A twelve-zhang-tall Yinglong, pulling a silver war chariot, rolled in from the distance.
The Yinglong, a purebred divine beast, was very close to maturity. It only needed one final transformation to reach the pseudo-god level, capable of unleashing destructive power on a stellar scale.
Though the destructive aura emanating from this Yinglong had not yet reached stellar levels, the divine light it radiated could still burn the heavens and boil the seas, startling the Saint Realm cultivators in the city into fleeing far away.
The cultivators able to enter the holy city had at least surpassed the four realms of martial arts, having undergone a complete transformation.
“It’s a Yinglong, the Silver Radiance Cloud Chariot! Wuma Jiuxing has entered the city!”
“What a terrifying aura. A single dragon breath could probably annihilate both the form and spirit of an Immortal Realm or Hundred-Shackle Realm Great Sage. With the Yinglong here, Ice King Star is bound to be turned upside down.”
“Worthily the top powerhouse of the dark forces, even his mount is unmatched.”
…
A holy city, unlike ordinary cities, was densely covered with Great Sage inscriptions, divine patterns, and dao locks, making it a place where Saint Realm cultivators resided.
Because of this, once inside the city, all cultivators’ cultivation and combat power would be suppressed to prevent conflicts from destroying the holy city.
The higher the cultivation, the more severe the suppression.
Even a Supreme Realm Great Sage could not dream of destroying a holy city.
Yet the aura erupting from the Yinglong gave the impression that the dao locks were trembling.
The war chariot seemed capable of crushing the holy city.
Zhang Ruochen held his breath, his expression gravely serious.
“Boom!”
“Boom!”
…
The space trembled, and the rules of heaven and earth became chaotic.
To Zhang Ruochen’s eyes, it was not a Yinglong pulling a chariot but rather an infinitely massive star rolling toward them, ready to obliterate everything in its path, capable of crushing even other stars.
“Is this the invincible power below the divine realm? No, this is just the aura of his mount. His mount is already nearly invincible below the divine realm.” Zhang Ruochen was shaken to his core.
Little Black couldn’t help but raise its head, its spines becoming even sharper.
The Yinglong was heading toward the pavilion where they were, each step covering ten zhang, rapidly closing in.
All the cultivators in the pavilion had already fled.
Within a ten-mile radius of Zhang Ruochen and Gu Shejing, fewer than ten cultivators remained.
Those who dared to stay were all renowned powerhouses in the Hell Realm, Saint Realm overlords capable of standing on their own.
“Let’s go. This spectacle isn’t worth watching.”
Zhang Ruochen’s brows furrowed into a “川” shape, not wanting to draw too much attention.
Gu Shejing shook her head and said, “Don’t worry. The sturdiness of a holy city far exceeds your imagination. The dao locks in West One Holy City are densely woven. Even if Wuma Jiuxing is truly the strongest below the divine realm, the destruction he can cause is within a controllable range. Look, the cultivators from Ice Emperor Palace have arrived!”
One by one, cultivators clad in ice-crystal armour descended from the sky, appearing atop the buildings in this city district.
“Swish—”
They fully activated and energised the Great Sage inscriptions and divine patterns in the city, intertwining them with the dao locks.
The Ice Emperor Palace was the true master of Ice King Star.
Any force, including the ten dark forces, the ten tribes of the Hell Realm, or even the cultivators of the Temple of Destiny, had to abide by the Ice Emperor Palace’s rules upon arriving at Ice King Star.
The appearance of the Mysterious Ice Divine Armoured Soldiers signified that the Ice Emperor Palace had tacitly approved Wuma Jiuxing and Zhuo Yunong’s right to clash in West One Holy City.
Other Great Sages did not have such privileges.
“Rumble.”
The sound of the Yinglong’s breathing was like rolling thunder.
Wherever the war chariot passed, the rules of heaven and earth were pushed aside, leaving only the rules of the blade within a hundred-zhang radius.
The buildings on both sides of the street instantly turned metallic.
“Is this also an absolute rule domain?” Zhang Ruochen asked.
Gu Shejing nodded and said, “Within the domain, only one’s own rules exist. No other rules, including those of heaven and earth, can exist. Wuma Jiuxing is indeed formidable. Under the triple suppression of dao locks, Great Sage inscriptions, and divine patterns, his absolute rule domain can still cover a hundred zhang. His blade path has reached the pinnacle, capable of cutting through all paths in the world.”
The paths of the world, though divided into Eternal, Supreme, Great, and Lesser Paths, ultimately depended not on the path itself but on the person.
Just as someone wielding an iron blade could kill someone using a refined steel blade. Even a wooden blade might suffice.
The person was always the key to victory or defeat.
Though Wuma Jiuxing did not cultivate an Eternal Path, he had immersed himself in the blade path to its zenith. With a single strike, he could separate light from darkness, cleaving through space and time.
