The Tower of the World’s Divine Maidens is covered with countless dao locks and dense divine inscriptions. Even the full eruption of power from a top-tier great saint cannot cause much damage to the surrounding buildings.
Yet every sword Chi Kunlun strikes still sends sword qi raging in all directions, scattering the cultivators beneath the high platform in panic. They retreat far away, terrified of being killed by the aftershocks of great saints.
This is power capable of piercing through stars. No one dares touch it.
“It is Chi Kunlun. Has he gone mad, daring to hunt down Supreme Realm great saints inside the Tower of the World’s Divine Maidens?”
“Chi Kunlun’s background is extraordinary. In the Kunlun Realm he received the personal guidance of the Supreme. In the Hell Realm he has Yan Wushen as his master. There are few places in Heaven or Hell he cannot go. Look, even after fighting this long, which divinity from the Twelve Divine Maiden Pavilions has intervened?”
“If his father Zhang Ruochen had been just a little less talented, a little less monstrous, he could still have thrived in both Heaven and Hell.”
“Why do I feel that Divine Sons Luan Ying and Xue Hong deliberately provoked him? Just wait. The worldly supreme experts of the Demon God Realm will surely act soon.”
…
Word of the fierce battle here quickly drew countless onlookers.
More than a dozen tower master-level powerhouses from the Twelve Divine Maiden Pavilions, such as the Brahma Heaven Divine Maiden, flew over and immediately activated the protective arrays of this palace cluster.
They dared not approach, nor did they dare rashly trigger the arrays to kill Chi Kunlun.
After all, Chi Kunlun’s background was too great. Killing him would bring endless trouble to the Twelve Divine Maiden Pavilions. They could only report to the divinities first.
Divine Son Xue Hong had been slashed twelve times by Chi Kunlun. Blood flowed freely from his body as he roared incessantly. Had the other demon clan great saints not been harassing from the sides, preventing Chi Kunlun from striking with full force, he would probably already have followed Divine Son Luan Ying into death.
“Awoo!”
Divine Son Xue Hong let out a long howl and transformed into his blood hou true form. His body grew as large as a house, his fur radiating bright crimson light.
Thick blood qi spread through the protective arrays of the palace cluster.
“Xue Hong, come die!”
While controlling the Chenyuan Ancient Sword to hold off the more than ten demon clan great saints encircling him, Chi Kunlun formed seals with both hands. Saint qi surged from his body, spreading in all directions and manifesting a ghastly, terrifying hellscape.
White bones carpeted the ground, mountains of bloodied corpses rose high, and yin banners fluttered.
Whistling winds and the cries of fierce ghosts instantly turned the splendid and prosperous Tower of the World’s Divine Maidens into a chilling realm of the yellow springs.
“Boom!”
Chi Kunlun pressed down with a palm, smashing the blood hou in its true form into bloody mud. Chunks of corpse flew in all directions.
Another Supreme Realm great saint of the demon clan had been slain!
“So strong. That is Yan Wushen’s ultimate art, the Yanluo Hell!”
“How can it be Yanluo Hell? Could Yan Wushen have passed on the Yanluo Heavenly Dao to him as well?”
“To manifest Yanluo Hell one must cultivate the Yanluo Heavenly Dao, the Dao of Space, and the Dao of Origin to extremely high levels. Chi Kunlun has kept a low profile these years, yet who would have thought his combat techniques had reached such a realm. Divine Sons Luan Ying and Xue Hong completely misjudged their opponent. I fear they died with regrets.”
During the Red Dust Assembly, although Chi Kunlun had slaughtered the worldly powerhouses of the Blade God Realm until few remained, it was later confirmed that the one who truly acted was Yan Wushen.
Under the brilliance of Zhang Ruochen and Yan Wushen, Chi Kunlun’s cultivation and combat strength had always been underestimated.
That was precisely why Divine Sons Luan Ying and Xue Hong had been courting death without realising it.
Seeing Chi Kunlun first cut down Luan Ying and then Xue Hong, the remaining demon clan great saints were all terrified. They retreated, too frightened to strike again. Yet they still hurled vicious words. “Chi Kunlun, as expected, your body is in Heaven but your heart is in Hell. What crime did Divine Sons Luan Ying and Xue Hong commit to be brutally murdered by you?”
“Relying on powerful backers to bully others. Is it not simply because the Supreme shields you?”
“Both Divine Sons Luan Ying and Xue Hong possessed the potential to become gods. This is an enmity that cannot be shared under the same sky. True Lords Luan Ying and Xue Hong will never let this rest.”
The young woman in cyan could no longer bear it and said, “How can you demon clan great saints invert black and white like this? It was clearly Divine Sons Xue Hong and Luan Ying who provoked first. How has it become him relying on powerful backers to bully others?”
“Is this a place for you to speak?”
A demon clan great saint with a centipede tail spat venom from his mouth.
The venom turned into arrows that flew straight towards the young woman in cyan.
Chi Kunlun shifted sideways, placing himself in front of her. He swung his sword and dispersed the venom. His eyes were ice-cold as he glared at the centipede-tailed demon great saint.
More than ten demon clan great saints all released their dao domains. The domains overlapped, reinforced by monarch-grade saint weapons, forming the strongest defence.
The centipede-tailed demon great saint sneered. “Such tender feelings for the fairer sex. Regrettably you can protect her for a moment but not for a lifetime. Once you leave the Tower of the World’s Divine Maidens, this saint will buy her and make her a slave, tormenting her to death.”
The young woman in cyan stood behind Chi Kunlun. Though somewhat afraid, she still said in a tense whisper, “Do not worry about me. Leave quickly. Once the top powerhouses of the Demon God Realm arrive, you will not be able to escape! Their target is you.”
Chi Kunlun scanned the surroundings and saw more and more experts gathering.
