Translator: CinderTL
"..."
Chen Zilu, who had been rushing toward Jiang Ye, froze in her tracks as she reached the battlefield.
Her delicate face registered a flicker of astonishment as she gazed ahead.
"It's over?"
Jiang Ye's speed had far exceeded her expectations.
In mere seconds, he had utterly defeated the foreign race warrior, achieving a flawless victory.
"Jiang Ye...?"
"He finished so quickly..." Shi Ting, who had also arrived, stared at the scene before her, equally stunned.
She had personally witnessed Mina instantly kill an Upper A-tier student from Starry Sky University.
That very sight had driven Shi Ting to flee without hesitation. Even a moment's delay would have meant she wouldn't survive long enough for Jiang Ye to arrive.
But now? This formidable opponent—
Had been annihilated by Jiang Ye with a single spear strike?
Foreign Race Kill +1
Jiang Ye landed lightly, ignoring the system notification.
"A Heavenly Pride of the foreign race? Impressive aura, at least."
"Even stronger than that one we fought with senior sister before." Jiang Ye shook his head. "Still too weak."
The person before him was even stronger than Bei Li had been.
In terms of Dao Bone Aptitude, this should be considered exceptionally formidable.
But Jiang Ye, with his Upper A-tier profound physique and cultivation of a third-tier civilization inheritance, possessed a base combat power that already far surpassed that of geniuses at his level.
And that was before factoring in the multiple stacked buffs.
Below Transcendent Aptitude, his combat prowess was undoubtedly in a league of its own.
As for Transcendent Aptitude?
Jiang Ye had never encountered it and couldn't say for sure.
"After my third breakthrough, I can now unleash over two hundred thousand strands of stellar energy at any moment," Jiang Ye thought to himself. "This isn't just a quantitative increase."
"It's a qualitative transformation."
"Ordinary Upper A-tier profound physiques are no match for me now." Jiang Ye's understanding of his own strength grew clearer.
Previously, he could only mobilize a hundred thousand strands of stellar energy at a time.
But after condensing the vortex during his third breakthrough, the explosive power of his Guanyuan Acupoint had dramatically increased.
Now, unleashing two hundred thousand or even three hundred thousand strands was no longer difficult.
More importantly,
the stellar energy Jiang Ye now wielded was true second-tier stellar energy!
Both its quality and quantity far surpassed what he had possessed before.
Just then, two figures flew over—Chen Zilu and Shi Ting.
"Jiang Ye, you've already achieved your third breakthrough?" Shi Ting asked, her eyes shining with the joy of reunion.
"Just lucky," Jiang Ye replied with a smile. "A fortunate breakthrough."
"Congratulations," Shi Ting sighed softly. "I never imagined you'd surpass me so quickly. Thank you for stepping in during this crisis."
A complex emotion lingered in her eyes.
Not long ago, she had been Jiang Ye's senior sister.
Yet in such a short time, his strength had already surpassed hers. Without his intervention, she would have surely perished.
"We're fellow disciples," Jiang Ye said with a gentle smile. "No need for thanks."
"Jiang Ye," Chen Zilu suddenly said, "look at that corpse."
"Hmm?"
At her words, Jiang Ye immediately turned his attention to Mina's body.
He noticed then that her battle armor showed remarkably little damage.
Whoosh!
With a swift movement, Jiang Ye approached Mina's corpse and removed the armor.
Mina's body lay shattered, yet the battle armor remained almost completely intact—a bizarre sight.
"It's heaven-tier battle armor," Chen Zilu said as she approached, her voice tinged with surprise.
"Heaven-tier battle armor?" Jiang Ye's expression also turned to one of astonishment.
Heaven-tier battle armor represented the highest tier of Cosmic Battle Armor, renowned for its exorbitant cost.
At White Dragon University, a single set could cost over a billion merit points and was frequently out of stock.
Rumor had it that it could withstand attacks from opponents one minor realm above the wearer.
Given Mina's strength, wearing heaven-tier battle armor would have allowed her to escape unscathed even against mid- or late-stage third breakthrough powerhouses.
"Thank goodness," Jiang Ye suddenly felt a surge of relief.
He was grateful he had activated his Myriad Manifestations Spear Domain beforehand.
Ancestor of the Spear Dao: You have pioneered a unique spearmanship style, forming your exclusive Spear Dao Domain, the Myriad Manifestations Spear Domain. Within this domain, your spearmanship will bypass opponents' physical defenses, inflicting massive true damage.
"Without this ability, I doubt I could have killed her instantly," Jiang Ye mused inwardly.
"Heaven-tier battle armor is usually worn by fifth breakthrough powerhouses or higher, right?" Shi Ting exclaimed in surprise. "Does that mean this alien was a fifth breakthrough master?"
"Unlikely," Jiang Ye replied, shaking his head.
Even fifth breakthrough powerhouses entering Ancient Star No. 7 would be suppressed to the early third breakthrough realm.
