God Emperor

The saintly light on Yan Kongming’s arm flickered. His arm shook and he sent three blue-green metal plates flying out. They formed three beams of blue light that flew toward Zhang Ruochen.

The metal plates seemed to be translucent. Dense patterns appeared on the surface. They looked ancient and beautiful.

Boom!

Boom!

Boom!

Three explosions erupted in a row.

The three metal plates cracked apart and beams of blue runes flew out. They interwove and transformed into three Sixth Grade Battle Formations, enveloping Zhang Ruochen’s formation.

The three Sixth Grade Battle Formations were the Skyheart Great Ape Formation, Xuan Ice Formation, and the Divine Wind and Thunder Formation. They could all damage a Half-Saint formation and were Yan Kongming’s last trump cards.

He strode into the formation. Spreading his arms, he released his 45th level Spiritual Power. It formed an invisible tentacle that helped him control the three formations at once.

Roar!

Holy Qi surged in the center of the Skyheart Great Ape Formation. A 300-foot-tall fiery ape rose up from the light of the formation. It looked menacing and let loose a world-shaking roar.

Its body was constructed by the formation’s energy. It looked extremely aggressive. Waving its huge fists, it struck Zhang Ruochen’s head.

At the same time, the Xuan Ice Formation and Divine Wind and Thunder Formation erupted with power. Concentrated blades of ice flew out of the formation. Purple lightning descended from the sky.

The power of the three formations was incredibly terrifying. The mountain under Zhang Ruochen continued to sink down.

Compared to Yan Kongming, Ning Guihai’s actions were silent.

He used an invisibility spell and flashed away. Thin ripples appeared in the air. Then he disappeared from the spot, clearly preparing to use a sneak attack.

Under Poluo Mountain, Blue Night’s expression darkened. He had strong feelings against Zhang Ruochen. “He’s already won and can reach the top easily to get the last Banner Lord position, but he’s greedy about the two saint weapons. He’s forcing Yan Kongming and Ning Guihai to risk their lives with him. I’d like to see if he can resolve this crisis.”

“Judging from how he climbed up the mountain, we can see that he is wise,” said Ji Shui. “He isn’t a fool. Since he’s willing to fight for the Yuling Blood Broadsword and Dragon Tooth Dagger, he definitely has a tactic against Yan Kongming and Ning Guihai.”

The might of the three formations was indeed strong, forcing Zhang Ruochen to defend himself reactively.

However, Ning Guihai’s invisibility didn’t pose any threat to Zhang Ruochen, who had the Eye of the Deity Print. None of his moves could escape from Zhang Ruochen’s eyes.

Just as Ning Guihai snuck behind Zhang Ruochen, preparing to attack, Zhang Ruochen’s lips curled up. He attacked first, striking backwards. He used the Seven-Apertures Blood Palm again.

Boom!

The palm print wrapped in fire hit Ning Guihai’s face. His head split like a watermelon. Blood splattered everywhere. His death was tragic.

Zhang Ruochen had already angered them, so judging from an evil monk’s behavior, they definitely wouldn’t forgive him. If he let them go, they would still be a threat. In order to get rid of all dangers, Zhang Ruochen had to kill them all.

As for the consequences of killing Ning Guihai, Discipline King Haiming would definitely help him. He didn’t have to worry about the Blood God Sect’s punishment.

Afterward, Zhang Ruochen gathered his power and struck the ground again.

Kaboom!

A hundred-foot-long blood dragon flew out of his palm. It shook the three Sixth Grade Battle Formations. Even a crack appeared on the ground. It shook Poluo Mountain as if it was about to collapse.

Yan Kongming saw the cracks on the ground. Glancing at Ning Guihai’s corpse, a chill ran down his spine. He actually felt like retreating now.

Bai Yu was gravely hurt. Ning Guihai had died tragically. How could he win by himself?

That guy just pretended that he was weak at the beginning. His cultivation is actually too high to be calculated. If I continue fighting him, I might follow in Ning Guihai’s steps.

After balancing the pros and cons, Yan Kongming shot up. He flew backwards and gave up on continuing fighting with Zhang Ruochen. He escaped down Poluo Mountain.

The bottom line was that Yan Kongming couldn’t figure out Zhang Ruochen’s level, so he didn’t dare to continue. Who knew just how powerful this guy was?

Kaboom.

Zhang Ruochen struck with 17 palm prints in a row, finally shattering the three Sixth Grade Battle Formations. He jumped and landed somewhere higher up. He looked down.

The Half-Saints who were climbing the mountain saw Zhang Ruochen above them. They all trembled and subconsciously took a step back.

The battle earlier had resulted in one strong fighter getting hurt, one dying, and one escaping. With such a beautiful record, Zhang Ruochen naturally shocked everyone.

“Fine, no use competing anymore. Just give him the Banner Lord position.” A middle-aged man with long white hair shook his head. He chose to give up on climbing up.

“He’s honestly too strong. His tactics are cruel too, killing without hesitation. It’s best to not anger him.”

“His name will become known with just this battle. His fame will overshadow Bai Yu and Ning Guihai. Other than the Deity and Saintess, he’s probably the strongest.”

