Chapter 095
Chapter 95: Gong Nation
Jun Hua and Yu Dong were also stunned. Jin Chu, a full-star realm expert, and Wu Mian, who had never slept, were both formidable figures. Yet, Wen Zhen Zhen, who was only at the Star Breaking Realm, had the advantage over them due to her status as a true disciple. She stood at a level above Jin Chu, who was a full-star realm expert. As for Wu Mian, he was the first to master the Lock Force technique in the Frost Radiance Star Chain, and both he and Jin Chu were known for their prowess.
But for Wang Jie, Wen Zhen Zhen was willing to use such force. Was it worth it?
Meanwhile, Wang Jie found himself face-to-face with Xuan for the third time.
“What exactly do you want from me? Just say it,” Xuan couldn’t help but ask.
Wang Jie replied, “I need a favor. Protect me.”
Xuan was taken aback. “Protect you? But you’re stronger than me.”
“But I’m fighting alone,” Wang Jie explained.
“What do you mean?”
Wang Jie recounted the events that had transpired. Xuan, far from resisting, grew unusually excited. “Thank you! No matter the reason, it’s better to die on the battlefield than here.”
At Jun Hua’s command, all parties moved swiftly.
As soon as Xuan agreed to accompany Wang Jie back to Blue Star, the fastest spaceship in the empire was already prepared. The route was cleared, cutting through space to directly connect the imperial capital to Blue Star. The ship could travel without slowing down at all.
Wang Jie sent a brief thank-you message to Jun Hua, then set off with Xuan, heading toward Blue Star.
Not long after their departure, another spaceship of similar speed launched. Aboard it were Jin Chu and a middle-aged man—Wu Mian.
…
It had taken Wang Jie about half a year to reach the battle fleet led by Jun Tang, but his return to Blue Star took just over a month.
He couldn’t recognize the stars around him, but with the star map, he knew Blue Star was ahead.
At that moment, if one were to consider Blue Star as the center, several battlefronts surrounded it. The Silver Radiance empire’s warships shot beams in all directions, while opposing them was a strange vessel made of white bones, resembling a boat. This was Lao Bone—the vessel used by the Gong Nation to navigate space. The bones making up the ship were all from the people of the Gong Nation.
The Gong Nation took great pride in death. Their philosophy was that after death, there was no peaceful rest; instead, they continued to fight—always fighting, never retreating. Their forces were known as the Third Nebula’s war resources.
One warship after another was destroyed, and reports flooded back to the imperial capital.
Jun Hua was helpless. Originally, the warships could have concentrated their forces in a single direction to face the enemy most effectively. However, because of Wang Jie, they had to scatter around Blue Star, drawing the enemy’s attention to prevent Blue Star from being detected.
Though the Silver Radiance empire was a vast force compared to Blue Star, it was nothing more than an ant when faced with the Frost Radiance Sect.
Wang Jie had already surpassed that ant.
Days passed, and Xuan’s voice came over the comms. “We’re almost there.”
The ship was empty except for Wang Jie and Xuan. The vast craft was incredibly simple to control.
Wang Jie looked at the light screen, where the image of a blue planet gradually filled the display.
They were back.
It had been over two years since he left Blue Star. During that time, he had experienced much—almost colliding with Jun Tang’s warship, mining, fighting for his life, entering the Accompanying Lake residence, being sent to the Ninth Star Chain, and now, his return was drastically different.
So much had happened in such a short time.
His cultivation level was still at ten seals, the same as when he left Blue Star, but his combat ability had changed completely.
This time, Blue Star would be different.
“That’s strange,” Xuan muttered, staring at the star map.
Initially, only two dots blinked on the map—the first for Blue Star, their destination, and the second for their ship. But soon, a third dot appeared, blinking rapidly. It indicated movement and was headed toward Blue Star.
It was much closer to Blue Star than their ship.
Wang Jie fixed his gaze on the light screen. “Zoom in.”
Xuan quickly adjusted, but frowned. “I can’t make it out clearly. This isn’t a planet—it just looks like a dot from this distance. But the speed is fast. Either it’s landing on Blue Star, or it will crash into it.”
Wang Jie clenched his fists, his eyes locked on the screen. If they collided at this speed, Blue Star would be destroyed.
Seconds ticked by.
The blinking light suddenly stopped.
Xuan breathed a sigh of relief. “It didn’t crash. It stopped. It seems to be another type of cosmic travel vessel, just like ours. But it’s not an imperial warship, otherwise, we would have received a signal.”
Wang Jie didn’t reply. Whether it was an imperial ship or not, it was still the enemy.
The Gong Nation had arrived on Blue Star before him.
But perhaps it was fortunate—he had arrived too.
Blue Star had been steadily improving over the past two years.
Two years ago, Shu Mu Night’s massacre of the mutant creatures left Blue Star’s apex mutant creatures in ruins, granting the humans a brief opportunity to regroup. Now, among the people of Blue Star, seven and eight seals were common, and even nine seals were not rare. The number of ten seals had exceeded what could be counted on both hands.
