Chapter 054
Chapter 54: Blood-Red Coast
Bai Yuan did not offer any rebuttal; this was the truth.
Some gaps could only be bridged by a fundamental leap.
The so-called heaven’s chosen prodigies like Wen Star Ru were the very best among the ten-seal elites. They were the pillars of their sects, able to easily overpower any mutated creature from Blue Star in a one-on-one combat, let alone Wang Jie.
Wang Jie asked, “Is it possible that the Armor One Sect is using these mutated creatures to delay time? Do they have external reinforcements?”
Chu Yao pondered for a moment. “Hmm, that’s possible, but the chances are slim. In my view, it seems more likely that they want Blue Star and Shu Mu Night to destroy each other. The Armor One Sect can’t build the bridge themselves, but they won’t let Shu Mu Night do it either.”
“Is that even possible?” Wang Jie asked, surprised.
Chu Yao chuckled. “As long as a creature of enormous size is born, something like a whale swallowing the sea, capable of devouring the imprint power, once it explodes, Blue Star will be done for. It would be an attack comparable to the star-breaking realm. That would do it.”
In the end, Blue Star would be destroyed.
Bai Yuan left, always watching the outskirts of the base, as a ten-seal creature could appear at any moment.
Twenty days had passed since the battle with Shu Mu Night.
Wang Jie was once again preparing for his training.
This time, the interval between sessions was a long one—fifteen days. It was a significant stretch. And this time, Wang Jie’s strength had increased to eighty-two times.
During the last session, he had focused on healing his injuries, with no strength increase.
Now, the increase was substantial, rising from seventy-seven times to eighty-two times, essentially making up for what was missed previously.
Could something like this even be repaired?
Could it be related to the wristguard or his injuries? After all, he distinctly felt more heat flowing through him this time, coursing through his entire body.
But it wasn’t enough. He needed more. He continued.
Bai Yuan relayed the situation of the three major bases to Wang Jie every day.
Sadly, the Southern Country base was protected by Shu Mu Night. He had chosen to build the bridge by the coastline of the Southern Country base, focusing on both humans and marine creatures, abandoning most of the land creatures.
On the second day after Wang Jie’s training, Shu Mu Night began building the bridge.
With a single sword strike, he split the ocean, deep enough to see the bottom, and killed an enormous mutated whale, using its body as the foundation for the altar. He let the whale’s blood flow into the ocean, while placing over ten heaven stones at the altar’s base, attracting countless marine mutated creatures.
From the sky, one could see all the creatures of Blue Star, both aquatic and terrestrial, moving towards Shu Mu Night, for he had the most heaven stones.
Heaven stones, or slaughter stones, were what the trial takers called them. Only by releasing imprint power could Blue Star’s creatures evolve and cultivate.
For ten years of the apocalypse, all major bases had studied heaven stones, but they couldn’t make much progress. Moreover, the appearance of these stones had only attracted more mutated beasts, forcing them to throw the stones far away.
Shu Mu Night, using over ten heaven stones, began attracting the creatures.
He was about to start the process.
Inside the small courtyard, Wang Jie silently watched the screen on the wall, a video captured by drones showing the coastline of the Southern Country base.
An endless mass of creatures gathered, bypassing the Southern Country base and heading straight for Shu Mu Night’s altar.
The ocean, land, sky, and even the earth were filled with them.
Just like in Mountain City, Shu Mu Night was alone, wielding his sword, fighting purely with strength, continuously burying the creatures under his might.
For nine days, he killed relentlessly.
Nine days later, the altar had piled up to nine hundred meters.
It had surpassed the Mountain City sacrificial altar.
The nine days of slaughter had turned the sky above the coastline a blood-red hue, blocking out the sunlight. The sea was completely stained red, with countless bodies floating on the surface, so thick that even the sea itself was hard to see.
Shu Mu Night stood in the crimson sea, his blade still gleaming with cold light as it flashed ominously.
The people of Southern Country base watched in despair as the sky turned blood-red. They knew their fate would be the same as those creatures—death.
The sky was covered in blood.
Liu Ying’s face turned pale, her eyes filled with terror as she looked at Shu Mu Night.
The four-eyed figures paused their work, staring blankly. Could a person really do this?
The three major bases fell into complete silence.
A death-like stillness.
The sky of Hua Xia slowly turned blood-red, as the wind blew from south to north, further soaking the entire land in crimson.
Countless mutated creatures trembled.
Shu Mu Night climbed to the highest point of the altar, looking down on the land. He then gazed northward, facing the Southern Country base, raised his blade, and pointed it: “One hundred meters left. Use people.”
His words traveled back through the drone’s footage.
His cold, deep gaze cut through the screen, sending chills down the spines of those watching. Some people, already overwhelmed with fear, went mad, screaming and flailing about. More stood frozen, trembling, unable to remain upright.
Those eyes were monstrous, devouring eyes.
They gazed not only at the Southern Country base but at all of Blue Star, Hua Xia, and the Armor One Sect.
The disciples of the Armor One Sect were ashen-faced. They had all passed their trials, each having killed before. But faced with Shu Mu Night now, it was as though the entire waterfall had been turned to blood.
There was no solution.
Once Shu Mu Night arrived on Blue Star, the apocalypse brought by the bridge building was unavoidable.
No one could save Blue Star.
Wen Star Ru and the others lowered their heads in silence, their bodies drained of strength.
Just as Shu Mu Night was about to make his move on the Southern Country base, a flying craft descended on the coastline. Shu Mu Night was surprised. Who would dare come at this moment?
It was Bai Yuan.
He came alone.
