Chapter 49: The Rising Omen Shrouds Mountain City
Wang Jie opened his eyes. A new sword technique had taken form—a creation of his own making.
Though its power was limited, merely a simulation of the currents of the deep sea, it was still something born from his understanding.
With each stroke of his blade, the field before him stirred. Tiny green sprouts began emerging from the soil.
Wang Jie’s heart leaped in excitement. It worked!
As he had suspected, a field should not be restricted to nurturing a single form of energy.
To him, a field symbolized abundance. The fact that his self-created sword style could plant the seeds of future battle techniques was something he had never anticipated.
Though only a single sprout had grown, it represented a boundless possibility. Wang Jie reached out and touched it.
Flowing Water Sword Style. Required materials—one hundred different types of fish.
He raised an eyebrow. This requirement was surprisingly simple.
In the depths of the sea, there was no shortage of fish.
Without hesitation, Wang Jie moved, his figure flickering as he began his hunt.
Half a day later, he had gathered the necessary fish. The post-apocalyptic world had ensured that even fish of the same species evolved into vastly different forms, making the collection effortless.
He cast the hundred fish into the tiny sprout.
As the sprout absorbed them, a brilliant light shimmered, morphing into the shape of a sword before vanishing into Wang Jie’s mind.
A chilling sensation spread across his forehead, and in the next instant, his Crab Claw Sword moved instinctively. A sword form far more fluid and powerful than his own creation naturally unfolded before him.
Once planted, the technique is learned.
The Flowing Water Sword Style was not particularly complex—far from the might of the Heaven and Earth Luo Xuan Finger—yet it was instantly usable.
As his newly acquired technique solidified within his mind, it returned to the field, embedding itself once more into the earth.
Another sprout emerged.
Only one.
It seemed the power of a combat technique was directly tied to the number of sprouts produced.
The Heaven and Earth Luo Xuan Finger had yielded three.
The Flowing Water Sword Style only produced one.
A new technique revealed itself.
Hanging Stream Sword Style.
Required materials—one stone collected every hundred meters from the seabed, spanning a total depth of one thousand meters. Ten stones in total.
This was even simpler.
Since his first foray into deep-sea training over half a month ago, he had been able to remain at depths of one thousand meters without issue.
Gathering the stones took little effort.
Once placed into the sprout, the Hanging Stream Sword Style flowed into his consciousness. This technique surpassed Flowing Water Sword Style in sheer might, yet it, too, was quickly mastered.
Upon returning to the field, it sprouted once again.
This time, two green buds appeared.
A new technique emerged.
Drinking Rainbow Sword Style.
Required materials—the ugliest fish eyes within a ten-mile radius… and a single woman’s swimsuit.
Wang Jie was speechless.
He touched the sprout again to confirm.
Indeed, the materials listed a woman’s swimsuit.
A long sigh escaped his lips. Memories of past material hunts flashed through his mind—particularly the ten love letters he had once been forced to gather.
Why does it always come to this?
And how did this even relate to swordsmanship?
There was no helping it. He would start with the fish eyes.
This task was not easy either. He needed to capture every fish within ten miles, then compare their appearances.
But whose perspective decides beauty and ugliness? He frowned. The fish themselves?
Half a day passed before he finally completed the task.
Now, only the swimsuit remained.
He returned to the Southern Base. In just two days, he would meet Shu Mu Night, and tomorrow was reserved for rest.
The four major bases were struggling.
The safe zones continued to shrink, and even the walls of the bases could no longer keep out mutated creatures. Ten-Seal-level beasts roamed freely.
The Armor One Sect, obsessed with eliminating Shu Mu Night, had completely abandoned the safety of the Blue Star humans.
The words of Chu Yao echoed in his mind.
Even if we defeat Shu Mu Night, we cannot hope to overcome the entire Armor One Sect.
And that’s assuming we can even defeat him, which is next to impossible.
A knock sounded at his door.
“Come in.”
The door opened, revealing Lian Qin. Dressed in a black cheongsam, she stepped forward with a seductive grace, her gaze filled with mischief.
