Translator: CinderTL
Several miles from the battlefield, atop a mountain peak.
"Damn it!"
"That bastard Kidd actually deserted mid-battle!" Silver-Eyed Youth Rosen roared in a low, furious voice.
"Did you think turning off your wristband's tracking would hide your escape?"
"Fortunately, I brought a distance sensor." Rosen gritted his teeth. "Otherwise, that bastard would have gotten me killed!"
Using the distance sensor, Rosen had already confirmed that Kidd was long gone from the area.
"Once I deal with that Blue Star prodigy, I'll report everything to King Beize."
"Kidd, you're finished." Rosen's eyes turned icy cold.
Yet beneath the anger, a flicker of anticipation stirred.
This incident would undoubtedly cost Kidd the clan's support.
Then Rosen would become the most promising genius to advance to the invincible dao bone within the next five years!
"It's almost time."
"The Star Shattering Burst Crystal is ready." Rosen gazed at the hexagonal crystal in his hand.
The crystal, once pitch-black, now shimmered with iridescent colors.
This transformation meant the energy within the treasure had been activated.
Rosen could sense the terrifying power contained within, as violent as the core of a sun, making even him feel a deep sense of dread.
"Once the Star Shattering Burst Crystal detonates, it will unleash thousands of Star Annihilation Rays. Even a fourth breakthrough powerhouse would perish in the blast radius."
"I can't achieve such precision, but killing a mere third breakthrough cultivator doesn't require such overkill."
"All I need to do is approach the edge of the battlefield and toss it in."
The plan sounded simple enough.
But Rosen knew that geniuses possessed incredibly sharp intuition.
If the Blue Star genius detected him approaching the battlefield, he would be risking his life.
As this thought crossed his mind, Rosen's expression grew colder. "That bastard Kidd! He's forcing me to handle this personally."
A moment later, Rosen gripped the seven-colored crystal, his figure dissolving into a phantom as he moved toward the battlefield.
Whoosh!
His speed wasn't fast.
On the contrary, Rosen moved with deliberate slowness, suppressing all traces of his aura and killing intent. Like a lurking shadow, he crept closer to the battlefield.
It took him several dozen seconds to cover the remaining kilometers.
When he was just one thousand meters from Jiang Ye, Rosen snarled, "Now!"
"Blue Star People, die!" His face twisted in a savage grin, Rosen crushed the seven-colored crystal and hurled it forward with all his might.
Whoosh!
The shattered crystal transformed into a streak of flowing light, hurtling toward the center of the battlefield.
Simultaneously, Rosen turned and fled the area without hesitation.
He knew what was coming.
This area would soon erupt in an unprecedented, terrifying massacre!
"Not good!"
Jiang Ye's hair stood on end as he instantly sensed a life-threatening crisis.
As cosmic martial artists repeatedly break through life's shackles, their five senses become increasingly acute.
Likewise, their intuition sharpens dramatically!
This is why it's nearly impossible to assassinate high-level experts through ambushes.
Some masters can even anticipate an attack moments before it occurs and react accordingly.
But Jiang Ye had yet to reach that level.
"What's that?" He spotted a seven-colored streak of flowing light hurtling toward the battlefield at astonishing speed.
In less than a finger snap,
The Flowing Light suddenly unleashed several rays that shot toward Jiang Ye with explosive speed, arriving in the blink of an eye.
They moved like lasers—fast.
Too fast!
Far beyond the reaction speed of someone at the third breakthrough level.
Jiang Ye didn't even have time to mobilize his stellar energy, let alone react. The terrifying rays arrived in an instant.
But in that split second...
Buzz!
An invisible wave swept across the battlefield, as if the entire world had dimmed. Countless strands of light converged before Jiang Ye, and a white-robed figure materialized in front of him.
The white robe billowed wildly as the girl's delicate body was instantly pierced by the rays.
She had blocked the fatal strike meant for Jiang Ye.
Boom!
The figure shattered into fragments.
"Senior Sister!" Jiang Ye's pupils constricted sharply.
The rays' power was terrifying. In an instant, they had pulverized the white-robed figure, scattering blood and leaving no trace of bone.
"Huh?"
But then, Jiang Ye snapped back to his senses.
According to his perception, Chen Zilu had been right beside him the entire time.
Jiang Ye didn't have time to think. The seven-colored crystal, after firing its initial ray, erupted in a full-scale assault.
Thousands of rays erupted, engulfing everything within a kilometer radius.
Alternative Path to Enlightenment, Jiang Ye murmured inwardly.
In an instant, a luminous path materialized before him, radiating a faint glow.
Without hesitation, Jiang Ye grabbed Shi Ting with his left hand, cradled Chen Zilu in his right arm, and transformed into a streak of Flowing Light.
Speed control: 500%!!
Following the luminous path with impossible agility, he carved a path through the thousands of rays, forcing a route to survival.
Whoosh!
In less than a second, Jiang Ye had carried Chen Zilu and Shi Ting out of the battlefield.
They took refuge behind a massive boulder.
