Xi is no ordinary figure, with formidable cultivation and the ability to defeat enemies across realms, something Zhang Ruochen had long prepared for mentally. However, the fact that Xi was so strong that even Zhang Ruochen’s full effort could only slightly shake him far exceeded Zhang Ruochen’s expectations.
“As expected of the Ghost Clan’s foremost Ghost Emperor, it seems I must use the power of Truth.”
Zhang Ruochen channelled the Rules of Truth within his body, directing them entirely to his right arm. At the same time, countless star-like specks of light emerged around him, forming the embryonic shape of a Star Sea World.
“He’s finally using the Path of Truth. It’s said that Zhang Ruochen, like the Great God Huangtian, once crossed the tenth layer of the Sea of Truth.”
“Zhang Ruochen’s mastery of the Path of Truth is indeed profound, enabling his sacred techniques to unleash tenfold attack power in an instant.”
“Wrist-wrestling, to some extent, is a contest of palm strength. Zhang Ruochen has devoted great effort to cultivating palm techniques. If he gains the enhancement of the Path of Truth and unleashes tenfold palm strength, can Xi withstand it?”
“Why is Xi allowing Zhang Ruochen to channel the Rules of Truth without immediately suppressing him?”
Many cultivators present were curious. If they were in Xi’s position and noticed Zhang Ruochen invoking the Path of Truth, they would have struck first with overwhelming force to counter him.
But…
Xi did not do so.
Did he believe he could withstand Zhang Ruochen’s tenfold palm strength?
Great Saint Yanhong’s eyes gleamed with a smile as she said, “Zhang Ruochen has the Path of Truth, but Xi has the Path of Destiny. Why should he fear him?”
She continued, “Moreover, this is the Destiny Sacred Mountain, where the Rules of Destiny are most concentrated. Unleashing the power of Destiny here is far stronger than elsewhere.”
Xi was the top force in Great Saint Yanhong’s faction, and she naturally had full confidence in him.
*Whoosh—*
As Zhang Ruochen activated the Truth Realm Form, a radiant Gate of Destiny appeared behind Xi, towering dozens of zhang high, its brilliance blinding cultivators below the Great Saint level.
*Boom.*
With the enhancement of the Rules of Truth, Zhang Ruochen executed the Dragon-Elephant Prajna Palm, unleashing tenfold power that surged toward the tightly gripped ghostly hand.
At the same time, the power of the three Thousand-Question Realm elephant souls reached their peak in an instant, emitting a deafening roar.
Xi’s ghostly hand was forcefully pushed back, pressed down halfway.
His entire ghostly arm twisted under the strain.
Seeing this, countless cultivators of the Hell Realm gasped, holding their breath.
Could it be that Xi, the Ghost Clan’s strongest, would lose to Zhang Ruochen, who was only at the Immortal Realm?
The tenfold power came quickly and faded just as fast.
Xi’s arm slowly pulled back upward, a mocking smile on his face, “Your mastery of the Path of Truth is indeed beyond my expectations. My Path of Destiny cannot fully suppress it. But a mere moment of tenfold power cannot crush me.”
As Xi gradually pulled his arm back, the cultivators of the Xuetian Tribe grew anxious.
Among them, Emperor Yu, Gu Chenzi, Great Saint Yixuan, and Great Saint Xueqi couldn’t help but sigh. They had held a sliver of hope that Zhang Ruochen could create another miracle.
But now, it was clear Zhang Ruochen had given his all, using every trump card and technique. Yet Xi countered them one by one without even tapping into the ghost souls fused into his body.
In other words, Xi had not yet used his full strength.
Like a cat toying with a mouse, he allowed Zhang Ruochen to exhaust all his techniques, yet the outcome remained unchanged. When the mouse was worn out, the cat would swallow it whole.
Xi was that cat, always holding victory in his grasp.
The cultivators of the Hell Realm burst into mocking laughter.
Most of them did not consider Zhang Ruochen one of their own, viewing him as an outsider. Thus, when the Great Senluo Emperor lost to Zhang Ruochen, they felt humiliated.
Now, with Xi overwhelmingly toying with Zhang Ruochen, they felt a sense of reclaimed pride.
Xi, confident of victory, said, “Zhang Ruochen, don’t be discouraged. You’re only at the Immortal Realm, yet you can wrist-wrestle with me. You should feel honoured.”
Zhang Ruochen remained unfazed and said, “Do you really think the Path of Truth is that simple?”
“What do you mean?” Xi asked.
“The true power of the Path of Truth lies not merely in the strength of the Truth Realm Form.”
