Chapter 39: Do Your Best to Stop Me
Wang Jie gazed at the bald-headed youth’s retreating figure. Ten-Seal Peak? He had already reached this level years ago. Such a person was far beyond Yun Lai’s capabilities.
No wonder he dared to face Shu Mu Night alone.
“What should we do? Take action or wait?” Yun Lai asked.
Wen Star Ru turned to Qi Xue Yin. “What do you think?”
Qi Xue Yin shook her head. “Let’s observe for now. Even if Silent is no match for Shu Mu Night, he should at least force him to reveal part of his strength. That will be our chance to strike.”
At that moment, Wang Jie noticed something strange—there were no sounds of mutated creatures.
No sound at all.
It was the height of summer; there should be many of them around.
Drones dared not approach Shu Mu Night, but as Silent advanced, the drones finally drew closer.
The footage they transmitted sent chills down everyone’s spine.
Beneath Shu Mu Night, an enormous pit stretched deep into the earth, filled with the corpses of mutated creatures. Blood had dyed the surrounding land crimson. The exact depth of the pit was unknown, but judging from the enormous tail of a mutated beast visible on the surface, it was unfathomably deep.
When the drone ascended higher, it revealed an even more chilling sight—the entire center of the Mountain City was gone. The pit dominated the very heart of the city, and even the river had run dry.
No wonder there were no mutated creatures nearby—they had all been buried by Shu Mu Night.
“This is the bridge-building location,” Wen Star Ru said solemnly.
“No wonder he’s not leaving.”
Wang Jie looked up at the sky. Though the distance between them was vast, the chilling aura only intensified.
Meanwhile, Silent had arrived beneath Shu Mu Night and slowly lifted his head.
From above, Shu Mu Night looked down upon the earth. “A mere monk from the Three Zen Heavens, and you have yet to enter the Zen Contemplation Realm. Challenging me now is too soon.”
Silent gazed up at him. “You are Eight Seals, I am Ten Seals. It is not too soon.”
Shu Mu Night smirked. “Is that how you measure it?”
“How else?”
“So you wish to fight me alone?”
Silent turned his head and looked at Wen Star Ru and the others—just looked, saying nothing.
Wang Jie and the rest exchanged glances. What did that mean?
“Is he asking us to join in?” Qi Five muttered under his breath.
Wen Star Ru felt speechless. This was awkward. If he didn’t intend to fight alone, why had he run so far ahead?
Silent continued staring, saying nothing, not even urging them on.
Wen Star Ru sighed, just about to speak when another voice rang out.
“I am Bai Yuan, from Upper Capital City Base, Blue Star. May I ask, do you intend to build the bridge, sacrificing Blue Star?”
Shu Mu Night shifted his gaze and spoke slowly, “Indeed.”
Bai Yuan narrowed his eyes. “How?”
Shu Mu Night smirked. “Using Blue Star as a stake—utterly annihilating it.”
“And the people of Blue Star?”
Shu Mu Night gave no answer. He simply pointed downward at the pit.
No further words were needed. The meaning was clear—Shu Mu Night intended to use the entirety of Blue Star, including its people, as a sacrifice to build the bridge.
Wang Jie exhaled, fingers grazing his wrist guard.
Bai Yuan unsheathed his wide-bladed sword and strode toward Shu Mu Night.
Shu Mu Night’s eyes flickered with intrigue. “You… have mastered the Armor One Divine Sword?”
Bai Yuan looked up. “I humbly seek your instruction.”
Shu Mu Night chuckled. “Interesting. I will allow you to participate.” Then, he glanced downward and slowly descended, landing atop the blood-soaked corpses. He raised a hand and gestured at Silent with a single finger.
Silent studied Shu Mu Night before glancing back at Wen Star Ru and the others, this time making an unmistakable motion with his eyes.
His meaning was clear: Go first.
He wasn’t as dull as he seemed.