Boom! A terrifying roar and tearing sounds erupted behind them.
Every area engulfed by the thousands of rays was pulverized, the very air seemingly pierced and reduced to nothingness.
The remaining foreign race warriors caught in the barrage were instantly reduced to dust, perishing on the spot.
Jiang Ye released Shi Ting and Chen Zilu.
"Senior Sister, you..." Jiang Ye looked at Chen Zilu, her face deathly pale, drained of all color.
He recalled the figure who had shielded him from the terrifying ray earlier, and a sudden realization dawned in his mind.
But now was not the time for speculation.
He lifted his head.
"The foreign race... must be exterminated." Jiang Ye's eyes blazed with unparalleled killing intent.
He had already sensed Rosen's location.
Whoosh!
Jiang Ye transformed into a bolt of lightning, hurtling through the air with terrifying speed.
In the blink of an eye, he had crossed several miles.
"What?! How is he still alive?!" Rosen's expression twisted in disbelief as he sensed the violent aura surging from behind.
"Even fourth breakthrough experts would perish at the epicenter of a Star Shattering Burst Crystal explosion! How did he survive?!"
Rosen had no time to dwell on his shock.
An overwhelming, murderous aura was closing in from behind, shaking the very earth.
"Die!"
A spear beam streaked across the sky, crashing down with the force of a heavenly thunderbolt, its terrifying power reaching its zenith.
"A mere Blue Star talent? I refuse to believe there's such a vast gap in strength!" Rosen roared, turning to meet the attack.
He drew his longsword, his aura surging explosively.
One, two, three... All three of his innate abilities erupted simultaneously, causing his battle armor to glow brilliantly as he transformed into a war god incarnate.
An icy mountain, a violet moon, and a thunderstorm materialized—his triple Domain.
As a top-tier Heavenly Pride with Dao Bone Aptitude, Rosen's power was indeed formidable. The combined effect of his triple Innate Domain amplified his combat strength more than fivefold in an instant.
"Kill!"
Rosen roared, his power reaching an unprecedented peak. He swung his sword, unleashing his ultimate strike—a blade infused with hundreds of thousands of strands of stellar energy.
The blade clashed against the spear beam.
In that instant,
sword met spear.
BOOM!
The collision was cataclysmic. The spear seemed to carry the weight of millions of kilograms, as if the entire heavens were crushing down upon him.
Crack! Rosen's sword light shattered instantly.
"What?!" Rosen's face twisted in horror.
He fought with all his might, but against such terrifying power, he was like an ant, easily crushed.
"Die!" Jiang Ye gave him no chance to retaliate.
He arrived with a boundless sea of blood, his Domain transforming into a realm where he reigned like a death god, reaping all in his path.
The next moment—
Boom! Jiang Ye's second spear erupted with even greater force than the first, piercing downward with overwhelming power.
Thud!
The spear slashed through the air, instantly piercing Rosen's body. Stellar energy surged violently, pulverizing his internal organs into dust.
Blood gushed from his mouth and nostrils.
Boom! Jiang Ye unleashed a third spear, too fast for Rosen to react, piercing through his skull.
Thud! Rosen's entire body exploded under the force of the spear, his flesh scattering across the ground.
Rosen was dead.
"His strength was about the same as that foreign woman from before."
"He actually possessed such a powerful artifact." Jiang Ye's expression remained cold. He had nearly lost his life earlier.
The power unleashed by those rays far exceeded the third breakthrough realm.
Jiang Ye even suspected that even fourth breakthrough experts might fall if struck by such an attack.
"I need to proceed with caution from now on." Jiang Ye realized that Ancient Star No. 7 remained fraught with danger.
If he encountered that terrifying weapon again, he had to flee immediately.
Whoosh!
Jiang Ye retrieved the enemy's battle armor from the corpse and stored it in his bracelet.
Then, with a swift whoosh, he turned and headed toward Chen Zilu and Shi Ting.
In mere moments, Jiang Ye was back behind the massive boulder.
Shi Ting stood beside Chen Zilu, and upon seeing him return, she tactfully moved away.
Chen Zilu leaned against the boulder, her face even paler than before.
"Senior Sister," Jiang Ye hurried over. "Are you alright?"
"I'm fine," Chen Zilu said weakly. "Don't worry about me."
Jiang Ye looked at her, unable to resist asking, "What just happened?"
"My innate ability," Chen Zilu replied, shaking her head. "Don't worry, I'll be fine after resting for a while."
"Innate ability?" Jiang Ye was utterly astonished.
Earlier, that terrifying ray had been capable of obliterating him. He had no doubt that if it had struck him directly, he would have been instantly annihilated.
But at the critical moment, a figure identical to Chen Zilu had blocked the ray for him.
A clone? Jiang Ye had suspected as much.
This innate ability was exceedingly rare.
The figure clearly possessed a physical body, and in Jiang Ye's perception, its life level was nearly indistinguishable from the real Chen Zilu.
Destroying it must have cost Chen Zilu dearly.
"Bai Gui," Jiang Ye thought, "have you ever seen this kind of innate talent before?"
