God Emperor

The Phoenix Dance Palace was a massive force, comparable to some middle age clans. It would be impossible for another force to control it.

However, 800 years ago, the royal Zhang Family gradually seeped into the Phoenix Dance Palace and became deeply rooted.

After that, Lord Twelve used many tricks to take control of a majority of the palace without anyone realizing. As for the Phoenix Dance Palace’s force in the Sacred City, it was completely controlled by Lord Twelve.

Thus, Zhang Ruochen was absolutely safe in it.

After returning to the Phoenix Dance Palace, Zhang Ruochen entered the scroll world and started to treat himself. Even without the Withered Pill, Zhang Ruochen still recovered very quickly. He soon reached his peak state again.

At the same time, his cultivation had improved somewhat.

This time, he didn’t leave immediately. He’d learned a lot from the battle with Qingyi Chan and also discovered his flaws.

His biggest weakness was naturally his cultivation plane.

The difference between a Fifth Level Half-Saint and a Ninth Level Half-Saint was like someone on the ground and someone in heaven. Other than abnormalities like Zhang Ruochen, even the nine Heirs couldn’t cross that distance.

Ninth Level Half-Saints also had huge differences between one other.

Guo Lu, in the beginning stage, was on a different level from Yan Honglie and Qingyi Chan who were in the later stages of the Ninth Level.

Without using the powers of time and space, Zhang Ruochen would be in a very passive situation if he fought against a Monk in the later stage of the Ninth Level.

My internal injuries have mostly healed. It’s time to try for the seventh aperture of the Seven-Apertures Blood Palm.

Once I successfully cultivate it, I’ll have another trump card. I won’t be forced to reveal that I’m the Time and Space Descendant whenever I fight against a strong enemy.

Right now, Zhang Ruochen still wasn’t advanced in time and space. He was also wanted by the imperial court. If he revealed that he was the Time and Space Descendant, it was obviously a bad thing.

It was best if he didn’t have to use the powers of time and space. If he used them, it must be for a fatal shot.

Each palm has seven apertures. I’ve already opened the sixth aperture in both hands. Only the aperture in the palm is left.

The seventh aperture was the biggest one in the palm. Once it was opened, the two palms would each form a Qi circulation. Any casual palm would unleash 30 times the original combat ability.

Zhang Ruochen stood below the Divine Sky-Connecting Tree and started cultivating the palm technique according to the chant in the Seven-Apertures Blood Palm scripture.

Boom, boom.

With each palm he struck out, his blood would flow like a river of stars and rush to his palm. A cloud of Blood Qi dozens of meters wide would appear before his palm.

For an entire month, Zhang Ruochen was immersed in practicing the palm technique. He seemed drunk on it and entered a mysterious state.

With the Divine Sky-Connecting Tree as the heart, dozens of miles in radius were covered in Blood Qi. One could only hear palm prints sounding continuously.

Opening the seventh aperture was not only difficult but also dangerous. Repeatedly practicing the palm technique and training his mindset could lower the danger.

At one point, Zhang Ruochen’s blood turned boiling hot and bubbled violently. It started flooding toward the heart of his palm.

The heart of his palm was the seventh aperture, the Labor Aperture.

Boom!

His hands seemed to transform into two bronze bells. They produced a deafening noise from the collision.

In reality, the Labor Aperture was even sturdier than a bell. Trying to open it was as difficult as trying to pierce metal with water.

The Blood Qi crashed against the Labor Aperture more than 800 times to no avail. Instead, Zhang Ruochen’s arms cracked open.

A drop of blood dripped from the crack to his fingertip.

Zhang Ruochen had cultivated the Five Elements Chaotic Body and had refined the souls of a saint dragon and elephant into his arms. He still couldn’t bear the collision.

Any other human Monk would have disabled his arms from a single hit like that.

After more than 3,600 hits, Zhang Ruochen finally stopped. His first attempt at opening the seventh aperture had failed.

He couldn’t help it. His arms were now a bloody mess. If he continued trying, it would be very dangerous.

When his arms healed, he began to reflect on what had happened.

Next, he immediately started his second attempt. He spent nine whole days and tried more than 4,200 times.

He failed once again.

Zhang Ruochen didn’t give up, because he could feel that the Labor Aperture had started loosening. He could finally see hope for success.

He continued for his third attempt.

This time, he activated his Blood Qi and hit the Labor Aperture more than 4,900 times. The aperture grew looser and looser. It was about to open.

Kaboom!

After close to 5,000 hits, Zhang Ruochen’s palms suddenly turned scalding hot. With that, his Holy Qi actually connected to the Spiritual Qi in the air.

“Success!”

Zhang Ruochen was overjoyed. He opened his hands and seven Blood Qi vortexes appeared immediately on his palms. The vortexes grew bigger and bigger. They seemed to be about to absorb the entire world.

