Chapter 1758: The Elites Fight Against Ziyan
“That’s… a Dimensional Trap!”
Even though he was more than twenty miles away, Zhang Ruochen could still feel the powerful dimensional fluctuations.
Before he attacked Xumi Dojo, Zhang Ruochen had learned that cultivators who practiced the Path of Time and Path of Dimensions had studied the Dimensional Inscriptions, as well as the Mark of Time, which Saint Monk Xumi left behind.
They were either from the Heavenly Realm or were friendly with the Heavenly Realm, so they would naturally come to the Heavenly Realm’s aid.
Zhang Ruochen manipulated the Violet Peak and blasted it in a certain direction. Thick purple mist gushed out and collided with the sixteenth Divine Bone that held the dimension in place.
The Saint King who controlled the sixteenth Divine Bone was immediately sent flying as his saint garment was ripped apart, and he fell awkwardly on the ground.
A gaping hole appeared in the dimension that was formed by ninety-nine Divine Bones, and Zhang Ruochen, as well as the others, immediately rushed over.
While the Violet Peak’s power was overwhelming, it was particularly c.u.mbersome. Even with help from Emperor Yi’s Evil Spirit, Zhang Ruochen’s speed remained slow, and Shang Ziyan immediately caught up to him.
“If you want to rescue the cultivators of the Kunlun Realm, you will have to get past me first.”
Shang Ziyan held the hilt of his sword with both hands, and instantly, the crimson blade ignited with blinding flames. Above the sword, even the clouds turned red and started to swirl.
It was a power that frightened the Saint Kings below.
Crashh!
The crimson blade came cras.h.i.+ng in a downward arc, colliding once again with the Violet Peak and causing a powerful blast wave to ripple out.
The Saint Kings who were maintaining the Divine Bones were all blasted away.
The Violet Peak shook before it fell down in the direction of Zhang Ruochen and Emperor Yi’s Evil Spirit.
“Is this Shang Ziyan’s true power?”
Xie Chengzi and the Saint Devourer each radiated a blast of Saint Qi toward the Violet Peak, and the combined strength of four finally managed to resist Shang Ziyan’s attack.
However, Shang Ziyan had stuck his crimson blade to the top of the Violet Peak, immobilizing Zhang Ruochen and the rest.
The next moment, a third “Shang Ziyan” walked out of his body.
The third Shang Ziyan was still in peak form and just as strong as the other two.
“How… are we supposed to fight?”
The Saint Devourer was taken aback before she smiled bitterly.
She had initially thought that Zhang Ruochen was overpowered enough. Besides, it was very difficult to meet a foe from the same realm who could take someone out with a single hit.
Yet, this Shang Ziyan was even more overpowered.
If the three Shang Ziyans struck at the same time in the same realm, Zhang Ruochen might not be able to win even with the power of Time and s.p.a.ce.
The third Shang Ziyan flew down and appeared opposite Zhang Ruochen. “I told you earlier that the trap here is much deeper than you think. Why didn’t you cherish the opportunity to negotiate when you were given it?”
“You are really strong, much stronger than I expected.”
Zhang Ruochen tried to remain as calm as possible, but in his heart, he cursed his lack of strength.
Shang Ziyan’s strength was something that Zhang Ruochen had only seen once among the trainees of his generation. But of course, the former’s training was just at a much higher level than his.
If only Zhang Ruochen’s training had reached the level of the Seven-step Saint King, then three Shang Ziyans might not be able to beat him.
“Sadly, there is no remedy for regret in this world.”
With a roar, Shang Ziyan stomped on the surface of the ground.
At once, frigid air gushed out and condensed into a Blizzard Dragon that charged straight at Zhang Ruochen and the others.
Before the Blizzard Dragon even got close, Zhang Ruochen, Saint Devourer, Xie Chengzi, and Emperor Yi’s Evil Spirit were wrapped in a thick layer of frost.
“Where the h.e.l.l has that a**hole Blackie disappeared to?” Zhang Ruochen was speechless in his heart.
