Chapter 32: The Fall of the City
“Alright, you may leave now.” Wang Jie waved his hand dismissively.
Insect Ruo Ruo let out a sigh of relief. Her delicate face, still fuming with indignation, turned away as she stomped off. After a few steps, she glanced back over her shoulder. “You wretched man! What’s your name?”
“Wang Jie.”
“Wang Jie, huh? Fine! I’ll remember you. Hmph! Just you wait!” With that, she stormed away.
Once Insect Ruo Ruo had departed, Wang Jie turned his attention back to gathering the Cataclysm Materials scattered on the ground.
Wen Zhao spoke up, “That girl just told me something… I think you need to hear it.”
Without lifting his head, Wang Jie continued sorting the materials. “What is it?”
“She encountered someone on her way here. Someone incredibly powerful.”
“Another Eight-Seal cultivator?” Wang Jie asked casually.
Wen Zhao gazed in the direction Insect Ruo Ruo had left, her expression tense. “One look—just one—and the entire Insect Tide prostrated before them.”
Wang Jie paused. His hand stopped moving as he slowly raised his gaze to meet Wen Zhao’s.
“One look,” she repeated, “and Insect Ruo Ruo didn’t dare to move.”
A shift occurred in Wang Jie’s expression.
It was one thing for him to kill a Huge Centipede with a single strike, but forcing an entire Insect Tide into submission with mere presence? That was on an entirely different level. The sheer weight of such power was unimaginable.
“Someone like that exists?”
“Before today, I wouldn’t have believed it either. Not even among the Fourth Wave of Ten-Seal Trial Practitioners would someone be this overwhelming. But now… it’s real.”
“You sure she wasn’t lying?”
Wen Zhao shook her head. “That girl wouldn’t lie about this. She wasn’t bluffing.”
A heavy silence fell between them.
This… was troublesome.
That such a being could exist among the first two waves of trial practitioners meant the situation had escalated beyond expectations.
After securing the Cataclysm Materials, the two set off toward the Upper Capital City Base. It was time for a well-earned respite.
Far to the north of the Golden Hill Base, in a desolate, decaying villa, a man stood by the window, gazing at the sunlight beyond with longing. Behind him, a pile of Cataclysm Materials lay untouched.
Once, he had yearned for such power. But now, these materials only filled him with loathing.
A figure entered the room, kicking over the pile with a sharp motion. “Hurry up! You should be close to breaking through now, right?”
The man lowered his head. His voice was quiet, heavy. “And if I do break through… will you let me go?”
“Of course. You’re invaluable to us. Not only will we release you, but you’ll be free from the War Slave status. With a bit of luck, you might even be among the next Trial Practitioners.”
A bitter smile crept onto the man’s lips.
Such words could only deceive children. Yet, he had no choice.
Silently, he reached for the Cataclysm Materials and began absorbing their Seal Power.
It was true—he was only a step away from breaking through.
As the energy surged through him, a mark flared into existence near his right shoulder—the Ninth Seal.
He had done it.
He was the first cultivator of Blue Star to reach the Nine-Seal Realm.
A voice rang out, filled with excitement. “He did it! He’s broken through!”
“Inform the other Blue Star Natives immediately!”
Moments later, the heavens trembled. A procession of crimson meteors streaked through the sky, drawing countless eyes upward in awe and trepidation.
The Third Wave of Trial Practitioners had arrived.
At the Upper Capital City Base, Wang Jie and Wen Zhao had returned. Their presence reassured Bai Yuan and the others. However, Wang Jie soon learned that Zuo Tian had yet to return. No one knew where he had gone.
Fresh from his bath, he was startled by Old Five’s sudden cry of alarm.
The sky was ablaze.
Meteors fell like divine judgments from above.
“Already?!” Qing Zheng exclaimed in disbelief. “It hasn’t been that long since someone broke through the Eight-Seal Realm! Even the likes of the Three Gods and the Five Extremes need time to reach the Nine-Seal Realm! Not everyone can battle the Insect Tide the way Wang Jie does, nor can they all gather Cataclysm Materials so freely.”
