Zhang Ruochen had heard about the Blood Absolute War God arranging marriages for him everywhere, so he was not surprised.
As for the marriage proposal being sent to the Twelve Divine Maidens’ Pavilion, specifically naming Bai Qing’er, Zhang Ruochen believed it too. The Blood Absolute War God always acted impulsively. He could name the Guardian Spirit Venerable of the Seven Star Imperial Palace “Huang Tian”. So, having Huang Tian’s daughter marry his own grandson seemed like something that would greatly please him.
Perhaps the Blood Absolute War God was eagerly anticipating seeing Huang Tian, the Great God, furious.
Facing off against Yun Huan, the Iron Blood King, who was at the peak of the Ten Thousand Deaths and One Life Realm, Zhang Ruochen naturally would not do something so reckless.
He had a clear understanding of his own strength and was not as arrogant or conceited as Bai Qing’er.
If a person loses self-awareness, they often become overly inflated.
If they inflate too much, no matter how clever they are, they will end up dying miserably.
Zhang Ruochen had experience confronting a Great Saint of the Ten Thousand Deaths and One Life Realm. Back at the Mountain of Destiny, the Three Dogs Spirit Venerable, with just his Dao Domain, could suppress him to the point where he had to mobilise the power of the Qiankun Realm to withstand it.
Thus, Zhang Ruochen was well aware that with his current cultivation, without borrowing the power of the world, let alone fighting a Great Saint at the peak of the Ten Thousand Deaths and One Life Realm, even battling one at the early stage would be extremely difficult.
The Hundred Shackles Realm and the Thousand Questions Realm represent a significant boundary leap.
The Thousand Questions Realm and the Ten Thousand Deaths and One Life Realm represent another significant boundary leap.
Back then, during his decisive battle with Yan Wushen, Zhang Ruochen indeed unleashed power close to that of a Supreme Realm Great Saint. However, that was only achieved at the cost of nearly losing his life.
Zhang Ruochen absolutely did not want to go through that again.
What if luck was not on his side this time?
But Yun Huan, the Iron Blood King, was different. As a Great Saint at the peak of the Ten Thousand Deaths and One Life Realm, every strike of his could reach the strongest power below the Supreme Realm Great Saint.
This was a battle impossible to win. Zhang Ruochen understood this, and so did Bai Qing’er.
Yet, Zhang Ruochen agreed to this bet.
A trace of surprise flashed in Bai Qing’er’s eyes as she said, “Young Master Ruochen, you are so confident in yourself. Truly worthy of being the descendant of the Blood Absolute War God.”
“I’m not confident in myself. I just want to take Miss Bai as my concubine. This is what the War God hopes for me to do, so naturally, I must give it my all,” Zhang Ruochen said with a smile.
The real reason Zhang Ruochen agreed to the bet was to buy as much time as possible.
As for marrying Bai Qing’er?
Even if she threw herself at him, Zhang Ruochen would keep his distance.
Some women are untouchable.
Bai Qing’er gave a charming smile and walked towards the stone table, passing by Yun Huan, the Iron Blood King. She lightly waved her jade finger and said, “Let’s give Young Master Ruochen a chance to win. How about this, you use only one-tenth of your power.”
“I will seal nine-tenths of my cultivation.”
Yun Huan, the Iron Blood King, formed a finger seal and pointed it at his nine major orifices. Instantly, most of the Saint Path Rules in his body froze, losing their activity and dimming.
Even so, the number of Saint Path Rules he could still mobilise was more than ten times greater than Zhang Ruochen’s 13 billion Saint Path Rules.
Zhang Ruochen glanced at Bai Qing’er, noticing she had no intention of making a blood oath for this bet. This further confirmed his suspicions.
She didn’t take the so-called bet seriously at all. Having Yun Huan, the Iron Blood King, act had two purposes.
The first was to use the guise of a fight to make Zhang Ruochen lower his guard, seeking an opportunity to capture or kill him instantly.
The second was to use Yun Huan, the Iron Blood King, to probe the secrets of Zhang Ruochen’s cultivation.
She was well aware that some secrets couldn’t be forced out even if Zhang Ruochen was captured. However, when pushed to the brink of life and death, he would reveal them himself.
Zhang Ruochen’s expression shifted, and he suddenly said, “No, this place is too small. How can we fight freely? Why not move the battlefield to the cosmic void outside Ice King Star?”
“No need for such trouble. I will create a battlefield for you.”
Bai Qing’er sat by the stone table and poured out the half-drunk tea.
The water droplets fell to the ground.
One drop of water turned into a lake.
In the garden, exactly fifty lakes appeared, corresponding to the number of the Great Yan.
Unknowingly, the world beneath Zhang Ruochen’s feet expanded, becoming boundless. The fifty lakes shimmered with rippling waves, stretching for thousands of miles, filled with the fragrance of tea.
Turning beans into soldiers, turning water into lakes.
