Chapter 40: The Highest Priority Command
“Are you saying that the people of Blue Star will be relocated to another planet?” Bai Yuan asked.
Wen Star Ru nodded. “I don’t know the details of their resettlement, but the interstellar battlefield and the list of War Slaves will no longer include you. This was the condition given by the sect in exchange for your full assistance.”
Bai Yuan and Wang Jie exchanged glances before nodding. “Alright, we will give our full support.”
For the people of Blue Star, there was no other choice.
The once-held notion of defeating all the Trial Participants to keep Blue Star as a proving ground had crumbled after Shu Mu Night revealed his terrifying power. Even with all of Wang Jie’s resources and strategies, he dared not claim that he could stop Shu Mu Night before he completed his Bridge-Building process.
This was a difference in absolute dominion over battle power.
What made it even more despairing was the sheer depth of his strength—no one could see its limits. To make matters worse, none of the Trial Participants were willing to reveal Shu Mu Night’s true identity, deepening their sense of helplessness.
Yet, Wang Jie had no intention of placing all his hopes on the Trial Participants. At the very least, he believed his own growth rate exceeded theirs. His first priority was always strengthening himself.
The five major bases were tasked with transporting all Cataclysm Materials to Heavenly Prefecture Base to maintain the Trial Participants’ peak combat strength. Wang Jie was responsible for overseeing Frontier City.
The former strongest fighter of Frontier City, Bu Qiao, had died at the hands of a Trial Participant, leaving the city leaderless.
The aircraft carrying Wang Jie, Qing Zheng, Old Five, and Old Nine soon disappeared from Heavenly Prefecture Base as they headed towards their destination.
Wen Zhao remained behind. After all, she was a Trial Participant. Once Wen Star Ru arrived, she separated from Wang Jie and the others.
“Boss, my father said someone contacted him, demanding that Leading Pillar Group transport all of its Cataclysm Materials to Heavenly Prefecture Base for the Trial Participants,” Qing Zheng reported.
Old Five scowled. “Those Trial Participants couldn’t even last a single move against Shu Mu Night. What’s the point of giving them anything?”
Wang Jie turned to Qing Zheng. “The materials from the five bases are sufficient. Leave Leading Pillar Group’s stock untouched. Tell Uncle Qing to keep it for me.”
Qing Zheng nodded.
Old Nine frowned. “Can Leading Pillar Group withstand the pressure from the Trial Participants?”
Wang Jie smiled confidently. “I can withstand it.”
Just as he spoke, the aircraft’s warning system blared—an incoming wave of flying mutated creatures.
From the distant sky, massive mutated birds with razor-sharp talons dove toward them.
Wang Jie raised a single finger, and in an instant, a Spiral Qi Force surged forth like a violent storm, sweeping across the sky. Every mutated bird in its path was instantly shredded, their blood raining down from above.
With Thirty-Twofold Strength backing it, Wang Jie’s Spiral Qi Force had already surpassed the level of mutated creatures on Blue Star.
Had this been during his Seven-Seal Stage, he alone could have eradicated a Moon Plant.
Interestingly, Blue Star had not undergone another Heaven Stone Metamorphosis following the arrival of the fourth batch of Trial Participants. That was one reason why they trusted Wen Star Ru’s words. Otherwise, the very night of their arrival would have triggered a mass evolution of all mutated creatures.
As they journeyed toward Frontier City, they were ambushed three times—a relatively high frequency of attacks.
From afar, Frontier City looked like a colossal giant crouched amidst a sea of golden sand. However, the city was under siege by a Beast Tide.
Mutated beasts swarmed from all directions, their numbers overwhelming. The northern and eastern walls had already collapsed, allowing the creatures to rampage through the city. Everywhere, shattered corpses littered the ground.
Wang Jie and his companions witnessed a breathtaking scene.
A vast number of ordinary civilians had formed a human wall, gripping wooden boards and kitchen knives, standing in defense of a group of cultivators. They sacrificed themselves to buy time for the cultivators to unleash their attacks.
Seeing this, Wang Jie was deeply shaken.