That show-off, to think that he actually went missing at such a critical juncture.
Whoos.h.!.+
Just then, a figure appeared in front of Zhang Ruochen and the rest, blocking the attack. With a slash, an earth-shattering sword aura surged out and smashed the Blizzard Dragon into pieces.
The person was actually an elder Nine-step Saint King with an impressive sword technique, and he was now next to a lady in a court dress.
Shang Ziyan’s gaze turned sullen before he looked back and saw the lady in the court dress, sitting on a palanquin. “How dare you ignore my warning?” he hissed.
The lady in the court dress smiled gently. “I had no choice. Someone wants me to protect Zhang Ruochen’s life at all costs.”
Six Nine-step Saint Kings stood at six points around the palanquin, and each formed a torrent of Saint Qi. Following that, an ancient mirror rose and slammed itself against Shang Ziyan.
The mirror hung up in the air like a blood sun.
Blood sprayed out from the mirror and soon turned the entire island into a sea of red mist.
The ancient mirror radiated energies so powerful that caused the cultivators from both the Heavenly Realm and the Kunlun Realm to temporarily stop and look over in shock.
“Is that the legendary Supreme Artifact, the Blood Mirror?” A Kunlun brother exclaimed.
There were many tales about the Blood Mirror. Eight hundred years ago, the Blood Empress, who was one of the Nine Emperors in the Kunlun Realm, swept across the world with the Blood Mirror in hand, and no one was a match for her.
Even when Emperor Qing and Emperor Ming worked together, they fell short.
After the fall of the Blood Empress, the Blood Mirror was lost within the Kunlun Realm.
The Nine-heavens Maiden gazed at the ancient mirror and shook her head. “That is not the real Blood Mirror. It is just an imitation but still quite powerful. There is no supreme power within the mirror, but it contains the great power of a Supreme Saint.”
The ancient mirror, which was created by the six Nine-step Saint Kings, was very powerful. It caused an unprecedented gloominess to appear in Shang Ziyan’s eyes as he materialized a silver tower.
The nearby kings from the Heavenly Realm unleashed their Saint Qi and infused the qi into the silver tower.
The exquisite small tower, which was originally just a couple of inches tall, suddenly transformed into a ma.s.sive tower. It became several hundred feet tall and released a supreme force to ward off the ancient mirror.
The silver tower was called the Tower of a Thousand Temperings.
There were seven such towers, and when combined together, they would form a Supreme Artifact.
Obviously, Shang Ziyan only possessed one of the towers, and the power it unleashed was nowhere close to a true Supreme Artifact.
Despite that, with Shang Ziyan and nearly a hundred Saint Kings controlling the tower to deal with the Blood Mirror, they gained the upper hand easily.
All of a sudden, the battle turned into a standoff.
Shang Ziyan, who was still standing atop the Violet Peak, said, “Zhang Ruochen, is there any meaning to continue resisting? The cultivators from the Kunlun Realm are all useless and can never unravel the Dimensional Trap outside Xumi Dojo.”
“There are more than a hundred and eighty Saint Kings in the Heavenly Realm. Kill them, and they will fall apart, but once you are done with them, it will be your doom.”
Zhang Ruochen knew very well that Shang Ziyan was trying to provoke him, and he laughed. “You are underestimating the cultivators of the Kunlun Realm. The Kunlun Realm has talented folks, and the only thing holding them back is their insufficient cultivation. Once they grow, they will surely s.h.i.+ne brightly!”
“In that case, keep your eyes wide open and watch how they are killed one by one. After all, the Kunlun Realm has already fallen and will never return to its former glory,” Shang Ziyan said.
…
“Shang Ziyan’s strength is quite something for him to take on three factions at the same time. If he had cultivated himself to the rank of a Nine-step Saint King, by the Supreme Saint, would anyone have been able to fight him?”
Many of the Kunlun Realm’s cultivators felt fear in their hearts because they had never seen such a terrifying foe before.
