After breaking through to the Great Perfection of the Hundred Shackles Realm, Moro War Emperor’s combat power had already reached the level of the top ten on the ranking list. With the full force of a Four-Yuan Monarch Sacred Weapon, the axe he swung was so powerful that even the stars seemed to shatter.
Seeing Zhang Ruochen kick at the axe’s edge, cultivators from various parts of the Hell Realm watching the projection let out gasps of shock.
Even those aware that Zhang Ruochen possessed divine legs were solemn, holding their breath, feeling his actions were too risky. It was merely a divine leg, not a true god. To clash head-on with a Great Saint like Moro War Emperor was highly likely to result in a significant loss.
In an instant, the blood-red war axe collided fiercely with the fiery divine cloud emanating from Zhang Ruochen’s left leg.
“Boom.”
The dark cosmic void became dazzlingly brilliant, as if a fiery divine flower had bloomed.
The next moment, Zhang Ruochen and Moro War Emperor both retreated rapidly, evenly matched, neither gaining an advantage.
He actually… blocked it!
Countless cultivators gasped, gaining a deeper understanding of Zhang Ruochen’s strength. They realised their earlier concerns were entirely unnecessary.
Moro War Emperor showed an expression of disbelief. With his cultivation at the Great Perfection of the Hundred Shackles Realm, he couldn’t overpower Zhang Ruochen, who was only at the Immortal Realm?
“Again, let’s test my perfected Hundred Beasts Battle Form.”
Behind Moro War Emperor, a surge of lightning gathered into a vast ocean of thunder and electricity, within which the shadowy figures of exotic beast war souls appeared, each exuding the aura of a Great Saint.
“Crackle.”
“Roar!”
The sound of lightning and the roars of a hundred beasts echoed through the heavens and earth.
In the past, when Moro War Emperor had not yet reached the Great Perfection of the Hundred Shackles Realm, he had relied on his lesser Hundred Beasts Battle Form to fight evenly with a Great Saint in the early Thousand Questions Realm from the Earth Entropy Divine Kingdom.
In its lesser form, each lightning beast emperor in the Hundred Beasts Battle Form had the combat power of a Nine-Step Saint King.
With the power of a hundred beasts, Moro War Emperor was nearly invincible in his realm.
Now, not only had his cultivation broken through, but his Hundred Beasts Battle Form had also reached perfection, and his combat explosiveness had reached a terrifying level.
Each lightning beast soul’s power had reached the level of an Immortal Realm Great Saint.
It could be said that every strike he delivered carried the combined force of a hundred Immortal Realm Great Saints. Even an ordinary Great Saint in the Thousand Questions Realm would be injured by his full-force blow.
Before breaking through to the Hundred Shackles Realm, Zhang Ruochen had no intention of clashing with a powerhouse like Moro War Emperor. He waved his purple-gold gourd and said, “If you don’t want to be expelled from the Hunting Heaven Battlefield, go ahead and attack me.”
Moro War Emperor seemed to recall something, glancing at the distant Fuluo Black-Robed High Priest, gritting his teeth, and said, “Zhang Ruochen, are you a coward? If you have the guts, fight me fair and square.”
Zhang Ruochen shook his head lightly, ignoring him, and used Spatial Great Shift to leave the area.
A battle without reward was simply a waste of effort.
Moro War Emperor was not a mindless person; his schemes ran deep.
In the past, to pursue Luo Ji, he had secretly bribed her maid. To deal with Zhang Ruochen, he used Mu Lingxi’s spatial jade bracelet to lure Zhang Ruochen onto the Life-and-Death Battle Platform.
Now, though he appeared to be challenging Zhang Ruochen, his true aim was to seize the purple-gold gourd.
Moro War Emperor’s roar echoed through the cosmic space, “When this emperor accumulates 500,000 points, I will personally tear you to pieces.”
Yan Hong Great Saint’s skin had fully recovered, smooth as jade, her face breathtakingly beautiful, yet her eyes carried a chilling, soul-piercing coldness.
Qiang Zun’s war sword and Black Feather Corpse Emperor’s over three thousand black-armoured corpse kings had been taken by the purple-gold gourd. Naturally, they wouldn’t let Zhang Ruochen leave so easily and immediately gave chase.
Without weapons in the Hunting Heaven Battle, combat power would be greatly diminished.
The over three thousand black-armoured corpse kings were one of Black Feather Corpse Emperor’s most crucial trump cards, and they absolutely could not be lost.
After seventeen spatial shifts, Zhang Ruochen arrived tens of thousands of miles away. Sensing the two powerhouses still pursuing him, he stopped.
“Are you two so relentless because you still want to seize my gourd?” Zhang Ruochen asked.
“Don’t misunderstand, Great Saint Ruochen. The contest for the pills is over, and we certainly won’t break the rules by continuing to act. It’s just that…” Qiang Zun’s stone-like face showed a hint of difficulty as he said, “We actually want to discuss something with Great Saint Ruochen.”