Since the apocalypse began, he had been consumed by hatred, his vision clouded by vengeance. Whether it was assassinating Zuo Tian, serving as a Guide, or concealing his true strength, he had rarely concerned himself with the establishment of bases or the struggle against mutated creatures. He had lived in the shadows for too long.
Now, stepping out from beneath that darkness, he saw a different side of Hua Xia.
Many would flee in the face of despair, following the primal instinct of survival. Yet, there were those whose wills transcended all.
Every base that had survived did so through immense sacrifice.
People like Bai Yuan, Older Sister Tang, and Hong Sword were always at the forefront of battle. Perhaps reckless, but undeniably brave.
There was an inherent tenacity in the people of Hua Xia—an indomitable will that burned brightest in the face of hopelessness.
Without hesitation, Wang Jie struck.
His Spiral Qi Force descended like a crushing storm, obliterating countless mutated beasts.
Before the aircraft could even land, he leaped from it, smashing onto the city wall with a thunderous impact. He grabbed a handful of stones and flung them. Each rock became a lethal projectile, piercing through mutated creatures like cannon fire.
Old Five and the others, now possessing Eight-Seal Strength, followed suit, plunging into the Beast Tide and slaughtering their way through.
With their intervention, Frontier City’s burden lightened significantly.
Wang Jie, in particular, executed his Heaven and Earth Luo Xuan Finger, unleashing its devastating force outside the city. The attack obliterated a thousand-meter radius, shaking everyone present and forcing the Beast Tide to retreat in terror.
Standing atop the wall, Wang Jie watched as the Beast Tide withdrew into the distance. Then, he turned to a corner of the battlefield.
There, the cultivators who had been shielded by civilians remained huddled together, surrounded by countless fallen bodies.
As the danger faded, the surviving civilians collapsed from sheer exhaustion, their bodies covered in blood and grime.
The air was thick with the metallic scent of blood.
“Mother…”
“Grandfather…”
“Father…”
From behind the cultivators, a group of children emerged, their cries echoing through the battlefield as they stumbled into the bloodied ground, desperately searching for their loved ones.
Wang Jie gazed deeply at the scene before him. The children were protected at the very center, encircled by cultivators, while their kin formed the outermost layer of defense. A fortress of human will, a sight that left him in silence.
In that moment, he seemed to truly behold the land that had birthed and nurtured him.
In that moment, he felt the weight of responsibility settle upon his shoulders.
“I am Bu Dao, Chief Captain of the Frontier City Defense Forces. May I ask who you are, brother?”
Wang Jie withdrew his gaze and turned to the man before him. A standard-born of Frontier City, Bu Dao bore the scars of hardship, yet his eyes shone with steadfast determination.
“Wang Jie, from Heavenly Prefecture Base.”
Bu Dao nodded. “I thought as much. The Heavenly Prefecture Base has already contacted us.”
“Then let us prepare the Cataclysm Materials without delay.”
Bu Dao gave a wry smile. “If only it were that simple. Four Trial Participants have taken control of a group of cultivators’ families within the city, using them to coerce our compliance. We are not at liberty to act freely.”
Wang Jie’s gaze turned sharp. “Is that so?”
“My elder brother was slain. Without a leader, Frontier City has been left unguarded. Any Trial Participant can come and go as they please. You should understand—we may have numbers, but not even an army can truly trap a Trial Participant, let alone four. The leader among them is Ming Zhao, a Nine-Seal cultivator, one of the Third Batch of Trial Practitioners. We once considered fighting to the bitter end rather than bow to their demands. But then, they took a group of children.”
Bu Dao’s voice grew heavy. “If we turn against them outright, those children will die, and we will suffer grievous losses. And when the next Beast Tide strikes…”
He did not finish, but Wang Jie understood.
“They did not aid you during the Beast Tide either?”
“They cared nothing for our lives. All they wanted was the Cataclysm Materials.”
“Take me to them. I will handle this.”
Bu Dao gave a resolute nod and led Wang Jie toward the heart of Frontier City. However, before they could travel far, a report arrived—the four Trial Participants had fled, taking only a portion of the Cataclysm Materials, leaving the majority behind.
“The children?” Bu Dao asked immediately.
“They are unharmed,” the reporting cultivator confirmed.