“Why go to such trouble, Miss? I only need to unleash my Dao Domain to trap him to death,” Yun Huan, the Iron Blood King, said, casting a provocative glance at Zhang Ruochen. Over a hundred billion Saint Path Rules surged from his body, forming a Dao Domain. Instantly, a desolate, dark, and bloody battlefield materialised.
In this Dao Domain battlefield, there were ruined cities, mountains ablaze with beacon fires, ghostly banners fluttering in the wind, and grounds littered with corpses and bones.
The moment the Dao Domain battlefield enveloped Zhang Ruochen, he felt a force far more terrifying than the Three Dogs Spirit Venerable’s nine ghost cities pressing down on him. It was as if countless rules in the world were trying to invade his body, corroding his flesh and blood.
Even with nine-tenths of his cultivation sealed, Yun Huan, the Iron Blood King, was still stronger than the Three Dogs Spirit Venerable.
In an instant, Zhang Ruochen borrowed the power of the Qiankun Realm, dispersing the Dao Domain rules pressing down on him. A glow of merit radiated from his body.
The Radiant Merit Armour appeared on him.
“Swish!”
He swiftly retreated, crossing dozens of miles in an instant.
“Boom!”
The spot where Zhang Ruochen had stood was shattered by a blast of battle aura spat from the mouth of Yun Huan, the Iron Blood King.
In that area, chains of the Dao, Great Saint inscriptions, and divine patterns emerged, neutralising the aftermath of the battle, preventing it from spreading further.
Shang Yue exclaimed softly, “It’s the supreme merit armour with ten-thousand-fold speed. Zhang Ruochen possesses such a treasure.”
“What’s so surprising about that? In the Kunlun Realm, Zhang Ruochen killed countless talents from the Heavenly Realm. The treasures he obtained are far more than just a ten-thousand-fold speed merit armour,” Shang Xia said, staring at Zhang Ruochen in the battlefield, her eyes gleaming as if she saw a walking treasure vault.
Shang Yue said, “Master, I’m curious. Zhang Ruochen is only at the Hundred Shackles Realm. Why not just capture him directly? With your cultivation, since you can turn water into lakes, Zhang Ruochen and Yun Huan, the Iron Blood King, are merely playthings in your cup.”
Bai Qing’er did not respond, her almond-shaped eyes fixed on the battlefield where the two were fighting.
Shang Xia said coldly, “Shang Yue, you underestimate Zhang Ruochen too much. Although he’s only at the Hundred Shackles Realm, he has the Blood Absolute Clan behind him. How could the Blood Absolute War God and the Blood Empress not have left him means to protect himself? For Zhang Ruochen to dare to venture alone into the Ji Feng Holy Mansion and come here shows he has confidence in leaving.”
Shang Yue said with some disdain, “With Master’s cultivation, Zhang Ruochen’s life-saving means are insignificant. Unless the Blood Absolute War God and the Blood Empress themselves descend, but unfortunately, they have both gone to the Jade Emperor Realm.”
Shang Xia said, “If Zhang Ruochen were so easy to capture, he would have died long ago. He wouldn’t have survived until now. Yun Huan, the Iron Blood King, should be able to force out the secrets he holds.”
From the mist of the garden emerged one powerful figure after another, some were white-haired old women, some were ghostly spirits, and others were mysterious Great Saints whose aura was no weaker than Yun Huan, the Iron Blood King.
Without exception, each had profound cultivation, their breath turning into clouds, their power strong and domineering.
Who could have imagined that such a small holy mansion hid so many Great Saint powerhouses? Even an ancient clan could hardly compare.
An old woman with a face full of wrinkles spoke in a hoarse voice, “What exactly is the young lady trying to test? Why hasn’t she acted yet? Could it be that she believes Zhang Ruochen truly has the strength to defeat Yun Huan, the Iron Blood King? Even if he’s using only one-tenth of his power, it’s impossible for a Hundred Shackles Realm Great Saint to defeat him.”
Though the old woman’s figure was aged, even somewhat decayed, her eyes were still bright, with the sun, moon, and stars revolving in her pupils, tracing mysterious paths.
A mysterious Great Saint in white robes said, “Zhang Ruochen possesses thirty percent of the Destiny Mysteries. If the young lady kills him and absorbs his mysteries, her strength will surely advance further.”
“I think Zhang Ruochen not only has the Destiny Mysteries but likely the Truth Mysteries as well,” a sinister voice echoed from a cluster of ghostly flames.
Bai Qing’er, who had been silently contemplating, finally spoke, “You all see only the surface and are too superficial. What I want to understand is the most fundamental secret of Zhang Ruochen. He achieved the Second-Rank Saint Will too easily. This is not normal. Even when the Blood Absolute War God and Huang Tian cultivated their Second-Rank Saint Will, it wasn’t as effortless as his.”
“Besides, I have several other questions. Why does Zhang Ruochen’s injury recovery ability work so quickly?”
“Not being a disciple of the Truth Temple, why can he cultivate the boundless starry sea form of the Truth Realm? After crossing the tenth layer of the Sea of Truth, what exactly did he obtain?”