While cultivation realms could be suppressed, one's level of swordplay remained unchanged.
Judging from Mina's earlier sword techniques, she was clearly an opponent on par with Jiang Ye.
"She's probably at the early third breakthrough realm, just like me," Jiang Ye mused, narrowing his eyes. "Wearing heaven-tier battle armor?"
Suddenly, he recalled the fleeting expression on her face when she first saw him.
Jiang Ye's perception was now extraordinarily sharp. Though he hadn't paid much attention at the time, he had keenly registered it.
It was the look of someone spotting prey!
"So, she was targeting me all along."
"Could it be because I've killed so many Heavenly Prides from the foreign races?" Jiang Ye narrowed his eyes. "Perhaps she's not the only one after me."
Whoosh!
A flash of light in his hand, and the battle armor vanished into his Bracelet Space.
This heaven-tier battle armor was undoubtedly worth a fortune, and Jiang Ye had no intention of wasting it.
Immediately afterward,
Buzz~ A sharp glint flashed in Jiang Ye's eyes as he surveyed the battlefield.
Activating Perceptive Insight, he transformed the world into a network of luminous lines. This technique wasn't just a treasure-hunting tool; it could also gauge the strength of other powerhouses.
In an instant,
Jiang Ye's gaze swept across the battlefield.
He spotted numerous foreign race powerhouses radiating formidable auras.
The recent battle's energy fluctuations had already attracted many foreign races, with dozens of luminous trails converging on their location.
"Senior Sister," Jiang Ye said, turning to Chen Zilu. "Do you want the remaining opportunities here?"
"I don't mind," Chen Zilu replied.
"If you want them," she added earnestly, "I'll help you slaughter every last foreign race here."
Jiang Ye grinned. Senior Sister really understands me.
"Then let's kill them," Jiang Ye said, gripping his long spear tightly, his eyes burning with murderous intent.
With him and Chen Zilu joining forces, why should they concede the opportunities of the Extreme Sea Crust to the foreign races?
Big or small, I'll take them all!
"Senior Sister, I'll join you!" Shi Ting quickly interjected, glancing at Jiang Ye and Chen Zilu. She sensed an unusual connection between them, but this wasn't the time to worry about being a third wheel.
All three were students of White Dragon University. Now that Jiang Ye and Chen Zilu were preparing to fight, she couldn't possibly back down.
"Kill!"
The trio transformed into three streaks of Flowing Light, hurtling forward with explosive force.
Meanwhile, ten miles from the battlefield:
"Mina is dead?"
"Instantly killed?"
"How is that possible?" Rosen, the silver-eyed youth, gasped for breath.
He had been near the battlefield just moments ago.
Rosen had initially intended to assist Mina, but he never imagined the battle would end so quickly. In mere seconds, Mina had fallen.
Having witnessed her death firsthand, he immediately fled the area in disarray.
"Mina was the strongest among the three of us," Rosen thought, a chill running down his spine. "How could she be instantly killed? How could that Blue Star prodigy be so powerful?"
Just then, his wristband buzzed.
"Kidd?" Rosen activated the communication.
Whoosh! A holographic avatar materialized, revealing the brown-haired youth who had been with him earlier.
"Rosen," Kidd said gravely, "Mina is dead. What do we do now? Should we continue the mission?"
"Don't be ridiculous," Rosen snapped coldly. "This is an order from King Beize himself. Do you think we can just turn back now?"
"But he instantly killed Mina. We stand no chance against him," Kidd insisted.
"Mina underestimated him," Rosen said coldly. "She possesses three innate abilities, yet she only unleashed the first one during the battle. She probably never imagined the gap in power was so vast."
"Kidd, don't worry," Rosen said. "Don't forget, we still have a fourth-tier treasure."
Rosen's eyes turned icy.
A fourth-tier treasure!
This was their trump card. With it, they could unleash power approaching the fourth breakthrough.
"Kidd, the treasure needs time to prepare," Rosen said in a low voice. "Lure him here to me."
"Are you sending me to my death?" Kidd asked coldly.
"You won't die," Rosen replied. "No one else can match him. He'll sweep through this area quickly. Only you can stall him for a while."
"Hurry up. Don't wait until that bastard has slaughtered all the geniuses of the Fire Ember Civilization," Rosen said coldly. "When that happens, do you think you can face King Beize's wrath?"
"...I understand."
The communication ended.
Rosen pulled a hexagonal crystal from his pocket. No larger than a thumb, it was pitch-black.
Holding it, he could feel a faint tremor, as if some dormant power lay sealed within.
"Blue Star genius?" Rosen's gaze turned icy. "Die here."
Over ten kilometers away...
On the vast, desolate plains, a brown-haired youth hung up his communicator, his gaze chillingly cold.
"Damn Rosen, ordering me to stop that Blue Star prodigy."
"Does he think I'm an idiot?" Kidd sneered. "Going there would be suicide."
