“We have no way back. You deal with Prajna. Leave Zhang Ruochen to me.” Gui Si’s bearing was extraordinary. His tone was deep and steady.
Even if Zhang Ruochen was the Origin Emissary, how could Gui Si, as an upper god, fear him?
First, Zhang Ruochen had only recently achieved divinity through mental power. To what extent could he wield the mysteries of the Origin?
Second, this was the Ancient Desolate Ruins City. The dark power of the Abyss of Darkness isolated it from the outside world. Even with one percent mastery of Origin mysteries, the Origin rules he could mobilise were very limited.
The Heavenly Magpie Goddess was decisive too. She did not delusionally try to reclaim the Magpie God Feather. She clapped her hands together. Her divine body exploded, turning into a mass of black mist.
Hundreds and thousands of divine magpies flew out from the black mist. They rushed toward Chi Yao, who sat cross-legged. Their mouths emitted sharp cries that could attack the divine soul.
“Where do you think you are going.”
Zhang Ruochen formed seals with his ten fingers. Mental power and Origin mysteries operated simultaneously. At once, Origin divine light burst from the ground. It condensed into a massive white divine lotus, taking all the divine magpies into the lotus.
The divine magpies collided together, reforming the figure of the Heavenly Magpie Goddess.
She staggered, almost falling over.
“Little Zhang Ruochen, you cannot trap this goddess.”
The Heavenly Magpie Goddess’s face was full of fury. She cast a divine technique. Divine energy surged from her body to her back. Feathers on her wings showed streaks of blood-red lightning.
The lightning gathered together, forming a claw covered in iron scales. It was over thirty metres long. It aimed to break open the Origin divine lotus and escape.
At the same time, Gui Si struck out the Heavenly Apex Cloud Blade. It turned into a high-speed rotating arc of light, slashing toward Zhang Ruochen.
Every supreme inscription on the Heavenly Apex Cloud Blade was very bright, like lightning piercing the heavens and earth. Under Gui Si’s powerful divine power, its might was utterly terrifying. Space seemed about to explode with it.
“Be careful.”
Yan Wushen roared loudly. A corner of a mottled stone bridge rushed out from his body, shaking the chains wrapped around him with a clattering sound.
Even the Ten Directions Soul-Shocking Array Diagram shook.
“Anger Sword.”
From Zhang Ruochen’s brow, a light sword flew out. It collided with the incoming Heavenly Apex Cloud Blade.
“Boom.”
A heaven-shaking, earth-rending sound tore the ground beneath everyone’s feet.
The sonic wave surged like a giant wave. It pierced the ears of the gods present, made their brains dizzy, and struck their bodies like heavy blows.
“How is that possible.”
Gui Si retrieved the Heavenly Apex Cloud Blade that had been sent flying. In disbelief, he stared at Zhang Ruochen standing in the Origin divine light. Even if the Origin Emissary was strong, how could he trap a veteran mid-level god and still block his full strike?
Moreover, that force just now came from the sword path, not the Origin path.
Xiao Hei, suppressed by the array diagram, saw that scene. He could not help blurting out, “It is the power of the Sword Ancestor. This is the legendary Soul Sword. If I had known you mastered such a powerful force, enough to rival an upper god, why would this emperor have accompanied you into the Abyss of Darkness? You hid it too deeply.”
Zhang Ruochen pressed his hands together. He controlled the Origin power to suppress the Heavenly Magpie Goddess firmly with the divine lotus.
The Anger Sword sometimes took solid form, sometimes ethereal. It flew around Zhang Ruochen.
At times, the power fluctuations it emitted were strong. At other times, they were very weak.
Gui Si had lived for over a hundred thousand years after all. His experience was vast. He saw some clues. He said, “This is inherited power. You cannot control it at will. If this seat is not wrong, this sword is affected by your emotions. The more angry you are, the stronger the power it unleashes. Sword intent fused with emotions. It is the seven souls turned into sword.”
“You guessed right. Zhang Ruochen is very angry now. Face the storm, Gui Si.” Regardless of whether Zhang Ruochen was angry or not, Xiao Hei was furious because the Ice Soul Chill Pearl had been taken.
He had always been the one robbing others. How could he allow others to rob him.
Gui Si snorted coldly. Grey mist surged on his body. His figure and appearance changed, turning into Prajna’s form. Her body was graceful and beautiful. Her eyes were charming. Her legs were long and slender. Her long hair flowed.
“Pfft.”
Yan Wushen seemed unable to hold back his injury. He spat out a mouthful of blood.
Xiao Hei was stunned. He did not expect Gui Si to be so shameless to suppress Zhang Ruochen’s anger. Where had the majestic might of an upper god gone.
Zhang Ruochen’s mind wavered for a moment. Then, his anger surged even more.
The light from the Anger Sword brightened more than twice over. Powerful sword qi fluctuations poured toward Gui Si like tides. It was too much. A four-armed giant actually dared to openly change into Prajna’s appearance. What did he take Zhang Ruochen for.
“Gurgle.”
Before the Anger Sword could attack, a strange cry rang out.
The sound was very close, as if right behind the gods’ ears.
Above, thick black ghost clouds surged in, swallowing the area covered by the Ten Directions Soul-Shocking Array Diagram.
The gods in the array felt as if they had fallen into an ice cave. They were frozen numb all over.
They looked up. They saw a skull the size of a mountain suspended above the array diagram. There was an ancient character between its brows. The power it emitted was baleful and sky-high.
“Ghost-type strange beast.”
Including Chi Yao who was healing, all the gods paled. They felt a sense of impending doom.
The divine technique the Heavenly Magpie Goddess was brewing could no longer be unleashed. That feeling was like facing the End Law God King. She could not muster any will to fight.
