Chapter 80: The True Killing Move
The Nine-Eyed Mantis launched a relentless assault, never lingering in one place. Beasts understood their vulnerabilities far better than humans, and it refused to grant Wang Jie even the slightest opening to strike back.
A resounding crash echoed across the battlefield—the blade had shattered.
No material, no matter how refined, could withstand the mantis’ unceasing onslaught.
Twin scythes rose, the mantis vanished, and Wang Jie stood firm. His fists collided, unleashing a force fifty times his own strength. The air trembled with residual shockwaves, rippling outward. In that instant, he turned sharply—he had found his target.
With a swift motion, he pointed.
The Heaven and Earth Luo Xuan Finger was long mastered. In an instant, the mantis—mid-charge—was struck, its body stiffening momentarily. Yet even in that fleeting second, its scythe descended, seeking to force Wang Jie to withdraw his attack.
By all logic, Wang Jie should have pulled back. Otherwise, while he would strike the mantis, he would also lose his hand.
But he had used his left arm to attack.
One scythe cleaved down onto his wrist guard, the other aimed at his arm. However, just before the second strike landed, Wang Jie countered with another finger strike, knocking the attack aside. Even a Star-Breaking Realm warrior would have been astonished at the sheer force that erupted from him. The ground caved in violently, sending dust billowing in all directions.
Emerging from the cloud of debris, Wang Jie landed in a crouch, a deep gash running across his arm, flesh torn open, blood seeping into his tattered garments.
Yet within the dust-filled battlefield, the Nine-Eyed Mantis fared far worse.
Its body had been pierced clean through.
With a swift motion, Wang Jie tore fabric from his clothes and bound his wound. His gaze remained locked onto the mantis, ignoring the pain that had yet to register. The creature’s narrow, predatory eyes stared back, dripping a pale yellow fluid—its own blood.
One of its scythes was dented along the edge, wounded by Wang Jie. A piece of his flesh clung to the jagged blade.
The mantis lowered its gaze to its weapon, opened its maw, and devoured the bloodied flesh.
Wang Jie’s eyes widened.
In an instant, he unleashed the full power of his Ten-Seal Force, a torrent of energy piercing the heavens, shattering the clouds. The surge of Seal Power roared forth, pressing down upon the mantis like an unrelenting storm.
The mantis lunged, its form flickering unpredictably.
Wang Jie had never fully unleashed his Seal Power before. Now, with nine of his seals tinged a deep black, the sudden release even startled him.
But with such overwhelming power, he could turn the tide.
His Qi might be insufficient, but his Seal Power would compensate.
He pressed his palm to the ground. Around him, the energy swirled, turning silver and expanding rapidly—Silver Radiance Art.
The mantis approached, still near-invisible, but within the Silver Radiance Art, its movements left traces.
Wang Jie struck again with his finger technique. This time, the mantis anticipated it, dodging with unmatched speed. Wang Jie stepped forward with Armor Eight Steps, shifting unpredictably. Then, with a sudden motion—he reached out and grabbed.
His fingers clenched around something cold, hard, and rough—the mantis’ wing.
The creature turned its head, its eerie gaze locking onto Wang Jie—they were mere inches apart.
In that instant, Wang Jie exploded with his full strength, intent on smashing the mantis into oblivion. Yet, just as he moved, the mantis severed its own wing, sacrificing it without hesitation. A second blade arced toward him, an attack so decisive that Wang Jie had not expected such ruthless resolve.
At the last possible moment, his wrist guard absorbed the strike.
The mantis fixated on the wrist guard—it was clear it held a particular disdain for it.
Were it not for that piece of armor, this battle would have long since been over.
Wang Jie was knocked back by the force of the blow. In retaliation, he struck the ground with his fist. The sheer force of the impact obliterated a nearby mountain, yet the mantis evaded effortlessly.
Raw strength was meaningless against this creature.
The mantis flickered through the air, twin scythes crossing into a spiraling blade formation as it locked onto Wang Jie and charged.
A chill ran through Wang Jie’s veins.
