Casting aside numerous distractions, Zhang Ruochen sat cross-legged, seizing the moment to comprehend the Sacred Path. No matter what, he did not want to miss the great opportunity of the Truth Temple.
However, achieving the Great Perfection of the Saint King Realm was no easy feat, and it was fraught with immense dangers.
Throughout history, many prodigies attempting to reach the Great Perfection of the Saint King Realm met tragic ends, with the least severe outcome being a regression in cultivation, and the worst being death and the dissolution of their path.
As a result, fewer and fewer people pursued this path over time, and the Great Perfection of the Saint King Realm became a legend.
Otherwise, Yin Yuanchen would not have shown such a shocked expression upon witnessing Yan Wushen’s breakthrough earlier.
For a peerless prodigy like Yan Wushen, who might only appear once in an epoch, to achieve the Great Perfection of the Saint King Realm required treading an extremely perilous path and spending nearly a millennium. The difficulty was evident.
Generally, once a cultivator reached the Lin Dao Realm with 30 million Sacred Path Rules, cultivating additional rules became increasingly challenging. Those who surpassed 90 million rules were exceedingly rare, truly exceptional.
The more Sacred Path Rules one had, the harder they were to control. A slight misstep could disrupt the balance, injuring oneself.
Zhang Ruochen faced another significant issue: his cultivation and physical body had already reached their limits, making it easy to inadvertently break through to the Great Saint Realm.
With only a few tens of thousands of rules left, Zhang Ruochen selectively cultivated, focusing on three Eternal Paths, three Supreme Sacred Paths, and the Five Elements Path, as well as various major and minor paths related to them.
As the saying goes, cultivation knows no time, especially when fully immersed, one loses all sense of its passage.
Suddenly, Zhang Ruochen’s body trembled violently, his blood and qi unstable, and he spat out a large mouthful of blood.
“I was too hasty. The further I go, the more cautious I need to be,” Zhang Ruochen murmured.
He had hoped to break through the barrier in one go, but clearly, he had oversimplified things, tasting the bitter consequences.
The closer he got to the Great Perfection of the Saint King Realm, the more meticulous he had to be in cultivating each Sacred Path Rule. A single misstep could lead to ruin, as details determine success or failure.
Reluctantly, Zhang Ruochen paused his cultivation, circulating the *Nine Heavens Bright Emperor Scripture* to absorb the essence of the Seven-Star Divine Ling Sun Leaf to heal his injuries, while quietly contemplating his next steps.
After some time, Zhang Ruochen fully recovered, returning to his peak state.
“My advantage lies in possessing six Saint Aspects, allowing me to control cultivated Sacred Path Rules more easily than most. Yan Wushen likely does the same.”
“However, the six Saint Aspects divide the Sacred Path Rules, each acting independently. Achieving perfect harmony and absolute balance is far more difficult.”
“Fortunately, I created the Tongtian River to connect the six Saint Aspects. Otherwise, I’d be in real trouble now.”
After healing, Zhang Ruochen carefully analysed his situation.
Only by fully understanding himself could he identify the root of the problem and address it effectively.
“Perhaps I can use the Truth Form to suppress myself,” Zhang Ruochen thought.
He wasn’t sure if this method would work, but it was worth trying.
With that, Zhang Ruochen sprang into action. Nearly a million Truth Rules, accompanied by vast Five Elements Chaos Qi, surged from his body, intertwining to swiftly form a hazy chaotic world.
“Buzz.”
An invisible fluctuation appeared, and the Truth Form Zhang Ruochen condensed resonated strangely with the Truth Mountain.
Above the Truth Mountain, a vast starry sky appeared, filled with billions of stars, each formed from peculiar characters, radiating boundless sacred light.
The edges of the starry sky were endless chaos, indescribable, constantly expanding.
Though Zhang Ruochen was at the foot of the mountain, successfully condensing the Truth Form, only now did he truly manifest it.
Chaos embraces all, holding infinite possibilities, so the Truth Form Zhang Ruochen condensed was the same, capable of continuous evolution. No one could predict its final form.