“You called for me, little brother?” she purred.
Wang Jie turned his head. “Close the door.”
Lian Qin smiled, a slight flush rising to her cheeks. “Oh? Are you planning to devour your dear sister?” She teased, closing the door. As she turned, a flash of her pale thigh peeked through the slit of her dress, gleaming under the dim light.
The moment the door clicked shut, Wang Jie spoke.
“Do you have a swimsuit?”
Lian Qin blinked. “What?”
“A swimsuit.”
She tilted her head, eyes shimmering with curiosity. “I do.”
“Give it to me.”
A chuckle escaped her lips as she shot him a knowing glance. “Ah, so the sea has left my little brother feeling lonely? Very well, I shall bring it over. Perhaps a bit of company might help ease your burdens.”
With a playful smirk, she opened the door and left.
Wang Jie exhaled heavily.
The tension she carried was overwhelming. Even the smallest gesture from her was laced with temptation.
Before long, another knock came.
Lian Qin returned, waving a seductive swimsuit in her hands. Just as she was about to step inside and shut the door, Wang Jie quickly interjected.
“Leave the swimsuit. You can go now.”
She froze.
“Me? Go?”
He nodded seriously, afraid of losing control.
A bemused expression crossed her face as she studied him. Seeing the utter sincerity in his eyes, she finally placed the swimsuit down and departed, though her expression remained somewhat unnatural.
Wang Jie sighed in frustration, rubbing his temples.
It feels like I am straying further down some strange path…
He tossed the swimsuit into the sprout.
Drinking Rainbow Sword Style was learned.
It came easily, its execution smooth and natural. Once again, the field bloomed.
This time, three sprouts emerged.
The same as the Heaven and Earth Luo Xuan Finger.
Wang Jie’s eyes gleamed as he touched the sprouts.
Required materials—A swimsuit belonging to the same woman, five bites of meat from her plate, and a hundred consecutive executions of the Drinking Rainbow Sword Style.
Wang Jie was utterly defeated.
Each of these conditions was troublesome.
Especially the requirement to eat five bites of meat.
Yet the most difficult part was undoubtedly the hundred consecutive executions of the Drinking Rainbow Sword Style.
Currently, he could only string together a dozen strikes at most.
This challenge required not only physical endurance but also an unparalleled mastery over Seal Power.
The Rainbow Drinking Sword Style was executed, depleting at least one-tenth of his internal Seal Power. This meant that he could launch ten consecutive strikes, but unleashing a hundred strikes was utterly impossible.
Unless he reached the Ten Seal level.
For now, he set the thought aside.
Sleep.
Beneath the vast starry sky, high above the Armor One Sect’s waterfall.
“Sect Master, people from Star Dome Vision have arrived.”
Xi He looked over.
“Gu Moon greets the Sect Master.”
“Ting He greets the Sect Master.”
Xi He nodded, his demeanor cold. “You both understand the rules, I assume.”
Gu Moon, a middle-aged man with a refined scholar’s aura, responded, “Of course. Only the conclusion, not the process.”
Xi He spoke no further.
Gu Moon’s gaze fell below the waterfall, instantly locking onto Shu Mu Night, who sat atop a sacrificial altar built upon the corpses of millions.
Beside him, Ting He had already seen the scene. Her face paled in sheer shock.
She was a breathtaking beauty with flowing pink hair, clad in exquisitely crafted white boots. Usually, she carried a playful air, yet now, faced with such horror, her expression turned ashen. It was as if she had never imagined such cruelty could exist in the world.
Under the moon’s radiance, even darkness failed to veil the overwhelming stench of blood. Shu Mu Night sat like a specter of the underworld, a malevolent force looming over the dead.
Gu Moon coughed lightly.
Ting He finally snapped out of it, her voice trembling, “Uncle Gu, this…?”
“This is Bridge-Building—using the lives of the fallen to drive the stakes.”
“Why… why is it so cruel?”
Gu Moon glanced at her. “And how do you think your own Bridging Technique was acquired?”
Ting He’s pupils shrank. Her body shuddered involuntarily.
