Under Zhang Ruochen’s leadership, the crowd crossed the Corpse River and disembarked one after another to reach the Perishable Tomb Forest.
All the cultivators had a feeling of having survived a robbery. If it wasn’t for Zhang Ruochen breaking through the spatial pole wall, I’m afraid that all of them would have died in the netherworld.
Some of them, naturally, were quite grateful to Zhang Ruochen and silently remembered in their hearts regarding this favour. For example, Shi Ren, Bu Qianfan, and the others.
More people, however, didn’t feel much emotion and instead saw Zhang Ruochen as a threat.
The means of the Space-Time Transmitter was too heaven-defying, only at the Fish Dragon Realm, he could easily cross the Yin and Yang Realms. If he was allowed to reach the Half-Saint realm, wouldn’t he be even more powerful?
Zhang Ruochen didn’t really care what kind of thoughts they had, but instead stared towards the wide Corpse River. Only to see that on the surface of the river, there were still thousands of undead, crossing the river in a steady stream.
Because, in this one section of the river, there were all the Half-Saint level human cultivators gathered, emitting an extremely powerful aura. Therefore, those undead, avoiding from afar, crossed the river from other river sections.
“Every day, I’m afraid that there are more than a million undead, crossing the Corpse River and entering the Eastern Domain, I really don’t know if the army stationed in the Eastern Domain can withstand it?”
Bu Qianfan’s eyes carried a strong colour of worry.
Zhang Ruochen was about to tell Bu Qianfan that he had found the stone talisman left behind by the Thousand Bones Empress, which could seal the passage between the Yin and Yang Realms. However, just at this moment, a low rumbling sound came from the direction of the Perishable Tomb Forest.
“Rumble.”
The sound, grew louder and louder.
The ground was shaking violently, and the cultivators present, as if they were birds of prey, took out their Saint Weapons and prepared to meet the battle.
A moment later, a large piece of black smoke appeared at the end of the crowd’s line of sight.
In the smoke was an army riding red-flame red leopards, a total of 30,000 people. They held battle flags and were so aggressive that they trampled all the graves in the tomb forest into flat ground.
The Red Flame Red Leopard, was a fourth level savage beast, with a body as tall as two zhang, once it ran at full speed, its body would be enveloped in flames, and it could travel 80,000 miles in a day.
An entire army, all of them riding Red Flame Red Leopards, one could imagine how amazing the aura that erupted was.
“That’s one of the elite troops of the Ministry of Military Affairs, the Leopard Army. Since the Leopard Army has appeared here, then the Ministry of Military Affairs should have already stationed its troops at the periphery of the Perishing Tomb Forest.”On Bu Qianfan’s face, a joyful expression appeared.
Since, the Ministry of Military Affairs had already stationed its troops in the Perishing God Tomb Forest, then, I’m afraid that the undead that crossed the Corpse River would have a hard time reaching the Kunlun Realm. In this way, it would definitely reduce the losses of the Eastern Domain.
At the centre of the thirty thousand panther army, a huge chariot, ran out first.
The savage beasts pulling the chariot were four Earth Fire Dragon Leopards, with bodies ten times more massive than the average Red Fire Red Leopard, growing the bodies of leopards and the heads of dragons.
“Clatter!”
The chains on the Earth Fire Dragon Leopard’s body were as thick as a disc, colliding with each other and emitting ear-piercing sounds.
The chariot stopped with a loud bang at a position that was still two hundred feet away from the Corpse River.
In the chariot, a cold and stern voice rang out, ”Bu Qianfan, Zhang Ruochen is a felon of the imperial court, a sinner that the empress has personally ordered to be apprehended. Why don’t you step in and take him down.”
No one had expected that the Leopard Army had come with such a large army, but had only come to capture Zhang Ruochen.
“It came surprisingly fast.”Zhang Ruochen whispered to himself.
Bu Qianfan had also stepped into the top echelons of the Ministry of Military Affairs, and just by seeing the flag on the chariot, he guessed the identity of the commander in the chariot.
Bu Qianfan secretly transmitted his voice to Zhang Ruochen, saying, “This person’s name is Wan Ji, he is Wan Zhaoyi’s clan uncle, a person of real power, he is in charge of 600,000 Leopard Armies, he controls a very large force, in the Ministry of War, he has a not-so-light position.”
It could be seen that even Bu Qianfan, seeing Wan Ji’s chariot, revealed a scornful look.
To be able to command half a million Leopard Army, naturally, he was not an ordinary character, and his own cultivation, even if he hadn’t reached the Saint realm, he was afraid that he was still a top existence amongst the Half-Saints.
In the netherworld, the news that Time Successor Zhang Ruochen was still alive had already spread. With the Deadly Zen Elder Ancestor leading the first batch of cultivators and returning to the Kunlun Realm, the news would surely spread further as well.
How could the court let go of such an important criminal?
Who wouldn’t want to capture Zhang Ruochen and bring him to the Empress to claim credit?
Among them, the person who wanted to capture Zhang Ruochen the most was definitely Wan Zhaobian. After all, Wan Zhaoyi had personally reported to the Empress that Zhang Ruochen had been killed by the Nine Spectres Sword Saint.
Now, Zhang Ruochen showing up alive was undoubtedly a slap in his face.