Feeling Wuma Jiuxing’s absolute rule domain, Zhang Ruochen thought of his own Absolute Self Time Seal. Unfortunately, with his current cultivation, he could only condense a few seals at a time. Compared to Wuma Jiuxing, who had transformed his sacred path rules into an absolute rule domain, the difference was like a few drops of water against a vast ocean.
The Yinglong and the war chariot drew closer, stopping precisely a hundred zhang away.
Below the pavilion, the area had turned into a forest of blades.
The air vanished.
The gas in the space became blade qi.
Each strand of blade qi could extinguish a cultivator’s vitality, imbued with the power of death.
Under the pressure of the Yinglong and Wuma Jiuxing’s aura from the war chariot, the few cultivators who had remained in the area quietly retreated.
Zhang Ruochen also wanted to leave, but it was too late. Wuma Jiuxing’s blade path rules were like an unparalleled divine blade hanging before him. If he moved, that divine blade would strike.
With his current cultivation, taking a single strike from Wuma Jiuxing was almost unthinkable.
To Zhang Ruochen’s surprise, Gu Shejing remained unexpectedly calm, still seated opposite him, holding a teacup delicately between her jade-like fingers, her eyes fixed on the Silver Radiance Cloud Chariot.
“Creak.”
On the third floor across the street, Zhuo Yunong pushed open a door and stepped out. His upper body resembled a strikingly handsome human man, while his lower body was that of a centipede. His arms were wrapped with two serpent-like creatures, one green, one red.
Facing the Yinglong’s aura, these two creatures showed no fear or retreat. Instead, they raised their ferocious heads, hissing and baring their fangs.
“Zhuo Yunong, take my strike.”
Wuma Jiuxing’s voice rang out from the Silver Radiance Cloud Chariot.
Within a hundred-zhang radius, all the blade qi and blade path rules converged above the war chariot, condensing into a single point.
The hundred-zhang space was drawn into a vacuum.
The point formed by the blade qi and blade path rules was like a cosmic singularity, each ray of light it emitted carrying the sharp force to split heaven and earth, yet containing the energy of an entire universe.
Zhuo Yunong’s aura instantly surged to its peak.
A Gate of Destiny materialised behind him, its light overwhelmingly powerful. Illuminated by it and standing too close, Zhang Ruochen felt his cultivation suppressed to the point of becoming a mere mortal.
“Worthily the top powerhouse of the Temple of Destiny today. So strong. Once he raises the Gate of Destiny, all paths fail. I’m no different from a mortal, unable to wield the powers of time or space, unable even to escape.”
Zhang Ruochen deeply realised the gap between himself and the top powerhouses below the divine realm, silently calculating what level of cultivation he would need to have the strength to escape from Zhuo Yunong.
Far?
Still far off!
Gu Shejing’s expression was no longer as composed as before. She said, “It seems the world has underestimated Zhuo Yunong. This divine realm enforcer is far stronger than anyone imagined. Let’s go. We can’t stay here any longer!”
If it were a one-sided duel, where a single move could decide the outcome, they could stay and watch.
But if this duel couldn’t be settled in one move, it would be a contest between equals.
The ability to withstand a single move marked the difference between top-tier masters.
“Boom!”
Wuma Jiuxing’s earth-shattering strike came down. At the same time, Zhuo Yunong’s Axe of Judgment swung out. The collision was cataclysmic.
Zhang Ruochen and Gu Shejing had already retreated, unable to witness the clash between the two peerless powerhouses.
However, using the Heart of Truth, Zhang Ruochen sensed that after the first clash, the spatial tremors did not cease but instead evolved into even more powerful destructive energy.
This indicated that Zhuo Yunong had blocked Wuma Jiuxing’s first strike.
The duel lasted only half a breath before stopping.
The Ice Emperor Palace cultivators responsible for activating the Great Sage inscriptions and divine patterns were all flung away, falling in disarray, bleeding from their seven orifices, severely injured.
Within a several-hundred-zhang radius of the city district, the dao locks snapped, the Great Sage inscriptions and divine patterns were destroyed, and all buildings were reduced to dust.
The pavilion beneath Zhuo Yunong turned to ruins.
He stood tall, holding a zhang-long Axe of Judgment, his aura and battle presence undiminished.
“Spurt.”
A crack appeared in the sacred armour at his chest, blood gushing out like a fountain.
“Zhuo Yunong, truly worthy of the name.”
Wuma Jiuxing’s voice came from the Silver Radiance Cloud Chariot. Then, the Yinglong pulled the chariot, soaring into the sky and vanishing at the horizon.
Wuyue Minghuang sat on a street not far from the battlefield. The moment the battle ended, he abruptly stood up. But seeing the Gate of Destiny behind Zhuo Yunong dim, he sat back down.
To eliminate Wuma Jiuxing, he and Zhuo Yunong would need to join forces for even a sliver of a chance.
Though there were internal conflicts within the Temple of Destiny, they would naturally unite against an external enemy.
Unfortunately, Zhuo Yunong was too gravely injured, no longer capable of fighting. Alone, Wuyue Minghuang couldn’t hold Wuma Jiuxing back, so he could only watch him leave.
