Five thousand miles of land churned with dust, the terrain ravaged, the rules of heaven and earth in disarray. The clouds above the Ghost Clan’s home star were blasted apart.
Without the protective star array, the energy waves from the two would have reached the cosmos.
The cosmic space beyond the Ghost Clan’s home star shimmered in six colours, with star mist both magnificent and enchanting. Some formed nine-petaled holy flowers, each petal a different hue; others resembled conch shells, with swirling patterns; some appeared as rainbow rivers, stretching across billions of miles.
About fifty thousand miles from the Ghost Clan’s home star, within a nebula of purple, green, and red, Prajna led three Hundred Shackles Realm Great Perfection Great Saints, standing in the void like four divine beings.
Yuan Fei Great Saint sighed, “With Xu’s strength, he still hasn’t defeated Zhang Ruochen after so long. Zhang Ruochen, having broken into the Hundred Shackles Realm, is indeed extraordinary, already among the top-tier powerhouses below the Thousand Questions Realm.”
Da Senluo Emperor’s face was grave, his heart heavy.
Since Zhang Ruochen arrived in the Hell Realm, Da Senluo Emperor had constantly sought to kill him to avenge his brother. A few months ago, with his Hundred Shackles Realm Great Perfection cultivation, he hadn’t taken the newly ascended Great Saint Zhang Ruochen seriously.
But now, Zhang Ruochen’s combat power evoked a sense of helplessness in him.
At the very least, he lacked the confidence to fight Xu to such an extent.
Yet Zhang Ruochen could.
Another Hundred Shackles Realm Great Perfection Great Saint from the Death Clan, Huo Mei Yin Ji, stood beside them. Her slender, graceful figure was cloaked in crimson flames, her face beautiful, her skin snowy white, exuding a unique charm.
She said, “Yuan Fei, you’ve fought Xu. How strong is he really? Taking so long to deal with Zhang Ruochen, who’s only broken one shackle, isn’t he overrated?”
Yuan Fei Great Saint’s expression was cautious. He shook his head, “Xu hasn’t fused a Third-Grade Saint Will, yet he ranks seventh on the Hundred Shackles Realm Great Perfection list, unshakable. Do you really think he’s an easy opponent?”
“I fought Xu once, but even giving my all, we ended in a draw. I could sense he still had strength in reserve.”
“The reason it ended in a draw might be because he wanted to conceal his true power. Or perhaps he knew that defeating me would come at a cost, so he chose to hold back.”
Yuan Fei Great Saint, the Death Clan’s top powerhouse, spoke conservatively, causing the other Great Saints present to think he was being modest. But only Yuan Fei knew there was indeed a gap between him and Xu.
He and Xu had merely sparred.
Zhang Ruochen and Xu, however, were in a life-and-death struggle, and Zhang Ruochen’s ability to fight so long without showing defeat shocked Yuan Fei. Zhang Ruochen’s combat power likely wasn’t inferior to his, the twelfth-ranked Hundred Shackles Realm Great Perfection Great Saint.
Huo Mei Yin Ji smiled charmingly, though inwardly she scoffed. No matter how strong Xu was, he paled in comparison to Wujiang.
Once Wujiang fused a Second-Grade Saint Will, so-called “Cosmic Divine Embryo,” “Born with Imperial Divine Bones,” and “Yuan Hui-level Genius” would all be trampled underfoot.
Whoever mastered a Second-Grade Saint Will would truly stand at the pinnacle of this era.
Throughout, Prajna gazed silently toward the Ghost Clan’s home star, saying nothing.
Da Senluo Emperor laughed, “Your Highness Prajna’s tactic of using another’s hand to kill is brilliant. Without lifting a finger, Zhang Ruochen will die. In my opinion, this is the perfect chance to deal with Pink Skeleton as well.”
“Indeed, a rare opportunity,” Prajna said, her tone devoid of emotion.
Yuan Fei Great Saint and Huo Mei Yin Ji both smirked.
In their minds, Zhang Ruochen was already a dead man. Their focus had quietly shifted to Yan Hong Great Saint as their primary rival.
…
Xu’s palm strikes were ferocious, chaotic light and chilling ghost qi bursting forth, stirring waves of energy tides.
After clashing over a hundred palms, Zhang Ruochen’s left arm ached and went numb. Despite the might of his demi-god body and the mysteries of his Immortal Chaotic Saint Body, it struggled to endure.
His right arm, having broken a shackle, could continuously unleash divine power, still holding up.
“If only the second shackle on my left arm were broken, I wouldn’t fall behind even after a thousand palm clashes with Xu,” Zhang Ruochen thought.
Knowing he couldn’t keep clashing head-on, he channelled holy qi and released blood fiend qi, infusing it into the Thousand Gang Ring on his left wrist.