Zhang Ruochen closed his eyes, and instantly, the star-like specks around his body multiplied, spreading further.
The specks rapidly grew, transforming into glowing orbs.
In Xi’s vision, those orbs became a boundless Star Sea, each as massive as a true star, as if he stood in the vast expanse of the cosmos.
The Truth Realm Form was a world constructed using the Path of Truth.
This world was built from the various rules of heaven and earth.
The stronger the Truth Realm Form, the broader the constructed rule-world, and the greater the power it could wield.
Back then, Yuwen Jing, a divine disciple of the Truth Temple, had only cultivated the “Emperor Above” Truth Realm Form, yet the lightning surging from it forced Zhang Ruochen to use the *Secret Canon of Time and Space* to counter it.
Now, Zhang Ruochen’s Truth Realm Form was the “Shoreless Star Sea,” evolving toward the “Boundless Cosmos,” making its unleashed power far greater.
In the Star Sea, the glowing orbs, like real planets, sped toward Xi.
To other cultivators, they merely saw glowing orbs flying out, not perceiving any danger. But in Xi’s vision, it was as if true planets were crushing toward him, immense and awe-inspiring.
Xi gritted his teeth, letting out a low growl, “Zhang Ruochen, are you wrist-wrestling or fighting?”
“I’m wrist-wrestling within the rules. Why can’t I use other powers?” Zhang Ruochen replied.
The planets drew closer, radiating destructive pressure.
“Damn it, is the Shoreless Star Sea Realm Form truly this powerful? Are they real attacking forces or mental illusions?”
Xi felt caught off guard.
He had encountered a cultivator with a Truth Realm Form before, a Heavenly Court cultivator who had only cultivated the “Emperor Above” form. But before they could unleash its power, Xi had swallowed and refined them.
Cultivators with Truth Realm Forms were exceedingly rare.
Xi’s understanding of them was naturally limited.
The Gate of Destiny flew before Xi, like a radiant shield, blocking the incoming stars.
*Boom.*
Each collision caused the Gate of Destiny to tremble violently.
Waves of force passed through the Gate, striking Xi’s body.
The stronger the Truth Realm Form, the harder it was to control. Zhang Ruochen, with his mental power at the sixty-second tier, could barely harness the rules of the realm-world for his use, converting them into attack power.
“I can’t underestimate him any longer. I’ll defeat Zhang Ruochen with absolute strength first, then study the Truth Realm Form in detail later.”
Feeling a threat from Zhang Ruochen, Xi grew cautious, no longer toying with him. He opened his mouth and released eight million ghost souls.
Piercing ghostly wails echoed across the Fate Stream region.
The sky was shrouded in ghostly shadows, dark clouds rolling, dim and foreboding.
The eight million ghost souls quickly merged, forming eight Thousand-Question Realm Ghost Emperor soul bodies, combining with Xi’s power and standing in eight different positions around him.
“Is it too late to use the power of ghost souls now?”
Zhang Ruochen slowly raised his left hand, and instantly, a corner of the Jungle Small World materialized from the void, pressing down above his right hand.
The Jungle Small World’s main body gradually shifted, as if about to fully manifest, growingiamen growing heavier.
The world was filled with mountains, rivers, plains, and deserts. Initially, only a few hundred li of it appeared, but now it spanned over a thousand li.
“Good heavens! Zhang Ruochen is summoning an entire world to suppress Xi’s arm. Is this still wrist-wrestling?”
“We’ve long known Zhang Ruochen controls a world. Could this be it?”
“I suddenly feel Xi’s choice to wrist-wrestle Zhang Ruochen was unwise. A direct fight would have been better. At least in a fight, Zhang Ruochen’s world couldn’t pin Xi down. He could retreat or attack. But now, Xi can only endure it passively.”
…
As the Jungle Small World expanded, its immense weight became unbearable, even for the eight Thousand-Question Realm Ghost Emperor soul bodies.
The contempt on Xi’s face vanished, replaced by a long howl as he spat out another four million ghost souls, forming four more Thousand-Question Realm Ghost Emperor soul bodies.
With the combined strength of twelve Ghost Emperor soul bodies, he finally withstood the Jungle Small World’s suppression.
“Watch me shatter your world.”
Xi’s body tensed, his expression stern, fully serious now.
His left hand rose, and a seven-petal ghost lotus appeared in his palm, radiating bone-chilling cold as it spun rapidly toward the Jungle Small World.
As the seven-petal ghost lotus spun, its escaping energy formed a massive vortex.