Wen Star Ru’s eyes darkened. “Attack!” she commanded before leaping toward Shu Mu Night. Several trial participants followed closely behind—two Nine-Seal cultivators, one Ten-Seal. At the same moment, Yun Lai unleashed his Eight Cloud Arrow, all eight arrows merging into one as it hurtled toward Shu Mu Night.
Shu Mu Night merely lifted his hand and flicked a finger.
Ping!
A soft sound.
The arrow shattered.
Wang Jie was stunned. He knew full well the power of Yun Lai’s Eight Cloud Arrow. At eightfold strength, it required a wrist guard to deflect. At thirty-twofold strength, it should at least require effort to stop—but Shu Mu Night made it look effortless.
It seemed he had barely exerted himself.
Yet Yun Lai showed no surprise, as if this outcome were expected.
From above, a majestic palm print descended, cast by the Ten-Seal trial participant. The palm print expanded until it covered the entire Mountain City. This strike could have leveled an entire city.
Shu Mu Night flicked the broken arrow pieces outward. They shimmered like starlight, colliding with the palm print and shattering it into fragments. The two Nine-Seal trial participants charging at him had their heads obliterated instantly—their bodies plunging into the pit below.
Wen Star Ru dashed past Silent, unleashing a powerful palm strike. The force of Ten Seals surged within her, manifesting as towering mountain peaks that barreled toward Shu Mu Night.
Shattering Peak Palm!
At the same time, Qi Xue Yin spun, unleashing an endless frost that drove away the oppressive heat, blanketing the sky in snow.
Thousand-Snows Chill!
In that moment, the entire Mountain City was engulfed in a blizzard, altering the very climate.
Shu Mu Night merely chuckled, bent his right arm, and swung it outward.
A force beyond comprehension erupted.
A gale surged forth, as if tearing the heavens apart. The very air rippled outward in waves.
Mountains collapsed. Snowflakes reversed their descent.
Everything… was overturned in a single motion.
Such an overwhelming force bore down on Shu Mu Ye like an ant challenging the might of a towering tree.
At that moment, Silent rushed forth from the mountain peak, his sword—a mere sliver of a branch—sweeping in a diagonal slash. Shu Mu Ye’s gaze followed the edge of the blade, his expression unchanged. His index and middle fingers moved at a speed imperceptible to the naked eye, catching the sword’s tip and bending it slowly. The blade, once unwavering, twisted uncontrollably. Using this momentum, Silent spun with the distortion of his weapon and lunged forward. A flicker of chilling light flashed past Shu Mu Ye, striking the ground.
To the south of Mountain City, the land was cleaved in two. The rift stretched beyond sight.
This single strike had not only severed the earth, but even split the air, parting the very sky. The storm itself was torn asunder, the clouds fractured by its force.
All eyes turned to Shu Mu Ye.
He opened his palm—within it, the broken tip of the sword. Behind him, Silent spewed a mouthful of blood, his broken blade embedded in the ground as he kneeled on one knee, seemingly bearing an unfathomable weight.
No one could see it clearly.
Not at all.
Wang Jie stared at Shu Mu Ye, gripping his Battle Power Detector. He sought to analyze Shu Mu Ye’s strength, but the device blared ceaselessly, its readings fluctuating so wildly that it seemed broken, unable to capture even a fraction of the man’s true power.
The disparity was simply too vast.
A Ten Seal warrior was already considered a master, capable of destroying entire lands.
The aftershock of Silent’s strike was evidence enough—had he unleashed his full strength, he could have bisected the entirety of Hua Xia, even splitting the seas apart.
And yet, such power still failed to inflict even the slightest harm on Shu Mu Ye.
Even Wen Zhao’s White Fang Strike, which connected the heavens and earth, had vanished with the mere wave of his hand.
This was a disparity no amount of numbers could bridge.
Pale-faced, Wen Zhao whispered in disbelief, “How can an Eight Seal warrior be this strong?”
Then came the Armor One Divine Sword.