Shu Mu Night watched with interest as Bai Yuan approached. To dare come amidst this overwhelming bloodlust—he had to be admired for his courage.
Bai Yuan approached the altar, looked up at the sky, and met Shu Mu Night’s deep gaze. “I want to know, if our people willingly bury themselves on the altar, would it help your bridge building?”
The words stunned Shu Mu Night.
They also stunned the disciples of Armor One Sect. What did this mean?
“What are you trying to say?”
Bai Yuan met Shu Mu Night’s gaze, ignoring the suffocating stench of blood, his expression serious. “I will have people fill the altar themselves, and you can have the final one hundred meters.”
Shu Mu Night’s lips curled into a smile, one that radiated disdain and coldness, devoid of any emotion. “Do you know that once the altar is completed, Blue Star will be destroyed?”
Bai Yuan nodded. “Of course, I know.”
“Then you are volunteering?”
“Absolutely. As long as you agree, I’ll have them come.”
Wen Si Yuan stepped forward, his expression heavy. This wasn’t a good thing. While he didn’t care about the lives of the people of Blue Star, if they truly volunteered to bury themselves on the altar, it might help Shu Mu Night’s bridge building.
They would rather see Blue Star destroyed, and no one able to build the bridge, than see Shu Mu Night succeed.
This, in truth, was Bai Yuan stalling for time.
Shu Mu Night realized this.
Wen Si Yuan understood, and Shu Mu Night agreed. “Native, I admire your courage. You want to delay time? Fine. But don’t go too far, or I will fill the altar with that base immediately.”
Bai Yuan sighed in relief. “Don’t worry. The three major bases—Upper Capital City, Golden Hill, and Southern Country—are sending people. They’ll arrive according to schedule.”
Shu Mu Night nodded, pointing down. “Then, as a sign of your sincerity, you go first.”
Bai Yuan’s eyes trembled.
The people at Southern Country base, Lian Qin and the others, were also shocked.
The image was transmitted to Golden Hill and Upper Capital City, where everyone watched Bai Yuan. They didn’t know why Bai Yuan had decided to send people to fill the altar, but now he was going to be the first one.
Bai Xiao’s face drained of color.
Wang Jie clenched his fist.
Behind him, Tang Jie stood—she had come to speak about certain matters.
The coastline, Shu Mu Night watched with interest from below.
This person now standing for all of Blue Star was the highest-ranking individual. Would he be willing to die?
Bai Yuan turned to the pilot in the flying craft, waved him off, and seemed to be bidding farewell to everything.
He straightened his clothes, and with steady steps, walked towards the altar.
Under the gaze of millions, he walked up to the highest point of the altar, stepping on the mountain of corpses and sea of blood, and stood before Shu Mu Night. He drew a mutated beast’s claw from beneath his feet and aimed it at his own head.
Everyone stared.
In that critical moment, Shu Mu Night stopped him.
“I didn’t tell you to die now.”
Bai Yuan was confused, looking at Shu Mu Night.
Shu Mu Night raised his hand, and with a single flick of his finger, an immense force pressed Bai Yuan to the ground. Beneath him lay the foul-smelling bodies of mutated creatures, their blood pooling and staining him completely red.
He lay on the altar, and Shu Mu Night’s cold gaze turned to the drone. “Let your people come. The last one hundred meters must all be filled with people.”
At Upper Capital City base, in a small courtyard, the screen cut off.
The four-eyed figures silently led Liu Ying back inside.
Chu Yao exclaimed, “Someone really volunteered to fill the altar? I’ve never seen bridge building before. Does this voluntary sacrifice really affect the result? It’s worth investigating.”
Wang Jie’s voice was calm. “Where’s Zuo Tian?”
Tang Jie’s voice was dry, still shaken by what she had just seen. “I don’t know.”
“He must have thought of this.” Wang Jie said.
Tang Jie didn’t deny it. “This is the only way to delay time. Otherwise, the millions at the Southern Country base will fill that last hundred meters. Maybe tomorrow, maybe the day after, Blue Star will be gone.”
Wang Jie didn’t respond.
Indeed, this was the most helpless but also most effective way.
How else could they delay time? Even if he stepped forward, there was no way for Shu Mu Night to give him another month or more.
This cruel but efficient method was eerily similar to what Zuo Tian did when he burned those orphans.
It instantly reminded him of that man.
That man had truly not died.
But now wasn’t the time to care about him.
Tang Jie approached Wang Jie, looking at him seriously. “Wang Jie, can we trust you?”
Wang Jie looked into Tang Jie’s eyes.
“For the past few days, Golden Hill and Upper Capital City have already arranged for groups of people to willingly fill the altar. They do it for their parents, for their children, and also to give you a final chance.”
“Answer me, Wang Jie.”
“Can we trust you?”
Tang Jie’s eyes were filled with emotion, her nails digging into her palm, a drop of blood falling to the ground.
This faint bloodiness seemed to come from the coastline, drifting towards Wang Jie.
Wang Jie met Tang Jie’s gaze, then spoke slowly, “No.”
Tang Jie trembled, her face pale.
“But I will die before you do,” Wang Jie added.
Tang Jie smiled, bitter and unwilling. Her smile was filled with sorrow. “Alright. That’s good.” She turned and left.
Chu Yao sighed. “A truly moving scene. Too bad, Blue Star is doomed. You didn’t give her any hope, and that’s for the best.”
“When the time comes, I’ll take you and that lass with me. There’ll be a chance for revenge later,” Wang Jie said.
Wang Jie said nothing. He raised his eyes and stared into the distance.
That night, he saw the anger.