“Shua—”
King-level inscriptions surfaced on the Thousand Gang Ring, its size expanding, releasing powerful holy force as it flew toward Xu, who struck with another palm.
“Rumble.”
The Thousand Gang Ring, now thirty-three zhang in diameter, shattered the ghost qi in Xu’s palm seal, forcing him to retreat.
The power of a Four-Yuan King Saint Weapon wasn’t something Xu could block barehanded.
Zhang Ruochen stood at the centre of the Thousand Gang Ring, his left hand and leg releasing divine qi, pouring it into the ring.
Instantly, the Thousand Gang Ring blazed with radiant light, spinning rapidly with a piercing metallic screech. Dense light-feather marks shot out, unleashing even greater power than before.
A King Saint Weapon driven by divine power displayed a different level of might.
Seeing this, White Jade Mad Lion’s heart ached, stomping in frustration. His own weapon, in another’s hands, was unleashing greater power—how could he not feel vexed?
“Driving a Four-Yuan King Saint Weapon with divine power, each of Zhang Ruochen’s strikes is no weaker than a Thousand Questions-level advanced Saint Technique. This kid is much tougher than expected,” Yan Hong Great Saint frowned, saying.
“Even without a weapon, I can defeat you,” Xu declared.
His battle intent peaked, his Great Saint aura sweeping the entire planet. He landed on the ground, stomping his foot, causing a deafening roar from beneath.
The earth within a hundred-mile radius rose, forming a grand sacrificial altar, towering like a mountain.
Xu stood at the altar’s centre, the planet’s rules of heaven and earth converging toward him. His ghostly body grew, expanding to ninety-nine zhang, transforming into a colossal ghost. His black hair flew wildly, his eyes surged with ghostly light, and his hands formed intricate finger seals.
The “Chaotic Ghost Emperor Body,” tempered by the Chaotic Spring, fully manifested.
“Waga!”
“Chiya!”
…
Countless strands of ghost qi surged from the Chaotic Ghost Emperor Body, like icy demon snakes, converging in his hands. Simultaneously, the ghost qi across the Ghost Clan’s home star was drawn, forming hundreds of ghost qi rivers, thousands to tens of thousands of miles long, rushing toward him.
The advantage of terrain was evident.
“Chi chi.”
At the centre of Xu’s palms, a black seal took shape.
The black seal grew larger, resembling a black hole capable of devouring all things.
“Three Void Seal Technique, Void Marsh Seal.”
Xu roared, unleashing the black seal.
The Three Void Seal Technique comprised the Void Marsh Seal, Void Sea Seal, and Void Sky Seal.
It was a renowned Thousand Questions-level advanced Saint Technique of the Earth Fiend Ghost City, with each seal stronger than the last. Legend held that the Void Marsh Seal’s power rivalled a full strike from an early Thousand Questions Realm Great Saint.
The Void Sea Seal matched a mid-Thousand Questions Realm Great Saint’s full strike.
The Void Sky Seal reached the power of a late Thousand Questions Realm Great Saint’s full strike.
If wielded by a Thousand Questions Realm Great Saint, the Three Void Seal Technique’s power would be even greater. With the Void Sky Seal, one could challenge a peak Thousand Questions Realm Great Saint.
Now, Xu’s Void Marsh Seal, empowered by the strength of twelve Ghost Emperor soul bodies, surpassed an early Thousand Questions Realm Great Saint’s power by more than double.
“Rumble.”
The Thousand Gang Ring spun and collided with the Void Marsh Seal, their clashing forces sweeping the earth, causing it to collapse layer by layer.
With a “bang,” the king-level inscriptions on the Thousand Gang Ring dimmed rapidly, and it was flung hundreds of miles away, crashing into the ground, shrouding the area in darkness.
“Zhang Ruochen, your weapon is but an external tool. Your own strength is the true source. On the Hunting Heaven battlefield, without supreme Saint Weapons, your weaknesses are exposed. Today, I will slay you,” Xu’s resolute Saint Will boomed from the ninety-nine-zhang Chaotic Ghost Emperor Body.
The Void Marsh Seal continued toward Zhang Ruochen, its black mark absorbing the rules of heaven and earth, air, soil, and vegetation, its power growing rather than diminishing.
“What a formidable seal technique, what immense power. No wonder he ranks above Yu Huang, who cultivated a Third-Grade Saint Will. In terms of raw power, Yu Huang falls far short,” Zhang Ruochen thought.
His expression unchanged, Zhang Ruochen channelled blood fiend qi into his ten golden wings, making the blood patterns on them blaze brightly.
“Shua!”
Zhang Ruochen transformed into a streak of gold and red light, breaking the Void Marsh Seal’s lock and soaring above Xu’s head.
Xu let out a surprised sound, finding it unbelievable.
