Chapter 25: Dead End
Wang Jie instinctively executed Armor Eight Steps, narrowly avoiding a throwing knife that whizzed past his head, embedding itself into the wall and leaving a small puncture.
His gaze snapped to the left.
A shadowy figure was retreating swiftly.
Trying to escape?
With a single step forward, Wang Jie raised his hand—Luo Xuan Finger!
A spiraling force shot across the distance, aiming directly at the fleeing figure. The ground shattered upon impact, leaving behind a deep, gaping crater.
The figure dodged and darted into a narrow alley, believing he had escaped. However, from afar, another Luo Xuan Finger struck his thigh, sending him crashing onto the ground with a heavy thud.
Looking back, he found the wall completely intact. What kind of combat technique was that?
Wang Jie materialized before him and unleashed another strike. The man gritted his teeth and flung another throwing knife infused with a boiling Eight Seal Power, colliding with the spiraling qi force.
Missed.
The knife tore through the qi force, streaking toward Wang Jie.
Yet, Wang Jie caught it effortlessly. Even the raw power of the Eight Seals could not advance further. At the same moment, his spiraling qi force blasted into the man’s second leg, piercing it through. A pained wail filled the night as he collapsed into a pool of blood.
Examining the knife in his hand, Wang Jie immediately recognized his assailant. “One of the Three Gods and Five Extremes, from Heavenly Prefecture Base—Li Xiang.”
Li Xiang lay gasping for air, his legs rendered useless. Staring at Wang Jie from a short distance away, disbelief filled his eyes. “How… how did you catch my throwing knife barehanded?”
Wang Jie was equally surprised by his own strength. Must be because of those exercises.
This was Li Xiang’s full-powered strike. Someone of the Eight Seals shouldn’t be this weak. Yet, Wang Jie had caught it reflexively, his instincts never registering it as a true threat.
In reality, he had intended to dodge it.
But now, he was left even more astonished.
“Why did you try to assassinate me?” Wang Jie asked, gripping the throwing knife while staring at Li Xiang.
Li Xiang chuckled bitterly. “Talking is pointless. If you’re going to kill me, just do it.”
“Because of Zuo Tian?” Broken Blade Hunting Team was stationed in Heavenly Prefecture Base, and Zuo Tian was well acquainted with Li Xiang.
Li Xiang fixed his gaze on Wang Jie. “Only Zuo Tian can lead everyone to survive the apocalypse. You tried to assassinate him two years ago, and you still refuse to stop. As long as you’re alive, I cannot rest easy.”
“Did Zuo Tian send you?”
“My mission was to protect Older Sister Tang. Who would have thought that the two Trial Practitioners originally meant to assassinate her would seek you out instead? And I happened to be looking for you too. Fate is unpredictable.”
A distant explosion echoed from the direction of the Bai Yuan Family.
This night truly is restless.
As expected, the Trial Practitioners had no intention of working with the Blue Star Humans. What they truly wanted was complete control over the base and exclusive access to all Cataclysm Materials.
If Li Xiang was here, then Zuo Tian must be as well.
This battle had sealed the fate of the Trial Practitioners—they had lost.
Dragging Li Xiang back to his residence, Wang Jie decided to deal with him tomorrow. He also confiscated the items from the Trial Practitioners’ Storage Rings, but there was nothing of real importance. Clearly, these two weren’t significant figures.
As the first rays of sunlight illuminated the land, a new day arrived.
The Leading Pillar Group’s branch was under siege. Over a thousand cultivators, led by Bai Yuan, stood in silence.
Before long, Wang Jie stepped out.
Bai Yuan met his gaze. “For the safety of the base, let Wen Zhao relocate.”
Wang Jie’s expression remained indifferent. “She didn’t leave the building last night.”
Bai Yuan, hands behind his back, spoke lazily. “I know. Otherwise, she wouldn’t still be alive.”
