Chapter 26: Purpose
Wang Jie and his companions listened intently to the voice coming from the broadcast, feeling the unwavering resolve of Bai Yuan and his group.
The nighttime ambush had completely exposed the mentality of the trial participants. If they hadn’t been prepared in advance, the extent of the damage to Upper Capital City would have been unimaginable. The trial participants cared nothing for the lives of Blue Star’s people; all they wanted were resources.
No one knew exactly how many trial participants remained outside.
Wen Zhao claimed that only the next batch of trial participants would have that knowledge. Among the third batch, there was one formidable figure—Yun Lai.
Armor One Sect was composed of three principal families: Wen, Yun, and Xiao.
“Yun Lai is a prodigy among this generation’s disciples. With his Nine Seal cultivation, he has mastered the complete form of the Eight Cloud Arrow, one of the Eighteen Ultimate Techniques. That is akin to you mastering the complete Armor Eight Steps. Tell me, how many steps can you take as of now?”
Wang Jie’s heart grew heavy at Wen Zhao’s question. A Nine Seal expert, wielding a fully mastered Ultimate Technique…
Without hesitation, he relayed this critical information to Bai Yuan and his people.
Bang! Bang! Bang!
Urgent knocking sounded at the door.
Qing Zheng opened it, revealing Older Sister Tang, who stormed in, her face full of displeasure. She glared at Wang Jie. “Why is it that every piece of news you bring is terrible?”
Wang Jie could only give a helpless smile.
Wen Zhao turned to her. “No one can stop Yun Lai. Even if the fourth batch of trial participants arrives, I doubt they could either. He is beyond our realm of strength.”
Older Sister Tang raised a brow. “Don’t underestimate Bai Yuan.”
“He won’t even have the chance to make a move,” Wen Zhao replied bluntly.
Her eyes narrowed. “With everything you’re saying, aren’t you afraid of failing this trial?”
Wen Zhao withdrew her gaze. “No one cares about that. It’s like sharing a secret with ants—does anyone truly worry about what the ants might do?”
That analogy was infuriating.
Older Sister Tang’s face darkened visibly.
But it was the truth.
The more Wen Zhao revealed, the more it demonstrated how little it all mattered to her. More than that, it exposed Armor One Sect’s perspective—they saw the people of Blue Star as nothing more than livestock.
At the same time, Bai Yuan and his group received the same message. Wen Zhao’s words had been transmitted in real-time.
Beneath the earth, Bai Yuan sat before a screen, his expression unreadable.
Beside him, Zuo Tian furrowed his brows slightly. “Do you think we can force Armor One Sect to acknowledge us by sheer strength? That seems impossible. Do you have any confidence?”
“None at all,” Bai Yuan answered plainly.
Zuo Tian sighed. “So, there is no escaping fate.”
Bai Yuan’s gaze dimmed. He could accept becoming a War Slave, but Bai Xiao could not.
“I suggest you spend your limited time with your daughter,” Zuo Tian said as he turned to leave.
“You have no solution either?” Bai Yuan suddenly asked.
Zuo Tian stopped in his tracks and exhaled. “You overestimate me.” He hesitated for a moment before adding, “Though… it’s not that there’s no way at all. But it wouldn’t be much better than Wen Zhao’s approach.”
“Let’s hear it.”
Zuo Tian turned back, his eyes gleaming with a cold, murderous intent. “Kill them. Kill every last trial participant.”
Not defeat them. Kill them.
Previously, they had declared that all bases should execute any trial participant on sight, but that was a declaration of resolve, not a concrete goal. What Zuo Tian proposed now—this was a purpose.
Bai Yuan met his gaze, studying the young man who was only a few years older than his daughter.
Zuo Tian grinned. “As long as every single trial participant dies during this trial, then the trial can never be completed.”
“It’s just a temporary fix.”
“But it will buy us time.”
Bai Yuan closed his eyes. “I understand.”
Less than sixty kilometers from Upper Capital City, an armored vehicle moved cautiously along the ruins of a shattered metropolis.
“Captain, this area should be safe, right? Can we take a break?”
