Yan Wushen stared at Zhang Ruochen, his battle intent growing stronger. Ever since his evil self told him that the name “Yan Wushen” was no longer a symbol of invincibility, he had been anticipating this fight and had made considerable preparations for it.
“I don’t need your saving, take care of yourself first,” Chi Kunlun said.
Though his words sounded defiant, a hint of worry flickered in his eyes, clearly concerned that Zhang Ruochen might suffer at Yan Wushen’s hands.
This stemmed from Chi Kunlun’s ignorance of Zhang Ruochen’s battle with Yan Wushen’s evil self at Luo River. In his mind, Yan Wushen remained the invincible figure dominating both the Heavenly Court and Hell Realm.
Though recently by Yan Wushen’s side, Chi Kunlun was unaware of the secret of his good and evil selves.
This didn’t escape Zhang Ruochen’s notice, and a warmth stirred in his heart. Regardless, Chi Kunlun’s view of him had softened.
At least he no longer brandished a sword against him, treating him as a mortal enemy.
Zhang Ruochen stepped out of the pavilion, facing Yan Wushen directly, “Let’s settle this once and for all.”
No matter what, this battle was inevitable. For Zhang Ruochen, it was a chance to test his recent cultivation progress.
Though he sensed Yan Wushen’s evil self nearby, he felt no fear, even looking forward to seeing how powerful Yan Wushen would be with his good and evil selves merged.
After all, since the Luo River battle, Zhang Ruochen’s strength had greatly advanced. Without relying on the Sundial, he was confident he could defeat Yan Wushen’s evil self.
“You seem confident, but I must tell you, this time, relying on the Sundial to win won’t work,” Yan Wushen said.
With a wave of his hand, Chi Kunlun was swept away by a gust, landing outside the courtyard, floating in mid-air on a blood-red cloud.
From the courtyard, the blood cloud Chi Kunlun stood on seemed close, almost just outside.
Yet, no matter how desperately Chi Kunlun ran, summoning all his strength, he couldn’t reach the courtyard, which felt like it was tens of thousands or hundreds of thousands of miles away, leaving him only able to watch.
“Zhang Ruochen, I hope you, the King of the East who overpowers all realms, won’t disappoint me,” Yan Wushen said, a glint of anticipation in his eyes.
Zhang Ruochen glanced at Yin Yuanchen, “Brother Yin, step aside and don’t interfere.”
“Be careful, Brother Zhang.”
Yin Yuanchen didn’t hesitate, retreating to a distance.
In his view, since Zhang Ruochen defeated Yan Wushen at Luo River, he should be fine this time.
Surveying the small starry realm around them, Yin Yuanchen thought, “With Yan Wushen’s methods, even if he loses, he’ll surely have a way to escape. I need to find a way out and summon the Heavenly Court’s top powerhouses to trap him in the imperial city.”
Capturing or killing Yan Wushen would deal an unimaginable blow to the Hell Realm, pivotal in turning the Kunlun Realm’s war situation.
Of course, Yin Yuanchen remained cautious. Though his senses weren’t as sharp as Zhang Ruochen’s, he vaguely felt other powerhouses lurking nearby.
It made sense, with the imperial city teeming with powerhouses, even someone as confident as Yan Wushen wouldn’t likely risk coming alone.
Outside the pavilion, Zhang Ruochen and Yan Wushen stood facing each other, their gazes locked, neither making a move.
But in truth, their contest had already begun.
Close observation revealed subtle spatial fluctuations around them, rippling like water, clashing and dissipating invisibly.
Their mastery of spatial power was meticulous. The techniques they employed, though deadly enough to kill a Nine-Step Saint King instantly, were executed with minimal disturbance, sparing every flower and blade of grass.
This seemingly calm contest was fraught with peril.
“In just a few months, your mastery of the Path of Space has improved so much. It’s truly surprising,” Yan Wushen said, eyes gleaming.
Space, an Eternal Path, is notoriously difficult to cultivate. Even Yan Wushen, with years of effort and numerous opportunities, reached his current level.
