Chapter 2263 - Zhang Ruochen's Ambition
In Sevenstar Imperial Palace, Saint Spring lake lay gleaming, surrounded by blooming flowers.
In one of the chambers with oldworld charm, Zhang Ruochen — whose well-defined body was an archetype of masculinity — walked down from a wooden bed. His muscles were well-proportioned, his chest broad, his eyes piercing and devilish, his facial features perfectly shaped. The masculine beauty was enticing and captivating.
That night, he had fallen into a postcoital slumber after letting off steam.
Zhang Ruochen took the white robe hanging on the bedside and put it on. He turned and stared at the delicate figure that was still lying on the bed. "From now on, this is where you stay. You can come and go as you please."
Lian Xi had woken up a long time ago. Her long black hair scattered over her shoulders. Her eyes were so beautiful that they could take one's breath away. She looked up, staring into the void. There was no overreaction on her pretty face. Her countenance was calm and serene.
Red marks were left on her fair skin, from her neck to the two snow-white bosoms under the quilt.
Just as Zhang Ruochen was about to push the door open and leave, she said, "You treated me as someone's substitute last night. Who was that person?"
Zhang Ruochen stopped. His eyes were deep and profound. He said, "You are you, not someone's substitute. From now on, you will be my maidservant. Don't ask questions. You are not qualified to do so."
Walking out of the inner chamber, Zhang Ruochen stared at the sky, his eyes flashed with fierce killing intent. "You've watched me the whole night. Haven't you seen enough?" His tone was cold.
Whoosh!
Enormous Divine Purification Flame surged out of his body. The mighty flame turned into a flaming tornado soaring into the sky and enveloped the divine spirits.
There were seventeen divine spirits. Each belonged to a deity.
Sensing Zhang Ruochen's killing intent, the seventeen divine spirits wanted to retreat immediately, but they were too late.
KABOOM!
Divine Purification Flame wiped out all seventeen divine spirits and burned them into nothingness.
Zhang Ruochen left Sevenstar Imperial Palace. Standing on the stairs, he pointed to the sky and shouted, "Whoever dares to spy on me again through your divine spirits, I'll destroy each and every divine spirit you send."
His voice spread far and wide, echoing through Winterpage City, alarming countless cultivators.
Inside a manor in the Divine Domain of Destiny, under a peach tree stood an elder with gray hair. Looking in the direction of Winterpage City, he smiled. "You are a man of character who even dare to kill the divine spirits of gods. You surely are uninhibited."
Another deity who was sitting in a palace said to himself, "Zhang Ruochen also has a weakness. At least he can't control his lust. In other words, his control over his spiritual will is far inferior to Yan Wushen's.
"Moreover, there is a great hidden danger in his physical condition. He's on the verge of losing control.
The voice of another deity sounded, "It's easier for us to control him if he has weaknesses. Hidden danger means a flaw. A blade without weakness or flaw will wound its master when it grows sharper in the future. Hence, I feel much more at ease now."
...
In Vastsea Manor, all the cultivators were awakened from their practice. They all stared at Zhang Ruochen.
Everyone could see that Zhang Ruochen was in a bad mood. He had said that he wanted to destroy the divine spirits of deities. Even if other Supreme Saints had such strength, they wouldn't dare to do so.
Moyin went up to him and asked, "Master, what happened?"
"Nothing." Zhang Ruochen waved his hand.
When he was walking into the pavilion, he was deep in thought.
Moyin said, "Lord Xia Yu, Supreme Saint Yi Xuan, and Gu Chenzi have come to visit you again. They want to see you."
"Fine, go and— forget it, they're already here!" Zhang Ruochen turned his gaze to the door.
Lord Xia Yu, Supreme Saint Yi Xuan, Gu Chenzi, and Supreme Saint Xueqi walked over quickly. Each of them had a look of dissatisfaction on their faces, releasing Supreme Saint aura without reservation.
From afar, Lord Xia Yu spoke in a sarcastic tone, "I heard that Supreme Saint Ruochen has taken in Celestial Court's Fairy Shadowless and housed her in Sevenstar Imperial Palace. I'm so envious."
Zhang Ruochen asked, "What exactly has pissed the four of you off?"
Supreme Saint Xueqi's expression was cold. He said rudely, "Zhang Ruochen, do you really not know about it? Or you are pretending?" he sounded rude. "Don't you know that Bloodsky Clan was humiliated at the banquet of the ten major Immortal Vampire clans because of you?
"And you, as the leader, did not ask about it?"
"Oh? I thought Lord Xia Yu attended the banquet in my place? With her cultivation, who would dare to humiliate her?" After taking out a pot of Saint Spring Water and a set of bronze cups, Zhang Ruochen filled five cups in a row.
He then gestured for them to sit down.
Lord Xia Yu's pretty face was filled with shame and anger. She did not sit down. "I'm responsible for what happened at the banquet," she said. "It's not your fault, but you didn't bother to respond to the provocation Lan Ying and Wujiang had made. How can Bloodsky Clan cultivators hold their heads high in Infernal Court?"
