Chapter 68: Slaughter Stone Planet
Wang Jie glanced at the personal terminal on his wrist. To be honest, he couldn’t understand why Jun Hua treated him so well. Within the device, there was only one contact—her.
For the next few days, he familiarized himself with Accompanying Lake Residence. He trained within the gravity chamber, but it was disappointing—it only reached fifty times gravity, utterly meaningless for him. His body had already strengthened to withstand ninety-nine times gravity, reinforcing not just his power but also his defenses, his flesh, and his bones. Fifty times gravity held no significance.
His greatest concern now was pinpointing Blue Star’s location without drawing the attention of the Silver Radiance Empire.
His only option was to enlarge the star map bit by bit from memory, sometimes looking to the east, other times to the north. He was well aware that everything he did was likely under surveillance.
Nothing could be hidden.
Two months passed swiftly. Jun Hua never contacted him once.
Outwardly, his identity was Emperor’s Guard, yet ironically, he had never set foot inside the Imperial Palace.
Wang Jie decided to stop thinking about it and simply left for Slaughter Stone Planet.
His every move was surely being monitored. If Jun Hua wanted to reach him, she would have done so already.
As for the Royal Library and its collection of secret tomes, he had no interest. His combat techniques stemmed from Armor One Sect, and the more he understood the outside world, the clearer it became—Armor One Sect wasn’t just superior to Blue Star, it stood above even the Silver Radiance Empire and Frost Splendor Sect.
Since he already possessed the most advanced combat techniques, why waste time on those of the Silver Radiance Empire? Accepting their knowledge would only place him in their debt.
Besides, accumulating too many techniques was pointless.
Before his departure, he entrusted Cheng Qian with two tasks: finding an exquisite sword tassel and locating a Seven-Colored Flower.
Both were essential materials for Sword Step.
Accompanying Lake Residence—as its name suggested—was positioned near the Imperial Palace’s vast lake, elevating its prestige. Its previous owner? Jun Tang.
Beneath the vast, starry sky, two suns revolved around a distant planet, ensuring eternal daylight.
This was Slaughter Stone Planet—his domain.
It was roughly the same size as Blue Star, stirring within him a vague realization—if Armor One Sect had records of Blue Star, it must have also classified it as a Slaughter Stone Planet.
The spaceship descended rapidly. As it pierced through the atmosphere, its speed slowed until it landed smoothly within a lake. Wang Jie concealed the vessel beneath the waters before leaping out.
A mutated flying beast immediately descended upon him—a creature with a triangular skull and piercing crimson eyes. It lunged with its jaws wide open.
With a swift sidestep, Wang Jie grasped its head, flipping onto its back in one fluid motion.
The beast thrashed wildly, desperate to throw him off, but a single punch from him forced it into submission.
A mere Six-Seal beast—too weak.
Wang Jie forcibly twisted the creature’s head, demanding, “That direction.”
The beast resisted at first, but as its skull was firmly pressed down, it had no choice but to fly in the indicated direction.
With his battle power detector, Wang Jie scanned the area ahead. The device returned a flood of readings—evidence of numerous mutated beasts.
He never expected this planet to harbor formidable creatures. After all, it belonged to the Silver Radiance Empire, who had merely deposited a single Slaughter Stone here and granted the planet to him. A truly valuable Slaughter Stone Planet would never have been given away.
This planet had already been harvested before. Tens of thousands of human cultivators had been taken. Those who remained feared venturing into the wild, and even the most powerful mutated creatures had been culled.
Yet the air here was purer than that of Blue Star.
The scorching dual suns had reduced much of the land to desert, with only the occasional lake or forest dotting the terrain. Mutated beasts lurked beneath the sand, their forms twisted and grotesque.
Very well. Come forth.
Drawing his sword, Wang Jie soared into the sky, executing Gazing Star Sword Style.
As his blade moved, the heavens seemed to shift—stars hung upside-down, their light cascading downward as countless sword energies rained upon the desert below.
