Chapter 37: A Great Matter

Watching as Yun Lai was taken away by Qi Five, Wang Jie stood upon the city wall, his gaze turning icy.

“You truly cannot kill him. Not because of the Yun Clan, but because Yun Lai has been acknowledged as a Heaven’s Chosen of the sect. Such individuals are protected,” Wen Zhao consoled Wang Jie, knowing full well that he was unwilling to accept this. Yun Lai had harbored killing intent toward Bai Yuan, looked down upon the people of Blue Star, and constantly referred to them as mere natives. A man like that should not have been let go.

Wang Jie furrowed his brows. “If a Heaven’s Chosen is protected to this extent, how will he ever grow?”

Wen Zhao explained, “A powerful sect does not solely rely on its top elites. It needs countless disciples to serve its cause. Mid-tier disciples, elite disciples—none are expendable.”

“Once Yun Lai is protected in this manner, the resources allocated to him will decrease. He will be nurtured as an elite disciple, but such individuals do not require the sect to consider their personal growth and character.”

Understanding dawned upon Wang Jie. “Let’s go.”

—

In the days that followed, the modified battle power detectors were distributed among the major bases. As expected, some newly ascended Eight-Seal cultivators began seeking out Trial Participants—and they indeed found several.

Each was handed over to Wang Jie and Bai Yuan to deal with.

Ordinary cultivators stood no chance against these Trial Participants.

The solution Wen Zhao proposed was simple: fight. They would break the shackles of war slave destiny, defy Blue Star’s fate, and overturn their doomed existence.

Their goal was clear—eliminate all Trial Participants. At the very least, they had to ensure this round of trials ended in complete failure, giving Blue Star a much-needed reprieve. Such exceptions had occurred in the past, allowing Blue Star to persist until the next round of trials.

Ten days later, Upper Capital City Base had captured twenty-four Trial Participants. It was not the most efficient operation, but it was already an impressive feat.

The remaining Trial Participants were still being hunted down.

No doubt, some had infiltrated the bases, but their exact whereabouts remained unknown.

Meanwhile, Four Eyes had been brought from Golden Hill Base to Upper Capital City. The city possessed the finest scientific research facilities in all of Hua Xia, and Four Eyes’ expertise in mechanical studies could be put to great use here.

Wang Jie once again performed his calisthenics, and this time, the effect was another double enhancement. However, the consumption of Cataclysm Materials had drastically increased, completely exhausting his reserves.

His strength had now reached thirty-two times that of a newly ascended Eight-Seal cultivator.

Even he found such terrifying power astounding. No one else knew about this.

Not even Wen Zhao was aware of just how much his power surged with each session.

Everyone was waiting to see who would be the first to break through to the Nine-Seal level.

After all, the third batch of Trial Participants had already arrived.

—

However, on this day—what should have been a peaceful one—was shattered by the descent of fiery meteors streaking across the sky.

Wang Jie stood atop an abandoned high-rise outside the base, watching in shock.

“Impossible! Someone has already broken through to the Ten-Seal level? So soon?”

Even Bai Yuan had not yet reached Nine-Seal, yet someone had already ascended to Ten-Seal, triggering the arrival of the fourth batch of Trial Participants.

He rushed back to Upper Capital City Base immediately.

Upon arrival, he learned that Bai Yuan had indeed broken through to Nine-Seal, but there was no cause for celebration.

Because Ten-Seal Trial Participants had arrived.

Ten-Seal was the greatest theoretical barrier before reaching Star-Breaking Realm.

For normal cultivators, the gap between Nine-Seal and Ten-Seal was massive. Nine-Seal signified city-level destruction, whereas Ten-Seal represented devastation on a regional scale.

Yun Lai’s title as a Heaven’s Chosen stemmed from the fact that, while at Nine-Seal, he could already wield Ten-Seal-level destructive power.

But now, true Ten-Seal cultivators had arrived—nine of them at once.

“How can this be? The fourth batch was only supposed to contain five participants—why are there nine? And why are they all descending on Hua Xia’s lands?” Wen Zhao was bewildered. This contradicted everything she knew.

Wang Jie immediately interrogated the captured Trial Participants.

