Chapter 46: Chu Yao

Wang Jie gasped for breath, his muscles trembling from exertion. As his training neared its end, he distinctly felt his Seal Power surging toward his own cultivation level rather than increasing in strength. Had he reached his limit?

His gaze shifted toward the flickering video screen, where Shu Mu Night’s strength appeared boundless, an abyss with no visible end. Just how powerful was this man?

If the Eight-Seal level could not match him, then neither the Nine-Seal nor the Ten-Seal would be enough.

[Limitless beyond limits, beyond human.]

Which category did he belong to now?

A sudden voice shattered his thoughts.

“Training, are we?”

Wang Jie’s expression darkened, his head snapping toward the window. There, someone clung to the outer wall like a gecko, casually waving at him.

So close—yet neither he nor Wen Zhao had sensed a thing.

Wang Jie scrutinized the stranger. A young man. Unfamiliar. Smiling.

“What? Not going to invite me in?” the intruder spoke again.

Wang Jie hesitated but approached the window cautiously before unlatching it.

The stranger stepped inside.

Under the artificial glow of the room’s light, Wang Jie took in his visitor’s appearance more clearly. His skin was an unnatural shade of gray, as if untouched by sunlight for years. His smile, though wide, carried an eerie chill.

“I am Chu Yao. A pleasure to meet you, Wang Jie.” The stranger clasped his hands in the traditional Hua Xia salute.

Wang Jie found it odd. “Are you a Trial Participant?”

“What, no return salute? I thought you Hua Xia folk prided yourselves on courtesy,” Chu Yao remarked, maintaining his posture and gazing at Wang Jie expectantly.

Something about the man was off. Wang Jie could not sense his cultivation level—no presence, no aura—yet the temperature in the room had dropped considerably. A putrid scent of decay clung to the air, seeping from the man’s very being.

Chu Yao arched a brow. “Come now, don’t be shy. I quite enjoy this salute of yours—feels rather powerful.”

After a long pause, Wang Jie relented, mirroring the gesture.

“In that case, I am Chu Yao.”

“Wang Jie.”

“Not born in the same year, nor the same month, but—” Chu Yao abruptly stopped, scratching his head. “Oops, wrong line. My mistake, hehe.”

Wang Jie remained expressionless. “What is your purpose here?”

Chu Yao’s gaze wandered across the room before landing on the flickering video of Shu Mu Night in battle. Taking a few steps forward, he stood with his back to Wang Jie and marveled, “Honestly, I never expected a Trial Planet Native to stand against Shu Mu Night like this. Even if that guy isn’t using half his real strength, it’s still absurd.”

He made no attempt to guard himself, his back completely exposed.

Then, without warning, he turned and spoke with shocking casualness. “Wang Jie, come with me.”

Wang Jie’s expression remained unreadable. “And why would I do that?”

“Because there’s no stopping Shu Mu Night. Trust me, there really isn’t. You can’t do it. I can’t do it. But I can take you away, and that would be a great service to my people—hehe.” Chu Yao grinned.

“Where are you from?”

“The Death Realm. Corpse Sect.”

Wang Jie’s mind reeled.

Chu Yao waved dismissively. “No need to think too much about that. All you need to know is this: Blue Star has been chosen for Bridge-Building. That means every last one of you is going to die—except for a few special Trial Participants. The only ones who can keep you alive are either Shu Mu Night or me. Or maybe Armor One Sect. But think about it. Shu Mu Night is the one Bridge-Building and dooming your world. You have a blood feud with him. Armor One Sect? They don’t care about your people either. Even without Shu Mu Night, they would enslave Blue Star’s survivors for war.”

Chu Yao thumped his chest. “That leaves me. Me, who has no grudge against you. Me, who can offer you survival. A bright future. Well—” he smirked, “perhaps a dark one, but at least a future nonetheless. I can help you live. I can even help you take your revenge. Not a bad deal, huh?”

He had spoken at length.

Wang Jie, however, remained unfazed. “In one month, I will face Shu Mu Night again.”