“No. We’re heading back immediately. A Safe Zone doesn’t mean absolute safety. There are still Three Seal and Four Seal Mutated Beasts lurking here, and we’ve even encountered bizarre creatures that no one has ever seen before. People die here without ever knowing how.”
“Alright…”
“Captain, why is there a black line behind us?”
“A black line? No… wait. Run! NOW!”
The armored vehicle’s engine roared to life, disregarding any attempt at stealth. They tore through the ruins at full speed, heading west.
Mutated beasts along the way lunged at them, ramming into the vehicle with terrifying force, nearly shattering it. But instead of attacking a second time, the beasts suddenly went berserk and charged westward as well.
The entire abandoned city stirred to life. From the skies to the ground, all manner of mutated creatures stampeded. Some mutant plants even frantically climbed the remains of skyscrapers, as if something unspeakably terrifying had arrived.
The “black line” drew closer.
They finally saw it for what it truly was—not a mere line, but a tide of insects.
A boundless swarm of insects surged toward them, leaping and writhing as they advanced.
Their faces turned pale, an abyss of terror gripping their hearts. They felt as though they were standing at the edge of an inescapable abyss.
Yet, no matter how fast they drove, it was useless. The Insect Tide engulfed them.
Their vehicle was battered again and again, but oddly, the insects didn’t stop to attack them. They simply rushed past.
Tap. Tap. Tap.
In stunned silence, they turned to see a young girl perched atop the massive, chitinous back of a colossal centipede. The girl tapped on their window and smiled at them.
They swore, never in their lives had they expected to witness such a scene. A young maiden amidst an ocean of insects? Had the insects become sentient?
Trembling, they hesitated before rolling down the window.
Compared to the swarm, their armored vehicle was as insignificant as a speck of dust.
“You lot,” the girl said casually, her voice carrying a hint of playfulness. “Do you know where Wen Zhao is?”
They exchanged bewildered looks. Wen Zhao? They shook their heads.
The girl frowned and raised a small, snow-white fist. “Are you sure you don’t know?”
As she spoke, the centipede beneath her coiled slightly, its grotesque head lowering to stare at them menacingly.
Despair filled their eyes. “We… we really don’t know!”
The young girl rolled her eyes and scoffed, “That wretched woman barely has any presence at all. As expected, she pales in comparison to my beauty.” With a casual slap on the giant centipede beneath her, she departed.
Watching the sea of insects recede into the distance, the group felt as if they had just narrowly escaped death.
“Captain, that’s the direction of Upper Capital City.”
“Quick! Contact the base!”
“We’re unable to get through!”
“Damn it…”
Meanwhile, Wang Jie found himself compelled to perform his Beginner’s Calisthenics—not at night, as usual, but in broad daylight. This was a first. It seemed that as time passed, the frequency of this compulsion changed, likely correlating with his own physical condition.
This time, however, the sensation was different. He felt an overwhelming thirst—not for water, but for some kind of power, an insatiable hunger that clawed at him from within.
Without hesitation, he retrieved some Cataclysm Materials and began absorbing Seal Power. The energy was swiftly drawn into his body, yet his own Seal Power did not increase. Wang Jie had no idea where all that absorbed power had gone.
None of it mattered. The unbearable craving left him with no choice but to continue absorbing more power, seeking even the smallest reprieve.
“Old Five, give me all the Cataclysm Materials you have!” Wang Jie shouted.
Without question, Old Five and the others handed over their remaining materials, watching in a strange mixture of fascination and concern as Wang Jie performed his calisthenics while simultaneously absorbing energy. The sight was an eerie blend of combat and meditation.
However, most of their materials had already been consumed when they broke through to the Eight Seals Realm, and what they had left was insufficient.
Seeing this, Wen Zhao took out her own materials and tossed them to Wang Jie.
“Much appreciated,” Wang Jie exhaled in relief. Wen Zhao’s materials were of high quality. He absorbed them greedily, continuing his exercises without the slightest trace of exhaustion. His sweat pooled onto the ground, releasing an increasingly pungent scent.
Wen Zhao observed him carefully. Something wasn’t right. Despite absorbing a vast amount of Seal Power, Wang Jie showed no signs of increasing his own power. So where had it all gone?
Old Five and the others exchanged worried glances. Was their leader falling ill?
