This sword light was almost imperceptible, faintly present yet absent, existing between the virtual and the real.
Facing this terrifying assassin whose reputation resounded throughout Heaven and Hell, every hair on Zhang Ruochen’s body stood on end. His mental focus instantly reached its peak. Within the Yin Evasion Nine Arrays, he retreated rapidly, constantly shifting position.
Strangely, Qian Heng Yi Shu’s direct thrust somehow followed him like a shadow, locked unerringly onto Zhang Ruochen.
Even the spatial divine arrays could not block it.
“Yang Evasion Nine Arrays!”
With no other choice, Zhang Ruochen activated another nine spatial divine arrays.
The Yin Evasion Nine Arrays and Yang Evasion Nine Arrays together were known as the Yin-Yang Eighteen Bureaus.
Legend held that when the eighteen spatial divine arrays merged into one, complementing yin and yang, and were wielded by a master array god, they could contend directly against a king-sealing sovereign.
Of course, though Zhang Ruochen had, over the past millennium, re-refined the Yin Evasion Nine Arrays to greatly increase their power and newly forged the Yang Evasion Nine Arrays, barely forming the Yin-Yang Eighteen Bureaus, his mental force was still far inferior to a true array god’s. Moreover, the eighteen arrays he had produced were only rudimentary in form and could not compare to the legendary Yin-Yang Eighteen Bureaus.
“Boom!”
A sky full of array inscriptions, spatial star gates, spatial divine towers, spatial palaces, all surged forth, finally neutralising Qian Heng Yi Shu’s terrifying and peerless strike.
Yet even with the Yin Evasion Nine Arrays and Yang Evasion Nine Arrays combined, they failed to trap him.
Having retreated beyond the arrays, Qian Heng Yi Shu let out a soft “hm”, clearly astonished by Zhang Ruochen’s attainment in arrays.
As long as Qian Heng Yi Shu remained still, Zhang Ruochen could not pinpoint his location.
But once he struck, he was fully exposed to Zhang Ruochen’s perception.
“Wrath Sword!”
Zhang Ruochen had been steadily gathering wrath. His eyes turned crimson as he roared.
“Swish!”
The Wrath Sword shot skyward from the crown of his head, forming a dazzling beam of light that slashed straight into the darkness.
The higher his cultivation rose, the more thoroughly Zhang Ruochen wielded the seven soul swords of Sword Ancestor.
Though the wrath within him was far from its peak, the power unleashed by this strike was nevertheless extraordinary. It tore through space continuously, extending to a thousand miles away.
At that thousand-mile mark, the Wrath Sword collided with the swiftly retreating Qian Heng Yi Shu.
Qian Heng Yi Shu’s true form appeared before Zhang Ruochen for the first time. He was tall and imposing, clad in black iron armour and draped in a dark-red cloak edged with silver. In his hand he held a six-foot sharp sword.
The blade was slender. As he swung it, a divine beast resembling both python and dragon flowed along the sword body.
Half his face was covered by a black mask. A pair of bold and resolute eyes stood out strikingly in the darkness. His lips were as sharp as a blade, cold and austere, radiating a mysterious yet powerfully masculine charisma.
“Boom!”
Divine sword soul erupted from his body, merging with the six-foot sword in his hand, and clashed against the Wrath Sword.
His cloak billowed as Qian Heng Yi Shu was forced back more than three hundred li, yet he bore no wounds whatsoever. His presence was overwhelming, standing in the void like an unyielding divine mountain.
Just as Zhang Ruochen prepared to summon the second soul sword.
Qian Heng Yi Shu took the initiative to sheathe his blade and said, “Not bad. With the Yin-Yang Eighteen Bureaus and Sword Ancestor’s soul swords alone, this visit was worthwhile. We can plan great matters together.”
The Wrath Sword returned to his body.
