Shang Ziju’s ultimate speed was like rainbow light.
Before the onlookers could react, his sword had already struck Zhang Ruochen.
Though injured, Zhang Ruochen’s reaction speed was top-tier. He blocked with his sword, deflecting most of the Chizi Sword’s power, his body retreating explosively.
Shang Ziju pursued closely.
“Bang! Bang!”
Shang Ziju and Zhang Ruochen exchanged sword strikes like lightning, each faster than the last.
Their movements and sword lights filled the sky.
On the sea, hundreds of humanoid afterimages appeared, along with tens of thousands of sword lights and millions of sword qi.
The Chizi Sword in Shang Ziju’s hand, forged from exotic demonic iron, thirsted for blood. To be tempered into a supreme saint artifact, it required the blood of 88,888,880 newborn infants.
The term “Chizi” referred to infants.
Thus, the Chizi Sword held strange powers, capable of pulling and disrupting the blood within an opponent’s body.
Ordinary Great Saints would not even require Shang Ziju to strike; merely activating the Chizi Sword’s supreme inscriptions could drain their blood entirely.
At this moment, with Zhang Ruochen’s wounds unhealed, facing Shang Ziju, the Chizi Sword severely affected him, worsening his injuries.
Shang Ziju was no weakling, among the stronger Yuanhui-level representatives. Even Yin Yuanchen and Que would find defeating him no easy task.
That Zhang Ruochen, heavily injured, could still match Shang Ziju’s speed astonished Que, who watched from the sidelines.
In another direction, Nansheng opened his mouth, spitting out a green jade ancient talisman.
This talisman was personally crafted and refined by Nansheng, using ancient materials nurtured for years, imbued with an ancient charm and divine qi.
“Yuguang Wanli, Saint Soul Extinction.”
A drop of blood from Nansheng’s fingertip landed on the green jade talisman.
The talisman’s light surged, releasing divine inscriptions and strange patterns, covering ten thousand li. In the sea where the four powerhouses clashed, the air solidified, and the seawater turned black.
“What? Nansheng has refined a divine talisman?” a talisman master from the Heavenly Court exclaimed.
Only divine talismans bore divine inscriptions and strange patterns, combined with talisman inscriptions, capable of annihilating saint cities and killing all beings. None below the divine realm could withstand them.
The War of the Ten Realms had strict rules, prohibiting cultivators from bringing divine talismans or more than one percent of profound mysteries, as it would undermine the purpose of the battle.
However, talismans refined by a cultivator’s own power were permitted.
“A divine talisman? Doesn’t that mean Nansheng has the strength to suppress Wushang realm Yuanhui-level geniuses?”
“A divine talisman appeared on Ice King Star, destroying a divine maiden city. Countless saint realm powerhouses gathered but could not resist. If a divine talisman strikes precisely, a Yuanhui-level genius would surely be reduced to ashes.”
A talisman master shook his head, saying, “Not a divine talisman! Without mental power reaching the seventieth tier, how could one refine a divine talisman? But Nansheng’s talisman mastery is indeed formidable, reaching the pinnacle below the divine realm. This Yuguang Soul Extinction Talisman is half a divine talisman! Zhang Ruochen, besieged by three supreme masters, is doomed.”
Sensing the aura of the Yuguang Soul Extinction Talisman, Zhang Ruochen’s sense of crisis intensified.
But in that moment of distraction, Shang Ziju’s sword narrowly grazed his neck. The sword’s radiant edge scraped against the Fire God Armour, sparking a long trail of fire.
“Daring to lose focus while fighting me?”
Shang Ziju’s body split into three. Besides the true body in the centre, the left Shang Ziju was engulfed in flames, causing the surrounding temperature to soar rapidly.
The right Shang Ziju was shrouded in darkness, his dao domain turning hundreds of li into night.
Shang Ziju cultivated the “Three Corpses Refining Dao” from the Taiyi Divine Techniques List. Though Zhang Ruochen had killed his three corpses a thousand years ago, his cultivation and technique foundation remained.
With profound techniques and cultivation, Shang Ziju had refined two powerful avatars: the Fire Demon Emperor and the Cold Night Sky.
The Fire Demon Emperor and Cold Night Sky were spiritual entities born in Shangqiu, grown from the twelve spiritual flower vines planted by Shang Zu’s third son, Yi Tianjun. Each possessed great combat power, perfectly aligned with Shang Ziju’s will.
Shang Ziju believed this was the perfect moment to kill Zhang Ruochen, a matter of life and death in an instant.
Thus, the three Shang Zijus, fueled by boundless rage, attacked furiously.
His anger stemmed from the fact that, had Zhang Ruochen not destroyed his three corpses, his talent might have allowed him to challenge Yuanhui-level geniuses. Even if he couldn’t become one, with the power of his three corpses, he could have rivalled them.
Now, the Fire Demon Emperor and Cold Night Sky were significantly weaker than his true body.
Avatars could not compare to the three corpses.
“Yinming Divine Palm!”
“Flame Emperor Art!”
The Fire Demon Emperor and Cold Night Sky each unleashed supreme saint techniques, attacking Zhang Ruochen from both sides.
Shang Ziju’s true body charged forward, not using swordsmanship. The Chizi Sword hovered above his head as he formed seals with both hands, nearly 3.5 trillion saint path rules flowing between his arms.
