The black plaza stretched ten thousand metres in both length and width.
The four black light curtains surrounding the plaza were inscribed with dense divine patterns, floating and sinking. Once activated, they not only prevented internal forces from leaking out but also blocked any living beings inside from escaping.
In the Martial Combat District, this plaza was known as the “Life-and-Death Platform.”
Stepping onto the Life-and-Death Platform was tantamount to signing a life-and-death contract. No one, not even gods, could interfere.
Injuries or death were at one’s own risk.
Moro War Emperor stood about four metres tall, his legs thick as iron pillars, clad in black armour, with eight bony wings sprouting from his back. His nose was flat, his eyes larger than bowls, and, like most Rakshasa Clan males, he was strikingly ugly.
Yet the power fluctuating from him was immensely formidable.
*Swish.*
Evil Rakshasa Qi filled the space of the Life-and-Death Platform like liquid seawater. Its overwhelming force caused the divine pattern light curtains to tremble faintly.
The Evil Rakshasa Qi surged toward Zhang Ruochen but parted automatically, unable to touch his pristine white robe.
“Not to mention that Great Prince Moro wasn’t killed by me, even if I had tortured him to death, he deserved it and died justly.”
Zhang Ruochen’s eyes were cold as ice, and he continued, “Speak. Where did you get that spatial jade bracelet? If you confess clearly, I might spare your life.”
Moro War Emperor let out an enraged laugh, “What a joke, little Ruochen. Don’t think that defeating three weaklings from the Blood Heaven Tribe makes you invincible.”
“Since I lured you to the Life-and-Death Platform, I have no intention of letting you leave alive. You, spare me? If you kneel and beg for mercy now, perhaps I’ll leave your corpse intact to send back to the Blood Absolute Family.”
The Moro Family was as ancient as the Blood Absolute Family, wielding immense influence in the Rakshasa Clan, with two True Gods in their ranks.
To bear the title “Moro” was the highest honour for a Moro Family member.
Only one person could hold the titles of Prince, Duke, Marquis, Earl, or Viscount with the “Moro” designation.
Moro War Emperor, with his unique physique and having comprehended a Fourth-Grade Saint Intent, possessed the potential to become a god, earning him the “Moro” title.
News of a Great Saint-level powerhouse activating the Life-and-Death Platform sent the cultivators in the Martial Combat District into a frenzy, rushing toward the plaza.
Most were attendees of the Hunting Heaven Feast, holding significant status in Hell.
“The one on the Life-and-Death Platform is Moro War Emperor, the leader of the Di Entropy Divine Kingdom, one of the Rakshasa Clan’s seven divine kingdoms, and the greatest prodigy of the Moro Family in the last ten thousand years, with the potential to become a god.”
“The one facing Moro War Emperor… is that a human Great Saint? Or an Asura Clan ascender?”
“Haha, an Immortal Realm Great Saint daring to face Moro War Emperor on the Life-and-Death Platform? How’s that different from seeking death?” a cultivator remarked with a laugh.
…
Moro War Emperor, consumed with hatred for Zhang Ruochen, struck with ferocious speed. His Qixing Battle Axe, powered by Evil Rakshasa Qi, radiated blinding light.
With one swing, it unleashed a world-splitting force, aimed directly at Zhang Ruochen’s head.
Unperturbed, Zhang Ruochen raised a single hand, fingers forming a palm, conjuring a ten-zhang-diameter spatial sphere. The Qixing Battle Axe struck the sphere, and all its force was absorbed in an instant.
*Boom!*
The next moment, the spatial sphere erupted, unleashing a rebounding force that sent the axe flying back.
“This is the power of space?”
A flicker of surprise crossed Moro War Emperor’s eyes. He immediately channelled power into both arms, fully activating the Qixing Battle Axe. Instantly, 270,000 king-grade inscriptions appeared on the axe, its power surging.
The rebounding force was swiftly suppressed, and the axe swung down with even greater ferocity, shattering Zhang Ruochen’s spatial sphere.
*Boom!*
The axe struck the ground, fully activating the Life-and-Death Platform’s defensive divine patterns in an instant.
“Has that human Great Saint been cleaved to death by one strike?”
“How powerful is Moro War Emperor? His Qixing Battle Axe, having survived two Monarch Heavenly Tribulations, is a divine weapon. Even many Hundred-Shackle Realm Perfection powerhouses wouldn’t dare block it head-on.”
“That Immortal Realm human Great Saint must have been reduced to ashes… wait… how is this possible? He took a strike from Moro War Emperor and is still alive?”
At the edge of the Life-and-Death Platform, a speck of light flickered.
The speck rapidly expanded, revealing Zhang Ruochen’s figure, completely unharmed, landing on the ground.
Through the earlier clash, Zhang Ruochen had gauged Moro War Emperor’s strength: he had broken ninety-nine shackles, placing him in the same realm as Emperor Yu.
