Chapter 2260: The Growing Inner Demon
Zhang Ruochen mobilized all the Saint Qi in his body to protect his Lingtai meridian on his brain in case his spiritual will was destroyed by the Yang Qi.
Crackle
His body began to burn with raging flames. His skin was like a soldering iron, and his hair was like golden threads.
Fortunately, Zhang Ruochen’s Neverwilt Physique and demigod body were strong enough. If it had been any other Neverwilt Realm Supreme Saint, he would have been burned to ashes by the impact of millions of times more Yang Qi.
‘All along, I have used the water force contained in the fist technique to counter the fire force of the palm technique. But this time, the level of the saintwill that I condensed is different, breaking the balance between the two.’ Zhang Ruochen thought.
He moved in a flash across space and landed on the Cosmic Glacier Stone in the gourd. He sat cross-legged.
He spread his hands and slowly raised them. He immediately activated the power of the Cosmic Glacier Stone and entered the sea of Qi between his eyebrows. Then, he followed his meridians and saintly meridians and surged to all parts of his body to suppress the Yang Qi.
TRUMPET!
ROAR!
There was a dragon’s roar and an elephant’s trumpet sounded from his left and right arms.
Three dragon and elephant souls in the Hundred-Shackle Realm rushed out of his arms and appeared on his left and right sides. The six souls also burst out with fierce Yang power. Like a wild horse, they rushed from his arms and neck to Zhang Ruochen’s head.
At the same time, his blood started to burn and emitted a deafening phoenix cry.
His demigod body was formed from the divine blood of a Blood Phoenix in divinity. Its divine blood had already completely fused with his blood.
But then, there was a change.
Before, Zhang Ruochen had been at his peak all the time. Even if there were unforeseen dangers, he could suppress them with his powerful cultivation. But now, all the unforeseen dangers burst out in an instant.
After a deafening cry of a phoenix sounded, a huge phantom of a Blood Phoenix appeared above Zhang Ruochen’s head. It spread its boundless wings.
Compared to it, the three dragons and three elephants were like three earthworms and three ants.
“It’s the Blood Phoenix’s remnant soul.”
Even if a god has fallen, there would still be a remnant soul wandering between heaven and earth. It could not be completely destroyed.
The Blood Phoenix released a powerful divine soul power that attacked Zhang Ruochen’s spiritual will. It wanted to crush him and take over his body.
If it was a real divine soul, Zhang Ruochen would not be able to resist it.
However, it was only a remnant soul. It could not take over Zhang Ruochen’s body. Of course, the burst of the remnant soul at this time had a great impact on Zhang Ruochen. It made it even more difficult for him to suppress Yang Qi.
Just as Zhang Ruochen was going all out to suppress the Yang Qi, the three dragons, three elephants, and the Blood Phoenix’s remnant soul, the fourth power burst out.
The fourth power came from his left leg.
Zhang Ruochen’s left leg fused with Yanshen’s divine leg. At that moment, dense lines of fire appeared on his leg. It released the divine power of flames that could destroy heaven and earth. It surged from his leg to his abdomen and fused with the million times Yang Qi.
Zhang Ruochen was able to defeat a Supreme Saint at the peak of the Hundred-Shackle Realm with the cultivation of the mid-stage of the Neverwilt Realm because his body contained all kinds of incredible power.
Although these powers made him stronger than other cultivators of the same realm, they also had huge hidden dangers.
The four hidden dangers erupted at the same time, causing Zhang Ruochen’s body to be on the verge of breaking apart. His long hair flew in the air. His ten golden wings transformed the Saint Qi in him into a blood-red aura. His mental state was greatly affected and chaotic. Bloodlust, greed, lust, hunger, cruelty, and all sorts of negative emotions appeared in his mind.
Each person had a demon living in their body.
As one’s cultivation became stronger, the demon would become more and more powerful. The demon would jump out from time to time and affect one’s mind and judgment.
At that moment, the Divine Sky-connecting Tree’s voice rang out, “Your crisis stems from the inability to suppress the Yang Qi in you. Other hidden dangers will take the opportunity to erupt. You can try to fuse both the Fist and Palm saintwills, or you can temporarily suppress the Yang Qi.”
Zhang Ruochen gritted his teeth and asked with bloodshot eyes, “How Do You fuse them?”
“Follow the way I taught you, step by step.”
Then, the Divine Sky-connecting Tree’s voice entered Zhang Ruochen’s mind, guiding him to fuse the two saintwills in the best way.
Although the Divine Sky-connecting Tree was weak, it was a wise man.
It used to be one of the oldest living beings in the universe. It was knowledgeable, and its understanding of heaven and earth, cultivation, and everything else could not be compared with Zhang Ruochen’s.
