Chapter 056
Chapter 56: Final Duel
Shu Mu Night halted, slowly turning his head to look at Lian Qin.
Lian Qin was gasping for breath, her face pale as snow. She stared at him with defiant eyes and demanded through clenched teeth, “Is it still… not enough?”
At the Southern Nation Base, Lian Fei’s eyes brimmed red with sorrow. She whispered, “Mother.”
Shu Mu Night stared back at Lian Qin, his gaze cold enough to freeze the blood: “Almost.”
Those two simple words shattered Lian Qin’s resolve. Her body trembled as she roared, voice breaking with fury, “Beast! You’ve killed so many and still want to destroy Blue Star. How many more must die before it satisfies you? Do you have no heart? You’re human too—why do this? They’ve already chosen to die willingly! What else do you want?”
Hong Jian clenched his fists, bloodshot veins crawling across his eyes.
Sister Tang stood in mournful silence.
Even the sound of waves crashing along the beach couldn’t scatter the blood-drenched clouds blanketing the sky.
Shu Mu Night withdrew his gaze and resumed walking toward the Southern Nation Base—step by step, each footfall like a drumbeat of doom. Behind him, Lian Qin collapsed to a crouch, powerless. She wasn’t even worth killing.
The cries and curses of ants could not change the heavens.
Then, suddenly, Shu Mu Night stopped and lifted his head. High above, an aircraft had somehow appeared, cutting silently through the clouds. From it, small black shapes began to fall, becoming clearer with each passing second—it was a person.
Bai Yuan and Sister Tang locked eyes on the falling figure.
Even Shu Mu Night squinted, focus sharpening into disbelief: That face—it was him?
Boom!
The blood-soaked beach erupted in a massive crater as the figure slammed into the earth. All eyes fell upon him.
Lian Qin stared blankly: Wang Jie?
In the distance, trial takers stood stunned—Wang Jie? He’s alive?
Wen Zhao’s heart skipped. This guy… he survived?
The drone feeds broadcast the scene simultaneously to the Southern Nation Base and Golden Hill Base. Qing Zheng, Old Five—everyone saw it.
Boss… is alive?
Chu Yao, aboard the aircraft, circled the coastline for a third time, looking down. [This is the third confrontation. Please… don’t die this time.]
[You have no idea how terrifying Shu Mu Night’s true limits are.]
On the beach, Wang Jie swept his gaze across the carnage. His eyes locked onto the altar—corpses of countless humans and mutated beasts piled upon one another, their mingled blood rising like smoke to form a dense crimson cloud that blotted out the sun. Even the sea was red.
His pupils shrank. [How many people died?]
“You’re not dead?” Shu Mu Night asked, genuinely surprised. Not only alive—he didn’t even look injured. Unbelievable. How?
Wang Jie didn’t answer. He turned to Lian Qin, his voice colder than ice: “Why are you crouching there? Move. Don’t get in my way—I’m here to kill.”
Lian Qin stared at him, stunned. At this moment, he felt like a stranger.
Shu Mu Night’s lips curved into a smirk: “Kill? Are you here to kill me?”
Lian Qin quickly got up and backed away: “Be careful.”
Wang Jie wasn’t in a rush. Only after she moved away did he fix his gaze on Shu Mu Night. “Have you ever been slapped across the face?”
Shu Mu Night chuckled: “Never.”
“Then today’s your first.” Wang Jie charged forward, just like the last two times. Power surged ahead of him. He punched.
Shu Mu Night’s eyes lit up. More strength again. His expression grew sharp as an invisible force swept out from his body, clearing the air around him. He raised his own fist—countered.
Boom!
The impact rocked the heavens and earth. The sand compressed under the shockwave. A roar of force blasted upward, piercing through the thick blood cloud, and sunlight poured down upon the two figures.
Evenly matched.
Shu Mu Night’s expression changed. He had used the full power of his second reforge—and this man had reached it too?
Wang Jie punched again. Shu Mu Night couldn’t believe it. In such a short time, this man’s power had grown far beyond their first battle. He couldn’t comprehend it.
Boom. Boom.
Boom!
Punch after punch. The beach couldn’t take it, collapsing into fissures that swallowed seawater. Shockwaves battered the land, even the altar trembled. Far off, Wen Star Ru and the others hurried closer—they had been too far to feel the pressure earlier.
This was the best chance to understand Shu Mu Night’s true strength.
No one expected this native to still be alive.
Up in the sky, the aircraft was struck by a stray shockwave—its tail exploded and it plummeted toward the sea. Chu Yao leapt out, landing steadily on the water. She looked toward the altar’s northern edge. [This power… it’s not human.]
They were both only at eight seals.
Just eight seals.
It was unthinkable what strength they might hold if they ever reached the star breaking realm—or even higher.
The star breaking realm meant the ability to destroy planets. There were many ways to do so—focusing on one point, for example. Planets varied in size. Blue Star’s mass couldn’t normally be destroyed by just any star breaker.
But these two? They might not even need to reach that realm to crack Blue Star wide open.
Eighteen punches. All evenly matched.
From the initial eightyfold power-up, they climbed together to the peak—eighty-ninefold.
Wang Jie was using everything he had. Against Shu Mu Night, there was no room for restraint. And Shu Mu Night… had already exceeded his second reforge. He was now using the power of a third reforge.
At the lake’s edge, members of the Armor One Sect gathered, Wen Si Yuan among them, eyes locked on the scene. [What is with this native?]