“Who exactly is he? How come I’ve never seen him before?”

…

Everyone knew that this young man was Discipline King Haiming’s grand-disciple, but very few people knew his name.

Zhang Ruochen looked down at the people retreating like the tide. He smiled menacingly.

He put the Yuling Blood Broadsword and Dragon Tooth Dagger away. He walked slowly and casually, almost strolling to the top of the mountain.

“That guy is actually able to defeat Bai Yu, Yan Kongming, and Ning Guihai’s siege by himself. I’ve really underestimated him before. His physique and Way of Palm is extraordinary.”

The eyes of the Blood God Sect Saintess sparkled. She was now interested in Zhang Ruochen.

The Deity looked at the Saintess beside him. When he looked back at Zhang Ruochen, his expression subconsciously turned cold. “His combat ability is quite good, but unfortunately, he’s only this strong because he’s using the Blood God Venomous Worm. Without it, he’s only a second level Half-Saint.”

The Saintess nodded lightly. “That’s true. It’s a bit of regretful. If he didn’t take the Blood God Venomous Worm, his achievements would be very high in the future.”

The Deity and Saintess were both third level Half-Saints. However, it wasn’t hard for them to receive a Grade Six Divine Origin Pill with their statuses. They could easily reach the fourth level.

Once they became fourth level Half-Saints, their physiques meant they could fight against a sixth level Half-Saint. They obviously didn’t care about a second level Half-Saint.

Zhang Ruochen quickly reached the top of the mountain. He yanked out the black banner and smiled at the Blood God Sect Deity and Saintess.

“Your Majesties, from now on, we’re Banner Lords of the Nether Heavenly Palace. I hope that I can learn much from you two.”

The Deity huffed coldly and looked away. He didn’t feel anything positive towards Zhang Ruochen.

The Saintess was much less cold and a bit gentler. Smiling, she said, “You’ve offended me. Shouldn’t you give me something in return to dissolve the conflict between us?”

Zhang Ruochen didn’t understand. “How did I offend you?”

The Blood God Sect Saintess’ eyes had a foxy feeling. “You can continue acting stupid,” she said gently. “But you must remember that after you enter the Nether Heavenly Palace, I can help you and also kill you. It all depends on what you do now.”

Zhang Ruochen pretended that he understood. Nodding, he pulled out the Dragon Tooth Dagger. Holding it, he offered it to the Saintess. Smiling, he said, “If we really do have a misunderstanding, I hope you will forgive me. Please do not get caught up on it.”

The Dragon Tooth Dagger was a fang of a poisonous saint dragon. It was as sharp as a saint weapon. The dagger also contained toxins that could pose a threat to a Saint. As for those who hadn’t reached the seventh level of the Half-Saint Realm, they would undeniably die if their skin was pierced by the dagger.

Even someone above the seventh level wouldn’t last long if they were poisoned and didn’t have a top-level antidote.

This was why the Dragon Tooth Dagger was more valuable than some saint weapons.

“Those who see the right timing will succeed. This saying suits you perfectly.”

The Blood God Sect Saintess extended her slender arm and grabbed the Dragon Tooth Dagger. Then her wrist blurred. She swung the dagger and sliced down at Zhang Ruochen neck.

Zhang Ruochen was well-prepared. Completely unfazed, he pushed forward and hit the Saintess’ waist.

She quickly retracted her arm. Using the nine rings of holy light around her, she dissolved Zhang Ruochen’s palm power. Then she smiled. “Your reaction speed is quite fast. Your combat experience is probably comparable to the Deity. Alright! Seeing as you gave me the Dragon Tooth Dagger, I’ll forgive you this time. What’s your name?”

“Your Majesty, I am Gu Linfeng,” Zhang Ruochen said, putting his hands together in greeting.

The Deity stood to the side. Watching Zhang Ruochen and the Saintess flirt like that, he was annoyed. His eyes held warnings as he glared at Zhang Ruochen.

However, Zhang Ruochen acted as if he couldn’t understand the Deity’s eyes. He continued talking to the Saintess. He finally learned of her name. She was Shangguan Xianyan from the Shangguan Clan.

The two Banner Kings of the Nether Heavenly Palace, Man Ye and Zhao Wuliang, reached the peak of Poluo Mountain.

Zhao Wuliang was smiling. “Congratulations to you three for becoming the newest Banner Lords of the Nether Heavenly Palace. Gu Linfeng will be under my authority. The Deity and Saintess will train with Banner King Man Ye. Two days from now, you three must report to the Nether Heavenly Palace promptly.”

With that, Zhao Wuliang studied Zhang Ruochen meaningfully.

Afterward, Banner Kings Zhao Wuliang and Man Ye left first, returning to the Nether Heavenly Palace.

Zhao Wuliang seemed kind and was always smiling, but Zhang Ruochen felt like the last glance was very strange. He couldn’t help but shudder.

Does he perhaps want the Yuling Blood Broadsword?

Zhang Ruochen pondered for a while and decided that after entering the Nether Heavenly Palace, he would have to be careful of this man.