Gu Moon sighed. “Your family has protected you too well. This time, you should witness it firsthand.”
Ting He bit her lip, forcing herself to look again. Her slender fingers trembled, her skin growing pale.
The final day of the appointed date.
An endless Insect Tide engulfed Mountain City.
Insect Xuan made his move. Surrounding them were Wen Star Ru, Silent, and other Heaven’s Chosen.
The vast tide of insects was their first grand offensive—yet it would also be their only one.
From atop the bloodstained altar, Shu Mu Night gazed into the abyss of insects. He lifted his arm, blade in hand, staring down the unending tide.
The insects clawed their way up the Flesh and Blood Altar, consuming all in their path.
Whoosh!
A single blade light.
Endless insect corpses tumbled from the altar. No matter their level, none could withstand a single strike from Shu Mu Night. The sheer number of carcasses piled atop one another, flattening the once towering altar, and still, the insects surged forward.
Yet Shu Mu Night remained impassive. With each stroke of his blade, another wave of insects fell. His attacks were neither flashy nor grandiose—just simple, direct, relentless.
One hour. Two hours. Five hours.
The altar now stood five hundred meters tall, built from the bodies of the slain. What was once a tower of sacrifice had become a mountain of corpses. Step by step, Shu Mu Night ascended atop the ever-growing heap, his expression unchanged.
Insect Xuan’s face had gone deathly pale.
This monster…
Drones hovered in the air, broadcasting the scene. Across all who bore witness, silence reigned. There were no words to describe the sheer horror.
It was not about how many insects he had slain—it was the fact that throughout it all, Shu Mu Night had not used a single shred of Star Force.
Not even a trace of Seal Power.
He had been cutting down insects for five hours, relying purely on his physical strength.
Silent gripped the skeletal hilt of his sword, staring at the distant battlefield. For the first time, he lacked the courage to step forward. Not out of fear, but because he knew—he was powerless.
The Insect Tide was supposed to be the most effective way to drain Shu Mu Night’s Star Force. But now, the very notion seemed laughable. If they charged forward, they would fall in a single strike as well.
The more they watched, the wider the gap became.
No one could defeat this monster.
A flying vessel arrived.
Wang Jie and his team stepped out, looking toward the battlefield. The altar had expanded several times over, its peak now surpassing six hundred meters.
If it reached a thousand meters, Blue Star would be sacrificed.
Qi Xue Yin’s Battle Power Detector beeped wildly. She stared at the battlefield, watching as a Ten Seal-level insect was reduced to minced flesh beneath Shu Mu Night’s blade. Yet her detector showed no measurable fluctuation.
She let her hand drop, powerless.
Silence consumed the battlefield, broken only by the screeching of insects and the relentless swing of Shu Mu Night’s blade.
For eight entire hours, he continued his massacre.
Eight hours.
The same motion, repeated over and over, until even the insects grew terrified and began retreating.
He flicked his blade, sending streaks of green blood splattering onto the altar. His robes remained immaculate. His lips curled into a faint smile as he stood atop the Flesh and Blood Altar, gazing down upon the land below.
An overwhelming killing intent loomed over Mountain City.
This scene burned itself into the minds of all who watched, including those of the Armor One Sect.
Never before had anyone heard of a cultivator at the Eight Seal level who could single-handedly slaughter an Insect Tide with pure physical might—without the aid of Star Force or Seal Power.
It shattered their perception of what was possible.
Gu Moon marveled, “His third Re-Cultivation has granted him even greater strength. He continues to push past the known limits of humanity.”
“I have assessed him three times before. But now, for this fourth time, I find myself at a loss for words.”
“There is simply no way to describe how he can be defeated.”
Ting He bit her lip, staring at the live projection of Shu Mu Night from the lake’s surface. Though she stood above him, she felt as though he was the one looking down on her.
This man… was terrifying.
Like an abyss swallowing all light.
Xi He sighed. With Shu Mu Night present in Sincere One Dao, they would remain unchallenged for millennia.
The Heaven’s Chosen they had gathered no longer had the courage to even lift a hand.
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