Chapter 1823: The Crisis in the Sword Sanctum
There were 18 spirit mountains in the Sword Sanctum. Their vegetation was as verdant as jade, white mist drifted between the mountains with waterfalls falling from the sky, and strange demon-like rocks, as well as auspicious light, glimmered everywhere.
During the Sword Sanctum’s heyday, there were over tens of thousands of disciples and clansmen living in these mountains.
At one point, however, the skies above the Sword Sanctum were smothered by dark clouds.
The eighteen spirit mountains were soaked in blood, and corpses floated inside the stream and lakes. Some of the spirit mountains had suffered the brunt of a terrifying attack; their defensive wards were broken, and the mountains themselves collapsed. Meanwhile, some of the spirit mountains burned as their temples emitted black smoke.
At least half of the Sword Sanctum clansmen and disciples died, while the remainder were taken to the Jade Saint Spirit Mountain.
The Jade Saint Spirit Mountain was the chief of all spirit mountains in the Sword Sanctum. At the top of the spirit mountain, there was a square paved with white stone. Thousand of Sword Sanctum’s disciples and clansmen, be it dead or wounded, lay strewn. Those who were still alive, were all compelled to kneel on the ground by a powerful Saint Aura.
Even those determined Saints had their legs broken and lay on the ground.
The Young Master of the Warhammer Citadel, Bloodhunt Hongdong, wore a dark star armor with a crimson cloak as he stood on the tall steps. His five-meter-tall frame made him look unusually burly, and naturally had an oppressive aura about him.
Beneath him, there were over a hundred Saint cultivators of the Warhammer Citadel, and each of them was like a giant.
The master of the Sword Sanctum, Lu Huaiyu, was nailed onto the purple-black steele, and blood continuously flowed out of his body.
“This is the two hundred and third, if you do not speak, it will be the two hundred and fourth,” Bloodhunt Hongdong said icily.
Lu Huaiyu smiled as he coughed out blood. “Drea… mm… on…”
Bloodhunt Hongdong’s eyes shrank fiercely as his hands tightened loudly.
The Ninth-rank Elder of the Warhammer Citadel, Fu Yan snorted coldly. “Young master, I don’t think we should waste time bantering nonsense with him anymore. Let’s use the Soul Quelling Steele to wipe out his willpower, and take his memories. I don’t believe we cannot find The Records of Heavenly Works.”
The purple-black steele was one of the spiritual treasures the Warhammer Citadel had created, the Soul Quelling Steele.
Not only could the Soul Quelling Steele suppress the will of a cultivator, but it could also take the cultivator’s memories by force, and stop them from exploding their Saint Source. Of course, if a Supreme Saint or a god had placed a sealing technique in the cultivator’s body, they would not be able to obtain any memories or information even with the Soul Quelling Steele.
Bloodhunt Hongdong knew every well that the Soul Quelling Steele was not omnipotent.
If the cultivator’s will was too strong, it would eventually cause the Saint Soul to shatter and no memories would be left behind.
The Records of Heavenly Works was of great importance. This was his main task in the Kunlun Realm, and there must not be any complications.
Now, he did not seem to have any other way, so Bloodhunt Hongdong nodded and said, “Activate the Soul Quelling Steele, and take his memories. We need to find out where The Records of Heavenly Works is.”
The Ninth-Rank Elder Fu Yan let out a dry laugh.
With his withered hands, he blasted out a powerful Saint Qi and infused it into the Soul Quelling Steele.
Whoosh!!
Suddenly, series of dense circuits appeared on the Soul Quelling Steele. The circuits, like iron threads, stabbed into Lu Huaiyu’s head while the rest pierced into his body.
Bloodhunt Hongdong was a little nervous and worried that the Soul Search would fail.
One needed to know that the Warhammer Citadel was known for refining tools and was well-known across the macroworlds. Nevertheless, compared with the top refining sects, it was a whole level behind.