“Let us leave together. First get away from here.”
Using spatial power, he enveloped the young woman in cyan and the scholarly-robed elder, then charged towards the outside of the Tower of the World’s Divine Maidens.
To his surprise, just as he prepared to slash open the array with a sword, the array cracked open a gap first.
Chi Kunlun did not know who was secretly helping him. With no time to think, he rushed out of the tower and headed straight for the city gate.
Sitting in the moon boat, Zhang Ruochen’s spiritual senses were keen. He detected several powerful demi-gods using talismans to conceal themselves as they pursued Chi Kunlun.
Among them was one whose aura was extremely faint, whose concealment methods were exquisite. Even divinities might not detect it.
In the end Zhang Ruochen could not feel at ease. He followed.
Chi Kunlun burst out of the First Divine Maiden City, then left the Divine Maiden Clothing City. Freed from the suppression of the dao locks and divine inscriptions of the sacred city, his speed instantly increased. He turned into a beam of light and shot into the night.
The demi-gods chasing him revealed themselves one after another.
“Excellent. If Chi Kunlun had stayed inside the First Divine Maiden City, with Zhang Ruochen’s old acquaintances interfering, we would have been obstructed if we acted. Now that he has left the city, we have no more reservations.”
“Indeed, acting inside the city carries too many concerns.”
“Remember, we want him alive.”
In total six demi-gods, from two different factions.
They were about to unleash their full speed and pursue from six directions when a graceful, slender figure suddenly appeared ahead.
The figure seemed to materialise from thin air, outside their perception.
All six demi-gods grew wary. One of them asked coldly, “Who are you? The Demon God Realm is handling matters. Please step aside…”
Blood from within the six demi-gods seeped from their pores, turning into peach blossom petals.
Before they could even cry out, they had already become six desiccated corpses lying among crimson peach blossoms.
All traces of life withered away.
Peach Blossom stepped out from the darkness. She appeared to be in her twenties, with three pale pink peach blossom marks on her brow. Compared to a thousand years ago, she carried a touch more mature charm and a little less of a young girl’s vitality.
She was about to dispose of the six corpses when she suddenly looked up warily. Her eyes sharpened like swords as she stared at a shadow dozens of zhang away.
“Who is there?”
Peach Blossom had once been the top worldly assassin of the Heavenly Kill Organisation. Her spiritual awareness was acute, her vigilance extraordinary.
Yet the shadow before her filled her with dread, appearing like a ghost, silent and traceless.
Zhang Ruochen’s aged figure slowly emerged. He looked at the peach blossoms covering the ground and sighed. “The exclusive killing art of the Heavenly Kill Organisation, the Peach Blossom Tribulation! You are Peach Blossom?”
Peach Blossom probed with her spiritual force but could detect no fluctuation of power from him. Realising she had encountered a divinity, her heart sank to the bottom.
Zhang Ruochen stepped forward.
Peach Blossom retreated step by step.
“Since you have already retired from the world, why emerge once more? Countless divinities have come to the current Xinghuan Heaven. Once discovered and word spreads, the Heavenly Kill Organisation will never let a traitor like you live.”
With a wave of his hand, the peach blossoms and the six demi-god corpses on the ground instantly turned to dust and ash.
A breeze blew, scattering the dust.
The extremely faint aura Zhang Ruochen had sensed earlier belonged to Peach Blossom.
“Who exactly are you?” Peach Blossom asked.
Zhang Ruochen said, “Why are you helping Chi Kunlun?”
“That is none of your concern!” Peach Blossom replied.
Zhang Ruochen pondered in silence for a moment, then said, “Yue has also come to Xinghuan Heaven, has he not? Take me to see him.”
“I do not know who you mean.”
Peach Blossom’s gaze was icy, yet deep in her pupils flickered a trace of nervousness and panic that Zhang Ruochen caught.
His eyes fell upon her slightly rounded belly. Infinite joy appeared in his aged, turbid eyes. “You are pregnant?”
A bitter expression crossed Peach Blossom’s face. She knew the old man before her was extremely powerful, and since he knew that a thousand years ago she and Yue had retired together, he was very likely a divinity from the assassin world or connected to the Heavenly Kill Organisation.
If she were not pregnant, she would have immediately detonated her saint source to avoid being soul-searched and allowing him to track Yue through her.
But now that she carried a child, she had grown afraid of death.
The former number one worldly assassin was effectively finished!
She took his words “You are pregnant?” as a threat.
Fearing she might do something foolish, Zhang Ruochen finally dared conceal the truth no longer. “I am Yue’s friend. Do not misunderstand.”
“He has only one friend,” Peach Blossom said.
“Indeed. That one is me.”
Zhang Ruochen used his finger to write characters in the void.
They were precisely the cultivation method Yue practised, the Nine Revolutions Life and Death Art.
“This method is the one I passed to him years ago. He should have told you,” Zhang Ruochen said as he wrote.
Peach Blossom believed him now!
For with cultivation far surpassing hers, if he were not Zhang Ruochen, why would he explain so much when he already held all her weaknesses?
Yet seeing Zhang Ruochen’s white hair and frail, powerless appearance, she truly could not connect him to titles like “Romantic Sword God”, “Lord of Ten Realms”, or “Aeon-level Genius” that once blazed across the universe.
“How… how have you ended up like this? Do you know, after learning you went missing in this star region, Yue and I, who had already lived in seclusion for a thousand years, both hurried here? He said this might be the time you needed him most.” Peach Blossom harboured some resentment, for she was pregnant and truly did not wish to take risks.
She felt that even she and the child together weighed less in Yue’s heart than Zhang Ruochen did.
Yet Yue was irreplaceable in her own heart, and she could not feel at ease letting him come alone to this star region of Xinghuan Heaven.