Arrogant. But Bai Yuan had earned that right.
Even Wen Zhao had no rebuttal.
Despite her overwhelming strength, superior to all Trial Practitioners, she knew escaping from Upper Capital City was not an option.
“Don’t worry, we won’t harm her,” Bai Yuan assured.
Wang Jie asked, “Where is Qi Five?”
“Left before last night’s events. Ran faster than anyone.”
“And Zuo Tian?”
“Why do you ask?”
“Don’t play dumb. Do you really know nothing about my history with him?”
Bai Yuan sighed. “That’s your business. Now, kindly have Miss Wen Zhao move. She’s the only Trial Practitioner left in Upper Capital City. We need to analyze her power.”
At that moment, Old Five dragged out Li Xiang, presenting him before Bai Yuan.
Bai Yuan was momentarily taken aback. No wonder they couldn’t find him until now.
“What’s this about?” Bai Yuan inquired.
Wang Jie’s voice was icy. “He tried to assassinate me.” As he spoke, he flicked the throwing knife. It shot into the very same hole in the wall Li Xiang had made the night before.
Bai Yuan’s eyes shifted to Li Xiang.
Li Xiang closed his eyes in silence.
“This has nothing to do with Zuo Tian,” Bai Yuan remarked casually, yet his insight was sharp.
Wang Jie countered, “And why should I believe you?”
“What do you propose?”
“Wen Zhao stays here. I’ll watch over her personally. She won’t pose a threat to Upper Capital City, and in the meantime, you can continue analyzing her power. If you refuse, I’ll go find Zuo Tian myself and see if I can kill him this time.”
As he spoke, his fingers twitched, and the Eight Seal Power within him surged. Behind him, Old Five and the others emerged.
Outside the Leading Pillar Group, waves of cultivators advanced.
Bai Yuan frowned. This was troublesome.
Without Hong Sword’s intelligence, he would have acted. But now…
His gaze fell upon Li Xiang once more. As one of the Three Gods and Five Extremes, Li Xiang had been crippled, while Wang Jie stood unscathed. His strength was unfathomable.
Add to that his comrades and Wen Zhao herself—none of them were easy opponents.
This group was far stronger than the Trial Practitioners they had taken down the previous night.
In the end, Bai Yuan relented. Wen Zhao could stay, under Wang Jie’s watch. However, more cultivators would be stationed around them for surveillance, and Older Sister Tang moved into the adjacent residence.
As for Li Xiang, he was dead.
Wang Jie could not allow him to live. This man was too extreme—he sought to eliminate all threats to Zuo Tian, and Wang Jie was the greatest obstacle in his path.
Bai Yuan could not stop Wang Jie. The agreement they had reached only delayed Wang Jie’s pursuit of Zuo Tian, nothing more.
“Zuo Tian isn’t coming,” Old Nine said in a low tone.
Wang Jie glanced outside. Though they were not under strict confinement, the restrictions were practically in place. The only way to move freely was to venture into the wilderness. However, Wen Zhao could not leave; she was still under observation, her power being analyzed.
From the perspective of Blue Star, Wang Jie hoped Wen Zhao’s abilities would be fully understood. That was why he refrained from breaking ties with Bai Yuan and the others. The only reason he protected her was that there were certain truths Wen Zhao would never uncover while under Bai Yuan’s control.
“Thank you,” Wen Zhao said with gratitude.
Wang Jie replied flatly, “I am not helping you. I am merely keeping my word. After all, you and I are still in a partnership.”
Seated on the sofa, Wen Zhao smirked. “External threats, internal dangers, yet you still choose to protect me. I did not expect this. Wang Jie, what do you want from me? Don’t tell me it’s cooperation. Killing Zuo Tian doesn’t require my involvement, and now, I am in no position to assist you.”
Old Five and the others exchanged glances before silently exiting the room. Some discussions were meant only for their leader. But they knew—whatever their leader understood, they too understood.
