Xuandisha was in no hurry to step forward, planning to observe further.
Since he was hailed as a genius of the Yuan epoch and valued by many prominent figures, his conduct and methods should not be as simple as they appeared. It was worth watching closely.
For now, this old clan emperor, who had lived for nearly thirty thousand years, had not yet fully understood Zhang Ruochen.
…
Among the ten clans of Hell, the Undead Blood Clan had ten major tribes, the Rakshasa Clan had seven divine kingdoms, and the Asura Clan had twenty-four divine halls.
Although the Death Clan also had countless internal factions, with established kingdoms, ancient clans, holy cities, and divine halls, none could compare to the level of the Undead Blood Clan’s ten major tribes.
As a result, the Death Clan maintained a unified structure, with the Death God Hall holding absolute authority and dominance.
In contrast, the tribes of the Undead Blood Clan could challenge the Undead God Hall, not always obeying every command or following every order.
The Death God Hall was filled with powerful figures. Even among the great saints dispatched to the Hundred Clans’ Royal City, there were many who commanded awe across the heavens and earth.
Tianshuzi was one such figure.
Tianshuzi had been a guest at the Immortal Source Holy Land when he heard of Queshenzi’s crushing defeat. His killing intent surged, and he smashed his cup before storming out.
Princess Xuelai of the Immortal Source Clan personally drove his chariot, pulled by nine silver foxes. The great saints of the Death God Hall parted to either side, allowing the holy chariot to charge to the front of the Seven-Star Emperor Palace.
Tianshuzi was striking in appearance, exuding an air of extraordinary pride.
Princess Xuelai, known as one of the ten most beautiful women in the Hell Realm’s frontier, was gentle and refined, with an ethereal aura. A few days prior, she had represented the Immortal Source Clan to invite Zhang Ruochen to visit their holy land, but he ignored her, sparking some resentment in her heart.
Today, personally escorting Tianshuzi, she naturally carried an intent of retaliation.
Standing on the holy chariot’s couch, Tianshuzi spoke, “Your Highness the Princess was insulted before Zhang Ruochen’s Seven-Star Emperor Palace. Today, I shall teach him a lesson and make him understand not to be overly arrogant.”
Princess Xuelai’s flawless, snowy-white face showed no emotion as she said lightly, “It’s hardly Great Saint Ruochen’s fault. The Immortal Source Clan was too presumptuous. To invite such an esteemed guest, the clan emperor should have personally extended the invitation to show sufficient respect.”
Tianshuzi gave a cold smile and stepped down from the chariot.
Yuanjun approached quietly, recounting in a low voice what had occurred earlier.
Tianshuzi nodded and said, “Yuanjun, no need to worry. Since I’m here, Zhang Ruochen won’t be allowed to continue his dominance.”
Zhang Ruochen’s mental strength was formidable, and he naturally overheard their conversation, suddenly understanding. No wonder so many cultivators in the Hundred Clans’ Royal City held him in low regard. During the days he was comprehending the Dao, he had offended the cultivators from various clans who came to invite or visit him.
That was truly a mistake.
He would have to find time to visit each clan and offer apologies.
Tianshuzi was clearly a remarkable figure. Even with four great saints of the Life-Death Realm captured, he remained calm and confident, calling out, “Zhang Ruochen, dare you fight again? A true battle to settle all grudges.”
Zhang Ruochen replied, “Can you represent the Death God Hall?”
“Of course. If you defeat me, all grievances between you and the Death God Hall will be wiped clean,” Tianshuzi said.
Zhang Ruochen sighed softly, “To be honest, Queshenzi said the same thing earlier. But your Death God Hall is too fond of going back on its word. How can I trust you?”
The great saints of the Death God Hall showed no embarrassment at this remark. Instead, their gazes grew colder.
If not for the hostages in Zhang Ruochen’s hands, they would have already attacked together, destroying the Seven-Star Emperor Palace. Why would they waste so many words with him?
Tianshuzi said, “I, Tianshuzi, disciple of the Mofa God-King, will not go back on my word, for the sake of my master’s honour.”
Lianxi transmitted a message to Zhang Ruochen, “Don’t believe him. He just wants to lure you out of the Seven-Star Emperor Palace’s defensive array.”
Most of the cultivators present could see Tianshuzi’s intent and speculated that Zhang Ruochen would surely not fall for it.
With four Life-Death Realm hostages, he was already in an invincible position. Why take the risk of fighting Tianshuzi?
Moreover, Tianshuzi was an extraordinary figure, one of the Death God Hall’s most promising cultivators, having entered the fifth level of the Death God Pavilion. Zhang Ruochen had almost no chance of defeating him.
“Hatred is the root of all evil. If there’s a chance to resolve it, we must try our best,” Zhang Ruochen said, stunning the crowd with his words. Ignoring Lianxi, he turned to Tianshuzi and said, “Alright, I’ll trust you this once.”