Finally, as his calisthenics session ended, Wang Jie rushed to bathe. Meanwhile, the others stared at the damp ground. Was this… detoxification?
By the time he emerged, the floor had already been cleaned.
Wen Zhao scrutinized him.
“Boss, your skin looks whiter!” Old Five exclaimed in astonishment.
Wang Jie glanced at his arm.
“Your body has expelled impurities,” Wen Zhao stated. “Those movements of yours—they really are a form of cultivation.”
“But I haven’t gained any Seal Power,” Wang Jie pointed out.
Wen Zhao frowned. “That’s what intrigues me. Where did all that absorbed energy go?”
Wang Jie examined his hands. His Seal Power hadn’t increased, but his physical strength had doubled—an entire fold. No doubt about it.
Was this the effect of his Beginner’s Calisthenics? It had somehow converted Seal Power into pure, raw physical strength.
He couldn’t say if this was good or bad.
But one thing was certain: as his strength increased, so too did his speed and defense. He had grown stronger, far more than before. But exactly how much stronger, he still wasn’t sure—it was not a simple equation of one plus one.
Qing Zheng sidled up to him with a flattering smile. “Boss, teach us! If it can make skin smoother and whiter, that’s a priceless technique!”
Wang Jie sighed. “If I could, I would’ve taught you all already. You saw the movements—you can try them anytime. But they won’t work for you.”
Wen Zhao added, “That’s normal. Even Armor One Sect has similar cultivation methods that can’t simply be passed around. Every technique requires a unique complementary system to activate its effects. Watching the movements alone won’t allow you to replicate them.”
A knock came at the door.
Old Nine went to answer it.
Old Five grumbled, “Why is Sister Tang here again?”
Older Sister Tang stepped inside, her expression grave. “A Insect Tide is approaching. Prepare for battle.”
Wen Zhao’s face changed drastically. “An Insect Tide?”
Wang Jie and the others were equally stunned.
Older Sister Tang fixed her gaze on Wen Zhao. “You know something. What is it?”
Wen Zhao’s expression darkened. “It was inevitable. It’s Insect Ruo Ruo.”
At the Upper Capital City Base, atop the eastern city wall, Bai Yuan and his men stood in shock as they gazed at the dark, surging mass outside. In all their years of facing Apocalypse Disasters, they had encountered countless Beast Tides and mutant plant attacks, but this was the first time they had witnessed an Insect Tide.
While insects were certainly aggressive, they rarely targeted humans or human settlements. Their primary adversaries were mutant beasts and plants.
So why was such an enormous Insect Tide approaching?
Zuo Tian’s eyes gleamed coldly. “Deploy the drones.”
One by one, drones took to the skies, soaring toward the Insect Tide.
In the distance, what seemed like a black cloud loomed closer. But it wasn’t a cloud—it was a swarm of flying insects. They crashed into the drones, bringing them down in fiery explosions.
Yet, before they were destroyed, one drone managed to capture an image.
Bai Yuan and Zuo Tian studied the picture: a colossal centipede, its massive form crawling forward. Atop its back sat a young girl.
“A Trial Participant,” Zuo Tian murmured darkly.
“Summon Wen Zhao immediately,” Bai Yuan ordered.
There was no need. Wen Zhao had already arrived, having been brought to the city walls by Older Sister Tang.
When she saw the image, her face remained impassive. “That’s Insect Ruo Ruo. She’s here for me.”
“Insect Ruo Ruo?” Bai Yuan frowned in confusion.
But Wang Jie wasn’t paying attention to the conversation. His focus was locked onto Zuo Tian.
Old Five and the others were watching him, too. Their gazes were calm but carried an unmistakable killing intent.
Zuo Tian met Wang Jie’s stare and smiled faintly. “So you really are young, just as I suspected.”
Wang Jie’s voice was cold. “It’s a pity I didn’t kill you two years ago.”
“You were born outside Golden Hill City, weren’t you? One of the orphans from that batch?” Zuo Tian probed, his sharp eyes scrutinizing him.
Wang Jie did not deny it.
Old Five sneered. “So was I.”
“Me too,” added Old Nine.
This novel is translated and hosted on Bcatranslation