That was a Star-Breaking Combat Technique.
To ascend to the Star-Breaking Realm, one had to master a single technique so thoroughly that it could shatter both the Ten-Seal Force and the stars themselves. This was known as a Star-Breaking Combat Technique.
And this technique—this strike—was the mantis’ true killing move.
A single blow that could obliterate the very planet beneath them.
Escape was futile.
Even if Wang Jie avoided the attack, if the planet was destroyed, his ship would never survive the explosion. He would perish all the same.
Thus, he had only one option—
He had to block it.
Even if it cost him his life.
The mantis understood his predicament. That was why its approach was slow, each pause accumulating more force. The sadistic glint in its predatory eyes made its intention clear—it was not aiming to defeat him.
It was aiming to destroy the planet itself.
A method perfectly suited to eliminating any foe beneath the Wandering Star Realm.
No matter how strong one was, without a foothold in the universe, death was inevitable.
Wang Jie silenced his thoughts, focusing solely on the mantis’ descent. He bent his knees, his gaze sharpening. Within him, his Ten-Seal Force erupted once more, shattering the heavens and sending visible shockwaves rippling through the sky.
Heaven and Earth Luo Xuan Finger.
A massive ethereal finger pierced upward, slanting toward the heavens.
The mantis’ eyes gleamed with savage delight as it continued its descent, meeting the technique head-on.
But Wang Jie was not done.
At ten thousand meters, his right hand clenched, power surging.
At one thousand meters, his strength multiplied fiftyfold, veins bulging, all energy funneling into his fist.
At one hundred meters, his strength reached ninetyfold.
The Heaven and Earth Luo Xuan Finger was a feint.
Raw power—that was Wang Jie’s true killing move.
A perfect technique could not fully unleash power.
But true strength—was forsaking all distractions for a single punch.
A punch devoid of self, devoid of all else. Pure, unyielding force.
The mantis crashed into the Heaven and Earth Luo Xuan Finger, tearing through it effortlessly.
But at that moment—
It saw Wang Jie.
Wang Jie unleashed a devastating punch, his Ninety-Ninefold Strength erupting at full force. Qi and might merged into a peerless strike.
His fist collided with the spiraling blade, and for a fleeting instant, the heavens and earth stood still. Then, an earth-shattering impact darkened the sky, warping the air itself. The sheer magnitude of power clashing with the mantis’ blade aura crushed mountains and rivers alike. The land trembled, and the seas surged into towering tsunamis.
The entire planet shuddered.
Volcanoes erupted in unison, spewing molten rock high into the sky, exploding into dazzling flames like celestial fireworks.
Wang Jie’s fist locked against the mantis’ scythe. The blade had pierced his knuckles, shattering bone, while his blood sizzled from the heat of battle. But the mantis fared no better. Unable to withstand the force of his strike, its carapace cracked, its massive form crumbling under the relentless assault.
Its strength was waning.
With a low growl, Wang Jie thrust his left index finger forward—Heaven and Earth Luo Xuan Finger! The mantis tried to evade, but his embedded fist pinned it in place. The strike landed. Its head exploded, its body convulsing in a final struggle before plummeting to the shattered ground below.
At last, it crashed into the ruined landscape.
Wang Jie exhaled sharply, his body succumbing to exhaustion as he too fell from the sky, plunging into the rushing river below. Floating along with the current, he allowed the waters to carry him. The battle had drained him utterly.
Despite cultivating Ninety-Ninefold Strength on Blue Star, he had never unleashed its full power until now. Only by merging his Seal Power, raw strength, and qi in unison had he managed to slay the Star-Breaking Realm Nine-Eyed Mantis.
The gap between Ten Seal Realm and Star-Breaking Realm was truly vast.
No wonder the Silver Radiance Empire had so many Ten Seal cultivators, yet only a handful ever reached the Star-Breaking Realm.
It was an insurmountable chasm.
