Chapter 2376: Snowpetra
There were more than 700 Supreme Saint-level Celestial Captives on the seventh Dark Star.
One could imagine the number of Celestial Captives below the Supreme Saint-level in this galaxy. The Rakshasas and the three upper clans had yet to find any of their tracks, making them a huge variable.
Just now, their tracks were finally discovered.
The one million stone swords that attacked the cultivators of the three upper clans were not very powerful. However, each stone sword gave off a different aura.
If it wasn’t an attack from the Celestial Captives, who were below the Supreme Saint Realm, Zhang Ruochen really couldn’t think of a second possibility.
Zhang Ruochen spread out his ten golden wings and was about to burst out to track down the Celestial Captives.
“Hey, are you trying to do this alone? Aren’t you afraid of ending up like the Nether Clan? Shouldn’t we continue to work together?” Luo Sha called out in a clear and beautiful voice.
Zhang Ruochen turned around and asked, “Your Highness, what do you mean?”
Luo Sha pursed her lips and snorted. She reached out a small hand that was as fair as snow and said, “Take me with you.”
Zhang Ruochen looked down at her flawless hand.
It was a hand that countless cultivators in the Infernal Court dreamed of holding. Her forearm was crystal clear, and her fingers were long and slender. Her skin gave off a faint fluorescent light. It didn’t look like a hand. It was like a work of art carved by a G.o.d using saint jade.
“Let’s go!” said Zhang Ruochen.
Zhang Ruochen grabbed Luo Sha’s wrist, which was slightly cold. Her skin was delicate and smooth. He spread out his ten golden wings and burst out with extreme speed. He turned into a streak of golden light and rushed in the direction of the stone sword.
Zhang Ruochen was so fast that thousands of Thousand-Koan Supreme Saints could not catch up with him.
Luo Sha didn’t seem to care about locating the Celestial Captives at all. Her beautiful eyes were fixed on Zhang Ruochen’s chiseled profile, whether it was his cold eyes, straight as a mountain nose bridge, or tightly pursed lips that made her heartstrings tremble.
‘What a lovely man. How could I have met you in my life? For I am so n.o.ble, so beautiful, so talented, and so free. How could I be trapped in a love net like other shy women?’ Luo Sha thought and sighed softly.
Of course, Zhang Ruochen could feel the fiery love in Luo Sha’s eyes. He spoke in a ruthless tone, “Your Highness is a very intelligent person. You should understand how absurd it is to decide your own feelings because of an illusory prophecy.”
“Who said it’s just because of a prophecy? I really like you. I like you from the bottom of my heart,” Luo Sha argued.
Zhang Ruochen didn’t know if Luo Sha’s words were true or false. After a moment of silence, he said, “Then you’d better control your feelings because we’re not meant for each other.”
Luo Sha’s eyes darkened slightly. She could no longer tell.
That’s right!
They were destined to never be together.
Luo Sha and Zhang Ruochen were too special.
Luo Sha could be stubborn and do whatever she wanted. But her father would never agree to this, and the royal family of Devala would also strongly oppose it.
At the same time, it also included Zhang Ruochen’s heart.
Luo Sha knew Zhang Ruochen better than the G.o.ds of the Infernal Court. He was too hostile to the Infernal Court. To be more specific, “Search our n?wn0?el.?rg”it was his beliefs that clashed with the Infernal Court.
Zhang Ruochen despised the fact that the Infernal Court only knew about killing and destroying.
Zhang Ruochen desired that all things in the universe awaken, become vibrant, and live in harmony. He desired for life to become more exciting, civilization to become more brilliant, and the world to become more prosperous.
Zhang Ruochen had been through every battle and slaughter to save others since the day they met. He had not killed for the sake of killing, but of destroying.
What the ten clans of Infernal Court had done was contrary to Zhang Ruochen’s firm belief.
It was destined that Zhang Ruochen would not be able to integrate into the Infernal Court. What he was doing now could not be his original intention.
For some reason, the more Luo Sha thought about it, the more her heart hurt. There was no longer a trace of joy. She wanted to break free from Zhang Ruochen’s grasp.
Finally, Luo Sha asked, “Have you killed any innocent people?”
Zhang Ruochen did not understand why Luo Sha suddenly asked such a question. He answered expressionlessly, “Yes.”
Luo Sha asked again, “Have you ever killed for the sake of killing?”
“I haven’t reached the Thousand-Koan Realm yet. Why is everyone asking me all kinds of questions?” Zhang Ruochen asked.
Luo Sha said, “Answer me first.”
Zhang Ruochen thought for a long time and kept thinking about the past. He said, “Yes.”
Luo Sha looked surprised. She said, “Why? A good person like you has done so many things against your will. Can you pa.s.s the Thousand-Koan and Bans.h.i.+ Isshou test?”
“Do you know what my heart is made of?” Zhang Ruochen asked.
Zhang Ruochen stared into her eyes. He lowered his voice and said, “Sometimes, even I’m confused.”