With the Void Marsh Seal’s strength, once locked, even spatial teleportation was nearly impossible. Yet Zhang Ruochen’s golden wings broke through its domain lock.
The power of Primordial Ancestor divine patterns was indeed beyond a Great Saint’s comprehension.
“Flame God Leg.”
Zhang Ruochen had already gathered strength. His left leg radiated ten million divine rules, unleashing boundless flames. Simultaneously, fire path rules and Purifying Divine Fire surged, forming a sea of fire beneath his feet.
The Purifying Divine Fire set the sky ablaze and turned the ground to scorched earth.
The sacrificial altar beneath Xu showed signs of melting, but he remained unfazed. His hands released countless holy path rules, like billions of threads, manipulating the Void Marsh Seal to strike upward.
The Void Marsh Seal had grown to a hundred miles wide, spinning rapidly as it ascended.
Looking down, Zhang Ruochen saw the Void Marsh Seal as an endless ghostly black eye, poised to devour him.
His mind flawless, Zhang Ruochen pressed downward without hesitation.
At such a moment, he could not afford to falter.
Once fear took hold, defeat was halfway assured.
“Rumble.”
The fire cloud formed by the Flame God Leg clashed with the Void Marsh Seal, their cataclysmic force sweeping the tens-of-thousands-mile continent. Energy waves reached other continents, causing the ghosts on the Ghost Clan’s home star to tremble in fear.
The continent where the two fought was already lifeless, showing signs of breaking apart, with wide chasms splitting open like a ceramic about to shatter.
Surprisingly, from the depths of those bottomless chasms surged pitch-black ghost qi.
This ghost qi was thousands of times denser than that lingering above the Ghost Clan’s home star, beyond even a Ghost Emperor’s ability to produce.
In the cosmos, Prajna shook her head lightly, saying, “Something’s off.”
“What’s wrong?” Huo Mei Yin Ji asked curiously.
Prajna replied, “The power of Zhang Ruochen and Xu’s recent attacks reached the level of a Thousand Questions Realm Great Saint. Their clashing destructive force could destroy ten Ghost Clan home stars. Yet, the star only trembled slightly.”
Huo Mei Yin Ji said, “That’s not strange, is it? The Ghost Clan’s home star must be inscribed with Great Saint inscriptions, or Xu wouldn’t have chosen to fight on its surface.”
Prajna nodded faintly, saying no more.
But her gaze was deep, still pondering, sensing something unusual. Perhaps the ten clans’ home stars were not as simple as they seemed.
The battlefield set by the gods likely held deeper intent.
Xu now regretted his actions. Zhang Ruochen was far tougher than anticipated. Continuing this fight might destroy the Ghost Clan’s home star.
That would make him a sinner of the Ghost Clan.
“End this battle, Void Sea Seal.”
Xu stomped fiercely on the sacrificial altar, shattering it with a boom, sending all the rocks flying.
The earth-attributed rocks transformed into water in an instant.
“Shua la la.”
A sea spanning a thousand miles formed beneath Xu’s feet.
The sea expanded, as if the entire tens-of-thousands-mile continent would turn into an ocean. This world-altering power stunned the Hundred Shackles Realm Great Perfection Great Saints hiding on the continent.
“Xu has cultivated the Void Sea Seal,” Yan Hong Great Saint said, a trace of surprise on her stunning face.
“If Zhang Ruochen has no other trump cards, this strike will decide the outcome. Forcing Xu to use the Void Sea Seal, even in defeat, no one will question his Yuan Hui-level genius title,” Ye Changzai said.
Casting the Void Sea Seal, Xu clearly gave his all, his ninety-nine-zhang Chaotic Ghost Emperor Body shrinking by several zhang.
The seal followed the shattered Void Marsh Seal, flying upward, instantly enveloping Zhang Ruochen, leaving no chance for spatial teleportation or to unleash the tenfold attack power of the Path of Truth.
Facing a strike capable of countering a mid-Thousand Questions Realm Great Saint, Zhang Ruochen remained calm. The Immovable Bright King Saint Aspect and the divine-demon phantom of the Divine Demon Suppression Prison materialized simultaneously.
“You’re not the only one who’s cultivated a Thousand Questions-level advanced Saint Technique.”
Zhang Ruochen clasped his hands, his battle intent peaking. The Immovable Bright King Saint Aspect and divine-demon phantom merged, growing a thousand miles tall, taking on Zhang Ruochen’s exact likeness.
From the cosmos, one could see the god-demon-like “Zhang Ruochen’s” upper body, with nine heavens hovering above his head. His lower body sank beneath the black atmosphere.
This scene resembled a god manifesting its true form.
The thousand-mile-tall Zhang Ruochen stomped down on Xu’s Void Sea Seal.
