The commotion caused by Zhang Ruochen was immense, shaking the entire home planet.
On the Huangtian Continent.
Empress Feng, wearing a golden silk mask, exuded an air of nobility. Her tall figure stood by the edge of a sea with towering blood-red waves, gazing at the sky.
Though Zhang Ruochen stood a thousand miles above, the energy fluctuations erupting from him caused the seas of the home planet to churn violently, generating tsunamis and hurricanes, with crimson light shuttles streaking across the sky.
Yan Beijun stared at the rolling blood clouds in the sky, his expression filled with deep wariness. He said, “He’s only broken through to the Hundred Shackle Realm, so how can he be this powerful? Moreover, how could Zhang Ruochen’s ten golden wings undergo such a transformation? The crimson patterns on the wings resemble the legendary Ancestor Divine Patterns.”
Among the Undying Blood Race, a legend circulated that those who awakened Ancestor Divine Patterns on their wings were favoured by the ancestors, destined for great fortune and an extraordinary future.
Whenever such a cultivator appeared, the Undying Temple would intervene, guiding them to cultivate within the temple.
The emergence of Ancestor Divine Patterns was not merely a symbol of strength and talent but carried profound significance.
“What Zhang Ruochen has awakened should be the bloodline of the Blood Absolute Ancestor. Its aura is ancient, exerting immense mental suppression on the Undying Blood Race,” Empress Feng said with a smile in her eyes.
The more outstanding and powerful Zhang Ruochen became, the more advantageous it was for her.
Only then could Zhang Ruochen serve as her sharpest weapon against Prajna and Great Saint Yanhong.
Yan Beijun said, “Throughout history, those who awakened an ancestor’s bloodline were all pureblooded direct descendants. Zhang Ruochen’s mother, though a deity, was of impure lineage. Moreover, Zhang Ruochen is only half Undying Blood Race. How could he possibly gain the favour of the Blood Absolute Ancestor?”
“With his unparalleled talent, rare in ancient and modern times, Zhang Ruochen is someone who creates miracles,” Empress Feng replied.
Not far away stood a burly man radiating white holy light.
His long hair flowed freely, his chest, abdomen, and arms bulging with muscles that shimmered with a metallic sheen. This was Baiyu Mad Lion, a Great Saint at the peak of the Hundred Shackle Realm from the Stone Clan.
Hearing Empress Feng’s praise for Zhang Ruochen, Baiyu Mad Lion’s heart surged with intense jealousy. He snorted, “Whether he’s awakened an ancestor’s bloodline remains uncertain. Besides, he’s only just broken through to the Hundred Shackle Realm. No matter how strong he is, how strong can he be? I’d like to test him myself and see what he’s made of.”
Beneath her golden silk mask, Empress Feng’s crimson lips curved slightly upward. She did not stop Baiyu Mad Lion.
She, too, was curious about just how powerful Zhang Ruochen had become.
During the contest for the Holy Intent Pill, Zhang Ruochen had once struck Great Saint Yanhong, causing her to cough up blood. Though that strike had an element of surprise, it was undeniably a brilliant feat.
Even the top ten Great Saints at the peak of the Hundred Shackle Realm dared not underestimate him.
Now that Zhang Ruochen had reached the Hundred Shackle Realm, how formidable had he become?
Zhang Ruochen’s blood boiled within him, a powerful bloodthirsty impulse repeatedly assaulting his consciousness, urging him to drink the blood-red seawater below dry.
The Myriad Realms Divine Eye, hovering above the Hunting Heaven Battlefield, captured Zhang Ruochen’s current state, projecting it to various planets in the Infernal Realm and the Merit Battlefield.
Seeing Zhang Ruochen’s ferocious and malevolent appearance, the cultivators of the Kunlun Realm were stunned.
Those who had once been close to Zhang Ruochen felt a stir in their hearts, finding him unfamiliar and terrifying.
“Something must have happened to Master. How could he become like this?” Han Xue frowned deeply, worried for Zhang Ruochen, sensing his current state was highly abnormal.
Shangguan Que let out a long sigh, saying, “He must have fused with his former body, and the bloodline of the Undying Blood Race has finally fully erupted.”
…
Relying on his formidable will, Zhang Ruochen suppressed the bloodthirsty impulse. Looking closely, he noticed six figures appearing in the nearby void, each emanating the aura of a top-tier Great Saint of the Hundred Shackle Realm.
*Roar!*
Baiyu Mad Lion let out a lion’s roar, sending sound waves rippling toward Zhang Ruochen.