At the mountain’s peak, the tall figure reappeared, gazing at the starry sky, a hint of curiosity in their eyes. “Ever-changing, such a unique Truth Form. Could it one day evolve into ‘Cosmos Without Bounds’?”
Normally, a cultivator’s Truth Form, once condensed, is fixed.
For instance, Archangel Michael’s “Earth Below” Truth Form remains so, no matter how his Truth Path or cultivation advances, even if he becomes a god. It would never become “Star Ocean Without Shores.”
In the tall figure’s view, Zhang Ruochen’s current Truth Form seemed akin to “Star Ocean Without Shores,” yet it still had room to grow, not fully fixed.
The reason likely lay in Zhang Ruochen not using the Truth Temple’s secret method to condense his Truth Form, relying instead on his own exploration.
However, this method was clearly imperfect and difficult for others to replicate.
“Using the Truth Form to suppress oneself is a good idea. I hope this little one succeeds, or we may have to wait another eon,” the tall figure whispered.
If not for their appreciation of talent, the tall figure wouldn’t have provided Zhang Ruochen with divine stones, though those dozens of stones held little value to them.
The opportunity was given; whether Zhang Ruochen could seize it depended on his own ability.
Unaware of the anomaly above, Zhang Ruochen’s mind was fully immersed in his Divine Light Qi Sea, striving to condense new Sacred Path Rules.
The Truth Form was indeed extraordinary, stabilising the Tongtian River remarkably. Adding dozens of Sacred Path Rules caused no significant disturbance.
Still, Zhang Ruochen remained cautious, mobilising all his mental energy to monitor the Tongtian River, striving to perfect the structure of the Sacred Path Rules.
Later, he employed the Spatial True Domain, combining it with the Truth Form.
He even used the *Secret Tome of Time and Space*, the Hidden Mountain Demon Mirror, the Golden Sun of Destruction, and other treasures—anything that could aid his cultivation.
Despite this, progress was far from smooth. Zhang Ruochen spat blood multiple times, suffering backlash from some mysterious rule force. Twice, his Qi Sea nearly shattered.
If not for the miraculous power of the Seven-Star Divine Ling Sun Leaf, constantly repairing his body, he might have suffered a Path Injury, ruining his future.
“Boom.”
A formidable aura surged from Zhang Ruochen’s body.
A towering, majestic phantom of a god-demon condensed, standing atop a vast hell, with evil qi surging. Countless evil spirits roared within, yet were firmly suppressed, unable to break free.
“Unexpectedly, I managed to cultivate the third level of *God-Demon Suppression Prison*, reaching the high-tier Immortal Saint Art level,” Zhang Ruochen thought, slightly pleased.
Since acquiring *God-Demon Suppression Prison*, he had been studying it, but until now, he had only reached the second level, a mid-tier Saint Art, which wasn’t significant enough to use in battle.
Now, he had finally achieved the third level, its power comparable to the twelfth palm of *Dragon-Elephant Prajna Palm* and the eleventh level of *Luoshui Fist*.
He cultivated *God-Demon Suppression Prison* at this moment because he believed it could help suppress the Sacred Path Rules in the Tongtian River.
And indeed, the suppression was highly effective.
Though Zhang Ruochen didn’t practice demonic arts, using Five Elements Chaos Qi to perform *God-Demon Suppression Prison* was just as powerful, no weaker than World-Destroying Demonic Qi.
At one point, Zhang Ruochen’s body trembled, his skin cracking like a porcelain vase about to shatter, saint blood seeping out.
A formidable force erupted from within, threatening to tear his body apart.
“Pfft.”
Zhang Ruochen spat blood, nearly collapsing.
He immediately took out a bottle of Life Spring and drank it all, then circulated the *Nine Heavens Bright Emperor Scripture* to heal himself.
After a long time, his aura stabilised, averting the crisis of bodily destruction, and the cracks on his skin healed visibly.
“Attempting the Great Perfection of the Saint King Realm is so perilous. No wonder few have dared try since the Middle Ages,” Zhang Ruochen said, a trace of gravity in his eyes.
That moment was truly dangerous; a little more, and his power would have spiralled out of control. Even if his Saint Soul survived, his body would have been destroyed.