For the Temple of Destiny, today was a day of humiliation.
If Wuyue Minghuang acted now and failed to kill Wuma Jiuxing, it would only bring further shame and disgrace to the Temple of Destiny.
“Wuma Jiuxing is now the world’s top powerhouse. From today, he rules the secular world of the Hell Realm. How unwilling I am!” Wuyue Minghuang let out a long sigh.
No one knew better than he how powerful Zhuo Yunong was. If even Zhuo Yunong fell after seven strikes, who below the divine realm in the Hell Realm could defeat him?
Gu Shejing and Zhang Ruochen appeared outside the city, watching the Silver Radiance Cloud Chariot soar away.
“Wuma Jiuxing just left like that?” Zhang Ruochen said, slightly surprised.
Gu Shejing said, “If the fight continued, there was at least a thirty percent chance it would end in mutual destruction. That’s not the outcome Wuma Jiuxing wanted.”
Zhang Ruochen understood her meaning. Since Zhuo Yunong could withstand Wuma Jiuxing’s first strike, he surely had a chance to buy time to self-destruct his sacred source.
If Zhuo Yunong self-destructed, no matter how strong Wuma Jiuxing was, he would certainly die.
Wuma Jiuxing might indeed be the top powerhouse below the divine realm, but that didn’t mean no one could counter him.
Zhang Ruochen said, “The grand divine realm enforcer, the top figure below the divine realm in the Temple of Destiny, could only block seven of Wuma Jiuxing’s strikes. The Temple of Destiny has taken quite a fall. I’m afraid only when Que grows up can the Temple of Destiny redeem itself.”
“You actually knew Zhuo Yunong blocked seven of Wuma Jiuxing’s strikes?” A look of surprise flashed in Gu Shejing’s eyes.
In her view, even some Supreme Realm Great Sages might not have been able to clearly see the clash between the two masters.
How could Zhang Ruochen, at the Hundred-Shackle Realm, do so?
“A Primordial Genius isn’t just talk. I have abilities beyond ordinary cultivators,” Zhang Ruochen said with a smile.
Gu Shejing stared at Zhang Ruochen, thinking to herself that once the news of Wuma Jiuxing defeating Zhuo Yunong spread, it would surely cause a massive uproar in the Hell Realm. To counter the potential crises in the next millennium, major forces would heavily support prodigies capable of challenging Wuma Jiuxing, and Zhang Ruochen would undoubtedly be one of them.
With the Divine Son of the Temple of Destiny dead and the Divine Daughter yet to mature, it was a time of transition between old and new leaders.
With the Temple of Destiny losing its leadership in the Hell Realm, and Wuma Jiuxing invincible in the secular world, the next millennium would be a time for Qiankun Yiqi Hall to expand aggressively, encroaching on the territories and interests of countless forces.
Who could stop the upheaval Wuma Jiuxing would bring to the Hell Realm?
Zhang Ruochen said, “If Bai Qing’er can enlist someone as invincible as Wuma Jiuxing, I think we should put our previous plan on hold. Provoking that enchantress would be quite disadvantageous for us.”
Gu Shejing said, “Are you afraid of Wuma Jiuxing?”
“Can you defeat him?” Zhang Ruochen countered.
Gu Shejing pondered for a moment and said, “In that duel just now, though Wuma Jiuxing severely injured Zhuo Yunong, he must have been injured himself. He’ll likely go into hiding to recover in the short term.”
“How do you know?” Zhang Ruochen asked.
Gu Shejing said, “Because Zhuo Yunong isn’t dead, and Wuma Jiuxing didn’t challenge Wuyue Minghuang.”
“Perhaps Wuma Jiuxing was only worried about Zhuo Yunong self-destructing his sacred source or feared retaliation from the Temple of Destiny, so he didn’t deal a killing blow,” Zhang Ruochen said.
Gu Shejing shook her head, “The ten dark forces are frequently targeted by the Temple of Destiny for suppression. How could they fear retaliation? Besides, Wuma Jiuxing and Zhuo Yunong fought a one-on-one duel. Whoever died, no one could be blamed.”
“In my view, Wuma Jiuxing didn’t challenge Zhuo Yunong just to stand up for Bai Qing’er. He had deeper motives. First, to undermine the Temple of Destiny’s prestige, to show the major forces of the Hell Realm that the Temple of Destiny isn’t so terrifying and isn’t invincible. Once this idea takes root, many forces in the Hell Realm that don’t believe in destiny will start to stir, like the Yanluo Clan, Fengdu Ghost City, and the Dark Temple.”
“If so, wouldn’t killing Zhuo Yunong or defeating both Zhuo Yunong and Wuyue Minghuang at once have an even greater impact?”
“But he didn’t do that.”
“This shows he must be injured. For someone like him, once injured, he would definitely go into hiding to heal, just like you, unable to show yourself in the light. Once exposed, countless enemies would swarm like wolves, never giving him a chance to recover.”
“And now is precisely the best time for us to test Bai Qing’er.”