Lianxi felt that since leaving the Qiankun Realm, Zhang Ruochen seemed like a different person. How could he be so foolish? And to say something like “hatred is the root of all evil”? How could he utter such words?
Lianxi’s beautiful eyes scanned the great saints of the Death God Hall as she declared loudly, “If anything happens to Zhang Ruochen, I’ll kill all four of them immediately.”
She had no choice. Zhang Ruochen was courting death, but she had to remain rational.
If Zhang Ruochen got himself killed, what would she do?
Just as he was about to step out of the defensive array, Zhang Ruochen paused, shaking his head at Lianxi, “Killing only deepens hatred. Don’t do it. Rest assured, I’m confident in this battle.”
Prajna, standing on the Kun Tower, furrowed her delicate brows.
She could tell that Zhang Ruochen genuinely wanted to resolve the hatred and conflicts with the Death God Hall.
That was the strangest part.
“What has happened to him?” Prajna was deeply worried, fearing that Zhang Ruochen had encountered a problem in his cultivation, falling into a heart demon without realizing it.
She even feared that Zhang Ruochen had been possessed by some divine spirit, causing his personality to change drastically.
The more she thought, the more uneasy she became.
But no matter how anxious or worried, she couldn’t intervene now. She could only wait until this was over to probe him and understand the situation.
Stay calm, don’t panic.
Que sensed her emotional turmoil, glanced at her, then looked away without asking.
The battle between Zhang Ruochen and Tianshuzi erupted in an instant.
The Ten Thousand Curses Heavenly Pearl glowed brightly. Under Zhang Ruochen’s mental control, it unleashed the Nether Light Curse.
A layer of purple nether light enveloped Tianshuzi, restraining him.
“Break,” Tianshuzi stood still, his body surging with fifty trillion holy path rules, forming a domain filled with corrosion, decay, and destructive aura. Within the domain, greenstone tombstones rose, inscribed with divine runes, as if suppressing undead gods beneath, their momentum overwhelming.
“Boom.”
The Nether Light Curse, which had always been invincible, was shattered by the domain.
The great saints of the Death God Hall cheered.
A ripple of light appeared in Princess Xuelai’s beautiful eyes. Since Zhang Ruochen’s strongest trump card had been broken, this battle seemed to hold no suspense.
Tianshuzi remained calm, lightly waving his right hand.
Countless holy path rules transformed into scorching Golden Blaze Divine Flame, forming three layers of fire waves that surged toward Zhang Ruochen, overwhelming the heavens.
The Golden Blaze Divine Flame he cultivated had reached the tenth level, an unparalleled high-tier holy technique.
Its temperature exceeded one hundred thousand degrees, and his execution was more refined than Queshenzi’s, filling all space and leaving Zhang Ruochen no chance to escape.
“Absorb,” Zhang Ruochen took out the Purple-Gold Gourd, drawing the surging Golden Blaze Divine Flame into it.
Tianshuzi’s eyes sharpened. Allowing Zhang Ruochen to absorb the divine flame, he moved like a leaf in the wind, following the flames toward Zhang Ruochen. One hand controlled the fire, while the other, behind his back, formed the Death God Heavenward Seal.
The energy and light of the divine flame masked his aura and figure.
When he was only three zhang away from Zhang Ruochen, he unleashed the seal.
His movements were graceful, flowing like water.
The seal struck, as if a decaying giant hand of a death god reached out, its killing aura sharper than a monarch-grade holy weapon.
“It’s over,” Tianshuzi thought to himself.
But to his surprise, the seal, capable of shattering stars, fell into distorted space. His arm felt as if it were being twisted apart, causing excruciating pain.
Tianshuzi’s expression changed. He couldn’t understand how Zhang Ruochen could still distort space under the suppression of his fifty trillion holy path rules.
He should have been the master of this space.
“Boom.”
Amid the raging divine flames, Zhang Ruochen, clad in Fire God Armor, struck with a palm, unleashing thirty times the attack power, clashing with Tianshuzi’s Death God Heavenward Seal.
Clearly, Zhang Ruochen had seen through Tianshuzi’s strategy. While absorbing the divine flame, he had formed the Dragon-Tiger Prajna Palm with his other hand, hidden behind his back.
Around the palm, radiant truth light appeared, as if a universe materialized within, with countless stars floating inside.
The light flashed and vanished.
Tianshuzi was sent flying back, landing on the ground, leaving deep footprints. Finally, with a crash, he slammed into Princess Xuelai’s holy chariot, coming to a stop.
The chariot nearly toppled, and Princess Xuelai almost fell, looking rather disheveled.
Blood dripped from Tianshuzi’s left hand, his eyes complex and wary as he stared at Zhang Ruochen.
All the cultivators present were stunned.
Was a demigod’s physical body so powerful that even Tianshuzi, with fifty trillion holy path rules, couldn’t withstand it?
Tianshuzi’s physical body wasn’t weak either.