Zhang Ruochen went into deep thought during the following period. He had to admit that Luo Sha had dug up things he didn’t care about before, causing him a lot of trouble.
His mind was full of distracting thoughts.
Luo Sha stared at him. Although he looked calm on the surface, he sometimes frowned and sometimes was confused. She could not bear to see him continue to be so distressed, she said, “I don’t know what you’ve experienced in the past. However, the Zhang Ruochen I know has always been an extremely determined and strong-hearted person. I believe that you’ve found the path you want to take next. You won’t be as confused as before.”
This was a simple sentence, but it made Zhang Ruochen’s heart skip a beat.
It was unusual and heartwarming to hear such a sentence from a woman who had been hurt by him numerous times. What he lacked the most since he was a child were encouragement and recognition.
What a child needed made Zhang Ruochen extremely touched.
Because no one had ever treated him like a child.
It only made him stronger and stronger.
“Instead of spending so much time studying me, you should think more about your own heart. The right person... if you keep saying that, you will only look as ridiculous as a child.” said Zhang Ruochen.
Zhang Ruochen’s eyes were cold. He quickly collected his emotions and released his spiritual power to explore the area he had flown past, not letting go of any clues.
“You can keep pretending,” Luo Sha muttered to herself.
The Dark Star suppressed spiritual power greatly.
Even with Zhang Ruochen and Luo Sha’s 65th-level spiritual power, they could only explore extremely small areas. Therefore, it took them half a day to find the tracks left by the Celestial Captives in the empty s.p.a.ce of the universe.
Luo Sha mobilized the evil energy and moved a giant rock to her side. She sensed the aura on it and said, “They’ve left and hidden again.”
Zhang Ruochen said, “We can only explore a radius of 100 miles at one time. The Celestial Captives can hide in an area of millions of miles. It is almost impossible to find them in less than 10 years.”
Luo Sha nodded and said, “Besides, it will be more difficult to find them if they keep moving.”
Zhang Ruochen pressed his hands to his temples and activated the Precept of Truth in his eyes.
Swoosh
His eyes opened and burst out a bright light like the stars.
Even if the s.p.a.ce was filled with Power of Darkness, he could see thousands of miles away with the Eye of Truth. The Cloaking Array and barrier could not hide from his eyes.
After looking in all six directions, Zhang Ruochen closed his aching eyes and said, “They have left this area.”
“This is bad! No one knows which direction they are going. If we pursue in the wrong direction, they will only go further and further away.” said Luo Sha as she shook her head lightly.
Zhang Ruochen and Luo Sha were well aware that, in comparison to Lord Hornless on the Dark Star, the group of Celestial Captives below the Supreme Saint Realm would be much easier to eliminate.
Furthermore, there were tens of millions of points worth of Celestial Captives below the Supreme Saint Realm.
They were no less than the 700 Supreme Saint Celestial Captives on the Dark Star in terms of points.
Zhang Ruochen and Luo Sha would win more than half of the Battle of Merit if the Celestial Captives were discovered.
Zhang Ruochen’s pupils were dilated and he said, “Go find them. We have to find them.”
Zhang Ruochen had to take first place in the Battle of Celestial-Hunting no matter what.
Whoosh
Zhang Ruochen released tens of thousands of Spirits and condensed them into shadows. Like a swarm of bees leaving a nest, they flew in all directions.
“The environment here is special. Once your shadows flew a hundred miles away, your body would lose its perception and control over the shadows. Even if you are killed, you won’t know who attacked you,” Luo Sha reminded him.
Luo Sha didn’t release her Spirit shadows because she wanted to control The Legion of Death in the Dark Divinity Lotus.
Zhang Ruochen nodded, “I understand what you mean,” he said. “But I’ll retract my shadow at a certain time. If one of the shadows doesn’t come back, it means something’s wrong. This way, at least we’ll know which direction to go.”
This was a long pursuit and retrieval, which tested Zhang Ruochen’s endurance and perseverance.
Three days had pa.s.sed, and Zhang Ruochen had lost 200 Spirits, but he still could not catch up with the Celestial Captives.
When he retrieved his Spirits, one of the shadows came back with Lord Bladeh.e.l.l and a Saint King Celestial Captive.
They met on the way.
Zhang Ruochen remembered the Saint King Celestial Captive. He was a cultivator from the Southern Sword Realm.
Lord Bladeh.e.l.l smiled and said, “You must be looking for the Celestial Captives below the Supreme Saints on the seventh Dark Star, aren’t you?”
“It seems that you have good news,” Zhang Ruochen said.
Lord Bladeh.e.l.l glanced at Luo Sha and said warily, “Your Highness is here as well.”
Zhang Ruochen said, “The Celestial Captives on the seventh Dark Star are powerful, and the three upper clans are involved. So, I have formed an alliance with the princess. The Immortal Vampires and the Rakshasas will kill the Celestial Captives together. We are on the same side. There is nothing to hide.”
