Chapter 079
Chapter 79: Battle at the Star Breaking Realm
The fifth defense line was not very fortified, after all, it wasn’t wartime. Outsiders were allowed to enter the Ninth Star Chain. But the fourth defense line was a different story.
Two months later, they reached the fourth defense line.
Compared to the fifth, the number of mantises here had increased significantly. They were constantly on the move. As the ship’s light curtain expanded, Wang Jie saw a line of planets behind the mantises, resembling a wall of stars.
“This is the fourth defense line. According to the task I’ve assigned, whoever completes it will enter the outer courtyard of our sect as a specially recruited disciple. They will enjoy the same treatment as outer disciples,” Yan Fu Yu said.
“Prepare yourselves. The task can begin at any moment.”
In the lounge, Wang Jie and the others waited for Yan Fu Yu. As the captain of this mission, Yan Fu Yu would certainly seek him out.
The task was simple: Yan Fu Yu would create chaos on the fourth defense line, giving them, the ten-seal cultivators, the opportunity to enter the Ninth Star Chain and rendezvous with a creature on the Green Square Star Cluster. This creature had vital intelligence for the Frost Radiance Sect.
As long as they completed the mission and returned alive with the information, their future would be much brighter.
“Becoming a specially recruited disciple of Frost Radiance Sect, with the same treatment as an outer disciple, is a dream for countless people in the Eighth Star Chain. If we wanted, we could find three hundred, three thousand, or even thirty thousand ten-seal cultivators to storm the line. But the more people we send, the more noise we make, and the less likely we are to succeed.”
“You should be thankful that the Berserk Clan can smell the presence of Frost Radiance Sect disciples. Otherwise, this task wouldn’t have fallen to you.”
Wang Jie bowed respectfully. “Junior will complete the task with utmost seriousness and will never disappoint Senior’s trust.”
Yan Fu Yu nodded. “Once you reach the Green Square Star Cluster, if you encounter any others, kill them.”
Wang Jie was shocked. “Kill them?”
Yan Fu Yu’s tone was calm. “The task can only be completed by one person. The others are just pawns meant to distract. If you don’t kill them, they will kill you.”
With that, Yan Fu Yu left.
Wang Jie stared into the depths of the stars. So the materials were essentially buying life. To Yan Fu Yu, the lives of these ten-seal cultivators had no value; he only cared about picking the most likely person to succeed in the mission.
The rest, in his eyes, were already dead.
This was the world of cultivation—cruel and heartless.
Wang Jie had spent ten years fighting for survival on Blue Star, where his principle was “don’t harm others if they don’t harm you.” But that principle was nothing compared to those who saw lives as expendable.
“Get ready, it’s starting.”
A voice came from the ship. Wang Jie and the others were all sitting in their personal ships, waiting for that moment.
When the white light turned into a wave and spread toward the fourth defense line, the mantises shrieked, and the line was completely disturbed.
Endless ice pillars rained down like raindrops, annihilating the mantises, piercing planets, and tearing apart the defense line.
“Frost Radiance Sect, looking for death,” a furious roar came from within the defense line as a strong cultivator charged toward Yan Fu Yu.
Meanwhile, the hatch in their ship opened, and a massive thrust from the cold wind sent them flying into the starry sky.
Wang Jie had never felt such speed before. In an instant, the fourth defense line was already behind them.
This wasn’t something a spaceship could achieve. In the distance, he caught a glimpse of a young man.
Boom!
Nearby, a ship exploded as a swarm of cosmic giant beasts attacked, and beams of light from planets pierced the starry sky, heading straight for them.
Wang Jie gritted his teeth, controlling the ship to dodge the beams and giant beast attacks as they followed the set route.
The ship shook violently.
One after another, ships exploded, each representing a life lost.
He watched as Lei turned to ash—this was war. Ten-seal cultivators didn’t even get a chance to struggle.
Sweat dripped down Wang Jie’s forehead as his ship suddenly shook. A cosmic giant beast was perched on top. Wang Jie unleashed the Luo Xuan Finger.
Spiral qi force struck the beast mid-air, sending it flying.
These cosmic giant beasts had lived in space since birth. Unlike humans, they didn’t need cultivation to roam the stars.
Wang Jie continuously fired the Luo Xuan Finger, severing air with qi force and obliterating the cosmic giant beasts. But what puzzled him were the beams of light. Wasn’t the Ninth Star Chain the domain of these beasts? Why were there technological weapons involved?
One hit would be fatal.
Ahead of him, the beams formed a deadly line, lighting the way forward. The ship’s alarms never stopped. Around him, fewer and fewer ships remained. Wang Jie had lost track of time, each second a struggle on the edge of death.
Finally, the beams disappeared.
He had passed the defense line.
He exhaled deeply.
But there was no time to relax. Several people had crossed the line with him. They were merely relying on luck now.
Wang Jie glanced at the light curtain, thought for a moment, and steered the ship in another direction.
In the ship not far from him, a person looked on in surprise as Wang Jie veered away. Before they could react, a sharp spike pierced the ship, tearing through their head, causing an explosion.
The spike came from a cosmic giant beast.
All around, more and more cosmic giant beasts appeared. The fourth defense line wasn’t easy to breach.
Wang Jie turned back to see large groups of cosmic giant beasts still in pursuit. Survival came first.
He controlled the ship to land on a nearby Desolate Planet, with a swarm of cosmic giant beasts following closely behind.
Inside the ship, Wang Jie panted heavily. The planet’s analysis showed it wasn’t suitable for human habitation. Toxic gases filled the air. He couldn’t go outside.
A pair of eyes appeared through the green swamp ahead. Wang Jie pointed, and a spiral qi force obliterated the giant beast.