Few realized that Zhang Ruochen’s strike wasn’t just the power of his demigod body but also the thirtyfold attack power of the Dragon-Tiger Prajna Palm, a high-tier holy technique of the Thousand Questions level.
Why thirty times the attack power?
Heaven knows why, after cultivating the “Cosmos Without Bounds” truth form, the attack power reached such a terrifying level, beyond even Zhang Ruochen’s understanding.
But this thirtyfold increase amplified the power of the Dragon-Tiger Prajna Palm, not his physical strength.
Holy techniques were driven by holy qi and holy path rules.
Thus, even a holy technique with thirty times the attack power was still weaker than a full-strength strike from his demigod body. Only by combining the holy technique and physical strength could he repel Tianshuzi.
And that was only because Tianshuzi was overconfident and affected by spatial power, allowing Zhang Ruochen to succeed.
Through this clash, Zhang Ruochen realized he still had a gap to bridge with peak Life-Death Realm great saints with deep foundations.
Few spectators understood the intricacies, only seeing Tianshuzi bloodied and defeated by Zhang Ruochen, shocking them greatly.
“At only the Great Perfection of the Hundred Shackles Realm, does Zhang Ruochen already possess Supreme Realm combat power?”
“It’s all due to his demigod body. Without a chance to use his physical strength, Tianshuzi could win easily from a thousand miles away. But it must be admitted, Zhang Ruochen is invincible in close combat, his physical strength terrifying.”
…
Tianshuzi set aside his underestimation, the blood on his arm vanishing, and said, “Zhang Ruochen, that was your strongest strike, wasn’t it?”
Not wanting to deceive him, Zhang Ruochen nodded, “Indeed, that was my strongest strike, and it nearly depleted all my holy qi.”
Tianshuzi, seeking to regain face, chuckled lightly, “That strike was merely a casual one from me, less than sixty percent of my strength. Since you’ve reached your limit, I’ll end this quickly, defeating you within three moves.”
“Mofa Heavenly Blade.”
Tianshuzi drew the holy blade once used by the Mofa God-King, striding forward. With each step, the blade gathered more blade path rules, his momentum rising.
His blade intent locked onto Zhang Ruochen, preventing him from using spatial power again.
Not only the nearby spectators but even cultivators in the farther city felt the terrifying blade intent. Their holy souls were affected, as if being torn apart, causing immense discomfort.
Xuanqingying said, “This isn’t good. Tianshuzi is using the Mofa Heavenly Blade. Why hasn’t the clan emperor intervened?”
Xuandisha’s gaze fell on Zhang Ruochen, “Zhang Ruochen looks calm, showing no fear. Hmm, let’s wait and see.”
Tianshuzi raised the blade above his head, darkening the sky.
Gales rose, and killing intent soared.
“Swish.”
This earth-shattering slash diminished many of the street’s path locks, great saint inscriptions, and divine runes. Countless cultivators held their breath.
“Clang.”
The sound of metal clashing rang out.
A figure flew back, crashing into Princess Xuelai’s holy chariot.
The chariot shattered, and Princess Xuelai swiftly flew aside to escape.
Tianshuzi, holding his war blade, climbed from the ground, a trace of blood at his lips. No longer able to maintain his calm demeanor, he glared at Zhang Ruochen with murderous eyes, roaring, “Didn’t you say that was your strongest strike, and your holy qi was depleted?”
Zhang Ruochen, clad in Fire God Armor, flames burning around him, exuded the aura of a young divine general. He said sincerely, “That’s right.”
“You…”
Tianshuzi was infuriated by such shameless words, hating Zhang Ruochen to the core.
The crowd jeered, finding Zhang Ruochen despicable.
Yan Zhexian, on the Kun Tower, didn’t know how to describe her feelings. Logically, the Death God Hall, bullying with numbers, should be the one despised.
Logically, Tianshuzi, with his superior cultivation, challenging Zhang Ruochen of the Hundred Shackles Realm, should be the one she looked down on.
Yet, she somehow felt sympathy for the Death God Hall, and Zhang Ruochen’s actions, neither sinister nor despicable, were both infuriating and amusing.
More accurately, they seemed somewhat childish.
It felt like he was deliberately toying with Tianshuzi.
Zhang Ruochen, however, knew he wasn’t toying with anyone. He said seriously, “Brother Tianshu, don’t misunderstand. That previous strike was indeed my strongest. This one, though it injured you, relied on external power. I didn’t win honourably.”
His tone was humble, not wanting to seem too arrogant.
In that strike, Zhang Ruochen had indeed drawn on the world power of the Qiankun Realm.
“Stop talking. Today’s humiliation is the shame of my life. I’ll fight you to the death,” Tianshuzi wiped the blood from his lips, his gaze chillingly ruthless.
If word of this spread, he would be the laughingstock of the entire Hell Realm.
Even if he had to burn his blood and lifespan, he would suppress Zhang Ruochen’s arrogance and wash away his shame.
