.
Zhang Ruochen’s expression shifted, sensing an extremely dangerous aura. The Child of Darkness intended to self-destruct in a final act of mutual destruction.
A Great Saint’s self-destruction would leave few survivors, not just from the Heavenly Court but also the Hell Realm.
“Retreat!”
Sensing his intent, both sides’ powerhouses retreated immediately.
“Damn it, does he want to wipe us all out?” Die Bushou cursed angrily.
Dying to the Child of Darkness’s self-destruction would be an unjust fate.
At that moment, the Monster King’s body disintegrated, turning into four surging divine forces that enveloped the Child of Darkness.
Simultaneously, Zhang Ruochen used spatial teleportation to appear a hundred miles away, raising the Golden Sun of Destruction above his head for full defence.
Yet, after a long wait, nothing happened.
The four divine forces merged back into the Monster King’s form.
Zhang Ruochen realised the problem was resolved. From now on, the Child of Darkness would cease to exist.
The Monster King, using time and space divine powers to restrain him, and origin and darkness divine powers to infiltrate, had cleverly dismantled his holy source, preventing self-destruction.
It sounded simple, but it was extremely perilous—one misstep could have been disastrous.
“The Child of Darkness is dead… this…”
Both sides’ powerhouses paused, complex emotions in their eyes.
A once-in-a-millennium genius of the Dark Temple, having just broken through to the Immortal Great Saint realm, had fallen so abruptly.
When the news spread, it would cause an uproar in both the Heavenly Court and Hell Realm, thrusting Zhang Ruochen into the spotlight once again.
“The era of Zhang Ruochen has arrived.”
Many powerhouses couldn’t help but think this.
With his rise, Zhang Ruochen alone might alter the balance of the Kunlun Realm’s Merit Battlefield, truly becoming its God of War.
Without the Child of Darkness’s control, the black holy bell fell silent, suppressed by the Hidden Mountain Demonic Mirror.
Looking at the now fist-sized bell, Zhang Ruochen murmured, “An ancient divine artefact infused with dark divine power. Perhaps Han Qiu could refine it.”
Powerful divine artefacts were hard to refine, requiring their approval.
Having previously suppressed Zhou Yu and Mo Sheng, Zhang Ruochen couldn’t use their divine artefacts, only seal them.
The Monster King opened its mouth, spitting out a beam of holy light that landed in Zhang Ruochen’s hand, forming a simple spatial ring.
Scanning it with his spiritual power, Zhang Ruochen’s eyes lit up with a broad smile.
As expected, the Child of Darkness hadn’t entrusted his treasures to others but carried them all, clearly never expecting defeat.
Over a hundred million treasures formed a mountain of wealth.
“Zhang Ruochen, we found that old guy.”
Xiao Hei’s voice suddenly rang out.
Zhang Ruochen’s heart stirred. He stored the black holy bell and spatial ring, communicating with Xiao Hei through spiritual power.
After confirming the short, thin old man’s exact location, he didn’t act rashly to avoid alerting him.
With a flash, Zhang Ruochen appeared atop the Monster King’s head, pointing his sword at the Seven Deadly Gods of the Nether Hall, and said coldly, “The Child of Darkness is dead. You lot will stay too.”
“Leave now,” Xuanming Wushang said gravely.
Even the Child of Darkness, now an Immortal Great Saint, had been killed by the Monster King. Staying to fight was suicide.
The Seven Deadly Gods formed the Seven Deadly Array, cloaked in a nether lotus, moving at extreme speed.
At Zhang Ruochen’s command, the Monster King charged after them.
Behind an unremarkable rock, the short, thin old man cautiously observed, his aura perfectly blended with the rock, his body ethereal, undetectable.
“This kid is so formidable, even subduing the Dragon Fiend Emperor, one of the five overlords. Good thing I escaped last time. But him killing more Hell Realm powerhouses is a good thing. Best if he spares none,” the old man thought, a glint of killing intent in his eyes.
Clearly, he harboured deep resentment toward the Hell Realm, delighted to see Zhang Ruochen slaughter its powerhouses.
While his attention was on Zhang Ruochen, he failed to notice someone quietly approaching.
Ao Xinyan, Dead Zen Ancestor, Destiny Corpse Emperor, and a group of awakened ones, holding array flags specially crafted by Xiao Hei, converged from different directions.
The flags concealed their forms and auras.
“Strike.”
At Xiao Hei’s command, Ao Xinyan and the others threw out their flags.
“Buzz.”
Countless intricate array patterns appeared on the flags, intertwining to form a vast net, completely sealing the area around the old man.
“Damn it.”
The old man’s face changed, and he tried to flee.
But the array hindered him, preventing him from escaping underground despite his secret techniques, leaving him frantic.
A flash of red light, and Xiao Hei appeared within the array, a mocking smile in its eyes. “Old trickster, quite clever, aren’t you? Last time, you hid in a spatial rift and nearly trapped me. How should I deal with you?”
Seeing Xiao Hei, the old man’s face fell, knowing he was in deep trouble.
He thought he’d been cautious, staying far from Zhang Ruochen, yet he was trapped by this strange array, clearly designed for him.
The old man felt depressed. Had he known, he wouldn’t have come to watch the spectacle.
“Saint Lord, it’s a misunderstanding, a misunderstanding! Please don’t attack. I know many treasure locations and can take you there anytime,” the old man said, fawning.
Xiao Hei flicked its wing, knocking him to the ground, its eyes fierce. “I’m the one who scams others, and you dared scam me? Think I can’t handle you? Hand over the Key to the World Gate.”
“I really don’t know anything about a World Gate Key. How can I hand it over? Please don’t make things difficult,” the old man pleaded.
Xiao Hei swatted him again with its wing, snorting, “Don’t play games with me. I’ve already figured you out. Hand over the Key, or I’ll make you regret it.”
The old man’s heart trembled, his small eyes darting, a trace of anxiety flickering within.