“These secrets can only be revealed when he’s pushed to the brink of life and death. Capturing him won’t force them out.”
After saying this, Bai Qing’er’s voice echoed across the battlefield, resounding above it, “Zhang Ruochen, if you defeat Yun Huan, the Iron Blood King, with one-tenth of his power, our bet remains valid. At that time, if you wish to leave, I will not stop you.”
In the battlefield.
Yun Huan, the Iron Blood King, had already launched 137 consecutive strikes, but each time, Zhang Ruochen evaded with his speed.
Yun Huan, the Iron Blood King, was extremely furious. He had clearly suppressed Zhang Ruochen within his Dao Domain. If it were any other Great Saint of the Ten Thousand Deaths and One Life Realm, they would have long been at his mercy, unable to escape. Yet Zhang Ruochen, with his ten-thousand-fold speed merit armour, could not be restrained by the Dao Domain.
“All you do is flee. Do you still think you can win?” Yun Huan, the Iron Blood King, said in a deep voice.
Zhang Ruochen landed at the centre of a lake, standing on the water’s surface, his body shimmering with merit light, and said, “You are a Great Saint at the peak of the Ten Thousand Deaths and One Life Realm, while I’m just a small figure in the Hundred Shackles Realm. Why can’t I flee?”
Zhang Ruochen had no intention of fighting. The reason he wore the merit armour was to buy as much time as possible.
“Fine! In that case, I’ll make sure you have nowhere to escape.”
Yun Huan, the Iron Blood King’s eyes turned cold. In the battlefield formed by his Dao Domain, strands of Saint Path Rules glowed, intertwining into billions of chains.
“Clatter.”
The rule chains closed in from all directions, shrinking the encircled area.
Zhang Ruochen waved his palm, slashing out a spatial rift that struck the network of rule chains.
The network broke open with a massive hole, but in an instant, the hole reformed.
Zhang Ruochen frowned tightly. Instead of suppressing him with the Dao Domain, Yun Huan, the Iron Blood King, turned the Saint Path Rules into a cage to trap him, forcing him to fight head-on.
“Where is that witch Gu Shejing? Why hasn’t she arrived yet?”
Zhang Ruochen felt exasperated, not wanting to reveal his strength, hoping his enemies would continue to underestimate him.
There was no other choice but to fight.
Yun Huan, the Iron Blood King, summoned a bone spear, interwoven with divine patterns, clearly forged from divine bones. With a casual swing, the spear unleashed a vast wave of deathly energy, forming a cloud of death that covered the entire cage.
Zhang Ruochen stood on the lake, calm and composed, channeling a continuous stream of world power into the Divine Dragon Bone Whip.
“Crack!”
The Divine Dragon Bone Whip lashed out, accompanied by a deafening dragon roar.
The whip, covered with dense supreme inscriptions and king-level inscriptions, erupted with unparalleled terrifying power, shattering the cloud of death, as if tearing the sky in two.
Yun Huan, the Iron Blood King’s expression shifted slightly. He swung the bone spear, clashing with the Divine Dragon Bone Whip, and his figure was forced back.
The aftermath of the battle caused all fifty lakes to surge with towering waves.
The powerhouses in the garden, including Bai Qing’er’s two disciples, Shang Yue and Shang Xia, all showed astonished expressions.
Zhang Ruochen had repelled Yun Huan, the Iron Blood King!
It was too unbelievable.
They hadn’t witnessed Zhang Ruochen’s battle with Yan Wushen, so they naturally didn’t believe the exaggerated rumours. But the reality unfolding before their eyes forced them to believe.
“Is a Yuan Hui-level genius really this terrifying? Can someone in the Hundred Shackles Realm confront the Ten Thousand Deaths and One Life Realm?”
A smile appeared on Bai Qing’er’s delicate face as she said, “At the very least, it proves the rumours that Zhang Ruochen carries a great world within him are true, not just hearsay.”
“That’s right. Only by borrowing the power of the world can Zhang Ruochen be this strong.”
“Even if Zhang Ruochen has a demigod body, it couldn’t withstand carrying a great world,” Shang Yue said.
Shang Xia shook her head and said, “You’ve all forgotten Zhang Ruochen’s other important identity, the successor of time and space, the heir of Saint Monk Xumi. If he possesses the Space Mysteries, carrying a great world becomes possible.”
Gasps echoed through the garden.
A Great Saint potentially holding the mysteries of three eternal paths.
At that moment, countless pairs of eyes burned with fervor, wishing they could rush into the battlefield, tear Zhang Ruochen apart, and seize the mysteries he held.
Shang Yue’s eerily beautiful face showed extreme excitement as she said, “Zhang Ruochen is truly a divine treasure. If he falls, we can all gain immense benefits.”
“Kill Zhang Ruochen, seize his mysteries.”
“Kill Zhang Ruochen, take his supreme sacred artifact.”
“Kill Zhang Ruochen, claim his divine stone.”
…
Except for Bai Qing’er, who remained calm, the other cultivators in the garden fell into a frenzied state.