Lord Bladeh.e.l.l laughed, “I was worried that it would be risky to kill the Celestial Captives with only the Immortal Vampires. Now with the princess leading the Rakshasas as our support, the chances are much higher!”
Lord Bladeh.e.l.l gestured to the scrawny Saint King Celestial Captive.
The Saint King Celestial Captive was too scared to look up at Zhang Ruochen and Luo Sha. He said in a trembling voice, “We’ve found the location of the Celestial Captives. Supreme Saint Ruochen, please don’t forget your promise.”
The Celestial Captives had no relations.h.i.+p other than being prisoners.
Other Celestial Captives, in the eyes of the cultivators of the Southern Sword Realm, were no different than cultivators of the Infernal Court.
That was why it was normal for the Celestial Captives of the Southern Sword Realm to sell them out to save hundreds of millions of lives in their homeworld.
The Saint King Celestial Captive flew more than 100,000 miles with Zhang Ruochen, Lord Bladeh.e.l.l, and Luo Sha. Then he slowed down and stopped.
Zhang Ruochen looked around and asked, “Have we arrived?”
“We’ve reached the nearby area,” said the Saint King Celestial Captive.
Luo Sha smiled and said, “It seems that we’ve been chasing in the right direction. We’re so close to them.”
Lord Bladeh.e.l.l activated his blood-red aura. His golden hair became brighter and his eyes turned blood-red. He locked his eyes on a pitch-black asteroid thousands of miles away.
The asteroid was a hundred miles long, and its color was extremely dark. It looked like a crouching turtle.
The Saint King Celestial Captive still lowered his head and pointed at the asteroid. He said, “They’re hiding there! There’s a very strong Cloaking Array on the asteroid.”
“The Celestial Captives’ spiritual power is sealed. How can they set up an array?” Lord Bladeh.e.l.l asked.
The Saint King Celestial Captive said, “They used Saint Blood to carve the array.”
Zhang Ruochen stared at Luo Sha and asked, “Where are the Rakshasa cultivators?”
“I’ve sent a message to them. They’re on their way,” Luo Sha said.
The asteroid that had been motionless suddenly moved slowly.
It became faster and faster.
Lord Bladeh.e.l.l’s face changed. He asked, “What’s going on? Did they sense something? Are they trying to escape?”
The hundred-mile-long asteroid reached the speed of sound within a few breaths.
It was getting faster by the second.
The Saint King Celestial Captive was panicking. He said, “Once that asteroid is fully activated by the cultivators on it, its speed can reach a hundred times the speed of sound. It can travel a thousand miles in an instant. At that time, I won’t be able to find it.”
“It can even travel at 100 times the speed of sound in the area where the Dark Star is,” said Lord Bladeh.e.l.l.
Zhang Ruochen spread out his ten golden wings, and his body emitted a dazzling light. He was about to catch up.
“Wait a moment.”
Luo Sha stopped Zhang Ruochen, but his eyes were fixed on Saint King Celestial Captive, who had his head lowered. She said, “Be careful of any tricks. Don’t fall into the Celestial Captive’s trap.”
“Your Highness, you are indeed worthy of being the brains of the current generation of the Devala. You made the correct decision. I almost missed it. The Celestial Captives despise the cultivators of the Infernal Court. He might not work for us wholeheartedly.”
Lord Bladeh.e.l.l walked in front of the Saint King Celestial Captive and pointed his finger at his glabella. He injected a stream of spiritual power into it to retrieve his memories.
“It’s useless. If it really is a trap, the powerhouses among the Celestial Captives will definitely cut off part of his memories. They will not leave such a flaw for us.” Luo Sha said.
Indeed, Lord Bladeh.e.l.l did not find anything unusual after his investigation. He said, “Perhaps we are too sensitive. Even though they are just lowly Celestial Captives, they do not dare to play tricks in front of us.”
“We can’t wait any longer. Even if it’s a trap, we must track them down,” said Zhang Ruochen.
To be on the safe side, Zhang Ruochen asked Lord Bladeh.e.l.l and Luo Sha to stay where they were and act according to the situation. Then, he chased after the hundred-mile-long asteroid alone.
A moment later, Zhang Ruochen came close and took out a Cla.s.s Two Regal Artifact.
The sword spun rapidly between his hands. On the surface of the sword, dense Regal Inscriptions emerged, emitting a dazzling blue light.
SWOOs.h.!.+
The sword flew out. Hundreds of sword shadows separated from the sword.
Boom
About 500 meters away from the asteroid, the sword collided with a layer of a blood-red array. As the array’s light membrane appeared, the scene inside the light membrane also appeared before Zhang Ruochen’s eyes.
The so-called asteroid was actually a magnificent city of stone that was hundreds of miles long.
The city was completely snow-white and seemed to be covered in a layer of wind and snow. It gave off an ancient and archaic charm.
“The city name is Snowpetra, that’s Lord Lei’s true form. Lord Lei had been refined into a Celestial Captive’s nest...”
In the distance, Luo Sha and Lord Bladeh.e.l.l were both shocked.
Lord Lei’s true form was a city.