"Yes," Bai Gui replied.
"This innate talent is called Divine Soul Division," Bai Gui's voice echoed in his mind. "In essence, it allows one to split their divine soul and create an independent avatar."
"This ability is exceptionally unique. Even within the White Dragon Civilization, it was considered extremely rare."
Bai Gui's tone carried a hint of wistfulness.
Chen Zilu's God-Devouring Syndrome was already an exceedingly rare condition.
Combined with the Divine Soul Division ability, even within the vast expanse of the White Dragon Civilization, such a case would likely be unparalleled.
"So, her avatar has its own consciousness?" Jiang Ye asked, astonished.
"Not consciousness," Bai Gui corrected, shaking her head. "It possesses life."
"However, when a strong cultivator with this ability reaches a certain stage, their avatar can develop its own thoughts. At that point, it becomes virtually indistinguishable from a second self."
A life-bearing clone?
Could that mean the figure annihilated by the Star Annihilation Ray earlier was actually Chen Zilu herself?
"Is the destruction of her clone serious?" Jiang Ye asked urgently.
Bai Gui paused.
"Don't worry," she replied. "There are no treasures on Blue Star capable of restoring her."
"As she said, she simply needs time to recover."
Jiang Ye was stunned by these words.
This implies the damage Chen Zilu sustained is far greater than I imagined.
Just as Jiang Ye's thoughts were racing,
Whoosh!
Whoosh!
Two streaks of Flowing Light shot toward them, rapidly transforming into familiar figures as they landed.
It was Su Haiyue and Lin Qing from Starry Sky University.
"Jiang Ye," Su Haiyue said, stepping forward. "I saw a fierce battle erupt here earlier. Are you all right?"
"We're fine," Jiang Ye replied with a smile.
Suddenly,
"Sister Haiyue," Lin Qing whispered, "look over there."
Su Haiyue's gaze shifted, finally noticing Chen Zilu standing beside Jiang Ye.
"Is that the invincible dao bone from White Dragon University?"
Su Haiyue's heart jolted. "Greetings, senior sister," she said quickly.
Though she was a student at Starry Sky University, Chen Zilu's reputation preceded her like thunder.
To date, she was the only dao bone genius on Blue Star capable of contending with those possessing Transcendent Aptitude.
"Hello," Chen Zilu said with a slight nod.
Her gaze swept over Jiang Ye beside her, and she transmitted telepathically, "You seem to know quite a few girls."
Su Haiyue had been staring intently at Jiang Ye from the moment she arrived, a detail Chen Zilu couldn't have missed.
"Ahem," Jiang Ye coughed, avoiding the topic.
"Senior Sister," he said, turning to Chen Zilu, "How are you? Can you move?"
"Mm-hmm," Chen Zilu nodded faintly.
"Then let's go together and claim the remaining opportunities," Jiang Ye suggested.
"Alright," Chen Zilu agreed.
Jiang Ye didn't press further, understanding Chen Zilu's reserved nature. She rarely showed vulnerability in public.
With Shi Ting and Su Haiyue still present, he preferred to keep things brief.
We'll talk properly once we're away from here.
"Student Su," Jiang Ye addressed Su Haiyue, "The foreign races here have been completely eliminated. You're free to seek your own opportunities now."
"Alright," Su Haiyue said, understanding the situation and refraining from further comment.
"Shi Ting, let's go," Jiang Ye said, quickly leading Chen Zilu away from the area.
The recent fierce battle had been detected by nearly all the strong cultivators in the Extreme Sea Crust.
Now, the alien civilization powerhouses in the Extreme Sea Crust were either dead or had fled, leaving the region virtually deserted.
Jiang Ye and his group could safely sweep the area for opportunities.
Once they finished their sweep, their expedition to Ancient Star No. 7 would be nearing its end.
While Jiang Ye and his group were sweeping for opportunities,
over a thousand miles away from the Extreme Sea Crust,
a dark brown figure was sprinting relentlessly.
Suddenly,
he paused slightly and checked his wristband.
"Rosen is dead?" Kidd's pupils constricted sharply.
He possessed a fourth-tier treasure, yet he died so quickly?
Just how powerful is that Blue Star genius?
"Hahaha!"
"Good riddance," Kidd sneered. "Tried to send me to my death, and now you've brought it upon yourself?"
"If I encounter that Blue Star genius again," Kidd thought to himself, "I'd better try to befriend him. Such a Heavenly Pride is not to be crossed."
"As for Rosen and Mina? Their deaths won't be in vain."
"You'll all become stepping stones for my ascension to the invincible dao bone! Hahaha!" Kidd's eyes gleamed with fervor as he continued his relentless sprint, as if he could already see a glorious path to the future stretching before him.
(End of the Chapter)
------------------------------------------------------
- Read ahead up to Ch680 (SYSLIMIT) on CinderTL; free chapters up to Ch338.
- No sign-up required. Find CinderTL via Google search.
🎁 2nd Anniversary Grand Giveaway. 26 Slots. Details on the Site.
------------------------------------------------------