In an instant, the landscape was shattered. Each sword strike pierced the earth, its depth unknown.
A single technique had fractured the desert. Winds howled, lifting billowing clouds of sand into the sky. Countless mutated beasts emerged from beneath the ground, their grotesque forms a chilling sight.
Wang Jie landed and unleashed Gazing Star Sword Style once more.
To master Sword Step, he needed to shatter stars with this technique. He was still far from achieving that level.
For several days, he hunted the beasts of the desert, amassing a significant collection of cataclysm materials. Having a storage ring was truly convenient—he simply tossed everything inside, no need to carry a burden.
“Now, time to begin the Eighth Set…”
A familiar voice echoed as Wang Jie emptied his collected cataclysm materials, absorbing them while performing calisthenics.
During his time in the Silver Radiance Empire, he had learned that the strength of a Ten-Seal warrior varied greatly.
The foundation of a Ten-Seal cultivator directly impacted their power after breaking through to the Star-Breaking Realm.
Not all Ten-Seal warriors were equal. Some recklessly shattered their seals to forcefully ascend. While they reached the next realm, they remained its weakest members.
Only by fortifying the Ten Seals could one unlock their true strength upon advancing.
The stability of the seals was categorized by color.
At first, the Ten Seals existed only as vague outlines. That was Wang Jie’s current state.
Back when the apocalypse began, his cultivation was relatively solid. However, after his re-cultivation following the battle against Shu Mu Night, he had advanced to Ten-Seal Realm in an extremely short time, leaving his foundation fragile.
His ten imprints were merely outlines.
The deeper the color of the seals, the stronger they became.
His journey had only just begun.
From the faintest outline to the deepest abyss, the colors of the Seal Imprints ranged from pale gray to light gray, dark gray, and finally the profound black.
The guards of Accompanying Lake Residence were mostly of the pale gray level.
It was common knowledge that within the major factions, a disciple needed to at least reach light gray to be considered worthy. Larger sects, home to true prodigies, often had members at the dark gray level.
Star Force also began with ten seals, but its imprints were naturally formed rather than cultivated. Even so, the color distinctions remained the same.
Wang Jie recalled seeing Wen Zhao’s imprint once—it was light gray. He was confident that Silent, Wen Star Ru, and Insect Xuan were at least dark gray. As for Shu Mu Night, if not already deep black, he had to be at least light black.
His current priority was solidifying his foundation, ensuring his Ten-Seal Lockforce reached its full potential. He paid no heed to claims that Lockforce had its limits or lacked a future. Since he had embarked on this path, he would walk it to the end. After all, history had seen warriors ascend to the Star-Breaking Realm through Lockforce alone.
One step at a time.
Absorbing Seal Power to deepen his imprint’s color would take an unknown amount of time—not to mention the scarcity of Cataclysm Materials required for such progress. Even Wen Zhao, a descendant of one of the three great families of Armor One Sect, had only reached light gray. Despite her lack of recognition within her sect, even the Silver Radiance Empire paled in comparison to her lineage. This only proved how difficult it was to ascend in color.
Fortunately, he had his Beginner’s Calisthenics.
The effects of absorbing Seal Power through his training far surpassed normal means. After just one session, not only had his overall physique strengthened, but his Seal Imprint had also become visibly clearer. He continued his training diligently.
Beyond cultivating Seal Power, he also honed his Qi Observation and Luck Control. His mastery had already reached the point where he could control two hundred soybeans at will. Though his search for information regarding the Death Realm had yielded nothing, not even from Corpse Sect, he could only improve his proficiency for now.
Within the grand halls, Jun Hua sat with her eyes closed, resting. Not far from her, Yu Dong was engulfed in an aura of chilling frost, the cold twisting into intricate patterns as she cultivated some mysterious technique.
“Any news on Wang Jie?” Jun Hua suddenly asked.