Zhang Ruochen held the gourd and said, “You want to take back the war sword and black-armoured corpse kings stored in the gourd?”
Black Feather Corpse Emperor’s hoarse voice rang out, “We fought because of the Quasi-Emperor Grade Saint Will Pill. In truth, we have no deep enmity with Great Saint Ruochen. If you’re willing to return my black-armoured corpse kings, I guarantee that during this Hunting Heaven Battle, I will not participate in any actions against you.”
Qiang Zun added, “I share the same intention.”
Seeing Zhang Ruochen didn’t respond immediately, Black Feather Corpse Emperor continued, “Great Saint Ruochen has made too many enemies, with foes in every clan. If you add me and Qiang Zun to that list, your situation will become even more difficult.”
Qiang Zun said, “If Great Saint Ruochen doesn’t return the war sword and black-armoured corpse kings, we may have to keep following you. At that point, you’ll be constrained in everything you do.”
“Are you threatening me?” Zhang Ruochen asked.
Black Feather Corpse Emperor replied, “No! I just don’t like beating around the bush. I prefer to speak plainly. On the Hunting Heaven Battlefield, there are no permanent allies or enemies, only interests between cultivators.”
Zhang Ruochen said, “Since that’s the case, I won’t beat around the bush either. Qiang Zun, your war sword is a Four-Yuan Monarch Sacred Weapon, correct? Black Feather Corpse Emperor, your 3,669 black-armoured corpse kings each have combat power close to the Saint King Realm, don’t they?”
“Without them, your combat power would surely drop to the bottom of the Great Perfection Hundred Shackles Realm list.”
Qiang Zun and Black Feather Corpse Emperor didn’t deny it.
Zhang Ruochen continued, “Honestly, a single Four-Yuan Monarch Sacred Weapon doesn’t interest me. As for the black-armoured corpse kings, even if there were ten thousand, I couldn’t control them, so they’re of no value to me. Returning them to you is no big deal.”
Joy spread across Qiang Zun and Black Feather Corpse Emperor’s faces.
Zhang Ruochen’s tone shifted, “However, if you want them back, you must agree to two conditions.”
“Name them,” Qiang Zun said.
Zhang Ruochen said, “First, during the Hunting Heaven Battle, you must not participate in any actions against me or the Blood Heaven Tribe.”
“That’s a given.”
Qiang Zun and Black Feather Corpse Emperor agreed without hesitation.
“Second, during the Hunting Heaven Battle, you must help me with one task,” Zhang Ruochen said.
Qiang Zun and Black Feather Corpse Emperor exchanged glances, hesitating.
Zhang Ruochen knew their concerns and said, “Rest assured, I won’t ask you to do anything that harms your clans’ interests. You’re both powerhouses at the Great Perfection of the Hundred Shackles Realm, first-tier figures in the Hunting Heaven Battle. What’s there to worry about?”
“Fine, as long as it doesn’t harm the Stone Clan’s interests, I agree to help you with one task,” Qiang Zun said.
Black Feather Corpse Emperor nodded, agreeing as well.
Zhang Ruochen said, “Swear it first.”
Black Feather Corpse Emperor frowned, “We’re Great Saint-level powerhouses, watched by all the cultivators of the Hell Realm through the Myriad Realms Divine Eye. How could we go back on our word?”
Zhang Ruochen insisted, “No, you must swear by the gods of your clans. If you break your oath, may all the gods of the Stone Clan and Corpse Clan meet a terrible end.”
Hearing this, Qiang Zun and Black Feather Corpse Emperor felt a chill down their spines, warily glancing toward the Destiny Divine Domain, silently cursing Zhang Ruochen for daring to say such things, unafraid of divine punishment.
“If you don’t dare to swear, don’t waste my time.”
Zhang Ruochen made to leave.
“Wait.”
Ultimately, Qiang Zun and Black Feather Corpse Emperor swore an oath, though they didn’t dare say anything like “may all the gods of the Stone Clan and Corpse Clan meet a terrible end.” Instead, they invoked their clans’ gods as witnesses, swearing that if they broke their word, they themselves would meet a terrible end.
Zhang Ruochen released the war sword and black-armoured corpse kings from the purple-gold gourd, returning them.
At the same time, he took stock: the gourd had collected three Quasi-Emperor Grade Saint Will Pills, thirty-seven King Grade Saint Will Pills, and 458 top-tier Heaven Grade Saint Will Pills.
The King Grade and top-tier Heaven Grade Saint Will Pills were collected when Zhang Ruochen, after securing the first Quasi-Emperor Grade Saint Will Pill, passed through the pill energy river and activated the purple-gold gourd once more.
Some were inadvertently collected while gathering the Quasi-Emperor Grade Saint Will Pills, as the gourd’s spatial array covered a vast area when activated.
All the Saint Will Pills in the pill energy river had been collected.