But his attack power surpassed Emperor Yu’s.
Emperor Yu excelled in mental power, talismans, and arrays, with attack power being her weakness.
“No wonder he called the Blood Heaven Three Elites weaklings. He does possess formidable combat strength, not an ordinary opponent.”
Concerned for Mu Lingxi’s safety, Zhang Ruochen didn’t want to waste time with Moro War Emperor and decided to end the fight quickly. He activated the Fire God Armour, enveloping his body.
*Whoosh.*
His white robe was instantly incinerated to ashes by the flames emanating from the armour.
“Your spatial techniques are somewhat intriguing, escaping my axe. But this is the Life-and-Death Platform. You can’t escape by fleeing.”
Moro War Emperor spread his eight bony wings, which grew larger, enveloping the entire Life-and-Death Platform.
Between the bones, lightning crackled, some forming holy dragons, others taotie beasts, and some even humanoid shapes… a total of one hundred lightning war souls.
Each lightning war soul’s aura surpassed that of a Nine-Step Holy King in the Lin Dao Realm, approaching that of an Immortal Realm Great Saint.
Empowered by these hundred formidable war souls, Moro War Emperor’s holy might reached its peak.
Zhang Ruochen’s expression grew slightly solemn, not expecting Moro War Emperor to have such a technique.
“It’s the Hundred Beasts Battle Body. To deal with an Immortal Realm Great Saint, Moro War Emperor is borrowing the power of a hundred beasts.”
“He once fought a Thousand Questions Realm early-stage Great Saint to a draw with the Hundred Beasts Battle Body. Is this Immortal Realm Great Saint worth such seriousness?”
The onlookers were baffled, feeling that using the Hundred Beasts Battle Body against Zhang Ruochen was like using a sledgehammer to crack a walnut.
Any cultivator reaching Great Saint within a thousand years was no ordinary Great Saint.
Especially someone like Moro War Emperor, the leader of one of the Rakshasa Clan’s seven divine kingdoms, was even more exceptional. Fighting across major realms was entirely normal.
In his Holy King days, Moro War Emperor was far stronger than Great Prince Moro, a first-tier powerhouse.
If Moro War Emperor could further enhance his Hundred Beasts Battle Body, with all hundred beasts reaching Immortal Realm Great Saint-level power, his combat strength would be even more terrifying. A Great Saint like Emperor Yu in the same realm could be injured with a single strike.
Yet Zhang Ruochen showed no fear, striding forward to attack.
With a demigod physique, why fear an unperfected Hundred Beasts Battle Body?
He delivered a simple palm strike, which transformed into a flaming Five-Finger Mountain. A surge of overwhelming masculine energy poured out, heating Moro War Emperor’s black armour red, as if it were about to melt.
Moro War Emperor’s heart tightened, hastily summoning the power of the hundred beasts, merging it with his own. He swung the Qixing Battle Axe fiercely.
The axe clashed with the palm, releasing blinding holy light.
*Boom.*
Their forces were evenly matched, neither gaining the slightest advantage.
Zhang Ruochen let out a soft hum, unleashing his Truth World Form, manifesting the “Shoreless Star Sea” phenomenon. Countless starlight specks filled the space of the Life-and-Death Platform.
Though it was the Shoreless Star Sea, Zhang Ruochen’s world form was not far from the highest level, “Boundless Universe.”
Sensing Zhang Ruochen’s tenfold power eruption, Moro War Emperor hurriedly summoned the Gate of Destiny, hovering behind him to counteract the relentless incoming force.
Clearly, Zhang Ruochen’s mastery of the Path of Truth far exceeded Moro War Emperor’s Path of Destiny.
*Thud, thud, thud…*
Unable to withstand Zhang Ruochen’s unleashed power, Moro War Emperor staggered backward, each step causing the Life-and-Death Platform to quake violently.
The Saint Realm powerhouses around the platform were stunned.
This Immortal Realm human Great Saint was suppressing Moro War Emperor with sheer force.
Then, something even more unbelievable happened.
Zhang Ruochen simultaneously unleashed his Spatial Domain and Virtual Time Domain, enveloping Moro War Emperor. Now, Moro War Emperor was suppressed by three Eternal Paths: Truth, Time, and Space.
…
At the eastern edge of the Life-and-Death Platform, at the topmost seat of the viewing stands, a basin-sized ghost lotus hovered.
The lotus had seven petals, two of which bore ghostly figures.
They were the Ghost Lord’s eighth son, “Cheng.”
And the seventh son, “Xi.”
Cheng, once the strongest below Great Saint in the Ghost Clan, had now survived seven ghost tribulations, becoming a Ghost Emperor.