Zhang Ruochen stood upon the Yin Evasion Nine Arrays, the Yang Evasion Nine Arrays hovering above his head. He did not relax his vigilance and said, “There is nothing to plan with an assassin.”
Qian Heng Yi Shu appeared entirely unafraid of Zhang Ruochen’s eighteen spatial divine arrays or Sword Ancestor’s soul swords. He walked forward step by step and said, “Are you not interested in killing a great god of the Dark Divine Hall?”
“Shuangcheng Mo’s cultivation was crippled by the Pure Yang Divine Sword, yet you still have not slain him?” Zhang Ruochen said.
Qian Heng Yi Shu replied, “What kind of figure is Shuangcheng Mo? Peak Taibai Realm cultivation. Once he breaks through to Taixu, he will surely enter the Dark Divine Hall’s War God Hall. Though he cannot compare to the brilliance of Blood Jue War God or Huang Tian, he still possesses the potential to seal kingship and claim sovereignty. How little must you think of him to believe he can be killed easily?”
He continued, “That strike just now was purely to test your strength. Otherwise, even with the Yin-Yang Eighteen Bureaus, you would likely have become a ghost beneath my sword.”
“You believe I could not even withstand a single strike from you?” Zhang Ruochen said.
Qian Heng Yi Shu answered, “At least with the means you have displayed so far, the chance of blocking a full-force assassination thrust from me would be no more than twenty percent.”
“Shuangcheng Mo’s cultivation far exceeds yours, does it not? I have less than twenty percent chance of blocking your sword. Would that not mean facing his Dark Divine Sword would be certain death?” Zhang Ruochen said.
Qian Heng Yi Shu replied, “As you say, Shuangcheng Mo has been crippled by the Pure Yang Divine Sword and pursued by me for several years. By now, he probably retains less than thirty percent of his peak strength. Were it not for his Dark Divine Sword, I would have slain him long ago.”
“Though your martial cultivation is ruined, the power unleashed by that Sword Ancestor soul sword just now is in no way inferior to a strike from a Taibai Realm great god. The Yin-Yang Eighteen Bureaus are also extraordinary. Even I have no absolute confidence in breaking them.”
“With these two alone, you possess the qualification to cooperate with me. Moreover, you need not even act personally.”
“If I need not act, why seek cooperation with me?” Zhang Ruochen’s smile carried a playful edge.
Qian Heng Yi Shu’s gaze grew solemn. He had reached the edge of the eighteen spatial divine arrays and met Zhang Ruochen’s eyes. “Help me locate him. I know you crossed the tenth layer of the Sea of Truth and obtained a truth supreme treasure even more precious than truth profound mysteries. That is why my Myriad Transformations Without Trace could not evade your perception. Finding Shuangcheng Mo should not be difficult for you.”
Zhang Ruochen attempted to probe Qian Heng Yi Shu’s mind, but the man’s eyes blazed with light, shattering all his perceptive force.
Qian Heng Yi Shu said, “You need not doubt my intentions. It is true that you possess many treasures, such as the divine sword, the Sundial, the Reverse God Stele, and I do indeed covet them. Yet with Tai Shang still alive, even if I obtained them, I would not dare use them. That would only bury a mortal peril for myself. Apart from Tai Shang, how could I not fear that one in Xing Huan Heaven?”
Zhang Ruochen suddenly asked, “Which Heaven stands behind you?”
A flicker of surprise passed through Qian Heng Yi Shu’s cold eyes. Clearly, he had not expected Zhang Ruochen to pose such a question.
Qian Heng Yi Shu had betrayed the Heavenly Assassins Organisation, yet not only survived, he had founded the Earthly Assassins Organisation. In a mere few tens of thousands of years, it had grown to rival the Heavenly Assassins.
Given Xuan Yi’s style, without a great figure backing him, Qian Heng Yi Shu would long since have died. How could he have risen to such prominence?
An ordinary Immeasurable Realm divinity could never have suppressed Xuan Yi to this extent.