Chu Yao sighed dramatically. “Brother, why are you so stubborn? You can’t beat him. No one at your level in this entire universe can. He is not on the same plane as his so-called peers. He’s Eight-Seal now, sure, but even if you reach Eight-Seal, what then? He’s someone who has re-cultivated three times! The higher his level, the greater the gap between you. He will reach Ten-Seal in no time. Even if you do as well, the difference will only grow wider.”

“Blue Star’s fate cannot be changed. But yours can.”

“Come with me. I guarantee you a dark future.” He grinned.

Wang Jie’s eyes sharpened. “Outside the Heavenly Prefecture Base, Shu Mu Night had intended to kill me. But he stopped—because of you, didn’t he?”

Chu Yao chuckled. “Ah, you remember? That’s right, brother. You owe me a life. If I hadn’t interfered, you’d be dead.”

Wang Jie’s eyes glinted. “If we work together, perhaps we could fight him.”

Chu Yao groaned. “Brother, don’t drag me into your death wish. Even the strongest prodigies couldn’t withstand a single strike from him. The gap is immense. He can use Celestial Techniques at Eight-Seal! Do you even grasp what that means?”

“I don’t believe Armor One Sect is completely helpless against him,” Wang Jie countered.

Chu Yao rubbed his temples in frustration. “If they had a way, they wouldn’t have resorted to activating the highest-level trial. That kind of action draws too much outside attention. They have no means to deal with Shu Mu Night. Do you think Sincere One Dao is just going to sit by? And even if Armor One Sect does manage to drive him away, Blue Star is still doomed to be Bridge-Built.”

Wang Jie’s expression darkened.

There was no simple way out.

“Do you really think the Armor One Sect will let you go?”

“Do you even understand what ‘staking’ means? It requires flesh and blood. Blue Star itself is nothing more than a rock; what use is there in staking it?”

Wang Jie’s gaze sharpened. “What did you say?”

Chu Yao smirked. “I said, even if Shu Mu Night leaves, the Armor One Sect will still use Blue Star—including the lives of every last Blue Star human—for staking. There is no escape. Even you, for fear that you might harbor resentment, would be taken away only to be dissected, studied for your immense strength, and then executed in the most agonizing manner.”

“Do you understand now?”

Wang Jie repeated Wen Star Ru’s words aloud.

The moment he spoke them, he realized something was off. He froze in place.

Chu Yao’s expression turned mocking. “See? You figured it out too.”

Wen Star Ru had sworn upon the name of the Wen Family that as long as Shu Mu Night was driven away, Blue Star humans would be removed from the war slave list. But all she had promised was their removal from the list. She had never pledged their safety or a new future.

She hadn’t lied—she had simply left out the most crucial part.

Back then, they hadn’t cared because she had made it clear that Blue Star would be used for bridge construction. That much was true. But none of them had known that bridge construction required flesh and blood.

“What about the mutated creatures? Can’t their flesh and blood be used?” Wang Jie countered.

Chu Yao shrugged. “Maybe. But maybe not enough. They only have one chance at this. Do you think the Armor One Sect would take that risk?”

No one could be trusted.

They were at an absolute disadvantage.

Shu Mu Night. The Armor One Sect.

Who among them did they have the power to defy?

For the first time, Wang Jie felt lost. He had never feared Shu Mu Night. No matter how powerful the man was, Wang Jie was willing to challenge him, just as he had once led an assassination attempt against Zuo Tian.

But even if he won against Shu Mu Night, so what?

He could never defeat the Armor One Sect.

Chu Yao sighed, his voice tinged with pity. “The moment you step into the vastness of the cosmos, you will realize how insignificant a single planet truly is. There is no need to fight a hopeless battle here. You care about Blue Star, about your homeland, Hua Xia? Fine. Then bide your time. Seek revenge when the opportunity arises.

There is no second path.”

“Unless…”

Wang Jie locked eyes with Chu Yao.

Chu Yao grinned. “Unless you defeat Shu Mu Night and make it to the headlines of Star Dome Vision. If a great figure takes notice of you, they might lend a hand to save Blue Star. Of course, the odds of that happening are close to zero.”

