This scene etched itself deeply into the hearts of countless cultivators in the city. The woman in the temple, with her breathtaking beauty, seemed like a man-eating demon.
Yu Ling God glanced towards the black temple where Wu Bian resided. Seeing it still showed no reaction, she felt greatly reassured.
Even the cultivators of the Dark Temple were afraid. At this moment, they knelt and bowed towards the black temple, calling out the name of “Wu Bian God Venerable”.
“Temple Master, please descend the light of darkness and purify her defiled soul.”
“Where is Mu Tuo War God? Why has he not emerged to slay Yu Ling God and Zhang Ruochen?”
…
Yu Ling God raised both hands. With the Yaksha Ancestral Divine Temple as the centre, a circular array disc covered the entire Hundred Clans King City.
The array disc rotated, emitting a harsh sound like stones grinding together.
Swish!
Streaks of purple lightning fell like rippling water from the sky into the city, striking and killing cultivators of the Dark Temple. In every instant, thousands upon thousands turned to green smoke.
Since they were already in a life-and-death standoff, Yu Ling God no longer held back as she once had.
Even if she were killed by an Immeasurable-realm god after this battle, today she would fight to restore the Yaksha Clan’s prestige and make the Dark Temple pay a grievous price.
“When this woman gets ruthless, there is no room left for men!”
Zhang Ruochen also wished to slaughter freely, but only against gods.
Killing saint-realm cultivators on such a scale would certainly cripple the Dark Temple’s secular forces. Yet it also broke the rules and would surely bring backlash.
The Yaksha Clan possessed thirty-eight great worlds, after all.
Still, Zhang Ruochen could understand why Yu Ling God acted this way.
The Dark Temple’s secular forces had already spread throughout the Hundred Clans King City. If they were not wiped out while the opportunity existed, even if the three great clans regained control of the city, those secular forces would hide beneath the surface, scattered everywhere, becoming a hidden threat.
Overall, the benefits and drawbacks were evenly balanced.
Yu Ling God’s all-or-nothing gamble carried a small calculation regarding Zhang Ruochen. By doing this, the Yaksha Clan’s more than thirty great worlds would be forced to migrate into the Sword Realm.
It was highly risky, yet also a chance for the Yaksha Clan to rise anew.
In the city domain covered by the thirty-six array towers, Yu Shi had already been suppressed jointly by the Yaksha Clan Chief and the Fire Ghost Clan Chief. She was confined within a transparent mental power war vessel.
Additionally, eight divine corpses lay on the ground, all gods of minor clans unwilling to submit.
…
After Ancestor Xuan Qi’s death, four more great gods attacked in succession, attempting to break into the city domain where the array towers stood. They knew clearly that the Yaksha Clan and Fire Ghost Clan must not be allowed to control the city’s arrays, or all would be lost.
Unfortunately, all were blocked by Zhang Ruochen.
Zhang Ruochen raised the Yin-Yang Eighteen Bureaus, deriving eighteen divine array spaces. It was as though he held eighteen worlds in his palms, fighting alone against five great gods, including Qing Yun Tai.
His mental power was immense, his divine qi abundant. He continually drew the heaven-and-earth divine qi of the Hundred Clans King City into his body to sustain the arrays.
In the Di Mo Clan holy land, Yan Yu gazed towards the brightly lit divine region and sighed. “Xiang Ru Yue of the Feng Du Ghost City, Huo Ze God Lord of the Fate Temple’s Murderous Palace, Yi Huang of the Hidden Bone Sea, Xue Mu Hall Master of the Corpse Clan’s Longevity Hall, and Qing Yun Tai. Any one of these five great gods could shake the starry sky and awe all directions when acting alone. Yet today, the five together cannot prevail against a single Zhang Ruochen.”
Yan Zhe Xian, Yan Huang Tu, the Di Mo Clan Chief… dozens of powerful cultivators stood dumbfounded, unable to recover from their shock for a long while.
Zhang Ruochen had truly restored his martial way and, in a short time, reached such heights.
It was perversely excessive, beyond reason.
Yan Zhe Xian wore gorgeous rune robes, like an immortal maiden from a painting. She snorted. “So what if he has become a great god? Does that give him licence to rampage in the hell realm? His inability to restrain himself means he has fallen into someone else’s scheme.”
Yan Huang Tu nodded repeatedly. “When Zhang Ruochen had just attained godhood, he provoked Qing Tian himself to act. If I were him, even after restoring my martial cultivation, I would certainly act low-key. I would at least reach the Immeasurable realm before stepping into the world and sweeping all enemies.”
Worry showed in Yan Zhe Xian’s bright eyes. “This time, will he provoke another heavenly figure?”
“That was then, this is now.”
Though the Ancient God of Learning appeared aged and stooped, his eyes were bright. He stood like an evergreen pine, an eternal rock.
“Great-grandfather, what do you mean by that?” Yan Zhe Xian asked quickly.
The Ancient God of Learning said, “Yu’er, you explain it to them.”
Yan Yu smiled. “The present Zhang Ruochen already possesses the capital to look down upon the world. So long as he does not indulge in wanton slaughter, only a handful of heavenly figures above the Immeasurable realm in the hell realm would dare act to kill him.”
“Second Uncle means that Tian Mu is deterring these people?” Yan Zhe Xian asked.
Yan Yu replied, “Not entirely, but that is indeed the greatest reason. Tian Mu’s face is something few forces in the hell realm can afford to offend.”
Annoyance appeared on Yan Zhe Xian’s face. “Was it not said that the scoundrel Zhang Ruochen offended Xu Tian, Feng Du Great Emperor, and the Dark Temple at the same time? That once he appeared in the hell realm, he would surely die?”