“The Blue Star Natives aren’t fools,” he continued. “Why would they trigger the arrival of the Third Wave so soon?”
Wen Zhao stepped onto the balcony, her gaze fixed upon the sky. “This was orchestrated. Someone set this in motion deliberately to hasten their arrival.”
Wang Jie’s expression darkened. “That means we need to accelerate our own breakthroughs.”
“Eighteen Nine-Seal cultivators in this wave,” Old Nine murmured. “That’s immense pressure.”
It wasn’t just the Blue Star Natives who felt uneasy. The previous two waves of trial practitioners also despaired. They had hoped for more time to cultivate, to match the coming forces. Yet now, the moment was upon them too soon.
The most powerful figure among the new arrivals bore a name—Yun Lai.
A scion of the Yun Family, one of the three great bloodlines of the Armor One Sect.
Far to the northeast, beyond the Upper Capital City, a lone figure sat at the edge of a cliff. He watched the descending meteors with an amused smirk.
“How dull,” he murmured. “Let’s make things a little more interesting.”
Rising to his feet, he stepped forward off the precipice.
And then, impossibly, he walked upon the sky itself, each step taking him further into the distance.
At the Southern Nation Base, alarms blared in urgency.
Standing by a grand window draped in silken veils, Lian Qin watched the heavens. A meteor hurtled straight toward them, its trajectory suggesting it would strike within their walls.
Her alluring features bore a hint of concern.
The Upper Capital City Base had severed all ties with the Trial Practitioners. She had chosen to stand with the Blue Star Natives.
But what now? What would they do against an even greater force?
She was still some ways from breaking through to the Nine-Seal Realm. And even if she succeeded—would that truly be enough?
Against the Trial Practitioners, they were mere Natives.
The meteor crashed down within the base with a deafening impact.
Closing her eyes, Lian Qin exhaled softly.
She reached for an extravagant gown, slipping it over herself.
If resistance was futile… then she would submit.
After all, it wouldn’t be the first time she had done so.
The earth trembled violently as a massive crater formed upon impact.
The point of descent happened to be within the Southern Nation Base—an improbability, yet undeniably real.
Lian Qin strode toward the dust-shrouded landing site, her expression steady despite the swirling uncertainty. At the same time, she ordered messengers to notify all major bases of this unprecedented event.
Hundreds of thousands of cultivators from Southern Nation Base stood at the ready, their gazes fixed upon the dust cloud. Around Lian Qin, only those who had surpassed Five Seals were permitted to stand, forming a protective formation against the unknown.
A lone figure emerged from the dissipating haze. He was a young man, his features strikingly handsome, his countenance marked by an undeniable air of arrogance. The attire he wore was unlike anything they had ever seen—exuding an innate nobility that distinguished him even from other Trial Practitioners.
Lian Qin smiled as she approached, her demeanor composed yet welcoming. “We bid welcome to the esteemed Trial Practitioner. I, Lian Qin, on behalf of Southern Nation Base, extend our hospitality. Might I inquire of Your Excellency’s distinguished name?”
The young man’s gaze flicked toward her, yet the rest of the world around him seemed beneath his notice. “I know you, Lian Qin. I have been watching the trials unfold.”
Lian Qin’s heart sank. [He could observe the trials in real-time?] Her tone remained neutral. “Is that so? Then Your Excellency must hold a position of great significance.”
“No need for these pleasantries. My name is Yun Lai.”
A ripple of shock coursed through the gathered cultivators. Even Lian Qin’s expression faltered slightly.
Yun Lai. That Yun Lai?
Behind her, the elite cultivators who stood just beneath her in rank were equally shaken.
This name had reached them through whispers carried from Upper Capital City. Wen Zhao herself had spoken of him. The strongest among the Third Batch of Trial Practitioners bore this very name—Yun Lai of the Armor One Sect’s Yun Clan.