Yu Dong opened her eyes. “He’s gathering Cataclysm Materials.”
“He intends to deepen his imprint?”
“That seems to be the case.”
“Diligent indeed,” Jun Hua mused. “Accompanying Lake Residence has so many maidens at his disposal, yet he hasn’t touched a single one.”
Yu Dong glanced at her. “Perhaps it’s an act. I still don’t believe he has any ties to Armor One Sect. That spaceship could have fallen into his hands by chance.”
Jun Hua shrugged. “Let him be. Consider it repaying a favor.”
Yu Dong did not object. “And those Interstellar Pirates?”
Jun Hua frowned. “Still at large. They are Jun Tang’s hidden enforcers, formidable in their own right. Though none have reached the Star-Breaking Realm, they are all Ten-Seal Lockforce wielders equipped with advanced weaponry and armor. They possess the Imperial Star Map and a vast array of resources. Catching them is no simple task.”
Yu Dong’s eyes flickered. “Shall I intervene?”
Jun Hua let out a wry chuckle. “You’re already stretched too thin. Besides, another matter has arisen—the sect has sent someone.”
Yu Dong was startled. “The sect? Why?”
“At first, I assumed they were here to renegotiate tribute resources. But the envoy is from Rainbow Peak of Frost Radiance Domain.”
“Rainbow Peak?” Yu Dong’s gaze sharpened. “That means they must be Inner Sect Disciples, same as us. This isn’t just about tribute.”
“My thoughts exactly,” Jun Hua said. “They’ve already departed, but I don’t know when they’ll arrive. You can’t leave.”
“A pity we are so far from Frost Radiance Domain—otherwise, I could have inquired through my senior sisters.”
Beneath the blazing sun, Wang Jie sat atop a rock, his surroundings littered with the corpses of Mutated Beasts.
He opened his eyes, gaze falling on the inside of his arm. The first of his Seal Imprints had turned light gray. That was fast—most likely thanks to his Beginner’s Calisthenics.
The remaining nine imprints were still mere outlines.
He had already spent more than half a month on this barren world. It was not nearly enough. He needed more time.
That day, as he was about to resume training, a spaceship descended from the sky. It was heading directly toward his vicinity.
Why was a ship arriving here?
According to the Silver Radiance Empire’s records, this planet was his alone. Could it be Jun Hua sending people to find him? He decided to observe first.
In the distance, a lake smaller than the one where he had hidden his own ship rippled as the spacecraft descended, sinking into the waters below.
Wang Jie frowned. They weren’t here for him. Otherwise, they wouldn’t have hidden their ship beneath the lake.
He had hidden his own ship to prevent Mutated Creatures from damaging it. What were they hiding from?
As the ship submerged, the lake churned, and nine figures emerged from the waters.
Holding his breath, Wang Jie flattened himself against the ground, relying only on his peripheral vision.
Nine people in total.
His battle power detector fluctuated wildly, displaying values no lower than three thousand for each one of them. That meant all nine were Ten-Seal Lockforce wielders.
Formidable.
Even Armor One Sect had required over a hundred Slaughter Stones to cultivate a similar number of Ten-Seal warriors on Blue Star. For the Silver Radiance Empire, such numbers were even rarer.
Not even Accompanying Lake Residence had a single Ten-Seal warrior.
Even the mining planets had only a handful.
Through the whispering winds, their voices reached him.
“This is it?” one of them muttered.
“Let’s lie low for a while. This planet is registered under Accompanying Lake Residence. Lord Jun Tang brought us here once. As long as the residence remains masterless, we won’t be discovered.”
“No other choice.”
“Damn it, I thought following Lord Jun Tang would lead us to power. Now we’re fugitives.”
“Just endure. Once we leave Silver Radiance Empire, it won’t matter anymore. With our strength, even Frost Radiance Sect’s Outer Court would welcome us.”
“That wench is from Frost Radiance Sect, isn’t she?”
“I was just giving an example.”
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