Yet Zhang Ruochen, in mere months, elevated his Path of Space to near perfection, an astonishing feat even to witness.
“You’re not bad yourself,” Zhang Ruochen said.
In terms of Saint Path rules, Yan Wushen’s good and evil selves should be identical.
During the Luo River battle, the evil self’s spatial mastery, though impressive, wielded at most 900,000 spatial rules.
Now, Zhang Ruochen sensed that Yan Wushen’s good self possessed spatial rules equal to his own, just one short of Great Perfection.
Clearly, Zhang Ruochen’s presence pressured Yan Wushen, spurring significant progress in these months.
“This makes it more interesting,” Yan Wushen laughed.
For him, the stronger Zhang Ruochen was, the happier he felt, as he craved a formidable opponent.
As he spoke, Yan Wushen acted, unleashing powerful spatial forces, causing the surrounding space to distort intensely.
“Hm? Spatial Saint Aspect.”
Zhang Ruochen sensed danger, detecting an invisible vortex above him.
Without hesitation, he released his own Spatial Saint Aspect, clashing with Yan Wushen’s.
With their Path of Space near perfection, both their Spatial Saint Aspects were immensely powerful, capable of devastating destruction.
Even a top-tier Ten Thousand Mark Saint Artifact might be shredded instantly, reduced to scrap.
“Boom.”
Their Spatial Saint Aspects collided fiercely, unleashing annihilating force, collapsing the surrounding space into a deep, dark void.
That region was terrifying, even a Great Saint would struggle to escape.
Zhang Ruochen paid it no mind, his thoughts shifting as he released his Temporal Saint Aspect, attacking Yan Wushen proactively.
In any fight, he preferred to seize the initiative rather than react passively.
The Temporal Saint Aspect, an invisible vortex, appeared with countless time marks swirling, even manifesting a faint River of Time, slightly altering the time flow in the space.
“Clang.”
In an instant, the Temporal Saint Aspect clashed with another invisible vortex, some time marks dissipating into nothingness.
More precisely, they were broken down into countless invisible particles.
Influenced by the Temporal Saint Aspect, some particles reformed into time marks.
“It seems I’m not the only one who’s cultivated multiple Saint Aspects,” Zhang Ruochen thought.
Typically, Saint Realm cultivators condense all their Saint Path rules into one Saint Aspect, resembling themselves.
But Zhang Ruochen, unusually, separated his two Eternal Paths and three Supreme Saint Paths, refining the rest together, cultivating six Saint Aspects.
Even Xiao Hei, with vast knowledge, had never heard of this, only reading in ancient texts of mysterious beings beyond the five elements who could cultivate multiple Saint Aspects and Saint Sources.
Back then, Zhang Ruochen couldn’t comprehend this, but now, with greater insight, he had guesses.
Cultivating multiple Saint Aspects likely tied to the cultivation method and primary Saint Paths.
The *Nine Heavens Bright Emperor Scripture*, possibly linked to the *Thirty-Three Heavens*, was among the universe’s top cultivation methods.
“Swish.”
A ten-thousand-zhang-long Saint Sword flew from Zhang Ruochen’s body, formed of a million sword path rules, his Sword Path Saint Aspect.
The Sword Path Saint Aspect glowed with nine-coloured light, adorned with intricate sword patterns, naturally formed, as if imprinted with the sword path’s ultimate truth.
Tens of thousands of sharp sword qi burst from it, forming a sword qi storm, slashing towards Yan Wushen.
Yan Wushen’s body shook, a massive black hole appearing before him.
“Fist Path Saint Aspect, one rule short of perfection,” Zhang Ruochen murmured.
As expected, Yan Wushen had cultivated other Saint Aspects.
Having witnessed his domineering fist techniques, Zhang Ruochen wasn’t surprised by the Fist Path Saint Aspect.
It was terrifying, exuding powerful devouring force and Hell’s unique aura, as if it could swallow everything.