No one had expected him to descend upon their base.
Yun Lai’s lips curled into a faint smile. “So, you have heard of me.”
Without another word, he surveyed his surroundings, then bent his knees slightly before launching himself onto the towering base walls with a single effortless leap. Turning northward, he reached into his Storage Ring and drew forth a bow of unparalleled craftsmanship, an exquisite piece radiating an aura of supreme power. The moment he pulled back the bowstring, a surge of energy burst forth from his body, his form igniting with a fiery aura.
His eyes sharpened. “Heavenly Prefecture Base… break.”
With that declaration, he released his grip. The arrow shot forth, tearing through the sky at incomprehensible speed.
Lian Qin and the assembled cultivators could only watch in stunned silence.
At that moment, Yun Lai’s very presence exuded an overwhelming power beyond compare. Even the stone beneath his feet cracked beneath the weight of his strength.
No sooner had the first arrow loosed than he reached for another. Turning eastward, he declared, “Golden Hill Base… break.”
Another shot.
Had one gazed down upon Hua Xia from the heavens, they would see two streaks of destruction hurtling toward their respective targets at terrifying speed. Anything obstructing their path was effortlessly pierced through.
Moments later—
At Heavenly Prefecture Base, the arrow struck with devastating force. The walls exploded, leaving a massive, gaping hole. The sheer momentum carried it through the entirety of the base, cleaving through its structures and leaving behind a trail of ruin. The casualties were immeasurable.
At Golden Hill Base, fate played a different hand. Hong Sword happened to be stationed atop the southern walls when the arrow approached. Without hesitation, he unleashed the Eight Wind-Breaking Slashes, bringing his blade down in a thunderous arc. But his strike shattered upon impact—the arrow’s power proving far superior. The force of the collision sent him hurtling backward, crashing into the depths of the base as blood sprayed from his lips before he fell unconscious.
Yet, though Hong Sword was unable to stop it, his attack managed to slightly alter its trajectory. The arrow narrowly missed the core of Golden Hill Base, instead shattering the southeastern corner of the outer walls. Miraculously, the lives within remained unharmed.
Two arrows.
Spanning vast distances, they had torn through two of Hua Xia’s great bases.
The world trembled in the wake of such devastation.
Upper Capital City
The news reached Bai Yuan swiftly. He wasted no time in gathering Wang Jie and the others, relaying the catastrophe that had unfolded.
“Why would this Yun Lai do such a thing?” Older Sister Tang questioned, her piercing gaze locking onto Wen Zhao.
Wang Jie’s expression darkened. Unlike the previous Trial Practitioners, Yun Lai’s presence carried an entirely different weight. He did not even need to reveal himself—his power alone could obliterate entire bases. The disparity in strength was staggering.
It was a force wholly distinct from Insect Ruo Ruo’s Insect Tide.
It was absolute dominion.
Wen Zhao’s voice was grave. “There is a universal truth in cultivation—within the Elementary Realm, those beneath Ten Seals face an insurmountable chasm separating them from the next stage. The Star-Breaking Realm.”
“What does it mean to break a star?” she continued. “A ‘star’ refers to celestial bodies—planets. The Star-Breaking Realm signifies the power to shatter them.”
“Even if we reach Nine Seals, the Star-Breaking Realm remains unfathomably distant. A single planet, no matter how small, is still vastly greater than the lands of Hua Xia. We are incapable of even breaking our own land—let alone an entire celestial body.”
“Thus, Ten Seals is the threshold. Achieving it elevates one’s destructive power from the scale of cities to that of entire regions—capable of breaking apart Hua Xia itself. But only those who have reached Ten Seals can accomplish this.”
Her tone turned heavier.
“Except for one exception—those who defy all reason, transcending boundaries even at Nine Seals, sometimes even at Eight Seals.”
“Such individuals are known as Heaven’s Chosen.”
“And Yun Lai… is one of them.”
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