Luo Xu, The Nine-heavens Maiden, Li Qian were not thinking of the battle. Instead, they were trying to come up with countermeasures.
There was a Dimensional Trap before them and a large number of Saint King elites chasing after them. Now, they were caught in between.
“Use the Realm Seal to stabilize the dimension.”
One of the nine great Realm Bearers, Beigong Lan took out a Realm Seal and held it in his palm.
The Realm Seals were artifacts that had been tempered from many heavenly and earthly treasures collected by Empress Chi Yao. Within each seal was a rudimentary world.
The Realm Seals would then continue to grow alongside the Realm Bearers and absorb the paths, as well as precepts they cultivated, becoming stronger and stronger before eventually turning into Supreme Artifacts. There was a slight possibility that they would become divine artifacts too.
Empress Chi Yao had created the nine Realm Seals as nine ways of escape for the Kunlun Realm.
For such a mysterious and unpredictable piece of treasure, it naturally had the power to stabilize a dimension.
Friar Lidi stopped Beigong Lan and stared ahead as his eyes turned golden. “Wait, there are not only Dimensional Inscriptions here but also the Mark of Time. This is probably a formation set up by the Fane of Time’s disciples.”
Friar Lidi had cultivated the Bodhi Emperor’s golden body of the Buddha and had a divine body the level of a Supreme Saint. Hence, his eyes were also, naturally, the eyes of a Supreme Saint.
All he needed to do was call upon his dharmic energies and infuse them into his eyes. Through the stimulation of the Supreme Saint precept ley lines in his eyes, he was able to see the Marks of Time.
“Zhang Ruochen and the rest are fighting desperately with Shang Ziyan. We must not hold them back. Even if there is a Mark of Time ahead of us, we can only advance and not retreat,” Luo Xu said solemnly.
“Perhaps, I could give it a try.”
Xue Wuye stepped forth as he spread his hands apart, and the Brand of Time appeared on one hand while the Brand of Dimension appeared on the other.
Those two brands were given to him by Saint Monk Xumi.
Since Xue Wuye had cultivated to the point of the Saint King rank, the power that exploded out from the two brands increased in strength.
A moment later, a series of explosions rang out from Xumi Dojo’s direction as all of the Dimensional Traps and the Mark of Time outside the dojo were destroyed. Xue Wuye had completely exhausted his Saint Qi, and he fell to the ground.
Seeing the cultivators from the Kunlun Realm rush into Xumi Dojo, the expressions of the three Shang Ziyans changed a little.
Taking advantage of Shang Ziyan’s momentary distraction, Zhang Ruochen pulled the Violet Peak back and turned it into a violet stone in his hand.
Before Shang Ziyan could swing his crimson blade, Zhang Ruochen ran across the place with the Saint Devourer, Xie Chengzi, and Emperor Yi’s Evil Spirit. They moved to the top of the Five-colored Merits Stele while he launched an attack at one of the other Shang Ziyans.
Boom!
That Shang Ziyan let out a cold snort as he extended his arms, and all of a sudden, a ring of scorching flames blasted out. Zhang Ruochen, Xie Chengzi, Emperor Yi’s Evil Spirit, and the Saint Devourer were all blown away as a result.
Taking advantage of the opportunity, Awesome, the Little Taoist used the Purple-Gold Bagua Mirror and blasted the Five-colored Merits Stele away. Escaping the trap, he joined Zhang Ruochen and the rest.
“Go.”
Without any hesitation, Zhang Ruochen deployed the Great Dimensional s.h.i.+ft and took them away.
When they reappeared, they were already standing outside Xumi Dojo.
Zhang Ruochen turned around and saw the lady in the court dress. She s.n.a.t.c.hed the ancient mirror and flew into the sky alone before she disappeared into the night.
The six Nine-step Saint Kings stayed behind to hold Shang Ziyan back.
“Who is she? Why is she helping me? And why did those Nine-Step Saint King elites obey her?”