He dragged himself onto the riverbank, stripping off his soaked garments before walking toward the mantis’ lifeless body. Its yellowish blood oozed out. If smeared onto his ship, it might mask his presence and deter the pursuit of Cosmic Giant Beasts.
His priority now was recovery.
Fortunately, he had gathered ample Cataclysm Materials—enough to replenish his strength.
Without delay, he absorbed Seal Power, gradually restoring his energy. His most severe wound, the injury to his right fist, would take longer to heal. That would have to wait for his next calisthenics session.
[If only I had my Ninety-Ninefold Strength during my third duel with Shu Mu Night, I might have crushed him with a single punch.] The thought crossed his mind as he continued absorbing power for several hours before retreating to his spaceship. Exhausted, he slept.
—
Sunlight streamed through the ship’s windows, piercing his eyes as he awoke to a clear sky. Stepping outside, Wang Jie resumed absorbing Seal Power.
Days passed.
Finally, calisthenics time arrived. He applied healing ointment to his injured fist, then began his regimen. As he practiced, the absorption of Seal Power accelerated. By the time he finished, his hand had nearly healed. The results were remarkable.
His inner Seal Power had also fully recovered.
The combination of Silver Radiance Art and calisthenics truly allowed for unparalleled efficiency in power absorption.
He coated his spaceship with the mantis’ blood before setting course for the universe. He couldn’t remain here any longer.
Perhaps it was the mantis’ blood at work, or perhaps the Cosmic Giant Beasts had simply abandoned the chase. Either way, his journey was unimpeded.
He soon arrived at the Green Square Star Cluster.
A collection of over a dozen closely linked planets, the Green Square Star Cluster was unique in its interconnectedness. Passageways between the worlds allowed travelers to journey from one to another simply by walking. Even planetary rotation maintained these pathways, ensuring seamless transit.
Upon arrival, Wang Jie concealed his spaceship before proceeding according to Yan Fu Yu’s instructions.
His destination was not far from his landing site—he had calculated his descent to ensure he arrived on the same planet.
[This is it?]
Before him lay a desolate mining mountain. It looked eerily familiar. His first stop after leaving Blue Star had also been a mining site.
It didn’t take him long to find what he sought.
Beneath the earth, he uncovered a massive iron chest. Inside lay a puppet and a set of bizarre garments.
A Puppet Master.
This was the identity Yan Fu Yu had arranged for him to traverse the Ninth Star Chain.
The Ninth Star Chain connected the Eighth Star Chain and the Seventh Star Chain. The Eighth Star Chain, home to the Frost Radiance Star Chain, was embroiled in endless war, while the Seventh Star Chain was its ally.
The Seventh Star Chain, also known as the Puppet Master Star Chain, revered mastery over puppetry above all else.
As a Puppet Master, one could move freely through the Ninth Star Chain.
Of course, it had to be convincing.
Many spies from the Frost Radiance Star Chain had attempted to infiltrate under the guise of Puppet Masters, only to be exposed and meet gruesome ends.
However, Wang Jie’s Puppet Master equipment had belonged to a genuine Puppet Master. Unless he was extraordinarily unlucky, he had little risk of being discovered.
Beside the puppet lay an instruction manual on basic control techniques. Simple enough. He had no intention of using the puppet for combat—it was merely a vehicle.
Dressing in the Puppet Master’s attire, he activated the puppet and climbed inside. At three meters tall, the construct provided ample space for concealment.
After familiarizing himself with its functions, he controlled it to rise and step forward, exiting the mine toward his destination.
The sensation was peculiar—like piloting a carriage. He could adjust speed at will.
With every movement, he became more adept.
It could sprint, leap across terrain, even soar over obstacles.
As he moved, a small bell attached to the puppet emitted a soft chime, a symbol of a Puppet Master’s presence—a warning to others that a master of puppetry was near.
Puppet Masters were known to avoid unnecessary contact with outsiders. Since their greatest combat strength lay in controlling their constructs, they had perfected the art of concealment.
And for Wang Jie, this ability to remain unseen was a perfect advantage.
And for the first time—
Terror consumed it.
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