Chapter 102: First Steps into the Demonic Path (Part Fourteen)

"Damn it...you bastard!"
Zhou Hao was consumed by rage.
His century-long plan, almost complete, was interrupted by the old Holy King of White Cloud City. He was severely injured, and the Holy King Ancestor, a pillar of the Holy Land, perished, along with the Holy King Artifact.
Now, someone else had so quickly seized the opportunity, his century-long scheme all for naught.
Suddenly, Zhou Hao frowned.
Outside, an eerie silence reigned.
"Who dares to infiltrate the Devouring Sun Holy Land and commit such atrocities!"
The doors to the main hall were gently pushed open, and a figure shrouded in black robes slowly emerged.
The black-robed figure lowered his hood, revealing a face both familiar and unfamiliar.
Upon seeing that face, Zhou Hao's pupils constricted sharply.
"Zhou Chen, you really aren't dead!"
"Good...good! It seems you weren't controlled by the Slave Seal Pill at all!"
Looking into Su Chen's calm eyes, Zhou Hao realized he'd been completely played. He coldly said, "You deliberately killed the Divine Body of White Cloud City, didn't you? You wanted to use White Cloud City's power to severely injure me."
Su Chen didn't deny it, only smiling faintly: "Your Majesty is truly clever."
"So...please, Your Majesty, depart."
Su Chen held the Heavenly Question Blade, the power of the ancient sacred artifact reviving within him.
Facing Su Chen possessing a sacred artifact, Zhou Hao showed no surprise, his eyes icy: "A sacred artifact, is that all you rely on? You're far too naive!"
"Even if I am severely injured, I am not someone an ant like you can shake!"
Zhou Hao's terrifying sacred might erupted fully.
Even though Su Chen wielded a sacred artifact and his cultivation had reached the peak of the Nirvana Realm, he still appeared insignificant before Zhou Hao.
However, Su Chen showed no fear and charged towards Zhou Hao.
At the same time, within the previously silent Devouring Sun Sacred Land, terrifying auras surged forth, rushing directly towards Zhou Hao. They even self-destructed with overwhelming force. While the self-destruction of an ordinary Nirvana Realm cultivator wouldn't harm Zhou Hao at his peak,
Zhou Hao was already severely injured, his strength reduced to less than one-tenth. Facing Su Chen's sacred artifact, and now the self-destruction of Nirvana Realm cultivators from the sacred land... even the most ruthless Zhou Hao felt his heart bleed at this sight.
Nirvana Realm cultivators—these were the backbone of their sects. Nurturing a Nirvana Realm Venerable required a vast amount of resources.
And now they were being used like disposable items.
This enraged Zhou Hao.
He was determined to kill Su Chen.
The entire Devouring Sun Holy Land was a scene of utter desolation.
Faced with Zhou Hao, who was determined to kill him, Su Chen quickly found himself at a disadvantage, repeatedly narrowly escaping death with the help of his sacred artifact.
Su Chen avoided Zhou Hao and stood in the center of the Devouring Sun Holy Land.
The crimson runes beneath his feet spread rapidly like a spiderweb, enveloping the entire Devouring Sun Holy Land.
“Blood Sacrifice Technique!”
Zhou Hao was greatly shocked and exclaimed, “Why do you possess the Blood Sacrifice Technique? This is bad…”
Zhou Hao’s unwavering confidence wavered as Su Chen’s aura steadily increased.
He knew he had to kill Su Chen as soon as possible; otherwise, once Su Chen broke through to the Saint Realm, his own death would be imminent.
The Blood Sacrifice Technique, naturally, belonged to the ancient clans and was useless to those without direct bloodline.
So, taking advantage of the competition among the prodigies, Su Chen secretly slaughtered and devoured the offspring of those powerful figures from the holy lands.
This was the moment he had been waiting for!
The Heavenly Question Blade fully awakened, and an ancient saint appeared in the air, his eyes gleaming, charging towards Zhou Hao.
Zhou Hao gritted his teeth, burning his essence blood, and fought with all his might against the ancient saint's phantom.
Two powerful saintly auras surged forth.
However, most of the powerful figures in the Western Regions were currently overseeing the battlefield in the Northern Regions. The remaining individuals simply remained indifferent, watching the spectacle unfold at the Devouring Sun Holy Land.
Zhou Hao forced back the Heavenly Question Blade and charged towards Su Chen, intending to stop Su Chen's breakthrough.
Just as he mobilized the power of heaven and earth, his expression suddenly changed drastically, his face filled with horror. He violently spat out a mouthful of blood, the black blood dripping into the mountains and rivers, turning them into a desolate wasteland.
"When...did you poison me?"
Zhou Hao's face was filled with disbelief. He felt his power waning, his immortal holy body beginning to age, and his soul permeated with toxins—a terrifying poison that even a Saint-level expert couldn't eradicate!
Seeing Zhou Hao's incredulous expression, Su Chen laughed loudly, "Zhou Hao, today is your death day!"
While Zhou Hao was away on the Northern Battlefield, Su Chen went to the Devouring Sun Holy Land. Without a trace, he used a modified version of the Slave Seal Pill to control the people in the Pill Hall. The pills in the Devouring Sun Holy Land had already been replaced by Su Chen. Su Chen was gambling that Zhou Hao would be targeted by the old Saint King of White Cloud City.
Su Chen won his gamble; Zhou Hao was targeted by the old city lord of White Cloud City.
He escaped by sheer luck.
However, those pills had already been poisoned by Su Chen. Colorless and odorless, Zhou Hao swallowed them without any precautions, too eager to recover from his injuries to investigate.
Now, after a series of battles,
the poison seeped into the depths of his soul.
Zhou Hao gave a bitter laugh: "Zhou Chen... I underestimated you. You're truly ruthless; I'm not even as good as you!"
"But you think this battle is over?"
"Cough cough... Zhou Chen, you will die. You will die in the most miserable way. Hahahaha, we were both fish on a chopping board from the very beginning."
Su Chen frowned: "Zhou Hao, what do you mean by that?"
Su Hao suddenly erupted, unleashing the Devouring Sun Holy Land's killing move with his last bit of spiritual energy.
"Devouring Heaven and Annihilating Spirits!"
Su Chen was prepared. He threw out the Heavenly Question Blade and immediately retreated from the Devouring Sun Holy Land. The entire Devouring Sun Holy Land was engulfed by the terrifying killing move; space shattered, and the entire Devouring Sun Holy Land vanished along with it.
Su Chen was caught in the blast. His body cracked like porcelain about to shatter. He quickly stuffed a large mouthful of healing pills into his mouth.
"A saint's body is gone just like that!"
Su Chen cursed inwardly. Zhou Hao, as expected of a ruthless hero, knew he was doomed and, in his final moments, took the entire Devouring Sun Holy Land with him to kill Su Chen, not giving Su Chen an easy victory.
Although he didn't get Zhou Hao's body, Su Chen's gains were still immense. He sensed a sliver of an opportunity to become a saint, and with the tide of the Devouring Sun Holy Land's destruction, he prepared to use it to achieve sainthood.
Suddenly, he sensed an aura beside him. He turned around and saw a woman in a black dress sitting on a cliff edge, silently watching him.
Those jet-black pupils... radiated unparalleled nobility.
“Han Chan…”
Upon seeing the woman's familiar face, Su Chen's memories of the past century flooded back... Since his departure from the Western Regions for the Northern Regions, he had never seen Zhou Han Chan, and he had assumed she had died in the Holy Land.