But this attack attracted many more cosmic giant beasts, who swarmed into the swamp like insects.
Suddenly, a massive finger rose from the swamp, and a second giant finger fell from the sky.
Heaven and Earth Luo Xuan Finger.
One strike destroyed most of the cosmic giant beasts.
The remaining beasts perished under Wang Jie’s spiral qi force.
He controlled the ship to fly away from the swamp and hide in another area.
Countless cosmic giant beasts searched the planet. Would they never stop? Fortunately, they hadn’t found him yet.
He took out the cataclysm materials and absorbed their imprint power.
Looking at the descending cosmic giant beasts, it was clear they were searching for intruders.
Wang Jie, helpless, after restoring his imprint power, immediately took off and headed into space.
He continued to dodge through the stars, hoping to find a planet suitable for human survival.
Two days later, he finally found one, but a swarm of cosmic giant beasts was still following. Thankfully, they were all within the ten-seal strength range. But continued pursuit would inevitably bring the Star Breaking Realm giants.
He landed.
Opening the hatch, Wang Jie stepped out, taking deep breaths of the air.
It was still heavy.
The oxygen concentration on this planet was much higher than Blue Star’s.
All around were towering plants, and many massive wild beasts and insects roamed.
As the cosmic giant beasts landed, the wild beasts and insects scattered and hid.
Wang Jie hid the ship and began walking in the other direction. They were chasing him closely, so he decided to play along.
Without the constraints of the ship, Wang Jie wielded his sword with pure strength, slashing through mountains and cutting down large swaths of cosmic giant beasts.
One after another, ten-seal giant beasts landed, but no matter what attacks they launched, they couldn’t withstand his power.
Looking up, more cosmic giant beasts appeared. Wang Jie exhaled, then swung his sword to the sky.
Star Gazing Sword Style.
Sword light fell like stars, dimming the world beneath.
The bodies of the cosmic giant beasts kept falling, staining the rivers and the earth red.
Wang Jie sat by the river, his sword’s edge stained with blood, flowing like water. Shadows began to creep in, and his gaze turned sharp.
“I thought I’d face a Star Breaking Realm beast next, but instead, they’ve been following me all this time,” he muttered.
Turning his head, he saw a mantis—Nine-Eyed Mantis.
Yan Fu Yu had mentioned that the Nine-Eyed Mantis was usually a ten-seal cultivator. But some had cultivated it themselves.
Wang Jie hadn’t expected to be unlucky enough to be targeted.
Escaping under the gaze of a Nine-Eyed Mantis was impossible.
It was meant to keep watch over the defenses.
The mantis stood five meters tall, its two massive sickles flashing with a cold gleam, its red, narrow eyes fixed on Wang Jie, full of caution.
It had already targeted Wang Jie but had been startled by the Heaven and Earth Luo Xuan Finger. Cautiously, it had followed him, intending to deplete his imprint power.
Now that the cosmic giant beasts had mostly been killed, it feared Wang Jie might replenish his imprint power. That was when it moved.
The river water rushed, and under the setting sun, a flash of red caught Wang Jie’s eye. He instinctively dodged, but before he could react, the sickle descended, too fast for him to think.
Wang Jie raised his arm instinctively, stepping into the Armor Eight Steps.
Bang!
A light sound. His bracers were struck heavily, and his body flew backward. The Armor Eight Steps didn’t even have time to activate.
So fast?
The sickle fell again.
This time, Wang Jie didn’t hesitate. He pushed off the ground with one arm and flew into the sky. The mantis swung its sickle but missed.
Looking up, its narrow eyes widened, and it suddenly flew up, swinging its sickles at him.
In mid-air, Wang Jie unsheathed his sword and used the Star Gazing Sword Style.
Sword lights fell like shooting stars, covering the mantis. The mantis swung its sickles, deflecting the blows, and vanished.
Wang Jie sheathed his sword, gathering his qi and strength, positioning his blade in front of him. The mantis reappeared, its dual sickles slashing together. At the same time, they collided with his sword.
Wang Jie felt a huge force strike, the powerful impact vibrating through his arm. He gritted his teeth, gripping the sword hilt tightly, his imprint power boiling. With a low growl, he exploded with force.
“Get lost—”
One sword swipe knocked the mantis back. Its body flew backward rapidly, its narrow eyes fully opened, staring in disbelief at Wang Jie, as though it couldn’t fathom being forced back by a ten-seal cultivator.
The difference between ten-seals and the Star Breaking Realm was immense.
Unless one was an extraordinary genius, it was almost impossible to bridge this gap. And such geniuses were few, even in the entire Third Nebula.
How could such a person be here?
Wang Jie used the momentum to retreat, landing, gasping for breath.
Such immense pressure… This was the power of the Star Breaking Realm? Had his qi not shielded the sword, those sickles would have shattered it. Though he had repelled it now, the mantis was far from defeated.
Crack!
The sword cracked, breaking.
The mantis narrowed its eyes slowly and raised its sickles again.
Wang Jie’s hand gripped a new blade. It was the star artifact he had taken from the group of people earlier. But he had already drained the star force from it; otherwise, using a star artifact as an imprint cultivator would backfire.
Although the star force was gone, it was still a star artifact—far sturdier than a regular weapon.
Bang! Bang! Bang!
The sickles continued to strike, and Wang Jie could barely track the mantis’s movements. It was too fast, faster than anything he had faced. Even with the Armor Eight Steps, he couldn’t reliably dodge. Only by blocking with the blade and using his armor and bracers could he hold his ground.
He was just waiting for one chance—one opportunity to strike the mantis. This creature was incredibly fast, and its sickle strikes were fierce, but its defenses must be weak.
With his power, one strike should be enough.