At the same time, the seven apertures also formed their own Qi circulations. A powerful force flowed through the seven apertures.

How powerful would his palm be if he attacked?

According to the scripture, if I complete the seventh aperture, I can unleash 64 times the combat ability.

As of now, Zhang Ruochen had only opened the seventh aperture. He hadn’t completed it yet.

According to his estimations, if he used all his might, he could unleash 40 times the power. That would far surpass the average saint spell.

Of course, he already had the foundation to complete the Seven-Apertures Blood Palm. Unleashing 64 times the power was only a matter of time.

Next, I will refine divine blood and saintify the seventh aperture to strengthen my palm power.

Zhang Ruochen took out a drop of divine blood. Holding it in his hands, he began to absorb the divine power and Blood Qi within it. Next, he activated that powerful saintly strength and directed it at his seventh aperture.

After refining 40 drops of divine blood, he’d raised the seventh apertures of both palms to the Saint Realm.

Now, Zhang Ruochen’s hands both had seven glittering spots. It was like he was holding seven stars in each hand, and it gave off a very mysterious feeling.

Whoosh—

Zhang Ruochen raised his right hand. The saintified seventh apertures instantly grew dazzlingly bright. The air within hundreds of miles shook violently.

My hands have become the hands of a Saint. Even without using the Dragon and Elephant Prajna Palm or Seven-Apertures Blood Palm, I can still unleash a saint spell’s power with my hands.

There were 144 apertures in total in a human’s body. After saintifying all of them, one’s physical body would become a Saint.

All 14 apertures in Zhang Ruochen’s hands had reached the Saint Realm. He’d taken a great step on the way to transforming his body into a Saint.

Next were the 22 apertures on his arms, the 36 on his legs and feet, 36 on his core and organs, and 36 in his head.

Obviously, the apertures in one’s limbs were easier to cultivate while the ones in the head were the hardest. Thus, Zhang Ruochen decided to first refine his arms, feet, legs, and then his core and organs, and finally his head.

After refining the 40 drops of divine blood, my cultivation has reached the later stage of the Fifth Level of the Half-Saint Realm.

With my current cultivation and palm power, I won’t lose even if I go against Qingyi Chan with only my palm technique. With the help of the powers of time and space, it won’t be hard to kill her.

Since he’d improved greatly, Zhang Ruochen stopped cultivating in isolation. He walked out of the scroll world.

…

Snowflakes the size of goose feathers fluttered down in the Sacred City. The red buildings were covered in a layer of white.

The Sacred City was abnormally lively today. Every household was covered in decorations and lanterns. Everyone had a joyous smile on their face, even the cultivators.

Tonight was New Year’s Eve. They would welcome the New Year soon.

Cultivators were humans too. Even if they were training elsewhere, they would try to go home and eat the New Year’s Eve dinner with their families. They would also give advice to the juniors of their families and gift weapons and pills.

New Year’s Eve was a happy moment for everyone. They all wished to be reunited with their families.

Zhang Ruochen put on a long silver robe and walked down the snow-covered street by himself. He left behind a lonely track of footprints.

It was a familiar city, but there were no familiar people.

Granny Bai Su had told him that it was the Sacred Central Crypt that spread the rumor. It was because of them that the entire city knew he was the Crown Prince of the Sacred Central Empire.

From now on, Zhang Ruochen’s path would be even more difficult.

On New Year’s Eve when he was 16 years old, the entire Sacred City had been filled with lights. It was so lively and filled with so much noise.

Today, it was still lively and filled with noise, but Zhang Ruochen couldn’t feel any warmth. He only felt endlessly lonely and lost.

Before leaving the Phoenix Dance Palace, Granny Bai Su and Qin Yutong had specially told him that they’d prepared dinner. They’d hoped that he would go back earlier and eat with everyone.

However, Zhang Ruochen didn’t feel like it at all. He just wanted to walk and be alone.

“Zhang Ruochen!”

A familiar female voice came from ahead.

Zhang Ruochen stopped and looked up to the front of the street. His eyes brightened as he said, “You… How did you find me?”

Huang Yanchen with her sapphire-blue hair, like a beautiful goddess, stood a few hundred feet away and was looking at Zhang Ruochen. She was tall and had snow-white skin. Her cold aura was like an ice mountain, becoming one with the fluttering snowflakes.

“I knew you were in the Sacred City, so I especially came out tonight to find you. Zhang Ruochen, long time no see.” Huang Yanchen’s voice was very cold, but she still smiled faintly.

“Long time no see indeed.” Zhang Ruochen also smiled.

To be able to see Huang Yanchen on this special day, a bit of warmth found its way back into Zhang Ruochen’s heart.

He didn’t think about how Huang Yanchen could find him. Perhaps it was fate.

People with no fate wouldn’t find each other, no matter what.

People with fate could be together forever no matter how unsuitable they were.