Many cultivators calculated and concluded, “With the seven-star ghost lotus, Xi will shatter Zhang Ruochen’s Jungle Small World.”
Wujiang, seated by a jade table, said, “I didn’t expect Xi to have been hiding his strength. With twelve Thousand-Question Realm Ghost Emperor soul bodies and the seven-star ghost lotus, even I wouldn’t be certain of defeating him.”
Luo Shengtian, sitting across from Wujiang, gazed at Zhang Ruochen and said, “Don’t you think Zhang Ruochen is even more remarkable?”
Wujiang’s eyes narrowed, nodding slightly.
Zhang Ruochen, without breaking a single shackle, had forced Xi to unleash all his trump cards, putting immense pressure on top-ranked Hundred-Shackle Realm Great Perfection experts like them.
Yan Huangtu, seated at the highest position, said, “This contest is no different from a real battle.”
“At least Xi will win. Zhang Ruochen is still a step behind,” Wujiang said.
Wujiang was shaken by Zhang Ruochen’s displayed strength, feeling both urgency and deep disappointment. In the same realm, he doubted he could withstand even a single palm strike from Zhang Ruochen.
But the thought of eliminating Zhang Ruochen in the Hunting Heaven Battlefield to prevent his further growth eased that pressure and disappointment.
*Boom.*
The seven-star ghost lotus struck the Jungle Small World, piercing through it, shattering the earth, collapsing mountains, and severing rivers. All vegetation was corroded by the lotus’s power, turning into black pus.
An entire world was destroyed!
Many cultivators sighed in regret, for they could see that Zhang Ruochen’s Jungle Small World had already developed an ecosystem capable of sustaining life.
Such a small world was worth as much as a high-grade life planet above level seven.
If sold, it could fetch tens of thousands of divine stones.
Undoubtedly, the destruction of the Jungle Small World by Xi marked Zhang Ruochen’s certain defeat.
Xi’s lips curled upward.
But what puzzled him was that, facing certain defeat, Zhang Ruochen remained as steady as a rock, calm and composed.
“How can he be so calm?”
As this thought crossed Xi’s mind, he suddenly felt the world spin, the space around him twisting.
“No, it was a distraction. Zhang Ruochen used that small world to suppress my arm, but his real aim… his real aim was to distort space.”
Xi’s gaze shifted left, where the Fate Stream, once flowing on the ground, now eerily rose, streaming toward the sky.
The Hell Realm cultivators downstream were now seated in the sky.
The space to his left had rotated ninety degrees.
“No, no, I cannot lose…”
Xi roared silently in his heart, exerting all his strength to press Zhang Ruochen’s arm downward.
But it was too late. The Fate Stream on his left descended faster, and his ten-zhang-long ghostly hand was soon submerged in the stream’s water.
The outcome was sealed!
According to Prajna’s rules, whoever’s hand touched the stream’s water first lost.
Though Zhang Ruochen hadn’t fully overpowered his arm, he had twisted the space where the Fate Stream flowed, defeating Xi within the rules of the contest.
For example:
If Zhang Ruochen needed to walk five hundred meters to a pavilion, he didn’t need to walk that distance. Using spatial powers, he could shrink the distance and step into the pavilion in one stride.
Prajna, hovering in midair, looked at the distorted space and then at Zhang Ruochen and Xi, saying, “The winner is decided! The victor, Zhang Ruochen.”
At the same time, Yan Huangtu, seated at the head of the Fate Stream, slammed his palm onto the ground.
*Whoosh—*
The distorted space was forced back to normal by his palm’s power.
Xi was not one to take defeat lightly, yet at this moment, his eyes were dazed, unable to accept the result.
Xi knew he shouldn’t have lost, but he also understood his defeat was fair. Zhang Ruochen may have used trickery, but spatial power was part of his strength.
Had Xi been more cautious and less arrogant, Zhang Ruochen’s spatial powers would not have succeeded.
A contest between Great Saints was never just about raw strength.
Zhang Ruochen looked up at the sky, gazing for a long time, and sighed deeply, “To defeat you, I lost an entire world. Now I understand that in a contest between Great Saints, a world is merely a chess piece. What about a contest between gods?”
*Whoosh!*
With a wave of his sleeve, the shattered fragments of the Jungle Small World flew into the sky, becoming space meteors and cosmic dust above the Destiny Divine Domain.
*Boom!*
Only then did the cultivators feasting in the Fate Stream region realize Zhang Ruochen had defeated Xi, winning five more Yandao Sacred Fruits, erupting into deafening cheers.