Zhang Ruochen was shocked. "What's wrong? How did they provoke us?"
"Lan Ying raised a big flag at the Arena of Life and Death," said Yi Xuan. "It says 'Lan Ying challenges Zhang Ruochen, Bloodsky Clan leader, to a life and death battle. If Zhang Ruochen doesn't accept his challenge, Zhang Ruochen will be a coward.'"
"His method is way too childish." Zhang Ruochen shook his head with a smile.
"Forget about his method. If you don't respond, you will be a laughing stock, even among Bloodsky Clan cultivators.
Zhang Ruochen asked, "How about Wujiang? What did he do to provoke us?"
"Wujiang once said openly that Bloodsky Clan had no talents left that they appointed a hybrid to be their leader. Even I couldn't bear such a comment, but you endured it." The look in the eyes of Supreme Saint Xueqi was ferocious. He was very dissatisfied with Zhang Ruochen.
Zhang Ruochen sat up straight. He played with the bronze cup with his fingers and drank the Saint Spring Water in one gulp.
After a long time, Zhang Ruochen said, "Ignore them. There will be a chance to fight them at the Celestial-Hunting Festival."
"Fight?"
Gu Chenzi, who had been silent, suddenly spoke. He continued in a self-deprecating tone, "Lan Ying and Wujiang can defeat more than half of Bloodsky Clan cultivators single-handedly.
"How can we fight?
"The only way we can survive at the Celestial-Hunting Festival is to avoid a direct confrontation with them."
Although they didn't want to admit it, the combat strength of Lan Ying and Wujiang made them feel deeply powerless.
At the same time, they thought they understood why Zhang Ruochen hadn't responded to the provocation of Lan Ying and Wujiang.
They perceived that he couldn't beat Lan Ying and Wujiang, so he had to admit defeat. Otherwise, he would be humiliated even more. At this moment, he could only endure.
Zhang Ruochen smiled noncommittally and asked again, "You all went to the banquet of the ten major Immortal Vampire clans. What exactly happened? With your strength, Lord Bladehell shouldn't have gone too far, right?"
Lord Xia Yu's face was gloomy, but she didn't speak.
Supreme Saint Xueqi said, "The banquet of ten major Immortal Vampire clans was supposed to be a gathering for everyone to discuss how to deal with the Celestial-Hunting Festival so that the Immortal Vampires could achieve better results in the competition among clans.
"However, all clans were seated in the hall except for us, Bloodsky Clan, were seated outside the hall. The reason they gave was 'there were not enough seats.'
"Lord Xia Yu, Supreme Saint Yi Xuan, and Gu Chenzi entered the main hall angrily and questioned Lord Bladehell. However, they were ostracized and ridiculed by the other clans.
"Although Lord Bladehell said nothing, the cultivators around him claimed that Bloodsky Clan had become the target of the various powers. Bloodsky Clan participating in Celestial-Hunting Festival would implicate the entire Immortal Vampires.
"Some people also said that Bloodsky Clan is weak and dispensable. If they can take the initiative to withdraw from the Celestial-Hunting Festival, the Immortal Vampires' can get better results."
Hearing Supreme Saint Xueqi's story, the faces of Lord Xia Yu, Supreme Saint Yi Xuan, and Gu Chenzi turned grave. They were embarrassed and furious.
Supreme Saint Xueqi continued, "Of course, Lord Xia Yu, Supreme Saint Yi Xuan, and Gu Chenzi could not endure it any longer. They started to attack the cultivators who taunted them. However, no one expected that cultivator to actually accept the challenge. He even challenged all three of them to fight him."
Zhang Ruochen finally showed interest. "Challenge the three of them at the same time?"
"That's right," Supreme Saint Xueqi said.
Zhang Ruochen said, "Who was that brave person? Lord Bladehell? Lady Wind? Or Supreme Saint Jin Kun?"
In his opinion, only cultivators at the completion of the Hundred-Shackle Realm would dare to do this. Otherwise, if he angered Lord Xia Yu and the other two, he would only bring humiliation upon himself.
Supreme Saint Xueqi said, "That person is not Lord Bladehell, Lady Feng, nor Supreme Saint Jin Kun. He is a nobody in Puresky Clan."
"What happened in the end?" Zhang Ruochen asked.
Supreme Saint Xueqi stared at Lord Xia Yu and the others without saying a word. It was obvious that he could not bring himself to say it.
"You all lost?" Zhang Ruochen asked.
Supreme Saint Yi Xuan clenched his fists. His eyes were about to pop out of their sockets, "We lost miserably!" he replied. "Noone expected that guy to be an elite who attained Great Perfection at Hundred-Shackle Realm. He had deliberately humiliated Bloodsky Clan to anger us. He defeated the three of us so he could make a name for himself.
Lord Xia Yu, Gu Chenzi, and Supreme Saint Yi Xuan were all top elites. With their leadership, Bloodsky Clan would definitely not be at the bottom of the ten major Immortal Vampire clans. Bloodsky Clan could make it into the top five.