In Kunlun, countless gods had listened to its sermons and cultivated divinity.
It was not an exaggeration to call it a Godmaker.
Under the guidance of the Divine Sky-connecting Tree, Zhang Ruochen mobilized the Blood Sun Saintwill and the Nine-tremors Saintwill at the same time to let the two merge.
The Blood Sun Saintwill was like a hot star, burning at any time and releasing a shocking destructive force. The Nine-tremors Saintwill was like a wave, layered on top of each other.
When the two saintwills came into contact, they shook violently and resisted each other.
Rumble
Zhang Ruochen’s body was already being torn apart by Yanshen’s leg, Blood Phoenix’s remnant soul, and the three dragons and three elephants. With the clash of the two saintwills, even the demigod body became painful and cracked, it was as if it was going to fall apart.
“Fusing the two saintwills is extremely difficult. Not even one out of hundred Supreme Saints succeed. You have to combine your own power with the internal and external power to assist at the same time.”
“Internal powers can be provided by the Qiankun Realm.”
“External powers can use the Violet Gourd.”
According to the Divine Sky-connecting Tree, Zhang Ruochen’s ten Golden Wings released ten streaks of blood-red aura to activate the Violet Gourd. Inside the gourd, the Golden Sun of Destruction and the Cosmic Glacier Stone spun quickly and pulled him to the center of the vortex.
At the same time, the Qiankun Realm suppressed both the above Blood Sun and Nine-tremors Saintwills. That way, even if the two Saintwills strongly rejected each other, the collision force would not affect Zhang Ruochen’s body.
Merging the saintwills was an extremely slow process., which took a whole month.
After merging the two saintwills, it was not stable. It would still take a long time to get used to each other.
‘The Blood Sun and the Nine-tremors have merged and created the tenth tremor. The saintwill should have reached the third grade. Let’s call it the Blood Sun Ten-tremors Saintwill,’ Zhang Ruochen thought.
Each Supreme Saint’s saintwill was unique. They could name it themselves.
As both Palm Saintwill and Fist Saintwill combined, the million times more Yang Qi in Zhang Ruochen’s body became slightly eased. It was no longer as violent as before.
Although Zhang Ruochen’s spiritual will was still affected by the negative emotions, he could still maintain his rationality. Thus, he forcefully suppressed the Yang Qi, the remnant soul of the Blood Phoenix, the three dragons and three elephants, and the divine power of the flame.
The Divine Sky-connecting Tree’s voice rang out again, “The Yang Qi in your body is still unbalanced. I suggest that the third type of saintwill you cultivate next is the Water Saintwill of the five elements. Only by fusing the Water Saintwill into the Blood Sun Ten-tremors Saintwill will you be able to achieve balance. Of course, you have to be fully prepared. There is a high possibility that there will be a new crisis.”
Zhang Ruochen nodded and said, “I understand. Thank you for your guidance.”
The Divine Sky-connecting Tree said cautiously, “Zhang Ruochen, you are extremely talented. You also have the demigod body and the Five-element Chaotic Neverwither Physique. Whether it’s a million times more Yang Qi, the remnant soul of the Blood Phoenix, the three dragons and three elephants, or the divine flame of the Yanshen’s leg, none of them will be able to affect you.”
“The main issue is still your own inner demon. It’s getting stronger and stronger.”
“At this stage, its impact isn’t too great. You can suppress it with your spiritual will. But when you reach the Thousand-Koan Realm and the Banshi Isshou Realm, it will definitely be a huge obstacle and a fatal threat to you.”
Hall of Cosmic Words.
Whoosh
Zhang Ruochen flew out of the Violet Gourd. The ten wings on his back were still open. A chaotic, overbearing, and fierce blood-red aura was released from his body.
Zhou Zhen, who was standing guard at the side, was pushed back four steps by the aura released from his body.
“You… What’s wrong with you?”
Zhou Zhen looked at Zhang Ruochen and felt strange.
At that moment, Zhang Ruochen’s face was ferocious. His eyes were full of wild and fierce light. Just a glance at Zhou Zhen made him feel terrified.
Zhang Ruochen walked out while ignoring Zhou Zhen.
Zhang Ruochen’s spiritual Qi was changing with each step.
The moment he walked out of the palace gate, he completely recovered and forcefully suppressed all negative emotions. At least, on the surface, there was no difference from before.
Moyin went up to him and said, “Master, during the time you were in seclusion and cultivating, several cultivators came to visit you. Do you want to see them?”
“Who are they?” Zhang Ruochen asked.
“Princess Luo Sha of Devala…”
Zhang Ruochen stared at the Sundial and saw a graceful figure sitting cross-legged on the ground. He said, “Needless to say, I’ve already seen her.”