“Zhang Ruochen, let’s spar. This Saint wants to see just how strong the so-called Yuanhui-level genius is.”
Without waiting for Zhang Ruochen’s consent, Baiyu Mad Lion’s hands formed claws and lunged forward. Instantly, two claw marks, dozens of miles long, appeared in the void, attacking Zhang Ruochen.
The lion claws surpassed the speed of the sound waves in an instant.
Baiyu Mad Lion wasn’t driven solely by jealousy; he genuinely wanted to test Zhang Ruochen’s strength. Thus, he struck with full force, using a high-tier Hundred Shackle holy technique.
Lion King Chaos Heaven Split.
Dense holy path rules wove within the two claw marks, causing the void to cave in under their pressure.
Zhang Ruochen’s gaze turned icy, sharp as twin swords.
Attacking without warning—who do you think you are?
If it were Yu Huang or Gu Chenzi, Zhang Ruochen wouldn’t be angered and would even welcome the spar. But who was Baiyu Mad Lion to him? Were they close?
Attacking without consent could be deemed a malicious assault. If Zhang Ruochen wished, a single thought to the Myriad Realms Divine Eye could deduct five thousand points from Baiyu Mad Lion.
However, Zhang Ruochen chose not to do so.
Having broken through to the Hundred Shackle Realm, he was eager to test his strength. Though Baiyu Mad Lion only ranked thirty-third on the Hundred Shackle Realm peak list, he would do.
*Whoosh—*
Zhang Ruochen’s ten wings spread wide, radiating blinding golden light. He transformed into a streak of light, charging straight at Baiyu Mad Lion.
*Boom, boom.*
His golden wings clashed with the massive lion claws, tearing them apart like slicing through bubbles.
The high-tier Hundred Shackle holy technique, Lion King Chaos Heaven Split, was effortlessly shattered.
Witnessing this, all the cultivators present were shocked. Were Zhang Ruochen’s ten golden wings that terrifying? Stronger than a high-tier Hundred Shackle holy technique, seemingly tougher than a King-grade holy weapon.
The ten wings, like blades, flew toward Baiyu Mad Lion.
Baiyu Mad Lion’s expression grew grave. Staring at the rapidly approaching Zhang Ruochen, he activated brushing activated a crimson iron ring on his wrist. Instantly, tens of thousands of King-grade inscriptions emerged.
It was a Four-Yuan King-grade holy weapon.
The iron ring spun rapidly, expanding to thirty-three zhang in diameter, releasing powerful death energy.
*Boom.*
Zhang Ruochen veered slightly, his five left golden wings slashing at the iron ring, producing a piercing metallic clash and scattering sparks.
The iron ring was sent flying back.
Zhang Ruochen’s figure paused briefly in midair before his ten wings flapped, unleashing incredible speed. He followed a zigzag path, charging toward Baiyu Mad Lion.
On the ground of the home planet, many Immortal Realm Great Saints couldn’t even discern Zhang Ruochen’s features, seeing only unpredictable golden light trails speeding by.
Compared to before, Zhang Ruochen’s speed had increased dramatically.
It wasn’t just his cultivation breakthrough boosting his speed. The key factor was the integration of the Blood Absolute Ancestor’s divine shadow into his golden wings, enabling them to unleash unparalleled speed.
Like an innate divine ability from a beast’s bloodline inheritance.
Baiyu Mad Lion’s nerves were stretched to their limit. He fully unleashed his mental power, concentrating it within a thousand-zhang radius to track Zhang Ruochen’s movements, repeatedly sending the iron ring to strike.
He could only defend passively.
*Boom, boom.*
Deafening collisions, like thunder, echoed in the skies above the home planet.
Each clash sent Baiyu Mad Lion flying back a great distance. After dozens of collisions, he was flustered, his heart filled with shock. “Are Zhang Ruochen’s golden wings tougher than a Four-Yuan King-grade holy weapon?”
Suddenly, Zhang Ruochen halted his attack, standing poised in midair.
Baiyu Mad Lion let out a long breath of relief. He had managed to withstand Zhang Ruochen’s assault and gained a rough understanding of his strength.
He couldn’t continue fighting.
Further combat would likely lead to his defeat.
Zhang Ruochen, having just reached the Hundred Shackle Realm, was truly formidable.
“To fight me to a draw right after breaking through to the Hundred Shackle Realm—you’re indeed a prodigy worthy of comparison to Yan Wushen. Impressive, truly impressive,” Baiyu Mad Lion said, neither humble nor arrogant.