Wang Jie pressed, “Defeating Shu Mu Night would really cause a stir across the universe?”

“That would be an understatement,” Chu Yao replied. “Star Dome Vision is the greatest intelligence network and media organization in the universe. Its influence surpasses even that of the entire human race. Defeating Shu Mu Night would certainly be worthy of the headlines.”

Seeing Wang Jie fall into deep thought, Chu Yao shook his head. “A mere primitive could never comprehend the strength of Shu Mu Night. He is like the brightest star in the night sky. And you?” He scoffed. “You’re nothing but dust.”

With that, he turned and walked away. “Think it through. In a month’s time, you had best not accept the challenge. If you do, no one will be able to save you.”

Watching Chu Yao leave, Wang Jie hesitated. He had wanted to stop him. This man hailed from the Death Realm, clearly unaffiliated with Mo or Wen Star Ru and their group. His attitude toward Shu Mu Night was also different.

But Wang Jie wasn’t sure he could handle him. For someone to approach him so silently and effortlessly, he had to possess extraordinary abilities.

Wang Jie didn’t want any unnecessary complications.

The vast ocean stretched endlessly. Dozens of kilometers from the coastline, the Southern Nation Base stood.

The base had been built here for a reason: despite the Apocalypse raging for so many years, most mutated sea creatures rarely ventured deep onto land, preferring to remain near the shores.

But today, alarms blared throughout the entire base.

A tidal wave of marine monstrosities surged forth, crossing the farthest distance ever recorded, advancing relentlessly toward the Southern Nation Base.

Leading them was a colossal mutated octopus, towering hundreds of meters high. Even from within the base, its silhouette loomed ominously over the horizon.

Shattered stones, swept up by its writhing tentacles, tore through the sky, crashing toward the base’s interior.

A freezing aura erupted like a tidal wave, nearly freezing the air itself. The stones were halted mid-flight and encased in ice.

It was Qi Xue Yin. She had been stationed at the Southern Nation Base.

Meanwhile, Lian Qin turned pale and immediately sent a distress signal.

That octopus was a Ten-Seal level threat.

At Golden Hill Base, Wang Jie swiftly received the distress call and immediately set off.

He no longer needed Cataclysm Materials. The mutated creatures outside the base had been devastated by the Insect Tide, leaving them incapable of posing any threat to Golden Hill Base.

Insect Xuan did not accompany him. He had to guide the Insect Tide toward Mountain City. Instead, Insect Ruo Ruo traveled with Wang Jie.

Their journey to the Southern Nation Base was fraught with peril. Their aircraft suffered five separate attacks.

Before the Trial Participants had arrived, such incidents had been nearly unheard of.

Now, they were happening with alarming frequency.

And each attacker was a powerful mutated creature.

By nightfall, Wang Jie and his group finally arrived at Southern Nation Base.

Beyond the horizon, the endless tide of marine abominations continued their relentless approach.

Lian Qin, accompanied by Lian Fei, rushed to greet him.

“My Lady, Wang Jie has arrived,” said Qi Five.

Standing atop the city walls, Qi Xue Yin periodically unleashed waves of frost, freezing the very earth beneath the ocean waves. If not for her presence, the marine horde would have long since breached the Southern Nation Base.

She gazed into the distance. Wang Jie?

At that moment, his gaze also landed upon her.

Their eyes met.

Qi Xue Yin gave a slight nod—a silent greeting.

Wang Jie withdrew his gaze.

“The real problem is that octopus,” Lian Qin lamented, “We asked the Trial Participant for help, but she refuses to leave the base.”

She sounded aggrieved, casting a pitiful glance at Wang Jie, as though seeking comfort.

There was no denying it—Lian Qin possessed a charm most women lacked. Though older than Wang Jie, her every movement carried an alluring grace, her natural fragrance intoxicating. There was an air of fragility about her, one that made others instinctively wish to protect her.

She knew exactly how to play the part.

Lian Fei, in contrast, lacked such charm entirely.

As for Insect Ruo Ruo and Wen Zhao, while undeniably beautiful, they were still just little girls.

This novel is translated and hosted on Bcatranslation

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