Outside the Central Imperial City, Nie Xiangzi and Blood Chen Heavenly Monarch faced each other. The Immortal Blood Clan’s army had retreated, leaving ample space for their battle.
“As one of the Truth Shrine’s ten divine disciples, I’ve long wanted to test your mettle, Nie Xiangzi. Don’t disappoint me,” Blood Chen Heavenly Monarch said with an eerie smile, radiating intense battle intent.
Nie Xiangzi remained unfazed, calmly replying, “Make your move.”
“Nie Xiangzi, known for his aloofness—let’s see how long you can keep that up,” Blood Chen Heavenly Monarch’s aura surged dramatically.
With a wave of his hands, torrents of blood fiend qi erupted, forming a vast blood sea that roared toward Nie Xiangzi.
Nie Xiangzi didn’t retreat. Raising his hand, he condensed a thousand-foot palm print with potent sacred qi, striking forward with overwhelming force.
*Boom.*
The palm print collided with the blood sea, unleashing a cataclysmic scene, with terrifying energy ripples spreading in all directions.
As top-tier experts at the first level below Great Saint, their power was staggering, resembling a clash of Great Saints, if not more awe-inspiring.
Both the Heavenly Court and Hell Realm forces closely watched this duel.
In the grand scheme, individual strength seemed insignificant, but the outcome of such elite battles could significantly impact morale.
The Heavenly Court’s side was at a disadvantage, desperately needing victories—ideally killing Hell Realm experts—to boost spirits.
On the city walls, many Truth Shrine disciples stood, including divine and true disciples, led by five of the ten divine disciples.
With Nie Xiangzi, six of the ten divine disciples were present, a rare occurrence.
This battle concerned the Truth Shrine’s honor, and tension ran high among the spectators.
At the Merit Main Station, Zhang Ruochen watched the mirrored light screen, observing the duel.
Years ago, Nie Xiangzi was a figure he admired, a legend. Now, Zhang Ruochen stood at or above his level.
The Truth Shrine’s ten divine disciples were extraordinary, prodigies from major worlds, with the weakest at the top three tiers below Great Saint.
Nie Xiangzi, with first-tier strength, ranked among the top few, his power profound.
Outside the city, the two fought fiercely, trading hundreds of blows, evenly matched.
Suddenly, Blood Chen Heavenly Monarch’s aura shifted, exuding a mysterious, obscure energy. A strange light gate formed behind him, woven from hundreds of thousands of fate rules—the Gate of Destiny.
Nie Xiangzi remained calm, his eyes steady. A flood of truth rules surged from him, interweaving to form a hazy world behind him.
In this world, billions of characters danced, encompassing scripts from countless realms, colliding to interpret universal truths.
“Truth World Form,” Zhang Ruochen’s eyes flashed.
Only divine disciples of the Truth Shrine could learn the secret technique to condense the Truth World Form.
With it, one could wield the Path of Truth at will, amplifying sacred techniques’ power without delay.
Zhang Ruochen’s mastery of the Path of Truth surpassed even the ten divine disciples, achieving a ninefold attack boost.
Unfortunately, not being a Truth Shrine disciple, he couldn’t learn the secret technique.
Condensing the Truth World Form required personal exploration, with no guaranteed success.
Even with the technique, forming the Truth World Form demanded high mastery of the Path of Truth, with at least a sixfold attack boost.
“I’ve cultivated over 800,000 truth rules. But without the Truth World Form, I can’t achieve a tenfold boost unless I perfect the Path of Truth,” Zhang Ruochen thought.
Perfecting the Path of Truth was far harder than forming the Truth World Form.
Even in the Truth Shrine’s history, few achieved it.
Fortunately, Zhang Ruochen’s 39/10,000ths of the Truth Mysteries allowed easier manipulation of the Path of Truth, a significant advantage.
The Path of Truth boosted attack power, while the Path of Fate weakened it, making them natural counters.
The duel’s outcome hinged on whose mastery—Nie Xiangzi’s Path of Truth or Blood Chen Heavenly Monarch’s Path of Fate—was superior.
“Nie Xiangzi’s so strong, unleashing a ninefold boost with the Path of Truth. He’ll win this,” a cultivator exclaimed.
Zhang Ruochen remained calm. The Truth Shrine’s top disciples were exceptional, but he wasn’t as optimistic as others.
Nie Xiangzi was formidable, but Blood Chen Heavenly Monarch felt even more unfathomable.
“The Path of Fate is obscure and complex, yet Blood Chen Heavenly Monarch has reached such heights. Below Great Saint, few in the Fate Shrine can compare. Defeating him will be tough for Nie Xiangzi,” Zhang Ruochen frowned.
His “cousin” was arrogant but undeniably skilled, suppressing all Blood Heaven Tribe prodigies.
Both pushed their Ancient Paths to the limit, yet neither gained a clear edge after nearly 2,000 exchanges.
Then, Blood Chen Heavenly Monarch seized an opening, striking Nie Xiangzi with a palm, sending him flying.