Most of them were clueless, but two had elders within Armor One Sect and were privy to the situation. They confirmed that the fourth batch should have consisted of only five.

Yet now, nine had descended, and none were scattered across Blue Star—they had all converged upon Hua Xia.

Something was terribly wrong.

—

In Hua Xia’s central region, a young man traversing the skies smirked as he watched the meteors crash down.

“So, they have arrived. Now things are finally getting interesting.”

BOOM!

From the distant horizon, a flaming meteor crashed into the earth. Smoke and dust billowed as a pale-skinned young man emerged from the crater. Towering at two meters in height, his complexion was unnaturally white—almost sickly.

Upon landing, he slit his finger, allowing a single drop of blood to fall to the ground.

“Come forth—Insect Tide.”

Elsewhere, a bald youth emerged from the dust, clutching a short sword. He paid no attention to his surroundings and immediately set off in a particular direction.

Outside Golden Hill Base, another flaming meteor struck, carving a massive crater into the ground.

The gathered cultivators instantly went on high alert, adopting the defensive stance typically used to counter Beast Tides.

Hong Jian, one of the base’s key defenders, wasted no time in contacting Upper Capital City.

He could barely contend with Nine-Seal cultivators, let alone Ten-Seal ones.

Under countless watchful eyes, a stunning young woman stepped forth from the smoke and dust. She faced the entire Golden Hill Base, then reached into her storage ring, retrieving an unknown object and hurling it into the sky.

A symbol rose, surpassing even the cloud layers.

Hong Jian narrowed his eyes at the mysterious insignia, uncertain of its meaning but instinctively tightening his guard.

This woman—she was Ten-Seal.

Her mere gaze alone exuded crushing pressure.

Far away, in Upper Capital City, Wen Zhao saw the symbol that had formed above the clouds and gasped.

“A sect’s signal?”

Her expression darkened, and she immediately reached out to Bai Yuan.

—

At the eastern border of Upper Capital City Base, where the safe zones met the dangerous lands, Yun Lai sat within an armored vehicle, his expression grim.

That native—he would kill him. Without question. Without hesitation.

Yet, because he was facing away from the south, and being inside an armored vehicle, he remained completely unaware of the sect signal blazing above the clouds.

Qi Wu drove the armored vehicle, his expression wary as he glanced at Yun Lai. “Young Master Yun, something feels off about this trial. The fourth batch was supposed to consist of five people, but now there are suddenly nine. And look—they all descended onto this same land. Doesn’t that seem strange?”

Yun Lai’s voice was cold. “What are you trying to say?”

Qi Wu lowered his voice. “Could it be… that the Yun Clan has sent people to exact revenge on you?”

Yun Lai looked outside, uncertainty flickering in his eyes. He truly didn’t know.

Just then, the battle power detector Qi Wu was wearing emitted a series of rapid beeps—different from the signal for detecting combat strength. Someone was contacting them.

“Young Miss?!” Qi Wu exclaimed in shock.

Yun Lai turned to him sharply. “Who?”

“Young Miss, why are you also here in the Blue Star trial? … Yes, yes, I understand.” Qi Wu spoke hurriedly, then abruptly turned the armored vehicle around, heading straight for the Upper Capital City Base.

Yun Lai frowned. “What are you doing?”

“Apologies, Young Master Yun, we must return immediately.”

“Explain.”

“The Young Miss has arrived. She wants us to regroup in Upper Capital City.”

“Qi Xue Yin?”

“Yes.”

“Isn’t she in seclusion, attempting to break into the Star-Breaking Realm? Why would she come for the trial when she has already participated before?”

Qi Wu’s face was grim. “I don’t know. She only ordered us to return.”

As the armored vehicle turned, they caught sight of a symbol in the clouds.

Yun Lai’s eyes widened in shock. “A sect signal—released by the Wen Clan? What’s going on?”

Qi Wu’s voice was solemn. “I knew something was wrong. Young Master Yun, hold on!” With that, he floored the accelerator, and the armored vehicle shot toward the Upper Capital City Base at full speed.

That same night, Wang Jie returned to Upper Capital City Base. As soon as he arrived, he was summoned to meet Bai Yuan and the others.