The Records of Heavenly Works was a precious tome for refining that could rank at the top during the Middle Ages. If the Warhammer Citadel could obtain it, it could definitely improve their skills in refining.
This matter was related to whether he could secure his position as the Young Master of the Warhammer Citadel, and he could not allow any mistakes.
“Ah…”
Lu Huaiyu’s spirit and Saint Soul suffered inhuman torture, as heartbreaking screams rang out from his mouth.
All of the disciples and clansmen of the Sword Sanctum were furious.
“The Sword Sanctum has no grudges against you. Why did you attack us?”
“The Records of Heavenly Works is not in the Sword Sanctum. Please let the Jade Saint and us go. Everything can be discussed.”
“Let go of the Jade Saint, point your spears at me.”
“Fight them!”
…
Dushh!!
All of the cultivators that wanted to resist were all smashed into a pulp by the Warhammer Citadel’s cultivators with their heavy warhammers.
A Sixth-Rank Elder of the Warhammer Citadel looked at the kneeling cultivators as if they were insects and smiled. “Who told you that a grudge is needed for killing? Wherever there are people, there will be fighting. If there’s any interest to be secured, there will be war and conquest.”
Immediately after, that Sixth-Rank Elder walked before a Saint of the Sword Sanctum as he stretched his palm out and pressed against the latter’s head, extracting his memories.
It was obviously easier to extract the memory of a Saint.
That Saint was screaming and resisting, yet he could not escape the grasp of that elder as if he was a doll.
While a Saint may have limited knowledge of refining tools, there was always something worth learning and drawing lessons from. As long as he absorbed that Saint’s memories, it was also an improvement to himself.
Dushh!
A giant black blade flew over from the horizon and pierced through the chest of the Sixth Rank Elder, who was a Six-step Saint King and carried his body by momentum all the way before slamming into a bronze pillar behind Bloodhunt Hongdong.
There was a loud thud.
The Sixth Rank Elder slammed against the bronze pillar before sliding and falling onto the ground, as he was reduced to a corpse.
Bloodhunt Hongdong’s face sank, as he looked at the black blade that was flying away and said, “What a powerful sword will, that it straight up shattered Elder Blueblood’s Saint Soul.”
“Who goes there?”
All of the cultivators of the Warhammer Citadel were elites, and they immediately entered combat stance.
Some activated the inscriptions of the sacred artifacts, some created defensive formations, some opened their Heaven’s Eye to look for the intruder…
Whooosh!!
The space above Bloodhunt Hongdong trembled.
Three figures flew out of the void, attacking both Bloodhunt Hongdong and Elder Fu Yan.
The one striking at Bloodhunt Hongdong was the masked Zhang Ruochen.
Zhang Ruochen deployed the technique of the Dimensional Prison and covered Bloodhunt Hongdong within it. Immediately after, he used his footwork to close the distance as he roused the power of the Fire God’s Gauntlet and slammed a fist out, carrying with it a trace of divine power.
Zhang Ruochen was very clear that his primary objective was to rescue people.
To rescue someone, he must first gain some bargaining chips.
So, he could only subdue the bandits by taking their leader.
Bloodhunt Hongdong was no ordinary foe, and the speed of his reaction was extraordinary as he struck out like a thunderbolt, and countered with a palm strike, before sending Zhang Ruochen stumbling back seven steps.
But Bloodhunt Hongdong was pushed back even more…
Sixteen steps in total.
Zhang Ruochen only felt a fiery pain in his right arm. That counter palm strike was like him hitting a divine steel wall, and all of his bones felt like they had been slightly dislocated.
Note that the counterstrike was done in haste before the two came to this stage.
If his opponent had time to prepare, Zhang Ruochen may not necessarily be able to gain an advantage.
“His physical strength is not below mine,” Zhang Ruochen said to himself.
Fortunately, on the other side of the battlefield, Murong Yue and Xie Chengzi joined forces, and not only they managed to push Elder Fu Yan back, they even managed to rescue Lu Huaiyu from the soul Quelling Steele.