However, the three of them were severely humiliated when facing a Hundred-Shackle Realm Supreme Saint who had attained Great Perfection.
One could imagine how aggrieved they were.
Lord Xia Yu was obviously greatly agitated. She said, "Zhang Ruochen, you once said that you had a way to help me break through to the Great Perfection of the Hundred-Shackle Realm before the Celestial-Hunting Festival. Does that still count?"
"Of course it does," Zhang Ruochen said.
Supreme Saint Yi Xuan, Gu Chengzi, and Supreme Saint Xueqi all looked at each other with joy in their eyes.
If Lord Xia Yu could break through and reach the Great Perfection of the Hundred-Shackle Realm, their strength would definitely soar.
By then, who would dare to underestimate Bloodsky Clan?
Who would dare to say that Bloodsky Clan was dispensable among the other major clans of the Immortal Vampires?
At the Celestial-Hunting Festival, an elite who reached Great Perfection under the Hundred-Shackle Realm could play a vital role. They were like pillars that could support a force. They also represented the dignity and glory of the force.
However, many Supreme Saints were trapped in the 99 shackles and could not make a breakthrough. Even the deities could not help much.
Would Zhang Ruochen be able to do so?
Lord Xia Yu did not have much confidence in Zhang Ruochen. That was why she had rejected him last time.
However, she had suffered too much humiliation at the banquet this time. Even if there was only a glimmer of hope, she wanted to give it a try.
Zhang Ruochen stared at Supreme Saint Yi Xuan and the others and said, "Don't leave. Come with us! However, it still depends on you on how far your cultivation can grow."
Zhang Ruochen's plan was to let Supreme Saint Yi Xuan and Gu Chenzi reach the Great Perfection of the Hundred-Shackle Realm before the Celestial-Hunting Festival.
With three people at the Great Perfection of the Hundred-Shackle Realm and himself, Zhang Ruochen was confident enough to secure top spot among the ten clans of Infernal Court.
Of course, Supreme Saint Yi Xuan and Gu Chenzi didn't know that Zhang Ruochen was so ambitious. They followed him purely out of curiosity. They wanted to know what kind of power Zhang Ruochen had that could help Lord Xia Yu break through?
When they passed through the palace gate of Sevenstar Imperial Palace, they encountered Lian Xi who was walking out of it.
Seeing the five Supreme Saints, Lian Xi quickly moved to the side and stared at the ground. She had a delicate and alluring demeanor on her that would arouse a man's protective instinct.
"This is Fairy Shadowless? She's really a peerless beauty."
"If a fairy falls into Infernal Court, she can only stay by Zhang Ruochen's side to live a better life. Otherwise, a deity would take her away to keep her as his exclusive plaything."
Supreme Saint Yi Xuan and Gu Chenzi were both amazed. They understood Zhang Ruochen the moment they saw Lian Xi walk out of the inner chamber.
They stared at Zhang Ruochen again with green eyes.
No wonder Zhang Ruochen had been hiding in Sevenstar Imperial Palace to practice. If they had such a fairy-like beauty to serve them in bed, they would have been partying every night and would ignore what was going on outside.
Supreme Saint Xueqi let out a long sigh and completely gave up. He was both envious and jealous of Zhang Ruochen.
Zhang Ruochen glanced at Lian Xi and said, "Go to the god's corpse and take some of the god's blood that is not contaminated by the poison and send it to Palace of Cosmos."
"Yes, sir."
Lian Xi bowed to Zhang Ruochen and walked out.
Palace of Cosmos was the palace used by Wargod Bloodximius when he was practicing. The space inside was vast and 300 meters long. The four walls and the top of the palace were inlaid with a large number of precious crystals. They sparkled like stars in the sky.
It was a place that other cultivators could not pry or probe.
Zhang Ruochen had brought them here to help them improve their cultivation. He wanted them to become the trump cards of Bloodsky Clan. He wanted them to catch the enemy forces off guard at crucial moments.
Whoosh!
Zhang Ruochen took out a cauldron of Fugue Pills and put it on the ground.
"I can give you all 100 Fugue Pills. But I'll charge you 20 Godstones for each one. Any objections?" Zhang Ruochen said.
Seeing the Fugue Pills, Lord Xia Yu and the others were enlightened.
No wonder Xue Tu would refuse to sell them the Fugue Pills when they wanted to buy them. It turned out he wasn't the one who had bought the Fugue Pills.
Although twenty Godstones per pill was expensive, it was still acceptable. After all, when they had gone to Xue Tu to buy them, they had bid for 30 Godstones per pill.
Lord Xia Yu said, "Even if you have the Fugue Pill, it's useless. The most difficult part in process of breaking shackles is to find them. If you can't identify the shackles in your body, no matter how many Fugue Pills you take, it will be in vain."
"Finding the shackles is difficult for other Supreme Saints, but it's a piece of cake for me," Zhang Ruochen said.