Without another word, he terminated the wristband's signal and fled without hesitation toward the outer reaches of the Extreme Sea Crust.
"Rosen? You'd better die here like Mina," Kidd thought grimly. "That way, I'll be the Fire Ember Civilization's most promising genius to ascend to invincible dao bone within five years!"
As for the civilization strife crossing?
What did that have to do with him?
He certainly didn't want alien civilizations to usurp the Fire Ember Civilization's position, but that didn't mean he was willing to sacrifice himself for it.
After I'm dead, let the floodwaters rise!
With a whoosh, Kidd's figure blurred into a phantom as he bolted away.
Over a hundred streaks of Flowing Light were hurtling toward the site of Jiang Ye and Mina's recent battle.
The vast majority of these streaks belonged to foreign races.
But just as they were about to reach the battlefield...
Boom!
A terrifying Martial Dao Aura erupted suddenly, surging across the battlefield like a tidal wave.
The aura was so terrifying that it brought all hundred streaks of Flowing Light to a halt.
Three dazzling figures descended from the sky, landing in mid-air at the edge of the battlefield.
Among them, a handsome young man with a cold gaze swept the area before declaring in Universal Cosmic Language, "This territory belongs to me. The rest of you—leave or die."
Chen Zilu glanced at Jiang Ye, puzzled.
Shi Ting, however, showed no surprise. She had long known Jiang Ye spoke the Universal Cosmic Language.
Jiang Ye's arrogant declaration ignited the fury of the hundreds of foreign races present. Many drew their blades and charged toward him without hesitation.
Powerful auras erupted.
Within seconds, dozens of foreign races—all third breakthrough powerhouses—had surged forward, unleashing terrifying energy waves and lethal attacks in rapid succession.
Faced with such a massive assault, even a mid-stage third breakthrough powerhouse would find themselves in dire straits.
But then—
Boom!
Two spear beams erupted with blinding intensity, colliding like the Proud Sun and the Radiant Moon, detonating in a cataclysmic explosion.
Jiang Ye and Chen Zilu moved simultaneously, their long spears sweeping across the battlefield with perfect coordination.
Boom!
With a single strike, several foreign race warriors were blasted apart, their blood splattering across the sky.
At the same moment, Shi Ting joined the fray. Though her strength didn't match Jiang Ye's or Chen Zilu's, she was a formidable combatant, ranking among the strongest at the threshold of the third breakthrough.
Hmm?
The power of my spearmanship seems to have increased by thirty or forty percent? Shi Ting's delicate features shifted in surprise.
Why is this happening?
Could it be that my spearmanship's power increases when I'm with Jiang Ye?
Shi Ting had no time to ponder this now. Seeing Jiang Ye and Chen Zilu fighting back-to-back, she refused to be left behind.
Boom! The combined might of the trio was truly astonishing.
In the blink of an eye, over a dozen foreign race warriors had fallen, their blood staining the earth crimson.
"So powerful."
"Two of these Blue Star People are Fallen Star-level Heavenly Prides! No, they might even possess invincible dao bones!"
"Retreat!" The foreign race warriors, filled with terror and rage, scrambled to retreat.
But with the battle already engaged, Jiang Ye had no intention of letting them escape.
Whoosh!
Jiang Ye swung his long spear, drawing upon boundless stellar energy that converged rapidly. In an instant, he unleashed a devastating thrust.
Four Seasons Intent, Po Jun!
An incomparably terrifying spear strike.
The blinding spear light tore through the sky, instantly transforming into a ten-meter-long beam of energy. Its terrifying power swept across dozens of foreign race warriors, crushing them all into dust.
Blood splattered wildly!
With a single strike, Jiang Ye had annihilated dozens of foreign race powerhouses.
"After the third breakthrough, the qualitative change is truly remarkable," Jiang Ye thought, satisfied. "The True God Manual's power is becoming increasingly apparent."
Most of these foreign race warriors possessed B-tier profound physiques, and some even had Low A-Tier physiques.
Yet now?
They had been swept away like trash with a single spear strike.
"Looks like I don't even need to lift a finger," Chen Zilu remarked with a smile. "You can handle them all by yourself."
"Senior sister is still essential," Jiang Ye replied with a grin.
Beauty's Inquiry and the Martial Saint Bond.
Without these two factors, he couldn't have unleashed such overwhelming combat power.
Especially the Martial Saint Bond—Jiang Ye could sense that the combat power boost it provided was immense.
"Stop flattering me," Chen Zilu chided playfully. "There are still a few foreign race warriors left. Don't let them escape."
"Rest assured," Jiang Ye replied with a confident smile.
His figure flickered, transforming into a blur as he pursued the fleeing foreign race members ahead.
At that very moment...
"Hmm?!"
Jiang Ye's pupils constricted sharply as an overwhelming sense of mortal danger washed over him, causing every hair on his body to stand on end.
(End of the Chapter)
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