If the news that Zhang Ruochen was still alive was confirmed, what Wan Zhaoyi had committed was the sin of deceiving the emperor, and it would be a huge disaster for him, and for the entire Wan Family.
Wanting to make up for his mistake, Wan Zhaoyi only had two ways.
First, kill Zhang Ruochen before he showed up.
Second, capture Zhang Ruochen before everyone else, bring him back to the Central Imperial City, and hand him over to the Empress, so that he could make up for his mistake.
Therefore, when Zhang Ruochen saw the people of the Wan Clan, coming to capture him, he was actually not surprised at all in his heart.
What should come, would eventually come.
Back in the Kunlun Realm, no one dared to openly oppose the Ministry of Military Affairs, and even those cultivators who were grateful to Zhang Ruochen, at this moment, distanced themselves from Zhang Ruochen for fear of being implicated.
Shi Ren and Bu Qianfan all stared at Zhang Ruochen with an apologetic gaze, and then, retreated far away, not daring to get involved in this matter.
Zhang Ruochen was able to understand them, after all, none of them were alone, behind them, there were tens of thousands of clansmen.
If they were in the netherworld, they would still be able to step in and fight alongside Zhang Ruochen.
However, now that they had returned to the Kunlun Realm, if they openly helped a court felon, they would surely enrage the Ministry of Military Affairs and incur the calamity of having their families copied and destroyed.
Those other cultivators who had returned from the netherworld, of which there were quite a few, immediately vanished and left the Perishing Tomb Forest. Only a few stayed behind, wanting to know the final outcome.
In the chariot, Wan Ji’s voice, once again, rang out, saying, “Cao Feng, Cao Gu, the two of you go and tie up Zhang Ruochen, if he dares to resist, he will directly chop off his head.”
In the Leopard Army, two tall and powerful sergeants, wearing thick battle armour and riding two Earth Fire Dragon Leopards, walked towards Zhang Ruochen.
These two men, the two commanders in the Leopard Army, each commanding 100,000 soldiers, had already reached the Half-Saint realm in cultivation and held the title of Inferior Domain King.
As for Wan Ji in the frame, his title was even higher, enjoying the title of Medium Domain King.
From the back of the Earth Fire Dragon Leopard, Cao Feng took out a black shackle and threw it forward, and with a clatter, the shackle landed in front of Zhang Ruochen.
He said condescendingly, “Zhang Ruochen, if you are sensible, you should put the Saint Locking Shackle on by yourself, so that this King does not have to do it himself.”
A cold and craggy smile appeared in Mu Lingshi’s eyes, and the Saint Qi in her body worked quickly, ready to strike.
She was not acting on impulse, but had her own plan.
As long as, she was able to take down the duo of Cao Feng and Cao Ku in a swift and swift manner, she would be qualified to negotiate a deal with Wan Ji to help Zhang Ruochen escape from here.
However, before she could strike, she was stopped by Zhang Ruochen.
Cao Feng and Cao Ku were both battle-hardened Half-Saints, extremely powerful in their own right, and it was impossible to take them down in a short period of time with just Mu Lingshi’s cultivation.
Facing the aggressive Ministry of Military Affairs, Zhang Ruochen didn’t appear to be that nervous, instead, he had a smile on his face, “You cultivators of the Ministry of Military Affairs, not going to intercept the undead that crossed the Corpse River, but deploying tens of thousands of troops to deal with me, is really disappointing to me.”
Cao Feng snorted coldly, “After capturing you, we will naturally continue to guard the Perishable Tomb Forest and exterminate all the undead that step into the Kunlun Realm.”
“Then, what if we encounter undead that you can’t exterminate?”Zhang Ruochen said.
Cao Gu, who was standing on the right side of Cao Feng, had a serious face as he said, “Zhang Ruochen, why are you talking so much nonsense? What’s the point of you continuing to stall for time?”
“I’m stalling for time?”
Zhang Ruochen shook his head and said, “I just want to remind you that the undead of the netherworld that you are encountering now are just some small soldiers. When those powerful Ghost Kings from the depths of the netherworld come to the Kunlun Realm, I’m afraid that your Ministry of Soldiers won’t be able to hold them off at all.”
“If the Ministry of War can’t hold it off, could it be that you can?”
Cao Feng shook his head and laughed coldly.
As a Half-Saint of the Ministry of War, a figure with a royal title, Cao Feng was still quite knowledgeable about the netherworld, and was very clear that the depths of the netherworld were quite a terrifying place.
It was for this reason that throughout the Eastern Domain, half of the army had been deployed to the Perishing Tomb Forest to build fortresses and establish defensive formations in preparation for a prolonged battle with the undead of the netherworld.
Thus, the words spoken by Zhang Ruochen, not to mention Cao Feng, even those soldiers in the Leopard Army felt very amused.
If there really was an enemy that the Ministry of Military Affairs could not stop, then the entire Kunlun Realm, it was feared, would come to an end.
However, Zhang Ruochen’s next sentence shocked everyone present into a standstill.
“Of course I can block it.”
Zhang Ruochen added, “It’s not wrong for you guys to want to arrest me, as it’s your duty to do so. However, before that, shouldn’t you guys give me an hour to seal the passage between the Netherworld and the Kunlun Realm, lest more undead enter the Kunlun Realm and cause irreparable damage?”