The gap was too great.
Gui Si felt it even more strongly because he sensed the skull’s empty eye sockets locking onto him. So, he released his divine realm world. Divine energy in his body operated at full power, sounding like flowing rivers.
The divine realm world and divine energy turned into a sea of flashing divine light, covering tens of thousands of miles of the city domain in the Ancient Desolate Ruins City.
Xiao Hei, Gushai Jing, and Yan Wushen, bound in the array diagram, felt their bodies lighten. They escaped the suppression and fell to the ground. Each took out their ultimate weapons, mobilising divine energy to activate them.
“Go.” Gui Si roared loudly.
The Ten Directions Soul-Shocking Array Diagram turned into a boundless great world. It flew toward the ghost-type strange beast.
This was the strength and bearing of an upper god. When other gods would not dare to strike, Gui Si dared to attack the ghost-type strange beast proactively.
But after this strike, Gui Si immediately burned his body’s blood qi. At the fastest speed, he fled toward the direction leaving the Ancient Desolate Ruins City.
“Gurgle.”
The skull roared shrilly. The Ten Directions Soul-Shocking Array Diagram shattered like waste paper. It burned in mid-air.
In the next instant, Gui Si, who had already fled hundreds of miles away, found ghost qi wrapping around him from all directions. It was like being suppressed by a hundred thousand mountains.
“No. Why only chase and kill me.”
Gui Si let out a long howl from his mouth. His divine body grew rapidly, clashing against the ghost qi.
He reached out and grabbed divine corpses and giant stones from the ground, hurling them at the skull behind.
These divine corpses and giant stones were as heavy as planets.
But no matter how strong Gui Si was, he was no match for the ghost-type strange beast after all. He could not escape. He was swallowed in one bite.
After devouring Gui Si, the skull flew away, vanishing from the sight of Yan Wushen, Xiao Hei, and the others. It left only a ruined land.
The divine battle just now was too thrilling.
Gui Si’s desperate outburst before death unleashed power where every strike could kill a lower god, destroy a stretch of starry sky. Yet it was still just a deathbed struggle. He could not escape.
Just watching from afar filled one with despair.
“It just left like that.” Yan Wushen found it somewhat hard to believe.
Xiao Hei could not relax. He said, “It could not possibly only fancy upper gods and ignore us directly, right. Sigh. What a pity for this emperor’s Ice Soul Chill Pearl.”
“Swish.”
A figure flashed.
Chi Yao stepped on the Nether River, chasing rapidly toward the direction the ghost-type strange beast had left.
“Have you gone mad. Why is she chasing after it.” Xiao Hei exclaimed in shock. Then he said, “Zhang Ruochen, quickly stop her.”
Gushai Jing said, “Zhang Ruochen was swept away by the ghost-type strange beast’s ghost qi.”
…
Zhang Ruochen was wrapped in ghost qi. His vision was pitch black. Up, down, left, right were all void.
Boundless cold qi assaulted him. Even his flesh body of absolute dao transformation could hardly bear it. Blood in his body seemed about to solidify. Even his bones felt like they had turned to ice.
Zhang Ruochen mobilised Origin mysteries, trying to draw on the Origin rules between heaven and earth. But heaven and earth were isolated. He was like trapped in a cage.
He mobilised the seven soul swords. But when the soul swords flew out, they could not strike any solid object.
In the end, Zhang Ruochen calmed down. He sat cross-legged in the ghost qi, mobilising the Arhat White Pearl hanging around his neck. With the white pearl’s power, he purified the ghost qi invading his body. Beneath him appeared a mass of pure white Buddha cloud.
He did not know how long it flew or where it went.
The ghost clouds dispersed. Zhang Ruochen fell to the ground.
This was no longer the Ancient Desolate Ruins City. Darkness surrounded him completely. Vision and mental power were affected by the dark power. He could only see and sense a limited area.
The mountain-sized skull floated in mid-air. Its entire body emitted a terrifying divine might aura.
Zhang Ruochen looked up. He prepared for a fight to the death. Even if the power difference was vast, with no chance of victory or escape, the will to survive must not be absent. Battle intent could not be extinguished.
“Splash.”
The skull turned into a withered old man, skinny as firewood, over three metres tall. He landed on the ground. Then, he knelt on one knee before Zhang Ruochen. In a hoarse voice, he said, “Cang Mang pays respects to the Young Lord.”
Zhang Ruochen had already hidden the dark matter sphere behind him. Seeing the ghost-type strange beast kneel on one knee, behaving like a servant bowing to his master, his heart was naturally filled with shock.
Could it have mistaken him for someone else.
Zhang Ruochen said, “Cang Mang. Why do you call me Young Lord. Who exactly are you. Are you a ghost race god spirit, or a ghost-type strange beast.”
Even kneeling on one knee, Cang Mang was taller than Zhang Ruochen. Lowering his head, he said, “It is the master who calculated some results. He sent this old one to the Ancient Desolate Ruins City to seek the Young Lord. It is both to deliver an item and to stop the Young Lord from going to the Great Nether Mountain.”
Zhang Ruochen said, “What item.”
Cang Mang took out a lotus pedestal, holding it in both hands.
On the lotus pedestal were six treasures, arranged in a pyramid of three, two, one. They emitted six different colours: cyan, green, purple, red, cyan, yellow. There were also crimson flames burning on the six treasures.
The various treasure lights illuminated the darkness, spreading over a hundred thousand miles or more.
The entire continent, thousands of mountains, deep valleys, long ravines were all lit up one by one by this divine lamp.
Zhang Ruochen was shocked in his heart. He said, “Mani Pearl.”
This was exactly the form of the Mani Pearl, the foremost of the Buddhist seven treasures in legend.