Wen Zhao, Qing Zheng, Old Five, and many others from Upper Capital City had gathered. Everyone with decision-making authority was present.

“Did you see the signal?” someone asked.

Wang Jie nodded. “That mark above the clouds? It looked like it was sent from the Golden Hill Base direction.”

Wen Zhao’s voice was deep. “That’s a sect signal—it means to gather. The one who released it was someone from my Wen Clan. If I’m not mistaken, it should be Wen Xing Ru.”

“What’s happening?” Wang Jie was puzzled. Trial participants were supposed to be scattered. Why would they be gathering? Because of Yun Lai? That seemed unlikely.

Bai Yuan spoke. “The situation is complicated. Trial participants from the Heavenly Prefecture Base, Frontier City, and Southern Nation Base have all appeared. They don’t seem hostile but are requesting to gather in Upper Capital City. It feels like something major is happening. We agreed—if they united against us, we wouldn’t stand a chance. We’ll learn the details once the Ten-Seal Trial Participants arrive.”

“By my estimate, they should be arriving soon.”

Half an hour later, a flying vessel from Golden Hill Base landed. Hong Jian accompanied a woman—the one who had released the signal. They were escorted to Bai Yuan, Wang Jie, and the others.

“Sister Xing Ru,” Wen Zhao greeted her.

Wen Xing Ru nodded at her. “The sect has been observing your trial. You’ve performed well.”

Wen Zhao acknowledged the praise but said nothing further. Wen Xing Ru was clearly not here for her.

Bai Yuan gestured for Wen Xing Ru and Hong Jian to take their seats.

Wen Xing Ru wasted no time. “Everyone, I won’t mince words. I am here to deliver a message of utmost importance—one that concerns the survival of Blue Star. Listen carefully.”

She cast a glance at Wang Jie. Of all those present, only Bai Yuan and Wang Jie were worth a second look. The rest were of little consequence.

But this was Blue Star—they needed its resources and forces.

“In the current universe, within the knowledge of my Armor One Sect, there exist many powerful factions. Some are human, others are Cosmic Beasts, and some are strange lifeforms.”

“Among humans, there is one force that rivals my sect—Sincere One Dao. Within that faction, there is a man named Shu Mu Night. Though he is only at the Eight-Seal Realm, his combat strength within the Ten-Seal realm is unmatched throughout history.”

Her expression grew grave as she turned to Wang Jie. “I saw that you defeated Yun Lai. But if Yun Lai were to face him…”

She raised a single finger. “One move. Just one move, and Yun Lai would lose.”

Wang Jie’s eyes narrowed. He recalled Insect Ruo Ruo mentioning a young man. Could it be him?

Bai Yuan studied Wen Xing Ru. “So the original five Ten-Seal participants became nine because of this?”

Wen Xing Ru nodded. “Four of us joined at the last moment. I am one of them. Zhao’er knows I was in seclusion, preparing to break into the Star-Breaking Realm. But my seclusion was interrupted—I had to participate in this trial. Our goal is to deal with Shu Mu Night.”

“Aside from me, three others also joined. They, too, come from powerful forces. All for the same reason.”

She took a slow breath. “The reason is simple.”

Her tone was grave. “Shu Mu Night—or rather, Sincere One Dao—intends to sacrifice Blue Star as a foundation for a Bridging Technique.”

Wen Zhao’s eyes widened. “A bridge?”

The others looked bewildered. “What do you mean? A sacrifice? What bridge?”

Wen Xing Ru pointed toward the stars. “In the vast universe, there exists a bridge whose origin and endpoint are unknown. This bridge bestows immense power. But to extend it, stakes must be driven into fixed locations. Blue Star is one such location. My sect has long been aware of this but has refrained from action—after all, Blue Star has billions of people. Even if it must be sacrificed, we intended to first relocate its inhabitants.”

“However, for some reason, Sincere One Dao discovered this secret. Shu Mu Night has come to drive the stakes. He will turn Blue Star into a sacrifice for the bridge, obtaining the power that lies upon it…”

This novel is translated and hosted on Bcatranslation

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