In an instant, most of the sword qi from the Sword Path Saint Aspect was consumed by the black hole.
“Clang.”
The Sword Path Saint Aspect, unstoppable, cleaved the black hole in two.
Seeing this, Yan Wushen’s face finally showed a grave expression.
“Sword Path Great Perfection,” he thought, shocked.
Despite his prowess and years of cultivation, he hadn’t perfected any Eternal or Supreme Saint Path. Yet Zhang Ruochen had.
Perfecting any Saint Path brings astonishing transformation, multiplying the power of related Saint Arts and granting unimaginable mysteries.
“The legendary Sword Path Great Perfection. He’s become this powerful,” Chi Kunlun thought, eyes fixed on Zhang Ruochen, emotions complex.
Since their clash in the Truth Heavenly Domain, Chi Kunlun resolved to defeat Zhang Ruochen honourably with his sword.
Even after learning his true parentage, this resolve strengthened.
Seeing Zhang Ruochen’s sword path mastery now, Chi Kunlun felt immense pressure.
But his gaze soon turned resolute, his unyielding nature unbroken.
Gripping an ancient, unremarkable sword hilt, Zhang Ruochen held an item from the Sword Tomb, taken from Luo Ji, hiding great secrets.
Infused with Saint Qi, divine light poured from the hilt, manifesting countless intricate sword path rules, weaving into a slender blade.
Instantly, intense divine power radiated from the hilt.
“Clang.”
Influenced by the divine sword, everything in the courtyard took on a sharp edge, as if turning into swords.
“Rumble.”
The small starry realm trembled, tangible sword light filling the space.
In this moment, Zhang Ruochen seemed an unrivalled Sword God, his edge unstoppable.
The hilt, even in Luo Ji’s hands, wielded terrifying power, now magnified in Zhang Ruochen’s.
Yan Wushen’s gaze locked on the divine sword, eyes narrowing, “A mere hilt with such might, could it be… tied to that legendary destroyed divine sword?”
Without hesitation, Yan Wushen recalled his split Fist Path Saint Aspect, activating his cultivation method.
He sensed Zhang Ruochen’s next attack would be formidable, requiring his full strength.
As a secret technique activated, vast Hell Yama Qi surged from Yan Wushen, specifically Extreme Bright Yama Qi, contrasting his evil self’s Extreme Dark Yama Qi.
His body transformed, skin, flesh, and bones turning golden, expanding into a nine-zhang-six-chi golden giant.
Behind him, boundless Buddha light bloomed, forming a golden Buddha Kingdom, with countless arhats, bodhisattvas, and holy Buddhas seated within, making Yan Wushen appear majestic, like a true Buddha descended.
“The strongest Buddhist Golden Body Technique. Yan Wushen indeed inherited that ancient holy Buddha’s legacy,” Zhang Ruochen thought.
Prajna once said Yan Wushen obtained a forbidden Buddhist technique from an ancient holy Buddha, enabling his good and evil selves.
Zhang Ruochen had suspected he inherited other powerful Buddhist techniques, unsuitable for his evil self.
He hadn’t expected Yan Wushen to master the strongest Buddhist Golden Body Technique.
Zhang Ruochen had seen the Golden Body Technique before, Chen Yuhua’s “Twelve-Zhang Golden Body” from the *Forty-Nine Mysterious Arts*, with astonishing power.
Yan Wushen’s form, eight times Chen Yuhua’s, like a giant, hinted at unimaginable strength.
In this state, Yan Wushen was worthy of Zhang Ruochen’s sword.
“Yan Wushen, take my sword,” Zhang Ruochen declared.
As he spoke, he swung the divine sword, encompassing all space—sky, earth, east, south, west, north—countless spatial inscriptions appearing, shaking the small starry realm.
A world formed entirely of sword qi took shape, expanding infinitely, enveloping Yan Wushen.
Since comprehending the tenth level of Sword Ten, this was Zhang Ruochen’s first time using it in combat, with the mysterious hilt.
With his current strength, few were worthy of this strike.
