In the Tianle Palace, Xie Ling unleashed a surge of divine power, enveloping Guxin Ao’s body. Immediately, a white token flew out, adorned with ten sword patterns, the very Ten Sword Token stolen from Xue Wuye.
Then, Xie Ling turned to the Sword God Realm cultivators, saying coldly, “You obstructed justice and should be punished. All of you, go guard the city gate to atone for your actions.”
Hearing this, the Sword God Realm cultivators felt both indignant and secretly relieved. At least they had preserved their lives, avoiding Guxin Ao’s fate.
Xie Ling raised his head, proclaiming in a resonant voice, “Guxin Ao violated the realm rules and has been executed. Let this be a warning to all cultivators of every realm to avoid repeating his mistakes.”
As the saying goes, a single stone stirs a thousand waves. Xie Ling’s voice spread, shaking the entire imperial city like a great storm.
Many cultivators felt a chill, realizing that if even the leader of the Sword God Realm was slain, what chance would they have if they violated Zhang Ruochen’s realm rules?
Undoubtedly, the effect of killing the chicken to scare the monkey was evident, thoroughly intimidating many.
It was foreseeable that news of Guxin Ao’s death would spread rapidly across all realms, causing an uproar and likely unsettling many deities.
On an ancient street, a towering man over a zhang tall suddenly halted, his gaze fixed on the blood-sealed decree in the sky.
“Hmph, Zhang Ruochen is truly arrogant, thinking a mere decree can bind the cultivators of all realms. Does he really believe he’s invincible?” the towering man snorted heavily.
With that, his large hand transformed into sharp claws, slashing out fiercely.
*Whoosh.*
Five claw beams, each ten thousand zhang long, tore through space, instantly reaching the blood-sealed decree.
“Insolent.”
Xie Ling let out a thunderous shout.
As he prepared to intervene, a mental force transmitted into his mind.
A dazzling sword beam shot from the Ziwei Imperial Palace, arriving later but striking first, meeting the sharp claw beams.
*Crack.*
The moment they clashed, the five claw beams shattered.
The sword beam, undamaged, cleaved through the void, heading toward the source of the claw beams.
The towering man’s pupils constricted as he hurriedly swung his claws to block the incoming sword beam.
Countless saintly rules emerged, and with him as the center, the rules and saintly energy of heaven and earth surged toward him.
The sword beam, unstoppable, sliced through all obstacles.
*Pfft.*
The man’s defenses broke, and bright red blood sprayed out.
“So strong,” the towering man thought, shaken.
A hundred li away, on a lake, a small boat floated quietly. Inside sat a handsome man, as ethereal as an immortal, playing a zither.
Suddenly, a sharp aura erupted from him, and with a wave of his hand, a mysterious sound wave flew out.
The fluctuating sound wave, intangible, transformed into a lifelike ferocious tiger, roaring as it charged at the blood-sealed decree.
At the same time, by a clear river, an ordinary-looking man fishing swung his rod, releasing a fishing line thousands of zhang long.
The line, nearly invisible to the naked eye, was razor-sharp, slicing a long crack through space, unstoppable.
A peerless goddess also acted, raising her hand to release divine flames that ignited the saintly energy of heaven and earth, turning a vast expanse of the sky fiery red, as if to incinerate everything.
…
In the Ziwei Imperial Palace, Zhang Ruochen stood before the Zichen Hall, his gaze fixed on the Tianle Palace.
He clearly sensed the auras of multiple top-tier powerhouses, all targeting his blood-sealed decree, intent on destroying it.
Clearly, these powerhouses did not recognize the realm rules he had established and sought to forcefully obliterate them.
Every one who acted was a top-tier powerhouse below the Great Saint level, renowned in both the Heavenly Court and the Infernal Realm.
Only they dared to challenge Zhang Ruochen’s authority at this moment.
“Well met.”
A glint flashed in Zhang Ruochen’s eyes. With a wave of his hand, nearly a million spatial rules emerged, merging into the space.
Instantly, above the blood-sealed decree, a giant hand, both real and illusory, appeared, carrying the power to crush everything, pressing down from the sky.
No matter how powerful the attacks were, they were all forced back.
“How is this possible?”
The attackers were all shocked.
Without hesitation, they unleashed their full saintly energy, pushing their attacks to the maximum.
The spatial hand Zhang Ruochen formed, in harmony with the blood-sealed decree, fully controlled a vast expanse of space.
*Boom.*
Centered on the blood-sealed decree, the space within thousands of zhang collapsed, reduced to nothingness.
The tiger formed by the zither’s sound shattered.
The fishing line broke inch by inch.
The sky full of divine flames quickly extinguished.
…
With Zhang Ruochen’s current mastery of the Path of Space, the second level of “Spatial Annihilation” was powerful enough to make even an Immortal Great Saint retreat.
Moreover, the destructive force rippled through space, striking all the attacking powerhouses.
*Pfft.*
Nearly half of them were injured, spitting blood, their eyes filled with traces of horror.
“Compared to the Battle of Luo River, Zhang Ruochen’s strength has improved immensely. How is this possible? Has he even surpassed Yan Wushen?”