The person behind Qian Heng Yi Shu, even if not one of the Heavens, must be an existence approaching that level.
Qian Heng Yi Shu said, “You fear assassination by me, Zhang Ruochen. As a lone assassin, I fear even more being betrayed by you at a critical moment. Since that is so, I shall speak plainly.”
“The greatest reason I seek alliance with you is that you need me, and I need you. Because we share one great common enemy. Until that enemy dies, I believe there is no need for us to be foes.”
“You fear Xuan Yi that much?” Zhang Ruochen said.
Qian Heng Yi Shu replied, “Once Xuan Yi breaks through to the Immeasurable Realm, the person behind me will no longer be able to restrain him. Then, the first he will kill will surely be me.”
Zhang Ruochen’s expression turned thoughtful. “I understand. The person behind you is Heaven Realm’s second war god, Zhao Gongming.”
In Heaven Realm, few could have nurtured a sword dao great god like Qian Heng Yi Shu.
Neither the Feng clan nor the Radiance Divine Hall were possible. In the end, it could only be Zhao Gongming.
Even if Xuan Yi reached Immeasurable, he would still be far from Zhao Gongming’s match, yet he would no longer need to hold any reservations.
Qian Heng Yi Shu neither confirmed nor denied it. “The second and third people Xuan Yi will kill will certainly be you and Chi Yao.”
“My martial cultivation is ruined. Why would he kill me?” Zhang Ruochen said.
Qian Heng Yi Shu answered, “Your mental force is growing so rapidly. Is that not a threat? The Reverse God Stele, divine sword, and Sundial upon you, does he not covet them? What others dare not do, Xuan Yi at Immeasurable Realm will absolutely dare. Then he will soar to the heavens in a single leap, no longer needing to endure or restrain himself. He will surely stain the skies red with blood. Believe me, no one understands him better than I.”
This reason from Qian Heng Yi Shu finally convinced Zhang Ruochen somewhat.
Zhang Ruochen said, “Xuan Yi is already the foremost beneath Immeasurable. Even if we join forces, what would we count for in his eyes?”
Qian Heng Yi Shu replied, “To put it more bluntly, I wish to borrow the Sundial for cultivation, striving to break through to Immeasurable before him. Someone told me this is one of the few paths to survival left to me.”
Zhang Ruochen regarded him for a long while and said, “So in truth, you did not come to cooperate with me, but to beg me?”
At these words, cold light flashed in Qian Heng Yi Shu’s eyes, but soon he sighed. “One truly cannot treat you as a junior.”
“If you are unwilling, you may kill me now and seize the Sundial,” Zhang Ruochen said.
Qian Heng Yi Shu answered coldly, “Even if I seized the Sundial, what then? Cultivate forever hidden in the Dark Great Triangle Star Domain? The Immeasurable Realm cannot be reached within the Dark Great Triangle Star Domain. Moreover, would you, Zhang Ruochen, truly lack means to protect yourself?”
“Whether I possess such means, I will not tell you. But I can tell you this. If you dare draw your sword against me again, it will be your death,” Zhang Ruochen said.
Qian Heng Yi Shu naturally believed Zhang Ruochen must have some extraordinary trump card. Otherwise, how would he dare provoke Xiu Chen Heavenly God?
Qian Heng Yi Shu said, “Does that mean you have already agreed to cooperate with me?”
“Since you have come begging at my door, and I happen to need an ally, let us cooperate for now and see. Do you have confidence in escaping Xiu Chen’s grasp?” Zhang Ruochen said.
Qian Heng Yi Shu’s brow furrowed slightly. “It seems you still intend to storm the Eternal Divine Hall. Do you not understand the principle that if one does not court death, one will not die?”
“Do you not understand that I hold enmity not only with Xuan Yi, but with Xiu Chen as well? If it truly refines a divine source, the threat it poses to me will be no less than Xuan Yi’s,” Zhang Ruochen said.