A massive, broad-bladed sword descended from above, crushing downward with unstoppable force. Shu Mu Ye merely watched, making no attempt to defend himself. The sword struck him head-on, its crushing force shaking the land.
Yet, he remained unmoved.
The ground did not crater.
Not even the dust stirred.
The Armor One Divine Sword—shattered.
Bai Yuan’s pupils trembled. He hadn’t even needed to block it?
He had reached Nine Seals, a level where his strikes could threaten Yun Lai, yet they had no effect on this man.
Shu Mu Ye sighed in admiration. “As expected of the Armor One Divine Sword—a weapon that can devour and dissolve any attack. If you had reached Ten Seals, perhaps you might have piqued my interest. But alas…”
He waved his hand again. A storm erupted, sweeping away everyone who had surrounded him, as effortlessly as a gale scattering ants.
“This place has become a battleground. Try to stop me if you wish. Armor One Sect, Blue Star warriors—it doesn’t matter what your goals are. I will stand in your way.”
“Prevent me before the Sacrificial Altar reaches a thousand meters high… or else…” Shu Mu Ye ascended step by step, walking upon an invisible stairway into the sky. “It will be too late.”
Wang Jie had not made a move from start to finish—because it was meaningless.
The other Heaven’s Chosen fought at a level comparable to his own, yet against Shu Mu Ye, they had been defeated in a single exchange. He knew he would fare no better.
As Shu Mu Ye ascended, he disregarded everyone else. Despite their combined assault, he had not taken a single step back.
Meanwhile, an aircraft soared toward Heavenly Prefecture Base, the closest stronghold.
On Blue Star, the strongest cultivators and trial takers had gathered to discuss how to deal with Shu Mu Ye.
“The only way is for us to reach the absolute limit of Star Force… but we can’t do that here. It’s too slow. We must rely on Seal Power.”
“That would require vast amounts of Cataclysm Materials.”
“Silent, what do you think?”
Silent remained silent, staring at his broken sword in a daze.
“Has Insect Xuan arrived yet?”
“Soon. We’ve already found traces of the Insect Tide.”
“Could it be Insect Ruo Ruo?”
“Gather everyone. We’ll launch another assault.”
Bai Yuan spoke slowly, “Shouldn’t someone tell us who Shu Mu Ye really is? An Eight Seal warrior should not be this powerful.”
The trial participants exchanged glances, momentarily silent.
Finally, Wen Star Ru spoke, “It doesn’t matter whether you know or not. Blue Star is being staked down. If we fail, all of you will die. His identity is irrelevant—you must fight regardless.”
Suddenly, Yun Lai pointed at Wang Jie. “Get rid of him. He didn’t even dare to lift a hand. He doesn’t deserve to sit with us.”
The others turned to Wang Jie.
His voice was calm. “I was observing.”
Yun Lai sneered. “Coward.”
Wen Star Ru waved dismissively. “Forget it. Leave him be.”
She turned to Bai Yuan and said, “You don’t have much time. The task is simple: use all your cultivators to gather as many Cataclysm Materials as possible in the shortest time. We need to increase our Seal Power, your so-called Lock Force, to give us a single chance at a full-power assault against him.”
“Insect Xuan will use the Insect Tide to wear him down first.”
“He may be strong, but his Star Force is limited. That is our only path to victory.”
Star Force—the energy cultivated by those from beyond Blue Star.
Lock Force—the energy absorbed by Blue Star warriors, the power of the War Slaves.
As Bai Yuan and the other Blue Star warriors fell silent, Wen Star Ru glanced at Wen Zhao before continuing.
“Of course, as compensation, we can remove Blue Star humans from the Interstellar Battlefield List within our sects.”
Bai Yuan and Wang Jie looked at her.
She solemnly declared, “I swear upon the Wen Family’s name—we will absolutely remove Blue Star humans from the list. However, as for Blue Star itself, the Bridge must still be built. We won’t deceive you about that.”
This novel is translated and hosted on Bcatranslation