The ten Quasi-Emperor Grade Saint Will Pills had all found owners.
Besides the three Zhang Ruochen collected, Wujiang, Yan Wushen, Empress Feng, Luo Shengtian, and Lan Ying each took one.
Zhang Ruochen hadn’t noticed who claimed the remaining two.
Now, only the five Great Perfection Hundred Shackles Realm powerhouses of the Yama Clan, led by Yan Huangtu, were still battling the pill spirit of the Emperor Grade Saint Will Pill’s Radiant Lotus.
Though sealed, the Radiant Lotus pill spirit still possessed peak Thousand Questions Realm combat power. Even with Yan Huangtu’s prowess and the aid of a Supreme Sacred Weapon, he could only keep it entangled, preventing its escape.
The other four Great Perfection Hundred Shackles Realm Great Saints had all been injured.
Other Yama Clan Great Saints were rushing to the battlefield at top speed. Barring any surprises, with the Yama Clan’s strength, collecting the Emperor Grade Saint Will Pill was only a matter of time.
Looking from afar, Zhang Ruochen saw that Yan Huangtu and the Radiant Lotus pill spirit’s battlefield had shifted into the Wugui Forest, entering a six-coloured starry sky.
In the starry sky floated countless cosmic dust and star fragments, displaying six distinct colours.
Emperor Yu and Great Saint Yixuan joined Zhang Ruochen.
Great Saint Yixuan, somewhat ashamed, said, “Sorry, we were held up by Xi and couldn’t come to support you in time.”
“I saw it all,” Zhang Ruochen said.
Empress Yu’s face was frosty, her gaze sharp, “Emperor Yu and I could have seized a Quasi-Emperor Grade Saint Will Pill, but Wujiang stole it. Zhang Ruochen, be careful next time you face him. The Saint Will he’s cultivated is likely top-tier third-grade.”
Recalling his encounter with Wujiang, Zhang Ruochen’s eyes showed contemplation, and he nodded.
When facing Wujiang, the latter hadn’t even used his Saint Will.
Great Saint Yixuan noticed Zhang Ruochen’s gaze fixed on the battle in the six-coloured starry sky, “All the Yama Clan’s top experts have arrived. The Emperor Grade Saint Will Pill is practically theirs. I’m jealous.”
“Not necessarily,” Zhang Ruochen said.
Great Saint Yixuan was stunned, “Is there someone who dares to challenge the Yama Clan?”
“Why not? The Hunting Heaven Battle is a clash between clans. Who wouldn’t dare? Look, Wujiang, Luo Shengtian, Xi, Yan Hong Great Saint… the top powerhouses on the Great Perfection Hundred Shackles Realm list haven’t left. They’re converging on the Radiant Lotus pill spirit. Do you think they’re just spectating?” Zhang Ruochen said.
Great Saint Yixuan licked his lips, “This is getting interesting. Shall we go take a look? Maybe there’s a chance.”
Empress Yu’s eyes gleamed with interest.
“Since you’re interested, let’s go join the fun. But…”
Zhang Ruochen’s eyes narrowed, his hand reaching out, fingers pinching the void.
Instantly, the space around the three distorted heavily, their figures vanishing as if invisible.
Though distorting space to hide couldn’t fool the detection of a Spiritual Power Great Saint, the battlefield between the Yama Clan and the Radiant Lotus pill spirit spanned tens of thousands of miles.
Such a vast area meant that even without hiding, a person in the cosmic void was like a speck of dust, hard to spot.
After concealing themselves, unless a Spiritual Power Great Saint closely inspected at close range, they wouldn’t be detected.
The three silently entered the battlefield, landing on a yellowish-brown star fragment.
The fragment, 270 miles long, resembled a massive stone ridge with jagged peaks and extremely hard, partially metallised rock.
At the battlefield’s centre, the Yama Clan’s eleven Great Perfection Hundred Shackles Realm powerhouses and Yan Wushen were simultaneously wielding a jade ruyi-shaped Supreme Sacred Weapon, suppressing the Radiant Lotus pill spirit and gradually refining its will.
Unlike Zhang Ruochen, who could use the gourd to collect the pill and refine it later, they couldn’t take it without first subduing the pill spirit’s will.
Other Yama Clan cultivators surrounded them in layers, protecting against sneak attacks. Their strength was formidable, with nearly a thousand Great Saints, over 300 of whom were at the Hundred Shackles Realm.
Even powerhouses like Wujiang or Luo Shengtian, if they dared approach, would be obliterated by a thousand Great Saints in an instant.
After careful observation, Zhang Ruochen’s expression grew thoughtful, “Something’s off.”
“What’s wrong?” Empress Yu asked.
Zhang Ruochen said, “Given the allure of the Emperor Grade Saint Will Pill, the one who should be most eager to act is Lan Ying. Why are Wujiang, Luo Shengtian, and others nearby, but Lan Ying is nowhere to be seen?”