They had thought Zhang Ruochen’s victory over Yan Wushen at Luo River was his limit, never expecting he could improve further.
As top-tier powerhouses below the Great Saint level, the vast gap in strength was hard to accept.
In the Ziwei Imperial Palace, Zhang Ruochen manifested the Immovable Wisdom King Saint Aspect, towering a thousand li, standing like a god overlooking the entire imperial city.
“Whoever refuses to accept this may act, but bear the consequences,” Zhang Ruochen’s voice echoed through the city, clearly reaching everyone’s ears.
His words carried a thick threat.
The top-tier powerhouses had been defeated, unable to destroy the decree, and even injured in the distant clash.
Who would dare act now?
For a moment, the world fell silent, utterly quiet.
At this point, Gai Tianjiao and others looked at Zhang Ruochen differently. In their eyes, his figure became towering, worthy only of awe.
Once, they were among the top geniuses of their generation, but now Zhang Ruochen had far surpassed them.
The achievements Zhang Ruochen had reached in the Saint King realm were beyond their hopes, even with a thousand years.
Chi Wansui’s expression was the most complex. He bore a blood feud with Zhang Ruochen for the extermination of his clan, once desperately wanting to kill him, even manipulating Chi Kunlun and Chi Kongle to act.
Even now, he hadn’t forgotten his hatred, but he knew revenge was nearly impossible. The gap between him and Zhang Ruochen was like heaven and earth.
At the same time, Chi Wansui clearly understood Zhang Ruochen’s immense significance to Kunlun Realm.
When Kunlun Realm attacked the Xumi Dojo and fell into the Paradise Realm’s ambush, nearly annihilated, it was Zhang Ruochen who turned the tide.
Now, with Kunlun Realm facing internal and external threats, it relied on Zhang Ruochen to hold the line, suppressing the Heavenly Court’s myriad realms and the Infernal Realm single-handedly.
For the current Kunlun Realm, Zhang Ruochen was like a stabilizing divine needle, indispensable.
“This is Zhang Ruochen’s true strength.”
Zhou Zhen’s heart sank to rock bottom.
Standing beneath the blood-sealed decree, he felt the clash of forces most vividly.
The overwhelming power Zhang Ruochen displayed left him breathless, nearly sapping his courage to resist.
*Whoosh.*
A massive ancient demonic dragon suddenly appeared outside the Ziwei Imperial Palace, exuding an immensely powerful demonic aura.
Atop the dragon stood a refined middle-aged man in a Five Elements Taoist robe, with a Taoist bun, holding a whisk, radiating the effortless aura of Daoism.
He was none other than Lu Baiming, the most outstanding array genius of the Five Elements Temple.
“Brother Lu, long time no see.”
Zhang Ruochen appeared out of thin air, smiling as he greeted Lu Baiming.
From their interactions in the Northern Region, Zhang Ruochen held a high opinion of Lu Baiming and greatly admired his array mastery.
Lu Baiming’s mental strength was exceptionally powerful. Even with Zhang Ruochen refining his mental strength to the extreme with the Imperial Divine Ruler, he still couldn’t fully see through him.
Among those Zhang Ruochen had met, perhaps only Fairy Baihua, Ji Fanchen, could match Lu Baiming’s mental strength at the same level.
With such formidable mental strength, it was unclear whether Lu Baiming had reached the second level of an array master.
Generally, becoming a Lord of Mountains and Rivers was the limit for the Saint King realm, but as a rare array genius, Lu Baiming might break this barrier to become a Lord of Seas and Lands.
Lu Baiming smiled warmly, “Since our parting in the Northern Region, in such a short time, Brother Zhang has grown to this level. It’s truly astonishing. The heir of time and space defies conventional logic.”
“Brother Lu flatters me! You didn’t come here just to offer compliments, did you?” Zhang Ruochen said.
Seeing Zhang Ruochen’s directness, Lu Baiming didn’t waste words, “I came to ask Brother Zhang to spare Zhou Zhen. At this time, you must not touch him.”
“Why?” Zhang Ruochen asked.
Lu Baiming flashed to Zhang Ruochen’s side, saying, “Zhou Zhen is a key figure cultivated by the Array Extinguishing Palace, with the potential to become an array heavenly master. As a haven for array masters, the palace’s influence is immense, and few dare provoke it.”
“Of course, you may not care about that, but Zhou Zhen came here under the Heavenly Palace’s orders. Killing him would mean opposing the Heavenly Palace, a consequence even deities couldn’t bear.”
Zhang Ruochen’s heart stirred. Zhou Zhen was so close to Guxin Ao that, even if not part of the Paradise Realm faction, he must have deep ties. Zhang Ruochen had indeed considered eliminating him.
But Lu Baiming’s words made Zhou Zhen a troublesome figure.
“Thank you for the reminder, Brother Lu. I’ll handle it appropriately.”
Zhang Ruochen knew Lu Baiming understood the gravity of the situation, fearing he might kill Zhou Zhen to establish authority, and thus came personally to the Ziwei Imperial Palace.
This likely reflected the Five Elements Temple’s stance.