Even Gu Moon and his group had left their perch above the waterfall. Though it was only an eight-seal duel, they could easily erase hundreds of such cultivators with a flick of the wrist—but these two… were different.
Eight seals—how could they hold such power?
Boom!
Another strike. Both men staggered back seven steps.
They looked up, locking eyes again.
Shu Mu Night’s expression twisted. He had used everything.
Wang Jie’s fist dripped with blood—but not all of it was his. Some came from Shu Mu Night.
Eighty-ninefold.
It was indeed the limit—not just his own, but his opponent’s as well.
[Back then, I challenged Shu Mu Night with fiftyfold power… how laughable. It’s a miracle I survived.]
“What are you hiding?” Shu Mu Night finally lost composure. Sincere One Dao was one of the strongest sects in the universe. He needed a third reforge for this level of power—so how did this native reach it?
Wang Jie shifted. Armor Eight Steps—leaving behind an afterimage, he appeared behind Shu Mu Night and slapped his palm forward.
Shu Mu Night’s movement was even stranger. Though standing still, he launched a counterattack in all directions, easily blocking Wang Jie’s strike. Wang Jie’s palm became a finger—Heaven and Earth Luo Xuan Finger. The glowing finger flicked through the air, aimed straight at him. Shu Mu Night dodged, circled behind, and reached for Wang Jie’s head.
Wang Jie’s footwork conjured five shadows on the beach. Even Shu Mu Night failed to grasp him.
From afar, Wen Zhao’s eyes widened. [When did he master Armor Eight Steps to this level? This isn’t just learning—it’s mastery.]
Shu Mu Night scoffed. “Power alone isn’t enough. Do you know how long I’ve trained in control?” He flicked his gaze and struck—catching Wang Jie’s arm.
But Wang Jie counter-gripped it.
He thought it was a contest of strength—he was wrong.
The moment he applied force, he realized how vast the gap truly was. Their power levels were equal, but Shu Mu Night’s control made all the difference.
He stood like a mountain, immovable. Wang Jie couldn’t budge him—was instead blasted back by the recoil. Shu Mu Night flipped his palm, striking Wang Jie’s side. Even with Armor Eight Steps, he couldn’t dodge fully and was knocked back.
In the distance, Mo frowned. [If both possess three parts strength, Wang Jie uses three—but Shu Mu Night turns those three into five. That gap is impossible to cross.]
Shu Mu Night gave chase, punching once more. But this time, it looked ordinary—just a simple strike. Yet, ten years of apocalypse-trained instinct told Wang Jie: he couldn’t take it head-on.
He retreated at full speed.
Shu Mu Night pressed closer. His speed far surpassed Wang Jie’s.
No escape—he had to block it.
Out at sea, Chu Yao watched. [Now’s the time. I didn’t think he could go toe-to-toe with Shu Mu Night using just brute strength. Then… let’s surprise him again.]
The Armor One Sect watched in silence.
Combining qi and power—many had tried across the cosmos. None had ended well.
But Wang Jie wasn’t thinking about any of that.
He was thinking about survival.
He closed his eyes. Reopened them.
Shu Mu Night’s fist came from the east.
Wang Jie slowly raised his own, qi swirling around it like a cloak. He struck.
Shu Mu Night’s eyes flew wide. “Qi?”
Their fists met.
Shu Mu Night’s punch hit Wang Jie’s chest—Wang Jie’s struck his in return.
Both men staggered back.
Wang Jie coughed blood. His body felt split apart. His defenses had grown with his strength, but Shu Mu Night’s punch tore through it and nearly pierced him.
Shu Mu Night also spat blood, eyes locked onto him. “You learned qi?”
Wang Jie grinned: “A gift for you. Like it?”
Shu Mu Night’s gaze darkened. “Throughout history, those who combined qi and power all died horribly. You’re seeking death.”
“Better that than dying now,” Wang Jie growled and pointed—Heaven and Earth Luo Xuan Finger, now wrapped in qi, stabbed through the air.
Shu Mu Night dodged.
For the first time, he evaded Wang Jie’s strike not as a game—but from real threat.
Wang Jie stepped again—Armor Eight Steps fused with qi. Finger strikes pierced the air. Shu Mu Night dodged again and again.
For the first time—he was on the defensive.
For the first time—hope flickered in everyone’s hearts.
Maybe… this time… he really could win?
At the lakeside, Gu Moon watched in silence. He had already rated Shu Mu Night three times. A fourth rating hovered on his tongue—but all he could do now was observe.
The outcome wouldn’t change the rating.
But his interest had shifted to Wang Jie.
How long had Shu Mu Night trained? How many resources had he consumed?
This native couldn’t compare—yet somehow, he did.
Not even Shu Mu Night… perhaps no trial taker compared to him now.
[This one,] he thought, [I must take with me.]
Shu Mu Night felt sick.
The cosmic rules meant nothing to Wang Jie. He didn’t plan for the future—only fought for the now.
And somehow, his fusion of qi and power was terrifyingly effective.
Even Shu Mu Night had to pull back for a moment.
He raised a blade, slicing through the sky: Single Blade Slash—Moonflow Skystream.
Wang Jie withdrew his finger. He had to conserve qi. His use of it was still clumsy, and since it came from within, he couldn’t replenish it yet.
Wasting it would hand Shu Mu Night the edge.
He’d faced Moonflow Skystream before—played it over in his mind thousands of times.
The cold flash was too fast for the eye to follow.
Then he made his decision.
If it couldn’t be dodged—he would take it head-on.