Moyin said, “I’m sorry, Master. I wanted to stop her, but she claimed that she had already made an agreement with you and insisted on cultivating in the area covered by the Sundial. She was traveling with a fierce Supreme Saint’s corpse. I couldn’t stop her.”
“We did have an agreement. Let her cultivate here! But she has to pay for the Godstones to operate the Sundial,” Zhang Ruochen said.
Moyin laughed. “Indeed, the Godstones were provided by the Princess.”
“How many times? What do you mean?”
“The Godstones on the Sundial has been changed four times.”
Zhang Ruochen frowned and asked, “How long have I been cultivating in seclusion in the Sevenstar Imperial Palace?”
“More than a day!” Moyin said.
Zhang Ruochen said, “Two Godstones on the Sundial at the same time can run for two days. Why did the Godstone change four times in just a day?”
Moyin said, “I’m not sure either. I don’t know the reason, but the consumption of Godstones has increased several times.”
Zhang Ruochen thought to himself and muttered to himself, “Is it because I cultivated in the Violet Gourd within Sevenstar Imperial Palace?”
In the past, the Sundial could only cover a radius of 600 meters. However, during the battle with Asurendra Samay in the Sea of Time, the Sundial showed signs of recovery. It was probably from then on that the Sundial’s coverage became wider.
Although the Sevenstar Imperial Palace was within 600 meters of the Sundial, its internal space was extremely huge. It must be more than 600 meters. Perhaps it was because it covered the internal space of the Sevenstar Imperial Palace and the Violet Gourd that the consumption of the Godstones became even greater.
Moyin said, “Lord Xia Yu, Supreme Saint Yi Xuan, Gu Chenzi, and Xue Tu have all come to look for you. It seems that they have something important to discuss. By the way, Pan Ruo, one of the three candidates for the goddess of Fane of Destiny, has come three times. She wants to see you.”
Zhang Ruochen stopped thinking about the Sundial and asked, “Where is she?”
“She should still be waiting in the reception hall of the manor,” Moyin said.
Pan Ruo’s arrival was beyond Zhang Ruochen’s expectations.
How could a stubborn, proud, and indifferent woman like her take the initiative to visit him?
Moreover, according to Sword Saint Xuanji, Pan Ruo had a more important mission in the Infernal Court. It was easy to expose her identity if she came to see Zhang Ruochen. How could she do such an irrational thing?
Zhang Ruochen kept thinking about the reason why Pan Ruo came to see him while on the way to the reception hall.
He thought about it a lot.
Did she figure out that I was the one who bought the seven cauldrons of Fugue Pills? is that why she came to see me?
Did she want to ask me to help her become the goddess of fate?
Or did she just want to see me?’
Zhang Ruochen laughed at himself for thinking about it.
He thought that it was very likely that he thought too simply of Pan Ruo.
Since she had decided to step into Death’s door, she would abandon the glory and prosperity of her previous life and become a ghost. If she could withstand the tribulations of the Nether Flame and the Nether Thunder and enter the Infernal Court, her spiritual will was very likely already stronger than him.
She would never do anything irrational.
Perhaps, Zhang Ruochen would still think of that feeling in the lonely night when he was lonely. He would do things that could not be controlled by reason.
But she would never do that.
Finally, Zhang Ruochen saw Pan Ruo again in the reception hall.
She was sitting demurely in a white dress. Her eyebrows were slightly furrowed. She was demure and natural, but she exuded a cold temperament from the inside out that kept people away.
She was no longer the same old Huang Yanchen.
However, the moment Zhang Ruochen saw her, he felt like he saw Senior Sister Huang, one of the Three Demons of the Western Courtyard. The first meeting in life was always unforgettable.
It was also like seeing Princess Yanchen in the palace of Qianshui Commandery. When she got engaged, she had a smile on her face.
It was more like Huang Yanchen in front of Ziwei Palace. She was the disciple of the Empress and a Realm Bearer. They were husband and wife, but she pointed her sword at him.
The past was unbearable to look back on, but it could always evoke feelings and memories buried deep in people’s hearts. Some were happy, some were sad, and some were regretful.
This was being a human!
She was no longer a human. She was Pan Ruo, a wandering soul.
Did she still have feelings?
“Supreme Saint Ruochen, you can’t escape fate after all. The Infernal Court is where you truly belonged. If you’re here, don’t think about going back. Of course, I’m glad you came out to see me in person. It’s an honor.”
Pan Ruo’s voice pulled his thoughts back to reality.
Zhang Ruochen walked over and sat across from her calmly. “It’s an honor for me that you grace your presence in the Vastsea Manor.. What do you want to tell me, Your Highness?”