The influence of Zhang Ruochen’s decree was too great, unsettling even high-ranking figures, who feared his radical actions might lead to unpredictable consequences.
Lu Baiming said, “A Heavenly Palace enforcement team has arrived in the imperial city, led by ‘Heavenly Fiend Lord’ Jin Hong. You should be cautious and avoid conflict with them.”
“As long as they don’t cause trouble, I won’t provoke them,” Zhang Ruochen said calmly.
What was the Heavenly Palace’s enforcement team to him?
It wasn’t enough to intimidate him.
Knowing Zhang Ruochen was no reckless fool, Lu Baiming said no more.
“Brother Lu, you’ve just arrived in the Central Imperial City, haven’t you? Let me gather some friends to welcome you,” Zhang Ruochen offered.
Lu Baiming waved his hand, “No need for the trouble. I’ve already arranged to meet several array masters to discuss countering the Infernal Realm’s ten array masters. I can’t delay.”
“Besides, I’m eager to meet those invincible array talents from the Infernal Realm.”
Clearly, Lu Baiming was excited, his array mastery only matched by the few from the Infernal Realm at his level.
After a brief chat, Lu Baiming took his leave, seeming quite eager.
In the Tianle Palace, Zhou Zhen appeared calm but was inwardly panicked. Guxin Ao had died before his eyes, and he didn’t know his own fate.
He had pushed his ninth-grade array to its limit to protect himself, but he knew that if Zhang Ruochen truly targeted him, no array would suffice.
As Zhou Zhen fretted, a giant hand, ten thousand zhang long, suddenly appeared above the Tianle Palace, grabbing downward.
“Not good.”
Zhou Zhen’s mind shook, and he desperately urged his array to resist.
But his resistance was futile. The giant hand easily pierced the array, seizing him.
Seeing this, the cultivators gathered around the Tianle Palace were shocked.
They knew it was Zhang Ruochen’s doing!
“Zhang Ruochen has taken Zhou Zhen. What does he intend?”
“Zhou Zhen is an array master cultivated by the Array Extinguishing Palace, with a special status. Does Zhang Ruochen dare act against him?”
“Is there anything Zhang Ruochen wouldn’t dare? He killed the leader of the Space God Hall, the Merit God Hall, the emperor of the Yanyang Civilization, and just now the leader of the Sword God Realm. Zhou Zhen is likely in danger!”
…
In many eyes, Zhou Zhen’s capture by Zhang Ruochen meant his life was at risk.
*Bang.*
In the Ziwei Imperial Palace, Zhou Zhen fell from the sky, crashing to the ground in disarray.
“Zhang… Zhang Ruochen.”
Seeing Zhang Ruochen, Zhou Zhen’s pupils constricted.
At this moment, the last person he wanted to face was Zhang Ruochen.
After all, few who fell into Zhang Ruochen’s hands met a good end.
Zhang Ruochen stood before Zhou Zhen, saying calmly, “Someone just came to me, asking me to spare your life. Do you think I should?”
Zhou Zhen’s expression shifted, wondering who had intervened.
At the same time, he was shocked that Zhang Ruochen truly intended to kill him, utterly unrestrained.
“You should know why Guxin Ao was killed, right?”
“Tell me, what was Guxin Ao’s real purpose in targeting Xue Wuye? I don’t believe it was just for a mere sword attendant or to kill a Kunlun Realm’s realm son. Would the leader of the Sword God Realm stoop to such a lowly act?”
Zhang Ruochen stared at Zhou Zhen, speaking slowly.
An invisible pressure enveloped Zhou Zhen.
Zhou Zhen’s mind trembled, as if crushed by a divine mountain, his knees bending, nearly forcing him to kneel.
This was not just saintly power but a mental assault.
As an array master, Zhou Zhen’s mental will was exceptionally strong, surpassing many Immortal Great Saints.
But compared to Zhang Ruochen, it was lacking.
Gritting his teeth against the immense pressure, Zhou Zhen thought, “It seems Zhang Ruochen doesn’t know the special nature of Kunlun Realm’s realm sons. They’ve consumed peaches from the Pan-Peach Tree, a true divine fruit. With their current strength, they can’t fully refine it, and their saintly blood still carries the tree’s aura, which can be used to locate its approximate position.”
“After this incident, obtaining a realm son’s saintly blood will be extremely difficult. I must not let Zhang Ruochen learn this secret.”
This matter was so critical that Guxin Ao had acted personally, even using the theft of the Ten Sword Token as a cover.
But no one expected Zhang Ruochen to intervene, causing Guxin Ao’s death in vain.
His thoughts racing, Zhou Zhen struggled to speak, “I don’t know what Guxin Ao was planning. I only heard him say he was interested in the *Wordless Sword Manual* and wanted to explore its mysteries through Wansiang City’s *Flying Immortal Sword Art*.”
Zhang Ruochen stepped forward three paces, closer to Zhou Zhen, saying, “Do you think I’m easily fooled? You have two paths before you: one to life, one to death. For the path to life, answer honestly, hiding nothing. For the path to death, I can grant it now.”
Zhou Zhen instinctively stepped back. He wanted to live, but some things he absolutely could not tell Zhang Ruochen.