Xi was even more remarkable. After ambushing Yi Xuan Great Saint and using the Chaos Spring to refine his body, he broke all one hundred ghost shackles, forging an Immortal Chaos Ghost Emperor Body, reaching Hundred-Shackle Realm Perfection.
Xi said, “Moro War Emperor is likely to lose. His Hundred Beasts Battle Body hasn’t reached maturity and can’t suppress Zhang Ruochen, the spacetime successor with a demigod physique.”
“Moro War Emperor is only temporarily at a disadvantage. I think the outcome is still uncertain,” Cheng said.
Xi shook his head, “In terms of raw power, Zhang Ruochen might not surpass Moro War Emperor. But Zhang Ruochen’s greatest strength has never been power—it’s time, space, and his countless battle treasures.”
“No… though Moro War Emperor’s strategy is lacking, his combat strength is extraordinary, at least forcing Zhang Ruochen to go all out and reveal his mastery of the Path of Truth.”
Cheng said, “Moro War Emperor hasn’t used his Fourth-Grade Extreme Path Heaven-Opening Saint Intent. Could he still turn the tide?”
Xi replied, “If Moro War Emperor had used his Saint Intent at the start, he might have had a chance to win. But now, suppressed by Truth, Time, and Space, he has no opportunity to deploy it. Even with my current cultivation, caught in this triple suppression, I might not escape unscathed.”
“That strong?”
Cheng was secretly shocked and asked, “Seventh Brother, if you fought Zhang Ruochen, what are your chances of winning?”
“If I hadn’t seen Zhang Ruochen in action or understood his time, space, and truth powers, I’d have only a ninety percent chance. But now, I’m one hundred percent certain I can defeat him.”
Xi smiled, teasing, “Zhang Ruochen is only mid-stage Immortal Realm, without even a Saint Intent. If I, at Hundred-Shackle Realm Perfection, can’t defeat him, should I just bash my head in and die?”
“But killing Zhang Ruochen is as difficult as ascending to heaven. Unless two or three powerhouses as strong as me attack together, there’s little chance.”
Around the Life-and-Death Platform, four or five Hundred-Shackle Realm Perfection powerhouses, as strong as Xi, were closely studying Zhang Ruochen’s techniques, pondering ways to counter them.
On the platform, Moro War Emperor roared furiously, using his deeper cultivation to desperately break through the triple suppression of the Truth World Form, Spatial Domain, and Virtual Time Domain.
*Crack.*
The Gate of Destiny behind him shattered first, dissolving into specks of light.
At that moment, Zhang Ruochen executed the Flame God Leg, stepping on a cloud of Pure Extinction Divine Fire, descending from above to press down on Moro War Emperor’s head.
“Behold my Hundred Artifact Divine Cloud.”
Moro War Emperor spat out a divine qi cloud containing one hundred saint artifacts, attempting to block the Flame God Leg.
*Boom, boom.*
In an instant, sixty-three saint artifacts shattered, reduced to scrap metal. The remaining thirty-seven were sent flying, scattering across the platform.
Suppressed by the three Eternal Paths and struck by the Flame God Leg, Moro War Emperor could no longer hold out. His scalp split, he spat holy blood, and he collapsed heavily to the ground.
Zhang Ruochen’s foot pressed on his back, his voice deep, “Tell me, where is she?”
Moro War Emperor clenched his teeth, silent, feeling utterly humiliated. The esteemed War Emperor of the Moro Family, leader of the Di Entropy Divine Kingdom, was pinned down by an Immortal Realm Great Saint.
The honour of the Moro Family and Di Entropy Divine Kingdom had been utterly lost.
Worse, he had lured Zhang Ruochen here to scheme against him, yet the outcome made it seem like he was seeking his own death.
Now, only by slaying Zhang Ruochen on the Life-and-Death Platform could he salvage his reputation.
“Burn my Great Saint blood—I’ll fight you to the death!”
Moro War Emperor roared, activating a secret technique. His Great Saint blood ignited, his bones crackled, his veins thickened, and his hundred beast war souls began evolving toward Immortal Realm Great Saint-level power, exuding an increasingly formidable aura.
Zhang Ruochen’s Flame God Leg trembled from the force, his bones aching, nearly unable to keep him pinned.
The Truth World Form, Spatial Domain, and Virtual Time Domain all showed cracks, as if they might tear apart at any moment.
“Your Great Saint blood belongs to me. It could fetch plenty of saint stones. You think you can just burn it?”
Zhang Ruochen took out the Purple Gold Gourd, gripped its mouth, and swung it down, striking Moro War Emperor’s head.
The gourd, forged from Mercury Gourd, Destruction Golden Sun, and Cosmic Cold Iron Stone, was heavier than many planets.
The blow fractured the hardest Great Saint bones in Moro War Emperor’s head, causing it to cave slightly. His mental thoughts shattered, his consciousness faded, and he passed out.