Bu Dao exhaled in relief. “That is good.”
Wang Jie fixed his gaze on the man. “Which direction did they flee?”
“Westward.”
“Prepare a vehicle. I will pursue them.”
Not long after, Wang Jie tore out of Frontier City in an armored vehicle, speeding westward in pursuit. Behind him, Old Five and the others remained to assist the city.
Beyond Frontier City’s western outskirts, another armored vehicle roared forward. Inside sat the four fugitives—three men and one woman.
At the back, Ming Zhao lounged with the woman in his arms. The Trial Participant in the passenger seat glanced back nervously. “Zhao-ge, that guy won’t chase us, will he?”
The woman, equally uneasy, muttered, “That wretched Bu Dao received contact from Heavenly Prefecture Base about something concerning ‘Bridge-Building.’ They needed the Cataclysm Materials for it. We left most of the materials behind—he shouldn’t pursue us.”
Ming Zhao’s expression darkened. “And if he does? What of it? Do you think we should fear him?”
Silence followed.
If they weren’t afraid, then why were they running?
They had seen it. That colossal finger piercing through the heavens, shattering the land. A display of sheer power that shook them to their core.
The moment Ming Zhao witnessed that, he chose to flee without hesitation, leaving behind the majority of the Cataclysm Materials as a gesture of goodwill.
He knew he was no match for the man who had descended upon their world.
If only their Aircraft had not been destroyed by the Beast Tide, they would have already vanished beyond pursuit.
The driver kept glancing at the rearview mirror, sweat dripping from his brow. They had done much in Frontier City—if caught, there would be no escape.
Ahead, a horde of Mutated Beasts surged forward—the remnants of the recent Beast Tide.
The armored vehicle slowed, forced to weave through the creatures, enduring occasional strikes from them.
Impatient, Ming Zhao leapt onto the roof, gripping his long blade. With a single slash, he carved through the right flank, cleaving apart scores of Mutated Beasts.
Then, his body tensed.
He turned sharply.
A second armored vehicle was closing in at terrifying speed.
His face twisted. “Turn left! Now!”
Behind them, Wang Jie had locked onto his targets. He abandoned his vehicle, bent his knees, and with a thunderous stomp, launched himself into the sky. The sheer force cratered the ground beneath him as he shot forward like a meteor, hurtling toward his prey.
Ming Zhao snarled, raising his blade. The power of a Nine-Seal cultivator erupted as he swung, sending a massive blade arc a hundred meters wide slicing through the air toward Wang Jie.
But Wang Jie merely extended a single finger.
With the Spiral Qi Force, he shattered the blade arc, scattering its remnants in a deadly rain upon the land below.
The very ground twisted and crumbled. The armored vehicle nearly overturned.
Inside, the remaining three Trial Participants scrambled out, weapons drawn, eyes locked warily on Wang Jie.
He landed lightly, mere paces from them.
Ming Zhao barked, “Brother, we left you the materials. Do you truly need to chase us to the ends of the earth?”
Wang Jie’s gaze was frigid. “You took from Frontier City. Yet when the Beast Tide came, you did nothing. Why?”
Ming Zhao narrowed his eyes. “So, you’re from Blue Star?”
When Wang Jie did not answer, he continued, “Does it even matter? Your own kind in the bases care nothing for those outside. Do you know what life is like for them? While those within the bases live in comfort, those beyond the walls suffer. Why concern yourself with their fates?”
“If you want all the materials, fine. Take them.”
Wang Jie’s voice was colder than frost. “Materials? I take what I need. But as for you—” His eyes turned sharp as blades. “The highest priority of all Hua Xia bases is to ensure that every survivor enters a base. Limited resources cannot sustain an infinite number of people. To do otherwise is self-destruction.”
He took a step forward, vanishing in an instant.
Ming Zhao roared, “Fight!”
Three Eight-Seal cultivators and one Nine-Seal—a formidable force.
Yet as soon as Ming Zhao’s arm met Wang Jie’s fist, it snapped, sending him crashing into the armored vehicle with devastating force.
The other three did not even have the chance to scream before they were erased from existence.
Wang Jie had not held back in the slightest.
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