Wang Jie sat across from Wen Zhao and spoke directly, “How can the people of Blue Star rid themselves of the title of war slaves?”
Wen Zhao smiled knowingly. “I knew you’d ask that. So, Bai Yuan and his people don’t trust the trial participants, yet you trust me?”
Wang Jie merely stared at her, silent.
If Wen Zhao had truly been under Bai Yuan’s control, with her pride, she would never have spoken of this matter.
Nodding, Wen Zhao sighed. “Since you’re still willing to protect me, I’ll tell you. Everything those trial participants say is a lie. There are no ‘special quotas.’ Passing the trials merely grants one the status of an outer disciple of the Armor One Sect. And outer disciples? They have no such privileges. Even those with prestigious backgrounds cannot escape this fate.”
She then fixed Wang Jie with a solemn gaze. “If you want Blue Star to be free of the war slave title, there is only one way—fight.”
Wang Jie raised an eyebrow. “Fight?”
Wen Zhao nodded. “That’s right. Fight until Armor One Sect acknowledges you. Fight until a powerful force beyond this galaxy deems you worthy of protection. That is the only way. But it is also the hardest path. Because these trial participants? Even if you defeat them all, it means nothing. To Armor One Sect, even an ordinary inner disciple can accomplish that.”
She left the rest unsaid, but the implication was clear. It was a dead-end path—a road with no light at its end.
It was akin to an invincible warrior without an opponent. To prove such a warrior’s strength, their enemies must also be formidable.
If the trial participants from Blue Star were all mediocre, then even if Wang Jie slew them all, it would change nothing.
Wang Jie frowned. “But an inner disciple of Armor One Sect must have a cultivation level beyond Ten Seals. I defeated all the trial participants within the same realm.”
Wen Zhao’s gaze carried a hint of pity. “Because you cultivate Lock Force. A genius with no future is not worth the sect’s investment. Not even a mere war slave.”
“And what you just described is precisely what Armor One Sect expects from all trial participants.”
“Every recruitment cycle, there are many trial sites like Blue Star’s. And in each, a lone genius always emerges, suppressing all others. Armor One Sect recruits many of these prodigies.”
“Moreover, you have no idea how terrifying some of the powerful figures in this universe are. When they were at the Eight-Seal stage like you, they could have ended you in a single strike.”
Wang Jie’s pupils shrank. He found it hard to believe.
Wen Zhao continued, “No need to doubt it. My own talent is merely average, and you haven’t even impressed me. How could you compare to true elites?”
“So Blue Star is doomed to be cannon fodder?” Wang Jie’s voice was heavy with frustration.
Wen Zhao did not answer. From the moment Blue Star was chosen as a trial site, its fate was sealed. No one could change that.
Soon, Bai Yuan and the others heard of her response.
Upper Capital City was placed under martial law, fully preparing for conflict with the trial participants.
Bai Yuan and his people made their stance clear: they would oppose all trial participants. The so-called cooperation and quota promises were all lies. Even the Upper Capital meeting was canceled because the trial participants never considered the people of Blue Star as equals. To them, the people of Blue Star were nothing more than war slaves.
“Attention, all bases! Attention, all bases!”
“This is Bai Yuan.”
“Zuo Tian.”
“Sister Tang.”
“Hong Jian.”
“Lian Qin.”
“Do not cooperate with any trial participants. Do not believe anything they say. Blue Star has survived ten years of apocalypse. We have lost countless comrades along the way. We have sacrificed everything just to live, but that does not mean we will sacrifice our dignity.”
“This is our last shred of pride.”
“War slaves or cannon fodder—if we cannot escape our fate, then let us strike it down with our own fists! We will resist all trial participants and let those lofty extraterrestrial civilizations witness the backbone of Blue Star’s people.”
“From this moment forward, all trial participants—kill on sight.”
This novel is translated and hosted on Bcatranslation