Fortunately, he stopped in time and drank ample Life Spring, narrowly escaping disaster.
“I must continue. If I don’t achieve the Great Perfection of the Saint King Realm, how can I face Yan Wushen? How can I save Kunlun?” Determination shone in Zhang Ruochen’s eyes.
If Yan Wushen could succeed, why couldn’t he?
With that, Zhang Ruochen adjusted his state and resumed his attempt.
Thus, he persisted, facing danger time and again, yet never giving up.
He knew that retreating now would create a significant flaw in his mental state, preventing him from ever achieving perfection.
“Crack.”
Once more, cracks appeared on Zhang Ruochen’s skin, saint blood soaking his clothes, turning him into a bloodied figure.
Within his Divine Light Qi Sea, chaos reigned. The Tongtian River was highly unstable, on the verge of collapse, affecting his six Saint Souls.
Continuing like this, even if the Tongtian River didn’t collapse, many Sacred Path Rules would likely be eroded, damaging the foundation of his Sacred Path.
Yet, this time, Zhang Ruochen didn’t stop, choosing to press on.
“Success or failure hinges on this. Reverse God Stele, suppress!”
Zhang Ruochen roared inwardly.
An ancient, broken stele appeared in his Divine Light Qi Sea, hovering above the Tongtian River.
An invisible force spread, as if freezing the entire Divine Light Qi Sea. The near-collapsing Tongtian River calmed.
Seizing the moment, Zhang Ruochen focused on condensing new Sacred Path Rules in the Tongtian River.
“Rumble.”
A vast river surged from Zhang Ruochen’s body, composed entirely of Sacred Path Rules.
This river contained exactly 100 million Sacred Path Rules, each robust and solid.
Upon appearing, the rules and saint qi of heaven and earth gathered, like stars orbiting the moon.
Bloodied and somewhat ghastly, Zhang Ruochen smiled, unable to hide his joy.
“I did it. Nineteen years, dozens of injuries—all worth it,” Zhang Ruochen said, excitement in his eyes.
The tall figure stood at the mountain’s peak, gazing at Zhang Ruochen halfway up. “I never imagined he’d succeed within twenty years, cultivating eleven Sacred Paths to Great Perfection. Even in the Nether Ancient Era, he’d be considered a prodigy.”
Zhang Ruochen’s achievement of the Great Perfection of the Saint King Realm made the tall figure its sole witness.
Unless revealed, no one would know Zhang Ruochen’s true strength before he acted, a significant trump card.
The Sacred Paths Zhang Ruochen cultivated to Great Perfection were Time, Space, Truth, Sword, Fist, Palm, and the Five Elements Path—three Eternal Paths and eight Supreme Sacred Paths. If word got out, few would believe it.
In terms of the number of Sacred Paths cultivated to Great Perfection, Zhang Ruochen surpassed Yan Wushen.
In the vast river of rules, two invisible vortices slowly spun, distorting a small area of spacetime even on the Truth Mountain, as if connected to the future.
A million Truth Rules condensed into a thick book, bearing all truths, containing infinite knowledge, and elucidating the universe’s mysteries.
Sword Rules formed a saint sword, Fist Rules a surging river, and Palm Rules a dragon and elephant, all in the form of Saint Aspects.
The five million Five Elements Rules intertwined, forming a Five Elements Celestial Disk, slowly rotating, manifesting the wonders of the Five Elements’ mutual generation and restraint.
“There seemed to be a peculiar force fluctuation earlier, oddly familiar. It seems Zhang Ruochen hides many secrets,” the tall figure mused.
If Zhang Ruochen heard this, he’d realise the fluctuation the tall figure sensed was undoubtedly the Reverse God Stele.
Fortunately, he only revealed the stele briefly, concealing its aura, and retrieved it immediately after breaking through, avoiding exposure.
The Reverse God Stele was too extraordinary; if exposed, it would bring immense trouble, even gods would act against him shamelessly.
Zhang Ruochen exhaled deeply, circulating his technique to retract all Sacred Path Rules into his body.
Now, he truly stood at the pinnacle of the Saint King Realm, his strength at its zenith. Further progress required breaking through to the Great Saint Realm.