The watching Undying Blood Race cultivators nodded slightly, acknowledging Zhang Ruochen’s strength.
“To match Baiyu Mad Lion means Zhang Ruochen’s combat power ranks among the top five in the Undying Blood Race. It seems his ability to injure Great Saint Yanhong wasn’t just a successful ambush but real strength.”
“No matter how you look at it, the Blood Sky Tribe has gained another top-tier powerhouse. With Yu Huang and Yi Xuan, both at the peak of the Hundred Shackle Realm, the Blood Sky Tribe’s strength is unmatched among the ten tribes.”
…
Amid the fervent discussions, Zhang Ruochen let out a cold snort. “A draw? I was merely testing the resilience of my golden wings. Did you really think you were worthy of being my opponent?”
“What did you say?” Baiyu Mad Lion demanded.
Zhang Ruochen didn’t respond. Transforming into a golden light, he shot forward, even faster than before.
Even with Baiyu Mad Lion’s keen eyesight, he struggled to track him.
*Whoosh—*
The iron ring flew out, attempting to repel Zhang Ruochen as before.
But this time, Zhang Ruochen didn’t meet it head-on. With a slight shift, he soared over the ring, charging straight at Baiyu Mad Lion.
“So fast.”
Baiyu Mad Lion’s expression changed drastically. His arms spread, transforming into white holy jade lion claws, his human head morphing into a massive lion’s head.
Zhang Ruochen reached above Baiyu Mad Lion’s head, his five left golden wings slashing down like five demonic blades.
Baiyu Mad Lion raised his claws overhead, unleashing a thousand-zhang holy radiance.
*Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom!*
The five wings struck relentlessly, forcing Baiyu Mad Lion’s body to plummet from a thousand miles high to the ground, crashing through a mountain range and leaving a hundred-mile-wide crater.
The crater’s depth was unfathomable.
The next moment, Zhang Ruochen suppressed the Four-Yuan King-grade holy weapon iron ring and flew above the crater.
Baiyu Mad Lion crawled from the rubble at the crater’s bottom, white blood dripping from his mouth. His jade-like arms bore five deep gashes, accompanied by cracks.
With his Emperor Holy Jade’s durable physique, his arms were nearly crippled by Zhang Ruochen’s golden wings?
“Is he really this strong?”
Baiyu Mad Lion dared not continue fighting. Further combat would surely ruin his arms.
If his arms were shattered during the Hunting Heaven Battle, recovery would be impossible before its end.
He looked up, his face freezing. Zhang Ruochen was using the Pure Extinguishing Divine Fire to refine his Four-Yuan King-grade holy weapon, the Thousand Gang Ring.
This King-grade holy weapon wasn’t his; it was bestowed by a Stone Clan deity before the Hunting Heaven Banquet.
With the battle barely begun, losing his weapon would make him a laughingstock among the Stone Clan. That deity would surely be deeply disappointed.
“Zhang Ruochen, we were only sparring. Why are you seizing my weapon?”
Baiyu Mad Lion flew from the crater, glaring at Zhang Ruochen with gritted teeth. Hesitant to reclaim it by force, he opted to reason with him.
If he couldn’t win, reasoning was his only option.
“Sparring? Since when were we sparring?”
Zhang Ruochen continued refining the Thousand Gang Ring.
Arriving at the Hunting Heaven Battlefield with only a Purple Gold Gourd was far from enough. The Thousand Gang Ring could serve as a defensive weapon. The clans clearly valued the Hunting Heaven Battle, bestowing high-grade weapons.
Seizing one was akin to seizing vast divine stones.
A bold idea sparked in Zhang Ruochen’s mind.
*Swish! Swish!*
Two blood-red beams descended from the sky.
Empress Feng and Yan Beijun hadn’t expected Baiyu Mad Lion, a peak Hundred Shackle Realm Great Saint, to lose so swiftly.
They rushed to the ground, witnessing the scene.
Zhang Ruochen had taken Baiyu Mad Lion’s weapon and was refining it, with no intention of returning it. Baiyu Mad Lion, furious and seething, pointed at Zhang Ruochen, cursing loudly but hesitating to act.
Both were stunned.
They were shocked that Zhang Ruochen showed no mercy, especially since Baiyu Mad Lion was Empress Feng’s ally. They were equally surprised that the notoriously hot-tempered Baiyu Mad Lion was restraining himself so well.