Figures like Hong Jian and Lian Qin were already at ten seals.
During this time, they had reclaimed land taken by mutant beasts and gradually advanced toward the ocean.
But on this day, a long-absent sense of despair hung over the people of Blue Star.
A bone ark, made entirely of white bones, blocked the sunlight, casting a shadow over the entire Golden Hill Base. The gleaming white bones under the sun sent a chill through the air.
Across the land of Golden Hill, all eyes looked up, stunned.
The bone boat appeared as if it had emerged from the depths of hell itself, and the people were momentarily frozen in disbelief.
Even the people in the Southern Nation Base and Upper Capital City saw it through their screens. The entire planet seemed silent.
On the bone ark, a humanoid creature, two meters tall with dark red skin, stepped forward and stood at the front, gazing down at Golden Hill Base, the clouds parting beneath its eyes.
Its deep red pupils scanned the base, and then it grinned, leaping down through the clouds, crashing directly into the base.
With a thunderous roar, the ground caved in, dust billowing into the air, just like when the trial takers first arrived.
People scattered in panic, cultivators rushed to the scene.
Hong Jian led the charge, followed by Feng Yu and others—all at ten seals. They were stunned as they watched the creature emerge from the smoke.
What was this creature? It felt eerie, powerful, and as if its very presence choked the air, its breath suffocating everyone nearby.
Its crimson gaze swept across the cultivators, and those who met its eyes felt their skin burning, a paralyzing terror spreading through their hearts.
With a breath, the creature exhaled a grayish-white vapor, its teeth sharp as daggers. It grinned and muttered in a low, raspy voice: “Is this the Slaughter Stone planet of the Silver Radiance empire?”
Hong Jian stepped forward. “This is Blue Star. May I ask your esteemed name?”
The deep red pupils locked onto him, and with a single step, the creature appeared before him. Though it was only a head taller than Hong Jian, its presence was overwhelming, as though it were a mountain. All Hong Jian could see was the creature’s heaving chest and the terrifying killing intent emanating from it.
Instinctively, he took a step back, but the world spun around him, his face tingling, and before he knew it, everything went black.
Around them, others watched helplessly as the creature slapped Hong Jian away, then turned and struck another nearby person. The force of the blow caused blood to explode from their body, instantly killing them.
Feng Yu and the others stood frozen, unable to move. The overwhelming bloodlust in the air left them paralyzed.
It was the death aura of a battlefield, a scent soaked in endless corpses, and it crushed their spirits. They could only watch as one by one, their companions were struck dead with a single slap.
The creature reveled in the killing, in the fear of the humans.
Its laughter grew louder.
More of the same creatures emerged from the bone boat and leaped down into Golden Hill Base.
Blood flooded the base.
News drones sent the footage to Upper Capital City and the Southern Nation, where people watched in stunned silence.
The cultivators at Golden Hill Base had no resistance. One by one, they were killed, and the hopelessness felt like a return to that blood-red beach, where they saw someone seated atop death.
These creatures hailed from hell itself.
Far away, Hong Jian lay on the ground, still alive but grievously wounded. His blood stained his face and roused him to consciousness.
Through the crimson haze, he saw his comrades being killed, and a sense of powerlessness took over.
What kind of creatures were these?
The familiar stench filled the air as the grayish-white vapor poured into Feng Yu’s nose. She stood frozen in horror, her mind screaming to run, but she couldn’t move.
She was helpless, staring as the creature raised its arm to strike again.
But suddenly, the creature’s arm stopped. It turned its gaze upward, followed by the others. A fiery meteor streaked toward Golden Hill Base, heading directly for them.
“Intercept,” the creature commanded.
The bone boat swung out massive chains, reaching toward the meteor.
Outside of Blue Star, a beam of light shot toward the bone boat, and the chains turned toward it, clashing in an explosion of fiery sparks, brighter than the sun.
The creature before Feng Yu narrowed its eyes, its deep red pupils fixed on the meteor. It lowered its arm, staring at the descending fireball.
Feng Yu could only pray that the meteor was a trial taker.
She didn’t know where the beam had come from, or whether the meteor was a trial taker, but she knew one thing: she was mere inches from death.
The meteor continued to fall, and just as it was about to hit the ground, the creature before Feng Yu lifted its chain to strike at the shattered pieces from the meteor. The debris punched through the meteor, causing it to explode.
The other creatures charged into the explosion, fearless in their rush.
But when they broke through the flames, there was nothing there.
Feng Yu stared, her heart sinking.
The creature before her grinned widely, then turned back to face her. It raised its arm once more.
Feng Yu braced herself. Just as she thought she was done for, the creature’s arm froze once more—not by its own will, but because another hand had grabbed it, holding it still.
She turned in surprise, staring at the familiar figure beside her.
“Wang Jie?”