“Have Xu Tian and Feng Du Great Emperor personally declared it?”
Yan Yu continued, “So long as those two have not personally spoken, which god king or god venerable would dare act rashly? Besides, is this truly the hell realm? If it really were the hell realm, Zhang Ruochen and Yu Ling God would not dare slaughter so freely.”
“This is not the hell realm?” Yan Zhe Xian asked.
Yan Yu shook his head. “This star domain is under the sway of Star Heaven Cliff. In the past, the hell realm gods would not be so restrained, but who could have foreseen another perfect heavenly roundness emerging in Xing Huan Heaven? Have you not noticed that even the mighty Dark Temple must find pretexts to move against the Hundred Clans King City?”
“Without the backing of two mental power titans, where would Yu Ling God find the courage to offend the Dark Temple so gravely?”
“In truth, the Dark Temple making a great issue of Wu Yue is also an attempt to break the protective mantle Tian Mu has placed over Zhang Ruochen.”
Hearing this, Yan Zhe Xian frowned and snorted. “If not for his own lust clouding his judgement, giving that demoness from the Dark Temple an opening, how could this have happened?”
Yan Yu smiled but said nothing.
The Ancient God of Learning looked up at the black temple in the sky. “Look. Wu Bian God Venerable has not emerged from his temple even now. He is trapped inside. What extraordinary divine ability must it take to achieve that?”
Swish!
A transmission light talisman flew in from beyond the cosmos and landed in Yan Yu’s hand.
After reading its contents, Yan Yu’s expression changed dramatically. His gaze fixed deeply on the direction of the Guan Yun Array Tower. “Hao Tian has acted. The Ghost God Venerable of the Dark Temple has fallen on the starry battlefield.”
The fall of a god venerable was earth-shattering.
Wrinkles tightened across the Ancient God of Learning’s face. Only after a long while did he exhale. “Hao Tian seeks to force Xing Huan Heaven, Star Heaven Cliff, and even the Hundred Clans King City into the Heavenly Court’s camp. This storm… who knows how it can ever be calmed? The era truly is different now!”
…
“Zhang Ruochen, you have finally shown yourself!”
From beyond the heavens, a thunderous divine voice rang out.
Brilliant divine light burst through layer after layer of arrays, flying towards the Guan Yun Array Tower.
It was the Sixth Master, returning from the Fire Cloud Realm!
After Zhang Ruochen slew the Third Master’s seventy-sixth-order mental power disciple in the Fire Cloud Realm, the Sixth Master had rushed there immediately.
Upon arriving and hearing that Zhang Ruochen had appeared in the Hundred Clans King City, the Sixth Master was consumed with rage and hurried back without pause.
“Sixth Master, ignore Zhang Ruochen. First seize control of the Guan Yun Array Tower,” Qing Yun Tai called.
The Sixth Master’s mental power was formidable. He instantly perceived the situation in the Hundred Clans King City and grew even angrier. He had never expected to fall for Zhang Ruochen’s diversion.
Yet with matters reaching this point, and the Dark Temple Master Wu Bian God Venerable presiding over the Hundred Clans King City, why had he not yet acted?
The Yaksha Clan Chief had already entered the Guan Yun Array Tower and was working with the gods of various minor clans to activate the Starry Prison Cage Grand Array. At this critical moment, how could Yu Ling God allow the Sixth Master to reach it?
From the Yaksha Ancestral Divine Temple, a thousand-mile-long winding river of light coiled around the Sixth Master.
“Yu Ling God, offending the Dark Temple is one thing, but do you also wish to make an enemy of Tian Nan?” The Sixth Master did not take Yu Ling God seriously at all. He gave a cold snort full of menace.
“Of Qing Tian’s seven disciples, you are the only one whose mental power remains below the eightieth order. Do you truly represent Tian Nan?”
With a thought from Yu Ling God, dense rune patterns appeared on the thousand-mile river of light. It crushed the Sixth Master’s body into fragments. Yet she did not kill him.
After all, the one in Xing Huan Heaven had a rather special relationship with Tian Nan. Yu Ling God could not gauge that existence’s attitude.
The present Yaksha Clan had no choice but to rely on Xing Huan Heaven and Star Heaven Cliff.
Seeing the Sixth Master return, Zhang Ruochen realised that the great gods lured to the ten realms would surely return to the Hundred Clans King City one after another. Thus he ceased holding back, intending to end the fight quickly.
“Qing Yun Tai!”
Zhang Ruochen shouted loudly. He took one step and appeared within eighteen zhang of Qing Yun Tai.
“Young Ruochen, well come!”
Trapped in the Yin-Yang Eighteen Bureaus, with chaotic space shifting up and down, Qing Yun Tai had been unable to locate Zhang Ruochen’s true body. His frustration was immense.
Seeing Zhang Ruochen appear, Qing Yun Tai swung backwards, smashing out a supreme sacred artefact great cauldron.
Bang!
A Taiji seal flashed and vanished around Zhang Ruochen. He swung the divine sword, cleaving the supreme sacred artefact cauldron in two and simultaneously splitting Qing Yun Tai’s divine body in half.
At the cut of the great cauldron, metal melted, glowing golden.
Qing Yun Tai suffered unprecedented grievous injury. One-fifth of the divine substance in his divine body was refined by this sword.
Swish!
Seven Sword Ancestor Soul Swords flew from Zhang Ruochen’s brow. In seven consecutive strikes, they shattered Huo Ze God Lord of the Fate Temple into fragments. Both form and spirit perished. He died on the spot.
The momentum of those sword strikes was like a young heavenly venerable emerging into the world. God blocking his path, slay god. Demon blocking his path, slay demon.
None of the gods who dared act against him today were innocent.