“Great Dao Heavenly Desolation Seal!”
Behind him, a dazzling cloud of light appeared in the void.
Within the cloud, a handprint, both real and illusory, emerged.
The handprint’s centre bore palm lines aligned with the rules of heaven and earth.
Not only were the Heavenly Court’s saints shocked, but some deities were moved.
Someone trembled, murmuring, “Heavenly Desolation… Eight… Techniques…”
The Heavenly Desolation Eight Techniques were Shang Zu’s ultimate arts, created from his comprehension of the universe and cultivation of myriad paths, the essence of his lifelong cultivation.
Legend has it that 300,000 years ago, Shang Zu, vying for the Heavenly Throne against the Dragon Clan, unleashed the strongest of the Heavenly Desolation Eight Techniques, “Heavenly Desolation Eternal,” nearly matching the Dragon Clan’s “Ten Thousand Dragons Pay Homage,” losing by only a slight margin.
The “Great Dao Heavenly Desolation Seal” Shang Ziju now unleashed was one of the Heavenly Desolation Eight Techniques.
This was a supreme divine technique coveted by deities!
Any of the Heavenly Desolation Eight Techniques was difficult to master fully. Among Shang Zu’s heirs and disciples, many were divine realm titans, but only his third son, Yi Tianjun, mastered four, becoming a top divine king in the Paradise Realm.
For Shang Ziju, at the Great Saint realm, to perform even a fraction of the Great Dao Heavenly Desolation Seal showed astonishing talent and comprehension.
For Zhang Ruochen, this was a dire situation, surrounded on all sides.
Ahead was the Great Dao Heavenly Desolation Seal, to the left the Yinming Divine Palm, to the right the Flame Emperor Art, and most terrifyingly, Nansheng’s Yuguang Soul Extinction Talisman blocked his retreat.
Though Yin Yuanchen had not acted, he exerted the greatest pressure. Controlling the Tongtian Futu, he locked space and suppressed the Wangu Guiyi Dao Domain.
Moreover, as a top assassin, no one knew when he might deliver a fatal strike.
With unhealed wounds, Zhang Ruochen did not wish to clash with the Great Dao Heavenly Desolation Seal. He chose to break left, flipping his left hand to strike, meeting the Yinming Divine Palm of Cold Night Sky.
“Boom!”
Cold Night Sky was sent flying like a cannonball by Zhang Ruochen’s Taiqing Cloud-Pushing Hand.
But Zhang Ruochen underestimated the mystery of the Great Dao Heavenly Desolation Seal and Nansheng’s mental tracking. Breaking left, he found he could not evade the seal.
The handprint emerging from the cloud, though only tens of metres long, seemed infinitely vast.
No matter which direction Zhang Ruochen moved, it pressed down relentlessly.
“Fight!”
Zhang Ruochen ceased retreating, planting himself on the sea. The Cangshan Demon Mirror, Diamond Moon Wheel, and Wujin Battle Heaven Pillar, three supreme saint artifacts, flew out, striking the oncoming handprint.
“Boom!”
The Great Dao Heavenly Desolation Seal slowed slightly but continued towards Zhang Ruochen.
Shang Ziju gritted his teeth, roaring, pouring all his strength into his arms. Stele inscriptions appeared on his skin.
Forcing out stele inscriptions showed Shang Ziju was giving his all.
Zhang Ruochen retreated continuously, sinking into the water.
The Fire Demon Emperor charged, forming a fist seal the size of a small mountain with a temperature of hundreds of thousands of degrees. But a vine from Zhang Ruochen’s back whipped him away.
Behind, the Yuguang Soul Extinction Talisman’s power formed a black vortex dozens of zhang wide, closing in on Zhang Ruochen.
Ten li, nine li…
Shang Ziju sneered, “Zhang Ruochen, your time is up!”
He knew Zhang Ruochen had the Saint Devourer Flower as a trump card but didn’t believe it could withstand half a divine talisman.
Five li, four li…
As the Yuguang Soul Extinction Talisman approached, even Shang Ziju, farther away, felt his saint soul being pulled and crushed, let alone Zhang Ruochen.
Luo Ji, who had been watching quietly, stood abruptly, her graceful figure tense, her beautiful eyes filled with conflict.
She had long wanted to intervene, as it was only natural for a fiancée to aid her betrothed. But she knew she absolutely could not.
This battle was Zhang Ruochen’s attempt to push himself to the brink, to break through the extreme barrier of the Wan Si Yi Sheng realm.
If she acted, it would ruin his plan.
But now…
Feng Qingli, beside her, said, “Zhang Ruochen, facing three masters alone, has forced them to use their strongest trump cards. Even if he falls, his name will echo in history.”
Feng Qingli, Luo Ji’s close friend, had always disliked Zhang Ruochen. But today’s battle deeply shocked her, shifting her view of him.
Such strength earned the awe and respect of any cultivator.
At the least, his power demanded respect.
Luo Sheng Tian glanced at Luo Ji, seeing her slowly sit back down.
Luo Ji’s exquisite face, usually smiling, was gravely serious, her jade fingers clenched, murmuring, “I should choose to believe in him.”
Luo Ji sat, but Lan Ying and Yuan, who had been waiting for their chance, leapt into action.
Each summoned a Gate of Destiny, invoking the Light of Destiny to suppress Zhang Ruochen. They too saw this as the perfect moment to kill him.