Zhang Ruochen knew the strength of Bloodhunt Hongdong had exceeded his estimations and could not be taken down so easily. He glanced sideways and stared at Elder Fu Yan as he prepared to change his his target.
While Bloodhunt Hongdong may look like a brute, but for him to become the Young Master of the Warhammer Citadel, how could he be a fool?
He was extremely shrewd, and the moment he saw Zhang Ruochen’s eye movement, he immediately guessed Zhang Ruochen’s next move and roared, “Elder Fu Yan, watch out!”
Bloodhunt Hongdong’s judgment was not wrong, but he underestimated Zhang Ruochen’s strength and speed.
However, before the words “watch out” could even leave his mouth, Zhang Ruochen’s Ancient Abyssal Blade was already pointed at the center of Elder Fu Yan’s brows.
Elder Fu Yan was extremely shocked. He was also a Nine-step Saint King but he could not even see his foe’s shadow before he was restrained. Could it be that the person who came here had cultivated to the realm of the Precept Domain?
Not long after, when he felt the spatial fluctuations around him, he immediately understood what had happened.
No wonder he was so fast. It turned out that this person had directly crossed the space and appeared before him.
Elder Fu Yan tried his best to remain calm as he said, “Sir, are you also here for the Records of Heavenly Works? I’m afraid that you will be disappointed. We have not found it yet.”
Bloodhunt Hongdong said, “He is not here for the records but to rescue people.”
Zhang Ruochen could not help but reassess his opinion of Bloodhunt Hongdong. This person was really sharp and could see through his intentions in such a short time. If he were to give him more time, wouldn’t the latter be able to guess Zhang Ruochen’s identity?
“Since you know I’m here to rescue people, why don’t you release them immediately?” Zhang Ruochen said.
“That’s unfair.”
Bloodhunt Hongdong shook his head and said, “I’m holding so many lives in my hand, and you only have one in yours. If want me to release them, who should I let go then?”
“Is a life of a Nine-step Saint King that cheap for the Warhammer Citadel?” Zhang Ruochen asked back.
Zhang Ruochen still had some understanding of the various major forces in the Celestial Court. It was not difficult to deduce that they were cultivators from the Warhammer Citadel.
Bloodhunt Hongdong said, “I don’t need to tell you how serious are the consequences if you were to kill a Ninth Rank Elder of the Warhammer Citadel, right?”
“Are you threatening me?” Zhang Ruochen asked.
Bloodhunt Hongdong replied, “No, I’m just reminding you to think twice before doing anything.”
“Thank you.”
A strange smile appeared on Zhang Ruochen’s face as his powerful sword will erupted.
Dushh!!
Contrary to everyone’s expectation, Zhang Ruochen was decisive as he stabbed his blade through the center of Elder Fu Yan’s brow. The Sword Spirit on the edge of the blade erupted, shattering the latter’s head into a cloud of bloody mist.
Bloodhunt Hongdong’s eyes widened suddenly. A raging fury burned with him as he shouted, “Kill them!”
Suddenly, a divine light radiated out of Zhang Ruochen’s eyes as his aura expanded greatly like that of a dominating emperor. With his hands spread out wide, all of the Precepts of Space blasted out, ad covered the entire square on top of the Jade Saint Spirit Mountain as he shouted, “Dimensional Freeze!”
In an instant, a layer of white light rushed out of Zhang Ruochen’s body as the power of space swept across the place.
From afar, the people on the square seemed to be enclosed within a huge jade stone and became unmovingly still.
However, under Zhang Ruochen’s control, Murong Yue and Xie Chengzi were not affected by the power of space as they launched attacks against the cultivators of the Warhammer Citadel.
Murong Yue then struck against Bloodhunt Hongdong.
Xie Chengzi released a large number of Battle Corpses, and was frantically harvesting the lives of the cultivators of the Warhammer Citadel, and in the blink of an eye, half of them fell.