“How… Nie Xiangzi lost!” Many struggled to accept the outcome.
Their strengths were comparable, the difference a mere hair’s breadth, with Nie Xiangzi missing a critical moment.
His defeat further dampened the Heavenly Court’s morale.
In contrast, the Hell Realm’s side cheered wildly for Blood Chen Heavenly Monarch.
“When will our side win? Why aren’t the Four Heavenly Kings, Archangel Michael, or Ao Xukong fighting?”
“Where’s Zhang Ruochen? Why isn’t he in the city? If he fought one-on-one, who could match him?”
“Relying on Zhang Ruochen? Facing 30 million Hell Realm Saint troops, would he dare show up?”
“Right, the Hell Realm despises him. If he appeared, their army would tear him apart. He’s probably hiding or already fled Kunlun Realm.”
At the Merit Main Station, voices of frustration and resentment echoed.
Zhang Ruochen smiled, amused at becoming the center of discussion, with many seemingly holding grudges against him.
Likely, those mocking him were from the Heaven Realm faction, seizing any chance to disparage him.
After a long wait, Zhang Ruochen entered the spatial teleportation array.
A flash of white light, and he and many Heavenly Court cultivators vanished from the station.
When his vision cleared, he was in the Merit Sub-Station within the Central Imperial City.
Fortunately, the city had this sub-station; otherwise, it would be completely cut off.
“Central Imperial City,” Zhang Ruochen’s eyes held complex emotions.
This was his second visit since his rebirth. Despite years passing, memories of his last visit remained vivid, as if yesterday.
Back then, Chi Yao used him to perfect her heart, overcoming her final emotional tribulation to achieve godhood.
In rage, he stormed to the Zixia Imperial Palace, defeating the Nine Realm Sons single-handedly.
It was then that he and Huang Yanchen severed ties, becoming strangers.
Returning now, Zhang Ruochen felt a mix of emotions, his calm heart rippling, unable to let go of the past.
Stepping out of the sub-station, a desolate scene greeted him.
The city’s former vibrancy was gone, replaced by an oppressive atmosphere that stifled breath.
The vast Central Imperial City, expanded over 800 years into dozens of districts, each rivaling a major city, housed over a hundred million people.
Now, it felt empty, as those below Saint Realm had been relocated for safety.
With over 30 million Saint Realm troops besieging the city, non-Saints would be defenseless if it fell.
Kunlun Realm had few Saint Realm cultivators, so the city was now dominated by Heavenly Court forces.
“That sacred herb is mine!” a commotion erupted nearby.
Zhang Ruochen turned to see a group of Saint Realm cultivators fighting over a radiant sacred herb.
As the convergence point of Kunlun Realm’s spiritual veins, the city birthed countless treasures daily, including ancient sacred herbs up to 100,000 years old or even epoch-grade.
Previously, under court control, most treasures went to them despite Heavenly Court cultivators’ presence.
But as Kunlun Realm’s situation shifted, more Heavenly Court cultivators flooded the city, reducing the court’s share.
Soon, a six-step Saint King claimed the 70,000-year-old herb.
“Once I refine this, my cultivation will rise significantly. This trip was worth it,” the Saint King laughed.
Zhang Ruochen shook his head. Most Heavenly Court cultivators came for Kunlun Realm’s treasures, not to genuinely resist the Hell Realm.
Relying on them to defend the city or Kunlun Realm was wishful thinking.
Bluntly, most were plunderers, like the Hell Realm, exploiting major worlds’ resources.
Strong realms cared little for weaker ones, happy to open new merit battlefields for profit.
Many worlds joined the Heavenly Court for protection, only to become sacrificial pawns.
The shattered Ancestral Spirit Realm, chosen as a battlefield, saw billions perish, even gods falling.
In the Western Universe alone, ten world battlefields persisted, with new ones opened as others fell.
Over time, countless worlds had been reduced to cosmic dust.
This was survival of the fittest, rules set by the strong, with the weak struggling to survive.
Unconsciously, Zhang Ruochen reached the Zixia Imperial Palace.
He wasn’t here to reminisce but to meet the Saint Book Talent and gather information.
Another goal was to see Chi Kongle, hoping to take her away to safety.
*Swish.*
A radiant sacred light streaked across the sky, heading toward the palace.
In a flash, an ornate ancient sacred chariot appeared, exuding a divine aura, as if once used by a god.
Under Zhang Ruochen’s gaze, a strikingly handsome man stepped out, dressed in silkworm silk robes, holding a jade fan, radiating an innate noble air that made others feel inferior.
Then, a breathtaking goddess emerged, her body like carved jade, emitting a captivating fragrance, her demeanor refined.
“Nine Heavenly Maidens,” Zhang Ruochen recognized her integrated form instantly.
With the city in crisis, the Nine Heavenly Maidens staying unified made sense for quick responses.
The Saint Book Talent clearly dominated, her scholarly aura unique among the nine.
Zhang Ruochen’s gaze shifted to the elegant man, curious about his identity and why he accompanied the Nine Heavenly Maidens.
